Tom Cruise in Amsterdam

You know, I literally love the Dutch people, and Amsterdam is my favorite town in Europe. Dutch are notoriously open-minded, but they are also a cheerful bunch, really joyful and very straight (in character, huh...!). I also love to work with them. They are disciplined and competent. And I love the Dutch accent too, particularly that of Amsterdam (as a Belgian I understand Dutch).

OK - that's a lot of generalities and I am sure there are also assholes, but frankly, the vast majority of Dutch I encountered have been most entertaining and pleasant.

And now, Cruise is in Amsterdam for Valkyrie 's premiere, and there are two Dutch actresses in the film, one of whom (Carice) I blogged about already.

Tom Cruise in Amsterdam for movie premiere - Radio Netherlands Worldwide - English:

"Hollywood Actor Tom Cruise is in Amsterdam to attend the Dutch premiere of his latest film Valkyrie on Thursday evening. There's great interest in the movie in the Netherlands, as it features two Dutch actresses, Carice van Houten and Halina Reijn. [...]

Carice van Houten plays Von Stauffenberg's wife Nina, and her fellow Dutch actress and longtime friend Halina Rein plays the secretary Margarethe von Oven. [...]

Halina Reijn:

'Everyone was unbelievably kind and inspiring."

Carice van Houten:

'the next day was completely normal, and Tom Cruise is a great compliments machine. Every day he said 'Carice, you're a great actress'.' [...]

Cruise:

'When I read the script, it was entertaining and informative to know what the challenges were and what it was like to be in the environment. I've never heard of this story before... It turned out to be an incredible adventure, just to be there and shoot at these locations where Stauffenberg was. It was a very powerful experience and hopefully it will communicate with the audience. It has certainly influenced my life, just knowing that there were people who tried to stop him [Hitler]'"

Brandy Turned Her Back on Scientology

BRANDY - BRANDY TURNED HER BACK ON SCIENTOLOGY: "R+B star BRANDY has turned her back on Scientology after turning to the controversial religion following her fatal car crash in December 2006.

The singer was eventually cleared of wrongdoing a year after the freeway pile-up, which claimed the life of a fellow motorist, but she admits the accident left her seeking spiritual help.

And when one friend suggested she look into Scientology, Brandy considered joining the faith, which boasts Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Lisa-Marie Presley among it's high-profile members.

She says, 'Someone said, 'There're these classes that you can take that can better you as a person.'

'I'm like, 'OK, I'll go check it out, but that's all I did, go check it out. I'm not a Scientologist.'"

Five-Minute Standing Ovation at Valkyrie Premiere in Germany

Compared to all that has been said and the tremendous risk Tom took with the movie, it more and more turns into what can now be called a triumph.

The German and UK premieres were nothing but a blitz of praise and glamor.

Here are some photos and excerpts, but it's just impossible to keep up and I only read a very few of the hundreds of articles that came out.

And what about Anonymous, you may ask? Not the least tiny blip of it in anything I have seen from either the German or British press, except of course when Cruise signed a mask!

Tom Cruise charms fans at Berlin Valkyrie premiere: Star spends 102 minutes with fans despite being "freezing" - Bild.de

"He spent a total of 102 minutes chatting to fans and signing autographs! Those who had waited in the cold to see him were no doubt thankful for the hot drinks and handwarmers that Cruise had distributed amongst the crowd. “What a welcome” he said. “And it happens every time I come to Germany!”" [...]

"Thomas Kretschmann (46). Kretschmann spoke about his most exciting day on set: “I had to be on time on the first day of filming, so Tom sent a helicopter to fly me from Tempelhof to the location – even though I am scared of flying. It was simply incredible.”" [...]

"There was a five-minute standing ovation when the film ended. "

The Press Association: 'Cruise's religion not an issue'

"Nighy said: "He was wonderful to work with, exemplary and I would have no idea what his system of belief was any more if he was a Jewish man or he had embraced Islam, any more than I would know what Eddie's thoughts on God were.

"It was not a feature of the working experience. He was a dreamy guy to do business with, he was inspirational and courteous and generous to everyone around him."" (Right: Cruise in Interview with Bild in Germany).

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/archive/peoplearchive.php/Tom_Cruise/pictures/0

Loads and loads of Cruise pictures on that web site.

Tom Cruise And Katie Holmes Turn Heads In London

"Looking stunning and sophisticated, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes posed for photos Wednesday at the London premiere of Tom's film, 'Valkyrie.'

A beaming Katie dazzled photogs, wearing a beaded, black cocktail dress with tights -- while hubby Tom looked chic in a classic suit."

Cruise in Obama Message at UK Premiere | Metro.co.uk

"Tom Cruise stepped out at the London Premiere of Valkyrie on the red carpet but instead of talking about his new film, he got political and urged his fellow countrymen to back President Barack Obama.

Cruise, who was delighted to be back in London despite the cold, said Mr Obama had brought a sense of hope to the nation, but faced challenges which needed the whole country's support.

'He has a challenge ahead and it's up to us as a country, it's not just up to him.

'We have got to support him and I believe he is going to do it”, he continued.

The actor arrived with wife Katie Holmes, who arrived looking svelte and happy after a gruelling stint on Broadway."

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had dinner at The I - Flash Player Installation

"“So with Tom’s working method he wants to work hard, be focused and do a hard day’s work, which is what I like to do. And then we’d all get together and there’d be these big long meal that would go on, which was great,” Izzard tells."

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes hit the red carpet for the premiere of Valkyrie in London's Leicester Square | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre

"The pint-sized star bared his pearly whites for the cameras with uber-elegant wife KATIE HOLMES towering over him.

The Cocktail actor beamed at fans with a confidence and decorum only known to A-listers.

When quizzed about his infamous red carpet meet-and-greets, Tom said: 'It's fun. I enjoy it.'"

Obama in Full Speed from Day One

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

It's amazing the depth in quantity and quality of changes Obama is doing on his very first day...

At this speed I am not sure how long it will take before someone shoot him like Kennedy.

Bush Doing a Maximum of Evil Up to the Last Minute

Bush managed to make a maximum of damage before leaving, passing last minute regulations to make sure that freely walking in National parks is made more dangerous and that the fight against global warming is being impeded

The first thing Obama did shortly after taking oath was to freeze all of the pending regulations of the Bush administration but those below were passed already.

I sincerely hope that some kind of karma will catch up with Bush because it is unlikely he will ever be brought in front of a human court of justice for all the crimes he committed.

Obama Faces Hurdles in Reversing Bush Regulations - First 100 Days of Presidency - Politics FOXNews.com

"Those rules include a 'right of conscience' law that allows medical providers to refuse to offer any practice they find morally objectionable, including abortion and other reproductive-health procedures.

Another regulation overturned a 25-year-old federal rule that severely restricted loaded firearms in national parks.

Bush also revised endangered species regulations to reduce the input of federal scientists and to block the law from being used to fight global warming."

The Peace Mask

Not only did Cruise get the mask back from the guard and sign it, he also added a peace sign! Now that's a mask that will go down history! Not only is it a V mask signed by Cruise himself, it also gets a peace sign on it - adding a very symbolic dimension to it!

Stunning is stunning...

Garth Brook

When I posted about Jett Travolta's funeral, I had a lot of hits from people seeking to know whether Garth Brook was a Scientologist.

Truth is that I don't know. A first search on the Internet did not reveal anything. All we know is that he is friend with the Travoltas.

I must admit that until then, I never heard of Garth Brook. This maybe due to me being a Belgian lost in space, and the fact that in Belgium we don't much care about country music to start with.

However, I did see him yesterday at the Obama Inauguration. He was good, and surprisingly he was the only artist allowed to give three songs in a row, even though there were high profile singers there, among whom my top favorite Shakira.

I reckon from that, that he must truly be a big star in the US.

Germany Subsidized Valkyrie with $10 Milliion Donation!

German critics slam Cruise

Although this article is unrepresentatively titled "German Critics Slam Cruise", it ends up writing about the warm welcome it overall received in Germany:

"The respected daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung was also pleasantly surprised by the movie.'Based on everything the film was accused of and how much could have gone wrong, you could almost call it a triumph,' it said."

This is now no big news anymore, but the article also comes up with a surprising revelation:

"Culture minister Bernd Neumann hailed the film as 'successfully helping a chapter of German history that is little-known abroad becoming common knowledge'. Berlin even subsidised the film to the tune of 4.8 million euros (S$9.4 million)."

By Jove! With critics claiming that paying to see the film is like subsidizing Scientology, I could even have titled this blog entry "Germany Subsidizes Scientology with $10 Milliion Donation!" - but that would be really pushing it a bit too much ;-)

Cruise Bears No Grudge

Cruise bears no grudge: "BERLIN - HOLLYWOOD star Tom Cruise said on Tuesday he bore no grudge against Germany despite the controversy surrounding his new film 'Valkyrie' ahead of its European premiere in Berlin. [...] 'We were making the film and all the local people were being very supportive. Then ... there was this kind of controversy that boiled up and I think if anything, it brought us closer together,' he said. 'Everyone was even more committed if that could be possible to doing the very best we could.'""

Scoop: Cruise Autographs Anonymous' Mask!

YouTube - Tom Cruise signs Anonymous-mask

You have to watch attentively what happens at the beginning because it is not obvious in first view. A security guard gets the mask of an anon and does not seem to want to hand it back. Cruise asks the mask from the guard, draws a peace sign, autographs it, and give it back to the anon!!!

Scientology Expands Building in Sydney

Scientologists hit out at criticism - National - smh.com.au

The Church of Scientology Sydney seeks to add two floors to its five-story building neighboring historic St George's Presbyterian Church. The overhaul would cost $12 million ($US 8).

The article also cites petitions and mentions anti-Scientology protests, but these are now mostly mere annoyances that actually make Scientology look good in contrast. The more significant news I find in this article is the one about expansion of the building.

A New Dawn - Welcome Mr. President!

After eight years of crossing the desert with a (unfortunately criminally not funny) retard as President, a new dawn points up. This double historic moment (first because it gives hope after desperation, second because he is the first half black president) ought to be recorded among the top moments in human history. Well, we'll see... I don't think there has been an equivalent wave of enthusiasm and hope for the US and the world since Kennedy, and yet Obama still has to deliver...

Quote of the Day - Cruise the Vampire

Ball of Fluff :

"Cruise is an actor. He was also in Interview with the Vampire. He wasn't a vampire either. Go figure."

Jonathan Ross and... Tom Cruise

johnalexwood: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and... Tom Cruise

Funny this Scientologist had ticket for Ross' show but could not attend because it ended up being canceled after the BBC suspended Ross' show for three months in the wake of his antics together with Russel Brand. And now his ticket will be valid for the new show, opening up with... Tom Cruise! Now that's an OT win :-)

Ironically Russel Brand's new UK show - titled Scandalous - is starting to tour the country in the same week that Ross resumes his BBC shows after his suspension.

Now something telling me we will be hearing more from those two... and, to start with, the Ross/Cruise combination may be an explosive one... hold on to your seat this Jan 23!

Real Self Help Web Site

Real Self Help

This is a web site done by a Scientologist going by the name of "Fred Hare". Here is his bio. I found it through a page claiming miracle helping to heal a broken leg.The practical self help orientation of the web site, using Scientology, of course, could be interesting for people to have a practical idea of what Scientology is. However, most pages just refers to books. Did not read it in detail, though, so there may be a thing or two of interest there.