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"TomKat" or "Tom-Kat" is a portmanteau for the celebrity supercouple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.[1] The couple, who have been described as a "worldwide sensation",[2] have been together since early 2005,[3] and have a daughter, Suri.[1] While TomKat seems to be a uniquely American phenomenon, people all over the world have expectantly followed the couple’s actions.[4]

History

At a business meeting in Cruise's office on April 18, 2005, the twice-divorced Cruise, a Dawson's Creek fan, called Holmes to read for a part. An immediate connection was present between the two during the four-hour meeting. Dates on his motorcycle and private jet followed. On April 27, 2005, TomKat made their first public appearance together in Rome for the David di Donatello Awards.[5][3] A month later, Cruise infamously jumped on Oprah Winfrey's couch during her show, while declaring his love for Holmes. Then, he went backstage to pull out a shocked Holmes to the stage.[6] Barely two months into dating, the couple became engaged after Cruise proposed on June 17, 2005, over a candlelit dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower with a five carat diamond ring. The size of the diamond has been much commented on in the media.[7]

On October 6, 2005, TomKat announced they were expecting a child, showing to the world Holmes' very visible pregnancy.[8] On April 18, 2006, the couple had a daughter, Suri.[9] On November 18, 2006, approximately seven months after Suri's birth, the couple married in Bracciano, Italy.[10]

Media fascination

Reasons for popularity

The lead-up to the couple's scheduled wedding in Italy was a "media blitz", as there were nonstop reports of the upcoming event. Several reasons have been suggested for this phenomenon: fans, the media itself, and even the couple.[4]

Cruise jumps Oprah's couch.

The media feels that the excessive attention given to the couple is just an example of giving the public what it wants.[4] Ratings and viewer response are always higher for stories involving the couple, and if the public wants more coverage of the couple, the media responds. One university professor, on the other hand, feels that the obsession with TomKat is generated primarily by the media itself, claiming the people do not care as much as the media wants them to care, and feels that the point it has reached is "overkill".[4]

Critics of the pairing feel that what mostly contributes to the mania surrounding TomKat is the couple itself.[4] Those in show business claim that Cruise uses his relationship with Holmes to promote his projects, referring to appearances with her when War of the Worlds and Mission: Impossible III debuted.[4] Significant memorable moments in the duo's relationship have made it seemingly difficult for the public and the media to resist. There was Cruise’s couch-jumping episode on The Oprah Winfrey Show, his public battle with Brooke Shields over her use of anti-depressants to treat postpartum depression, and controversy over his connection to Scientology. Gossip magazine editors claim that the couple is too "mysterious" and "bizarre" for people to not be interested.[4] However, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Holmes confessed that she was bothered by the press coverage.[11]

Future celebrity

While there is speculation that fascination with the Cruise's relationship will soon die down, it is thought of as unlikely by insiders, as interest in the pairing continually becomes more dominant in popular culture.[4] The public will find something else to speculate about them, insiders say, such as future children or the state of their marriage. This is because of the pairing's unpredictable union.[4] Those in the industry claim that the attention will not die down until the couple makes it to at least their 25th wedding anniversary, others claim that it will subside if the pairing simply lays low for a while, and some feel that it will still be fresh on peoples' minds "as long as their love continues".[4]

Many from Holmes' Ohio hometown do not mind if the couples' fame never dies down, since "it puts Toledo on the map".[4] However, some people are against the marriage, and they hope that it ends sooner rather than later. They have strongly voiced their opinions, especially on the internet. Websites such as Free Katie are solely devoted to this point.[12] Reporters from their hometown wish that they would "Just Go Away", but also stress that they know this will not happen.[13]

Suri Cruise

Suri, commonly called "TomKitten" by the media,[1] was born on April 18, 2006, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.[9][14]

Before images of the child came out in Vanity Fair, Daniel Edwards unveiled a sculpture entitled "Suri's bronzed baby poop", which the artist claimed to be the child's first meconium. The sculpture was created in order to be sold on eBay, and plaster replicas were created. It is still debated whether or not the bronze sculpture actually contains Suri's excrement.[15][16] In 2007, it was reported that Suri would be the new model for Baby Gap.[17] However, Cruise's representative denied that this was true.[18]

Etymology of the name

There was controversy surrounding the name "Suri", and what the couple claimed was its meaning. The Los Angeles Times summarized the written statement Cruise released on the birth as saying the name "is a word with origins in both Hebrew and Persian. In Hebrew, it means 'princess' and in Persian, 'red rose,' it was claimed in the release."[19] However, magazines and blogs noted on Cruise's mistranslation on Suri's Hebrew meaning.[20] In Hebrew, Suri actually means "from Syria", not "princess".[21][22] The wrong etymology might stem from the fact that Suri is a Yiddish pet form of Sarah, which means "princess".[23] In Japanese, 'suri' means "pickpocket."[24]

Controversy over existence and paternity

Before her birth, many media outlets questioned the authenticity of Holmes' pregnancy.[25] After she was born, Suri's birth certificate[26] was found to contain some incorrect information.[27] Then, when there were no images of the infant for a few months, people questioned the actual existence of a child,[28] which continued until the first images of the child were published in Vanity Fair.

In 2007, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography was published, which claims that the author was told by Sea Org members that Suri is not the daughter of Cruise, but, in fact, a product of impregnating Holmes with the preserved sperm of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.[29] This has been denied by Cruise.[30]

The South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet" alludes to Cruise's relationship with Holmes when Stan Marsh says, "Look, is this a religion? Because my family is like, Catholic or something." This specifically pertains to Holmes being brought up a Roman Catholic but currently studying Scientology.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c ABC News: "TomKat Expecting TomKitten"
  2. ^ MSNBC: "Katie Holmes gives birth to girl, Suri"
  3. ^ a b Karen S. Schneider et al. "Can This Be Love?" People. May 5 2005. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k SMITH, RYAN E. "TomKat is everywhere: Pop culture mavens see no sign of TomKat mania waning". toledoblade.com. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  5. ^ César G. Soriano "Tom, Katie flying high on romance" USA Today. May 5 2005 Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  6. ^ Jason Lynch et alia. "Truly, Madly, Deeply." People. June 6, 2005. 56–59.
  7. ^ Melissa Mayntz, LoveToKnow Engagement Rings
  8. ^ Ryan E. Smith. "Baby frenzy begins: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are expecting their first child together." The Blade
  9. ^ a b Access Hollywood: "Suri's Birth"
  10. ^ Soriano, César G (2006-11-20). "Mr. and Mrs. TomKat: Inside their fairy-tale wedding". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  11. ^ Jane Surkin. "Someone Wanted to See Me?" Vanity Fair. October 2006. 276–293.
  12. ^ Free Katie
  13. ^ Toledo Blade: "Toledo turns its attention to new breed of 'TomKat'"
  14. ^ Michelle Tauber and Allison Adato. "Tom and Katie's Baby Girl!" People. May 1, 2006. 66–69.
  15. ^ Send2Press: "Alleged Suri Cruise's Baby Poop Bronzed for Charity - Healthy 'Evidence' of Tom and Katie's Baby Goes on eBay"
  16. ^ Starpulse: "Artist Mocks Celebrity Obsession With Suri Cruise Stool Sculpture"
  17. ^ San Francisco Chronicle: "Suri Cruise to Front Baby Gap Campaign?"
  18. ^ Us Magazine: "Cruise's Rep: Suri Not the New Face of Baby Gap"
  19. ^ Jill Leovy. "Girl Is Born to Stars Holmes, Cruise." Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2006. B3.
  20. ^ The Age: "TomKat's baby name controversy"
  21. ^ People with Hugo Rifkind
  22. ^ Celebrity Betting: TomKitten Finally Makes Her Way Into the World April 2006
  23. ^ Behind the Name: "SURI"
  24. ^ Simple Japanese Phrases - Pickpocket! (Suri da!)
  25. ^ Us Magazine: "The Year of the Suri"
  26. ^ Suri's birth certificate
  27. ^ Us Magazine Suri's Totally Shady Birth Certificate Enters the Fray 2006-07-06. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  28. ^ CBS News: "Suri Is 'The Miracle Of Our Life'"
  29. ^ News.com: "Suri conception not Cruisey says book"
  30. ^ MSNBC: "Cruise’s camp bashes Morton, unauthorized bio"
  31. ^ TV.com: "Trapped in the Closet"
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