Matt Lauer's Celebrity Roast, Or Why Can't Tom Cruise Be This Funny All The Time?
The past several years have seen a steady decline in the movie fortunes of one-time cinematic golden boy Tom Cruise. From movies that nobody cared about to working on films that have yet to be released to hearing the old "you're too old but it's because you're really a box-office bomb waiting to happen" excuse, it seems that the best days of Tom might truly be behind him if he can't get his act together, stop the Scientology stuff, and return to his old, fun-loving self.
However, every once in a while, we get a glimpse of what Tom used to be like, before the e-meters and purification rundowns and Scientology schooling. Case in point: Today show host Matt Lauer's recent celebrity roast, held to raise money for the benefit of the Friars Club foundation, for arts education, and a new journalism scholarship in Tim Russert's memory. You'll recall Tom and Matt squaring off back in 2005 over antidepressants and psychology:
At one point Cruise told Lauer, “You’re glib” and said Lauer didn’t know what he was talking about. The star launched into a detailed discussion of the use of the prescription drug Ritalin.
“It's very impressive to listen to you,” Lauer replied, “because clearly, you've done the homework. And you know the subject.”
“And you should,” Cruise retorted. He also told Lauer, “You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do.”
The NBC anchor told Cruise he had known people who had been helped by psychiatric drugs. Cruise then accused Lauer of advocating the use of Ritalin.
Well, it all seems to be forgotten, or moar likely well-disguised, as Tom was a surprise guest at the celeb roast, and surprise...he was actually funny:
At the roast, Cruise joked that Lauer had given him some advice before his now-famous couch-jumping interview with Winfrey: "Go crazy. Trust me. Trust me. People will love you for it."
The actor also recounted a golf outing Lauer had with O.J. Simpson. “Matt said to O.J., ‘If people have your memorabilia, go back and get the (stuff) back. People will love you for it.’”
Cruise later dragged NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker into the joke, saying that Lauer told Zucker, “Jay Leno’s contract is up. Why don’t you let him go while everyone still thinks he’s funny. People will love you for it.”
He got in a few more, even showing off mad computer skillz: Continued on the next page
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