Yesterday Oprah had Tom Cruise on in front of her screaming studio audience in an attempt to remind us all why we fell in love with the crazy cult spokesperson in the first place. The show featured clips from Tom’s 25 years in film starting with Risky Business as well as taped celebrity tributes from his friends and coworkers. Oprah really laid it on thick with the audience, and emphasized how great Tom’s movies are as well as how normal and likable he is. I was skeptical at first, but she seems to have helped with Cruise’s image immensely. Oprah aired a full episode on Friday in which she visited Cruise’s Telluride home and asked him some semi-difficult questions about his “religion” and the couch jumping episode that aired in May, 2005. On Monday it was all about celebrating Cruise and welcoming him back into the good graces of public opinion. Maybe if Cruise continues distancing himself from his troubled cult he’ll be able to improve his image.

Scientology not mentioned at all; Katie and Suri were not in the audience and did not appear
I came away from the show feeling a little better about Cruise, but not one mention was made of Tom’s religion, Scientology, in the entire show, and you can assume he’s moving away from being so outspoken about it. Katie and Suri did not appear on stage or in the audience, despite a story from an audience member in In Touch yesterday that they came on stage at the end.

Tom launches very good PR website
The thing that really influenced my opinion of Cruise, and I’m not going to act like it didn’t, was his new super slick website, TomCruise.com. It has a well-produced montage of clips from his films, none of which feature his ex wife Nicole Kidman in their work together, set to music. The guy can really act. Jerry Maguire is one of my favorite movies of all time. No mention of Scientology or any apologies or explanations are offered on the site. They really handled it well by focusing on his career and accomplishments.

I wrote a more lengthy story on the entire show which follows, so I’ll just add a break here and let you know that all the videos are at the end of the post.

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Cruise turns on the charm for the middle-aged ladies
They started out with a woman named Nancy who says she’s Tom Cruise’s biggest fan. Nancy met Cruise 7 years ago on Oprah after writing a letter. Tom brought Nancy a framed picture of the first time he met her on Oprah. She said “You have a beautiful baby. And best of luck for another 25 years.”

Then they showed a clip of Cruise on Risky Business at the age of 19 doing his thing singing “Old Time Rock and Roll.”

Oprah clarified that Cruise made up that dance. Tom waxed the floor on his hands and knees and decided to put his socks on to make the dance smoother.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith talk about what a great guy Tom is
The show featured segments with Tom’s celebrity friends talking about his films and their experiences with him. The first celebrities shown were Will Smith and Jada. Jada, with a bizarre mullet 80s cut, explained that she got to know Tom when they both worked on the film Collateral, in which he was trying to kill her. She said that was intense but that “to me, nothing he’s done professionally could hold a candle to who he is as a human being and that’s real.”

Will said “I’ve met very few people who’ve made that commitment that when they leave they want the world to be better – period – because they’re here.”

When the camera cut back to Cruise, Oprah asked what the friendship with the Smiths meant to him and he said “everything, they’re just real true people and I love ’em.” Yeah, they’re Scientologists too.

After the break Tom admitted that he sang his song from Top Gun, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” to Katie at their wedding after Oprah asked him specifically about it.

He said the best thing about making Top Gun was flying in the F15s, but that he’s been interested in airplanes his whole life.

Renee Zellweger calls Tom magical
They showed a clip from Jerry Maguire, and Renee Zellweger explained the “You Had Me At Hello” scene. She said Tom brought something with him that day. As for his personality she says that he has a heartfelt laugh. “You can’t dissect what makes Tom Cruise special. He just is. Hi Tom Cruise… I know that you’re a really good person. Congratulations.”

Cruise called Zellweger genuine. Oprah then threw him a super soft curveball and asked “What makes Tom Cruise nervous?”

He said that he gets excited, not nervous, making movies, and feels like he belongs there.

Victoria and David Beckham say one of their first dates was to Jerry Maguire
Victoria and David Beckham said that Jerry Maguire was special to them because it was one of their first dates. They said that Tom sent them the jacket he wore in the film and Victoria joked that David “hasn’t taken it off since.”

Jamie Foxx says Cruise came to him for advice, is bothered by stories about him
Foxx talked about “Born on the Fourth of July,” in which he says Tom departed from his movie style. He said “You saw how wide his acting muscle was.” He says Collateral changed his life. He joked that when his car crashed in the film people on set were more worried about Tom Cruise than him.

As for Tom’s past few years, he said “All the stuff that’s gone one the past couple years, it does affect him. He does feel it. Sometimes he will question ‘why’s it happening to me?’ you know. I said ‘you just keep being you, you keep being Tom Cruise and then you see him going through the worst of it and come out of it beautifully because he stays true to himself.”

Oprah asked about “Born on the Fourth of July” and Cruise’s Oscar nomination. He said people told him that it was a bad role choice and would ruin his career.

Dustin Hoffman distances himself from Tom
Hoffman was on for his segment and said that he farted in a closed phone booth while they were filming Rainman in 1988, and that they made it part of the scene. He said that it was his favorite scene in any movie he’s ever done.

Then Hoffman was slurping soup and joking that he had to eat lunch. He said “It’s a tribute that they thought you handsome enough to be my brother in the film. We were quote ‘brothers in the film’ but we were also brothers in life. It’s been extraordinarily painful experience for me not seeing you more often in these 20 years… We haven’t really connected. I hope you understand I’ve had to learn to cope.”

He kind of redeemed it by pretending to eat soup with a cut out version of Tom and saying they were going to go skydiving together, but despite the humor in the clip you can be sure that he’s making it clear that he’s not tight with Tom.

Dakota Fanning and Steven Spielberg pay tribute
Dakota Fanning was on and talked about being starstruck working with Cruise in War of the Worlds. She said he was very friendly to everyone and was always bumping fists. She said that Tom called her in the years after the film wrapped to “encourage or support me, or just to say hello” and that it meant a lot to her.

Oprah talked about how nice he is and how kind he is to the staff on his fims.

Steven Spielberg said that if he had to pick his favorite role of Toms, he wouldn’t pick one of his own films as that would be biased. He said Magnolia is “the deepest I’ve seen Tom go.” He said that Tom compels us to pay attention to him and “is a magnet”

The end part: laying it on thick
Oprah: “We all remember these films. We all remember going to the theater seeing these films.”

They fielded a question from an audience member about how Tom would spend a day off, and he said playing games with his family, going for a ride in his airplane and/or a hike, and having dinner at home and watching a movie.

Oprah: “They’re very normal. Lots going on at the same time.”

Another audience member asked Tom if he’d accomplished all his dreams. He said “I’m surprised how much I accomplished and I feel really privileged to be able to do what I do and I thank you all for allowing me to entertain you.” [Audience claps]

Oprah asked “25 years after Risky Business, isn’t it bigger than you’d ever dreamed?”

“Yes, as you go along you think ‘How can I keep challenging myself more?’ There’s always something else.'”

Oprah: “Do you feel most at home there? Like this is what you’re born to do?”

Tom: “I feel that this is what I’m supposed to do.”

Oprah: You Love It.

He says Suri calls him “Dada Cruise.”

Oprah gives the audience a boxed set of all of Tom’s 25 movies
Oprah: “Doesn’t this show make you want to go home and watch all of Tom’s movies.”

Then Oprah gave the audience a gift of all of Cruise’s movies and of course they screamed and yelled.

Here are the videos:

Part 1: Includes well wishes from Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith.

Part 2: Includes segments with Renee Zellweger and Victoria and David Beckham offering congratulations.

Part 3: Includes segment with Jamie Foxx.

Part 4: Includes tribute from Dustin Hoffman

Part 5: Includes tributes from Dakota Fanning and Steven Spielberg

Part 6: Includes audience questions emphasizing how normal and grateful Cruise is for his success

Part 7: Oprah gives studio audience DVDs of all his movies.

Part 8: Cruise autographs box set for Nancy, his biggest fan

All photos courtesy of Oprah.com.