Posts Tagged ‘Tom Cruise’

June 19th is right around the corner, and if you’re anything like me you have no clue what to get that special father in your life…whether he be your dad, your husband or your son. Luckily, looking to the stars of Tinseltown we can get some great ideas for the upcoming holiday!

This Father’s Day, make him feel like HE’S the celebrity in your life by spoiling him with one of these amazing gifts! Here’s my Top 5 Best Celebrity-Inspired Gifts for Father’s Day.

#5: The Apple iPad 2 – the follow up to Apple’s best selling iPad, the iPad two is a sleeker, faster and more powerful update to the best selling tablet in history.

There is a reason people lined up for hours waiting for the opportunity to shell out a few hundred dollars on this amazing little device: it’s flat out incredible. Dad can use it to surf the internet, follow his favorite sports team, watch his favorite movies and television shows and a whole lot more.

From David Letterman (who used an iPad during one of his famous top 10 lists on the Late Show) to the guy next door, the iPad 2 will give any dad countless hours of enjoyment! Be sure to add a case to protect this pricey Father’s Day gift — my personal favorite is the Otterbox Defender series because it’s like wrapping your iPad in tank armor!

To learn more about the Apple iPad 2 please visit http://www.apple.com/ipad/.

#4: Vegas, baby, Vegas! What man wouldn’t want a nice weekend in Vegas with his buddies ala Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau in Swingers?

For that hard working dad in your life, a weekend with him and his boys in beautiful Las Vegas (or Atlantic City or the Mohegan Sun should you be East of the Mississippi) would be an excellent gift! Reliving the glory days over a craps table, eating too much at a buffet or just catching some rays poolside should be just the thing to recharge dad’s batteries.

My personal picks for hotels in Sin City are THEhotel by Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand Signature. Each and every time I have stayed at either I have run into the likes of Toby Keith, John Legend and more!

#3: Ray Ban Wayfarers Slipping these on will send any dad straight back to the 80s, in a good way! Made famous by Tom Cruise in Risky Business, the wayfarer can be seen all over the country, being worn by the young and young at heart.

These sunglasses stand up to the test of time for a reason: they are very aesthetically pleasing and do an excellent job at blocking the sun. With summer right around the corner, these would make any dad quite the happy camper!

#2: Canon EOS Rebel T3 Let dad channel his inner paparazzo with the new Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera. Boasting incredible picture quality, as well as high definition video recording capability, this affordable DSLR does it all, at a price that won’t break the bank.

Rumor has it that the T3 is a particular favorite of young Hollywood, and with all the amazing options that if offers, it’s easy to see why!

#1: The Mangrate This piece of cast iron goodness was devised by an engineer who made weapons grade cases for military computers. With celebrity endorsements from Adam Carolla, Kevin Smith, Larry Miller and Ralph Garman, the Mangrate promises a better grilling experience than any other charcoal grill can offer.

Having tested the product myself, I can say that eating a steak cooked on the Mangrate is an experience, and any dad who enjoys a great barbecue will love the Mangrate for Father’s Day and every day after! To find out more visit www.Mangrate.com.

All of us here at Positively Celebrity hope that our dads, and every dad out there has a wonderful Father’s Day! Let us know exactly what you’re getting that special patriarch in your life in the comments below.

Be sure to check back for more great stories from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

When the taxi pulled up outside Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and the line was almost round the block we knew we had found a hotspot! Lime was a recommendation from a real foodie so I suspected we were on to a good thing, but this place was so good it made me wish I lived in Miami!

There was a whole stack of shelves dedicated to hot sauce — it was like a shrine to piquantes with 50 variations of spicy sauce and six homemade salsas.

The guy at the counter said Mr. H sounded just like Russell Brand who had just been in before us. Russell Brand has been feeling the heat in Miami where he is shooting his new movie, “Rock of Ages” which also stars Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Paul Giamatti.

The terrace at the South Beach burrito shop was buzzing with cool healthy people happily feasting on really fresh fast food. The waitresses were switched on and smiley and one had a t-shirt that said on the back “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”.

All this before we eaten had a tortilla chip! They arrived in a huge pile with a generous dollop of thick gorgeous guacamole on the side and endless salsa. Yum. When our mains arrived and we were so happy we’d over-ordered so there would be more to snack on later!

The reason the food is so good is because it is fresh and local and all the meat is Humanely Raised. The menu also boasts that at Lime they “Speak Vegetarian” and reassures non-meat eaters than anything on the menu can be made fully veggie-friendly.

This vibrant Mexican food joint was started by John Kunkel in 2004 on the funky Alton Road. There are now nine of these positive restaurants in total with more to come. Now if only I could convince him to open up in London!

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were busy promoting their new film, Knight and Day, all over the world.

Fiji

Known for it’s great beaches, relaxation and surfing, Fiji is a celebrity favorite.  The island is also secluded, offering privacy from press and paparazzi.  In fact, Fiji is famous for “hiding” celebrities from the peering eye of the camera.

Fiji’s luxurious Wakaya Club features a small, eco-friendly “world apart” experience. It’s a “green” full-service spa and hotel, where stars can get pampered. Visitors like Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Demi Moore and Oprah have all sunbathed on the hot white beaches of Fiji.

Hawaii

Closer to home for L.A. celebrities, the islands have been a huge attraction this summer.

Helen Hunt, with director beau Matthew Carnahan, played golf, went horse back riding and took in the romantic Hawaii sunsets.

Julia Roberts visited Maui with husband Danny Moder and children Phinnaeus and Hazel.  Australian actress, Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen with little Olive have been seen vacationing on the Island, playing in waves.

It’s not just a place for families though, High School Musical starlet, Ashley Tisdale celebrated her birthday with here.

Pierce Brosnan and Kelsey Grammer both own houses in Hawaii and often visit their home away from homes.

A British TV journalist no one’s ever heard of interviewing Richard Nixon about Watergate. Boring, right?

Definitely not. Ron Howard’s film adaptation of the stage play “Frost/Nixon” is anything but. He takes the potentially boring subject matter of the post-Watergate interviews that’s arguably a generation too late and instead turns it into a taut thriller with compelling performances by its stars Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, who reprise their stage roles as Frost and Nixon, respectively.

The film initially starts with some old black and white video recapping the infamous Watergate scandal we’ve all come to know, but then we’re thrown into the colorful gaudy world of the 1970s where we first meet David Frost hosting a silly variety television show. He runs out on the stage to a roar of applause like a present day game show contestant and cracks corny jokes about sausage. Is this the man who could go one-on-one with Richard Nixon? 

No one thought so including Nixon himself, which is why he agreed to the interview. Any other “serious” journalist on CBS News or any other news network for that matter would be too much of a match for Nixon who just wanted a pushover who he could throw aside so he could spin his story and redeem himself to the American people.

He thought he found that pushover in Frost. (Plus, it didn’t hurt Frost paid him $600,000 nearly all out of his own pocket either.) We are inclined to think Frost is a pushover too. After all he picks up girls on airplanes, signs autographs like he’s Tom Cruise, and attends glitzy movie premieres and parties. But Sheen brings a determinative, appealing spark to Frost that makes us not willing to give up on him yet.

That and the story’s told through his point of view. Even as Frost leaves the heavy burden of research to his team, we see that Nixon isn’t the only one with his career at stake. Frost’s career was exiled to Australia along with his respectable reputation, and he’s relying on this interview to resurrect himself as well. So we’re not willing to give up that maybe just maybe Frost will beat Nixon. After all this is a game, a competition. Only one can win as Frost later tells Nixon.

This is where the tension comes in. There’s a series of four interviews Nixon is granting with the fourth one being the most important as it is devoted to Watergate. Each of the first three interviews are like individual boxing matches leading up until the very last big fight. At first, Frost get pummeled and thrown aside by Nixon who’s like a heavyweight champion. Although he’s far from it.

Langella makes Nixon an oddly sympathetic character. Yes, we all know he’s guilty; but, Langella excels in coloring Nixon as a haunted, lonely, self-loathing man. While he throws demeaning and patronizing slurs at Frost, it’s not quite evident he actually knows what he’s saying. He’s too aloof and isolated from anyone to know how to properly interact. Thus, Langella brings us a character that, while we’re not rooting for him, we still feel for him.

For that reason alone Langella is completely deserving of his Best Actor Oscar nomination, but don’t forget about Sheen. Like Frost, he holds his own against Langella and gives a great performance as a celebrity underdog with a lot of ambition.

In fact, both Frost and Nixon are underdogs and each holds virtues the other is so desperately lacking. So this battle of determination and ability is what propels this film far above just a boring history lesson. That’s what’s great about “Frost/Nixon:” its actors breathe real, complicated emotions into a riveting, true story. 

I only wish it concluded with telling a little more of what happened to the characters. Did Frost marry that girl he picked up on the airplane who turned into a fixture on the interview sets? Were Frost and Nixon really that amicable with each other at the end? If that pivotal, crucial scene that took place the night before the final interview was fictional, what really motivated Frost to suddenly give it his all?

The film isn’t a documentary, so it doesn’t have to answer these questions; but, kudos to a film for making me want to go crack open a history book to learn more.

It’s now officially 2009, and you know what that means: New Year’s resolutions. But, we aren’t the only ones who make resolutions – celebrities do too. Most probably want to lose weight or quit smoking like most people do; but, here’s Positively Celebrity’s ideas for how celebrities can improve their lives and careers in 2009.

Expectant moms like Jennifer Garner and “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Chyler Leigh:

Name babies normal names instead of the crazy baby names of 2008 like Ashlee Simpson’s son, Bronx Mowgli, and Gwen Stefani’s son, Zuma Nesta Rock.

Screen Actors Guild members and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers:

Come to a resolution regarding DVD residuals and online video so there will not be another strike like the 100-day writer’s strike in late 2007 and early 2008 that halted production of scripted shows and brought an onslaught of tacky reality shows.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan:

Follow Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s lead in “Revolutionary Road” by reuniting one of America’s favorite on-screen couples.

Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron:

Take advantage of your fortunate successes of starring in 2008’s “Twilight” and “High School Musical 3” by not screwing up like many other young newly minted movie stars. Ahem Shia LaBeouf and Lindsay Lohan.

The “Friends” cast:

Reunite for a successful big-screen adaptation of their show like the women of “Sex and the City” did in 2008.

Shows like “Heroes” and “Grey’s Anatomy”:

Cut the convoluted and crazy storylines and remind us why we initially loved them.

Mike Myers, Al Pacino, Meg Ryan, Amy Winehouse, and Janet Jackson:

Plan a comeback for 2009. The kind of comebacks that Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Tom Cruise, and Britney Spears all enjoyed in 2008.

Long time couples like Fergie and Josh Duhamel, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, Amy Adams and Darren Legallo, and Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ross McCall:

Get married in 2009 and upstage the 2008 nuptials of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, and Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds.

Even though the actress had to work and was away from her hubby Tom Cruise on her 30th birthday, festivities weren’t far from her.

After a performance of her Broadway show, All My Sons, Katie got an unexpected surprise from her husband and scheming costars.

 When the curtain fell on the performance crew members rolled out a round, five-tiered cake.  Her costar John Lithgow announced to the audience that Cruise was “heartsick” not to be there “but wanted to make his presence felt,” reports E! News.

Holmes was definitely taken by surprise when she came on stage with daughter Suri and fellow play mates to the audience singing “Happy Birthday.”

“I planned it so that when she comes out for the standing ovation, John get the whole audience to wish her a happy birthday,” Cruise told People magazine, confessing that the two already had a private celebration. “It’s going to be great. I’m waiting to talk to her now, to see her reaction.”

Barbara Walters presented her 16th annual edition of “The Ten Most Fascinating People” Thursday night with a list of some obvious choices and a sprinkling of “huhs?”.

The most obvious choice for No. 1 was President-elect Barack Obama. As Walters said herself, “Who are we going to pick other than President-elect Obama, I mean really?”

Viewers heard more about how Obama is a symbol of hope for America and asked him if the expectations for him to cure the economy and save the planet are too high to which he replied, “I can meet expectations of a government that is competent and honest and every single day is trying to make lives of ordinary Americans better.”

One new thing we learned, however, is that Obama never expected to be President – he wanted to be an architect, basketball player or judge.

Someone who does think he could be President is No. 10 on the list, Will Smith. He could potentially play a President because he said Obama would want Smith to play him in a movie; but, Smith also said if he really wanted to be President he could. “If I absolutely chose to, absolutely,” he said. “But I’m not ever going to choose to. I like being in movies.”

In fact, he’s starring in “Seven Pounds” opening in two weeks, which seemed to be the only reason why he was on Walter’s list.

Tom Cruise, who came in at No. 2, also seemed to be on the list because of his upcoming movie, “Valkryie.” Walters said this time interviewing him he appeared to be a “weathered and wiser Tom Cruise.” He is now keeping mum on his previously outspoken Scientology beliefs and, as Walters said, “He is no longer the boy wonder we fell in love with, the cocky young stud who finds his heart at the last minute or the hero who defeats evil with ease. Now he’s grown into something far more daring and interesting.”

While Smith and Cruise are uber-famous stars, Walters put a low-profile actor, Frank Langella, on her list at No. 4. And surprise, he’s also in a movie coming out: “Frost/Nixon.” Langella is not a star, but Walters said he has finally found stardom with his Tony Award for playing Richard Nixon in a play and now his role in the screen adaptation.

If Walters wanted to pick an actor who has finally made success, she should have picked the No. 1 comeback actor right now, Robert Downey, Jr.

But, at least Langella is honest. In regards to if he wants to win an Oscar he said, “It would be disingenuinous and absurd for an actor to say it doesn’t matter. Of course it does. Very few people win an Oscar. Wouldn’t it be great to be one of them?”

Someone who has won quite a lot of accolades is record-breaking Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals this year. Enough said there.

Enough also said with No. 8 on the list. Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has her own hit TV show, her new solo album not as Hannah Montana and a hit movie, “Bolt.” Not to mention that little scandal with the photos in “Vanity Fair.” She did admit that she sometimes worries, “Am I just it for now? But I live for the moment so I’m loving this and taking it all in.”

And it wouldn’t be a recap of 2008 without talking about Sarah Palin and her uncanny impersonator, Tina Fey. Walters put Palin at No. 3 because she showed that the celebrity lifecycle applies to politics as well. In under three months she went from, “hopeful unknown, to white hot star, to tarnished disappointment, to comeback tour.”

Fey, who came in at No. 7, didn’t think her impression was mean or sexist towards Palin: “There’s a strange double standard of a woman portraying another woman,” she said. “We stuck to things that at a lot of times she herself said.”

Another political commentator, Rush Limbaugh, made the list at No. 6. The conservative radio host appeared to make the list simply because he was a popular commentator on this year’s election who was one of the few to defend Palin. After some grilling on Walter’s part regarding his opinion on Palin, women aging in our culture and his contract of $38 million a year, Limbaugh described himself as “a harmless, lovable little fuzzball.”

Lastly, the pregnant man, Thomas Beatie, appeared on the list at No. 5. We’ve heard all about how Beatie became a man but used his female reproductive organs to give birth to a baby girl in June. What we did learn, however, is that the pregnant man is now pregnant once more. “You’re going to go through this again?” Walters asked.

All in all, a list of some obvious picks and also some “so whats?” Joy Behar, Walter’s co-host on “The View” also had some bones to pick with the show when she appeared during the end credits.

“What exactly do I have to do to get on this show? Miley Cyrus is 16 years old. I have brassieres older than her. Should I skin a moose? Become a man and then get pregnant? Maybe I’ll jump over a couch.”

Maybe next year, Joy.

Most well known and beloved actors and actresses in Hollywood have worked hard for their A-List status. But what types of mundane, low budget movie dues did these famous faces have to pay in their past?

Tom Cruise – Cruise and Brooke Shields made “Endless Love” in 1981. If the title isn’t corny enough, the reviews will surely keep you away. Variety says, “’Endless Love’ is a manipulative tale of a doomed romance which careens repeatedly between the credible and the ridiculous.” In 1983 Cruise made “Losin’ It” – a teenage rebel film where 4 friends travel to Mexico to party and are joined by a woman seeking a quickie divorce. One review says, “This doesn’t sound like much and it isn’t…” Luckily, “Risky Business” was Cruise’s next movie.

Viggo Mortensen – 1987’s “Salvation!: Have You Said Your Prayers Today?” stars Mortensen as a controlling husband questioning the credibility of his wife’s favorite television evangelist. The tagline is great, “SEX. POWER. MONEY. It’s all in the name of God!” Siskel & Ebert describe it as “boring,” “cliché,” “uninteresting” and state the performances are “wooden.” “Fresh Horses” (1988) is about a college educated engaged man that falls for a country girl who is supposedly 20 year old. Its tagline – “Love doesn’t have to last a lifetime.” And it doesn’t for “Horses” also staring two brat packers and Ben Stiller.

Joe Pesci – “Moonwalker” made in 1988 is a Michael Jackson film. Pesci plays the villain wanting to get kids hooked on drugs. Filled with kids (eek!) and dance sequences, this movie does not add credibility to Pesci’s resume. Another flop is “Betsy’s Wedding” where three very different families are brought together to plan a wedding for Betsy. Roger Ebert says, “…there’s nothing compelling here.”

Kirsten Dunst – Her first credited movie was “The Bonfire of the Vanities” which also starred Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith. Don’t let that fool you, a critic from Variety says, “The Bonfire of the Vanities is a misfire of inanities.” The only nominations it received were Razzies. “Greedy” is another big name film that flopped. A Washington Post reviewer states, “Their best hope is that “Greedy” will vanish quickly from public view.” Fortunately, Dunst’s next film was “Interview with the Vampire.”

Sandra Bullock – 1987’s “Hangmen” is the first movie credit for Bullock. The film’s tagline is terrible – “In this world no one is innocent, and if you want to live, you’ve got to beat the Hangmen.” It’s practically untraceable, which is not a good sign. 1989 brought “Religion, Inc.” about “Seeing God on TV inspires a New York adman to form a new religion based on greed, with a janitor.” One IMDB user states “Perhaps the worst movie ever made. “The Vanishing” (1993) is about a boyfriend’s search for his abducted girlfriend. Grossing a little $14,543,394, a Washington Post critic says the film, “merely leaves us stupefied, gasping for relief.”

Julianne Moore – Her first movie credit is “sLaughterhouse II.” And then “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie” described as “a lame effort.” “The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag” is said to be “Death by Mediocrity” by the Washington Post, “Stupid title, stupid movie,” by the Austin Chronicles, receives a 3.6 out of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only grossed $3,721,911. “Body of Evidence” (1993) receives a half star from the Chicago Sun Times, 1 star from ReelViews, and a 2.3 of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It gets worse. The tagline is “An act of love, or an act of murder?” This one should just be locked up and forgotten about it seems.

Suri Cruise ranked number one for Forbes.com’s second annual “Hollywood’s 10 Hottest Tots.”

The two-year-old daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes beat out the other 50 A-list contenders (five-years-old and younger) based on the amount of media attention she received and her parents’ popularity.

Topping the rest of the list was most of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie clan. 

Coming in second was Shiloh, 2, (who ranked number one last year); third was Zahara, 3, and Pax came in fourth. 

Forbes.com acknowledged the rest of the family, noting that seven-year-old Maddox was too old, and twins Vivienne and Knox were too infrequently seen to qualify for the list.

Filling in the top 10:

Sam Alexis Woods, daughter of Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin

Cruz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham

Matilda Rose Ledger, daughter of Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger

David Banda, son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie

Sean Preston Federline, son of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline

Sam Sheen, daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen