Media wages war on Tom Cruise

Elizabeth Berkley to guest star on 'L Word'

By LIZ SMITH

Cruise

Berkley

PEOPLE KEEP piling on Tom Cruise these days as if he did something terribly wrong in wanting to make a historical movie about the plot to assassinate Hitler back during World War II.

The efforts of these dedicated officers to rid their country of Hitler remain one of the heroic stories of that war. But my good friend Roger Friedman of Fox TV and even the saucy Radar magazine keep going at Tom for his failure in getting "Valkyrie" made against all odds.

They write about this as if it was a vulgar horrid idea in the first place, an affront to serious filmmaking.

But whether the ultimate film is good or bad (and nobody sets out to make a "bad" movie, as Elizabeth Taylor used to say) and whether Tom ever pulls it off -- will someone please explain to me why it was so wrong for him even to attempt it? (Seems to me Cruise has as much right to make a movie about war as he did when he played triumphantly as a paralyzed Vietnam vet in "Born on the 4th of July," for which he was Oscar-nominated.)

The idea for "Valkyrie" seems very much in the vein of other historical cinematic looks at war -- films extolled from the likes of Tom Hanks, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, to name just a few. I'm not crazy about the tabloid idea of Tom Cruise as Scientology's "control freak" either, but this vision of him has nothing to do with his attempt to make a good movie. More power to him!

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THE RED-HEADED Arlene Dahl is just about "The Last of the Mohicans" from MGM's glory days and celebrated her 80th at Swifty's with 40 famous friends and plenty of others who were "cryin' to get in."

Dahl has had five marriages and is replete with handsome children and a clutch of grandkids. She has found happiness in a 25-year wedlock to NYC's designer Marc Rosen and the evening's spoken tributes all included him.

Many raved about Arlene who starred with Fred Astaire in "Three Little Words," to name one triumph. Rex Reed spoke, saying Arlene had been his favorite since he was 8 years old, growing up in Texas. I especially liked Michael Feinstein coming by to sing a naughty Irving Berlin version of "You're the Top." Joan Rivers and Elaine Stritch sent best wishes from London.

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ELIZABETH BERKLEY is the girl Hollywood did wrong. Well known as a TV star on "Saved By The Bell," she suddenly became an acting pariah after appearing in her first movie, 1995's "Showgirls."

She's worked hard since then to come back -- and she has! And now, in what is perhaps a sly nod to the Sapphic innuendos of "Showgirls," Elizabeth is set to guest star on the sixth and final season of Showtime's groundbreaking, provocative series "The L Word," scheduled to premiere early in 2009.

Elizabeth will appear in four of the eight episodes now filming in Vancouver, B.C. This will re-team her with her pal, "L Word" star Jennifer Beals. They worked together on the little indie movie "Roger Dodger" back in 2002.

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HOLLYWOOD said so long last week to the formidable Bernie Brillstein, agent, manager, coddler and generator of talent. He was the last of his kind, maybe the first! I'll never forget meeting this genial guy, dancing the night away with him in Studio 54. After, we remained tight. I never had a problem he didn't try to solve for me. Surely will miss this man who helped make the Muppets, John Belushi, Gilda Radner possible.