Tom Cruise's best role: Maverick or Maguire?

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

Maverick, or Jerry Maguire? The toothy "Top Gun" pilot, or the toothy sports agent who wants to show Cuba Gooding Jr. the money?

TriStar Pictures, Getty file

Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire," at left, and "Top Gun."

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Tom Cruise has been playing heroes and hunks since the 1980s -- it's as natural to him as the daily commute is to us. He'll tackle another role this week, playing drone repairman Jack Harper in the futuristic world of a shattered Earth in the new movie "Oblivion."

But what's his #1 best role, the iconic character that simply screams Cruise? Let's run through the contenders.

Jon Furniss / AP

Early roles: Sometimes you just have to say ...
Sometimes, a first encounter never fades. Cruise had roles in "Taps," "The Outsiders," "All the Right Moves" and even "Endless Love" before he hit it big as high-schooler Joel Goodson in "Risky Business." But there's no doubt that it was Joel, with his Ray-Bans and his encounter with Guido the Killer Pimp, who cemented the image of Cruise as a handsome smoothie with charm to spare.

Serious drama, from brothers in arms to a new brother
Cruise didn't just reach for the easy, crowd-pleasing roles -- sometimes he played men who were struggling, internally and externally. In "Rain Man," he played car dealer Charlie Babbitt, who must come to terms with the autistic brother (Dustin Hoffman) he never knew. In "Born on the Fourth of July," he hid his magazine-cover looks to portray Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, confined to a wheelchair and disillusioned by the war he fought. And in "Magnolia," Cruise was nominated for an Oscar for the role of Frank, written especially for him by Paul Thomas Anderson. In his dramatic roles, Cruise found a new path -- the handsome guy who has to fall down before he can get up again stronger and smarter.

Poking fun at himself?
Is that Tom Cruise? Really? The star proved he could laugh at himself, and steal every scene he was in, when he played balding, dumpy Les Grossman ?in "Tropic Thunder." This image will never be the first mental picture we keep of Cruise, but it went a long way towards bringing back some fans who'd been turned off by the actor thanks to his Oprah couch-jumping and other public missteps. (Watch Grossman's famed dance here, note explicit lyrics in background.)

Action hero
There's no question Cruise looks like an action hero -- all except for his 5-foot-something height. But he measured up when he took on the "Mission: Impossible" franchise and the role of Ethan Hunt. Cruise especially shone in the sequel, "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," which featured some terrifying stunts off the world's tallest building, Dubai's?Burj Khalifa. And Cruise acquitted himself admirably as drifter hero "Jack Reacher" in the 2012 film based on Lee Child's books, although his height was an issue to fans of Child's novels, in which Reacher's height is a big part of his character.

Maverick vs. Maguire
Yet when it comes right down to it, two roles rise above the rest.

In 1986's?"Top Gun," Cruise's model looks and boyish charm helped him create headstrong Maverick, the naval aviator with the need for speed. A tragedy involving a friend shakes his world, but he battles back, with the help of new love Charlie (Kelly McGillis) and unexpected friendship from an unlikely corner (Val Kilmer's Iceman). In a way, the Maverick role was everything Cruise did best -- he was handsome, daring, reckless, beaten down by tragedy and resurrected by courage under fire. It's hard not to hear Cruise's name and picture the cocky thumbs-up pose from the "Top Gun" poster.

But a full decade later, Cruise took on the title role in "Jerry Maguire," and while he was just as cocky and handsome as ever, something had changed. This was a more adult Cruise, breaking out on his own as a sports agent due to a sudden attack of conscience. Cruise managed not one, not two, but three strong relationships in this film. Cuba Gooding Jr. demanded Cruise "show him the money," Renee Zellweger assured him "you had me at hello," and little Jonathan Lipnicki brought out his fatherly instincts.

Would Maverick have turned into Jerry Maguire 10 years down the line, with a different career under his belt and a little boy in his life? Maybe. Cruise is nothing if not consistent, and his roles, from the self-parodying Les Grossman to the boyish Joel Goodson, always somehow reflect the movie star and the man. Vote and tell us if Maverick, Jerry Maguire, or another role is Cruise's absolute best.

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/04/19/17812123-tom-cruises-best-role-maverick-or-jerry-maguire?lite

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Exclusive: SocGen mulls up to 700 job cuts ? union sources

By Editor - Fri Apr 05, 5:04 pm

By Lionel Laurent and Matthias Blamont PARIS (Reuters) ? French bank Societe Generale may cut between 600 and 700 jobs as part of a broader cost-cutting drive in the face of stagnant growth in its home market, three union sources told Reuters on Friday. SocGen management met with unions on Wednesday to discuss the proposals, which have not yet been finalized, the sources said. The cuts, which will largely target back office staff in IT and compliance roles, will be partly offset by up to 100 new jobs created elsewhere, they added. ?

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Exclusive: SocGen mulls up to 700 job cuts ? union sources

Source: http://www.thenewsworld.info/exclusive-socgen-mulls-up-to-700-job-cuts-union-sources-2.html

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Everything You Need To Know About Auto Insurance | Jim ...

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Buying the right insurance for your car is essential to prevent financial difficulties when an accident occurs. The article below will describe how to ask the right questions from your broker or agent, what coverage to buy and how to avoid duplicate coverage. Read the article and ask the right questions from your insurance professional.

Try to keep a good driving records. Having tickets or accidents on your driving record can raise your rates on your insurance policy. There are times when you can?t avoid the accident or ticket, so you should check out traffic school to see if this will help clean your record and make your insurance premiums lower.

Getting married, especially if you are an under-25 male driver, can save you a significant amount on your car insurance. There are people that have found they saved almost 40% on their insurance after getting married. If there is a significant other in your life, walking them down the aisle might walk down your insurance premiums.

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When your claim is less that $25,000 you should try to settle it without the assistance of lawyers. It is important to simply work with claims adjusters to settle on an agreement. Often, the cost of an attorney excedes what he or she might save you in court.

TIP! In most states you are required to have a liability insurance in order to get your car on the road. All citizens should know how much insurance coverage is necessary in your state.

Only insure those drivers who actually use your car. This can help keep you from paying too much for auto insurance. Your premium will be reduced if you remove drivers from your policy. Since driver under 25 pay higher rates, you can lower your monthly insurance premium by removing young drivers from your policy.

Get rates from many different insurance companies before you select the right one for your automobile. You may have to search for the ideal rate.

Keep on file all records of all insurance bills you paid. This is great if you ever run into any problems with your insurance provider as you now have physical proof.

TIP! If you want lower car insurance premiums, think about raising the deductibles of the policy. Because people with higher deductibles typically file fewer claims, insurance companies typically charge less for customers who maintain a high deductible.

When you are considering car insurance quotes, the amount of your annual premium will cost is just a minimal part of the factors you need to consider. You also need to familiarize yourself with the details of a policy, such as the amount of the deductible, the coverage levels and the limitations of any benefits.

Coverage on policies can vary; therefore, it is important to understand what coverage is included in your policy. There are coverages for a wide array of insurance needs. In order to get other types of coverage, including collision and comprehensive, you need to actively request them. Make sure the coverage you are paying for covers what you need it to cover.

Usually, you will end up paying a larger amount than someone who has a clean record. Some insurance companies even help drivers who have a few bad records get a good rate.

TIP! By choosing the deductible that is the highest amount, your premium will be the lowest it can be. A higher deductible means you will have to cover the cost of minor accidents, but you will still be covered in the event of a total loss or if you cause an accident.

Car insurance can save your life in the event of an accident. Choosing the right coverage is important, as a crash can ruin your life if you can?t pay the associated costs. Use the helpful information you learned here to help you obtain the coverage that is right for you.

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Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-auto-insurance-2/

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Bank of England leaves rates, QE unchanged

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England left monetary policy unchanged on Thursday, voting as expected to stick with last month's decision not to buy more government bonds to bolster Britain's stagnant economy.

The decision comes despite finance minister George Osborne saying on Wednesday that Britain's economy would grow much more slowly than expected over the next three years and that a key debt reduction goal would not be met.

The forecasts also showed Britain's economy was likely to shrink over the last three months of 2012 - a prospect reinforced by weak trade data earlier on Thursday and downbeat purchasing managers' surveys this week.

After a two-day meeting, the BoE's nine-member Monetary Policy Committee said its main interest rate would stay at a record-low 0.5 percent and it would not add to the 375 billion pounds ($603 billion) of bonds it has bought so far.

None of the 66 economists polled by Reuters last week had expected a change in interest rates or in the BoE's quantitative easing bond buying total, and there was no immediate market reaction to the decision.

"October's rise in inflation, the deal to transfer interest receipts ... to the government as well as doubts about the impact of more QE in the current economic environment, makes it reluctant to do more," said Joost Beaumont, an economist at Dutch bank ABN AMRO.

Britain recorded economic growth of 1.0 percent in the third quarter of 2012, marking an end to nine months of recession - its second since the 2008-09 financial crisis.

But most of the rebound was driven by a technical bounce due to the London Olympics and extra public holidays in the preceding quarter.

STICKY INFLATION

Last month's decision not to loosen monetary policy further was driven by an unexpectedly big jump in inflation in October to 2.7 percent, as well as a government decision to take back gilt interest paid to the BoE, which was tantamount to about 35 billion pounds of extra asset purchases.

Consumer price inflation has been above the BoE's 2 percent target since December 2009.

Economists are roughly split on whether the BoE will restart asset purchases in future. However, any restart is not expected before February at the earliest, when the BoE publishes its next quarterly economic update.

"Doubts over the momentum of the recovery suggest there will still be some serious discussions over whether to sanction further asset purchases," said Investec economist Philip Shaw.

"Our own view is that the economy will show some signs of life again over the next couple of months and that inflation will climb above 3 percent early next year, and so we do not expect the MPC to extend QE in 2013. But this could be a close run thing," he added.

BoE Governor Mervyn King and his deputy governor Charlie Bean both left the door open to future asset purchases in statements last week, while one MPC member, Paul Fisher, told a parliament committee that the economy might well need more stimulus early next year.

Analysts were also surprised when Ben Broadbent, whom most place at the more hawkish end of the MPC, said he had mulled further stimulus in November.

In the longer term, the future of the BoE's asset purchases will lie in the hands of King's successor, current Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who takes over in London in July.

A further key factor will be the success of the BoE's Funding for Lending Scheme, which started in August and aims to spur lending and lower households' and firms' borrowing costs by offering banks cheap finance if they lend more.

(Reporting by David Milliken and Olesya Dmitracova; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bank-england-leaves-rates-qe-unchanged-121934913--business.html

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