Rocker Moby disaproves of Suri's unveiling

Rock musician Moby had quite a bit to say about actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ decision to present their daughter Suri to the world in a Vanity Fair photo shoot.

“Are you kidding me?” he says in his blog. “Putting your [bleeping] CHILD on the cover of Vanity Fair? Are they out of their minds? Using a child as a p.r. prop?? Argh.”

“In the grand scheme of things fame pales in comparison to family and child-rearing. I don’t know Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, but I really cannot for a second fathom the mindset of parents who would sell pictures of their children and use their children to get better press coverage.

“I’m sorry, I try not to be too judgmental, but it’s gross.”

Source: Moby.com

Thanks to CBB Readers Varsha and Amy Jo.

Comments

Okay…well what does Moby think of Angelina, Britney, etc as they also put their new babies on the covers of magazines. He sounds very foolish for not mentioning other celebrities who do the EXACT same thing!!

- kim on September 13th, 2006

This is Moby’s personal journal entry regarding Suri

http://www.moby.com/journal/2006-09-07/baby_suri.html

- Amy Jo on September 13th, 2006

All I can say is that Tom Cruise is a media whore and I saw the pictures. *Yawns* Don’t know what the big deal is, saw the pictures from varios sites and that was it. I still think the kid doesn’t exist, but that’s only what I think and it’s my own personal opinion.

- nanny on September 13th, 2006

I think he wasn’t just talking about Cruise and Holmes when he said, “really cannot for a second fathom the mindset of parents who would sell pictures of their children and use their children to get better press coverage.” I don’t like Moby, but I agree with his statement!

- J. on September 13th, 2006

I have to say that I agree with Kim, lots of other celebs do this, why in the world is he singling out Tom and Katie? Maybe he is needing some press attention?

- anon on September 13th, 2006

i’m sorry, i know you don’t allow nasty comments, but i think his rant is f-ing ridiculous. how many celebrities sell pictures of their babies? why just point at tom and katie? they didn’t receive a cent. they tried to keep their baby private those first few months and what did they get, people speculating that she doesn’t exist. brad and angelina did because if they don’t, a random paparazzi would get millions just by being in the right place at the right time, so they sold the pictures and the charities got the money.

someone should tell moby his friend pamela anderson sold pictures of her kids too, maybe pamela can explain it to him.

he himself said it best:

“I don’t know Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes”

- stephanie on September 13th, 2006

Moby who? All he ever does is tell people what he doesn’t approve of… Get a life!!!

- Yonni on September 13th, 2006

I’m sure if someone told Moby they’d give 4 million dollars to his favorite charity if he posed for a picture with his kids (if he even has any) – he’d change his story.

- DS on September 13th, 2006

Strangeness!! Who cares what Moby thinks?? Not me and I am certain TomKat probably isn’t losing sleep over Moby’s comments!

- tink1217 on September 13th, 2006

I’m sure he feels the same way about other celebs that take pictures for magazines.

- DangerousMuse on September 13th, 2006

If it came down to it you know he would do the same thing in a heartbeat…

- Jamie on September 13th, 2006

Man, damned if they do & damned if they don’t. These guys can’t win!

- Ana on September 13th, 2006

Uh, he’s been pretty chummy with Gwyneth Paltrow of late, and I seem to recall she did the same thing with the birth of her son in People magazine. Think he gave her the same rant? Or is he just a hypocrite? I’m voting on the latter. Get a life.

- P's Mama on September 13th, 2006

“I’m sure if someone told Moby they’d give 4 million dollars to his favorite charity if he posed for a picture with his kids (if he even has any) – he’d change his story.”

I see both sides of the support/criticism for Moby’s statement, but as far as the facts go, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes did not give money from their daughter’s photo shoot to charity (i believe they did not accept money). Some other couples have, but they are not one of them.

- Chiara on September 13th, 2006

As someone else said…Moby who? The man is only trying to get publicity; does he have an album coming out soon? (Not like anyone will buy it). Celebs really can’t win can they? If they don’t show the photo of their new baby then we suspect something’s wrong with it or it just doesn’t exist. If they do show it then they are horrible parents who are “selling their children”. He must have not read or listened when VF said they did not pay Cruise or Holmes for the photos. So really they did not sell their daughter. He really should think before he speaks because he sounds like a colossal piece of unintelligent shit.

- Ericka on September 13th, 2006

cut him some slack, most of the time they have there own personal photos that they share but they dont go around like tom and katie and have them airbrushed and plasted on Vanity Fair

- angelique on September 13th, 2006

While I agree that his wording was… off, I do think his general message about Tom, Katie, and the way they went about this whole Suri thing was completly valid.

- Zoey on September 13th, 2006

I too think Moby has a point. Even though Tom and Katie did not sell Suri’s first public pictures it does not mean the photos aren’t being used to manipulate public opinion. Tom and Katie put together a 22 page spread in Vanity Fair. 22 pages! They had stylists and make up artists there for the 5 day shoot and the magazine even provides fashion credits! Is this a fashion shoot? Is this about a parent’s pride for his child or is this a desperate attempt to salvage Tom’s career? The whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth and before some of you call me a hater, I assure you I am not. I’m a fan of Tom Cruise, the actor but as time goes on I’ve become less and less a fan of Tom Cruise the man.

Here’s an interesting NY Times article about Suri’s photoshoot for Vanity Fair.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/movies/07cele.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=movies&adxnnlx=1157644972-F3Re4f6eUpdZC/zMUUb6bA&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

- Jessica on September 13th, 2006

Famous baby photos turn up with or with out parents permission. Some celebs would rather have the kind of photo they choose of the new baby and don’t ask any money at all. Some celebs take money for the photos and donate to a good cause.

- Barbara on September 14th, 2006

To the person who said “the man is only trying to get publicity”… why is this the case? He wrote it on his personal blog, a blog in which he has tackled many issues close to his heart. He’s not seeking out the publicity, but when a famous person says something damning about another famous person, it is likely to spread like wildfire.

As for not selling Suri for fame just because they didn’t receive money for the photos – I think that’s taking “selling” too literally. I have no doubt that Katie and Tom were seeking to derive profit from the photos. Why else was the spread 22 pages long? And I am not saying this only about Tom and Katie. I don’t believe celebs should ever actively put their children in the spotlight. It doesn’t decrease the amount of interest in them from paparazzi etc. There will still be a huge rush to get the first candid photo of Suri.

- Lucy on September 14th, 2006

Why is it his business?? I am not a fan of Tom and Katie but come on its not like they are the first to do this! I never understand why so many celebrities feel the need to speak out about these things, they need to mind their own business and keep their opinions to themselves!

- Diana on September 14th, 2006

The issue itself aside, any accusation along the lines of “Moby who?’ or that he’s trying to get “publicity” is a complete fallacy, ie. an attack on the person rather than on his argument or the way he went about it. First of all, if he is “less famous” than the people about whom he’s expressing an opinion, does it follow that he must not know what he’s talking about? Moby is a platinum-selling musical artist, a successful enteprenuer (until recently he owned the New York tea shop Teany — which is very good by the way), and an activist. He is intelligent and generally very well-spoken and I guarantee that there are plenty of people who respect him far more than they do Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. But all that doesn’t even matter — he posted his opinion on a personal blog, as thousands of people, including ALL OF US, do every single day.

Now, the argument that what Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes do with their children is none of our business is not a fallacy and certainly holds more weight. But if you truly believe that, then you need to get off this site pronto. Besides, I think that’s moot. If their parenting is actually affected by what Moby says, then that’s due to their own choice to take his words to heart, not his words themselves. More likely, it won’t be, so he’s just another guy expressing his opinion.

Tom Cruise’s comments about Brooke Shields and postpartum drugs disgusted me and made me think far less of him as a person. But he had every right to say them. Moby does too, no matter how famous he is, no matter how many people agree with him. Especially on his own blog.

- Chiara on September 14th, 2006

ICAM with stephanie, right on. Where was he when Shiloh was on the cover of People, where was his rant then? Where was he when Gwen and Kingston was on OK, where was he when Brooke Shields posed for People magazine with her baby? He is such a hypocrite, a lot of the major celebs have done the same thing, I didnt hear his rants then. Gwenyth his friend also did the same thing.

And this is funny coming from Moby who will whore out his songs for anything and everything just to get money off them. So he should be the last person talking about seeking publicty when his pride and joy, his music has been so commercialized that its not even funny. And moby, get your facts straight, Tom and Katie didnt receive any money for suri pics because they didnt want any monetary value tied to her.

And so what if tomkat got people for hair and makeup, what mag cover doesnt utilize them? You think the celebs above didnt have them when they posed for covers? And tom and katie cant win, they dont show their kid, some say she’s an alien and doesnt exist. They finally show her and they’re still getting criticized. Whatever, this just shows, that maybe you ought to leave them alone and let them raise their child the way they see fit. After all that’s their child and not yours since they cant do anything right in some people’s eyes.

- mystique on September 14th, 2006

I agree with Moby and yes, he does have a right to say this. Tom and Katie have been acting differently than other celebs with their newborn children. Others wait to unveil their children on covers of magazines for different reasons, publicity may be one, but I believe a lot of it has to do with respect to their child. Tom and Katie have been so weird about hiding their baby that nothing has been done for their children rather for themselves (or should I say Tom).

- Leah on September 16th, 2006