Single Desperate Housewives

By SAMANTHA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
19-APR-06

Ironic as it may be, the four single stars of Desperate Housewives have defined themselves by their off camera relationships. By virtue of their newfound stardom, Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher, Nicolette Sheridan and Marcia Cross have been swept into the public eye. And with the media's insatiable hunger for meat, they have all been put to the test.  How they have handled the scrutiny of their personal lives not only impacts our perception of them now, but also of their future star potential. This week we take a peek at how each has managed talk of their off camera lives and how it has impacted their personal brands.

Teri Hatcher

Hatcher is clearly confused. As a divorced single mother she has chosen to talk freely about her single status, waxing poetic about her lack of dates to any reporter willing to listen.  In the meantime, she has also written a book, "Burnt Toast," released this month, in which she espouses her views on life and love. The love part is what has us puzzled. After complaining about her single status for so long, why would anyone accept her advice on romance and relationships?  Hatcher has us convinced that her personal life is indeed desperate, and that there is in fact no separation between her Desperate Housewives character and the real Teri Hatcher. With her new advice book, Hatcher has exhibited extreme brand inconsistency, and we'd recommend she start living by the age old adage: silence is a virtue.

Teri Hatcher's Celebrity A$$ets

Nicolette Sheridan
When she began starring on Desperate Housewives, renowned vamp Sheridan was engaged to personal trainer Niklas Soderblom. She has since dumped him and rekindled her flame with ex-boyfriend Michael Bolton.  Though taking up with a personal trainer is a common starlet syndrome, her relationship with Soderblom never appeared quite right.  But Sheridan, who was at one time married to actor Harry Hamlin, seems to have found her match in Bolton, partners in life and equals in professional accomplishment.  Now cheerful and warmer off camera, Sheridan has exhibited a contrast with her on screen persona that is bound to keep her career moving ahead full force. With her newfound off screen happiness, Sheridan is demonstrating her full range.

Nicolette Sheridan's Celebrity A$$$ets

Eva Longoria
Though the petite Longoria is head over heels for NBA star Tony Parker, she has been effective at keeping her personal life mostly private, garnering plenty of media attention without becoming a public piñata. Moreover, she has managed to remain largely unattached to and unencumbered by both her Housewives role and her castmates, and, dancing to the beat of her own drum, has positioned herself best for stardom beyond the hit show. Longoria has just finished filming The Sentinel, in which she costars with Kiefer Sutherland and Michael Douglas, and she has grand plans beyond her small screen success. Defying the mantra that experience comes with age, Longoria has proven a good model for overeager co-star Hatcher.

Eva Longoria's Celebrity A$$$$ets

Marcia Cross
Cross's portrayal of ice queen Bree Walker was a natural evolution from the calculating and crazy character she portrayed on Melrose Place.  And since we knew little about her personal life, it was easy to assume that the never married actress was Bree Walker in real life as well. Yet in the last year, Cross has displayed a spontaneity that would send her uptight onscreen character running for the hills.  She surprised us all by falling quickly for businessman Tom Mahoney and accepting his marriage proposal only weeks later, and through this relationship has revealed her true fabric. Believing that the devil is in the details, Cross has shunned the role of the typical bride, leaving the planning to her fiancé.  She further boosted our appreciation for her down to earth nature when she appeared on Martha Stewart's new show while Bree Walker would have given Stewart a run for her money, Marcia Cross was clearly a stranger to the kitchen.

Marcia Cross' Celebrity A$$$ets

Remember: the most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.