Tom Cruise should have been a rock star.  You've seen it a hundred times, in any thriller that finds the hero perched on a ledge or on the edge of a building's rooftop. The camera moves up and tilts downward, in a smooth unbroken shot, so that we can all know that the actor is really standing there.  â¢ Katie Holmes surprised Tom Cruise, who is in Florida filming Rock of Ages, with a surprise 49th birthday bash at Miami Beach's SoHo Beach House. "Katie planned everything herself," a source tells us. Cruise's three kids - Suri, Connor and Isabella - were all there to celebrate, along with 40 close friends. The bash took place on the roof and inside the private venue, and guests enjoyed pasta, shrimp and other Italian dishes, in addition to chocolate birthday cake. "Katie has been very excited and actually did the RSVPs herself," the source says. "She wanted to be sure everything was just right."  The Rock of Ages star will show off his vocal chops in the upcoming movie musical  Plus: Tom Cruise totes a sleepy Suri and more star sightings  "I can't predict the future," says Jeremy Renner, "but that's certainly the idea"  The actor hangs from Dubai's 2,717-foot-high Burj Kahlifa skyscraper while filming the new Mission: Impossible  "I feel sexy when I do that," she says of dancing with her sisters, and imitating Risky Business  The 48-year-old actor proves his action star status on the set of his new movie  Plus: Tom Cruise hits the playground with Suri and more star sightings  Angelina Jolie looks so femme fatale-tastic staring out from the poster for "Salt," with her black wig and heavily lined eyes, that it's hard to imagine that the title role in the movie was actually written for a guy. But, yes, it's true -- Evelyn Salt was originally scripted as Edwin Salt. And lame name aside, the role was intended for Tom Cruise. It was only when Cruise backed out that the movie's makers rethought the part and decided to cast Angelina instead, which was a seriously good move.  Which actor - Cruise or Farrell - is more convincing bald and paunchy?  â¢ Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, spending some quality family time at Westfield Century City Shopping Mall with daughter Suri and Tom's mother. The happy group stopped into J. Crew for some basics. "[Tom & Katie] were holding hands and then Tom was rubbing her back," says an onlooker. "They looked like one big happy family."  Tom Cruise has been riding a train of goodwill and good press since his recent performance as foul-mouthed producer Les Grossman on the MTV Movie Awards.  Tom Cruise has been a movie star for longer than he hasn't, and his latest mission improbable supplies ample evidence of the charisma and cool that have generated so many billions of dollars at the box office. Unfortunately, "Knight and Day" (terrible title!) also suggests why "Cruise being Cruise" has turned into too much of a good thing for many moviegoers.  The actor is in talks to portray Tropic Thunder's Les Grossman for an upcoming untitled film  His Tropic Thunder character, Les Grossman, matches her step for step at the MTV Movie Awards  The actress performs a song from Damn Yankees for her hubby at an L.A. charity event  The movie star skips the Sound of Music tour, but visits Mozart's house in Salzburg  â¢ Tom Cruise, doing the famous "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance at BeyoncÃ©'s concert at L.A.'s Staples Center. "Everyone was laughing and taking pictures," a concertgoer tells us of the scene. When the actor originally arrived - sans wife Katie Holmes, who is filming her new movie in Australia - he waved and smiled at fans who stood up and cheered when they saw him walk in. Cruise then settled in next to the sound booth where he sang (and danced!) along all night.  Suri hangs with kangaroos, Tom turns 47 and Katie prepares to work  The hunks show off their sizzling bods - at different times but at the same resort  The Days of Thunder vet &#8211; and race car buff &#8211; shares his passion for driving  "John just adored him," Cruise says about Travolta's 16-year-old son  Critics deal Cruise the good, the bad and the "awful" for his Nazi-era role  Thursday brings one of the biggest slates of Hollywood entertainment to open on Christmas Day in many years.  The movie "Valkyrie" opens Christmas day and it might not be worthy of much mention were it not for the complex plot involving intrigue, betrayal and high stakes. We speak not of the movie itself, of course, but rather the back story of Tom Cruise and United Artists, the mini-studio the mega-star has had ostensive control over since last year.  Cruise says he's been "surprising her throughout the week with things"  The Valkyrie actor says he's "always wanted to do a musical"  Plus: Soccer star Beckham blogs about how he wants to "finish the year with a bang"  The actor draws roars of laughter at the Friars event, calling the Today host a "glib putz"  A German film studio has offered to negotiate a settlement with a dozen extras who were injured on the set of the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie  Tropic Thunder premiere brings out Tom & Katie, Ben & Christine and the rest of the star-studded cast  New mom Jolie is in talks to star in the thriller Edwin A. Salt  Cruise steals the show with his dance skills, says the movie's director  Bill Nighy jokes that the Hitler film is a great date movie  The Cruise clan give goodies to Nicole and Keith's newborn daughter  Pinsky "apologizes if his comments were hurtful," his rep says of the remarks about Cruise's mental health  The actor's lawyer bashes Pinsky for raising questions about Cruise's mental health  The actor gives fans personal notes and a video retrospective of his 25-year career  The actor worked with his "great friend" on The Firm and Eyes Wide Shut  In a turnaround, the mogul gives his blessing to a fourth MI With Cruise  Costars and friends offer tender (and funny) tributes to Cruise on The Oprah Winfrey Show  He opens up to Oprah about his kids, Katie Holmes, and whether he's misunderstood  The diva admits to Oprah she was "crazy" about the rising young star in the '80s  The actor and Winfrey spend time together in Colorado for his two-part interview  Tom Cruise has been taking a beating in the press lately, but several of the star's pals are standing up for him.  Tom's former Jerry Maguire costar spoofs the recent Scientology clip  A Showbiz Tonight panel discusses a video of Tom Cruise talking about his devotion to Scientology.  Tom Cruise expounds on his beliefs in Scientology in a 2004 video that made its way onto the Internet this week.  A video clip of Tom Cruise, speaking in what has been identified as a 2004 Scientology recruitment film, is making the YouTube rounds. The clip, which was pulled from the video site but is still online, shows the star praising what he calls the "privilege" of being a Scientologist. (Click here to see the video.)  Years ago, a journalist I knew was pushing a studio publicist for access to Tom Cruise. The writer insisted on spending two days with Cruise, arguing, "If I have enough time, I know I can crack him."  Being immortalized in cement can be a nerve-racking experience, but Will Smith got a little help from his friends &#8211; in particular, Tom Cruise &#8211; at the Monday ceremony in his honor on Monday in the forecourt of Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater.  Robert Redford directs the political thriller ''Lions for Lambs'' starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.  An 18-month old daughter. A young marriage. Responsibility for a major movie studio. It's no wonder Tom Cruise isn't getting his beauty sleep.  As his one-year wedding anniversary approaches, Tom Cruise is reflecting on the day he married Katie Holmes in a castle in Italy.  If David Beckham feels the need &#8211; the need for speed &#8211; he has an offer on the table from his good pal Tom Cruise.  The German government might consider Scientology a cult but they're now going to allow Tom Cruise to finish his film  Nicole Kidman says she was engaged to a mystery man in between breaking up with Tom Cruise and marrying Keith Urban.  An Arizona man arrested in July for trying to extort $1 million from Tom Cruise has agreed to enter into a plea agreement in the case.  Sitting in front of a projector screen in a dark room in Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia Tech's football team watches Tom Cruise slip into his armor, his character, Nathan Algren, preparing for the climactic battle scene against the Imperial Army of Japan in The Last Samurai.  Eleven extras were injured on the set of Tom Cruise's new movie Sunday when they fell out of a moving truck, the Associated Press reports.  Eleven people were injured when they fell off the back of a truck during the shooting of Tom Cruise's latest film in Berlin, police said on Monday.  Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's unexpected midnight visit to flashbulb capital Saint-Tropez kicked off what one veteran paparazzo dubbed "a genuine photo-riot."  For Tom Cruise, it was Top Gun all over again - although maybe a little slower.  Despite its pre-production controversy, Tom Cruise quietly began shooting his latest film on Thursday in Germany, in a forest outside of Berlin.  The Defense Ministry remains anti-Scientology, but the government's film fund will give Cruise's production $6 million  The country doesn't want Hollywood's top gun, and outspoken Scientologist,portraying its most beloved anti-Nazi  After David Beckham's Spanish soccer team won the national league, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes took their British BFFs out for a final celebration dinner.  Grandmaster Flash breathed a sigh of relief after being recognized for his turntable expertise, and T.I. finally believes the South has gotten some respect.  Movie superstar Tom Cruise and MGM are partnering to resurrect the historic United Artists movie studio founded by Charlie Chaplin and associates, MGM's CEO announced Thursday.  We asked, and you answered. In the QuickVotes that appear every day on the front page of the Exchange, you not only voted -- you left us comments responding to the issues of the day. Here is a selection of your responses, some of which have been edited:  Paramount Pictures will end its longstanding relationship with Cruise/Wagner Productions, actor Tom Cruise's production company, citing his erratic behavior, according to a published report.  LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Reuters) - "Mission: Impossible III," the first big action film of the summer, opened disappointingly at the weekend box office in North American, despite a whirlwind publicity tour by its pricey star, Tom Cruise.  The summer movie season always has an official beginning, even if it gets nudged back a little earlier each year (by 2016, we'll probably be watching "The Mighty Thor IV" on President's Day). What it no longer has is any real end.  The most-talked about movie-star scene this year wasn't Harry Potter getting chosen by the Goblet of Fire. It wasn't "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" getting his chest hair ripped off. It wasn't Sarah Silverman telling a filthy joke, or Darth Vader getting burned, or George Clooney being tortured.  Lauren Bacall has a few unkind words to say about Tom Cruise.  Tom Cruise, who turns 43 on July 3, has lost none of his boyish energy or enthusiasm, as evidenced by the footprints he left on Oprah Winfrey's sofa cushions.  There's a reason certain stars get eight figures to appear in a film, and it's not talent.  H.G. Wells' alien invasion story "The War of the Worlds," first published in 1898, is a looking glass for the fears of the times.  Newly engaged movie star Tom Cruise got into a war of words at the London premiere of his new film after a prankster squirted him with water.  Katie Holmes took the indirect approach with David Letterman when the talk-show host asked if she and beau Tom Cruise have talked about getting hitched.  Tom Cruise is smitten with the charms of Katie Holmes.  Remember when Tom Cruise's character in Minority Report used pantomime to flip the "pages" of a holographic image? That dream interface—one that responds to human gestures—could show up in handheld...  As long as the crowds keep coming, Will Smith will be ready to walk down the red carpet to promote his latest movie.  Michael Mann's latest film, "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith, is a suspense thriller with little real suspense and few thrills.  Moviegoers this week are seeing Tom Cruise like they've never seen him before.  As movies prepare to go from fast-paced and gas-guzzling this summer to introspective and Oscar-aspiring in the fall, let's have a look at films that might be picking moviegoers' pockets a scant 10 months from now.  On a sunny August afternoon in Los Angeles, a crowd of teens gathers outside the studios of Nickelodeon, the children's cable television network. They've come to this seedy stretch of Sunset Boulev...
Rupert Murdoch took to Twitter to lash out at the Church of Scientology and Tom Cruise following the announcement of the actor's divorce.