Breakups

Tori Spelling will become a single woman again on April 20. A court commissioner has signed off on court papers finalizing her divorce from estranged husband Charlie Shahaian.

Spelling is not just severing ties with her husband. TMZ has learned that her mother's displeasure with Tori's reality show, 'So NoTORIous,' is about to get even worse.

The show, which trashes Candy Spelling, is about to kick it up a notch. Candy is already so angry, she's not speaking with her daughter. The future episodes could cause irreparable harm between the two.

Rapper Eminem filed for divorce this morning from him wife Kim -- for the second time -- after only 82 days of marriage.

The much beleaguered couple first tied the knot in 1999, then divorced in 2001. Kim faced a very public battle with drug addiction and was in and out of jail, but appeared to be on the road to recovery. After a reconciliation, the couple wed again in January 2006 in a lavish ceremony in their hometown of Detroit.

The papers, filed this morning in Macomb County, Michigan, were under Eminem's real name: Marshall Bruce Mathers III.

Eminem's attorney, Harvey Hauer, issued the following statement to TMZ: "The parties would appreciate their privacy during this time. I am confident that both parties want just what is best for their daughter."

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LeBlanc's rep issued the following statement: "Melissa and Matt LeBlanc have decided to end their marriage of three years. The dissolution is amicable. They remain devoted parents and friends. For the sake of their family, they ask that their privacy be respected at this time."

Now it's The Donald returning fire.

In a biting letter to Stewart, delivered Tuesday, Trump wrote that her version of "The Apprentice" was "a mistake for everybody - especially NBC."

TMZ has obtained Nick Lachey's response to the divorce petition of estranged wife Jessica Simpson, and the groundwork is now laid for a fight over money.

In his response, Lachey claims the date of separation was December 13, 2005. In Simpson's papers, she claims the date of separation was November 23, 2005.

Since the couple did not have a prenup (as TMZ first reported), income earned before the split is community property -- divided 50/50.

TMZ has learned that on December 5, 2005, Simpson received $850,000 for performing at a private concert in Cincinnati. If Lachey's separation date is accurate, he'd be entitled to half her fee. If Simpson's date is accurate, she'd keep the entire amount, as well as any other income she earned after November 23.

Related documents

Nick's response 02/17/06
Jessica files for divorce 12/23/05

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Nick and Jessica

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Nick Lachey
Jessica Simpson

His lawyer, Hanna Basha, said in court that the newspaper had repeated a false rumor that the rocker acted in a self-important, arrogant and rude manner by telling guests at a fundraising ball not to address him unless spoken to.

The 58-year-old singer wasn't in court for the announcement of the settlement over the Sunday Times' report in June.

Times Newspapers Ltd. said it had agreed to pay damages to John, who will donate the funds to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The indictment alleges that in 2002, Christensen paid Pellicano at least $100,000 to wiretap the phone of Lisa Bonder Kerkorian, who was locked in a bitter child support battle at the time with billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.

Sources connected with the investigation tell TMZ that after tapping Lisa Bonder Kerkorian's phone, Pellicano made tapes of the conversations and the Feds have seized those tapes. But the same sources also tell TMZ that Pellicano tape recorded his conversations with Christensen as the two allegedly discussed the wiretap, and the Feds have seized those tapes as well.

The sources say the Feds also have circumstantial evidence -- the dates of some of the payments Pellicano allegedly received from Christensen coincide with significant conversations that Pellicano recorded from the wiretap.

Pellicano has also been indicted. He just finished serving time in Federal prison on an unrelated matter.

A spokesperson in Christensen's firm says Christensen never hired anyone to wiretap and that Christensen will be vindicated.

TMZ has just obtained a statement from Lisa Bonder Kerkorian's lawyer, Steve Sitkoff, claiming is client is "devastated" by the news of the alleged wiretapping. "She is a victim of brazen criminal acts perpetrated by those who should know better," Sitkoff says.

That's what Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes said Tuesday about a Valentine's Day report on the Life & Style magazine Web site, which claimed Cruise and Holmes had split up and called off their wedding.

"It should be known that the story is 100 percent false," Arnold Robinson, a publicist for the couple, said in a statement. "Mr. Cruise and Ms. Holmes are still engaged and are moving forward with their wedding plans, as well as planning for the arrival of their child."

The Feb. 27 issue, which will be on news stands Friday, said the public pair "plan to keep up the charade of their romance until after their baby's birth this spring."

Holmes, 27, and Cruise, 43, have been engaged since June. They announced their pregnancy in October.

"Despite the malicious fallacies put forth by Life & Style magazine, the couple is looking forward to a long and happy life together as a family," Robinson said.

A representative for the magazine said the story was accurate: "We stand 100 percent behind our story."

The documents, filed Friday in Superior Court, also indicate that Slater wants to divide property under terms of a written agreement between himself and estranged wife Ryan Haddon. Those terms were not disclosed.

Slater, 36, first filed papers last February to end his marriage to the television producer, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple married on Valentine's Day in 2000. They separated on Jan. 1, 2004, according to the new papers.

Sheryl Crow spoke with Ellen DeGeneres for the first time about her break-up with Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

In an interview airing on Monday, February 13, Crow talks about how supportive people have been of her.

Just don't ask her to "hop back back on the bike" in the dating scene.

Watch the full clip here.

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Sheryl Crow on Ellen

The announcement came after the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that Fiennes had had an affair with a Romanian singer.

"Ms. Annis confirms today that she and Ralph Fiennes are to separate," said a statement issued Tuesday by her law firm, Schillings.

Fiennes, 43, and Annis, 61, met while starring in a 1995 stage production of "Hamlet," in which Fiennes played the title role and Annis played his mother. Fiennes was married to actress Alex Kingston at the time, while Annis had three children with photographer Patrick Wiseman.

Schillings said Annis had begun legal action against The Daily Mail newspaper for defamation and invasion of privacy over a story claiming she had forgiven Fiennes for his affair.

Fiennes, nominated for Academy Awards for his roles in "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient," played the evil Lord Voldemort in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." He is among the stars in "The Constant Gardener."

TMZ has learned that Lance Armstrong canceled his scheduled appearance Wednesday at the 48th annual Grammy Awards. Armstrong was supposed to be a presenter at the show, but sources tell TMZ the award-winning cyclist canceled his appearance after his break-up with Sheryl Crow became public. Crow, who was engaged to Armstrong, has been nominated and is scheduled to attend.

Reps for Armstrong and Crow could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, this year's Grammy show may also be the litmus test for other celebrity relationships rumored to be in trouble. Madonna and Bruce Springsteen are both performing on the show -- there's a buzz that both of their marriages may be on the rocks.

Madonna has been married to filmmaker Guy Ritchie since 2000, and Springsteen has been married to singer Patti Scialfa since 1991. No word if Ritchie and Scialfa will attend Grammys.

Madonna's and Springsteen's reps were unavailable for comment.

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• Madonna
• Bruce Springsteen

Celeb spotlight

Certainly on the celebrity circuit.

"Love," "respect," "consideration," "admiration" and a dollop of "privacy" are the primary ingredients of today's famous fall-outs.

When glamorous couples call it quits, they typically do so publicly, through pithy statements to the media. These days, their declarations all seem to follow a similar structure.

Last week, former fiancees Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and rocker Sheryl Crow announced their breakup "after much thought and consideration."

"We both have a deep love and respect for each other and we ask that everyone respect our privacy during this very difficult time," they said in a joint statement, released Feb. 3.

"After much thought and consideration we have made a very tough decision to split up. We both have a deep love and respect for each other and we ask that everyone respect our privacy during this very difficult time," the statement said.

Armstrong, 34, recovered from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain to become the dominant athlete in one of the world's most grueling sporting events.

His seven consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005 are a race record. He retired after winning his last race with Crow rooting him on.

Armstrong and the 43-year-old Crow met in October 2003 and began dating shortly after.

Crow called Armstrong the inspiration for her last album, "Wildflower," which was released in September.

She performed a free concert soon after in Austin, Armstrong's adopted hometown, to coincide with the ninth anniversary of Armstrong's diagnosis with testicular cancer.