Tom And Katie: Latest 'It' Couple

Hollywood has a new "it" couple. Superstar actor Tom Cruise and the recently single Katie Holmes are a hot item. They were spotted in Rome kissing, and they didn't shy away from the paparazzi when the cameras started clicking.

The Early Show entertainment contributor and People magazine Senior Editor Jess Cagle told co-anchor Hannah Storm, "Once they got caught, they just went for broke. They were like, 'We're not hiding anything. We're happy to be together. This is it.'

"They've only been going out for a couple of weeks. This is what we know."

How did they meet?

"Either they had met before," Cagle says, "or he just liked the way she looked, or maybe mutual friends. But they really met when he asked her out on a date. And if you can have a blind date when you're Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, I think that's sort of what it was. And they hit it off, obviously.

"When it came time for him to go to Rome…she went with him. And, you know, the rest is history. …They're walking all around Rome together."

Cruise is in Rome to accept a lifetime achievement award at the Italian equivalent of the Academy Awards, the David di Donatello Awards.

Cruise's most recent celebrity relationship with Penelope Cruz ended last year.

Holmes broke off her engagement with actor Chris Klein just last month, after dating him for five years.

Cagle pooh-poohs speculation the two are only engaging in a big publicity stunt for upcoming movies: "She's got 'Batman Begins' (coming out soon). He's got 'War of the Worlds,' a big Steven Spielberg action movie. …'War of the Worlds," with Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg doesn't need publicity. 'Batman Begins' doesn't (either)."

As for Holmes, who's best known for "Dawson's Creek," raising her profile by dating Cruise, Cagle says, "She's going to be a lot more visible. However, dating Tom Cruise and getting your picture in the magazine more does not translate to getting hired for movies, or selling tickets. So, I don't think that there's really anything that calculated going on here."

Concludes Cagle: "You know what? We wish them the best. They're a great-looking couple."