Is Tom Cruise the New Michael Jackson?

Ever since Tom Cruise Jumped the Couch (a phrase he inspired) on Oprah it has been pretty much a free for all on implying he's some kind of whacko. Granted Tom Cruise was pretty outspoken before the couch thing with his Scientology views but is he really the new Michael Jackson?

I've nothing against Michael, I'm a fan of a few of his songs, but the media and his own odd behavior, sent his career down a path that he may never recover from. Michael still has a strong fan base but the 'whacko Jacko' moniker will probably never leave him.

However Tom Cruise seems to be taking over as the media's main celebrity to target for bizarre actions or 'out-there' views. Hence whenever anything goes wrong or he happens to express a view that is a little less than media mainstream it gets reported widely. Particularly if it has links to Scientology thinking - like that's some kind of crime?

I haven't heard Tom express any Scientology view that couldn't be transposed to many other religious ideals. 'Scientology can unite cultures' according to Tom. Yes that is 'whacko' thinking right there... oh wait, isn't that what Christianity tries to do - unite people through religion?

What's worse is that the media extends it's coverage to Tom's partner, Katie Holmes, whom seems to get a whole load of bad press just because she's Mrs Tom Cruise.

This is particularly true of her performance in Batman Begins, which I thought was at least comparable to other supporting actors in that film and by no means so poor as to say she was miss cast. In fact I preferred her performance of Rachael Dawes over Maggie Gyllenhaal's (who felt a little too 'old' for Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight).

Tom isn't that whacko and really doesn't deserve all the bad press. As a Scientologist, expressing the views of his church is no different from a Christian, Catholic or Muslim doing the same. That's not crazy behavior.

Jumping on Oprah's couch was a little crazy but in a fun, good natured way. The guy was, at the time, in a new, head over heals in love, relationship. He was simply expressing that in the irrational, silly way that most people do when they're deliriously happy. Like you've never done something nuts to express your joy?

I think the media is trying to manufacture Tom as another 'whacko Jacko' to sell content, magazines, pictures or whatever else it is they're pushing as 'news'. The fact is, he's still a great actor with a catalog of fine performances under his belt. The constant focus on his problems is unnecessary.

It seems like the media are reporting on every bit of bad publicity they can find related to Tom in the hope that it will paint the 'whacko' picture for them.

With any luck Tom is smart enough not to feed the media with any more couch like jumping frenzies. He isn't the new Michael. Not even close.

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

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Today's guest post is by returning Artist, Writer, and Mental Health Advocate, Jo B Creative who writes for her blog, Creating My Oddessey . Jo's previous 2019 post, MY SOOPER DOOPER NEW CONSERVATORY/ART STUDIO! for a long time was one of this blog's most read pages. Jo returns under a new alias, author Kit Mackenzie , and with word of her new novel, ALIAS JEANNIE DELANEY - BOOK 1 - GO WEST, GIRL! which is now available on Amazon. T he first book of this epic western trilogy, Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 1 - Go West, Girl! is the life story of a devastating and charismatic pants-wearing cowgirl who's the fastest gun in the west and bisexual. A crack shot story that blazes across the wild west! Jeannie Morgan, a devastatingly tomboy-beautiful, pants-wearing maverick who flicks a finger of contempt at society in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Her speed with a gun is faster than the strike of a rattler, outshooting every man she meets. Love, hate and jealo

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On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

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TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

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