Tom Cruise Slams Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt

[undeterred]

HOLLYWOOD - Tom Cruise has charged Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with exploiting their newborn daughter, Shiloh Nouvel, "to wage a multimillion-dollar publicity campaign to bolster their careers." Mr. Cruise made these charges in an op-ed piece entitled "What Price Publicity?" in today's New York Times.

"Brangelina's constant, manic travel and their grandstanding for 'goodwill causes' put a strain on their finances," wrote Mr. Cruise. "By auctioning the rights to the first pictures of their child and donating that money to charity, they come off looking pretty sweet, but think about it. Did that $4.1 million or $9.5 million or whatever come out of their pockets? What's more, by donating other people's money to charity, Brad and Angie buy themselves a cool tax deduction and a priceless amount of good will. That's what I call leverage."

Mr. Cruise acknowledged that he had been criticized for using his affair with Katie Holmes to promote War of the Worlds last year—and of timing the birth of their daughter, Suri, to coincide with the release of Mission Impossible: 3 this year—but he was careful to point out that the actions of Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt were "truly reprehensible" because neither of them has a movie to hawk at this time.

"It's obvious to me," wrote Mr. Cruise, "that Brangelina would not have made the cover of People were it not for their child. They don't have a movie to sell, so they peddle photos of their baby instead. You don't see Kate and me splashing pictures of Suri all over the web, pimping her out to the highest bidder. It's not the Scientology way, and I don't have to remind you that I do have a product in the theaters right now."

http://www.pugbus.net/artman/publish/06082006_11_cruiseslams.shtml


:think: Is he nuts? :think:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Yup, He's nuts.

n/t

[GodlessBiker]

The descent into madness.

He should play Sweeney Todd. He wouldn't have to act.

[Skidmore]

26. Isn't that the end state for all hardcore Scientologists who stick

with that cult through all its stages of advancement? I think I read that in an article a couple of years ago.

[blm]

37. Very understated, TS. I prefer the more accurate ..... He's FOCKING NUTS!

.

[adigal]

54. I think he is nuts, but he is right about Brad and Angelina

I never see their movies, I think that she is a homewrecker, and I have zero respect for either of them. Plus, any parents who sell pictures of their baby to appear on the cover of magazines and newspapers with all of the wackos out there, are irresponsible.

As I said, Cruise is crazy, but he is right about them.

[adigal]

57. I get it - satire

But they are still all nuts.

[huskerlaw]

67. I disagree

I think they sold the pictures of their baby so that the stalkarazzi might leave them alone. Those photographers weren't going to rest until one of them got a picture. Not that they won't continue to try, but everyone knew the first pic was going to be worth multiple millions of dollars. God only knows what they would have done to get it.

By taking control of who took the pictures, Brad and Angelina were being responsible, IMO. And donating the money to charity was a nice touch.

[DixieBlue]

69. Agreed.

[nickinSTL]

72. I agree...

If they were really concerned about publicity, why in #@!! would they have had the kid in Namibia, of all places?

Namibia went all out on trying to protect their privacy, and you know...if they hadn't released the photos, the paparazzi would have hounded them mercilessly.

I don't really see the problem of turning that into money for charity.

[xmas74]

79. Agreed.

Others have done it with photos of their children or photos of their weddings. This way they do have control of what pictures are taken and they know exactly where the money is going.

[Left Is Write]

103. Agree completely.

Selling the photo opportunity was a measure to protect themselves and their children, not exploit the baby.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

88. If you're a celeb and you sell the baby pictures....

You aren't being hounded all the time for a baby picture, because they're already out there. And they gave the money to charity, so they weren't profitting from the money they made. Tom Cruise is an idiot. And anyone who listens to him, is, therefore, an idiot.
Duckie

[electron_blue]

2. It takes one to know one, and to answer your Q: yes he is nuts

[indie_voter]

3. Yep, he is nuts. n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Is. This. Satire?

If he really wrote this then he is even more nuts than I thought.

Hey Tom, I'm getting checked out by a psychiatrist to see if I'm bipolar. Want to tag along? I'm getting reaaaallllyyyyy worried about you.

[undeterred]

I think it is. But its not hard to believe he would say this!

[no_hypocrisy]

33. Satire is supposed to be witty.

What's his point? I don't see any, if it does exist, it's extremely disjointed IMO.

[ecstatic]

5. roflmao nt

:rofl:

[saltpoint]

It's true he does have a product in theaters right now and equally true

that I have no intention of plunking down ten bucks to go see it.

I'd tolerate Tom Cruise a lot better if he had a lick of talent.

New parents glowing with happiness and pride for their new child -- inconceivable.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Delete -nt

[saltpoint]

That's right. Brad and Angelina have brought their child into

the world as non-Scientologists.

How dare they live their own lives on their own terms?

Those Hollywood stars, I tell ya.

[miss_american_pie]

6. Maybe, but not for this

He managed to get himself back into the spotlight without a wedding.

[robbedvoter]

7. Pot meet kettle. They stole his thunder. And yes on the nuts question

I thought his PR people put him on a leash lately, but I gather they only did it for the duration of his movie release. Now he's showing his red a* again. You're right Tom, your baby was more bizzare then theirs, should be talked about more.

[Halliburton]

8. he's an asshole

and he's crazy

UPDATE: is this satire?

[devilgrrl]

9. The fact that he's a star is nuts...

he can't act for shit.

[Tesla]

16. This is absolutely crazy!!

he has LOST IT!!!

[Nickster]

10. Wow, I liked him better when he just acted. Nuttier than nutty nowadays.

[theHandpuppet]

11. Um.... this is SATIRE

And don't we have better things to discuss?

[Pirate Smile]

13. I just assumed it was a joke. Did anyone take it serious?

[theHandpuppet]

19. Yes, and at best this thread belongs in the Lounge

The GD forum is looking more and more irrelevant every day.

[JI7]

92. considering the other things he has said and done

it wouldn't be surprising if true. but id idn't read the piece so not sure based on that. i assume most just saw the subject line and commented. in any case, Cruise is an idiot.

[GodlessBiker]

28. The fact that people believed it (me, too) says a lot about Cruise.

[REP]

12. Even a Stopped Clock is Right Twice a Day

He's a nutcase, a hypocrite ... and he's right about these two.

[MrPrax]

46. Yup...Hubbard aside...

Remove the Scientology crap and Cruise's own less than stellar record on grandstanding...his point is far more charitable of The Couple than this guy:

...
However, this Western security force is not a US or European army plundering Namibia’s natural resources or threatening to topple its government. It is the security entourage of one Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the celebrity couple better known for living it up in LA than slumming it in Namibia. They reportedly wanted their first child to be born in Namibia because the country is ‘the cradle of human kind’ and it would be a ‘special’ experience (1). And it seems that no security measure is too stringent in the name of making Ms Jolie feel special. Welcome to the new celebrity colonialism.

Pitt and Jolie went to Namibia, a small and largely impoverished nation of 1.8 million, six weeks ago. Their daughter - Shiloh Nouvel - was born on Saturday night. As they awaited the birth they reportedly surrounded themselves with their own personal security detail and armed Namibian police. According to the Independent there was even a no-fly zone, enforced by the Namibian government, over the luxurious Burning Shore beach resort where Pitt and Jolie were holed up.

Apparently, the stars also got to dictate which reporters could and could not enter the country. According to one report, the Namibian government ‘bowed to pressure from the duo and granted them the right to ban foreign journalists from entering the country - a remarkable move for the government of any sovereign state’. The government is said to have granted this extraordinary veto to Brad and Angelina after the couple told ministers that they would be ‘forced to quit the country unless allegedly intrusive journalists and paparazzi were brought to heel’ (2). Namibian ministers hope that a trip by two Hollywood bigwigs to their shores will do wonders for their tourism industry, and thus have done everything they can to keep the couple happy (3).

Spiked

Perish the thought that anyone might mention that there are lots and lots of kids in America that could use a good set of adoptive parents...

[TahitiNut]

14. If anything's even less interesting than Shiloh/Brangelina,

... it's the piggy-back pseudo-punditry of Tom 'watch me pose' Cruise with the IQ matching Tiger Woods' golf scores.

[ProfessorGAC]

39. Yeah, Tiger's Score On A GOOD Day

62 or 63 or something like that, i would think. He's a piece of work, ain't he?
The Professor

[theboss]

17. I almost fell for this one

The fact is: I can't put anything past Crazy Tom Cruise right now.

[titoresque]

24. I fell for it for the same reason!

:rofl::rofl:

[OKNancy]

18. Satire

article is a satire piece

[WI_DEM]

20. he's just jealous that their baby got more publicity than his

I also don't think that Jolie and Pitt need any career bolstering!

p.s.
I see some believe this is satire, but with Cruise it seems right on target!

[Love Bug]

21. He accuses them of grandstanding? Well, that's rich.

Pot, meet kettle.

[titoresque]

22. What a freak show!

He's really lost it. And what Brad and Angelina are doing seems damn smart and charitable to me. Seems they are funding their charitable work by way of acting and their celebrity status. I see nothing "truly reprehensible" about that.

And of all the "truly reprehensible" things people do in this world and in our government this dumbass chooses to speak out about "Brangelina" what a waste of ink and paper.....and brain cells.

[Generic Other]

23. He'd hang from his testicles on the Oprah show for attention!

Good grief. He'd let his child be born out of wedlock because he's not man enough to marry the mom. Then he'd buy his own ultrasound machine so he could constantly "look" at the baby even though doctors pointed out how absurd and dangerous this would be!

Since when has Cruise become parent of the year? Holy crap. The fact he plans to raise his kid as a scientologist suggests he is a CHILD ABUSER himself!

Who the fuck cares what he thinks of Brooke Shields' postpartum depression, Brad and Angelina's parenting skills, etc. Shit, he abandoned two adopted kids who he vowed to give a stable homelife to. And he's a dipshit scientologist who worships a freakin' DEAD sci-fi writer. A bad writer at that! What a hypocrite and a moran.

[undeterred]

25. Its satire, but its damn good: check out this site-

http://www.pugbus.net/

[bmbmd]

31. Very Clever. Believable, though.

But who would win a celebrity death match-Cruise or Pitt?

[undeterred]

38. All I can say is Brad Pitt is immensely more likeable than Cruise

and 5 years ago I think Cruise was pretty well liked.  He's
become his own undoing.

[Joanne98]

108. And they were really cute vampires too.

[undeterred]

Pope Benedict XVI Approves Plan to Grow Ranks of Priests

VATICAN CITY—Responding to the need for priestly vocations, Pope Benedict XVI ordered Vatican officials to sponsor the first annual Running of the Altar Boys in hopes of attracting new members to its all-male clergy.

"There was mounting pressure from liberal-minded Catholics to allow married men and even women into the priesthood," decried Vatican spokesman Fr. Antonio Carrozini. "In order to thwart those proposals, we knew we had to quickly replenish the dwindling numbers of men among our clergy."

Fr. Carrozini reported that the pontiff thought of the idea after watching the popular nine-day Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain, where bulls chase participants down a narrow village street.

http://www.pugbus.net/artman/publish/04292006_altarboys.shtml


:rofl:

[warrens]

27. This is satire, right?

No one could be that bughouse.

[Mad_Dem_X]

29. STFU, Tom

I don't believe that you and Katie ever even *had* a baby. You're just jealous because Brad and Angelina have overshadowed you. (And no, I'm not a fan of either of them, I'm just sick of TC opening his yap about everything.)

[Catch22Dem]

96. It's satire

[The Animator]

30. Angelina could kick Toms ass

And knowing her, she propbably will. Brad is going to have to hold her back.

[Bassic]

34. No, Brad will just sit back and enjoy the show.

Angelina could so rip that fucking looney asshole a new one.

[madokie]

32. fuck a bunch of tom cruise the but boy

[underpants]

35. Does he hang out with reporters or just call them every 10 minutes?

Wow Tom that is over the edge.

[robbedvoter]

36. OK, satire - but it fits the nuttiness so well, I won't feel shame for

falling for it. The entire monster publicity baby machine is a big joke - why be surprised by open rivalry?
For all I know, that's exactly as Cruise might be feeling as he sees th wall to wall Brangelina mania.
I for one just avert my eyes from any obsession.

[Protagoras]

40. So glad to live in a world where this crap makes headlines

more people know about Tom Cruise than about Haditha...and we wonder why it happens.

[AlCzervik]

41. it's satire but still amusing and probably not to too far from the truth.

[NC_Nurse]

42. Wow.

That's really bizarre! Is he on a self-destruction kick or something? Or has he just completely lost it?

What a shitty thing to say!

[City Lights]

43. STFU, tom.

And stay off Oprah's furniture, you smarmy prick.

[Catch22Dem]

95. It's satire

[gauguin57]

44. who gives a rat's about any of them?

If Tom Cruise weren't shilling for a murdering, thieving, morally bankrupt cult, I wouldn't care a fig about any of these people or their progeny. And it's only the murdering, thieving, morally bankrupt cult (and its growing power) that I care about, not the mediocre-talent wacko that is Mister Cruise.

[The Backlash Cometh]

45. OMIGOD. Omigod.

Small little gods, these celebrities. And pretty pathetic when one intrudes into the other's cellophane world.

[lonestarnot]

47. And who would truly give a flying fuck about this? Sorry nothing personal

[Atman]

48. Anything with "TOM CRUISE" in the sub line should be in the lounge

I don't even think he's "general discusion." Is there a "Total Nutbag" forum? I mean, besides sites like CU and Freep?

[Bassic]

53. Oh sure, give us all the retards

:P

[liberalmuse]

49. Nuh-uh?

I just saw 'Interview with a Vampire' the other night (Cruise was just awful), but I noticed some 'chemistry' between himself and Brad. Honestly, the letter reads as if it were written by a spurned and extremely jealous lover! Yikes!!!

[Javaman]

50. Tom has jumped the shark, fell in the water and was eaten...

Tom is on career life support at this point. If he actually makes another movie beyond the crappy Mission impossible series that makes money, I will be impressed.

[earth mom]

51. Okay, ya'll fooled me.

:rofl:

[SidDithers]

52. That's pretty funny...

thanks for posting.

:toast:

Sid

[Yollam]

55. Pot. Kettle. Black.

Is there any more shameless self-publicist than Cruise? And what about when he exploited his relationship with that little girl on the Oprah show?


Pitt and Jolie know that the press would be bugging the crap out of them for baby pictures anyway so they auctioned them off. It's not the first time it's been done. And ragging on their charity work because they get a tax deduction?

Yeah, he's nuts.

[Clark2008]

56. Like I care.

Seriously - shouldn't this be in the Lounge?

Yes - I know I didn't have to click on it, but I was wondering what it had to do with Democrats.

[Norquist Nemesis]

58. He's really getting desperate for attention in his old age.

I don't care about "Brangelina" and Tom should stfu.

[mtnester]

59. Because Brad's wife is hotter

Tom is descending about as fast as he can into madness. It is kind of like watching Michael Jackson in the beginning when he started going crazy.

Sad.

[1monster]

60. What? Satire? Oh. Nevermind (al la my best Gilda Radner)...

:blush:

[alcibiades_mystery]

61. Cluetrain for people in this thread

THERE IS NO SUCH OP-ED....

:eyes:

[noonwitch]

62. Tom's just jealous that Brad is better looking than he is

He must be tired of picking on Brooke Sheilds.

[undeterred]

63. I am so PROUD

This is my first time having a GD thread moved to the Lounge. :blush:

[undeterred]

64. I am so PROUD

This is my first time having a GD thread moved to the Lounge. :blush:

[SteppingRazor]

65. This is satire -- painfully, obviously satire...

can't believe so many people took it seriously.

[realisticphish]

74. well

i don't think many people read the whole article, just the excerpt in the OP. The snip is less obvious than the whole thing

[Left Is Write]

104. You're right.

Given what we know about Tom's opinions and his penchant for announcing them, there is nothing in the OP to indicate this is satirical.

[jobycom]

75. There was a day when DUers would have recognized it, eh?

Especially targeted against a Democrat.

[huskerlaw]

66. What. An. Asshole.

I don't even like Brangelina, so I don't know why I'm defending them, but give me a fucking break.


On edit: oh...it's satire? Alrighty. Sad that it easily could have been true.

[DixieBlue]

68. And I thought I couldn't despise him anymore ...

He's a wanker and a half.

[kwassa]

70. "Angelina Jolie Buys Domain Names for Namibian Children"

more fun from the pugbus site

[China_cat]

71. Sounds more like jealous.

[LynneSin]

73. FOLKS THIS IS SATIRE-NOTHING IN NYTIMES

If Cruise had written the piece it would have been all over the news like when he criticized Brooke Shield for using anti-depressants to create Post-Partum blues.

I just went to the NYTimes and there was nothing there.

As for Brad & Angelina taking money for the pictures - there was a market out there to buy the pictures and they sold them to raise money for charity

[Orsino]

76. LOL! n/t

[arwalden]

77. So... In **Other** Words... What He's Saying Is...

[UTUSN]

78. Tom CRUISE -- the next Charlton HESTON n/t

[Monk06]

87. next Charlton HESTON. As in, "I being a prick for no particular reason."

[xmas74]

80. I know this is satire

but you know the thoughts are out there about this.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

81. He is an irrelevant joke

[LaraMN]

82. Hmmm... does somebody have a bitter crush on Brad Pitt?

Okay- I see it's satire, but still...

[ronnykmarshall]

83. Are we sure this is NOT a satire?

Sounds pretty close to some of the shit that comes out of his mouth.

[AlCzervik]

84. it's satire, i checked some of the other articles on the site

http://www.pugbus.net/artman/publish/20060607_22_oldsperm.shtml

http://www.pugbus.net/artman/publish/06072006_11_metric.shtml

[Quantess]

85. I came late to this sideshow.

He's so weird. His strangeness is off the charts. Now that Michael Jackson won't show up in public anymore, this nutter has filled Jacko's place.

[scoey1953]

86. I wonder if he is Jealous?

After all, didn't he have all that publicity not long ago with his marriage breaking up?
Whats up Tommy boy? Your face won't fit on the covers any more?

[WCGreen]

89. I think so....

Cause Angelina has better pouty lips than KAtie....

[BlueIris]

90. Pot? Meet Kettle. Yeah, the thing you're trashing.

What an asshole.

[mitchum]

91. Proof that even an idiot with a nose like an anteater can be right

[du4life]

93. Poor L Ron Hubbard's Baby Isn't Getting Enough Press

I love Angelina!

[applegrove]

94. He's totally a cult member. Good works and good drugs serve to

improve people's lives and make for fewer cult members. He is sick.

[pinniped]

97. This psycho nutacase has a PhD in stupidity.

I haven't spent a dime on his stupid shit since MI I.

THis loser should jump into a volcano to see if the aliens' bones are really there.

[arwalden]

98. Will Pitt Retaliate Against Cruise?

I wouldn't blame him if he did.

[MissMillie]

99. Self-righteous prick

"Oh look at me I'm so much better than everyone else."

Tom, kiss my ass.

And frankly, my words are not about whether or not I agree with Brad and Angelina's behavior. I just think Tom is a self-righteous prick.

[wizdum]

100. Is this some sort of joke? It sounds like somthing Coultergeist would say

[Wetzelbill]

101. yeah because their careers are going so badly

:wtf:

[Left Is Write]

102. I think he just needs to shut up.

First Brooke Shields, now Jolie and Pitt? Does he have nothing better to do?

Shut up, Tom, and take care of your own family.

[wildhorses]

105. perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black

:eyes:

[MrSlayer]

106. What a fucking dimwit.

Cruise is an idiot.

[aaronbees]

107. It's good because we can imagine Cruise saying this...

even though it's clearly satire (read the disclaimer at the bottom of the linked page).