== Are you Tom Cruise crazy? = By Mark Morford

Yes, the tiny megastar proves he's all kinds of nuts in a bizarre video. But how about you?

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/01/23/notes012308.DTL&nl=fix

Here is something you can do.

Set up that nifty little Flip Video camera you got for Christmas just over there next to your couch. Now, plop yourself down in front of it and have a friend sit just off to the side and then both of you slam about nine shots of vodka followed by nine more of extra-strong espresso and then hit the "Record" button as she begins to question you about your deepest beliefs on How the World Really Works, and you answer them employing only tense, cryptic bursts of pseudo-lingo that make sense only to you and the houseplants, all while making sure you suddenly burst out laughing as maniacally as possible at random intervals and never ever blink. Won't that be fun?

And then you can compare. You can go back to your computer and re-watch the now-famous Tom Cruise Scientology video currently winging across the planet like a wacky Ebola virus, and contrast it with your swell little video and go: See? See that? No matter how hard I try, no matter how weird I think I am and no matter how heavily my therapist sighs every time I bring up my love of Shania Twain and banana sandwiches and "Battlestar Galactica" collectibles, I am not nearly as insane as Tom Cruise. Life is going to be OK.

Ah yes, the Tom Cruise Scientology indoctrination video. Surely by now you've seen this little hunk of pop culture manna? Surely, at least, someone you know has watched the video and has described it to you in amazed, slightly disturbed tones and you've maybe responded by shrugging and saying: No no no, it couldn't be that weird ... could it? ...

Hunter S. Thompson I speak of

My favorite line:

It finally removes all doubt that one of the wealthiest and most successful celebrities of this generation is, indisputably, many, many fries short of a Happy Meal.

He never disappoints.