Guests begin arriving for TomKat wedding
Guests Arrive for Cruise-Holmes Wedding: Italian Mayor Thanks Couple for Choosing Her City
BRACCIANO, Italy - Guests for the star-studded wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes began arriving at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle Saturday as dozens of police and civil defense officials patrolled Bracciano’s medieval streets. Hundreds of the town’s residents and fans of the actors crowded the small square outside the castle, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom or one of their guests….”I want to see at least one of them — even if it’s not Tom Cruise,” said 15-year-old Erica Bandiera.
I’ve often wondered what it is about celebrity that drives so many humans to treat them as almost-godlike in stature. What is it about appearing on television, the stage, the silver screen, or the athletic arena that confers a status so astoundingly different upon mere mortals? After all, do celebrities not put their pants on one leg at a time- just like you and me? Do they not bleed when they’re cut? Do they not cry when they’re sad?
Perhaps I’m just a freak, in that celebrity does not impress me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy meeting or seeing people who are successful. I just can’t go all wobbly when that happens. A celebrity is no better or worse than me; they just make a lot more money and have to deal with a lot more notoriety than I do.
At first glance, I’m happy for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. I’m happy for anyone who finds happiness and someone they want to spend their life with. What I fail to understand is the media frenzy surrounding their wedding today in Italy. Judging by the fawning media coverage being granted to this “event”, you’d think that the gods were have a convocation on Mt. Olympus. Call me ignorant, but I just cannot understand what it is about the “TomKat” wedding that’s even remotely newsworthy. Americans are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, innocent civilians are being murdered in large numbers in Darfur, there are untold and unreported tragedies occurring throughout the world…and the media is absolutely transfixed by a celebrity wedding?
Have we lost our collective mind? Sadly, I think the answer is pretty much self-evident. Apparently, our own lives are so miserable and pointless that we must focus on the outsized success and overexposure of a select few “beautiful people” in order to forget how anonymous and ineffectual our place on this Earth is.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting married in Italy. Bid deal. Will someone PLEASE tell me why we should care even a little??
