It's been a strange year for Tom Cruise. While he successfully avoided any public episodes of couch-jumping and debates with morning show hosts on the merits of psychiatry, he still found himself firmly fixed in the glare of the spotlight. Shortly before the birth of his daughter, he made the entire world gag by suggesting in a GQ article that he might eat the placenta of the newborn.

Then the entertainment media grew frustrated and obsessed with the star's decision not to release any baby photos for several months, leading some blogs to speculate whether the baby actually exists.

In August, three months after the release of his long-awaited Mission: Impossible III sequel, Paramount Pictures decided to terminate its 14-year relationship with the star, citing his controversial public behavior and views.

By November, however, things were looking up. As the media grew transfixed with his storybook Italian wedding to actress Katie Holmes, it seemed that everything was going well for the beleaguered box office star...that is, until now.

The final votes are in. And by a rather significant margin, SmileyBuzz readers have selected Tom as their 2006 Turkey of the Year...thereby pegging him as the biggest turkey to emerge from the world of entertainment and celebrity this year. Here are the final results:

Tom Cruise 32 %  
Kevin Federline 24 %
Paris Hilton 24 %
Britney Spears 12 %
Write-In Candidates   8 %

As you can see, nearly a third of all readers who voted believed that Tom was the biggest turkey. Kevin Federline and Paris Hilton each accounted for almost one-quarter of the vote, while Britney Spears captured just 12 percent. The remaining votes went to write-in candidates - including two votes for TV host Rosie O'Donnell, and two SmileyBuzz readers who (strangely enough) cast votes for themselves.

But don't despair, Cruise fans. We've received some anonymous emails from people claiming to be confidants of the star -- and they say that Tom has actually chosen to embrace his newfound poultry status, and is encouraging his fans to no longer look upon this noble animal with scorn.

We also received another anonymous tip that Tom is even looking to start a new dance craze called the Turkey Trot...which we suspect might look something like this: