Cruise and Lee Anne: New mission

Los Angeles, Nov. 8 (AP): Tom Cruise has replaced his sister with a Hollywood insider as chief handler of his publicity.

The 43-year-old actor hired veteran publicist Paul Bloch, who’s also a co-chairman for publicity firm Rogers & Cowan, according to the Daily Variety trade paper. Bloch will oversee publicity for his company Cruise-Wagner Productions, too.

Bloch replaces Cruise’s sister, Lee Anne DeVette, who took over in March 2004 after he left long-time representative Pat Kingsley.

“Lee Anne has done a wonderful job on behalf of myself and Cruise-Wagner Productions over the last few years,” Cruise said in a statement. “But she has always expressed a desire to oversee and expand the day-to-day activities of my charitable endeavours.”

The shakeup comes after Cruise generated some negative publicity earlier this year by criticising Brooke Shields for taking anti-depression drugs and by berating Today host Matt Lauer for suggesting that psychiatric treatment might help some patients.

He also created a sensation on The Oprah Winfrey Show, when he got down on his knees and repeatedly jumped up on the talk-show host’s couch, saying his love for actor Katie Holmes was “beyond cool”.

Cruise and Holmes, 26, went public with their relationship in April.

They became engaged in June, and she is now pregnant with their first child.