Grand Theater.
In the interview area.
Helen Isabel, who had just bombarded Tom Cruise with a series of sensational questions, suddenly noticed that her fellow reporters were looking at her with an odd mix of awe and fear.
Puzzled, she asked her cameraman George, "What's with them?"
George, an honest man, replied, "They were scared by the tough questions you threw at Tom Cruise. I mean, that's Tom Cruise—he's a global superstar."
Helen Isabel scoffed, curling her lip in disdain. "Tch. He's just an old guy who only knows how to act cool on screen and is practically washed up. You think I'd be afraid of him trying to blacklist me?"
Her confidence stemmed from Paramount—or more precisely, from Paramount's new CEO, Bob Bakish.
As an entertainment reporter for CBS, which is under the Paramount umbrella, it was only natural for her to go on the offensive when her boss's boss was targeting someone.
Indeed, Sherry Lansing had been dismissed from Paramount earlier that year.
And ever since Lansing's departure, Paramount's honeymoon phase with Tom Cruise had ended. The studio demanded a renegotiation of the Mission: Impossible series contract.
Naturally, Tom Cruise wasn't having it. He had already locked down the franchise—there was no way he'd let it go. Tensions between the two sides had been high lately.
Even the president of Paramount's parent company, Viacom, Sumner Redstone, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal:
"Due to a series of recent inappropriate public actions by Tom Cruise, who was once nominated for three Oscars, our company's Paramount Pictures is considering terminating its 14-year partnership with Cruise/Wagner Productions, co-owned by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner."
The Wall Street Journal quoted Redstone as saying: "Though I personally still like him, both I and our shareholders believe continuing this partnership is a mistake. Paramount can no longer tolerate his recent behavior."
And what were these so-called "inappropriate actions" of Cruise's? They were none other than the infamous "couch dance" and "cable climbing" incidents that had stirred quite the media storm.
The "couch dance" refers to an incident earlier in the year when Tom Cruise appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. In a fit of wild enthusiasm, he jumped onto the couch, danced around, and professed his love for Katie Holmes in an over-the-top display.
When Oprah tried to stop him, he even swore at her on live television.
His bizarre antics shocked North America. Many speculated he was on drugs.
Some even suspected he'd gone insane under the influence of Scientology.
But the man didn't stop there.
Two months later, at a Kanye West concert in Los Angeles, Cruise went wild again when Kanye started performing one of his favorite songs.
Caught up in the excitement, he started chatting with nearby people about his faith in Scientology.
Then, mid-show, he "staggered out of the VIP box," repeatedly ranting, "All these people are driving me insane! This is too much!"
And just when the crowd thought they'd seen it all, he climbed a venue cable. That's right—he scaled the venue using the electrical cables and, once up high, started waving his arms dramatically.
He stole the show, completely overshadowing Kanye West.
Afterward, Kanye jokingly said, "Tom was just paying tribute to me in his own way. I've got to say—I got the message, loud and clear."
These two incidents dealt a major blow to Cruise's public image. People widely speculated that he was either a junkie or mentally unstable.
Paramount seized the opportunity to pressure Cruise into changing the terms of his contract.
But Paramount's executives clearly misjudged Tom Cruise's personality.
As Sherry Lansing said in her farewell interview: "Tom is a stubborn man. He won't bow to pressure. They won't succeed."
Back to the present.
After Tom Cruise entered the venue, a few more celebrities passed down the red carpet, triggering varying levels of cheers.
Until—
Martin arrived with Drew.
The door of the Rolls-Royce opened, and Martin stepped out in a sharp black suit, followed by Drew in a stunning red evening gown.
"Martin! Martin…!"
"Ah~! Martin, look over here!"
"Ahhhhh! Legolas!!"
"Neo! Neo!"
The noise from both sides of the red carpet suddenly exploded to the highest level of the day.
Fans screamed themselves hoarse, surging madly against the wall of police officers keeping them back.
Seeing the line of officers on the verge of collapse, Martin had no choice but to stop and calm the fans down with a few loud words.
It worked like magic—the fans settled down a little.
The sweating officers wiped their brows and looked at Martin with admiration.
In the press area, the reporters buzzed with discussion.
"It's crazy… Why do the fans listen to Martin so well? Even Tom Cruise or Michael Jackson couldn't handle crowds like this."
"Maybe it's because Martin isn't just a celebrity."
"You mean because he's an energy tycoon?"
"I doubt that. Bill Gates has had eggs thrown at him, President Bush got hit with a shoe, even Rockefeller got pelted with lettuce. When people lose it, they don't care who you are!"
"Whatever the reason, Martin has the strongest charisma I've ever seen in a star."
"Hey, what do you guys think—if Martin ran for state senator or even governor, how would he do?"
"Definitely better than Schwarzenegger. If that big lug could do it, no way Martin couldn't!"
"What about president?"
"Uh… Isn't that a bit of a stretch? Even Reagan started as a governor."
…
After calming the fans, Martin took Drew's hand and continued down the red carpet.
He even stopped midway to sign autographs for a few lucky fans.
Then, as they reached the press zone, a shrill voice rang out.
"Martin, how do you feel about stealing Tom Cruise's wife?"
Martin raised an eyebrow and looked toward the source of the question, only to see a large, "bear-like" female reporter surrounded by stunned colleagues. She was clearly the one who had asked the question.
Drew frowned and was about to step forward to speak, but Martin held her back.
He took a step forward and said to the woman, "Your question insults three people—me, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman. My relationship with Nicole started after she and Tom divorced."
"How can you prove that?!"
Of course, the reporter was none other than Helen Isabel, pressing him relentlessly—just like she had done with Tom Cruise earlier.