And you thought Cruise couldn't get weirder...

[RebelFencer]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4918012.stm

"Actor Tom Cruise has said he plans to eat the placenta of his new baby.
"I thought that would be good," he told GQ magazine. "Very nutritious. I'm gonna eat the cord and the placenta right there."

It is the latest in a series of unusual revelations by the 43-year-old about the child he is expecting with his fiancee, actress Katie Holmes.

The couple, who have been engaged since June 2005, plan to marry in late summer or early autumn, according to Cruise.

The Mission Impossible star has also claimed he knew Holmes, 27, was pregnant even before she told him.

Last week Cruise said on US television that Catholic-born Holmes has already joined him as a follower of the Church of Scientology.

In the GQ interview, Cruise defended the religion's doctrine that childbirth should be completed in silence.

"It's really about respecting the woman," he said. "It's not about her not screaming."

Cruise said earlier this month that their baby was due "any day now".

The baby will be the first for Holmes, while Cruise has two adopted children from his marriage to Nicole Kidman."

[Gav]

RF,

Placenta eating is not as uncommon as you think. I remember it became fashionable for a while a few years back - especially amongst the New Agers. It's not even uncommon in nature - the placenta is apparently chock full of nutrient goodness (like liver?).

This is actually slightly less wierd than his other antics.

Although his assertion that he is going to eat it "right there" indicates that it isn't going to be cooked (unless a barbecue is on standby) so I suppose that qualifies as weird.

[RebelFencer]

Wow, I didn't realize it was that common. Even so, the thought that he might eat it uncooked is still pretty gross.

[Gav]

It's not that common - just not a new thing. It's not something that I would automatically associate with Scientology wierdness.

Oh, and it occurs to me that the placenta thing was only 'fashionable' for a very short while. I don't know anyone who tried it (and most of my friends are now married with kids), but it was all over daytime telly and the like.

[RebelFencer]

According to wikipedia it tastes like beef and is spongey like the heart. mmmm.

[Valerio Versace]

I'm glad to be sane.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

More for him.

[Epee Scherma]

Tom Cruise makes a great role model for life. In fact, I think I will pour some placenta into my Wheaties this morning.

[lindajdunn]

Wouldn't it make more sense to freeze and store it properly so that later in life, if the child had problems, this would be there for him/her?

Wait a minute... I'm talking about Cruise. Never mind.

[Gav]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4918290.stm

Well there you go. It HAS happened but IS quite unusual - more unusual than I thought.

[bmcfencer]

Wow, placenta art. That's.... special.

Eating of placenta... like cannibalism, but without the guilt or death!

Has anyone ever eaten their appendix?

[swordwench]

I've also heard of the placenta-eating thing. In fact, when I'd just given birth, and saw that blob sitting in the little metal tray getting poked and prodded by the doctor, the thought crossed my mind: "You mean people EAT this thing?!? Ewwwww."

The part of this weird pregnancy/birth that blows my mind more is the "silent birth" angle. I read about this a week or so ago, and was freaked out enough to contact everyone I knew to rant about it. Now, I've given birth. Twice. No drugs, just a whoooooole lot of pain. If there is one time in a woman's life where she's perfectly allowed to say any damned thing on her mind, scream like a banshee, and cast voodoo curses upon everyone within earshot, it's during labor. Nobody is going to get upset about it, and the child is not going to be in therapy 30 years later because Mommy made some noise and said some bad things while she was passing a basketball through her nether regions.

Katie, don't drink the kool-aid!

[Epee Scherma]

I can't wait to get my mouth on one of these. However, I require a blender first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:H..._baby_side.jpg

[fencergal33]

I am so with you S'wench. Has this guy ever actually seen a placenta?!?!?! They are not at all appetizing!

Maybe we should jump on the cause bandwagon:

Save Her!

[Fencergrl]

You people are all weirdos!
http://www.jeffyorkes.com/images/JY3D_SamTheEagle.jpg

[RITFencing]

I'm surprised no one posted this one up:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/10/17

[Black Jeebus]

You people are all crazy!
http://www.jeffyorkes.com/images/JY3D_SamTheEagle.jpg

...is that placenta art or something? And I never knew that character even had a name!

[Mr Epee]

Yikes... FG is stealing my picture of Oiuyt.

"You are all weirdos"

Is the appropriate tag line.

[Fencergrl]

There... I fixed it! But you still can't have the picture back!

[DHCJr]

This is a little off the subject, but I think you might enjoy it. Dan DeChaine used to go to the LA Science Fiction Writers Association get-togethers. At one of the meetings, a well-known writer complained about money. He made the statement the easiest way to make money would be to invent a religion. To prove his point, he wrote a 'Non-fiction' book. His initials are LRH.