Cruise, Lauer Grip and Make Up

From blow-ups over Scientology to couch acrobatics on Oprah , Tom's had his share

(NEWSER) - Three years after Tom Cruise and Today's Matt Lauer went a few rounds over Scientology, drugs, and Brooke Shields' postpartum depression, the pair is set for a rematch Monday—which spurred the Los Angeles Times to list Tom's top 5 head-smacking interviews:

1. Oprah, May 2005: Cruise dances around proclaiming love for Katie: "I like intimacy."
2. German tabloid Bild, June 2005: Cruise says that "of course" he believes in aliens: "Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?"

He promotes 'Anger Management' on 'Today'

(NEWSER) - Charlie Sheen himself is the first to admit that some of his actions during that "winning" meltdown phase of his life were "a little cringeable." On Today this morning, he told Matt Lauer that when he watched footage from that time, "I didn't recognize parts of who that guy was." But he's back, just a year later, with a new show. "I didn't really have a plan" for how to make a comeback," Sheen said. "I guess the plan was to just reintroduce myself to America and to the media and say, 'Sorry about that, but here's what's happening now.'" More»

Obama, Bush must recognize that demeanor isn't trivial

(NEWSER) - In office, George W. Bush seemed laid back no matter what, while Barack Obama “has not been a happy warrior.” Both men have been true to form in major interviews over the past week, writes Howard Kurtz in the Daily Beast . Obama acknowledged discouragement—a fair point, but not an inspiring one. “If the president is discouraged by 9.6% unemployment, how should the rest of us feel?” More»

Also talks Scientology in 'Playboy' interview

(NEWSER) - Tom Cruise promotes his upcoming musical Rock of Ages in the latest issue of Playboy , but not surprisingly, the movie talk isn’t getting quite as much attention as the quotes about Cruise’s personal life. Some highlights:

• On plastic surgery: "I haven't [gotten any], and I never would."
• On his PR nightmare: Asked what he learned from his controversial interview with Matt Lauer (in which he disparaged psychiatry and prescription drugs for post-partum depression) and his Oprah couch fiasco, Cruise replied, “When I go back and look at it, I find myself thinking, I don’t feel that way. I get how it came across, but I don’t feel that way, and I never have. Telling people how to live their lives? I saw how that came across and how pieces were edited.”

Former governor happy to poke fun at herself

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin kicked off her Today stint this morning by reading a newspaper on screen, as co-host Matt Lauer joked, "Oh, man, she's doing her homework!" Lauer had already teased Palin about that issue—a reference to her 2008 interview with Katie Couric in which she couldn't name any newspapers she read—yesterday. It was the first in a series of quips proving Palin has no problem poking fun at herself, Politico reports:

• After coming out from behind the newspaper, Palin shared a story from yesterday: "Oh geez, Matt. The nicest lady in the world, she stopped me, asked me where I was heading. I said 30 Rock and she said, 'Oh honey, I told you, Tina Fey is here.'"