HOT CRUISE

Remember that strange ploy by Life magazine to promote/test its November cover? It had Tom Cruise right-side up and Paul Newman upside-down east of the Mississippi and vice-versa in the West--and both versions side-by-side at newsstands in 20 select cities. All “to see who is the hottest,” per a Life exec.

The outcome: Cruise trounced his “Color of Money” co-star. In some areas, particularly the West, the Cruise-side-ups outsold Newman by as much as 70%-30%. Overall, Cruise won 55%-45%.

SI Peter H. Brown