NationStates Jolt Archive

Tom Cruise, Paramount break ties

Hollywood's latest break-up involves movie star Tom Cruise and his studio, Paramount Pictures.
Tom Cruise, Paramount break ties
Last Updated Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:48:31 EDT
CBC Arts

Hollywood's latest break-up involves movie star Tom Cruise and his studio, Paramount Pictures.

Tom Cruise's erratic behaviour while he was courting Katie Holmes last year was partly to blame for his contract not being renewed, said Viacom chair Sumner Redstone. However, the Mission Impossible star's business partner Paula Wagner said the decision to leave Paramount was made by her and Cruise. (Associated Press) Though he's largely been out of the spotlight for a few months since the birth of his daughter, Cruise has not escaped fallout from his bizarre behaviour over the past year.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Tuesday, the head of Paramount's parent company, Viacom Inc., announced the studio was ending its relationship with the Mission Impossible star. Paramount has maintained a contract with Cruise's film production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions, for 14 years. The latest contract is set to expire Aug. 31.

"As much as we like him personally… we thought it was wrong to renew his deal," Viacom chair Sumner Redstone told the Journal.

"It's nothing to do with his acting ability. He's a terrific actor," Redstone continued.

"But we don't think that someone who effects creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot."

Outrageous behaviour led to public relations fiasco

After years of being guarded about his personal life, Cruise appeared to explode out of his shell last year.

He engaged in a whirlwind public romance with younger actress Katie Holmes, began vocally promoting his Scientology faith, leaped onto talk show host Oprah Winfrey's couch on-air while proclaiming his love for Holmes and, in interviews, criticized actress Brooke Shields for taking prescription drugs to treat her postpartum depression (Scientologists denounce psychiatry and its medication).

The media frenzy over Cruise and Holmes intensified when they announced they were expecting a child together. In April, Holmes gave birth to Suri Cruise — coincidentally, the same day as Shields gave birth to her second child. The couple has been maintaining a lower profile since.

Nevertheless, Cruise's star power was seriously damaged by his public outbursts. Though he recently topped Forbes magazine's annual list of powerful celebrities, the ticket sales for his last film, Mission: Impossible III, were lower than expected. Around the time the film was released in May, a Gallup poll found that more than half of the respondents surveyed had developed an "unfavourable" opinion of the star, whose credits include Top Gun, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, War of the Worlds and Born on the Fourth of July.

He said, she said

Cruise's longtime business partner Paula Wagner shot back at Redstone's announcement later Tuesday, saying it was Cruise/Wagner Productions that decided against renewing the contract with Paramount in favour of seeking independent financing.

Wagner added that Redstone's pronouncement was "surprising."

"For some reason, Paramount has chosen to negotiate in the press," she said. "It's not really the most businesslike approach."

According to Wagner, Paramount's collaboration with Cruise/Wagner Productions has produced $2.5 billion US worth of business. Still, she says, she and Cruise have considered seeking independent financing "for a long time."

Viacom and Paramount have declined further comment.


Clicky! (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/08/23/cruise-paramount-studio.html)


Well.. yay!

*hands everyone a glass of champagne*

Before you all get too drunk.. what are your thoughts?

Did he have it coming?

This is so yesterday.

Well, if it is true that they lost a lot of money due to his strange behavior its not a big suprise that they don't sign a new contract with him.

I don't have any big problems with mr cruise, altough I think his a bit of a nut-case.I dislike people like Mel Gibson and his like more then.

Cruise is pwned - he deserves it for joining that cult.

Tom Cruise, Paramount break ties

Hollywood's latest break-up involves movie star Tom Cruise and his studio, Paramount Pictures.

Clicky! (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/08/23/cruise-paramount-studio.html)


Well.. yay!

*hands everyone a glass of champagne*

Before you all get too drunk.. what are your thoughts?

Did he have it coming?

'He had it coming...he had it coming..he had it coming all along. If you had been there, if you had seen it bet ya you would have said the same '

Yay, little mental case deserved it.

Everyone knows:
http://tomcruisetherapy.ytmnd.com/

he'll do just fine- I'm sure he has enough fans and cash to make a few more big pay days.

He's not fun or interesting anymore- just very strange, on the verge of quaffing the kool-aid.

and still really,really short.

Ha. I'm glad something bad happened to him.

Freakin' Scientologists...

Sorry I don't see what the big deal is?

Sooo he gets caught up in the moment and jumps up and down a bit on Oprah's sofa. That's good enough to get saked? We are now able to losse our jobs because of showing emotion?

Naaaaa summit else is going on here, thats fucking stupid.

Sorry I don't see what the big deal is?

Sooo he gets caught up in the moment and jumps up and down a bit on Oprah's sofa. That's good enough to get saked? We are now able to losse our jobs because of showing emotion?

Naaaaa summit else is going on here, thats fucking stupid.



I think a lot of it has more to do with his reducing his own value by turning off fans.

He was agressive and unreasonable in well publicized interview with Matt Lauer, he also bashed Brooke Shields who is someone people like-she is well known and easy to relate with.

He was very harsh and condescending in his criticism and I think that turned a lot of people off to him. He went from cool guy from Risky Business, Cocktail, Days of Thunder, Top Gun- To intense, wild eyed looney.

I think this was a shock to many people. I'm not concerned one way or another- he is just and actor. But I think he lowered his value and raised his creepy level.

If he makes another Mission Impossible-I'll probably see it, likely on rental.

However-I have a feeling he will now resort to making his own movies and they will likely be carrying some message or lesson he feels is his own.

I think a lot of it has more to do with his reducing his own value by turning off fans.

He was agressive and unreasonable in well publicized interview with Matt Lauer, he also bashed Brooke Shields who is someone people like-she is well known and easy to relate with.

He was very harsh and condescending in his criticism and I think that turned a lot of people off to him. He went from cool guy from Risky Business, Cocktail, Days of Thunder, Top Gun- To intense, wild eyed looney.

I think this was a shock to many people. I'm not concerned one way or another- he is just and actor. But I think he lowered his value and raised his creepy level.

If he makes another Mission Impossible-I'll probably see it, likely on rental.

However-I have a feeling he will now resort to making his own movies and they will likely be carrying some message or lesson he feels is his own.

For me, it's kind of about the actor making their real-life self too big for their own good.

It's a lot like what happened with Mel Gibson. And I'm not talking about the recent drunk episode. I used to really like Mel Gibson, simply because Lethal Weapon movies made me laugh. (Yes, I am low-brow sometimes.) But then Mel started making himself a huge personality off screen. His Christian stuff became this huge deal. He made himself such a big character in real life that you could never lose yourself in any of his roles.

That's how it is with Tom Cruise, now. He can never play any character in a movie, because I can never forget that he is TOM CRUISE. I can't enjoy the fantasy or suspend my disbelief when I see his movies, because I'm too aware that he is TOM CRUISE.

A lot of actors do this to a certain degree. I never can watch movies with a Baldwin because I just can't forget that it's A BALDWIN. Angelina Jolie used to be one of my favorite actresses, but now she's just one of my favorite personalities/fantasies because I can never see her in a movie without being always aware that she is ANGELINA JOLIE.

Tom Cruise was never that great an actor, but he at least used to be able to be an actor. Now he's THAT CRAZY SCIENTOLOGY GUY no matter what role he's been given. And that kills whatever acting potential he might have had to begin with.

For me, it's kind of about the actor making their real-life self too big for their own good.

It's a lot like what happened with Mel Gibson. And I'm not talking about the recent drunk episode. I used to really like Mel Gibson, simply because Lethal Weapon movies made me laugh. (Yes, I am low-brow sometimes.) But then Mel started making himself a huge personality off screen. His Christian stuff became this huge deal. He made himself such a big character in real life that you could never lose yourself in any of his roles.

That's how it is with Tom Cruise, now. He can never play any character in a movie, because I can never forget that he is TOM CRUISE. I can't enjoy the fantasy or suspend my disbelief when I see his movies, because I'm too aware that he is TOM CRUISE.

A lot of actors do this to a certain degree. I never can watch movies with a Baldwin because I just can't forget that it's A BALDWIN. Angelina Jolie used to be one of my favorite actresses, but now she's just one of my favorite personalities/fantasies because I can never see her in a movie without being always aware that she is ANGELINA JOLIE.

Tom Cruise was never that great an actor, but he at least used to be able to be an actor. Now he's THAT CRAZY SCIENTOLOGY GUY no matter what role he's been given. And that kills whatever acting potential he might have had to begin with.

Thats a great point too. Its like they type-cast themselves in real life.

I'm still a Mel Gibson fan-Or more truthfully-a fan of the charachters he plays- he makes the type of movie that appeals to me.

I've said it many times before- I dont care what actors/performers think. If they entertain me with a movie or music-thats great.

As soon as they become so self-important that they have to preach, I lose interest.

Most of these are people that couldnt make it in real life and struggled, may have done some things you or I wouldnt be proud of- to become actors.

I actually like Tom Cruise, and I think he's a good person. People like the aforementioned Mel Gipson you can't really tell, but I can see it in Cruise.

That said, his outbursts were rather inappropreate.

And on a final note, Scientology I don't think is as bad as some of the other cults, like the San Diego one. And don't forget that the Jehovas Witnesses have a very stupid law (no offense to JW's no the board) that forbid blood transfusions, which in the end get them killed if it's a life and death situation, hense why I think that particular religion is a cult.

Anyways, back to Tom Cruise bashing. :P