Katie Holmes escapes from Xenu temporarily, signs on to new film

Here are some cute pictures of Katie Holmes bidding adieu to Tom Cruise over the weekend in Boston. Tom looks a little sad, but Katie seems to have a spring in her step, doesn't she? She's standing up straight, she doesn't look so zombie-esque (scratch that - she still looks like a zombie, actually), and she seems physically more dominant than Tom. What led to this change in everybody's favorite robot?

Katie just signed on to a new movie! Not only will she be taking the lead role in The Romantics, but Katie will be a first-time executive producer. The Romantics is being billed as something akin to The Big Chill. It starts filming in New York this week, and Katie has taken over the role from Liv Tyler, who left for unknown reasons (my theory: because Xenu commanded it):

Katie Holmes has replaced Liv Tyler in the independently financed comedy “The Romantics.”

The actress has come aboard to topline and exec produce the pic, which also stars Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman, Elijah Wood, Adam Brody and Jeremy Strong. Team Todd, Plum Pictures and Benaroya Pictures are producing.

Project, which had originally been scheduled to lense in the summer, begins shooting this week in New York.

Film revolves around eight friends from college who reunite for a wedding. Holmes, fresh off her role in Miramax’s “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” will play Laura, the maid of honor to Anna Paquin’s Lila, the bride. Laura and Lila are best friends who both have a past with the groom (Duhamel).

Screenplay was adapted by Galt Niederhoffer from her novel; she will also direct.

[The film] marks Holmes’ first producing credit.

[From Variety]

It sounds like an interesting project, but... Liv probably would have been better, right? Katie was never the world's best actress, but her career has definitely gone downhill since she married Tom. This sounds like a dialogue-and-pratfall-filled role, and Katie doesn't have the chops or the energy for it. But I could totally be wrong. Maybe she'll shine. Maybe Xenu will provideth.

Speaking of Xenu, there's a new scary story about someone trying to leave the Church of Scientology. The guy's name is Sinar Parman and he was the five star chef who prepared the 1990 wedding feast for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.â€' When he decided to leave CoS, he was tracked down, harassed and audited - multiple times and for years. It's a scary story and an interesting read. Katie Holmes should take it as a cautionary tale, for real.

Here are pictures of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise in Boston on November 1, 2009. Credit: FAME.