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'Witness for the Prosecution' keeps audiences guessing
Actor Gary Coleman pleads guilty in Utah court
Rich Heldenfels: 'Past Life' is unbelievable
Michael Jackson doctor charged with manslaughter
Gary Coleman scheduled for Utah court appearance
'Christmas Story' actor finds challenges behind camera
Actor in Oscar nominee for foreign films is detained
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Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Many stars have site, but this one fills a need to protect actor's brand
By Jake Coyle
Associated Press
Published on Friday, May 30, 2008
Tom Cruise has launched a Web site devoted to himself: http://www.tomcruise.com.
Many stars have their own sites for fans, but Cruise's belated entry to the Internet is of particular interest.
Few stars have seen themselves pilloried more on the Web than Cruise, who has watched numerous embarrassing moments ricochet around the Internet at warp speed. Who can forget watching the clips of Cruise appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show way back in June 2005, in the early days of Web 2.0?
The event the beginning of Cruise's publicity crisis is alluded to on the new site, which links to his recent interview with Winfrey. Sitting at his Telluride, Colo., home, the talk show host refers to it as ''the sofa incident.''
More than that, though, videos of Cruise speaking passionately about Scientology became viral hits earlier this year, prompting many parodies, including one by actor Jerry O'Connell.
So it makes sense that Cruise might want to protect his brand a little bit by using the great powers of the Internet. The site is in many ways standard for a celebrity. Among the features are a ''message from Tom,'' a glowing biography and handsome photographs.
The actor explains: ''I created this site as a thank you, to you, for sharing the journey with me and to invite you to continue to explore what the future will bring.''
The occasion for his reflection is the 25th anniversary of Risky Business, his first starring role and the one that immediately made him a star. Posted for streaming is a video edited by the Museum of the Moving Image looking back on Cruise's career.
''My hope with this site is to bring you in and share with you the fun I experience every day during the filmmaking process, from working with the script, to the making of the film through to what we finally see when we settle in our seats and the lights go down,'' Cruise writes.
If Cruise really does this if he uses his Web site like a filmmaking journal it could be a delightful and illuminating perspective on what it's like for a true megastar to make a movie. More likely, though, is infrequent postings and a less intimate perspective.
After all, even Cruise himself says he's now more guarded after so much criticism over his religion and personal beliefs.
''When I'm dealing with my humanitarian issues, I'll talk about my humanitarian issues,'' Cruise told Winfrey. ''And when I'm promoting a film, I'm just going to promote the film. And that's just the way it's going to be.''
His next starring role is as a World War II German officer in Valkyrie. Its release was recently pushed back four months until Feb. 13, 2009, which many read as a bad sign for the film. The buzz has been much better for a cameo he makes in the upcoming Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder.
Tom Cruise has launched a Web site devoted to himself: http://www.tomcruise.com.
Get the full article here.
