Press Smitten With 'TomKitten'

Tom And Katie's Baby Is Instant Tabloid Headline Monopolizer

(CBS)  News of the bouncing baby girl born to Tom Cruise and Katie Homes has dominated tabloid media coverage during the last 48 hours. It's been nothing short of a media frenzy.

You could hardly turn on the television or pick up a paper without hearing about the birth of little Suri.

As co-anchor Julie Chen put it in a report on The Early Show Thursday, "Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may have practiced a silent delivery, but their baby news is making lots of noise."

At birth, Suri already had a nickname, "TomKitten," and within minutes, news of her arrival was being spoken around the world, in multiple languages, on tabloid TV and in newscasts, as well as in newspapers and on the Web.

Information raced through the media at a breakneck pace.

One show had scenes from inside the hospital where Suri was born.

Reporters breathlessly gave word that Holmes had had an epidural.

Some media outlets even investigated her name, which a statement from the stars' publicist said means "red rose" in Persian and "princess" in Hebrew.

"We've spoke to a Hebrew expert, and he said Suri doesn't mean princess," said Tom Cunneff of People magazine.

Suri also means "pickpocket" in Japanese, one TV show noted.

During their courtship, it seemed every kiss between Cruise and Holmes was captured on camera. But the proud parents haven't released a picture of their newborn, and breathless reporters are even speculating about who'll be the first to get hold of photos.

Reporters gathered for days before the baby's due date outside the couple's Beverly Hills home, and of course they did it again once Suri was born. Fans and the paparazzi hoped to snap that first photo. Some experts say it could fetch up to $5 million.

But the first to make money on the new baby are kids who set up a lemonade stand across the street. One said they'd made $30.

The real goldmine may just be the wealth of new material for the late night comedians, many of whom were quick with their quips.

Cruise, though, cancelled all the initial promotional appearances for his upcoming film, "Mission: Impossible 3."