You’ve met TomKat. Hell, even the New York Times has met TomKat. Now meet MaddDuff, our haphazard pairing of Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden and teen queen Hilary Duff that the Gray Lady is also on top of.
Not only are the two dating, but they’re making music; three of Duff’s new song were written by Madden’s production team.
But ever the skeptic, the NYT wonders if this relationship – albeit responsible for “really good” music – is just another means of amassing demographic crossover.
With TomKat, Tom Cruise nabbed the MTV generation (or so Lee Ann DeVette thinks). With MaddDuff, Hilary gets the punk kids while Madden snags the poppees (though his Good Charlotte is in that realm anyhow).
Their joint appearance might have something to do with a looming milestone: Ms. Duff turns 18 in four weeks. (Mr. Madden is 26.) And, although this may come as a shock, their joint appearance may also have something to do with a publicity campaign. Ms. Duff has a new compilation CD, “Most Wanted” (Hollywood), which collects hits, remixes and three new songs. Like the other Hilary Duff albums, this one is a smash: it made its debut atop the Billboard charts last week, and this week it remains America’s best-selling CD.
But in this instance, we can only hope their relationship is less PR stunt and more about Madden bagging a legal poptart. Don’t crush our dreams, Joel.