As a kind of follow-up to my post about being "the wife," I submit this article from The Brandon Sun about Katie Holmes's Broadway debut. The headline reads "Tom Cruise Praises Katie Holmes' Broadway Performance." Which is, like, duh. He's married to her. How did that make the headline?
And then I love this mini-review embedded within the piece:
If Holmes felt nervous and jittery, she didn't show it. She delivered her lines with confidence and projected her girlish voice so it could be heard loud and clear. She danced around on stage with gusto. She looked lovely in two dresses that highlighted her trim yet shapely figure. She wore a brown shoulder-length hairpiece to hide her trendy pixie cut. And she received a standing ovation afterward. It's safe to say that no one probably clapped harder than Cruise.
It's positively thick with condescension. This is what good actresses are supposed to do, I suppose: look pretty and be able to project. Even if you're not a fan of Holmes, she had a big career before Mr. Cruise came along and yet this article treats her like she's some exquisite plaything of his who's never done anything on her own. (Also: why the "probably" after the writer has already declared it "safe to say"? Just say it! Be bold!)
In my work with my husband I'm usually quite invisible in the reviews, which is understandable given that we're promoting a singular voice. I'm not sure how anyone would be able to discern where my contribution begins and ends; I certainly can't. But it's notable that of the reviews in which I've been singled out, in the very best it was from someone who mistook me for a (French) man. In the very worst, I was simply called "Mrs. Mike Daisey."
3 comments:
I guess it's hard to credit gals with intellect--and humor. I get this comment sometimes: "Do you know that a lot of this script could be taken TWO ways, and some of it is FUNNY?"
I always say: "You're kidding! Wow."
Maybe they think I'm having my cat write my scripts, and then I sign my name. Hilarious. No technique or anything, I just place his paws on the keyboard. If he types "Katmedy" it's gonna be a funny one.
A line from an old POGO comic strip popped into my mind here. "You can call me whatever you want...so long as you call me for supper."
At some point in a relationship as strong and vital as you and Mike have, that's what really counts.
Your POGO line makes me think of another one I like:
"I don't care where you get your appetite...so long as you eat at home."
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