Say the name Tom Cruise and at least 3 out of 10 women will swoon right down to the floor. That’s probably because both he and his soft velvety skin are considered ‘handsome.’

And we’re not talking about just in lost African pygmy tribes either – we mean by western standards lots of chicks really dig him, man. Who wouldn’t want to look like that?

Production of Cruise’s Valkyrie movie called for a publicity shot of Tommy-boy’s profile smack dab next to one of the would-be German assassin – and you know what? The two look quite alike. Until German murmuring turned up the fact the one photo was altered quite a bit to look like the American star.

The poor dead guy. That profile head-shot was probably all his kids had left.

Tom Cruise is very powerful in Hollywood – he’s topped that list thousands of times in the past. If he wants something he generally gets it – except for a chance to do another Mission Impossible movie. Or a decent interview with Matt Lauer. Or a wife that doesn’t kinda quiver inside whenever she hears his house key touch the doorknob lock.

But aside from that he gets anything he wants. He’s been working on this Valkyrie movie for sometime now. And if memory serves correct- at first he was looking for someone else to play the lead role of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Then he decided he’d be the only person fit for it. The world must have gasped with dismay as he first put on his nazi regalia – after all, nobody but Cruise himself thought he’d be good in the part.

We suspect it was to qualm concern, but a publicity pic of Cruise’s profile right next to von Stauffenberg’s profile was issued.

The two couldn’t have looked more alike if they’d been formed from the same zygote. Unless they actually did get formed that way. Yes, if they were identical twins in any way they probably would look a touch more alike.

The German’s still weren’t happy. They said their national hero looked photoshopped or something. Then people looked into it. Slate.com, for instance, says:

“Jim Festante, a Slate designer, wrote: “Look @ the nose, mouth, and chin. Definite (but slight) altering. Also, the head’s width is squeezed slightly.” And then designer Holly Allen added this: “To me, the nose looks different and definitely the eyebrows. Cheekbones and angle of the chin, too.” Finally, as a coup de grace, designer Jacob Berlow overlaid the AP photo of von Stauffenberg with the United Artists version:…Looks like someone tweaked the photo. Finding out who may be mission: impossible.”

That poor dead guy’s been dead for fifty years or something and now he has to look like Tom Cruise. If Scientology turns out to be right, it’ll probably help him score some chicks.

To read more see ‘Tom Cruise MysteryThe case of the doctored publicity photo.’ on slate.com