Who's Behind Tom Cruise's Massive Image Overhaul, Tom Cruise Or The Church Of Scientology? - Page 4
Tom Cruise has lost a few pounds, and his bad habits are next to go.The Valkyrie actor's overworked publicity team has put together a multipoint plan to bring him back to screen-idol status. Some of the dos and don'ts: You won't hear Tom lecturing any talk show hosts (think: Matt Lauer!) about Scientology from now on. Also, to be more connected to the audience, he will stop wearing sunglasses on the red carpet, an insider tells Star. His PR team has also nixed showing up at premieres in fancy cars. "They don't want him to seem arrogant during the recession!" are next to go.
But the flacks' No. 1 priority? Winning back Tom's female fans! Research showed that women turned against him after he criticized Brooke Shields' use of postpartum depression meds. So now Tom is making a concerted effort to appear on women-friendly programs like The View. "It's all very calculated," the insider says. are next to go.
Tom's wife, Katie Holmes, is benefiting from the new rules, too! When they step out together, he has to be less hands-on. "Tom needs to quit grabbing her arm and pulling her around. The idea is to make him the kinder, gentler Tom, not a controlling husband with a Stepford wife." are next to go.
Don't Look Behind The Curtain
This is all well and good, but what mainstream media seems to be glossing over in all this Tom Cruise makeover flurry is the obvious: a new Tom doesn't make the Church of Scientology any less kooky, or dangerous.
In an effort to boost their prominence in the world, the Church put all their eggs in the Tom Cruise basket, not taking into account that pushing religion on the masses is PR no-no. Like all historic falls from grace, Tom and the Church of Scientology were undone by their own hubris and arrogance. Tom thought the world would love him regardless of his tirades against life-saving drugs and his belittling indifference to the concerns of others. Using his status as star, Tom (with heavy prompting from Scientology leader and best friend, David Miscavige) was preaching to a choir that was listening, but didn't like what it heard. Being a bully tends to backfire in the end.
Before Tom Cruise went Scientology nuts, he was a well-liked leading man who made popular films and was a money-making machine, which according to his official website, is close to $6 billion dollars over a 27 year film career. Second only to another well-like Tom, Tom Hanks. But hey, $6 billion, that's not chump change.
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