London's Selfridges Store to Host Weddings

A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a Selfridges store at Oxford Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, on July 28, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a Selfridges store at Oxford Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, on July 28, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
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London's Selfridges Store to Host Weddings

A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a Selfridges store at Oxford Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, on July 28, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a Selfridges store at Oxford Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, on July 28, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

A department store's involvement in a marriage usually goes no further than the wedding list. But now Selfridges is putting a whole new meaning into "walking down the aisle" after being granted a wedding license, The Standard newspaper reported.

The multi-story Selfridges has taken advantage of its license to provide affordable, creative offers for those who have planned a post-lockdown marriage.

From Tuesday, the Oxford Street store is offering three packages starting from £6,500 for couples who have put their plans on hold during the pandemic.

The most understated is the "Just-the-Two-Of-Us," which begins with beauty appointments and ends with a film screening in the store's cinema. The Earth Lovers package allows for up to 20 conservations minded guests and ending with a "locally sourced" wedding dinner.

The most lavish, the All-Out Extraordinary, has a ceremony officiated by drag icon Jonny Woo and ends with a meal in the private dining room at the Brasserie of Light. The ceremonies will take place in a new wedding suite on the fourth floor of the store. Selfridges' event boss Rebecca Warburton said the service would be for "those looking for a truly unique way to get married this summer."



Tom Cruise Pays Tribute to Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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Tom Cruise Pays Tribute to Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Tom Cruise paid tribute to late "Top Gun" co-star Val Kilmer on Thursday, leading movie theater owners in a moment's silence at the CinemaCon event before unveiling new footage from his latest "Mission: Impossible" movie.

"I'd like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer," said Cruise, at the start of his hotly anticipated appearance at the annual industry summit in Las Vegas.

"I really can't tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, and how grateful and honored I was when he joined 'Top Gun' and then came back for 'Top Gun: Maverick," said Cruise.

Kilmer, one of the biggest Hollywood actors of the 1990s, who shot to fame playing Iceman in the original 1986 "Top Gun", died aged 65, his family announced this week.

The cause of death was pneumonia. Kilmer had battled throat cancer after being diagnosed in 2014, and made his final appearance in the "Top Gun" 2022 sequel "Maverick," physically diminished and with a raspy voice.

Cruise on Thursday led the audience at Caesars Palace casino in a lengthy silence, asking attendees to "take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had" watching Kilmer on the big screen.

"I wish you well on your next journey," said Cruise, to Kilmer.

He added to the attendees: "Thank you all for doing that. I know he appreciates it."

"Top Gun" was Kilmer's breakout role. Starring opposite Cruise, he played the cocky, square-jawed and mostly silent fighter pilot in training Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

When he reprised his role as "Iceman" in the long-awaited sequel "Top Gun: Maverick," Kilmer's real-life health issues were written into the character.

Cruise on Thursday also introduced a new trailer for "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," out May 23.

Footage shows Cruise's ageless hero Ethan Hunt clinging to the wheels of a small biplane as it soars down a narrow canyon and barrel rolls through the skies.

The trailer contained extensive flashbacks to famous scenes from earlier in the eight-film blockbuster franchise, such as Cruise dangling between lasers and climbing the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai.

"I need you to trust me one last time," says Cruise's character, in what Paramount is marketing as supposedly the final movie of the franchise.