Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes Divorce: The Drama Continues

The Ravi Report front and center!

Ok  folks,  so a powerhouse Hollywood couple is divorcing. Speculation everywhere. Yes, it is big news folks. In the headlines everyday. Why?  Because it’s Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and because no one saw it coming.  Yes, it’s a big surprise to a lot of people both close and not so close to the Cruises from what my sources tell me. I will admit, it’s also a surprise to me. I thought they were happy.

News stations are having a field day with the story. Every  reporter, editor, etc, are presenting stories as if they personally knew the Cruises and played Sunday golf with them.

The once “hot new lovers” are now divorcing after a short marriage

I especially found it amusing how one sexy blond magazine editor spoke about “How Katie is devastated and can’t sleep at night over the divorce.” I guess that editor is Katie’s roommate.

Ravi Yande with Tom Cruise at NY movie premiere
(photo courtesy Tom Cruise)

I will admit,  it’s surprising that only after five years of marriage, Tom Cruise, one of the nicest and most talented actors I have ever met is divorcing his third wife, the beautiful Katie Holmes which he married in March of 2006. They have an adorable child Suri who is 6 years old. Of course, there is a great deal of speculation about the whole Scientology issue and even “confirmed” reasons coming from talking perky, beautiful blond editors from the national weeklies claiming  to know the real reason the Hollywood A- listers are divorcing.

Tom Cruise listens attentively to a question from The Ravi Report

I do know that Tom is a very private person and rarely does he give interviews about his personal life, family and children so the reason why he and Katie  decided to end their marriage  may take a while  to surface and the public will have to wait.The divorce drama has only just begun.

When Cruise was divorcing actress Nicole Kidman after almost a decade of marriage,  I had met him at an event where he was a bit reserved discussing  his divorce from Kidman. There are even reports that Cruise has hired the same powerhouse attorney Dennis Wasser who helped with his divorce from Kidman to represent him in his divorce from Holmes.

But before everyone jumps on the Tom & Katie bandwagon (and trust me, there will be many) claiming to “know” Tom or “understand” what they are going through or how they “sympathize with Katie for being married to Tom”, let me  say one thing as a reporter who has met Tom Cruise numerous times over the years- he has been professional, respectful and courteous  to reporters who have often tried to intrude on his private matters.

Personally,  I feel that both Tom and Katie need their private time now more than ever to handle this world-wide news story that is making daily headlines in the news. It is difficult to live your life under a microscope as many famous personalities have told me. They know that they are being watched, chased, photographed, harassed, etc and they know that it comes with the territory, but that does not mean they need to like it or accept it. Cruise has always maintained an immense  amount of professionalism when dealing with the press and whenever the actor is going through some tough and unpredictable situations or family issues, the 50 year-old actor handles his personal situation with class.

At a recent media event in NY, reporters and writers who have covered both Tom and Katie were talking about how the couple always seemed happy when talking about each other.

At Cruise’s Mission:Impossible Ghost Protocol  movie premiere last year, Holmes also attended the red carpet gala and smiled for photographers and reporters posing with Cruise. When I spoke to Tom, he responded how excited he was that his wife was by his side on his big night.

Things happen for a reason and as we all know, we don’t always get the answer immediately. I am sure when they are ready, Tom and Katie  will tell the world about why they decided to end their marriage.  But as I have said many times before, having some private time to decipher what they need to do, is really what both Tom and Katie need right now. A simple divorce is painful enough, just image having the whole world watching every move you make while judging you in the process. It can be  tough and at times unbearable as I have been told by many high profiled divorced celebrities over the years.

Hopefully, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will be able to come through this stronger and the media will give them enough space to allow them to work out their issues until they are ready to talk to the world about them.

The journey continues…..

Ravi

Good Luck Oscar Nominees!!!

 Well, it’s finally that time. The annual Academy Awards.

The best of the best come out to show off their talent, designer clothes, jewellery and beautiful nearly perfect bodies on the red carpet for the world to see and of course criticize (Joan, you listening? LOL).

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is on tonight on ABC at 8pm (EST) giving the world a look at the creme de la creme in the world of movies and trust me, there were some great movies, roles, music and screenplays that were well worth watching this year.

I hope you all got to watch the films being nominated tonight. I have to be honest, I liked all of them. The Best Picture category includes  Black Swan, True Grit, Inception,  The Fighter,  The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit and Winter’s Bone. 

A film critic for a leading entertainment magazine asked me the other day which picture I thought would win. That is a great question which I have been asked over and over again in the last few weeks. The same goes for Best Actor. But to be honest, I think all the performances and movies  were excellent. Seriously. I think everyone that is nominated tonight has done an outstanding job in their role.

Academy Award nominated actor Geoffrey Rush speaking to The Ravi Report

  Geoffrey Rush’s acting in “The King’s Speech” simply rocked! The actor is just gifted. Plain and simple. When I met the actor, I saw a humble person who just loved doing what he does best.  Rush is one of the finest actors we have today. He continues to shine in films or on stage with his God-given talents and is very gracious to the press.

Regarding the actresses, I will say that Natalie Portman’s performance in “Black Swan” is really incredible.The girl can act!  I met Portman over the year on the red carpet and at other events and she is much, much prettier in real life.  Nicole Kidman  gave a strong and powerful performance in “Rabbit Hole“. It’s a great film .My long time favorite Annette Bening got nominated for her role in “The Kids Are All Right“. Another powerful film.

I will say that one of my favorite actors nominated this year (again folks!) is the multi-talented and super nice actor Jeff Bridges. No matter how busy his guy is, he always makes time to talk to the press and he does so with such grace and charm. 

 Bridges is nominated this year for his role in “True Grit”.  He did an excellent job. Bridges’s ability as an actor gets even  more refined as he gets older. He’s also proven a very important point in Hollywood- that  despite being a youth-oriented-buffed body industry, the actor  has shown that  TALENT is the real key to success with his films, nominations and Oscar wins.  

Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges smiles for The Ravi Report

I am also happy for actor James Franco whose film “127  Hours” was among the favorite of many critics this year (even the tough ones!) and the first time nominee is pretty excited and surprised at the win he told me earlier during the year. But should he be? After all, the film director by the brilliant Danny Boyle ( Hello Slumdog Millionaire!!) who usually attaches his names and talent to a script that he knows will bring out the best in whoever he choses to be in his films. “127  Hours” did very well at the box office and besides Franco being nominated for an Oscar For Best Actor in a Leading Role, the film has also grabbed a nomination for Best Picture. Not bad at all for a newcomer!!!

Am I surprised at any of the nominations? Not really . I think everyone who got nominated this year really proved to be outstanding in their given role and based on what I have seen, they truly deserve the nomination for all their hard work, dedication, sacrifices and determination.

My reporter friends are in LA tonight gearing up to report from the red carpet and I am heading to some Oscar parties tonight in NYC to get New Yorkers reaction to who wins and loses. So  make sure you watch the Oscars and let’s compare notes after the wins! For more info on the 83rd Academy Awards, go to www.oscar.com for a complete wrap up of all the nominees and tidbits about the most “famous golden statue” there is!!

The Journey continues…..

Ravi