The rumors that “Valkyrie,” the Tom Cruise World War II film premiering Christmas Day, is terrible must be true. Otherwise, why would he return to the glibbest morning show on television?
It’s been three years since Tom Cruise declared Matt Lauer “glib” during one of the most bizarre “Today” show segments ever and he’s making his way back to NBC’s Studio 1A this Monday morning.
It was June 2005 when Lauer asked Cruise–a devout Scientologist who, like all practitioners is against the use of psycho-pharmaceuticals–to elaborate on his earlier criticism of Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants to deal with post-partum depression. After minutes of tense to-and-fro, Cruise eventually declared, “You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do.”

But now Cruise has a new movie out that’s getting OK reviews (Variety), but bad word-of-mouth. And we’re just talking reviews of what’s on the screen. There was even more bad drama occurring behind the scenes with the German government and accidents on the set. He’s already got a People cover, but it looks like he’s pulling out the big PR guns to pull in the numbers for the Hitler assassination thriller that he not only stars in, but his United Artists studio produced.
And what a great move it is. Going back to Oprah’s couch might not have repaired his public image, but chatting playfully with the once “glib” Lauer may be the ticket. Or maybe Cruise has worn out the public’s welcome for good.
Either way, I must say that while I usually watch a little “Morning Joe” in the morning, this Monday I’ll be tuned in to “Today.”