So Tom Cruise is heading back to the couch. No, not in the psychiatric sense of the word, heaven forefend, but back to Oprah’s couch. (Although, it could be argued that O is America’s pop psychologist.)
It’s been three whole years since the infamous couch-jumping episode and 25 years since the release of the movie that made Cruise a star, Risky Business, and so the worlds’ most famous Scientologist will be returning for a two-part, one-on-one episode with Winfrey. The two will tackle such topics as the star’s controversial religion, his “Today” show tete-a-tete with Matt Lauer, and whether or not he finds her new couch as jump-worthy. OK, so they probably won’t discuss that, but they will be discussing the original couch-jumping episode; which was, for Cruise, the equivalent of “jumping the shark,” ironically enough.

Like my sincerest hope that Britney Spears will clean up her life and return to being the paradigm of guilty pleasure she once was, I want Cruise to regain some of that Maverick mojo. And, I think the American public would like to see him atop the box office again, too. How much more malevolent glee can we glean from watching another Cruise vehicle crash and burn? Regardless of Cruise’s bizarre behavior and his beliefs, the man can act. I’m tired of seeing talented thespians go the way of Kevin Costner. So, maybe, just maybe Cruise will have a chance to redeem himself and resurrect his career on the couch of Oprah.
What do you think? Do you think Cruise the box office draw he once had? Do you think Oprah’s interview will help?