There’s a new feud in Tinseltown, and it’s already gone too far. A war of words erupted between Dr. Drew Pinsky and reps for Tom Cruise this week after the “Celebrity Rehab” doc tried his hand at a little long-distance public “diagnosis.” That’s when Team Tom took it to the next level by comparing Drew to another famous doctor, Adolf Hitler’s Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels.
“A lot of people in the public eye who behave strangely have mental illness we can learn from, and much of it is based on childhood trauma, without a doubt,” the M.D. told Playboy magazine. “Take a guy like Tom Cruise. Why would somebody be drawn into a cultish kind of environment like Scientology? To me, that’s a function of a very deep emptiness and suggests serious neglect in childhood — maybe some abuse, but mostly neglect.”
Maybe someone should have warned the good doctor the folks at Camp Cruise wouldn’t let a statement like that go by without a fast and furious response. Enter Bert Fields, Tom’s legal mouthpiece, who spoke to the New York Post’s Page Six about Dr. Drew’s opinion.
“This unqualified television performer, who is obviously just looking for notoriety, is so grotesquely unprofessional as to pretend to diagnose Tom and others without ever meeting them,” the lawyer said. “He seems to be spewing the absurdity that all Scientologists are mentally ill. The last time we heard garbage like this was from Joseph Goebbels.”
Now it’s back to Dr. D, who's ready to apologize (sort of) for his maybe-malfeasance — but only to Tommy boy, not the sharp-tongued attorney. “Although Mr. Fields’ intent is clearly to slander and discredit Dr. Drew, under no circumstances is Dr. Drew making a blanket diagnosis about Scientology nor Mr. Cruise, whom he does not know,” his rep said. “Dr. Drew was simply using Mr. Cruise as an example of someone who is recognizable to help the public understand. Again, Dr. Drew meant him no harm.”
Angelina Jolie: I still love Billy BobLong before Angelina Jolie embarked on a big brood with partner Brad Pitt, her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton filled the headlines. The couple’s whirlwind relationship, which included tattoos and blood bobbles, ended in divorce back in 2003. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Angelina explains, despite the suddenly cold end to their romance, she still loves her ex.
When asked if she regretted anything about her past with Billy Bob, like those notorious matching vials of blood they were said to wear, Angelina said, “No!” And for the record, she added, “It was never a vial anyway. It was like a flower press. It was like from a slight cut on your finger and you press your fingerprint in. It was kind of a sweet gesture. I thought it was kind of romantic!”
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Celebrity Sightings
As for the relationship itself, the “Wanted” star said she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I still love (Billy Bob) dearly and think the world of him and I’m proud to have been his wife for a time.
“I don’t believe in regrets. It’s a dangerous habit to get into — it makes you pause in your life if you start thinking back and questioning yourself,” Angelina assured the magazine.
Dish on the flyNo wonder Jennifer Aniston’s all smiles lately. According to OK! magazine, her main man, John Mayer, knows just how to please a lady. “John is good in bed,” said a friend of the singer-songwriter. “Not just good, but sensational. Every girl I know who has slept with John says it was the best sex of their life. I’m not sure what exactly he does in bed, but after girls sleep with him, they’re ruined. They get totally hung up on him and want more! Whatever John’s secret is, he should market it. He could retire from the music industry.” … The book Lynne Spears shelved last December will see the light of day after all. “When Jamie Lynn got pregnant, it was put on hold,” a spokesman for publisher Thomas Nelson told People. “Lynne never stopped working on it because she wants to express her love for her children and tell their stories through a mother’s eyes.” But it looks like Jamie Lynn’s unexpected news changed the course of her mom’s book. The proposed title of “Pop Culture Mom” was dropped in favor of “Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World,” and though the tome was originally billed as a parenting book, Lynne’s co-author Lorilee Craker now says, no, “it’s a memoir.”
Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Ree Hines.