Monday, January 25, 2010

The Way They Were: Celebrity Couples of the 90s

Time after time, Hollywood manages to fool us with its glittering golden couples. Every time a couple of favorite stars get together, we're all convinced they live a charmed shared life. They always appear so poised, so together, so happy. Plus, they're rich beyond our wildest lottery-winning fantasies. Their enviable lives extend beyond the bounds of relatability. It just seems further proof that celebrities are indeed special on a level us ordinary folks can never attain.

Just as suddenly as their perfect romances begin, though, many of our favorite celebrities quickly plummet back down to human status. On one level, it makes the rest of us feel a tad better about our own problem-addled lives. These people may be rich, beautiful, and famous, but hey, they've got issues, too. On another, though, it crushes our misguided illusion that any of us can achieve perfection. If these people can't manage it, how will the rest of us normals fare?

It's understandable that maintaining a romantic relationship under the glaring minutiae-dissecting public spotlight is a challenge. We're all watching their every moves, praying for a shred of evidence that their lives are a bit more like our own than we'd initially considered. When their relationships do fail, however, we feel somewhat let down. It's a sort of catch 22: they're damned to suffer our scorn whether they make it or not.

The 90s was a time ripe with celebrity couplings, though many of the pairs didn't cross the finish line into this decade. While they may have seemed nearly untouchable in those days, it's tough today to make sense of some of these match-ups. Whether you loved them, hated them, or just didn't get it, you have to admit that these couples enjoyed more than their share of fanfare and publicity in their heyday.


Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman


I'm not sure if you can think back this far, but try your best to remember a time when Tom Cruise wasn't just a infamous couch-jumper plagued by reputation-defaming rumors. Back in the 80s and 90s, Cruise was one of the most successful and coveted movie stars in Hollywood. Cruise and Kidman were married 10 years, which seems like a lifetime with respect to the span of most celebrity relationships. There was much speculation over the reason for their split, with reporters hinting at scandal. While Cruise has since remarried to Katie Holmes, he has yet to shake those pesky speculations on his character. The couch jumping and misguided Matt Lauer name-calling hasn't helped much, either.



Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder


If I were to engineer a quintessentially 90s couple, I doubt I could come up with anything quite as representative as these two. Examine a photo or two in their days as a happy couple and they just ooze 90s from their every pixel. It was hard not to root for them after watching their doomed romance bloom in Edward Scissorhands. After their split, they went on to further respective high-profile romances: Ryder with Matt Damon and Depp with Kate Moss, both of which relationships have since run their course. Still, it's gotta hurt that Depp altered his "Winona Forever" tattoo to read "Wino Forever". It's tough to think you could be so easily replaced by a full-bodied chardonnay.



Puff Daddy and Jennifer Lopez


Yeah, I said it. Puff Daddy. That was we called him back then. They had a certain charm, with him in his all-white get-ups and her in her scandalous double-stick tape supported Versace Grammy dress. If nothing else, we certainly liked them better than J Lo and Ben Affleck. As long as a Hollywood couple doesn't put us through a Gigli, they're alright in my book.



Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe


I'd really thought these kids were gonna make it. The story of their courtship seemed so cute and Hollywood storybook, we just didn't want to believe things were less than perfect with our favorite Cruel Intentions co-stars. They got married, had 2 kids, and everything seemed to be going swimmingly until they announced their decision to divorce in 2006. I'd prefer to remember them as they were, with Reese making that weird deformed devil face in the carwith Ryan in Cruel Intentions.



Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake


Talk about your golden teen couple. These two seemed so in love, we were willing to overlook the fact that they were cohabiting in the midst of their allegedly chaste relationship. It might be tough now to remember Britney as an innocent virginal pop starlet, but once upon a time we were all under the spell cast by her talented publicists. We even considered tolerating their God-awful matching denim outfits if they could just make it. Unfortunately, some things just aren't meant to be, no matter how much foreshadowing we thought we'd seen on the Mickey Mouse Club.



Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow


It's easy to forget that before there was even Brad and Jen, there was Brad and Gwen. Brad has long been a part of the Hollywood "it" couple, though he's cycled through a few female counterparts over the years. We once fell in love with Brad and Gwynnie, though we've since been convinced to fall in love with Brad and Jen and eventually the less-rhyming but more annoying hybrid classification Brangelina.



Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman


This one had all of us scratching our heads. They both seemed to bask in the attention of the public eye, Carmen for her Baywatch physique and Rodman more for his odd appearance and outlandish fashion choices than his prowess on the basketball court. The two were wed in Vegas, though the marriage was annulled less than two weeks later. The reason? Why, intoxication during the wedding vows, of course. It's probably a common tale for Vegas, but not quite so widespread an excuse in celebrity couplings.



Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee


These two got hitched after knowing each other for just a few days, characterizing the carefree (and some might argue, careless) nature of their relationship. Their infamous honeymoon sex tape went into wide circulation after it was stolen from their house, but the couple took it in stride. Considering the two weren't exactly known for their wholesome image, it all played out pretty well. They not only won over a million in the lawsuit, but they made a killing on video sales. Well played, Anderson and Lee.



Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley


There have been all sorts of speculations on Jackson and Presley's short-lived marriage, most claiming that it was a sham. Presley still vehemently denies the charge, though that footage of the two of them kissing at the VMAs still raises some eyebrows. Like most of Jackson's personal life, the details remain shrouded in secrecy, leading the public and the press to jump to all sorts of conclusions. We may never know the true nature of their relationship. I'm torn on it. I read that heartfelt note Presley wrote upon learning of Jackson's 2009 death, and she seemed to have genuine affection for him. I watch that kiss again, though, and it's a little iffy.



Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger



At this point, it's tough to look past the tarnished image of this now-bitter relationship and remember how we revered this couple upon their public debut. Back then, though, we were blissfully unaware of a looming custody battle and eventual reputation-dinging leaked voicemails from Baldwin to his daughter Ireland. The former spouses now occasionally make contact through their publicists to fling angry and bitter accusations, so I would venture things did not end so well for these two.



Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey



This one still hurts my heart just a little. I know, I know, it's not like I knew these two personally. After Newlyweds, though, I really thought they were going to be in love forever. Yes, it's naive, but he was so sweet when she made silly mistakes like confusing chicken and tuna based on the name of a popular canned-fish brand. I've always liked Jessica Simpson, so I feel for her that she never quite seemed to rebound in terms of fame and image. I'll try to think of her as she was, believing buffalo had wings and charming MTV audiences everywhere.



Their relationships may not have stood the test of time, but for a brief moment these couples represented to us the ideal partnerships. We may just have to settle for remembering them as they were, before bitter divorces or circumstances drove them apart. As they say, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. If you can't, well, then it seems you're at least in pretty good Hollywood company.

27 comments:

  1. Love the fashion captured in these shots - especially J Lo's dress which I still remember and the matching denim outfits from Britney & Justin.

    Pamela Lee & Tommy will be together again. It's funny, but my sister and I were just talking about Pamela Lee & Kid Rock's weddings lasting longer than their marriage. What did they have like 9?

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  2. AW, I forgot about some of those! Um, Did you see at the Golden Globes how Nicole Kidman gave a wink and shout out to Penolope Cruz...My mil was here visiting and pointed out that Penelope Cruz was the one who "Broke up Tom and Nicole's marriage" I am not sure if she broke it up per se, but he started dating her IMMEDIATLY after his split. He was in that movie wit her...
    oh, Justin and Brit brit :((

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  3. What cute but mostly crazy couples! :)

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  4. I absolutely loved Tom and Nicole in "Far and Away" - gets me everytime. It's crazy to see how these couples have changed - and changed - and changed.

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  5. I still wish Jessica and Nick could make it.

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  6. Now those are some pictures that will take you back in time!!! :-)

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  7. The pictures totally made this post!

    What were Britney and Justin thinking with their denim get-ups?!

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  8. I was SO upset when Nick and Jessica split. It still makes me sad. I wish the occasional rumors of a reunion could be true.

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  9. I too have always loved Jessica Simpson. Her and Nick as well as Reese and Ryan still break my heart a little. I admittedly keep a faint hope in the crevices of my heart somewhere that Jessica and Nick will reunite. Unlikely, but hey, I like fairytales!

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  10. Ohh I remember these all too well. Especially Puff Daddy & Jennifer Lopez. I didn't realize all of these were so long ago. Yikes!!

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  11. Aw I loved Jessica and Nick together. They were the only couple I was truly surprised to see break up!

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  12. Oh man, Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon made me wish they made it--when they divorced I was uber sad. I still have such a celeb crush on him, too.

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  13. I remember hearing gossip on the radio one day about Justin and Britney supposedly going into a hotel together.

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  14. I agree with the thoughts on Britney and Justin's choice in denim: WTF. Their outfits are somehow too 90s for the 90s!

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  15. I still think about the Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey marriage. They should still be together damn it!!!

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  16. Ooh...I so forgot how hadsome Alec Baldwin use to be.

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  17. Oh Johnny Depp...was there ever a time you weren't hot??

    Also, the Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson kiss STILL gives me the willies.

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  18. Blimey, I'd forgotten about most of these!!!

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  19. i still can't get over b and justins matching denim outfits. i miss the cheezy after school specialness of the 90's. *sighs*

    www.thehautebitch.blogspot.com

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  20. haha oh wow, J LO in that versace I forgot about that! and britney and justin in the matching denim? dear god.

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  21. im hurt over the jessica simpson/nick lachey divorce thing also. I think the reason why they may have broke up is because of jessica's father joe controlling them and etc. I was never fond of joe simpson to tell you the truth.

    im kinda sad about the puffy/jlo breakup too. they were another couple that i thought would make it also. may i add i love jennifer lopez as well as jessica simpson.

    wish justin and britney wouldv'e stayed together but that's just the way it is with celebrity relationships/marriage. same for tommy lee and pamela anderson's marriage.

    one word for the carmen/rodney pairing: EWWWWWWWWWWWW!

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  22. It seems to me that celebrities do not live together for a long time and their couples very often break up after a few years. Perhaps the whole point is that celebrity men are too fixated on themselves. But I know how to warm up your relationship. Pay attention to the website cupid.com with a useful article about compliments. Always compliment each other!

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  23. I haven't met anyone for a long time and I would like to change that. What's the best way to meet and start a relationship now?

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  24. I think it's possible to find love in real life as well, but it's too hard, so I prefer using the internet for that. I'm pretty shy, so I don't like talking to people much, but I do like texting, and on grindr vs scruff sites, I can have long conversations with people. I hope one day I'll even be confident enough to ask someone on a date, but I doubt that.

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  25. Nicole Kidman is an adorable, elegant woman. I blame Cruise for their sepration. To my opinion he is a little strange. But it was a beautiful couple anyway. Good memories, thanks.

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