More from the IFP Awards. Cruise served as the chairperson and was there along with his sister and Paula Wagner, supporting Shattered Glass, which was up for BP. Here’s Cruise’s speech:

How are you all doing? Listen it’s great to be chairing this event today because I love movies. And, as a kid, every paper that I delivered, ever grass that I cut, brought me closer to my next cinematic adventure. So I definetely consider all of us here extremely fortunate to be part of this– the art of filmmaking. We have the unique opportunity to bring people to places, to experience emotions, that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do that. So, I congratulate all of you all here in this room.

-Applaud from the audience-

Now it is with great pleasure that I am gonna give the IFR–IF..IFP! sprit Award to best director.

-Cruise attemtps to open envelope, realizing he hasn’t read the nominees and looks back to the teleprompter to read out nominees-

And the nominees are:

-audience laughing-

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The 2004 Independent Spirit Awards, which is being held at this very moment in Santa Monica, California, and Tom is there. The gallery:

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Not much news lately… as you’ve noticed! All I can come up with is this:
Each presenter at the Oscars will be well rewarded with a gift package containing a seven-day all-expense paid sea cruise, business class air tickets from Los Angeles to Auckland, luxury hotel stays and a $1,500 dinner for two at world-class steak-house. Also a $6,000 television set and an espresso machine (read here and here).
Nice to read was this: Tom was at the re-opening of the five-star luxurious Mexican resort One & Only Palmilla, and on Feb. 7 he joined Scarlett Johansson and Jenna Elfman in chartering a boat to see the whales. Cruise was so thrilled he jumped into the water. Appartently he was far enough away not to be in danger but I’m sure he loved it anyway (said the girl who went in the water with dolphins)!

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Tom Cruise will present BEST DIRECTOR at the Oscars. Keep an eye out, folks!

In Japan, The Last Samurai continued to strong business in its 12th weekend, grossing an estimated $1.6m (¥173.5m) – a drop of only 21%. The estimated cumulative total to date of $115.2m (¥12.593b) establishes the following records:

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Ngila Dickson won the Costumes Designers Guild Award for “Excellence in Film Period/Fantasy.”

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Variety reports more box office successes for TLS:
“The Last Samurai” is fast closing in on $300 million abroad, reinforcing topliner Tom Cruise (news)’s reputation of consistently being able to parlay his films to much bigger results internationally than at home.
“The Last Samurai” flew to $295.3 million after banking $12.8 million from roughly 4,700 screens in 55 territories. The warrior saga minted $2 million in its 11th stanza in Japan, which means it has raked in more in that territory — $111.5 million — than domestically. Europe has contributed $134.1 million.
That continues the pattern of Cruise’s “Minority Report,” which grossed $226 million internationally and $132 million at home.

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Tom Cruise to Make Oscar® Show Appearance Beverly Hills, CA -Tom Cruise will present at the 76th Academy Awards®, telecast producer Joe Roth announced today.

Cruise has twice been nominated in the Leading Actor category, for “Born on the Fourth of July” in 1989 and for “Jerry Maguire” in 1996. In 1999, he was nominated for his supporting role in “Magnolia.”

Cruise will be seen next in “Collateral” and was recently seen in the “The Last Samurai.” Cruise’s other film credits include “Minority Report,” “Vanilla Sky,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Firm,” “A Few Good Men” and “Rain Man.”

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