People

By Rebecca Winters Keegan

TOMKAT'S BABY MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED His gift of a sonogram machine. Her preparations for a Scientology-approved silent birth. Their horde of midwife-like paparazzi, breathlessly awaiting the first contractions. "It was everything that we wanted it to be," TOM CRUISE told 20/20 on the birth of his daughter Suri, with fiance KATIE HOLMES. "It was spiritual. It was powerful. It was indescribable. What words can you use? It's still something that I'm processing and keep reliving." The couple said the baby's name means "red rose" in Persian, which it does, and "princess" in Hebrew--which had Israeli journalists and linguists scratching their heads. Suri was one of several celebritots to get an unusual moniker recently. Gwyneth Paltrow's Moses, Donald Trump's Barron, Joely Fisher's True and Brooke Shields' Grier (who was born in the same hospital and on the same day as Suri) all proved that Mom and Dad are creative types. Welcome to the world, Suri. You're going to find it a pretty strange place.

LIFE AFTER HARRY Currently filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the gang from Hogwarts is almost grown. Who has the best chance for a post-Potter career?

RUPERT GRINT, 17 Making a bid for independence, Harry's best pal has a role in the indie Driving Lessons, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival April 30. Like Ron Weasley, Grint says, his new character is "very awkward around girls," including Julie Walters, who plays "a crazy old lady." For those following at home, she played his mom in previous Potter films; his mom this time is Laura Linney.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE, 16 Between promoting the fourth Potter movie and filming the fifth, the star wizard shot another orphan role in December Boys. Based on a novel set in 1960s Australia, the drama unfolds far from the Quidditch pitch.

EMMA WATSON, 16 Despite rumors that she may portray a Power Ranger in a revival of that fantasy series (don't do it, Emma!), Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, seems focused instead on college. Bookish Hermione would approve.

MAGGIE SMITH, 71 Call us crazy, but we think the woman who plays Professor McGonagall shows some real promise. She already has two Oscars, a Tony, an Emmy and the right to call herself Dame. Plus, she can turn herself into a cat.

EVEN HE DIDN'T MEET SANTA Toto, we're not in Monaco anymore. PRINCE ALBERT II just returned from a four-day dogsled journey to the North Pole to draw attention to global warming. The parka-clad monarch and his crew of seven faced low visibility and cracks in the ice that caused two people to slip into chilly waters. (They were unharmed.) What will His Royal Greenness do next to promote environmentalism? "Maybe--I emphasize maybe," he said, "I will make a trip to the South Pole." Which must have the other royals feeling wimpy for just recycling.

TEEN VULCAN? Get your polyester jumpsuits out of storage! Star Trek is not gone; it's just a little off orbit. Paramount announced the 11th Trek movie, to be directed by Mission: Impossible III tyro J.J. Abrams. And--you may want to sit down for this--Spock and Kirk are back. The film will center on the Starfleet Academy days of the duo, originally played by William Shatner and LEONARD NIMOY. The starship looked set for scrap after the 10th film and sixth TV series were busts. But don't line up for tickets yet. It's not due until 2008.