He never said they live with him full time. He said that they share custody and she sees them whenever she wants.

As far as him seeing any flaw in his rational, he believes what he believes. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and that is his. He did say that he apologized for the way he went about it and he was sorry for that. IMO, you can't ask for anything more than that.

I am no fan of Tom's, but I do think that he gets a bad rap in the media. He seemed like a very nice guy who loves his family and is just trying to do the best he can.

magic, I posed my question because whenever his adoptive children are pictured with Nicole, the caption always mentions that Nicole is 'visiting' the children or they are 'visiting' her, so I assumed Tom has primary physical custody. I just wondered if anyone had ever heard how that happened to come about.

I admit that Tom's condescending attitude toward Matt Lauer really turned me off, because I find it offputting when people act very self righteous. However, I do concede that my skepticism about why he appears to have primary physical custody of their children may be unfounded. It was probably felt that the family home should be retained in order not to uproot the kids, when the marriage ended. Hopefully Nicole offered to move out, and it wasn't a case of Tom not being willing to budge, leaving her no choice. Never in a million years would I have thought that before, but my mind couldn't help going there after seeing his close minded 'holier than thou' attitude of recent years.

I did see the interview with Brooke Shields where she acknowledged Tom's apology to her. Apparently he offered that some women may experience Post Partum Depression, and it is their choice how to treat it, so he regretted mentioning her specifically. But he maintained that mood related disorders like Depression, A.D.D., Bipolar or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, can always be treated without the use of medication if the person is a practicioner of Scientology, because it has specific skills that can replace medical intervention. Brooke accepted his apology and they are friendly, but she insinuated that it was more of an 'agree to disagree' conciliation, with regard to his attitude about the use of medication.

Regardless, I agree that Tom appears to be a very loving father who is totally committed to his family.

IMHO, Scientology is a cult and it's a total sham when they represent it as a religion. I think Tom Cruise has gone off the deep end.

I meant Huh???
not Hug???

I still can't see him as sincere...his behavior hurt his career and now he is sorry for some of his actions. He's trying to redeem himself and gain back what he once had IMHO. I didn't see the interview but I saw clips of it on other programs. I'm sure he loves his family, but he's still so full of himself and arrogant...I just can't get past that. I agree with Fran1523.....he's gone!

Here's my take on it. He is a nice guy who is quite powerful now with all the money he makes for the movie industry and himself. He and his wife have swallowed a cult's message and are controlled by it. All that power can go to one's head. Nevertheless, I think they are inexperienced, nice people who are misguided.

I found him to be measuring his words very carefully as he answered her questions. I also thought that he was emotionally very restrained throughout the show...and not in your everyday kind of calmness.

He is an actor and I got the impression he was acting a part that "showed" a side of him he needed the public to observe.

Stories have come out about Katie not being allowed to speak her own mind in public and he sure made it a point several times to state that she speaks for herself. Again, I thought he was trying to soothe the waters that imply she is under his/Scientology control.

I felt he was deliberately vague in his response to Nicole's place in the children's lives, and seemed eager to go on to another topic of discussion.

When he said this was the most relaxed he'd ever felt during an interview...did I believe him? Nope! I think he was only putting on a show for the audience.

And what's with Oprah saying she needed a break to Pee? For goodness sakes!!! I found it unbelievably crude of her to say that when she could have smiled and announced it was time for a potty break.

I didn't watch it because, IMHO, neither Oprah or Tom Cruise are sincere. I think they are both extremely manipulative and controlling, and they perform or act a certain way to try and ingratiate themselves to the public. I think they are both phonies to the core.

mona, I also thought the "pee " remark was really crude. Apparently, she's lost some manners. She chews with her mouth open, and talks with her mouth full. I would think she'd have more class, but she doesn't need to, she's Oprah, the Queen.

To me, Tom seemed very controlled. Not wanting to seem too emotional. What would happen if someone wanted to interview Katie only? Has anyone tried?

bestlawn, I don't think Tom's words were untruthful, because I do believe he and Nicole share custody of their children, as he told Oprah. But when he said that, I'm pretty sure he was referring to LEGAL custody of the kids, and not actual physical custody. He looked rather flustered when she brought up the subject of Nicole seeing the kids. His answer that she could see them 'whenever' just seemed kind of vague, like he was hoping Oprah wouldn't press further and ask him how it was decided that the kids would live with him, rather than their mother.

What I meant by saying that gossip magazines and entertainment/news shows usually leave no stone unturned, was simply that they always go overboard reporting the most trivial information possible. So in view of the fact that it's more common for a mother to have primary physical custody of the kids with (hopefully) unlimited visitation by the father, I just thought it strange that never once in People magazine or Entertainment Tonight have I seen them try to 'probe' into why it's the opposite case with Tom and Nicole. I will admit I'm curious if anyone has ever heard an interview where perhaps one of them mentioned how the custodial arrangements came to be.

I suppose it was because I admired Tom Cruise so much that his attitude towards Matt Lauer and Brooke Shields really disappointed me. It isn't what he believes that upsets me, it's how he denounces anyone who disagrees with him as being naive or ignorant, that irks me. I would never say that Scientology has absolutely no redeeming values, so it's so incredulous to hear him say that about psychiatry.

I became disenchanted with Tom Cruise's public behaviour with regard to his personal beliefs. But that doesn't affect my admiration for him as an actor, or make me doubt that he is anything but a loving husband and father. I felt the same about Charelton Heston.

I have it on my Tivo and haven't watched it yet, but I have read alot about it. I have seen comparisons to things he said during this interview to things he said in the past and he contradicts himself on occasion.

Personally, without even seeing the interview yet, I think he's trying to do some damage control. And whatever he says or how he acts...he is an actor by profession, and a good one at that. I keep that in mind when he speaks.

PickyShopper, what I was saying is he says they share custody. I took that as joint custody, which means none of us can assume there is a primary custodial parent based on what the tabloids say. We don't know if they live with him more than Nicole. The tabloids say "visiting" but how do they or we know it isn't time on her joint leg. You keep inferring they live with him and she gets visits. That's what I meant by you don't believe him and moreso believe the tabloids.

I don't keep up with any celebrities because their lives mean nothing to my own beyond their entertaining movies, music, whatever. But, I saw (or read) Katie being interviewed a year or two ago when in the interview she mentioned "when the kids are here." She was talking about their home life, her parents visiting, and the fun they all have together. Naturally, I assumed the statment meant when they come to visit. But, after hearing Tom yesterday, I no longer assumed he has scheduled visits and more than likely shares joint custody - meaning the kids are there probably six months of the year, whether that is bi-weekly, bi-monthly, six month stretches, or however he and Nicole work it out.

I don't understand what all the huppla is about. I thought he was off his rocker too until I received the explanations for most of them. Like him talking about the sonogram machine yesterday, when I and practically everyone here condemned him for it because we thought he had it for himself or some creepy Scientology purpose. After seeing her interview one or two years ago, I decided not to judge him anymore. And I really never saw anything so wrong and awful about him jumping on Oprah's sofa, exclaiming his love for Katie. However, I did judge him on other things, like what he said about Brooke Shields. On that, I took his word for it all came out wrong and he shouldn't have said it. Nevertheless, this is way too much occupation for me over someone who does not affect my life one way or the other. I dropped the charges (can't forgive because he didn't ask for forgiveness) I held against him because I wouldn't know if the guy is nuts or not. It hardly matters.

This reminds me of the Dixie Chicks. After what they said, and so much of the country finally after all this time feel the same as they did five years ago, it is still held against them. Great jeepers. There isn't anyone here who would not want to be forgiven for something they did at some point in their lives.

I'm in the definite minority here when it comes to Tom Cruise. I really like him and always have. I have never thought he was arrogant. He has always seemed like a genuinely nice, happy person to me who happens to be into scientology. Which I know too little about to comment on but it doesn't change my views of him either way. He seems like a very loving father and husband and very into his whole family. I'm not saying that he didn't say the things that he did in the past about Brooke Shields or to Matt Lauer but we see what they want us to see. A lot of times we are only shown part of what was actually said and it's usually not the nice part. I'm sure a lot of things that a lot of "stars" say are taken out of context.

I'm thinking part of the reason Nicole may not see the kids too much is because she seems to spend a lot of her time in Australia.

I'm with Fran on this one.

I just read an article last week that Tom Cruise and John Travolta believe that they have progressed so far in Scientology (cult) that they are now above the human level. I wish I had saved it so I could explain it better. It is definitely a weird, dangerous cult made up by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard who said he could get rich by inventing a religion.

Here is a link that might be useful: Learn about Scientology HERE

I'm with Fran, too. And, if Nicole wasn't a celebrity and in good standing with the public who would raise an outcry if she weren't allowed to see her children, she wouldn't be allowed to see her children. Anyone who leaves Scientology or who refuses to join with their spouse is considered a Suppresive Person and all contact with that person is broken. Scientology is a cult and it's a total sham to represent it as a religion, IMHO, too! BTW, it was first known as Dianetics, but they had to pay a lot of taxes because it was a business. So, they made a religion out of it to become tax exempt.

Leslie/KS

Oh Leslieeee. There is no public outcry about the price of gasoline, the sorry state of the economy, the war, President Bush, people losing their homes by the tens of thousands, or anything else that affects them. Would Nicole Kidman really be so much more important? Every person of every religion has rights as a parent in a court of law.

No, she's not more important than your examples. But, we the public make a fuss over seemingly trivial things and if Tom didn't let Nicole see the children, the public would protest in some manner. Plus, the media would probably set it up.

For instance, a city coucil can spend months discussing a water treatment plant for the city and get little or no feedback. But, if they try to crack down on chickens in the city limits, or too many cats running loose....well, Katy bar the door! Letters to the Editor, petitions, angry phone calls, etc.

And, FWIW, our court of law doesn't have much impact on the inner workings of some of these "religions", such as FLDS.

Honestly, I cannot argue with you there. The media really would make an awful big fuss.

Well, I stayed up a little longer to see if you'd reply and I appreciate your response. Now, I'm off to bed. The kids were here today and I'm pooped!

Goodnight, Mallory!....and all you night owl KTers :-)

Leslie/KS

I agree with Angela-Nor-calf.

Gayle

I have never been a big Tom Cruise fan, but I agree with Magic. He seemed sincere and he has a right to his opinions.

As for his beliefs on anti-depressants, and over medicating kids....I agree with that too. Some people may need it but not to the extent that doctors jump to prescribe it, including
dishing it out to children.

bestlawn, the only magazines I read are In Style and People, which I didn't catagorize as 'tabloids', but I guess in reality, People might be just one step up from the Enquirer. Admittedly, their habit of using the word 'visit' with regard to Nicole's time with the kids did make me assume that they might be living full time with Tom and Katie. But your point is well taken. The media might just word things that way to put their own spin on it, when Nicole might actually have the kids living at her ranch an equal amount of the time.

I'm glad that even though many of us have different opinions of Tom, this thread hasn't really become nasty, because that wasn't my intent. I'm actually a big Tom Cruise fan and I've never heard him to be other than an extremely dedicated actor and a generous and loving person. I was really put off by his condescending attitude when talking to Matt and about Brooke. However he seems to be extremely passionate about everything he cares about, and I don't believe he truly intended to sound like that, so I don't let that turn me against him in general. I was really was just curious to know if the kids do live with him full time, since Entertainment Tonight has surpisingly never mentioned it, even though they feel the need to announce when Katie gets a haircut!

I have lost all respect for Oprah, esp. after her talk of there not being just one God... but let's not go there because we'll get in trouble. It's her right to choose what to believe in and my right to turn her off! Tom Cruise, who the heck knows... a little weird maybe? Yrs. ago, I lived in Miami, and while shopping in Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, was approached by a couple of people doing a "personality" questionnaire. They were very pushy. My friend took the test, which, btw, was about 1 1/2 hrs. long! When she finished, they walked us over to a an office they had set up nearby and proceeded to tell her all kinds of s--- regarding what the test showed about her and how, if she joined this group, she would find happiness, etc... Their pitch went on forever and they wouldn't give up. They went as far as grabbing her arm when she tried to leave. I was getting scared because they were so aggressive. They were Scientologists. When they saw they couldn't recruit her, they gave her one of Hubbards books and then pestered her at home for wks.! My friend was, and still is a Christian, so you can imagine how well this all went over. They never told her they were Scientologists until they had us in that room. Things might be different now but they sure went about recruiting in a frightening way. No, thanks. Weird...