How Katie out PR'ed Tom to win Suri.

But that’s exactly where Tom Cruise was when his wife of 5 years, Katie Holmes, hit him with a surprise divorce just over a week ago.

The question is, was Katie’s timing and Tom’s unfortunate location – stuck on a film set in one of the most isolated countries in the world, a coincidence or something more sinister?

As the TomKat divorce saga continues, Hollywood analysts (read: gossips) are suggesting it may all have been part of a cunning plan by 33-year-old actress and her people.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Katie Holmes, you go girlfriend. If anyone’s winning this battle, it’s Joey Potter. Could our old friend from Dawson’s Creek have played this game any better?

Because let’s not forget that the combined $275 million estate and custody of their 6-year-old daughter Suri that’s at stake in this divorce. There are also reputations. We’re talking about two of the biggest stars in the world and in Hollywood, your reputation is everything.

New.com.au reports:

Cruise was losing the publicity war and he knew it. Pictures of Holmes cradling Suri on the streets of New York showed her to be maternal and protective, while daily Scientology exposes depicted him as a dangerous kook.

In a rare flash of anger, Cruise’s lawyer accused Holmes of playing the media at the weekend. “We are letting ‘the other side’ (Katie and her team), play the media until they wear everyone out and then we’ll have something to say,” Field told the BBC.

“It’s not Tom’s style to do this publicly. He is really sad about what’s happening.”

Katie, on the other hand, is all about the publicity.

Last week – just days after the announcement – she made an appearance on the hit TV show Project Runway. Days later, it was announced that her clothing label, Holmes and Yang, would feature at New York Fashion Week.

She’s also been spotted casually looking amazing in the aisles of a supermarket on numerous occasions. (Seriously. Has the girl not heard of Coles online, doesn’t she have people who do this for her?)

Katie is working the media to her advantage. She’s expertly cast herself in the role of protective and doting mother – whereas as Tom, is nowhere to be seen.

Then there are the emerging stories of Scientology that can’t be doing Tom Cruise and his reputation any favors. More from News Limited:

The first trailer for his new thriller, Jack Reacher, was released last week, with the film – the start of a franchise – to hit cinemas in December. Next year will see Cruise star in the sci-fi films Oblivion and All You Need is Kill and begin work on a new Mission: Impossible film and a reboot of Van Helsing.

But his split put all of that at risk. A nasty court fight would without a doubt turn the public against him and drown out any attempts to sell his movies. Mel Gibson’s spectacular fall from grace would have been at the forefront of his publicists’ minds.

More importantly, Holmes had nothing to lose. When Cruise divorced Kidman, she was a rising star and he was at the height of his power. She couldn’t afford to alienate him with stories of what went on in their marriage.

[And for more celebrity splits this year….]