Is Tom Cruise back?

Mr. Risky Business is probably one of a handful of Americans who can say 2008 was a great year for them.

The Tropic Thunder cameo.... the Lauer roast... the Today return Monday ("I think I sounded arrogant")... and now this from last night.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/16/tom-cruises-letterman-top_n_151615.html

He doesn't look creepy anymore.

We do love tearing them down and seeing how they react, don't we?

 

He's had a good year, but he needs another hit film before he can be considered back.

He was tremendous in Tropic Thunder and he's done a lot better in interviews than he has in the past.

Is he back? No. Are people a little less creeped out by him now as opposed to last year? Perhaps.

 

To that end.... I won't see Valkyrie in the theater, even at gunpoint.

 

When I hear his voice, I still get creeped out. I thought he was great in Tropic Thunder, but I really don't think I'll ever be able to look at him the way I did before all the craziness of the last couple of years.

 

I still get creeped out by him. He's just trying to do damage control. He's still the same creepy person on the inside that he was last year. You know, the "authority" on things and all.

 

He seemed quite comfortable in his own skin last night on Letterman. Although I doubt he'd ever sit down and have a beer with any of us.

 

That wasn't bad.

Top Gun remains my favorite movie of all time. Leave me alone!

 

What exactly has been damaged here? Did people stop going to his movies in droves? I got the impression that he was still pretty bankable but am willing to be proved wrong by numbers.

 

I think he's a great actor, but a creepy person. His creepiness doesn't stop me from seeing his movies. His weird "religious" transformation thing is his own personal deal, and that doesn't affect how he can or cannot perform on the job.

 

I'm guessing, but off the top of my head, Jerry Maguire or Mission Impossible 2 is probably his last big hit.

 

Name the last hit he had in which he was the star. It's been a while.

 

I loved Collateral and Minority Report, but neither were big hits.