Did we underestimate Tom Cruise's box-office appeal?

When Tom Cruise's film "Valkyrie" opened last weekend, after months and months of bad press, middling reviews and little interest by moviegoers, the seemingly cursed, Bryan Singer-directed World War II epic surprised many by debuting at number four with approximately $21 million. Okay, opening at number four is respectable, but back in the day, a Tom Cruise film would usually open at number one with huge numbers. But in the last few years, Cruise's image has suffered so badly, that it is a shock that Valkyrie made any money at all. That it opened in the top five with $21 million only proves that, despite the negative press and bizarre public appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Today Show", Tom Cruise's box office crown may be chipped, but it's not broken or destroyed.

It could be argued that most people associate Tom Cruise as the couch-jumper on Oprah, or as the Scientology celebrity who criticized Brooke Shields' use of anti-depressants for post-partum depression and went toe-to-toe with Matt Lauer over prescription drugs on "Today". But, evidently, there are many out there who remember Tom Cruise as a box-office star who, at one time, made interesting movies and would pay to see them regardless of bad reviews, but simply because it starred Tom Cruise.

I have not seen the film, and do not have much desire to. After all, it's going to be difficult for me to buy Tom Cruise as a German - WITHOUT a German accent. But I can understand why moviegoers wanted to see a Tom Cruise. Despite all the negative press in recent years, Tom Cruise has generally made good movies. For fun popcorn fare, there was Top Gun, Cocktail, Mission Impossible to keep us entertained, even if they were shameless entertainment. And he would also make deeper, more interesting films such as Born on the Fourth of July, Rain Man, and Magnolia. He has made some stinkers, such as Vanilla Sky, but overall, seeing Tom Cruise at the multiplex has generally been a positive experience.

So, perhaps it's too early to call to end Tom Cruise's box-office reign. It no doubt has been taken over by his friend Will Smith, who, although his latest film Seven Pounds is only performing moderately at the box office, has made boffo box-office blockbusters such as I Am Legend, Hancock and I, Robot. But Cruise is still in the game, and if a movie like Valkyrie, with all of its bad press and less-than-favourable reviews, can attract moviegoers, than we no doubt underestimated Cruise's box-office appeal.

Hugh Jackman as Oscar host?

The choices for Oscar host have become increasingly eye-raising in the past few years... Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Jon Stewart, and for the upcoming Oscars... Hugh Jackman? Okay, so the Australian-born hunk is an actor with success in Hollywood (and a good actor at that), and he has a flair for musical theatre (having won a Tony award), but after the comedic monologues from Rock, Stewart and DeGeneres of the past years, people will be looking for Jackman to poke fun at Hollywood. However, since Jackman is part of the A-List, how will that be possible? I find the choice of Jackman a curious choice, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Let's see how he will handle the duties -- will he break into song? Will he reveal secrets of the Hollywood stars? Will he be as funny as Carson and Crystal? Time will tell...

Britney, For the Record

Watching the Britney Spears "comeback" special For the Record last night on MuchMusic, you felt as though Britney's handlers were trying desperately to showcase a recovered and revitalized Britney Spears to the public. But once again, typical with Spears' almost ten-year career, her handlers once again presented an image that is false and unconvincing.

Now, I like Britney. She has made good pop music in the last decade (perhaps some of the best pop music), and she appears to be a sweet, fragile person, still innocent even as she is pushing 30. But there was something desperate about For the Record, as the show worked on all cylinders to make it appear this was Spears' triumphant comeback, when it was anything but.

There is something sad about Britney, almost Marilyn Monroe-like, and not in a good way. She seems unhappy, joyless, seemingly blank in the eyes. There is no spark, no ambition, no determination, unlike Madonna, who made an appearance last night, still has even at 50. Watching Madonna and Britney, side-by-side, was an interesting experience. The difference between Madonna and Britney is that Madonna controls everything: her image, her money, her staff, everything. You can sense her control when she walked into the room where Britney and her entourage were. Nothing penetrates Madonna's powerful yet icy facade or those puffed-up cheeks; she's impenetrable. But Madonna was never a puppet like Britney is, and if ever she was a puppet, Madonna always had at least one hand on the strings pulling her; the only difference is when the string was cut, Madonna did not fall, but the person pulling the string would.

Britney certainly lacks the drive her peers Christina Aguilera and her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake have. Yet unlike Madonna, Aguilera and Timberlake, Britney does not have the same grip on her career as they do. Watching Britney rehearse videos and dance routines throughout the special, you get the sense that she had nothing to do with the concepts behind them. None of these creations are her original ideas. Someone else is creating her ideas and telling her what to do. Britney seemed bored and disinterested throughout.

As much as the special wanted us to believe this was a "comeback", I think it's too soon for a Britney comeback. In fact, I don't think there should be a comeback, because the star herself appears not even interested in coming back.

Revisiting the (Christmas) Classics: Kim Stockwood's I Love Santa

There are some singers who were born to make Christmas albums: Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Boney M (oh, come on, admit it -- you love their Christmas album!) et cetera. The list could go on and on. And, of course, there are those singers who should not make a Christmas album (Jessica Simpson, anyone?).

It seems as if making a Christmas album is part of any singer's contract. Even during the boy-band hey-days, New Kids on the Block, N*Sync and 98 Degrees all made Christmas albums. But rarely are any of these albums more than smart marketing ploys to lure shoppers into spending money during the holiday season on their favourite singer jumping on the Christmas-album bandwagon.

However, one of the best Christmas albums in recent years is by a Canadian singer who like Presley, Andrews et al. was destined to make a Christmas album: Kim Stockwood. She's has had a few hits on Canadian radio, most notably Jerk and 12 Years Old. She is a talented singer-songwriter with a cheeky sense of humour and a gift for writing thoughtful, personal songs with strong melodies. Which is why she's the perfect singer to make her own Christmas album.

Released in 2006, I Love Santa gets some play during the Christmas season because of Stockwood's popular version of It's a Marshmallow World. There are a handful of other popular Christmas classics such as Silver Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and an absolutely gorgeous version of Silent Night (featuring Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean). But thankfully, Stockwood also features some of her own songs, including the title track. The album is a charming, warm-hearted Christmas album with a slightly jazzy sound; the kind you can listen to snuggled up in front of the fireplace drinking egg nog or a hot chocolate.

Although it's only two years old, Stockwood's I Love Santa is already one of my favourite Christmas albums of all time. I don't think it's too early to rank it with the Christmas classics. Treat yourself this Christmas to Kim Stockwood's I Love Santa.

Wanda Sykes Comes Out!

I have been a big fan of Wanda Sykes. She is a hilarious comedian who is a scene-stealer in any movie she appears in (she was the only good thing in the god-awful Jane Fonda/J-Lo stinker Monster In-Law).

Now, I am an even bigger fan because yesterday at a Las Vegas rally to protest Prop. 8, legislation which proposes to ban gay and lesbian couples from marrying, Sykes came out of the closet to show her support with protesters of Prop. 8.

While there have been a number of artists who have come out before Sykes, her coming out is unique because 1) my gaydar apparently did not detect her (!) and 2) her coming out has more to do with human rights than making magazine covers or plugging a new film or comedy special.

You have to hand it to Sykes. Coming out is still a big deal for a performer even as there are a number of gay celebrities, and she runs the risk of losing out on comedy gigs, commercial deals and sadly, some fans. But coming out to protest an ill-advised piece of legislation is a reminder that we need to come out, be proud and rise up against hate. Because that is what Prop. 8 is; it's hatred. It's unacceptable and reminds us that we need to speak out against legislation which makes it acceptable to hate gays and lesbians.

Sykes did such a thing yesterday in Las Vegas. And she did it in a big way, in a move that was both personal and political. But most of all, it was brave and courageous.

Beyonce as Wonder Woman?

There are reports floating around that singer/actress/entrepreneur Beyonce is in talks to play Wonder Woman in the long-anticipated film adaptation of the beloved comic book and '70s television show starring Lynda Carter.

I like Beyonce. She makes some good music, and she surprised me by giving a fairly weighty performance in Dreamgirls. But to me, she is still an average actress, and playing such a high-profile role in a film for an actress with a handful of film credits is a big risk.

Physically, Beyonce has the amazon-like figure that Wonder Woman requires, but she doesn't have the grace, innocence, great comic timing or - dare I say it? - sexiness that Lynda Carter brought to the role in the 1970s. Now, Lynda Carter will never be accused of being a great actress, but there is no denying it: she was great as Diana/Wonder Woman, and made the show worth watching, even in the awful second season when WW switched from the '40s to the present-day, disco-bathed '70s.

As much as Beyonce looks the part of Wonder Woman, she doesn't embody her. I think it would be a good idea to go with an unknown actor, like they did with Daniel Craig for Casino Royale. Although he had a fair share of acting credits, most movie audiences were unfamiliar with Craig, and that factor helped make Casino Royale to become a monster hit.

Perhaps one of the reasons I am not too enthusiastic about Beyonce playing Wonder Woman is because Beyonce is overexposed. She's on the radio, on music video channels, hair commercials, make-up commercials, tabloids, awards shows, and it goes on and on. Beyonce has become a corporation; it's much more difficult to buy her as an Amazon goddess/warrior.

Who knows who will play Wonder Woman in a WW feature film, if that ever happens. But if it should be Beyonce, I remain skeptical.

But then again, I was skeptical when Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond. And we all know how that turned out...

Has it been 10 years since Cher's Believe?

On Sunday mornings, I enjoy cleaning and doing laundry. It's also an excuse to listen to new CDs or dust off some old ones. In regards to the latter, I dusted off my CD of Cher's 1998 comeback CD, Believe. And, yes, it's hard to believe (sorry, couldn't resist) that it has been 10 years since Cher surprised the music world by releasing the biggest solo hit of her career - in her 50s!

The album and single of Believe was intended to be a valentine to Cher's faithful gay audience, an album full of up-tempo dance tunes. What Cher got in return was a major comeback and a worldwide smash. Ten years late, the album is still a fun dance record, and the album's single, including the overplayed title track, the underrated Strong Enough and All for Nothing, all sound fresh today. The production by Metro, Junior Vasquez and Todd Terry kept Cher's unique voice in the forefront, and while it is dance album, Believe is still pure pop. Even some of the album tracks are good -- Runaway, The Power are strong, while Taxi, Taxi sounds like it could have come from Donna Summer's seminal 1979 disco opus Bad Girls. Cher even updated her 1987 hit We All Sleep Alone to good effect.

You might be surprised to learn that Believe is an influential album. The use of the vocoder effect on the title track has become commonly used in music, even to this day. Artists such as Madonna, Britney and other dance artists have become quite fone of the voice-processing sound. Although Believe was not the first album to use the vocoder effect, it certainly helped pioneer it.

Ten years later, Cher is now in Vegas, entertaining audiences with an over-the-top spectacle that only Cher could pull off. She doesn't record as much -- the major success of Believe was not sustained on the follow-up Living Proof -- but you have got to give credit to Cher, she's been a consistent hit-maker for decades, and her music is also, for the most part, consistently good. If you own this album and have not listened to it in some time, you may be surprised how good it still sounds.

And yes, it's still great for cleaning.