FBI arrested a 47-year-old man earlier this week for his alleged role in attempting to extort Tom Cruise. David Hans Schmidt is being held on $100,000 bail for attempting to sell the actor stolen private photos from his wedding to Katie Holmes last November. Schmidt was asking for more than $1 million for the pics. Cruise's reps immediately contacted the FBI when they were approached about the photos earlier this year. Schmidt has a history of contacting celebs, including Paris Hilton, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, in the hopes of selling private photos or video back to them after they have been stolen.
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Columbia Pictures is reportedly developing a spy thriller possibly for Tom Cruise. According to Variety, Hotel Rwanda director Terry George is in talks for the film, based on a script about CIA officer Edwin A. Salt, who was accused of being a Russian sleeper spy. Cruise's next project to hit theaters is Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs, due out this fall, and he is currently in early production on the controversial Valkyrie.
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Victoria and David Beckham were welcomed to the U.S. last night in a star-studded bash thrown by pals Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Held at the LA Museum of Contemporary Art, the party was attended by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Brooke Shields and husband Chris Henchy, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, Bruce Willis, Eva Longoria, Quincy Jones and director Ron Howard. Cruise flew in for the weekend from the set of the controversial Valkyrie in Germany. "It was so much fun!" said a fellow guest of the event, which featured British classics such as bangers and mash along with American chow like burgers and fries.
As reported earlier today, Victoria and David Beckham are having a posh party thrown in their honor this weekend by Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. The private party will be held at LA's Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday, and the invitations read, "Please join Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in welcoming David and Victoria Beckham to Los Angeles" in gold lettering on deep gold card stock. Geez, you'd think these people were actually important, the way everyone is carrying on.
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Germany has barred Tom Cruise and the producers of Valkyrie, a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming scenes at German military sites because of Cruise's beliefs in Scientology. The German government does not recognize the Church of Scientology as a church, claiming it masquerades as a religion to make money. Cruise is set to play real life colonel Claus con Stauffenberg, who led an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hitler with a bomb in his briefcase in July, 1944. A spokesperson for Germany's Ministry of Defense said the producers "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult... In general, the [German military] has a special interest in the serious and authentic portrayal of the events of July 20, 1944 and Stauffenberg's person."
Tom Cruise has reached the highest level in Scientology, referred to as "clear," and reportedly may perform a wedding ceremony for his friend, Australian heir James Packer. According to Women's Wear Daily, Packer is one of the Church of Scientology's richest benefactors after inheriting $6.5 billion from his father last year. A mystery guest, believed to be Packer, has booked the entire Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat and the Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc, presumably for guest of his nuptials, set to take place on Wednesday on France's Cote d'Azur.
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Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes "definitely" have plans for another TomKitten. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight to air Monday, Holmes replied, "Yes, definitely," when asked if the couple were planning to expand their family. "We're having the best time, it's so amazing," Holmes added. "We have so many kids in our house, there's always this wonderful chatter and the great noise of kids." Of her husband's adopted children with ex Nicole Kidman, Conner and Bella, Holmes describes them as "so sweet, they're so great with Suri and she lights up when she sees them." Of Cruise himself, she says, "He's a great father and so it came to no shock that when we had Suri he was amazing with the baby." It seems the couple is raising their 1-year-old with manners - the owner of a Louisiana children's store received a thank-you card from Suri herself after Holmes visited the shop. "Katie was really friendly. When she came in she walked up and introduced herself and Suri. We probably had three other kids in here. She complimented everybody else's children and said how cute they were. She was really sweet," said the shop owner. Shortly after the visit, the store were surprised to receive a thank-you note printed on Suri's very own embossed stationary. "The stationary is cream-colored with 'Suri Cruise' embossed across the top," said the shop owner.
Katie Holmes is fuming after learning that a fashion student with plans of becoming a porn star has changed her name to Katee Holmes. "It's a really cheap shot," says a rep for the actress. A manager for the future porn star, who will be launching her career by losing her virginity on film, says, "Katee is using the name as a tribute to Katie, who has always portrayed an innocence in everything she's done, beginning with Dawson's Creek." The real Holmes's management team is reportedly weighing the actress's legal options. "It's really kind of sleazy, using her name like that," says a friend of the star. And a rep for Cruise adds, "Obviously, Tom would support Katie in anything she decides to do about it." Tom Cruise and Suri recently visited Holmes on the set of Mad Money in Louisiana.
Is another TomKitten on the way? TMZ is reporting that a source close to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes made a trip to the popular Hollywood baby shop Petit Tresor last week to look at "scenarios" for a boy's nursery. "We want to be prepared for a baby boy," the Cruise/Holmes confidante was overheard saying. Employees at the shop were reportedly given a deadline of April 15 to come up with the possible designs.
More TomKat weirdness... Katie Holmes will start work on the film Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah, set to begin shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the next month or so - and Tom Cruise wants in on the action. "Tom has called producers and told them he will be on set every day," says an insider. "He wants to observe what's going on and will probably help Katie out." When asked to confirm the story, a producer for the film said, "I don't know if that's the case, so I can't confirm. We are happy to have both Katie and Tom on set." Holmes passed up on reprising her role in the sequel to Batman Begins for the Queen Latifah buddy flick, and some Hollywood insiders speculate that it was because Cruise had problems with the romantic scenes she would have had with Christian Bale.
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Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have reportedly been accepted as possible tenants at NYC's infamous Dakota Building. The couple had to pass strict entry interviews for admittance to the address made famous as the scene of John's Lennon's murder in 1980. Along with Lennon and Yoko Ono, the building's former tenants include Gene Simmons, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, Judy Garland and Bono.
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Looks like Yoko Ono may be getting some new neighbors. Tom Cruise is reportedly in talks to buy an apartment in NYC's famed Dakota building. Cruise is reportedly ready to plunk down close to $20 million for a pad in the address made famous by John Lennon. The move would be a bit of life imitating art - Cruise's character in Vanilla Sky was supposed to have lived at the Central Park West building.
Tom Cruise definitely wears the pants in his relationship with Katie Holmes, if the couple's behavior at last night's Vanity Fair party is an indication. As the pair arrived at the fete, Cruise tried to force Holmes to pose solo for pictures, telling photographers, "Take a shot of her." According to a witness, his bride refused (though this doesn't make sense to me since there are plenty of pictures floating around of Holmes on her own last night). Cruise reportedly stopped to greet a few photographers but didn't introduce Holmes, who stood quietly beside him waiting for him to finish his conversations. The pair then made their way into the party with Cruise pulling Holmes around by the hand while he mingled and she stayed mum. "She looks at him for direction," said an onlooker.
New pic of Suri Cruise. The cutie was spotted at LAX with her grandmother and mom Katie Holmes.
Jim Carrey took a bit of a dig at pal Tom Cruise during an interview recently. While talking about his career, the rubber-faced actor said, "I don't want to pick scripts just to keep me in the status-phere. You have to take the plunge to expose your true self... Everyone gets to be the big joke for a year. That's this business. Last year it was Tom Cruise. I could be the next Kathie Lee Gifford."
Leonardo Dicaprio will produce and star in a film about the rise and fall of Enron. Based on the book Conspiracy of Fools, the flick will follow a new employee at Enron who exposes the corruption and greed that pre-empted the energy co.'s demise into bankruptcy... Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller will play fiction's famed Hardy boy detectives in The Hardy Men, which will see the brothers reunite to solve a final case... Jennifer Lopez will reportedly guest star on an episode of Entourage next season. Talks are in the works for the singer to play herself in the HBO hit.
FBI arrested a 47-year-old man earlier this week for his alleged role in attempting to extort Tom Cruise. David Hans Schmidt is being held on $100,000 bail for attempting to sell the actor stolen private photos from his wedding to Katie Holmes last November. Schmidt was asking for more than $1 million for the pics. Cruise's reps immediately contacted the FBI when they were approached about the photos earlier this year. Schmidt has a history of contacting celebs, including Paris Hilton, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, in the hopes of selling private photos or video back to them after they have been stolen.
