“Seven Pounds” is his son Connor’s first film, but Tom Cruise opted not to attend the premiere in L.A. Dec. 16.  so he could continue to promote his own film, "Valkyrie.

"“Seven Pounds” is his son Connor’s first film, but Tom Cruise opted not to attend the premiere in L.A. Dec. 16.

The reasoning for skipping 13-year-old Connor’s big-screen debut, in which he plays a younger version of Cruise pal Will Smith? Cruise opted to stay in New York to continue the publicity blitz for his film “Valkyrie.” “As you know, Tom and Will are great friends,” his rep Cheryl Maisel said. “Tom is in New York on a publicity tour for his movie.”

That much is obvious, but why not support Connor, who was specifically invited to attend the festivities along with some of the other kids in the film? “It comes as such a surprise,” says a Cruise source. “When Connor was filming (‘Seven Pounds’) Tom was so excited and proud of him. It’s sad Tom didn’t fly out for the evening. He could have missed one night of publicity to support Connor and Will.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Cruise did a cross-country sprint: last December he flew from L.A. to New York and back to support Smith at his “I am Legend” premiere.Baldwin staying home for inauguration In the midst of an online chat with Washington Post readers, Alec Baldwin revealed that he’ll be staying put on Jan. 20 instead of taking part in President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration festivities.

No, I'm not attending the inaugural,” Baldwin said. “I went to the Clinton one in '93 and I think the only thing worse than navigating Washington during the inaugural is the Super Bowl. So I intend to stay home and watch it on television, and I'm sure it will be just as enjoyable.”