Tom Cruise rejected?

I remember when this flick came out, all of the news-bleeds were clamoring that Tom Cruise wanted to be in it after Ledger's death, but director Gilliam turned him down. Even The Guardian ran with the headline, "Terry Gilliam Rejected Tom Cruise." However, Gilliam's actual quote was,

"I know there was a period when Tom's agents were keen. The thing is, I was only interested in people who were friends of Heath. Simple as that. I wanted to keep it in the family."

Far from a "rejection", I would say. And if it truly was a rejection, at least Gilliam had the decorum to phrase it diplomatically to the media. Of course, he should have known amoral writers would simply make up their own sensationalist fiction.

Similarly, Monika Bartyzel, a writer for Moviefone, was confounded by Cruise's "angle":

"I can't get beyond the surprise that Cruise was interested. This is Terry Gilliam. Not a big mainstream-buzzing Ben Stiller flick. Even with the buzz created by Ledger's death, it's a really interesting decision image-wise. Why was Cruise and company so keen? To get him artistic cred? Thoughtful cred for helping out? A boost by the buzz that this is Ledger's first (sic) film? I'm at a loss."

Hey, Monika, remember that time you tossed some change to the Salvation Army Santa or ran the 5K for cancer awareness? What was your angle there? Oh, sorry, I forgot. Tom Cruise is a successful performer; he's not a human being like you. He's an acting automaton; he has no heart, lungs, blood or brain. He can't be moved by a sense of loss; he feels no empathy. Give me a break.

Sadly, many folks are so fixated on the non-stories in the National Enquirer, People magazine and other bogus "news" outlets, that they consciously ignore any good deeds that don't support their flimsy, jaded narrative. I'll bet Monika doesn't know that Tom Cruise has donated time and money to the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, the Children's Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, H.E.L.P., Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, Lollipop Theater Network, Raising Malawi, & UNICEF. In 2007, he was honored for his support of MENTOR LA. I have personally worked for a charitable organization in LA where many of Hollywood's biggest names serve as mentors. Over 25,000 disadvantaged kids each year have their entire college education paid for by people like Michael Ovitz, Arnold Schwartzenegger, and Tom Cruise. These stories never get reported. Instead, we get the spurious "Cruise Rejected" and "TomKat Wedding Sham" articles.

Writers should realize that the words they say about others often reveal more intimate details about themselves. So, if you want everyone else to know that you're a jealous, bitter, wannabee-novelist, with an overburdened credit-line and an inferiority complex, write disparagingly about a successful artist that gives over $100K to charity annually. Oh, and be sure you write a sensational, misleading headline, too.