What Tom Cruise did to prepare for crazy jump in new ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie

He's not afraid to do the impossible for his movies. And Tom Cruise proved that yet again in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" as he tried out another risky stunt called the "HALO jump."

This new behind-the-scenes featurette explains exactly what a "HALO jump" is, and shows Cruise's intense preparations to ensure his safety. Check it out 

"Mission: Impossible – Fallout" finds Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. 

It opens in the Philippines on July 25.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cruise control: 'MI6' star shows off stunt skills

LAS VEGAS -- Tom Cruise regaled CinemaCon Wednesday with a demonstration of his renowned stuntman skills, as Paramount Pictures led the showcase of its upcoming movies with a preview of "Mission: Impossible - Fallout."

Appearing on stage with Christopher McQuarrie, who returned to direct the sixth movie in the long-running spy franchise, Cruise took up the last half-hour to explain the movie's marquee stunt.

The scene -- replayed from several angles for the CinemaCon crowd in Las Vegas -- involved a 340-kph "halo" ("high altitude, low open") skydive during which he grabs Henry Cavill's character in mid-air.

Cruise, a 55-year-old veteran of more than 50 movies, simulates going into a spin when he is hit by lightning almost immediately after leaping out of his plane at around 30,000 feet.

"This movie, it is without a doubt the most epic 'Mission' that we've made and it's a film that is adventurous, it's emotional, and it's really cutting-edge," Cruise told AFP backstage at Caesar's Palace.

Cruise, who is admired for performing his own increasingly ambitious stunts, said it took 106 jumps to get the three takes required, filmed partly by a cameraman falling backward out of the plane so he could keep the star's face in the shot, no more than a few inches away.

Cruise and McQuarrie treated the crowd of convention-goers at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas -- mostly theater operators -- to a 15-minute action sequence which many entertainment writers agreed was the best footage they'd seen this year at CinemaCon.

This included an eye-watering chase through the narrow streets of Paris involving a prison truck which plunges into the Seine, a further pursuit on motorbikes and a speedboat escape.

'Wing man'

"You're gonna see, in Paris, how beautiful the city is. I mean, Paris is a city of cinema," Cruise told AFP. "The ability to be able to make that film in that city, and the help that we were given enabled sequences that are just beautiful."

Cavill, best known for playing Superman in the DC Extended Universe movies distributed by Warner Bros., explained what it was like to be a passenger in a helicopter with Cruise at the helm.

He raised a big laugh when recalled how Cruise had flown him home at the end of a day of filming, and that he had fantasized he was Cruise's "wing man" in perhaps his most iconic film, "Top Gun" (1986).

"Obviously, my life was in Tom's hands when he was flying," the 34-year-old British actor told AFP on the sidelines of the presentation.

"He is an exceptional pilot and it's that kind of level. He's really doing this and I'm really sitting in the back. So when people are watching it, they know that all it will take is one little slip and we're all gone."

British comic actor Simon Pegg, who plays ship's engineer Scotty in J.J. Abrams's "Star Trek" movies, has been a major part of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise since the third film, 12 years ago.

"J.J. Abrams saw 'Shaun of the Dead,' our little British indie horror comedy and liked it and, as he does, said, 'I'd like to work with him -- I'll call him," Pegg recalled.

"He rang me at the office -- me and Edgar (Wright) were writing 'Hot Fuzz' at the time -- and he sort of said, 'Do you want to be in 'Mission Impossible 3?'"

The pair bonded, leading to Pegg's starring role in all of the subsequent "Star Trek" and "Mission Impossible" movies, some directed and all produced by Abrams.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' dominates with $56 M

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" dominated the U.S. box office this weekend with an impressive $56 million at 3,956 locations.

The Paramount/Skydance tentpole generated $20.3 million at the Friday box office, setting an opening day mark for the sturdy franchise - and signaling that Cruise still carries plenty of star power. Saturday's total hit $19.7 million.

The launch of "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" outperformed forecasts by a significant margin. It had been on track for an opening weekend of $40 million, according to recent studio estimates.

It's the third largest opening for Cruise, following the $64.9 million launch for 2004's "War of the Worlds" and $57.8 million for 2000's "Mission: Impossible 2."

"Rogue Nation" also opened in about 40 percent of international markets with $65 million, led by South Korea's $17 million.

The fifth installment in the series, written and directed by Chris McQuarrie, finds Cruise facing off against a squad of special agents known as the Syndicate. Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Ferguson also star.

"They have delivered a film that has such energy and excitement," said Rob Moore, Pararmount's vice chair.

"Rogue Nation," which carries a $150 million price tag, is one of a rare studio tentpoles that was moved forward rather than backward. The original plan had been to open on Christmas Day this year, but Moore noted that Cruise had asked during filming - which started last August - could be moved up to avoid competing directly against the next "Star Wars" movie (which opens Dec. 18) and James Bond's "Spectre," which launches Nov. 6.

The first four "Mission: Impossible" films have grossed over $2 billion. In 2011, "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" pulled in $209 million in the U.S. and $485 million internationally.

"Rogue Nation" took in more than triple the Friday-Sunday total of New Line's "Vacation" reboot, which pulled in $14.9 million in 3,411 locations. The comedy, which launched Wednesday, has grossed $21.2 million in five days -- below recent forecasts of $30 million.

Still, the R-rated "Vacation" is a low-risk entry for New Line, given its $31 million budget. Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann and Chris Hemsworth star. It generated an A- Cinemascore among audiences under 35.

Disney/Marvel's third weekend of "Ant-Man" led the holdovers with $12.6 million at 3,322 sites for a $132.1 million domestic total. Universal's fourth weekend of "Minions" followed with $12.2 million at 3,575 locations to lift its 24-day total to $287.3 million.

Sony's second weekend of Adam Sandler's "Pixels" showed only moderate traction as the comedy slid 57 percent to $10.4 million at 3,725 theaters, bringing the 10-day total to $45.6 million.

A24's "The End of the Tour," which stars Jason Segel as David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as the reporter tasked with profiling the author, launched impressively with $126,459 in four locations.

The overall box office for the weekend is down significantly compared with the same weekend a year ago when Disney/Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" opened with a stunning $94.3 million weekend.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Tom Cruise visits daughter after Holmes divorce

NEW YORK – Tom Cruise visited his daughter Suri in New York City on Tuesday for the first time since his high-profile divorce from her mother, actress Katie Holmes, People magazine reported.

The 50-year-old Hollywood star was photographed holding his 6-year-old daughter on a New York street as she wraps one arm around the “Mission: Impossible” star’s neck and in the other, clutches a stuffed animal toy. The picture was posted on People’s website.

Cruise was filming his latest movie in Iceland back in June when Holmes, 33, filed for a divorce, surprising the Hollywood superstar. Since then, he has returned to the United States and the pair have settled issues including custody of Suri. Celebrity watchers have eagerly awaited the day when Cruise would reunite with his daughter.

Separately on Monday night, Holmes and Suri were involved in a minor car accident with a sanitation truck in New York but were not hurt, a police source said.

Holmes was in a Mercedes with their daughter when a New York City Sanitation truck hit the car, the source said.

A New York Police Department spokesman said an accident involving a Mercedes and a truck occurred around 9:30 p.m. EDT on Monday (0130 GMT on Tuesday) but said he could not name the passengers.

A separate source speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed Holmes and her daughter were in the car.

There were no injuries and no criminal charges were expected, police said.

Representatives for Holmes could not immediately be reached.

source: interaksyon.com

Katie Holmes Visits Her Divorce Lawyer

Katie Holmes paid a visit Friday to the high-powered New York law firm representing her in the divorce from Tom Cruise.



Casually dressed in white jeans and a yellow top, the actress, 33, arrived with four bodyguards in a Mercedes with black-tinted windows about 11:30 a.m. at the midtown Manhattan building housing the offices of Aronson, Mayefsky and Sloan.

Daughter Suri, 6, was not with her, observers say.

The visit comes after Cruise attorney Bert Fields spoke out to the BBC about the possible next steps for the 50-year-old superstar.

"Tactically we can't say where Tom will file a divorce case and if he'll be seeking joint custody of Suri," said Fields.


"We are letting 'the other side' play the media until they wear everyone out and then we'll have something to say," added Fields.

The divorce case involves legal heavyweights on both coasts.

Holmes's attorneys Allan Mayefsky and his partner Michael Mosberg work for the firm that represented Peter Cook in his bitter 2008 divorce from Christie Brinkley. Their co-counsel, Jonathan Wolfe of Skoloff & Wolfe in Livingston, N.J., has handled the divorces of football star Braylon Edwards and NHL player Martin Brodeur.

Fields is a longtime Cruise business lawyer in Los Angeles with a host of celebrity clients. The actor's lead divorce lawyer, Dennis Wasser, is another prominent Hollywood attorney who represented Cruise in his divorce from Nicole Kidman.

source: people.com

Katie Holmes Tom Treated Me Like a Robot

Tom Cruise controlled Katie Holmes like a puppetmaster ... making every major and even minor decision in her personal and professional life ... and in the end, she felt like she couldn't breathe without his permission ... this according to sources close to the actress.

Movie studio-connected sources tell us Tom executed an "Art Kill" way back when Katie was doing "Thank You for Smoking" in 2005 ... when the 2 first started dating.

Sources tell us Tom instructed producers to "kill" any promotional photos which showed Katie and Aaron Eckhart engaged in kissing or "anything else compromising."

We're told Tom also imposed his will during "Batman Begins" ... prohibiting Katie from flying with the rest of the cast. Instead, Katie would only travel on Tom's private jet. One source tells us Morgan Freeman was "disgusted" by the situation. On the other side, however, one source scoffed and said, "Wow, Tom offered her his private jet. How terrible for Katie."

Ultimately, our Katie sources say she grew sick and tired of playing Pinocchio to Tom's Geppetto ... and decided it was time to cut the strings.

We reached out to Morgan Freeman for comment -- so far, no word back.

article source: tmz.com

Scientologists deny tailing Katie Holmes, eyeing daughter

LOS ANGELES – The Church of Scientology denied Monday sending anyone to follow Katie Holmes after she filed for divorce from Tom Cruise, amid reports she feared her husband’s plans for their daughter.

A lawyer for the church also dismissed reports that Cruise — a prominent Scientologist — wanted their six-year-old daughter Suri to join the Sea Organization, described as a boot camp for the controversial religion.

“There is no truth whatsoever to the TMZ.com report (or any other report) that the Church of Scientology has sent anyone to follow or surveil Katie Holmes,” lawyer Gary Soter told AFP in an emailed letter.

“The allegation about a 6-year-old joining the Sea Org is similarly untrue,” added Soter, who described himself as counsel for the Church of Scientology International.

Celebrity news website TMZ reported that Holmes, who announced on Friday that she was filing for divorce, feared that he wanted their daughter to join the Sea Org in the near future.

But it cited the Scientologist’s lawyer as saying nobody under the age of 16 can join the elite body, adding that minors must have the “consent of both parents and/or all legal guardians” to become members.

TMZ also cited sources close to Holmes as saying she believes the Church of Scientology views her as a threat to the organization, and has put a team on her tail, with “mysterious” men and vehicles tailing her in recent weeks.

The attorney’s statement came after 33-year-old Holmes was spotted in New York on Monday without her wedding ring.

She left a shoot for a television series in Times Square, her hair pulled back conservatively in a sleek pony tail and wearing a navy ensemble. Throngs of television satellite trucks and paparazzi were camped outside the Manhattan building where she was staying.

Cruise, who turns 50 Tuesday, wed Holmes in a storybook Italian castle in November 2006 after declaring his love for the former “Dawson’s Creek” star live on “Oprah” — famously jumping up and down on a couch in the studio.

It was Holmes’s first marriage and Cruise’s third.

Holmes announcement that she was filing for divorce reportedly took Cruise by surprise. A spokeswoman said Friday that he was “deeply saddened” by the move to end their five-year marriage.

Cruise is among the many celebrity members of the Church of Scientology.

American Scientology leader David Miscavige was said to have officiated at the event, arguably the most high-profile Scientology wedding to date, in a ceremony that lasted no more than 15 minutes.

Tabloids, shadowing the couple since the get-go, have speculated for some time that the relationship was on the rocks after the pair was not seen together for months. Cruise has also won two lawsuits against publications alleging he is gay.

Reports at the time of Holmes’s marriage to Cruise said that under the prenuptial agreement, Holmes — who converted to Scientology — would receive $3 million for every year of the marriage plus ownership of a California mansion if they split.

Holmes has admitted to having a teenage crush on Cruise, even saying she had put up a poster of the “Top Gun” star in her bedroom.

In an interview with Playboy magazine in May, Cruise said he would be spending his birthday Tuesday shooting a film in Iceland — without his significant other.

source: interaksyon.com

Katie Holmes and Suri Move Out

On the morning that Katie Holmes filed for divorce from Tom Cruise, the actress made another big decision.

Holmes, 33, and daughter Suri, 6, were spotted on June 28 moving their bags from the New York City apartment they shared with Cruise to a new apartment elsewhere in the city.

The new digs are close to some of Katie and Suri's favorite places, including a gymnastics studio where Suri takes classes.





The move is going on while Cruise, who turns 50 on Tuesday, remains in Iceland, where he's filming Oblivion. The first picture taken of him after the divorce filing shows the star riding in a helicopter.

source: people.com

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes split, says People magazine

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood dream couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting divorced after five years of marriage, People magazine reported Friday (Saturday in PHL).

The office of New Jersey divorce attorney Jonathan Wolfe confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that he is representing 33-year-old Holmes in the proceedings, but declined to say whether the process had formally begun.

"This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family," the attorney told People magazine. "Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."

Cruise, who turns 50 on Tuesday, wed Holmes in a storybook Italian castle in November 2006 after famously declaring his love for the former "Dawson's Creek" star live on "Oprah." They have a six-year-old daughter, Suri.

It was Holmes's first marriage and Cruise's third.

The split comes just 10 days after the "amicable" parting of US actor Johnny Depp and French singer/actress Vanessa Paradis, and will doubtless lead to renewed chatter about the pressures on Hollywood star couples.

Fireworks lit up the night sky above the 15th-century Odescalchi castle near Rome when Cruise and Holmes tied the knot on November 18, 2006 following a whirlwind romance.

Glitterati from the worlds of cinema, sports and music were on hand at the sprawling estate perched above the lakeside town of Bracciano as Holmes offered her hand to the "Mission Impossible" star.

Italian media reported that American Scientology leader David Miscavige officiated at the event, arguably the most high-profile Scientologists' wedding to date, in a ceremony that lasted no more than 15 minutes.

Reports at the time said that under the prenuptial agreement, Holmes would receive $3 million for every year of the marriage plus ownership of a California mansion if they split.

Cruise, still one of Hollywood's most bankable stars as shown by recent box office smash "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," was married to Australian actress Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001. The couple had two children.

He was also married to American actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990 and had a three-year relationship with Spanish actress Penelope Cruz after splitting up with Kidman.

Holmes, who was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio appeared in "Batman Begins" (2005) and starred alongside Adam Sandler in the critically panned 2011 romantic comedy "Jack and Jill." — Agence France Presse

article source: gmanetwork.com

Tom Cruise on new world-saving mission impossible

TOKYO - Oscar-nominee Tom Cruise kicked off on Thursday the rollout of the fourth installment of the "Mission Impossible" franchise with a limited "fan screening" in Japan ahead of its world premiere next week.

Cruise, 49, returns as super agent Ethan Hunt saving the world yet again in "Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol" packed with stunts and action scenes, some featuring the world's tallest building -- Dubai's 828-metre (2,716 ft) Burj Khalifa.

In the latest in the series of action blockbusters that has grossed over $2 billion worldwide, Impossible Mission Force (IMF) operative Hunt and fellow agents get blamed for a terrorist bombing of the Kremlin and are forced to run.

The agency is dissolved and the group -- without any resources or backup -- must find a way to clear the agency's name, prevent another attack and avert a nuclear war.

Asked at a press conference for local media broadcast on the movie's Japanese website how he coped with hard training and long hours on the set, Cruise said: "I just love what I do and I do it because I want to entertain."

"I love being a part of the team and telling a story," said the actor dressed in a military green sweatshirt highlighting his muscular arms and torso.

Major parts of the film were shot in Dubai, where it will officially open on Dec. 7, while the action also takes Hunt to Moscow, Budapest and Mumbai.

Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc ., said Cruise chose to start the film's tour in Tokyo ahead of the Dubai splash as a gesture to his Japanese fans and the nation that suffered so much from the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and the ensuing nuclear crisis.

The film will be released in Japan on Dec. 16 and in the United States on Dec. 21 with theatrical releases around the world staggered over several weeks.

Two-time Academy Award winner Brad Bird directed the film and the cast include Jeremy Renner, nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 2008 war film "The Hurt Locker." Other actors include Simon Pegg and Paula Patton.

Bird won the Oscars for animated films "The Incredible" released in 2004 and "Ratatouille," released in 2007.

Cruise is producing the film with J.J. Abrams who last teamed up with the actor in 2006 for "Mission Impossible III."

Cruise made his screen debut 30 years ago and since has made 34 films and was involved in a producing role in 17, earned Oscar nominations for leading roles in "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Jerry Maguire." He was also nominated for a supporting role in "Magnolia."

Cruise's last film, 2010 action comedy "Knight and Day" co-starring Cameron Diaz, got mixed reviews.

But the Mission Impossible series has been a solid bet both at the box office and with critics. All three installments garnered more than 50 percent of favorable reviews on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes with the third scoring 70 percent of positive reviews. - Reuters

source:gmanetwork.com