'11
The past few years of Tom Cruise’s movie-star existence has been many things but can easily be summarized as a case of trying too hard. He tries too hard to impress. He tries too hard to be taken seriously. And he tries too hard to convince us that he’s a good four inches taller than his true height when it really shouldn’t matter at all. Now In Touch brings us a story from the set of Rock of Ages, where Tom is (naturally) trying too hard to convince the younguns that he’s just as cool as they are. Unfortunately for Tom, they’re all rather preoccupied with laughing at his rock star lifts and various other ways that he’s coming on too strong:
Top Gun? Try Top Grandpa! Yep, that’s what Tom Cruise’s younger castmates are calling the 49-year-old star on the set of Rock of Ages, where he is embarrassing himself by dressing like a teenager and trying to seem relevant, an on-set source says. While the once super-hot actor has been trying to get close to the cast and crew by introducing them to up-and-coming bands like Bon Iver and Odd Future, they’re too busy making fun of him behind his back to be impressed by his efforts, the source adds. Anyone who has seen Tom dance on BET’s “106 & Park” will have little trouble imagining his sad-but-valiant attempt to “connect” with the kiddies!
[From In Touch, print edition, July 25]
If you’re unfamiliar with the above-referenced BET dance of doom, here’s a bit of a refresher:
Poor Tom. If the guy just feigned a reclusive, enigmatic presence and hid out in his trailer, people would probably flock to him. Unfortunately, Tom is not capable of merely doing so, and he must actively seek out acceptance, which is an admittedly sad situation. Yes, Tom Cruise is hovering on the brink of a mid-life crisis of sorts, and he desperately wants to prove that he’s still the biggest movie star in the world, which he obviously hasn’t been for several years. Added into the mix of Tom’s life cycle are a few key complications: (1) The bubble of celebrity wherein he has resided for multiple decades; and (2) The insanity known as the Church of Scientology. Obviously, Tom’s not in touch with reality and hasn’t been for quite some time (if ever); so at this stage, it’s almost painful to watch him try to endear himself not only to younger audiences but also, if this tabloid article is to be believed, to his younger costars and crew members as well.
Meanwhile, the clock keeps on ticking, as his wife Katie reminded him by throwing him a surprise 49th birthday party at their Miami hotel earlier this month. Here’s a few photos of Tom looking absolutely wiped out on the balcony. Take a nap, Tom!
Photos courtesy of Fame Pictures
Written by Bedhead
Posted in Tom Cruise
- Heidi Klum is a rock singer now [Crazy Days and Nights]
- Heidi Klum never gets it right [Go Fug Yourself]
- Lots of gorgeous photos of Tom Hardy [Lainey Gossip]
- Kate Moss is wasted [D-Listed]
- Marvel creates superhero for boy with a hearing aid! [Jezebel]
- Daniel Radcliffe wants a superhero movie [Evil Beet]
- Cool photo of couple marrying - with tornado in background [Fark]
- The best onscreen wedding parties [Buzzsugar]
- Men in Black III review [Pajiba]
- Obama bogarts the weed [Gawker]
31 Responses to “Tom Cruise is desperate to impress the kiddies on the ‘Rock of Ages’ set”
Leave a Reply
By commenting you agree to our comment policy
Use the "Report this comment as spam or abuse" link to ask the moderators to delete a comment if it's offensive. If your comment disappears, it may have been eaten by the spam filter. Please e-mail cbcomments at gmail.com to get it retrieved.
Get an icon next to your name by signing up for a free Gravatar
Am I the only one who thinks he looks absolutely gross in these Rock of Ages pix?
And isn’t almost 50 a little old for a mid-life crisis? (Or am I just projecting from the men I’ve known who started theirs’ early?)
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Nope–I think he looks gross too. I’m *almost* beginning to feel sorry for him. OhmyGod I need a nap!!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Eh! Some people need to grow up and get a reality check on how old they really are. Yup, that first pic is totally gross.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I don’t know, I think he’s still got it. At least some. It’s not like Steven Tyler or Mick Jagger aren’t old.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@the original bellaluna: NO! You are far from alone and I personally could just puke from looking at just that top pic of him.
He is just so gross and oily and fake and over-the-top in all things. I have never liked him but lately I find myself almost hating him for his creepy behavior and almost sinister need to be loved.
I would not hit that for a cool million. Not enough money in the world.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Does anyone remember that gig from last year’s MTV Movie Awards? Enough said.
I’m starting to feel a bit bad for him though.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He needs to flee the cult, stop funding their illegal acts and wake up! He is being “handled” everyday by his even shorter BFF David Miscavige, by his every move being monitored through household staff, family members who are ALL SCINOS-this guy can’t discuss doubts with his wife without the COS knowing! SAD
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Tabloid story, so who really knows, but he tries way too hard to be cool. You either are or you are not. If you have to try that hard, then you are not. His “abs” are lumps and when standing still, you can see hard much effort he puts into holding his stomach in. His face look stretched over his skeleton too, a bit too tight.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I’m not a fan of Tom, but I think the comments are a bit harsh.
Tom is an International Star and there are not that many of them left. The thing that makes me go hmm is that he has been reducing himself to D list status. The way he has been over promoting his films. He should not be going on every single talk show or doing silly stunts to get the audience to see a film. I was just shaking my head at how he turned himself inside out to promote Knight and Day. That was sad.
Tom Cruise should not need to do anything to impress young actors that have yet to make their mark anywhere. They should be coming to him. NOT the other way around.
Tom needs to pull back and remember who he is and act like a STAR.. they are a dying breed. We need them; because all we have left are cookie cutter inter-changeable people.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
The last thing I saw Tom Cruise in was Tropic Thunder. And I remember thinking, hey, he actually does have charisma. He has some kind of, I don’t know, “presence”, like you can’t look anywhere else but at him, even in a fat suit. My point? Yes, he is trying way to hard. He is TOM CRUISE, now and forever. He should just remember that, kick-back, and become one of those Hollywood legends/elders, like Harrison Ford or Michael Douglas.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Tom is desperate, and it is no one’s fault but his own – see that cult membership, going after people who report about the state of his closet, wearing lifts, behaving like a raving lunatic…
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He seems to be afraid of aging. He wants to remain that guy from Top Gun. Others in his age range have accepted it better. Clooney has grey hair, Pitt shows his grey beard and neither seems to be losing jobs or sex appeal. Even Damon, who is younger has a few grey hairs showing, but Cruise just won’t accept that in a couple of years AARP will be sending him an application.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Most rockstars prefer to wear shoes with cuban heels. They need to appear longer onstage.
Tom is someone whom I find annoying as a real person but I like as an actor, just like Russel Brand, Miley Cyrus or Gwyneth Paltrow. I liked him in all the movies he starred in. I do empathize with his character. He’s 50 and he looks great.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He seems to be making a parody of himself. I can’t take my eyes away from that huge chunk in the side of his face in the first pic. Is that an implant? It certainly does not look normal.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Tom Cruise and Bon Iver in the same sentence is making me depressed. Excuse me while I lie down and try desperately to scrub this connection out of my brain.
If Tom ruins this music for me, I will hunt him down!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@Jenny: Funny how you mentioned AARP. My mother turned 50 about two months ago. Not even a full week goes by and surprise! An AARP letter shows up. It’s like they are counting down the days or something.
Back to Tom: I actually do believe he’s a decent actor. His role in “Magnolia” proves it. It’s very embaressing how he’s trying his best to please everyone (at least it seems that way). Maybe he’s going through some phase.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
“Most” rockstars don’t wear high heels. Ok, well-Prince. And he rocks them. He doesn’t wear lifts INSIDE the heels, which you can clearly see in Tom’s shoes. He is pathetic. For many more reasons than the elevators.
Hubby is a musician and has worked with some of the biggest names in the biz. Not a lot of high heels on the dudes. Trust me, I’ve been hanging around these peeps for over 20 years with some big names…no high heels.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
It’s the Scientology that kills his hotness….sorry Tommy.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
It is totally the trying to hard that makes it sad.
He does look good for his age, he can act, and he is a major movie star. He can give it a rest. Tone it down a notch, or eleven.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@katnip: (standing ovation)
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@ the original bellaluna. The Rock of Ages pics aren’t doing anything for me either. I was never crazy about Tom Cruise to start, but I don’t find him very convincing as a rocker. Rock musicians generally have a “don’t-give-damn” attitude. They don’t care what anyone thinks. Tom seems like he very much cares what people think about him.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
katnip**I agree with you.While,in the past I was a fan,it’s hard for me to relate to his work anymore,I guess because of all if his antics. I wish he would pull his mess together,because he has made films that I’ve really enjoyed.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I wouldn’t be surprised if that article is true. If anyone picks up Rob Lowe’s memoir, he talks extensively about filming The Outsiders with Tommy and the other guys. He pretty much describes Tommy as a manic pleaser. Just wants to please everyone and is fanatical about everything. When Patrick Swayze (god rest his soul) taught the boys how to do a back flip, Tommy kept doing it until he got it right. The way Rob was describing Tommy he sounded like a hyperactive chipmunk.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I’ve never been a fan of Tom Cruise-even in junior high back in the mid 1980′s when everyone was into “Top Gun” he never did it for me-but I have to say I think he’s aged pretty well. For being 49 he looks pretty good.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@Becky is right. Completely to my own surprise, those “wiped out” pics look pretty fantastic. When he doesn’t give a crap, he’s more attractive than when he was the Risky Business kid he seems to miss being. His face looks terrific, largely due to a ruggedness he didn’t used to have, and the sloppy semi-mullet only helps.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Thank goodness Oprah is off the air. After she showed him jumping up and down on the couch , he lost his mystique
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Tom is hilarious but the comments are a tad harsh. I’m a pretty good dancer and the BET dance clip waswn’t terrible. Stiff? yes, but he has rhythm and looked like he was having fun. Lots of peple would look a little off if they were attempting a dance for the first time. Anyway, next.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He’s got a classic post-lipo stomach. Hate him hate him hate him
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Weird cheeks in that Rock of Ages photo. Looks like he got implants that you can see the outline when he opens his mouth that wide.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Shouldn’t he be saving people while climbing rocks, flying a plane and killing Hitler, so now hes a rock star, it’s creepy how he thinks he is every character he has ever played. I’m sure he rides a motor bike in this movie as well. But does he run for half the film or it’s not a Cruise film.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Magnificent website. Lots of useful info here. I’m sending it to some buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you to your effort!
Report this comment as spam or abuse