Celebrity Relationships: So What the Fuss?

Are you infatuated with the elusive, happy celebrity marriage? Often is the case that when we hear about celebrity couples hooking up with each other, the first question is, "How long will this one last?" Although the public has had a long-standing fascination with celebrity couples, in this day and age it has increasingly become one of the most popular spectator sports in North America. Of course, the voyeuristic fan-based adoration often comes without even giving our favorite stars the benefit of the doubt. Case in point, Tom Cruise.

Now here is a guy, albeit not your average guy, who has fallen in love with lovely and talented actress, Katie Holmes. For the past few weeks he's been hitting the publicity circuit to promote his upcoming film War of the Worlds and, at the same time, is also being publicly interrogated about the latest chapter of his love life. What have we seen in this latest media spotlight? If you're a born cynic then you're probably seeing some sort of alleged conspiratorial publicity stunt. If you're a sucker for love, you're undoubtedly seeing a romantic guy shouting from the hilltops that he's in love. Is Tom Cruise getting a fair shake? What's so wrong with wearing your emotions on your sleeve for public consumption? During his much talked about visit to the Today Show and his interview with Matt Lauer, Cruise had this to say about the cynical nature of the media spotlight and the public eye,

"You know what? There's always cynics. There always has been. There always will be... I have never worried, Matt, about what other people think and what other people say."

How long will this relationship last? Well, to be perfectly honest, Cruise is right about one thing -- it really doesn't matter what we think at all. How long will your relationship last? It's none of our business, right?

Undoubtedly, throughout history many of these celebrity unions have failed in a rather short amount of time. But, are we too hard on the lives of the rich and famous? According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the success of mainstream marriage is nothing more than a coin toss, as the U.S. lifetime divorce probability clocks in at 48.8 percent. It comes as no surprise that we already know most "average Joe" marriages don't last either.

What about the young stars whose careers are just taking flight? Jessica Simpson and Nick Lechay are steadily rising on the star meter, especially since the premiere of their relationship introspective reality series Newlyweds. Here's a simple relationship test for you. Go to Google and enter the search term, "Nick and Jessica divorce." What you'll find is an entertaining treasure trove of rumor and innuendo about the ill-fated status of Nick and Jessica's marriage. Add to that, on May 24, 2005, E Online falsely posted similar rumors of an impending divorce. As soon as the couple were informed, Jessica came out swinging and demanded the article be taken off the website. The next day, E Online retracted the piece and issued a public apology to the couple and their families. As for Jessica's reaction to the inaccuracy, here's what she told US Weekly,

"It is completely false and we would sue them if they hadn't taken it down."

Simpson, according to US Weekly, also went on to mention that those who spread false rumors are in for a healthy dose of karma.

If karma will eventually come back to bite us in the ass, why is the public so caught up in celebrity relationships? Our fascination with movie stars and celebrities may very well be a lust for attention. Is it a public cry for help? This seemingly innate need to be the center of attention may be the reason people get into show business in the first place. Who doesn't welcome the adoration of our peers every now and again? Since most of us will never be superstar celebrities, many of us look to them as having the things we only dream of -- successful careers, fancy cars, glitz and glamor, the charmed life, and the wish list goes on. One could say, the public is fascinated with celebrity relationships because celebrities are what we really want to be. After all, celebrities have the attention we all crave.

But, wait! Would the public really be so caught up in celebrity relationships if shows like Newlyweds weren't on the air? Aren't these stars feeding the flames of public fascination? Even pop sensation Britney Spears and "Mr. Britney" opened up their closed doors to the public with a reality show, Britney and Kevin: Chaotic. Are our favorite stars just as guilty as we are?

In an effort to add perspective on the issue, we tracked down Zena Burns, music editor of Teen People magazine, to get her thoughts on the state of celebrity relationships and the underlying roots of public fascination. Here's what Ms. Burns had to say,

"Not too long ago, all you would know about a star's marriage is that it happened. When Charles married Diana in 1981, the whole world watched, but our access was limited - we didn't get to see a nervous Di checking her makeup before walking down the aisle. Now, we don't bat an eyelash when we watch Kevin Federline remove Britney Spears' garter belt with his teeth. Celebs have figured out that they can fuel the public's fascination with them by allowing a voyeuristic peek into their weddings and marriages."

As we know, success never guarantees a happy marriage. To a large degree, we are the ones that put stars up on a pedestal and we are the same ones that take pleasure in seeing them fall. At the same time, celebrities also share in the responsibility. So, why do we get so caught up in other people's business? Teen People's, Zena Burns elaborates,

"Look at Jessica and Nick - they brought their careers back from the brink by allowing a (carefully controlled) warts and all portrayal of their married life to be aired on MTV. On some level, the public's interest is aspirational - what bride wouldn't want the option to have such a lavish wedding if she so chose? I think the major reason so many people care, though, is the ability to live vicariously through stars' happy moments and relate to them in their sad ones. It makes a lot of people feel better about the problems in their own marriage to know that these seemingly perfect multimillionaires are having them, too."

If you are a sucker for celebrity love and you're like the rest of us who live vicariously through the stars, there is hope. After all, the sun does shine in Hollywood. It just doesn't shine on everyone. One only needs to look at these examples as evidence that celebrity marriage can, and do, work despite the public's prying eyes -- Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (17 years), Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick (17 years), Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (an incredible 47 years).

Why is the public so infatuated with the elusive, happy celebrity marriage? That's easy. They're just like you and me, no better, no worse. Their lives are simply on display for the world to see. It just depends on what mirror you're looking into, yours or theirs.

And, the beat goes on right here.