Can Tom Cruise Make 'Digger' a Hit Through Sheer Force of Will?

This P-Love marks my last, for now. I had a blast doing these, and hopefully I’ll get the chance again sometime. Have a great rest of the week, everyone!

The critical embargo on Digger has lifted, and things aren’t looking too hot for the film. On paper, the movie seems like a fun satire, but maybe it’s more like Don’t Look Up in execution. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see whether Cruise’s press push can bring an audience in. His support of the Paramount merger doesn’t bode well for his ability to read the room, and that recent interview was pretty weird, but what do I know? (Lainey Gossip)

Renée Zellweger has been named in a lawsuit by a woman who injured her knee at Zellweger’s boyfriend’s place. I’m not sure what Zellweger has to do with it, but covering a hole with a rug is like, cartoon-level nonsense. (Jezebel)

As many of you already know, Senate Republicans hauled in Jack Smith and tried to pull a “gotcha” ambush yesterday. The resulting chaos was so embarrassing that instead of being Eric Schmidtt’s audition for JD Vance’s future running mate, it’s probably made him a permanent laughingstock. (Wonkette)

Orrin Grey remembers Forbidden Planet, one of the most iconic sci-fi films to ever do it. I remember watching it for the first time and being blown away by young Leslie Nielsen, who I only knew at the time from Naked Gun and Dracula: Dead & Loving It. (Unwinnable)

Howard Stern swung by Kimmel and said there’d be “hell to pay” if ABC doesn’t renew the show. With how fearful the networks seem to be right now, who knows? (LateNighter)

Actual goddess Audra McDonald did the Maria Bamford questionnaire. Her answer to question 12 resonated with me, as someone who also feels anxiety about everything. (Vulture)

The Batmobile from Batman Returns (the best Batman in my humble opinion) is going up for auction, with predictions reaching the neighborhood of $7 million. (CountryUpdates)

Learning that “no” is a complete sentence can be difficult, especially when you’re used to explaining and justifying yourself. Unlearning takes a lifetime, but it’s worth the work. (Scary Mommy)

Mikey Madison showed up to the UK premiere of The Social Reckoning wearing what might be her best red carpet look thus far. It’s definitely a weird dress, but it’s charming and she seems to feel great in it. (Go Fug Yourself)

In related news, Aaron Sorkin looked utterly ridiculous at the UK event. It feels like “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Did no one on his team say something? (Page Six)

Leonardo DiCaprio made a horrifying discovery and wrote all about it. (Clickhole)

Christopher Abbot got a bit of an underwhelmed reaction to his D23 appearance as the new Professor X. (A.V. Club)

Allen Drury’s 1959 novel, Advise and Consent, made ingres77 think about the rise and fall of American economic dominance in the last century and its fallout in this century. “I think this novel is less interesting as a 600-page political thriller than it is a snapshot of a time when America was trying to define itself as the righteous opposition to a political and economic system that increasingly appeared to be a viable contender for who would lead the world into the space age.” Which political thrillers have made you think deeply? (Cannonball Read 18)