Well, At Least It's Not Katie Couric
Lots of blog-talk about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise.
Groovebunny links to a Paul Davidson post that speculates, among other things, that Tom Cruise has engineered every single romantic relationship for publicity purposes.
[I]nformation came to me years ago through reliable sources when Cruise was married to Mimi Rogers -- the word...was that Cruise was at least bi-sexual if not totally gay. But at that point in his life, his mega-huge Public Relations firm P.M.K. (Pat Kingsley's firm) felt that in order to maximize his success and get more women to see his movies, that getting married would add to that allure....
Her marriage to him raised the level of buzz for her, but in the end didn't work out as well as she'd hoped. Tom's PR firm was quick to get him out of that relationship and into one that would "really have legs." That next PR stunt was none other than marrying Aussie Nicole Kidman.
At that point, Nicole Kidman had only done one half-successful film called Dead Calm. It was her appearance in Days of Thunder which allowed her to "fall for Cruise" in the film and off-camera, and which began Tom's 9 year 11 month marriage (at 10 years, Cruise would have had to split everything 50/50) to the red-headed Aussie. What followed, of course, was a string of box office gold for both sides of the equation....
It was around 1996, after Jerry Maguire's success, that Cruise and Kidman made a huge financial mistake. By locking the two up in a three year UK nightmare, filming Eyes Wide Shut for Stanley Kubrick, they disappeared off the face of the Earth, and away from prying eyes. The lack of success the movie had, once released, didn't help Cruise's follow-ups....
With other actors making more money in the movies than Cruise, something had to change. Again. Behind the scenes a deal was struck with Penelope Cruz....Suddenly she was signed on by PR firm P.M.K. (Cruise's PR firm) -- and soon thereafter, a big role in Vanilla Sky opposite Tom Cruise appeared.
And that was about when the "marriage" between Kidman and Cruise was ended in a very contractually-mutual, business-like scenario. Kidman was already getting bigger than Cruise, had already started to win awards that Cruise had always dreamed of....They found an up and coming starlett [sic], who had just started to get American movie roles, and they put the two together. Because, you see -- any actress who is already a huge success would never agree to a "fake relationship" with Cruise. It's the ones desperate for success that know, just like the unpopular kid who dreams of dating the head Cheerleader in high school, if you align yourself with someone famous -- your fame will soon follow as well.
It's enough to make you sick.
Today -- we're seeing the same kind of scenario but in an even more over the top way. Now no longer with P.M.K., Cruise's sister represents him in all media situations. And with the Church of Scientology looking for their cruise-control meal ticket to keep on paying off -- everyone is trying to do what they can to bring Cruise back to the top when it comes to box office gold.
What better way to get the young ladies interested again in Cruise than to put him together with a 26 year old up and coming star, who also has her first big American movie releasing this Summer?
On Oprah today, it was ridiculous. Cruise was smiling and laughing in an overly-actish way to try and "guard" his feelings. A man with not even two months clocked in a relationship is alluding to "talk of marriage" and "loving this wonderful woman." Don't get me wrong -- I'm not one to shit all over a happy relationship, but this thing is engineered to the point of ludicrousness....
Meanwhile, Dear Buster is commenting on Katie:
Another Hollywood Actress Falls From Grace
Well, not exactly "falls from grace", but pretty much falls from my personal list of "pretty girls I'd chase if I wasn't married or old or not famous". Who exactly? Katie Holmes. I loved Katie in Dawson's Creek....
So what's turned her to the dark side? The most recent picture of her, showing a nice cold sore Herpes Simplex outbreak on her face....Why on earth she would ever go out in public while this was going on is beside me....
Goodbye Katie. It was nice admiring you from afar, but our one-sided, long-distance "thing" is over. Enjoy hanging with Tom. Enjoy becoming a Scientologist. Enjoy being famous for a little while. Enjoy your herpes....
There is a Tom Cruise Daily blog that links to a story in Channel News Asia:
An unscientific poll by People magazine indicated that 63 percent of readers believe the romance is a publicity stunt, while only 37 percent believe the pair is genuinely in love.
A similar random poll by Us Weekly magazine showed that 65 percent of its respondents were sceptical, even as publicists for the two actors, who have been dating a month, insist they are genuinely smitten.
Well, friends, the big story here is the major discrepancy between the People and Us polls. A whopping two percent difference. Which is correct? Which reflects the true views of the American people? Enquiring minds want to know.
Well, that reminds me to check what the Weekly World News says:
WHAT LIFE WILL BE LIKE UNDER NORTH KOREAN RULE
Life in Korean-occupied Western America won't change completely. But expect some noticeable shifts right away if Kim Jong Il's diabolical war plans succeed.
"Hollywood will continue to churn out movies for the world to enjoy, but you'll probably see more of an Oriental flavor," says a D.C.-based expert in North Korean affairs who was shown a copy of the plan. "For example, Kim Jong Il's son-in-law, an aspiring actor, is likely to become a big star while Tom Cruise is reduced to 'humorous sidekick' roles."...
Well, let's end this ramble with Ron Reagan Jr:
Reagan hosted Saturday Night Live midway through his father's second term as President, and in one funny skit he parodied Tom Cruise in Risky Business by dancing in his underwear in the White House while his parents were away. His parents, watching on television, reportedly had no idea who Tom Cruise was, and didn't get the joke until it was explained to them.
Reagan has said NBC made him wear three pairs of underwear for the dance sequence, to be extra certain his manliness wouldn't slip out....
Comments
Why did I use Katie Couric in the title? Well, there's a story.
(Tell, it, O-boy!)
My post about TV was inspired by a post from Erin on that topic. One of the comments on Erin's post read as follows:
Patti (http://beefonweck.blogspot.com) @ 05/24/2005 00:42:
This is why Katie Couric is allegedly running out to get plastic surgery...the picture is so perfect we will see every wrinkle!
Hope that makes sense now. If it doesn't, it's not Patti's fault...it's my own.