Sometimes you wish actors and their publicists would be just a tad less obvious. When it was announced last week that Katie Holmes would star in the new thriller "Mad Money" alongside Queen Latifah, her people also leaked that Mrs. Tom Cruise would not be reprising her role as Batman's love interest, Rachel Dawes, in the "Batman Begins" sequel, "The Dark Knight." According to Variety, word was the scheduling of the two films wouldn't allow Holmes to commit to both, but don't believe the spin control for a second. Anyone associated with the Batman production knows that the last thing Warner Bros. or the filmmakers wanted to experience again was the Cruise/Holmes circus surrounding the blockbuster sequel. The couple's public love tour began when Holmes was in the middle of doing publicity for "Batman Begins" almost two years ago (Cruise followed her everywhere during the junket for the movie), and the mess reached a crescendo with her husband's couch-jumping antics on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." And although Cruise somehow finagled running a revived United Artists out of the messy tabloid headlines of the past year, Holmes played mommy with the exception of the indie "Thank You for Smoking," which she shot long before she'd ever met Cruise. Now Holmes can try to revive her career (which she intended to accomplish by starring in "Begins") in "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" director Callie Khouri's "Money." Suri's mom and Latifah are set to play two of three Federal Reserve employees who attempt to steal money that is about to be destroyed. The third conspirator hasn't been cast yet, but with production beginning this spring, an announcement is imminent. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. will take a deep sigh of relief and be on the look out for someone to take over the role of Dawes.

Next Column: Diane Keaton says "Because I Said So"; Guy Pearce channels his inner Andy Warhol in "Factory Girl"; and more.

Who do you think should play Batman's next love interest? Send your thoughts and comments to buzz@microsoft.com. See you in three.