Robin and Marsha Garces Williams have pledged to be honest, cooperative, and respectful during the duration of their divorce proceedings, says People magazine.

In fact, they're so serious about civility, they've signed an official agreement to avoid courtroom blows and to keep the kids' interests in mind, adding "we commit ourselves to the collaborative law process and agree to seek a positive way to resolve our differences justly and equitably."

We all know divorce can be messy, but kudos to the couple for trying to get through it will grace and aplomb.

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Men are hit harder by divorce. So says Statistics Canada after performing a 10-year study on the effects of divorce on both men and women.

It makes sense. Women tend to think long and hard over their decision to instigate a divorce. A psychologist once told me that women take up to seven years to decide on whether to divorce their husband or not — and that once the decision is made, there's usually no going back.

Most men seem surprised when they hear the announcement of the desire for divorce. "I never realized... I didn't think it was that bad... Divorce?" They're shocked. They haven't taken time to contemplate whether divorce is the answer.

The StatsCan study also mentions that men suffer from higher rates of depression — the rate for depression was six times higher that of women.

This too, is understandable. Women have greater support systems of friends and family. They have emotional backup to help them deal with the effects of a divorce.

Women also tend to become the main caregiver if children are involved. They have companionship, responsibilities to maintain and duties to uphold. The men? They're left with an empty home, a lack of people, and only their feelings to deal with.

It's a painful situation. Solitude, isolation, a lack of support...It sounds like a good recipe for depression to me.

However, StatsCan didn't offer much backup for the causes of the post-divorce depression rates in men. The governmental agency didn't correlate custodial losses or change in parental responsibilities as being the issue to blame.

Common sense, though? I think so. Divorce is difficult for anyone to face. The thinking patterns, life changes, and ways that men tend to cope with emotional situations offers plenty of reason for increased rates of depression.

Although it's only May of 2008, Mr. Kent Gramm is having a bad year. After 30 years of marriage and more than 20 years of teaching, Mr. Gramm is getting divorced and leaving his teaching post at the same time.

Mr. Gramm currently teaches at Wheaton College, a well known conservative Evangelical Christian school, which requires all of its employees to display behavior acceptable to the school's religious teaching.

All employees sign a "statement of faith and community covenant," which spells out exactly the kind of behavior the school will accept.

Drinking, smoking, and gambling are not on the list, and dancing was only allowed four years ago after being banned during the Civil War.

While the school acknowledges that divorce can happen, they need to know all of the details of the divorce to determine if the employee has broken his signed statement by exhibiting unacceptable behavior.

Mr. Gramm acknowledges that he signed the statement but does not believe he should have to disclose the details of his divorce. As he is aware that not disclosing the details will get him fired, he has agreed to resign and will stay only until the end of the school term.

"I think it's wrong to have to accuse your spouse and to discuss with your employer your personal life and marital situation," Gramm said. "But I don't feel badly treated. There has been an attitude of compassion here."

As the school is concerned about how the behavior of one of its teachers will affect the student body, Mr. Gramm decided to discuss his resignation and the reasons behind it with his students. "I want them to know that divorce happens," Gramm said. "That you aren't deserted by God because your life doesn't turn out the way you expect. I hope this helps them acquire a broader understanding of what Christianity is and what faithfulness means."

Linda Bollea has filed an order with Florida's Pinellas County Judicial Court — the area where the couple most recently shared a home — in an attempt to find out exactly how much the Hulk is worth.

Apparently The Hulk — or Terry Bollea to the courts— has been less than cooperative with his wife's attempts to get him to disclose his net worth.

It has been reported that if Linda is unable to get a hearing scheduled before a May 13th deadline she may lose an $840,000 deposit on a Vegas condo.

Looks like Linda is going to have to take this wrestler to the ring...

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Dina Matos McGreevey and former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey's lawyers are at a standstill over allowing a former aide to testify.

Teddy Pedersen's accounts of his three-way sexual encounters with the McGreeveys may hold to key to more than $600,000 for Matos McGreevey, who claims she had no prior knowledge of her ex's sexual preference. (That being the sum she would have collected had McGreevey not resigned and she finished her term as First Lady.)

Although attorneys say they're hoping for a settlement, court proceedings are scheduled to begin May 6th.

This could get ugly.

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First Wives World productions brought "Hot Flashes," the FWW-exclusive fictional blog by television-alum Mimi Schmir (Grey's Anatomy, Shark, Felicity) to the people on Thursday — and the people raved. A-listers from both coasts mingled at NYC hot-spot Ultra, gathering to listen to film, television, and theater's finest actresses read excerpts of Schmir's take on the rollercoaster that is menopausal life through the eyes of her heroine, Esme. "As we had hoped, Thursday night became a true convergence of emotions, connections, and industries," says FWW partner Jonas Neilson.

Amy Brenneman (Private Practice, Judging Amy), Kim Raver (Lipstick Jungle), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), and Jessica Hecht (Friends) brought Esme to life as they read episodes of the first-person blog. Neilson explained that the second official reading underscored what Business Week described as "Broadway to Broadband" (and now potentially "Broadcast") as never before.

"It was a wonderful event showing what 'Hot Flashes' represents, and it was interpreted wonderfully by the great performances of our actresses," notes First Wives World's Antonio Martinez. "They gave it a new life that just exploded from the page."

Adds Neilson: "It's one thing to set out to build a social network for women to connect with women; it's another to have them connect emotionally with a fictional character and narrative in such a new, innovative way. Seeing the crowd laugh, emote, and join in Esme's journey was a quite a moment for all of us."

Curious? Check out "Hot Flashes" here.

(Photo: Frank Siciliano)

Divorce. It comes with some hefty baggage. And probably the heaviest cross to bear is the guilt of potentially damaging your children by splitting the family. But new research suggests that divorce doesn't appear to be the reason for some behavior problems, according to USA TODAY.

The recent article quotes Allen Li, associate director of the Population Research Center at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, as saying, "It really depends on the individual marriages and the family. My conclusion is that divorce is neither bad nor good."

Okay, we can work with that.

The study measured behavior problems, such as crying, cheating, or arguing frequently, in children ages 4 to 15. He found such a slight post-divorce increase in bad behavior that he deemed it statistically significant.

Li explained that bad behavior patterns such as these would have most likely been present in any home situation and was not a result of divorce or family turmoil.

Maybe that baggage just got a little lighter?

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Back by popular demand, "Hot Flashes" is hitting Manhattan!

First Wives World productions is preparing to bring "Esme" to a live audience tonight in a second reading of "Hot Flashes," the FWW-exclusive fictional blog by television-alum Mimi Schmir (Grey's Anatomy, Shark, Felicity). Hollywood's hottest will gather over champagne and hors d'ouevres to read excerpts of Schmir's take on the rollercoaster that is menopausal life through the eyes of her heroine, Esme.

Broadwayworld.com aptly summarized the unique opportunity within "Hot Flashes," explaining that the blog is "venturing into a subject area that has yet to be explored on television: Menopause as mid-life reinvention."

FWW's premiere reading took place in Los Angeles in February, with actresses Amy Brenneman (Private Practice, Judging Amy), Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives), Kathyrn Morris (Cold Case), and Natasha Henstridge (Commander-in-Chief) reading portions of the true-to-life blog to an intimate gathering of television and film professionals.

Amy Brenneman will resume the role of Esme tonight; Kim Raver (Lipstick Jungle), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), and Jessica Hecht (Friends) will join her in bringing FWW's favorite heroine to life.

The reading will take place today, Thursday, April 24th, in Manhattan. Check back tomorrow for full FWW coverage!

It's official: Star Jones Reynolds is heading for divorce court. We reported a few months back on the TV personality's split with Al Reynolds, so we'll spare you the dramatic details. Short story: the couple separated in early March, and Star filed the paperwork by the end of the month.

If the wedding was a blow-out, over-the-top event, we can't wait to see the divorce proceedings. One question: Will she report on her own hearing?

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Indian culture has always held marriage in high esteem. Lengthy, elaborate ceremonies have held the spotlight for centuries, while the culture still has no word for "divorce."

It might be time to coin one, as Indian women are increasingly stepping away from abusive or unhappy marriages. Although national numbers aren't available, the country's most literate state has seen a 350% increase in divorce over the past 10 years.

One woman in the process of divorcing her alcoholic husband said she hasn't told her parents — that their generation considers divorce shameful, even likened it to AIDS.

Okay, besides the fact that neither is shameful, it's unfortunate to hear that women (or anyone, for that matter) should be forced to endure a home life or relationship that is detrimental. It's also uplifting to hear that Indian women see that there is an alternative.

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