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.

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Course Review: YouTube for Bosses - Sunny Lenarduzzi. How to grow your YouTube Channel into a Business

YouTube for Bosses Free Mug... or the most expensive mug you'll ever buy? I've been subscribed to Sunny Lenarduzzi's YouTube channel for a few years, learning a lot on how to grow a following on sites like YouTube and Instagram. If you have any interest in growing your own YouTube channel I'd highly recommend watching some of Sunny's videos on the subject. Definitely explore her 2019 back catalogue for the most useful information. This year she's been on a bit of a 'being authentic' pivot that, personally, doesn't resonate all that much with me (but probably speaks volumes to anyone with similar experience). I'm not saying she shouldn't or isn't being authentic, it's just I didn't subscribe to hear stories about her life journey. To get back on track, Sunny runs a successful online business with her flagship course, YouTube for Bosses , a stand alone paid course that does act as something of a gateway to further paid (but opt

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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

Skateboarding Again After almost Two Years - TET-Life Channel Update #skateboardingat52

Back in August of 2021 I made a final skateboarding video for my TET Life YouTube channel explaining that I wouldn't be making any more videos documenting my skateboard progression on account of some fairly painful stress injuries to both my feet. At that time I'd already stopped skating for about seven months. I was also planning on closing down some of my Print on Demand Stores, primarily my Threadless and BoardPusher stores. I'm tentatively planning to restart making fortnightly videos (or possibly even weekly) for my TET Life channel and, for those of you following just this blog, I wanted to post this mid February 2023 update video to let you know what I was thinking moving forward. As you may have seen in the video I'm planning to possibly combine some skate footage with creating my art perhaps? At this stage I'm not sure? I do want to make videos for my TET Life channel and, since my feet seem to be relatively fine again, it would be nice to maybe film som

Review: FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes

FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes I first saw FP's FINO skate shoes in a video by YouTube channel, Braille Skateboarding, titled, THE FIRST EVER NON NEWTONIAN FLUID SKATE SHOES!? As someone whose feet hurt and bruise relatively easily just from the basic tricks of skateboarding (Ollies, Pop Shuv-its etc.) the 90% absorption of impact energy selling point seemed like an ideal solution for minimizing my injuries. A day later I placed an order through FP's website . Ordinarily I wouldn't mention Customer Service but I can't let the lack of communication on my order slide. FP's website says to expect delivery within 7-14 days of your order. After close to two weeks, my order was still marked as being processed. I sent an email asking for any kind of update, to no response. A day or two later my order was marked as completed but still no signs of shoes in my mail? About two weeks later (just over a full month of placing my order) the shoes arrived. I'm sur

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One Week on Light n' Easy #lightneasy

My partner, Enigma, and I recently decided to try Light n' Easy to replace all our daily meals in an effort to eat healthier (and not have to think at all about cooking evening meals). Enigma is about to embark on her third week of their full menu but I caved after one and opted just to get the dinners.

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

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