dixonthum

Chinese New Year is just around the corner again!!! I believe most of us are well-prepared for the auspicious day. A colleague of Mein gave her a box of home-made cupcakes to her as her farewell gift-cum-CNY gift. Very cute! Her friend made them on her own. How thoughtful…

And frankly speaking, I have been in a dilemma whether to start giving out angpows this year or not, as Mein & I are lawfully married. However, we have come out with a conclusion of NOT giving away any angpows this year because, to be exact, we are still NOT traditionally married. Meaning we have yet go through any Chinese customs like the traditional tea-drinking ceremony and bride-fetching ceremony still. So, in a nutshell, WE ARE NOT GIVING OUT ANGPOWS (yet) THIS YEAR!!!

Therefore, if anyone I know as me for angpow this year, please be prepared to be slapped! (Haha! Just kidding!) I guess I’ll just have to explain the reason again and again to anyone who ask.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY & PROSPEROUS OX YEAR!!!

新年快乐，万事如意！

I watched Oprah on the last day of 2008 and it was on Tom Cruise 25 Years, a tribute to him on his hardwork and achievements in films since 1983. Frankly speaking, TC has been an inspiring man to myself since I was young as he is someone whom we can look up to as a person and a movie star. He is born with some kind of magic which can attract people effortlessly (Well, at least to me he is…).

As the tribute went along, there were a lot of stars giving their best wishes to TC on his celebration of his career like Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith, Renee Zellwegger, Dustin Hoffman, Steven Spielberg, Jamie Foxx and Dakota Fanning. Suddenly, something strucked my mind. I noticed that most of the people whom TC worked with are great actors and actresses. Most of them have won an Oscar themselves be it co-starring with TC or not.

Did some “research” on the Net (Thanks to www.imdb.com and www.tomcruise.com), and found out the list of Oscar-winning actors/actresses whom have acted with TC before (from 1981 until 2007).

Presenting the filmography list of TC. The list below may not be accurate but I have tried my best to compile them… Enjoy!

Year : 1981

Movie : Taps

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

George C. Scott – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1971 for Patton

Sean Penn – Best Actor in a Leading Role 2004 for Mystic River

Year : 1983

Movie : Outsiders

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 1983

Movie : Risky Business

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 1983

Movie : All the Right Moves

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 1985

Movie : Legend

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 1986

Movie : Top Gun

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Tim Robbins – Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2004 for Mystic River

Year : 1986

Movie : The Color of Money

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Paul Newman – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1987 for this movie

Year : 1988

Movie : Cocktail

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 1988

Movie : Rain Man

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Dustin Hoffman – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1989 for this movie

Year : 1989

Movie : Born in the Fourth of July

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

*TC was nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role 1990 for this movie

Year : 1990

Movie : Days of Thunder

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Robert Duvall – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1984 for Tender Mercies

Nicole Kidman – Best Actress in a Leading Role 2003 for The Hours

Year : 1992

Movie : Far and Away

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Nicole Kidman – Best Actress in a Leading Role 2003 for The Hours

Year : 1992

Movie : A Few Good Men

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Jack Nicholson – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1976 for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Best Actor in Supporting Role 1984 for Terms of Endearment, Best Actor in a Leading Role 1998 for As Good As It Gets

Year : 1993

Movie : The Firm

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Gene Hackman – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1972 for The French Connection, Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1993 for Unforgiven

Holly Hunter – Best Actress in a Leading Role 1994 for The Piano

Year : 1994

Movie : Interview with the Vampire

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 1996

Movie : Mission:Impossible

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Jon Voight – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1979 for Coming Home

Year : 1996

Movie : Jerry Maguire

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Cuba Gooding Jr. – Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1997 for this movie

Renee Zellwegger – Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2004 for Cold Mountain

*TC was nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role 1997 for this movie

Year : 1999

Movie : Eyes Wide Shut

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Nicole Kidman – Best Actress in a Leading Role 2003 for The Hours

Year : 1999

Movie : Magnolia

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Best Actor in a Leading Role 2006 for Capote

Jason Robards – Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1977 for All the President’s Men, Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1978 for Julia

*TC was nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2000 for this movie

Year : 2000

Movie : Mission:Impossible II

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 2001

Movie : Vanilla Sky

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Tilda Swinton – Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2008 for Michael Clayton

Year : 2002

Movie : Minority Report

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 2003

Movie : The Last Samurai

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 2004

Movie : Collateral

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Jamie Foxx – Best Actor in a Leading Role 2005 for Ray

Javier Bardem – Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2008 for No Country for Old Men

Year : 2005

Movie : War of the Worlds

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

None

Year : 2006

Movie : Mission:Impossible III

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Best Actor in a Leading Role 2006 for Capote

Year : 2007

Movie : Lions for Lambs

Oscar-winning actor/actress co-starred with TC in this movie :

Robert Redford – Honorary Award

Meryl Streep – Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer, Best Actress in a Leading Role 1983 for Sophie’s Choice

What I’ve learnt from the list is that we can see TC is someone who has worked extremely hard throughout his 25 years in the film industry and it is something everyone should look up to. But I feel that he’s not as lucky as his other companions who have earned Oscars for their effort and performance… or maybe, he’s just not as hardworking as they are! Haha! No offense!

TC, keep up the great performance and many more years to come!!! Peace!