Dec
17

Times Talk: A Conversation with Tom Cruise

Tom Time — tune in here tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. (EST) to watch Mr. Cruise live. (Solve Sundsbo)

We’d love to have you over tomorrow night, when the Golden Globe Award-winning actor-producer and T Holiday poster boy Tom Cruise will reflect on a quarter century in show business, from his breakout adolescent sexcapade in “Risky Business” to his recent portrayal of a would-be Hitler assassin in the much anticipated “Valkyrie.” Unfortunately, our colleagues over at the TimesCenter tell us that the conversation with T’s editor at large, Lynn Hirschberg, is sold-out. But, thanks to the marvels of technology, if you tune in tomorrow starting at 6:30 p.m. (EST) you’ll be able to catch a live video feed of the tête-à-tête right here at The Moment. In the meantime, watch our latest exclusive Screen Test video to learn the secret to Cruise’s iconic dancing in skivvies (hint: it involves grease) — think of it as our preshow party favor.

(Source: NY Times)

(If you’re not sure about timezones, check out greenwichmeantime.com. It shows your current time and the USA EST Time)

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December 17, 2008   //   Appearences and Media   //   2 Comments   //   Tags: NY Times, Times Talk

2 Comments to “Times Talk: A Conversation with Tom Cruise”

• December 17, 2008 at 5:20 pm
  Doug Wight says:

  VALKYRIE IS A GREAT STORY BASED ON NORSE MYTHOLOGY

  Valkyrie, the movie, is an intense drama originally based on Norse mythology. “Valkyrie” refers to Odin’s handmaidens who transported the souls of the slain in battle to Valhalla, the great hall in which Odin received the souls of slain heroes. This is a story about a handful of incredibly courageous German soldiers who realized what a demented maniac Hitler had become and tried to stop him by plotting an assignation. Confronting the full power of Hitler, the SS, and the all-powerful Third Reich, these brave men risked their lives and the lives of their families to “do the right thing”. From the get-go these brave soldiers knew their chances of success were slim, but felt compelled to undertake this valiant mission anyway because the reputation and honor of Germany were at stake. “We must make sure that the world knows that not all Germans were like this heinous madman,” — they said!

  Major kudos to Tom Cruise, whose production company financed the risky production of this riveting drama in order to tell an important story that hasn’t been told. The movie is historically accurate which adds to its pleasure and significance. People may not like the idea of “heroic Germans” or even “good Germans”, but the fact is there were some. Valkyrie, and the mythology in which it is ensconced, reminds us all of this larger life-truth which provides the contextual backdrop for this terrific film: Every person is capable of abominable crimes or heroic deeds and we are almost always free to make a choice. “Destiny [fate] calls but does not dictate”! In the midst of total war and destructive chaos, surrounded by unthinkable evil with bombs falling everywhere, it’s still possible to do the right, ethical thing,–even if it costs you and your family’s life. Valkyrie, particularly Cruise’s character, redeems the noble innate potential of all human beings!

  Significantly, Valkyrie is grounded in Norse mythology and is a great story about heroism in the face of terror. According to this ancient Norse myth, it was one’s willingness to undertake a life-threatening endeavor of significant virtue and spiritual value. This courageous action alone made one a hero and qualified you for Valhalla,– Odin’s great warrior hall of venerated souls,– whether you were successful or not. To fully understand and appreciate this intense, fast-moving, action-packed conundrum,– the incredibly arcane, difficult, and crunching circumstances of life in general and particularly during war under Hitler’s tyranny, Google in Norse mythology and check it out. It’s a very exciting read!

  If you like well-acted, serious, intense drama based on real-life history,–Valkyrie is as good as it gets!

  Douglas E. Wight

  International Activist and Screenplay Writer
• December 23, 2008 at 10:01 am
  Chantal says:

  Dear Mr. Wight,

  Thank you for your post. I understand what you are saying but it’s a little bit different. Let me explain myself.

  This is what Wikipedia says about it:

  “In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (Old Norse valkyrja “chooser of the slain”[1]) is one of a host of female figures that chooses who will win or die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen who have died bravely in battle to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin, where the deceased warriors become Einherjar. There, when the Einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries look after their tableware and drinks. Valkyries also appear as lovers of human beings and heroes, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty.

  Valkyries are attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Njáls saga, a Saga of Icelanders written in the 13th century, Völsunga saga, a legendary saga composed in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, throughout the poetry of skalds, and in runic inscriptions. The Old English cognate term wælcyrge appears in several Old English manuscripts, and theories have been proposed as to whether the term is the result of a Norse influence or an indigenous tradition from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Archaeological finds have been theorized as depicting valkyries. Scholarly theories have been proposed about the relation between the valkyries, the norns, the dísir, and völvas.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie)

  But ‘Valkyries’ may also refer to creative works, vehicles, fiction and other uses. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie_(disambiguation))

  The movie “Valkyrie” refers to “Operation Valkyrie” (Operation Walküre in German) and was an operational plan developed for the Resistance Army of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer). The plan was approved by German dictator Adolf Hitler, who intended it to be used in the event that disruption caused by the Allied bombing of German cities resulted in a breakdown in law and order, or a rising by the millions of forced laborers from occupied countries working in German factories. In an ironic twist of fate, however, the German Resistance —led by members of the Reserve Army and including members of the ‘Kreisau Circle’— modified the plan to use it to take control of German cities, disarm the SS, and arrest the Nazi leadership once Hitler had been assassinated in the July 20 Plot. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Valkyrie)

  So the phrase Valkyrie is based on Norse mythology, and the movie ‘Valkyrie’ is based on real-life events as you say (Operation Valkyrie). Thank you for your comment, I hope many people will go watch the movie, I agree with you that it’s part of our history so we should go and watch this movie, if only to honour those men who tried to stop Hitler.