Cruise, Kimmel Fire Up New Friendship

Tom Cruise and Jimmy Kimmel team up for hilarious promo spot on Oscars special; Mel Gibson rolls out spoof trailer

By Gina Serpe Feb 23, 2009 3:15 PMTags

Slumdog may have swept last night's Oscars, but it took a TomKat to really kill. And we really do mean kill.

What Jimmy Kimmel Live's annual Oscar night special lacked in X-rated Matt Damon and Ben Affleck musical montages, it made up for with 30 of the arguably most entertaining seconds of the night, a tall order, given Hugh Jackman's mostly rave reviews.

During the Academy Awards, Kimmel aired an action-packed promo for his late-night yukfest featuring none other than Tom Cruise—a vengeful, cat-fabricating, newly homeless Tom Cruise. In Kimmel's post-Oscars telecast, Cruise delved deeper into what went into crafting the would-be YouTube hit (hint: "Jimmy kept calling and calling…begging") in Behind the Scenes of the Jimmy Kimmel Live Thirty Second Promo.

But the encounter wasn't quite the mutual admiration society Kimmel may have been hoping for.

"I've worked with so many great actors in my career," Cruise said. "This is a nice change.

"I dig your stuff, too…the Top 10 list? That's hilarious. And the Jay-walking, I love that stuff."

Meanwhile, like the Oscars themselves, Kimmel attempted to offer a little something for everyone, unveiling a trailer for the mercifully awards-deprived The Curious Case of Benjamin Batman.

For those who prefer a little awkwardness with their action and bromance, Mel Gibson also appeared as the night's Oscar-approved guest.

After getting bid shalom by Kimmel, Gibson went on to discuss his notoriety as an on-set practical joker—that bit with Malibu sheriff's deputies was a doozy—his wannabe copyright of the term sugartits, and his brief mentoring of Britney Spears, calling her "a good kid."

But as the night was first and foremost about movies, Gibson also took time to unveil his highly secretive, finger-lickin' new Civil War project, The Colonel.

Needless to say, it was more fun than a bucket of chicken barrel of monkeys.