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Relationship of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

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Holmes with Cruise in May 2009

The relationship of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, commonly known by the portmanteaus "TomKat" or "Tom-Kat"[1] and referred to as an American celebrity supercouple, is one that attracts worldwide media attention.[2] The pairing have been together since early 2005 and have a daughter named Suri (born 2006).[1][3]

History

On April 18, 2005, Cruise called Holmes for a private meeting at his office.[4] It was reported that they had an instant connection during the four-hour meeting.[4] Dates on his motorcycle and private jet followed.[4] On April 27, 2005, Cruise and Holmes, dubbed "TomKat" by the media, made their first public appearance together in Rome for the David di Donatello Awards.[3][4] A month later, Cruise jumped on Oprah Winfrey's couch during her show and declared his love for Holmes. Then, he went backstage to pull out a shocked Holmes to the stage.[5] 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, presenting Holmes with a five-carat diamond ring. The size of the diamond has been much commented on in the media.[6]

On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child, showing to the world Holmes's very visible pregnancy.[7] On April 18, 2006, the couple had a daughter, Suri.[8] On November 18, 2006, exactly seven months after Suri's birth, the couple married in Bracciano, Italy.[9]

In the media

The anticipation for Cruise and Holmes's scheduled wedding in Italy attracted "non-stop reports" of the upcoming event. Critics suggested reasons for the popularity of the relationship, which had become to be viewed as a phenomenon. They suggested fans, the media itself, and the couple as contributing factors to the public fascination with the pairing.[10]

File:Cruiseonoprah.jpg
Cruise jumps on Oprah's couch.

The media expressed that excessive attention given to the couple gives the public "what it wants". They cite that ratings and viewer response are consistently higher for stories involving the couple, and that if the public wants more coverage of the couple, the media responds.[10] One university professor, on the other hand, stated that the obsession with Cruise and Holmes's relationship is generated primarily by the media itself. The professor said that the people do not care as much as the media wants them to care and that reporting on the couple has reached the point of "overkill".[10]

Critics feel that the mania surrounding couple is attributed to Cruise and Holmes themselves.[10] 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.[10] 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.[10] However, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Holmes confessed that she was bothered by the press coverage.[11]

Residents in Holmes's Toledo, Ohio hometown welcomed the couple's popularity, and have said that the couple's relationship gives Toledo significant attention.[10] Reporters from Holmes's hometown have wished that they would "just go away", but also stress that they know it will not happen.[12]

Suri Cruise

Cruise and Holmes at a Yahoo! press conference in March 2006

The daughter of Cruise and Holmes, Suri, occasionally called "TomKitten" by the media,[1] was born April 18, 2006, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.[8][13]

There was controversy surrounding the name "Suri" and what the couple stated its meaning to be. 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".[14] In the Persian community, Suri is a girl's name meaning "red". However, magazines and blogs noted Cruise's mistranslation of the Hebrew meaning of "Suri".[15] In Arabic, along with Hebrew, Suri actually means "from Syria", not "princess".[16][17] The wrong etymology might stem from the fact that Suri is a Yiddish pet form of Sarah, which means "princess."[18]

Before Holmes gave birth to her daughter, media outlets questioned the authenticity of Holmes's pregnancy.[19] After she was born, Suri's birth certificate[20] was found to contain some incorrect information.[21][22] Then, when there were no images of the infant for a few months, people questioned the actual existence of a child,[23] which continued until the first images of Suri were published in Vanity Fair.

See also

Directly related

Similar couple articles

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 César G. Soriano "Tom, Katie flying high on romance" USA Today. May 5, 2005 Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  5. ^ Jason Lynch et alia. "Truly, Madly, Deeply." People. June 6, 2005. 56–59.
  6. ^ Melissa Mayntz, LoveToKnow Engagement Rings
  7. ^ Ryan E. Smith. "Baby frenzy begins: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are expecting their first child together." The Blade
  8. ^ a b Access Hollywood: "Suri's Birth"
  9. ^ Soriano, César G (2006-11-20). "Mr. and Mrs. TomKat: Inside their fairy-tale wedding". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g SMITH, RYAN E. "TomKat is everywhere: Pop culture mavens see no sign of TomKat mania waning". toledoblade.com. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  11. ^ Jane Surkin. "Someone Wanted to See Me?" Vanity Fair. October 2006. 276–293.
  12. ^ Toledo Blade: "Toledo turns its attention to new breed of 'TomKat'"
  13. ^ Michelle Tauber and Allison Adato. "Tom and Katie's Baby Girl!" People. May 1, 2006. 66–69.
  14. ^ Jill Leovy. "Girl Is Born to Stars Holmes, Cruise." Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2006. B3.
  15. ^ The Age: "TomKat's baby name controversy"
  16. ^ People with Hugo Rifkind
  17. ^ Celebrity Betting: TomKitten Finally Makes Her Way Into the World April 2006
  18. ^ Behind the Name: "SURI"
  19. ^ Us Magazine: "The Year of the Suri"
  20. ^ Suri's birth certificate
  21. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Suri Cruise Birth Certificate". TMZ.com. July 10, 2006.
  22. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Cruise/Shields' Births -- New Twist". TMZ.com. July 11, 2006.
  23. ^ CBS News: "Suri Is 'The Miracle Of Our Life'"