Tom Cruise Kills Oprah

Posted by Andy Baio

On Tuesday, I posted a link to my local copy of the Tom Cruise Kills Oprah Quicktime video that I found on an unnamed file-sharing site. Since then, the clip’s exploded in popularity. It’s been linked from MSNBC, USA Today, b3ta, and every Livejournal and message board on the planet. Right now, I’m serving about 200 gigabytes of the 4.1MB video every day. Yesterday, it was downloaded over 52,000 times and 60,000 times the day before. (Watch my bandwidth implode in real-time.)

Does anyone know the origins of the video? (Update: Found! Read the update below for details.) I know that it was later used to create the YTMND page, but nobody seems to know the source of the original video.

Between his crazy Scientology ranting, his war on psychiatry and anti-depressants, creeping out Hollywood starlets, frenetic couch jumping, and the conspiracy theories surrounding the brainwashing of Katie Holmes, it seems like Tom Cruise is the new Michael Jackson. Sounds good to me.

Update: Leonard’s hosting the video for a while until traffic dies down a bit. Thanks, Leonard!

June 27, 2005: An anonymous commenter admitted to creating the movie using audio from a downloaded version of Star Wars Episode III. He adds, “The video was created using Adobe Premiere for the shot and sound editing and Adobe After Effects 6.5 for the lightning using the ‘advanced lightning’ feature.”

I can confirm that my source originally found it on Shacknews, so this makes sense.

Comments

    Normally I don’t pay too much attention to this sort of celebrity scrambled egg buffet, but the general opinion about Cruise is that part of this problem is due to his firing his long-time (15 years) publicist and hiring, in her place, his sister, Lee Ann Mapother DeVette (his real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV). Perhaps in trying to get out from under the thumb of a publicist that used Cruise’s bankability to supress negative stories about him and his personality, he unwittingly has exposed himself to the things she was trying to prevent: ridicule, apparent meltdown, disparagement.

    Cruise has been rather popular lately because he’s geting busy again. But hey, just what we need! More star… wars… crap…

    Wow, that monthly graph is awesome, like a Tour de France stage: flat roads through farmer fields, more farm fields, then wham! The Pyrenees!

    The video is damn funny, but I don’t feel so good about some of the more harsh criticism of Cruise. He doesn’t seem like such a bad guy.

    The only problem with Cruise is that he’s a pusher of Scientology.

    That video is hilarious. His maniacal laughter truly makes it great. Thanks for hosting it!

    Psychiatry is 99% bogus. The fact that Scientologists remind everyone of this is explained by their desire to take over as your boss, not merely free you from your current one. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

    In good time you will all come around. You will learn to love The Cruise as I have come to love him. The Cruise is there for us. He will lead us when others falter. I urge you all to accept The Cruise back into your lives before it is too late. Join me, and together with The Cruise, we will begin a new paradise.

    The Cruise loves you.

    I don’t like Cruisey boy, I’m afraid. He recently had an interview with Australian 60 Minutes, and he was a rude, ill-mannered, arrogant prick, to put it nicely. He was frosty and difficult, and a completely different man to the cheering moron on Oprah a few days prior.

    So yeah. He gets a thumbsdown from me.

    My roommate and I originally created this file using content pirated from torrentspy.com (Star Wars Episode 3 and the Cruise interview on Oprah). We posted the file originally in threads on shacknews.com and rottentomatoes.com. After that point someone took it and turned it into a poorly-synced “ytmnd.” The video was created using Adobe Premiere for the shot and sound editing and Adobe After Effects 6.5 for the lightning using the “advanced lightning” feature. I’d rather not give any more information as I have no interest in claiming “authorship” of this video and being a known pirate is not in my category of interests. In any case this information can be deduced easily enough anyway.

    I think this is a tad real. I can see cruise on Oprahs show and then she makes a joke that really embarrasses him, so he does the whole laughing and shaking part. The whole lighting thing is obviously fake, but I don’t see how she died. She just got shocked a little. Some forest ranger got struck by lightning 7 times, and he didn’t die. . . right away. . .

    isnt it strange batman begins evil weapon is psychotic drugs?

    and hyprmong dont lurk in the shadows

    omg. Cruise is mindless follower of scientology. He can’t quantify any of his “beliefs” during the Lauer interview. It’s just talking points to support a strawman argument. What a tard

    Hypermog, you should be aware that your creation is “fair use” of the Star Wars and Oprah elements, and is protected by law.

    Tom’s problems originate when he has to think on his own. If there’s no script he’s lost and left to his own devices, he stumbles, crumbles and panics.

    Hey,why are people so envious of excessive happiness(if thats possible).Tom is succesful,rich,and madly in love with a beautiful young woman.He can do whatever he feels like,hes not jumping on your couch is he?

    Tom Cruise has gone over the top and fallen off the edge, somehow identifying with the fictional action-heroes that he pumps himself up to be using other peoples words and ideas.

    Anyone know how L. Ron Hubbard died???? what was his age at death? Married? Progeny? Spouse? man of mystery….or, man of misery???

    Tom Cruise lives a life most people can only guess what it must be like to be him. All I know is I went out and bought a mint charcoal grey 1988 928 Porche so I can get a feel of what is was like on his road to stardom…..riiiight. (He stole his dad’s 1983 928 in risky business).

    Be careful, oh bloggers. If you criticize Scientology, they come after you, often in court. No dissention is tolerated. Boycott Cruises movie! Free Katie!

    To everyone, especially Bob, who posted on June 28, 2005 11:56 AM…yeah, there’s copyright and everything, but parody, something done in good taste and humor, is protected by copyright.

    Perhaps it is true that a chemical imbalance in the brain does not happen. I DO KNOW, however that significant hormonal imbalances do occur after the birth of a baby. At times this can be a danger to the newborn. Cruise adopted his two children so I doubt if he knows ANYTHING about post-partum depression. He had displayed his true self (especially with Matt Lauer); he is an

    arrogant SHORT prick!!

    Cruise is right about one thing. We are a heavily medicated society. Maybe all the answers to our problems don’t lie in a bottle of pills.

    Actually, I think he’s Bi-Polar, he has the symptoms! I think he needs drugs, but he’s in denial… For millions, the drugs keep them sane and if they stopped taking them they’d kill themselves. The world has become so hectic and stressful and has altered people’s mental state.

    tom Cruise is so not an expert on psychiatry!

    why do we care what he thinks? He is an actor…hello????

    Leave Tom Cruise alone, what did he ever do 2 u? Huh? Did he jump on ur couch, no, i don’t think he did, so don’t get ur undies in a bunch about what he does!

    i think brooke shield is brainwashed by the pharmaceuticals, just like millions of other poor women, into thinking that drugs can cure her “mental depression.” Why not shoot heroin or snort cocaine? It is the same goddamn thing but with “better and more legal campaigning involved.” Women have for thousands of years dealt with this without drugs and now you are telling me that it is necessary for women to take drugs because she has depression from having a baby? Brooke Shields is not fit to be a mother. The reason why we are all attacking Tom Cruise because he is a megastar and everyone is so jealous. Everything coming out of his mouth becomes an open attack upon everyone. This is ridiculous. Get a life, Brooke.

    I will never watch another Tom Cruise movie again. I would hate to add more money to his madness. I think he is a weak and lonely person who was easily turned by Scientology. He seems manic to me and needs to be on some sort of medication. Those vitamins don’t seem to working to well.

    i like tom cruise, he is one of americas most successful actors and has worked with the greatest film directors of all time, he is popular, rich, and has worked very hard for all his fortune, i think we should focus more closely on his strengths, we just might learn something

    I don’t have anything bad to say about Tom Cruise, but I would like to say something TO him…Hold my drink while I kiss your girlfriend!

    Oh and go to hell!

    I wanna drive the spaceship when it comes for him

    Ha HA HAAA hahahaha!

    You must be careful lest you invoke the wrath of she who must not be named and her minions at HARPO.

    Tom is a great actor, all great people are a little nuts.

    I dont how someone that succesful for that long can keep there feet on the ground and there head screwed on straight. None of us can even imagine the kind of life tom cruise has had yet were all so quick to point the finger of hate. The man is more succesful and hard working in his career than anyone on this page I bet. Why is it that we love to hate the succesful???

    I always thought he was a great big phoney – I didn’t know he was flaky too.

    I used to be a huge fan of Tom and his movies. Now I find him a mindless idiot who’s pathetic and outrageous display of DUMBAZZ and lack of compassion for those with true brain chemistry disorders, down right ignorant and dangerous. What’s the assinine imbecile gonna say if God-forbid one of his kids get a brain tumor? “Oh honey here’s some Vitamin C, you’ll get over it, read Ron L. Hubbard, he’ll make u feel better by morning.”

    And ‘John’ hate is a powerful word. I always thought Tom a nice fellow with a great reputation as a celebrity. He’s used his stardom to voice the single most ignorant statement towards a fellow celebrity that I’ve ever heard. Tom is nothing but a good lookin’ guy who got a lucky break and a part in a hit movie when he was kid. He’s a ‘star’ not a good actor.. a good actor WORKS!

    I never did like Tom Cruise…but I like him better now than I did before. Scientology may not be 100% correct, but Psychiatry is pure 100% BS. I also agree that popping pills for every little problem is not the answer. If people would open their eyes a little bit thay would see Scientology is not the right track. We take pills for everything which is not helpful to your system in the long run. We don’t eat right, look at the percentage of overweight people. Look at the amount of poisons we consume in our food and water. Go to Sears and look at what a filter for your water takes out…look at that preservitate in many potato chips that has been linked to cancer…Read about whats in the shots they give your kids…everyone is sitting back and letting the FDA and Drug Companys pump whatever crap they want into us and our kids. Perhaps following at least some of Scientologys idea’s would be a good idea. And Mary, that crack about Tumors and Vitamin C was ignorant and uncalled for.

    I think that this Cruise-zapping video is real. It clearly shows energy coming from his hands upon closer inspection. Those who say it is only a computer effect are a part of the wider (governmental) conspiracy.

    I see a lot of links here with animosity for Tom Cruise. That, that you don’t understand you hate, you can’t hate what you understand.If you have upset on your mind it will reflect on your opinions and in life serving to destroy the world in which we live. I think our kids needs role models, rather than filty mouthed Rappers, serving as role models who are full of hate an onimosity (Charge). Scientology has a technology to get that charge off your case, giving you the ability to see things for the way they really are. Destroy it and you will destroy us all, There is no other hope, for mankind once you fully understand what they are doing. Take the time to understand. Look around you, see all the road rage, That is (charge) it makes one crazy. How many relationships are destroyed because of it? How many people end up in prison, because of it? That charge is in all of us unless you are a ” Clear” They act rationally, because that charge has been discharged thru Dianetic and Scientology techniques. Understand it, you have everything to gain. A “Cleared Planet” ( Scientology’s Goal), is a good thing, dispite what the insane think (People with just an overwhelming amount of charge). Sure Scientology is expensive,( That is what creates the charge on us) We have to expand very fast ,Look at the insanity around us, The able runs Society, We Cater to the able for a reason, We Don’t have much time left It can and will destroy us all if we don’t do something about it. At least Scientology has the technology and is trying to do something about it. Are YOU?

    Justice Latey, ruling in the High Court of London:

    “Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious…It is corrupt sinister and dangerous. It is corrupt because it is based on lies and deceit and has its real objective money and power for Mr. Hubbard… It is sinister because it indulges in infamous practices both to its adherents who do not toe the line unquestionably and to those who criticize it or oppose it. It is dangerous because it is out to capture people and to indoctrinate and brainwash them so they become the unquestioning captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living, and relationships with others.”

    Now that’s a funny video. Tom Cruise has changed through the years. I don’t believe HE’S a bad guy. But the ‘lessons’ of Scientology affecting him. I don’t believe he realizes how he’s portraying himself. It’s like “this is how you become after joining OUR group” ….a neurotic.

    But I will say, he is eye candy for us woman-folk.

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