Tom Cruise: Like him, or hate him?

[Chordata]

It's a Friday, cut me some slack.

I've gone from a like-hate-like relationship with Tom over the years.

Absolutely loved his earlier movies: Risky Business and Top Gun are great. First Mission Impossible even is pretty good.

In the last 10 or so years, though, I really started disliking the guy. Probably it was his off-camera antics. All the Scientology babble, kidnapping Katie Holmes, the "you're glib" remark to Matt Lauer, the squirtgun incident, etc.

Last week I heard Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Stiller on the Stern show talking about Tom Cruise as the nicest, sweetest man who will sit and listen to you talk for hours, talk to your old man about b.s., watch a football game with you, etc. A normal guy.

I always enjoy hearing that celebrities are "normal" people. I met several when I worked at Letterman that either made me dislike them (Bill Cosby for instance) or like them more (Natalie Portman for instance) based upon how they were in person.

So for this random Friday-before-Memorial-Day post, what say you about Mr. Cruise? Like him or hate him?

[P.S.: No "wrong forum" crap. He's an actor, he belongs in Movies Discussion.]