01:00 AM EST on Monday, December 6, 2004

"Free hugs and haircuts for Tom Cruise & Steven Spielberg " read one sign outside the Savior Hair salon, as a few giggling hairdressers tried to lure in the larger-than-life actor and director.

Cruise and Spielberg were on set Friday filming part of their latest blockbuster War of the Worlds at the Uniroyal Chemical plant in Naugatuck, Conn. They flew in via helicopter and landed in a secluded parking lot behind the plant.

But that didn't stop fans from lingering in front of police barriers as early as 5 a.m. Friday to see if they could spot the stars.

Paramount Pictures officials remain tightlipped about which scenes they are filming for the $128 million movie. The film is based on H.G. Wells' 1898 novel about an invasion from outer space.

Besides Cruise, the movie also stars Tim Robbins and Dakota Fanning. It is set to open June 29.

Andrew Saxe, an onsite location assistant for Paramount, said crews were filming one of the final scenes in the movie when Cruise comes across an alien. Some crews were working on a scene near the Connecticut River in Windsor, Saxe said.

A scout for Paramount found the idled chemical plant amount a month ago.

"It's what we were looking for. It's kind of run down and has that Northeast industrial look with these really cool smoke stacks and lots of glass," said Lyn Pinezich, a location manager.

Compiled from wire reports by Lifebeat editor Alexis Magner Miller.