Cruise And Winfrey Host Gig For Nobel Winner

Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey hosted a concert in Oslo, Norway on Saturday (11DEC04) to pay tribute to this year's NOBEL PEACE PRIZE winner WANGARI MAATHAI.

The 64-year-old Kenyan, who won the prize for her environmental work and promoting ecological, social and economic reforms, was entertained by JOSS STONE, Andrea Bocelli, Patti Labelle, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall and CYNDI LAUPER.

Cruise took the opportunity to speak about his controversial scientology religion, as well as honour Maathai.

The Collateral hunk said, "One of the things that we believe in (as Scientologists) is peace, freedom. I'm just proud to be here, and very proud to be a Scientologist here and to be part of this."

Chat show queen Winfrey enthused, "I'm here because, first of all, when the Nobel Committee calls, you try to answer with a yes.

"I like to go wherever Tom Cruise might be. You have the Nobel Committee and Tom Cruise - who's gonna say no to that?

"What a momentous occasion this is for not just African women, but particularly for African girls. In Maathai, African girls have a role model they can look at and say, 'I want to be like her.'"