What could make you skip the Oscars? For Tom Cruise, it seems the 90^th birthday celebrations of his old pal Michael Caine in London took precedence over Hollywood backslapping. Cruise, whose film Top Gun: Maverick was credited by some with saving a troubled year for cinema in 2022, after taking in an estimated $1.5 billion in global ticket sales, was a surprise no-show at Sunday’s ceremony, with some speculation that he had avoided the event to forestall the possibility of an awkward run-in with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman. However, Wednesday morning, the British writer David Walliams posted a series of photos on Instagram captioned, “Happy 90th birthday to the legendary Sir Michael Caine,” one of which showed Cruise, 60, with his arm around the nonagenarian’s shoulder. The celebration took place at London’s River Cafe. Latest reports on what looked like a rowdy night of partying suggest that yes, they blew the bloody doors off.