Tom v Nicole: Who's the winner?

There's nothing the British public loves more than a good showbiz head-to-head. Whether it's Blur v Oasis or Posh v Bex (aka Sophie Ellis-Bextor), we're fascinated by the spectacle of celebs slugging it out for top-dog status. This week sees another epic dust-up, with the added intrigue of the two protagonists being recently divorced from each other.

Last night, Tom Cruise was at the premiere of his Spielberg-directed sci-fi blockbuster Minority Report. Tonight, Nicole Kidman's Russian-mail-order-bride romp, Birthday Girl, opens. Pure coincidence? Perhaps, but when you consider that Birthday Girl first started filming three years ago, premiered last August in Venice, and was shown last November at the London Film Festival, the timing does seem choice.

Add to that a string of coincidental clashes between the couple over the past year (like going on holiday to the same island within two days of each other) not to mention their penchant for unleashing verbal Cruise missiles in interviews - notably Nicole's quip to David Letterman on the joys of singledom: "At least I can wear heels now" - and it looks as if a secret war is still being waged.

For two people who've spent the past decade meticulously controlling their image, these slip-ups are uncharacteristic. Had they wanted, Tom and Nicole could have shut up shop and maintained a dignified silence while still getting on with their careers.

Instead, what we've witnessed since their split last February is a publicity prizefight - with scrapper Kidman's below-the-belt tactics leaving Tom cruising for a bruising.

Like any recently divorced couple, Tom and Nicole have both got something to prove. Tom is the king of Hollywood and the master of media manipulation. He wants the world to know he's above all this petty squabbling, that he's moved on and replaced Nicole with an equally beautiful and successful A-list star. Poor Pen?lope Cruz has thus been reluctantly brought into the fray.

Throughout her annus horribilis, Nicole presented herself as a sort of downtrodden housewife who bravely picked herself up, poured herself into her career, cut short the long, red hair he loved so much (classic break-over stuff), wore scarlet frocks (he didn't like her in red), flirted with younger men (Robbie Williams and Tobey "Spider-Man" Maguire) and proved she's a survivor. She was even quoted as saying: "I always had respect for single mothers. Now it's me."

Aided by a year of critical acclaim and a freak Christmas number-one single, Nicole has wielded the sword of publicity like a surgeon's scalpel. In spite of numerous conciliatory comments ("You can still love a person even though you have a disagreement, and that's how I feel about Nicole"), Tom repeatedly comes out looking like the bad guy. One of the most serious body blows was Nicole's Vogue interview, which painted her ex as the typical oppressive husband trying to hold back his wife's career (Look at me now. I was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe. Where's your silverware?).

Things do appear to be calming down, though. Tom recently claimed: "I love Nic, I always will", and even laughed off that heels jibe.

In the meantime, it remains to be seen whether this latest clash will reopen old wounds. Minority Report will almost certainly spank Birthday Girl at the box office. But one thing's for sure: so far, on points, with a unanimous decision from the judges, the winner is, the Sydney slugger herself ... Nicole Kidman.>{?