Risky Business

Melissa and I might as well start calling ourselves Holmes and Watson since we've cracked the case of the flying, pregnant scientologist. Let us begin, naturally, at the beginning. When first we learned of the death of scientologist media mogul Kerry Packer, Crazy Tom's publicist issued a statement claiming that Tom would be attending the funeral in Australia sans his kooky fiance:

TOM CRUISE will attend the funeral of media mogul KERRY PACKER in Sydney, Australia alone on Friday (17FEB06), after his pregnant fiancee KATIE HOLMES decided to stay at home at the last minute.

Despite travel plans and accommodation arrangements being scheduled for both Cruise and Holmes, the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE star will stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney without his 27-year-old wife-to-be.

Holmes is at least seven months pregnant and was reportedly advised not to endure the 14-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. [contactmusic.com]

But then, Life & Style magazine reported Tom and Katie's potential break-up. Camp Tomkat went into damage control control mode and issued an official statement on behalf of the couple. (See Melissa's previous posting.)

Natch, crazy Tom couldn't have people thinking there was trouble in scientology land...Melissa and I could smell the pending photo-op thousands of miles away...in sunny Aussie land to be exact. Turns out, the very, very pregnant Katie decided to switch her plans suddenly (suspiciously and conveniently, I might add) and attend Mr. Packer's funeral...making the long plane journey in her last trimester...something normal soon-to-be mom's would most likely reconsider and decide against:

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes flew into Sydney, Australia yesterday in a public show of solidarity to attend a state memorial service for media mogul Kerry Packer. Media reports had speculated that the seven-months-pregnant Holmes had cancelled her trip at the last minute on the advice of her doctors who had advised against the 14-hour flight. The couple arrived on Cruise's private jet to show support for Packer's son, James, who has been a close friend of the actor's for five years. [ireland online]

But, as we seen in the past...this is no ordinary couple. They flout better judgment all the time (quick engagement, even quicker pregnancy, ignoring the advice of doctors, the home-edition sonogram machine, couch jumping...I think you get the point). And all this in under a year -- just imagine what the coming months have in store. Stay tuned...

--Joan.