I was recently asked for commentary on the power of Hollywood couples and whether or not I believed that in terms of showbiz success, two stars are better than one. As a single guy myself, I don't know if I'm the right person to ask. After all, I often feel like I've sacrificed (or at least minimized) my own chances for a personal life because of my workaholic tendencies, and I've never understood how supposedly busy celebrities manage to so easily fall into a steady succession of so-called serious relationships.
I was scratching my head the other day when Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) announced her matrimonial intentions to the new "love of her life." I assumed she'd been too busy giving birth to Eddie Murphy's daughter, planning a paternity lawsuit and taking part in the upcoming Spice Girls reunion to go a-courting. Makes you kinda wonder what her screening process must be.
Undoubtedly the hot couple of the moment is Posh & Becks. Even though her reality special flopped, they were quickly embraced by the media and, strangely enough, the public. He's the real force though.
TomKat is still going strong, in spite of all the jokes against them. And Brangelina will be tough to beat. Talent and looks aside, Brad and Angie are still the ultimate celebrity dynamic duo. To a lesser degree, we have Will & Jada, Warren & Annette, Catherine Zeta & Michael, Barbra & Jim. I think the idea
of getting "two for the price of one" appeals to our fairy-tale ideals.
Twice the gossip.fashion.box office! Ask yourself: would you like any of these stars more or less if they were single?A good match can do more than just create publicity for stars-in-love, if they compliment each other. Look at the longevity Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell's romance has given their fame, which they might not have enjoyed otherwise. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner seem to bring out the best in each other and their obvious commitment certainly gives them an air of maturity we hadn't seen before.
I like couples who are both in the biz, but in different areas of it. Gwyneth & Chris, JLo and Marc, Julia & Danny, Spielberg & Capshaw, Nicole & Keith, Madonna & Guy. Of course, you can't fault the stars who look outside of the industry altogether. Meryl Streep's been married to her husband for years and he's completely off the Hollywood radar!
Of course, when there's trouble in paradise (ie. Celebrity splits) someone's career can suffer immeasurably. Jessica Simpson seems to have lost her footing since she and Nick Lachey divorced. Reese & Ryan are okay for the time being and Alec Baldwin actually thrived, in spite of the infamous voice mail (Kim Basinger, not so much). Britney and K-Fed both became tabloid train wrecks.
There are plenty more. Whom do you like/love/loathe? As much as I'd like to come home to someone special, the constant reporting I do here on the Sturm und Drang of famous couples makes me almost always glad to open the front door to only an enthusiastic and wagging greeting from Lois the Springer Spaniel.
dg