People News
Sumner and Tom's power struggle
Nov 18, 2006, 8:00 GMT
Tom Cruise was reportedly dropped by Paramount Pictures, because owner Sumner Redstone wanted to show how powerful he was.
Former Hollywood agent Sue Mengers says Redstone's decision not to renew Cruise's contract was "outrageous" and he only made the move to get "attention".
Mengers told Vanity Fair magazine: "I think Sumner Redstone will do anything for attention. It's what started all this. The consensus in the film community is that what he did to Tom Cruise was outrageous. He did it just to prove he is still alive."
Paramount studios say they decided not to renew Cruise's contract earlier this year after growing frustrated with his increasingly erratic behaviour, which included jumping on Oprah Winfrey's sofa to declare his love for fiancée Katie Holmes.
Redstone - chief of Viacom, the company which owns Paramount - recently claimed he dropped Cruise because his wife Paula found him a turn-off and he is no longer considered a sex symbol.
(C) BANG Media International
