Re: Cruise takes on Shields

June 4, 2005

I really don't like the way they've portrayed Tom Cruise in this

article. Is Hollywood in cahoots with the drug industry? How much

money do you think TV broadcasters get from big pharma for drug ads?

Lately, it seems like that's all one sees on TV are drug

commercials. " Ask your doctor about " ....etc.

> Latest News & Gossip - E! Online

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

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> & Tom's War of the Words

> Fri Jun 03, 4:30 PM ET

>

> Shields has officially engaged with Tom Cruise in

what is fast

> becoming a celebrity war of the words.

>

> After Cruise criticized Shields' use of antidepressants as

> " irresponsible " during an interview with Access Hollywood last

week, Shields

> has suggested the leading man keep his opinions to himself.

>

> " Tom Cruise's comments are irresponsible and dangerous, "

Shields said

> in London last week. " Tom should stick to saving the world from

aliens and

> let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what

treatment

> options are best for them. "

>

> Shields recently published Down Came the Rain, a personal

chronicle of

> her struggle with depression following the 2003 birth of her

daughter,

> Rowan. The memoir delves into the actress' use of Paxil as a form

of

> treatment for her condition and is meant to inspire other women to

seek

> help. " Don't be ashamed, and don't disregard what you are

feeling, " Shields

> writes in the book. " I recovered only because I got help. "

>

> The actress has said she is currently in the process of

weaning

> herself from the drug in order to try for a second child with

husband Chris

> Henchy.

>

> However, as a dedicated follower of Scientology, Cruise is

of the

> belief that mind-altering medications of any kind are " dangerous "

and that

> women should treat conditions such as postpartum depression

with " vitamins. "

> Hence his stamp of disapproval on Shields' choice to use Paxil and

to

> discuss that choice in her memoir.

>

> " When you talk about postpartum, you can take people today,

women, and

> what you do is you use vitamins. There is a hormonal thing that is

going on,

> scientifically, you can prove that. But when you talk about

emotional,

> chemical imbalances in people, there is no science behind that, "

the actor

> told Access Hollywood.

>

> " When someone says [medication] has helped them, it is to

cope, it

> didn't cure anything. There is no science. There is nothing that

can cure

> them whatsoever, " Cruise said.

>

> Cruise went on to make a not-so-subtle jab at the former

Suddenly

> star's professional life.

>

> " I care about Shields because I think she is an

incredibly

> talented women, [but] look at where her career has gone. "

>

> Ouch. True, Shields' latest pilot, New Car Smell, was

recently passed

> over by Fox, but the actress has been earning positive reviews in

the role

> of Roxie Hart in the London theater production of Chicago.

>

> Meanwhile, as anyone not living under a rock knows by now,

Cruise's

> latest project, Spielberg's War of the Worlds, is scheduled

to open

> June 29.

>

> Though one would expect Cruise to become increasingly

visible as the

> film's premiere date approaches, it turns out the public may

actually see

> less of the actor than in recent weeks.

>

> Paramount and DreamWorks have cut out the usual promotional

press

> junket in favor of a smaller number of " preselected interview

sessions, "

> DreamWorks exec Levy told the New York Times in an article

published

> Thursday.

>

> Speculation exists that Cruise's increasing passion for

discussing

> both his religious beliefs and his feelings for new girlfriend

Holmes

> led to the decision to cut back on his promotional appearances.

>

> Meanwhile, there's talk that Paramount is also considering

pulling the

> plug on Mission: Impossible 3 due to the project's swelling budget.

>

> Levy admitted that studio executives had expressed concern

over

> Cruise's well-publicized, erratic May 23 appearance on The Oprah

Winfrey

> Show, during which Cruise bounced around the room, on and off

furniture,

> sank to the floor and repeatedly announced his love for Holmes.

(At least we

> can rule out mind-altering drugs.)

>

> " You can have so much attention on a particular issue that

maybe the

> movie doesn't get as much attention as it might, " Levy told the

Times of the

> appearance. " It's the topic of conversation for many reasons. "

>

> However, Levy denied that the choice to scrap the press

junket had

> anything to do with Cruise, rather it was made because the movie

had already

> received sufficient promotion.

>

> Regards,

>

June 4, 2005