Nicole Kidman appears in the latest (Jan 23) print edtion of The Hollywood Reporter to promote Stoker and its upcoming Sundance premiere. This interview is actually kind of juicy and dovetails with the release of NYT writer Lawrence Wright’s Scientology exposé, Going Clear, which arrives in stores … tomorrow! If you’re interested in a preview, the Daily Beast is running 15 (mostly new) revelations from the book.

Nicole’s relevance to Wright’s book, of course, has to do with her 12-year-old divorce from Tom Cruise. According to well-documented sources, Celebrity Centre boss Tommy Davis (who has recently blown the cult, btw), held weekly, post-divorce sessions with Tom and Isabella Cruise. In these audits/information dumps/brainwashing sessions, Davis labelled Nicole a Suppressive Person and reportedly informed Nicole and Tom’s children that their mother was a sociopath who was not to be trusted. In this piece, Nicole finally says something about her estranged state with her eldest two children, and you can easily tell that she doesn’t blame them at all because she knows the drill. So sad. On a lighter note, she also discusses peeing on Zac Efron. Here are some excerpts:

Peeing on Zac Efron in The Paperboy: “I just don’t find urination shocking,” Kidman declares matter-of-factly. “I think I peed in the beginning of Eyes Wide Shut, too. But then, I don’t find a lot of things shocking! Violence is a lot more shocking than sex — sex is primal. Lee [Daniels, director of The Paperboy] had an obsession about shooting me from behind — he was obsessed with my ass! To me, that was so funny. He’s hilarious, I love him. I’m drawn to Lee for his wild nature. I felt shy singing in Moulin Rouge! But peeing — no, not shy.”

Journo mentions that her Cruise divorce happened because of CO$: “I’ll bet it is. My eye is going to a dress here — that’s how interested I am in this.” When pressed, she’ll say only: “I’ve chosen not to speak publicly about Scientology. I have two children [adopted with Cruise] who are Scientologists — Connor and Isabella — and I utterly respect their beliefs.”

On her recent career decisions: “I try to go places I’m terrified of,” she says. “It makes you more compassionate. The journey of life is hard; you’re always waiting for the cannonball to come and hit you. I do develop very powerful relationships with most of my directors,” admits Kidman. “Gus Van Sant changed my career with To Die For. I’ll definitely work with Lars von Trier again. And [The Hours director] Stephen Daldry is like a soulmate. He was so kind to me when I was pregnant, even when I couldn’t do The Reader. It’s not the size of the role I care about, it’s the subject matter here: torture and the human soul.”

She’s a traditional gal: “I’m just a nice Southern girl. It’s such an easy lifestyle. And it’s more diverse than you’d expect. There’s so much great music. The Black Keys go jogging past the restaurant Keith and I go to. We’ll hang out with Jack White in the studio. And there’s music in our house all the time — Keith plays harmonica, drums, banjo, piano and bass guitar. He has a strong will about his career, and so do I. We want each other to thrive and do what we love, and we never interfere in the other’s career choices.”

On the future: “I really want to do Chekhov in Russian. I know my choices are erratic and unpredictable, and there’s no rhyme or reason. I want to be spontaneous. I love subtext. Subtext is what’s interesting — in Ibsen, in Chekhov, in all the great literature. The sound of Russian gives it such gravitas. It’s a very difficult language. It’s always been my dream to perform Chekhov in Russian. And don’t be surprised when I do it.”

She wants to be an indie queen: “My heart is independent. I come from Australia, I was trained in indie movies. It’s an unconscious decision — it’s who I am. As an actor, you live and die by your choices. I don’t associate with mainstream films anymore. I don’t do so well in them, either. I guess I have a foot in both worlds. I’ve been offered some studio films this year and turned them down. They just didn’t align with who I am. I actually don’t even know what a movie star is now — what is a movie star? When the best female part of the year is Claire Danes in ‘Homeland,’ you know the game’s changed. Maybe in the ’50s, there was a far more particular idea for a movie star. But now that’s all blurry — everything’s more fluid.”

[From Hollywood Reporter]

Oh, Nicole. I feel so much for her in regard to Isabella and Connor’s unfortunate rejection of her “suppressive person” self. Although the timing is strange with the reporter pushing for Nic’s response in regard to Scientology’s involvement in her divorce from Tom Cruise. It’s been over a decade since Tom tore up her contract, and certainly, her publicists have been very conscientious about shutting down potential inquiries until now. So what gives? I am assuming that the journalist was informed that he could ask questions about the CO$, but that Nicole might be dicey in response. I guess this is progress from her former radio silence, right? At least we now have concrete evidence (from her answers) that she feels quite abrasive about the cult despite paying positive lipservice to her estranged children.

Also, I can’t help but wonder if Nicole’s fresh embrace of indie movies might have something to do with her blockbuster-centered ex, Tom Cruise? He’d rather die than go indie. Then again, Nicole has had some really big recent studio failures, including The Golden Compass and The Invasion, the latter of which only brought in $15 million against a $80 million budget. Ouch.

Photos courtesy of Hollywood Reporter and WENN

Like it or not, the ill-fated and unnecessary Red Dawn remake/reboot is on the way and will arrive in theaters on (when else?) Thanksgiving day. This film has actually been years in the making, which would explain why the film’s stars — Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and … Connor Cruise — look younger than we’re used to seeing them these days. Obviously, Connor is a very good-looking young man, but we all know that nepotism has at least a fair amount to do with Connor landing a role here. Here’s the remake’s plot summary, which sounds almost indistinguishable from the original (basically, they’ve changed the setting from Colorado to Washington and changed the invading forces from Russians and Cubans to North Koreans), as well as a new clip:

In Red Dawn, a city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky — shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

[From IMDb]

Okay, so Connor doesn’t get much airplay at all in that clip. His role is obviously a supporting one, but he actually had a line (“I can’t“) in this trailer from about a month ago. Check it.

Honestly, the point of this post isn’t to bag on Connor Cruise. I feel bad for the kid (he’s not even a kid anymore) for having such a screwed-up, lift-obsessed father that pulled him into Scientology, so I won’t say much more about him here. What does offend me, however, is that the remake originally cast China as the invading country but then switched the identity of the Chinese soldiers to North Koreans in post-production. Because, you know, all Asians are interchangeable like that, right? Also, how on earth would North Korea ever be able to invade any other country in the first place? It doesn’t make sense, of course, but that’s Hollywood. As much as a clusterf*ck as this movie will probably be, I think Chris Hemworth might be enough of a box office draw to make it a moderately successful blockbuster. We shall see.

Here’s another clip that shows a bit of the ground combat and an ambush on the part of Hemsworth and Hutcherson. Don’t ask me why Hutcherson’s mouth hangs open the entire time he’s shooting a gun.

Photos courtesy of Contrafilm and Film District

Imagine for a moment that you are Tom Cruise. You wake up in the morning, put on your massive lifts (with the help of twelve assorted bodyguards and assistants), go to work and do some crazy-ass stunts (because, thanks to Xenu and your pocketbook, you can fly) while surrounded by very short extras for several hours, and then head home to your London hotel and find yourself at a loss. Wasn’t there something else you meant to do today? Lawsuit? Check. Oh well. I guess there’s nothing else to do but head out to be weird, silly, and icky in some nightclubs and maybe check your son Connor’s latest DJ gig like you did in these photos when Connor played London hotspot Chinawhite in August. You’re so bloody proud of Connor. He’s making it really big these days as “DJ C-Squared,” and he’s very in demand. In fact, Connor has social connections that might help you find a fourth wife without being accused of cruising for da ladies like some 50-year-old man in the midst of a midlife crisis. Which you obviously aren’t, right? Great son, that Connor.

HA. Tom is still at it with this nightclub raving business, and I guess his “hunt for the next Mrs. Cruise” is as good a theory as any why he hasn’t been photographed with Suri in 13 WEEKS. For those theorists who claim that we don’t really know if Tom has made secret visits to Suri, well, that’s not possible for Tom. Whenever he does visit with Suri, Tom always makes sure that the paps get a good, clear shot. Really though, poor Tom. He is so lonely and miserable and has been forced to degrade himself by trawling hotspots for his next wife since, obviously, he can’t have Scientology just order a bride through a series of auditions again. That cover has been blown.

So according to this week’s issue of Star, Tom has been spotted trying to cozy up with some of Connor’s club buddies; Tom was even seen “flirting” with busty Playboy twins Carla and Melissa Howe, who were also recently photographed swapping numbers with Russell Brand after one of his stand-up comedy gigs. These are the Howe twins, and here is the story from Star:

He may be the biggest star in the world, but even Tom Cruise needs a wingman. The recently divorced Top Gun star has turned to his 17-year-old son to help him find a replacement for Katie Holmes. “Tom is looking for a beautiful brunette between the ages of 23 and 30,” says an insider. You would think he’d have the confidence to land any woman he set his sights on, but any man’s game would be a little rusty after five years of marriage.

Son Connor is one of the hottest DJs around right now, and he has been encouraging his dad to come and meet his friends, says the insider. Recently, Dad came to see his boy perform a gig at London hotspot Chinawhite, where he met and flirted with two of Connor’s friends, Playboy models Carla and Melissa Howe, reveals an insider.

Who wouldn’t be excited to hang out with Tom Cruise? Instead of being worried about his dad honing in on his territory, Connor is actually Tom’s biggest supporter, explains the source. “Connor feels like he knows Tom best and would be the perfect guy to find him a new woman.” Never mind all the fringe benefits that are in it for him!

[From Star, print edition, November 1, 2012]

Yes, Tom is now all about finding his next wife, and nothing else matters to him at all. Twins even, but hey, two robots are better than one! Even Scientology might be put on the back burner during this all important hunt. Of course, there will be no true crisis of faith, but this week’s issue of In Touch claims that Tom is planning for “a quiet drifting away from the church” and has made a “powerful statement” by “snub[ing] Scientology.” Apparently, Tom skipped the CO$ annual fundraising event, which was held on October 19 merely an hour away from the London set of All You Need Is Kill. For the past several years, Tom has always attended this gala, and now he’s just too busy — cruising for chicks, I guess.

Meanwhile, this week’s issue of the Enquirer says that Tom has another new wingman, screenwriter/director Christopher McQuarrie (who directed Valkyrie and Jack Reacher and is one of the writers on Tom’s upcoming All You Need Is Kill). Apparently, they’re visiting all the London clubs together too. I bet David Miscavige is totally jealous.

Photos courtesy of WENN

Last week, we heard about the weird situation involving Connor Cruise and one of representatives, a man named Todd Krim. Connor was a Patriots fan, and when the Pats lost, Krim tweeted Connor, teasing him about his team’s loss. Connor reacted by tweeting back about Krim’s “gay ass” tweets. Krim was offended, and he and Connor have parted professional ways. By the time the story came out, Connor had already issued an apology through another rep.

Many of you thought it was just Connor being a dumb teenager – he’s only 17, after all. But he’s a public figure, and he wants to be a public figure, using his dad’s connections to become a deejay who commands thousands of dollars per gig. Well, Connor is now using his deejaying prowess (??) for good, and to make amends. We were sent a promotional email which I just wanted to post in its entirety:

Recently you posted an article of Connor Cruise, son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and the “gay” twitter incident over Super Bowl sunday. In light of that event, i wanted to bring to your attention that Connor has been set to DJ at the 11th annual oscar viewing party for Aids Project Los Angeles (APLA) since before the twitter reports surfaced. He will be the DJ at The Abbey also know as “The best gay bar in the world”.

[Press release via email]

It’s interesting that this promotional email directly references the “gay ass” tweet story yet at the same time they claim that Connor was signed on for the gig before the thing went down. And I should note – this was likely sent by the organizers or PR firm promoting the event, not by Connor’s people (as far as we know.) The message – to me – seems to be that Connor can’t be a casual homophobe because he had already signed on to DJ an event for the Aids Project Los Angeles event? Sure. I’ll believe that Connor had this gig before the Twitter thing too. It is good that even though he has the language of many dumb teenagers, he’s still taking a gig at “the best gay bar in the world.” Maybe his heart really is in the right place. I just hope he doesn’t accidentally say anything about someone’s “gay ass”.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

One of the Tom Cruise stories that has always stuck with me is Bronson Pinchot’s assessment of Cruise as a young man, when they worked together on Risky Business. In a 2009 tell-all interview with The AV Club, Pinchot described a 20-year-old Tom Cruise this way:

“He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, ‘You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?’ I mean, his lingo was larded with the most… There was no basis for it. It was like, ‘It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.’ Very, very strange.”

[Via previous Celebitchy story]

I was reminded of that story this morning because Page Six has a very interesting piece about Tom’s son Connor. Connor is 17 years old, and I have mixed feeling about Connor being the subject of this gossip piece, but in my defense, Connor seems to want to be a public figure – he’s using his Hollywood connections to launch himself as a DJ. Anyway, Connor is a Patriots fan, and his rep, Todd Krim, is not. When the Pats lost, Krim sent his client a playfully gloating text. And Connor responded with a homophobic hissy fit.

Gisele Bundchen isn’t the only sore loser left cursing after the New England Patriots’ crushing loss at the hands of the Giants. Connor Cruise — a die-hard Patriots fan and the DJ son of Tom Cruise — lashed out at one of his reps, Todd Krim, who tweeted after the game, “Sorry @TheConnorCruise maybe next year!!!”

According to an e-mail forwarded to publicists by Krim, Cruise, 17, texted him back, saying, “That was a gay ass [bleeping] tweet . . . U don’t say [bleep] like that about my team the second they lose. Low.”

When Krim — who heads entertainment/ charity Web site Give Back Hollywood and helped book DJ gigs for Cruise — wrote back, “Umm ok . . . Dude I was [bleeping] joking,” Cruise responded, “That was [bleeped]” and “Idgaf” (“I don’t give a [bleep]).”

Cruise and Krim were both in Indy where Cruise DJed DirecTV’s Saturday night party. Krim says the Twitter tantrum ended their professional relations, while sources close to Cruise say they’d parted ways weeks ago.

On Monday, Krim e-mailed colleagues with a screen grab of Cruise’s texts, saying, “I am no longer working with Connor Cruise. In fact, I am no longer speaking with [him] . . . I refuse to be professionally (or even personally) associated with someone that engages in this sort of behavior . . . I just thought you should know who and what you’re dealing with.”

He called Cruise’s comments, “highly offensive and what I consider homophobic . . . after I jokingly tweeted about the Patriots losing.”

Krim told us, “I did a lot for [Connor], and he was less than respectful and appreciative… I made a joke, and let’s just say his reaction was not what I expected. It’s disappointing when you think someone is one way and they turn out to be another.”

Cruise told Page Six through his rep: “What I texted was unacceptable. It is not a reflection of who I am and what I feel, and it certainly won’t happen again.”

[From Page Six]

It sounds like the Cruise camp has mixed feelings about how to handle this – Connor apologized through his reps, and yet this line is still included: “Krim says the Twitter tantrum ended their professional relations, while sources close to Cruise say they’d parted ways weeks ago.” That’s a classic “this dude has an axe to grind, that’s why he’s making up this story” tactic. With Connor’s apology, it looks like Krim’s account is likely pretty accurate. So that means Connor is a chip off the old block, right?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Did you know that Connor Cruise is a much in-demand DJ? Well, he’s still technically a teenager but is pulling in very livable wages by earning $5,000 to $10,000 per gig under the moniker “DJ C-Squared.” I’d like to think he’s putting that money away for his eventual defection from Scientology, but that’s probably just wishful thinking on my part.

At any rate, Connor just turned 17-years-old, and he celebrated his birthday in grand fashion at Hyde Lounge in Los Angeles. Here’s a photo of his DJ-themed cake, which looks pretty funky but not at all appetizing.

Connor’s older sister, Isabella was also in attendance to support her little brother. They seem really close, and you can see photos of the two siblings embracing here with a few details about the party described by the Mail:

Her little sister Suri has been photographed nearly every day of her short life.

But in contrast, Tom Cruise’s eldest daughter Isabella is rarely seen.

However, the shy 19-year-old made a rare public appearance last night as she joined her little brother Connor at his 17th birthday party.

The aspiring DJ, who is starting to become a regular of the LA party scene, proudly posed up with his sister at the bash at the Hyde lounge.

Wearing a red hat, cardigan and multi-coloured T-shirt, Isabella – known to her friends and family as Bella – looked thrilled to be celebrating with her brother.

And the teenager were free to do what they want without being chaperoned by Cruise, 49, and stepmother Katie Holmes, 33.

[From Daily Mail]

At first, I was wondering why Tom and Katie weren’t in attendance at the party, but it’s nice that Connor was able to enjoy an evening with his (100% Scientology) friends without having to worry about Tom busting a move on the dance floor. Good on Tom for letting Connor have the spotlight for the evening. Unfortunately, Connor also decided to leave the Jesus necklace at home. Here’s a close-up of his new bling:

Connor is certainly turning out to be the handsome young fellow. I also find it interesting that his sneakers look a lot like Robert Downey Jr.’s instead of Tom’s shoes. There’s another conspiracy theory for the rebellion theme!

Later on in the evening, Connor took to the turntables. Presumably, he was paid to have his party at Hyde, so it would naturally follow that DJ-ing was part of the stint.

And now for an extremely odd photo of Connor alongside Christina Fulton (Weston Cage’s perpetually questionably dressed mother) at the recent Big Bang 2012 New Year’s event. I guess she was just there for the party.

Photos courtesy of WENN

It’s always interesting when children raised inside of Scientology start to kick the cage a little bit. Of course, we’re talking here about 16-year-old Connor Cruise (son of the unhinged, lift-wearing midget known as “Tom”), for whom the plight certainly isn’t nearly as desperate as the young ladies who founded the Ex-Scientology Kids website. Still, Connor is pretty high profile as far as the CO$ is concerned, so it came as quite a surprise when he showed up on 10/26 at the TeenNick HALO Awards wearing a blatant symbol of Christianity around his neck. Let’s take a closer look at that Jesus emblem:

Let’s not completely jump the gun here though, for Scientologists are technically allowed to celebrate holidays like Christmas, according to Juliette Lewis. Still, their version of the holiday is much like X-Mas in that it’s pretty secular and largely revolves around the materialistic, gift-giving aspect of the season. So in contrast, is it a big deal what Connor is doing here? I tend to think it’s something worth acknowledging; and while this could merely be a passive-aggressive statement against the cult, he must have known that people would pay attention to a known Scientologist who is walking the red carpet with a Jesus necklace on.

This much celebrated demonstration of sentience on Connor’s part dovetails nicely with a story from this week’s In Touch that Connor is “losing his religion” and also has felt (for quite some time) that he doesn’t get enough attention from his parents:

Most kids spend their childhood under their parents’ thumbs — it kind of goes with the territory. But a family friend says that Tom has been unusually strict, and that Connor is finally getting sick of it. “He’s starting to rebel against his father and the other components in their life, maybe even Scientology,” the friend says. Connor was raised in Tom’s controversial religion, but he has recently been seen wearing Christian symbols, like crosses and a Jesus pendant. “He wants to be independent,” the friend says, “but Tom doesn’t want to give up control over his son.”

From the outside, Connor Cruise looks like one of the luckiest kids on the planet: His parents and stepparents are world-famous entertainers and — materially, at least — he wants for nothing. But the truth is tragically more complicated. As a source close to him tells In Touch, “Connor has always had a difficult relationship with his parents, and it has definitely affected him. He has broken down crying about it.”

The 16-year-old (as well as his sister, Isabella, 18) was adopted by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman when he was a newborn. And he has long strugged with insecurity about his place in the family. “When he was young,” the source says, “Tom was always off doing his thing, working like a mandman. He traveled all the time, and was totally focused on his career. When he came home, he didn’t always have much left to give.” While Tom’s rep unsurprisingly denies the story, as a result, the source claims Tom, 49, and Connor’s relationship became strange and cold. “Tom is a very difficult man to get to know on a deep level. It’s almost like he treats Connor like a business associate rather than a son.”

Unfortuantely, Connor’s relationship with Nicole isn’t any better. “She wasn’t the best mom to him and Isabella,” the source says. His parents divorced in 2001, when Connor was just 6. And though, for a time, Nicole made an effort to stay involved in her kids’ lives, she had a miscarriage after Tom started the divorce proceedings, and it was hard for her to cope. “She forgot so many things, like school pickups and projects; she was a wreck, and probably had trouble giving them the affection they needed from her,” the source says.

Eventually, Nicole moved back to Australia. The source thinks Connor had been dealing with abandonment issues as a result o being adopted, and it was possibly the worst thing that could have happened. Until, that is, his half-siblings were born and he saw how differently their lives are from his.

On one hand, yes, Suri — Tom’s daughter with Katie Holmes — has a strange, sheltered life. But her parents also unabashedly lavish the 5-year-old with attention, fancy family trips and essentially whateve her heart desires materially. And Connor has had to watch jealously from the wings as his icy father grows warmer and warmer to his half-sister. “Connor loves Suri,” the source says. “But he also thinks she gets a lot more of Tom’s time and attention than they ever got.” The same goes for Nicole’s daughters with her husband, Keith Urban.

Now, the family friend says, “Connor is at a crossroads in his life. He’s been pushing for more freedom — he wants to drive a car and date whomever he chooses.” And this could spark a major war at home with his control-freak dad, who’s so notoriously stubborn about his beliefs. But ultimately, Connor’s move to separate himself from the family could be a good thing. And ironically, it may just be the best way to finally get Tom’s attention.

[From In Touch, print edition, November 21, 2011]

This is really a sad story, but I believe it completely. After all, the poor kid went though a divorce, which culminated with having his mother ripped away from him and declared a suppressive person. Now, a robot named Katie exists in Nicole’s place. As for his father, Tom’s always been a workaholic and still even follows up a long day on the set of an action movie with 10 hours of singing and dancing in preparation for the next film.

Meanwhile, Connor still attends the Delphian School (which, interestingly enough, is located on grounds that were once scouted for use as a penitentiary) in Sheridan, Oregon. As such, he has been immersed in L. Ron Hubbord’s Study Tech since, well, before he could even read. So Connor has spent his childhood in boarding school and has been raised by the cult although, at times, Tom and Katie made a few photo ops with him as recently as 2009. It’s just not enough though:

Meanwhile, Connor’s 18-year-old sister, Isabella, was also reportedly pondering giving up Xenu last year in exchange for rekindling her contact with mom Nicole Kidman. However, this plan was quickly scrapped when Katie enticed Isabella by making her an apprentice for the busted Holmes-Yang fashion line. Problem solved. For now.

I can completely empathize how Connor must feel while watching Tom from the sidelines, since he seems so much more joyous in public with Suri than he ever has before. There’s no way in hell that Suri will one day get shipped off to Delphian. Hell, Katie can’t even manage to attend fashion week in NYC without pulling Suri out of school. Although most Scientology children her age are on the brink of a demanding upbringing, things will be different for Suri. And I think that Connor realizes that.

Photos courtesy of Fame and WENN

The relationship between exes Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise and their children is strange. Isabella and Connor Cruise are rarely seen, and when they are, it’s for seemingly staged photo opps, like when they were photographed with Tom, Katie Holmes, Suri and the Beckhams at Thanksgiving. So when Connor Cruise landed his debut film role playing a young Will Smith in the upcoming drama “Seven Pounds,” you’d think that Tom and Nicole would relish the photo opp and show up to support him at the film’s premiere, right? Not so much, according to reports. Apparently, Tom’s press junket for “Valkyrie” kept him away from the premiere- but no word on what kept Nicole away.

“Seven Pounds” is his son Connor’s first film, but Tom Cruise opted not to attend the premiere in L.A. Dec. 16.

The reasoning for skipping 13-year-old Connor’s big-screen debut, in which he plays a younger version of Cruise pal Will Smith? Cruise opted to stay in New York to continue the publicity blitz for his film “Valkyrie.”

“As you know, Tom and Will are great friends,” his rep Cheryl Maisel said. “Tom is in New York on a publicity tour for his movie.”

That much is obvious, but why not support Connor, who was specifically invited to attend the festivities along with some of the other kids in the film?

“It comes as such a surprise,” says a Cruise source. “When Connor was filming (‘Seven Pounds’) Tom was so excited and proud of him. It’s sad Tom didn’t fly out for the evening. He could have missed one night of publicity to support Connor and Will.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Cruise did a cross-country sprint: last December he flew from L.A. to New York and back to support Smith at his “I am Legend” premiere.

[From MSNBC]

It does seem odd that Cruise especially wouldn’t turn up for the movie premiere starring his son and his new BFF, Will Smith. His excuse is flimsy but at least he has one. What about Connor’s mom, Nicole Kidman? Her film “Australia” has basically tanked, so what’s her excuse? Surely she could leave the baby at home with her new husband and show up for her son’s first movie. Perhaps the reason for Nicole’s absence can be summed up in one word – “Scientologists.”

As for Tom – it sure seems like he is all wrapped up in his “new” family too. In recent days, Tom has talked non stop about daughter Suri and only mentioned Connor’s acting aspirations in passing. What gives? And did anyone from the family turn up to support Connor? I’m sure if Suri were making her acting debut the world would stop turning before Tom missed that.

It’s not easy recent finding photos of Connor Cruise that don’t involve Katie Holmes, Suri or the Beckhams. Here are some shots of Tom and Connor last January celebrating Connor’s birthday. Dad and son are almost the same size. Photo credits: WENN.

The Cruises and the Beckhams are really taking their paparazzi-friendly relationship up a few notches. The Beckhams arrived in New York on Tuesday and joined Tom Cruise for a matinee of Katie Holmes’ play “All My Sons” on Wednesday afternoon before heading out for dinner. Though that’d be enough of the photographers for most couples, the group spent much of Thursday out and about having what sounds like a pretty fun Thanksgiving.

Suri Cruise had something special to be thankful for this Thanksgiving: a few famous playmates.

Suri, 2, and the family – including parents Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and siblings Connor, 13, and Isabella, 15 – were joined by David and Victoria Beckham and their three sons, Brooklyn, 9, Romeo, 6, and Cruz, 3, to spend Thanksgiving in New York City.

The Beckhams left their three sons with a babysitter Wednesday afternoon to attend a matinee performance of Holme’s Broadway play, All My Sons, with Cruise, and then picked Holmes up for a double date at Il Cantinori.

The next morning, the entire clan woke up early to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan before taking a walk through Central Park to see the Big Apple Circus and ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

[From People]

A horse drawn carriage? And a circus? Are you trying to get Alec Baldwin to scream at you in public? Actually Tom Cruise vs. Alec Baldwin could be amazing – it’s quite the even match. Still it sounds like a pretty fun and busy Thanksgiving. Here are pictures of the Cruises and Beckhams yesterday. Images thanks to Fame.

The mysterious adopted offspring of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise came out of hiding to fly to Nashville and see their new baby sister, Sunday Rose. According to In Touch, Isabella and Connor Cruise were able to take time out of their busy schedule to hold the new baby and spend time with the mom they hardly ever see.

Until they arrived in Tennessee on July 19, Isabella and Connor Cruise had only seen their baby sister, Sunday – who was born on July 7 – in photos sent by their mother, Nicole Kidman, in e-mails.

“They were so excited to meet their new family member,” an insider says.

The kids would have come to Nashville earlier, but Isabella had been on a road trip with friends.

“Isabella loved holding Sunday,” the insider says. “It was a real bonding moment for her and Nicole.”

Nicole, 41, and her husband, Keith Urban, recently purchased a house in Beverly Hills so Sunday can get to know her siblings.

Isabella, 15 and Connor, 13, live with their dad Tom Cruise in L.A. “They have their own lives,” a pal said, “But they couldn’t wait to meet their new sister.”

[From In Touch print version, August 4, 2008]

I was wondering if Isabella and Connor would be allowed to leave the seclusion of the Beverly Hills Scientology Center in order to see the new baby. “Road trip.” Riiiiight. I’m sure Tom wanted to make sure they were both up to speed on their copies of “Dianetics” before being released to Mommy’s house, where people might be allowed to think for themselves. I don’t know what kind of parenting style these two employ, but since when do 13-year-olds have their “own lives?” My 13-year-old would love to have her own life, I’m sure. It would probably involve the world’s messiest room, lots of Green day, a ton of eyeliner and unlimited text messaging. But it’s not gonna happen. I guess it’s different when you’re the kid of a rich crazy guy.

Picture Note by JayBird: Here’s Connor and Isabella walking the dog with a friend in 2006. Header of Nicole on Sunday. Images thanks to Fame. Update by Celebitchy: you guys are right, that’s not Isabella