This picture, reposted on many websites, is the first one of Tom Cruise as the 80s hard rocker Stacee Jaxx, and was (according to several blogs) tweeted by the movie star himself. What? Cruise is tweeting pictures of himself, just like this Anthony Weiner guy?
It is a publicity shot for his upcoming movie Rock of Ages, an adaptation of a Broadway musical, directed by Adam Shankman
According to the USA today, Shankman said that Cruise's character has elements of Axl Rose, Keith Richards and Bret Michaels: ‘We did a huge amount of research on what people were going through in this period. I knew a lot of these people because my dad was a music business manager.’
In the stage version, Cruise’s character sings Bon Jovi’s ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’, and wife Katie Holmes thinks it will be alright: ‘Tom is such an amazing performer. The voice is incredible’ she said to Access Hollywood!
He will also have to perform Scorpions' ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’, Journey's ‘Don't Stop Believin'. In this picture, some websites are saying he is performing Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’.
Well it could be anything, all the clichés are there, the pose, the bare torso, the biceps and abs, the long hair, the tattoos, boots and belt! He still looks like Tom Cruise though, or an idea of Cruise in his eternal glorious youth.
In reality he is short and kind of an asshole (I know someone who works in the movie industry and who met him).
Sorry Cruise lovers, but honestly do you buy Cruise as this muscle-bulging rock-god? The picture is just begging for a Saturday Night Live spoof.
‘Rock of Ages’, which also stars Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand, will be in theaters on June 1, 2012.