Adam Shankman, the openly gay director of Rock of Ages talked with The Hollywood Reporter about hearing Tom Cruise—who plays rock star Stacee Jaxx—croon for the very first time:
“The first time I heard him sing was before we formally agreed that we were going to go forward with this… He sounded amazing—and within one lesson his range broadened as he opened up. I opened the door, and I was like a 15-year-old girl, I was screaming and jumping up and down and going, ‘Oh my God this is going to work!’ ”
Jumping up and down like a certain Scientologist did on Oprah, perhaps?
Ages, which opens today, includes a nice little Easter egg for gay audiences, but Shankman spoke with Next magazine about how his sexuality informs his movies in general:
“There was one person who said in a gay publication, ‘You know, you didn’t have any gay characters in Wedding Planner,’ which was my first movie with Jennifer Lopez,” he recalls… “I was like, the whole set is pink! And have you seen Jennifer Lopez’s hair? The whole thing is like the gayest thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t address it necessarily in my work, because my work is all informed by it.”
We wonder if Tom Cruise will ever discuss how his, er, inner self, informs his art.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Cam
This movie has gotten horrible reviews.
Andybody who has ever watched “So you Think you Can Dance” knows that Adam Shankman is turned into a screaming 15 year old schoolgirl at the drop of a hat.
And lastly, of COURSE he has to pretend that Cruise is great in the movie. He has directed a movie that is getting terrible reviews. he needs to try to generate any good press he can.
Here is just a snippet from one of the reviews of this turkey.
“Choppy editing, tepid pacing and generic vocals are bad enough to rival “Grease 2.”
TheTruthShallSetYouFee
My question is simple. Scientology couldn’t save John Travolta from
his true self or rather from himself. The guy is GAY and he can’t keep his hands to himself because he has to be FRUSTRATED as all get out people! We have known about TRAVOLTA since he was on “Welcome Back Kotter” and he was getting laid by PAUL BARESSI who incidentally is in the locker room scene in the movie “PERFECT” You know, when Anne Desalvo is shooting the hot men for the magazine.
(Here is the link. Click on Baressi)http://vintagegaymediahistory.blogspot.com/2010/09/paul-barresi-is-perfect-in-this-1985.html?zx=9447fc64babb666c
Remember when that porn star said he had relations with CRUISE. Well Cruise hires
male escorts. They probably threatend the guy who named Cruise. Remember it’s Cost
prohibitive. It cost the studio less money in bad publicity to pay a few million
to the Tabloids NOT TO PRINT THE TRUTH ABOUT CRUISE. They make more NOT PRINTING his
GAY TRUTH!
Where Travolta has already been outed and it was done at a time when maybe the
studios producing his movies didn’t flash around the big payouts for not telling
the
truth about Tom Cruise being GAY. LOOK SOUTH PARK, KATHY GRIFFIN and more don’
just make fun of these celebrities being in the closet because it’s NOT TRUE.
They do it because everybody in the business knows and the public is stupid
enough to BUY IT. It’s all about making
money. Look at Rock Hudson and how people were so shocked. Cruise, Travolta they are
the same. Light in those loafers!
JasonMacBride
He directed the movie. Did anyone expect him to say the star sucks? Although, in this case . . .
Cam
Adam Shankman also bugs me on “So You Think You Can Dance” because he comes off still a bit self hating. He constantly comments on how sexy some of the female dancers are and will make comments like “If a few things were different in my life boy would I buy what you’re selling.
And yet NEVER ever says anything like that about the male dancers. I get that he doesn’t want to come off as a leach but the fact that he goes so far overboard on the female dancers would be creepy in itself even if he was straight, and the fact that he isn’t, and never says anything like that to any male dancers just makes him seem like a sad pathetic relic.
jack
Whether Tom is gay or not, he is a great actor with a wonderful range of abilities. I can’t criticise his belief in Scientology, as a former Catholic, I use to believe that the creator of the billion gallaxy universe was a piece of bread on my hometown altar.
Cam
@jack: said…
“Whether Tom is gay or not, he is a great actor with a wonderful range of abilities. I can’t criticise his belief in Scientology, as a former Catholic, I use to believe that the creator of the billion gallaxy universe was a piece of bread on my hometown altar.”
_____________-
I love it when the Scientologists come on here and always try to compare that ponzi scheme to one of the big religions.
Yes, the difference being, you can go to one of the other churches’ except the Mormons, if you want to bother, without having to swipe your credit card at the door to gain entrance each time.
Spike
Box office numbers are in, FLOP OF THE AGES. This will be the last Queerty post for the movie. Next up, flop that is and overkill posts here on Queerty, Magic Mike.
Poor Tommy Cruise, if he can’t distract the audience with special effects and fast cars, there is no way to cover up the fact that he can’t act.
biscuit_batter
not a fan of mr cruise. everything he does seems very forced and calculated. tho his fans seem to adore him and to my surprise still has box office appeal. do younger movie fans like him? or do they see him as an old hollywood guy now?
Superman
I saw the movie. It sucked. I love Tom, but he was entirely wrong for this role (the review snippet in post #1 above is spot on). The most cringe-worthy few minutes of the entire boring mess was Alec Baldwin’s and Russell Brand’s “coming out” scene. When the audience is laughing at two guys proclaiming their love to each other, you know that Hollywood has pushed gay rights yet another step backward. Way to go, Mr. Shankman. Refund, please!
Michael
You could not pay me to see a film with little Tommy in it. Remakes and sequels. All he’s good for. If anything he’s a movie star, not, make that never, an actor.
Absurdist
Too bad the movie completely tanked, right?
LeoMarius
I will not see another TC film unless he comes out. The man is an embarrassment.