Cruise’s new deal
Tom Cruise has put together a deal with a group that includes Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins and a chairman of Six Flags, Inc., to finance the overhead costs of Cruise/ Wagner Prods., according to this L.A. Times story by Claire Hoffman.
Six Flags? The Washington Redskins? Do they sound like rock ‘n’ roll Chateau Marmont-type names to anyone? A bunch of opportunistic guys can’t just get together and fund a Hollywood company — it can’t really work unless they can hear the “music” in their own heads…unless they have the right kind of attitude and profile. The right car, the right diet, the right kind of girlfriends or wives, the right wardrobe.
Look at Snyder’s photo — he looks like a guy who likes to eat steak and pasta, and who buys his suits at Men’s Warehouse. White shirt, red tie…gimme a break.
The question, of course, is whether any…hold that thought. Let’s just see what surfaces when the various folks in this financing group are explored as far as their associations are concerned.
When you’re desperate for someone to fund your operation, you’ll take money from a drunk skunk. Cruise’s TVQ rating has reportedly dropped over 40% over the past year and he’s not what he once was. The upside is that this can result in a liberated attitude on Cruise’s part — he could do some of his best work over the next 10 or 15 years because of this devaluation. But the bottom line is that he and Wagner pacted with somebody outside the loop. A deal with the likes of Snyder tells you no one was standing in line to make a deal. Nobody groovy, I mean.
Money is money. The majority of people who go to Cruise movies don’t know what the fuck Chateau Marmont is (I certainly don’t).
Besides, Dan Snyder is old news. He’s been a huge topic of conversation and jokes in the sports world for years and years. Of course, girly-men wouldn’t be expected to know that, but I digress.
Snyder knows how to do one thing well — make money. I believe the Redskins are one of the three most valuable franchises in sports, along with the Yankees and Manchester United.
Three million a year to him is nothing — he wastes more on that every offseason when he routinely overpays for players.
He’s a terrible owner, or at least has been in the past, but the man knows how to make money on a franchise.
I say terrible owner player-salary-wise.
Funding Cruise is a no-brainer for him.
He’s made one good move — bringing back the legendary Joe Gibbs.
Other than that, he’s been a disaster.
But hasn’t the reacquisition of Gibbs been more of a success PR-wise, and fan-base wise? A legendary coach and all, that’s always great to bring back.
But hasn’t Gibbs been a shell of his former self? Or perhaps he just ain’t got the players.
They went 10-6 last year and had Seattle on the ropes in the second round of the playoffs. And he did it with an injured qb, running back, and only one receiver.
But I think we’re on the wrong website to be talking football.
Daniel Snyder’s just doing to get laid.
Snyder’s worth 1.596 Gajillion dollars.
Getting laid ain’t a problem.
NYCBusybody is absolutely right. Daniel Synder has been a brilliant businessman, but an rotten owner for my ‘Skins. He’s a marketer at heart. All he really knows how to do is hire big names, and brag. In 1999, he put together the most expensive roster in NFL History. Everyone he signed was a star…in 1995. We went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
This is SO not going to work. Has there been a hedge fund that’s made a movie that’s made any money for them? Or is it just about the write off?
Daniel Snyder so needs a Hollywood makeover.
We gonna rename this site Hollywood-Sports-Elsewhere? Plenty of sports films or sports stories to be made into films to talk about.
Nobody GROOVY?
Jesus, Jeff. Be honest. When you were looking for money for your website support, would you have turned down Snyder?
Wells to Dixon Steele: “Groovy” has been a heinous hippie anachronism for 35 years, but in 2006 it’s been “out” for so long that it’s okay to use again if you don’t make a habit of it.
Then what are the chances of Cruise suiting up for the Redskins this season? And what position do you think he will play?
The Skins are a little thin at corner. With all that running Cruise did in MI3, he might be in good shape to be the nickel guy.
Daniel Snyder’s just doing to get laid.
Daniel Snyder so needs a Hollywood makeover.
It could be worse, he could’ve hooked up with Mark Cuban.
Daniel Snyder is rich but he watches every penney. Will cut every corner to save money. Don’t know if this will work in the movie making business.
Pasta and steak! Perish the thought! Next you’ll tell me that he enjoys ice cream, or turkey and stuffing!
He does enjoy ice cream – anybody who read “Next Man Up” can tell you that.
Snyder is a dick.
I just hope it leads to more Without Limits, less Suspect Zero.
Josh, I don’t doubt that the guy is a corporate tool; I was just pointing out Jeff’s semi-creepy food/weight obsession. I wasn’t aware that enjoying pasta or steak (or ice cream) was the mark of an uncreative, lazy, toolish mind.
I mean, you don’t have to scarf it down without limits, or forsake exercise, to enjoy food, but you do have to be kinda insecure to call that out as a major character flaw. I wasn’t aware that pasta and steak were the official indulgences of the corporate-toady aesthetic. I was under the impression that a whole hell of a lot of people — maybe even some of Jeff’s beloved X-factor types — eat pasta or steak on occasion.
“Next Man Up” — there’s an unbiased book. Superfan John Feinstein spends a year with the Baltimore Ravens — a team with several convicted felons — and decides that there really isn’t one bad guy on the entire roster, or in the entire organization for that matter.
But back to this deal. Talk about overreporting. I mean, a billionaire is giving Cruise a couple mil to pay his overhead. Big deal.
he’s got the wrong tie for that shirt, so obviously the venture is doomed.
You can always count on Jeff for the most shallow evaluation of a person.
Pretty sad when the commenters have a deeper understanding of the man’s business acumen that the Coulumnist who brought him up.
Wells to Storymark: Someday when you’re older and wiser, you’ll come to realize that sartorial choices convey the true essence of a man with much greater accuracy and completeness than his resume or testimonials about the guy’s “business acumen” or his press clippings.
I didn’t think I’d ever agree with NYCbusybody, but: “Money is money.” – Who cares where it comes from. It’s not like Snyder is going to be writing the scripts or directing the films. I think he sees an opportunity for an in to the movie business with a proven moneymaker Cruise. (Even if he is on the downslide.) He’s just looking to diversify.
Stars are notorious for never wanting to pay for anything themselves and this really proves it.
His actual overhead is probably less than the $3 m. he’s getting from Snyder & friends.
Tom C.has banked hundreds of millions over the past decade or so. So instead of just covering his own ass, he’s humiliated himself by getting booted out of Paramount and going hat-in-hand to outside investors. Hell, he could’ve used a write off…
This guy may be a prick, but is he any worse a human being than your average studio head or Redstone? It looks more like a lateral move on Cruise’s part than anything. He needs cash, he got cash. Now we can look forward to the next ASK THE DUST or ELIZABETHTOWN. Wake me up when it gets exciting.
Storymark to Wells:
Defend it if you like, but you’ve long ago slipped into the gossip-monger class with your shallow surface observations. You may believe that his tie reveals his true essence, just like you seem to think a person’s weight dictates their talent, or the cut of their facial hair will spell success or doom for their next project.
Believe it all you want, but don’t expect everyone else to.
And don’t presume to know my age.
Dan has already signed up Deion Sanders to co-star with Tom Cruise in a remake of Last Boy Scout.
The man makes a fortune off the Maryland Redskins.
Dan is the only guy to come out with news that he had cancer and wasn’t embraced.
Wow, I haven’t read such a hate-filled diatribe since, I guess, Osama’s last letter to the editor of the Egyptian Times. Maybe reaching out to people outside of Burbank or Studio City would help invest new ideas into the movie biz. Lucky thing about life today, my Newsfire software has a delete button. You’re gone.