Tom Cruise

There was a moment there, when Tom Cruise showed up live on the MTV Movie Awards in character as aggressive, dynamite-loud film producer Les Grossman, when we were really, really nervous. Sure, he killed it in 'Tropic Thunder,' and he'd been rocking the taped promos for the awards show but ... live? Seriously?

Seriously. With a three-minute booty-shakin' performance, the actor himself officially ended the era of Tom Cruise bashing. Oprah's couch? Scientology? The eyepatch in 'Valkyrie'? Fuhgeddaboudit! Cruise became definitively cool again with his live appearance, complete with swaggerific undone bow-tie and J-Lo as his dance partner.

PopEater speculated a few weeks back that the national relationship with Tom Cruise was set to careen toward all-out hate or ascend back to love. We're thrilled to say we can be all about Tom Cruise again.

When the time came for Best Picture, Cruise reappeared as a presenter (as himself) with 'Knight and Day' co-star Cameron Diaz, clearly in on the joke of his amazing performance earlier in the night. "Love you all," he murmured before launching into the prepared spiel. Even while introducing the nominees, Cruise could hardly stop cracking up at the Les Grossman-inspired catcalls from the audience.