-
Tom Cruise - Source: Reuters -
Related
Oh Tom, when will you get it?
Just when the world was beginning to think you were normal again - just as we were beginning to forget about the crazed couch jumping and angry outbursts - you go and do something like this .
Tom Cruise has revealed he's been filming his wife and family (which in itself sounds pretty creepy) over the past few months and is now in discussions to release the footage as a reality TV show.
This, he hopes foolishly, will prove to the world how normal he and his family are and will prove that he doesn't control Katie's every move.
Oh sorry, that's Kate now, isn't it? Tom doesn't like her to be called Katie - it makes her seem too young...
His thought process is baffling, to say the least.
Reality TV has never been about normalcy. In fact, it's driven by the opposite. Particularly when celebrities are involved.
The Osbournes? Crazy.
The Newlyweds? Inane.
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic? Trainwreck.
In fact, the only celebrity insight series that did genuinely show its subjects to be more normal than expected was a proposed series about Victoria Beckham.
She turned out to be so normal the producers decided it made for dull television and turned the series into a one-hour special.
Tom isn't worried about how the show will turn out though as he will only release the footage if he has total editorial control over it.
He will only go ahead with a reality show that portrays him and his family in a totally positive light.
So - just to recap - Tom wants total and absolute control over a reality series, which he hopes will prove he's not a domineering control freak.
Right.
The reality show might never go ahead. I suspect the conditions and controls placed on anyone trying to make the series will render it impossible.
But the mere discussion has served to remind us just how mad Tom's track record is.
I had forgotten all about the Matt Lauer incident until this.
I had forgotten he got dumped by his studio for his "erratic behaviour".
I had forgotten how Katie committed career suicide by dropping out of the Dark Knight, to focus on more "family friendly" films.
The Cruises have kept their heads down lately and it was starting to pay off. I saw Knight And Day last week and actually thought Tom was quite funny.
I was ready to let bygones be bygones.
But Tom just can't leave things alone.
It's easy to see why he's worried. Knight And Day was shunned by the movie-going public, becoming Cruise's lowest earning action film in 20 years.
That's got to be concerning. But a reality series is not a safe path back to popularity.
And frankly, if Mr Cruise thinks it is, well he's just being glib.
Read more of Joanna Hunkin's articles.
