Fodder for the masses. Anyone going through a divorce knows they are very painful. I always keep my conference room stocked with tissues. And they are frequently needed. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and rejoice in what is most likely a very difficult situation for both Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. They have built a life together, made a child, and now, everything they built must be “divided up”. Enter the media.
There is lots of everything for the media. How does Suri get divided? Will she be raised as a Scientologist? Who chooses her religion? How much does Katie get? Will Tom file for divorce in California? Will Katie declare to the world that she has really been caged like an animal as so many believe?
The initial media reports were that this particular divorce was going to be very public and very messy. Camp Tom is proclaiming that Camp Katie is exploiting the media. And early this morning as I write this, one of the media outlets has proclaimed that this was a quiet weekend and that the parties are now trying to work out a settlement.
This is not what the media wants, but that would be the smart thing to do. It is certainly in the best interests of both Cruise and Holmes. The public wants to see a train wreck. And the media wants to give it to them. The way that I see it, it is not so much as Holmes versus Cruise as it is Holmes and Cruise versus The Media and Joe Q. Public.
Contested divorce proceedings are very painful. And contested child custody proceedings are the absolute worst. Perhaps Tom and Katie will be smart and resolve their differences quickly and privately. The way I see it, that is the only way they both prevail. Anything else is a victory for The Media and public opinion. We will just have to wait to see how it turns out.
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