Thomas
Cruise Mapother IV; born July 3, 1962), better
known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American
actor and film producer. Forbes magazine ranked
him as the world's most powerful celebrity in
2006. He has been nominated for three Academy
Awards and won three Golden Globe Awards. His
first leading role was the 1983 film Risky Business,
which has been described as "A Generation-X
classic, and a career-maker" for the actor.
After playing the role of a heroic naval pilot
in the popular and financially successful 1986
film Top
Gun, Cruise continued in this vein, playing
a secret agent in a series of Mission:
Impossible action films in the 1990s and 2000s.
In addition to these heroic roles, he also played
other roles, such as the misogynistic male guru
in Magnolia (1999) and a cool and calculating
sociopathic hitman in the Michael Mann crime-thriller
film Collateral (2004).
In 2005, the Hollywood journalist, Edward Jay
Epstein argued that Cruise is one of the few producers
(the others being George Lucas, Steven
Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are able
to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar movie
franchise. Since 2005, Cruise and Paula Wagner
have been in charge of the United Artists film
studio, with Cruise as producer and star and Wagner
as the chief executive. Cruise is also known for
his support of and adherence to the Church of
Scientology.
Virgin
spreads wings - to cruises, by Andrew Carswell
(The Courier-Mail)
With competition heating up in the skies, airline
Virgin Blue is hitting the waves for extra revenue.
The
budget carrier has teamed with OurVacation Store
to offer online packages for major cruise lines.
No
stranger to diversifying its products, Virgin
will fly the flag for Captain Cook, P&O, Princess,
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Cunard
from its new www.virginblue.com.au/cruises
site.
It
will also offer complimentary air travel to and
from the port for those who book upmarket suites
on selected cruises.
Virgin
Blue CEO Brett Godfrey said the website was slowly
evolving into a one-stop travel site.
