The hand-wringing over Silda Wall Spitzer's future with her now defamed husband, the governor of New York, has officially begun. Newspapers, talk radio, TV pundits, therapists and armchair shrinks — yeah, that's you and me and all of us — all chipping in with our two cents.

Silda, Silda, Silda... Whatever was she thinking standing by her cheatin' hubby, the gov of New York? Well, she and the gov are married for 20 years. They have three kids together. She shelved her prestigious and lucrative legal career to raise the kids and to be a dutiful political wife. She's also a passionate philanthropist and organizer, having founded a children's advocacy program (Children for Children), among other activities.

This is a dynamic woman. She is no fool. Will her children, three beautiful girls, ever be able to trust the men in their lives? What message does it send to them if she stays?

All bets are off on Silda's marriage. Yep. In what's likely to become the Super Bowl of divorces, I anticipate a separation and divorce proceedings to begin within six to eight months, or at least before the end of 2008.

Apparently, K-Fed, Britney Spears' ex, is a generous tipper.

According to attorneys for Spears, if Kevin Federline can tip a waitress $2,000, he can afford to pay his own legal bills. And boy are those bills mounting: K-Fed is looking at a $405,000 legal tab that he thinks his ex should pay.

Spears' new attorney Stacy Phillips told a court commissioner that Federline should pay between $150,000 and $175,000. She alleges that K-Fed omitted his $200,000 spousal-support checks from his earning declarations. Phillips also alleges that Federline recently tipped a waitress $2,000 on a $365 bill, and spent $20,000 on jewelry, phone calls and food while listing the charges as "business expenses."

Naturally, K-Fed's attorney says Spears should keep writing the checks. Spears' old law firm Trope and Trope reportedly charged her $630,000 for four months' work, while Federline's portion of the bill from his attorney was about $250,000 less.

These legal fees are mind-blowing but when you consider that attorneys, all kinds, routinely make $500 an hour, not including the hefty retainers they receive at the get-go....well, it's not unfathomable to see how quickly celebrity divorce cases hit the million dollar mark.

We're waiting to see what happens in the Mills/McCartney ruling, supposedly scheduled for March 17. And now, we're waiting with bated breath for the Spitzers to split; the New York Governor, in case you haven't heard, was caught up in a prostitution ring. Eliot Spitzer comes from a wealthy family but it's Silda who earned the big bucks as a high-powered corporate attorney. We'll wait and see...

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So, it looks like Star Jones Reynolds and hubby Al are calling it quits after just three years.

As you might recall, the former host of "The View" who most recently had a legal show on CourtTV (it bombed), went to great lengths hyping her wedding to the investment banker; she got slammed for having corporate sponsors for the lavish affair.

There were plenty of tabloid reports a while back about Al being gay. And then there was confession, finally, about the gastric bypass surgery. But what we really want to know is: Are they getting divorced because she got too thin?

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In order to finance his divorce settlement, Sir Paul McCartney plans to release tunes from the Beatles' catalogue on iTunes. Published reports say the former Beatle may have to pony up $40 to $60 million for a cash settlement to his ex-wife Heather Mills; his legal expenses are estimated at nearly $10 million.

The McCartney/Mills divorce is expected to be finalized in Britain's High Court on March 17.

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If you're involved in a contested divorce, or are about to be, you need to be aware of using electronic devices to uncover illicit affairs or hidden assets.

It goes without saying that there is a treasure trove of information in your spouse's computer, Blackberry, cell phone and other electronic gadgets. It may seem like snooping, but during the discovery phase of a divorce, you can legitimately request copies of your spouse's e-mails. They may reveal adulterous relationships or hidden property. And that information can go a long way toward aiding your cause in contested issues such as custody, income and expenses.

GPS devices may reveal the whereabouts of a cheating spouse on days when you have doubts about unreasonable explanations. Another tool, now available with a court order, are E-ZPass toll records, which can similarly be used to establish rendezvous with a lover.

But this data mining isn't without its share of pitfalls. Electronic sleuthing can be illegal if you improperly access private electronic sources. If you break into a device, or if you lack permission to access it, the court may prohibit you from using the information in your case. Self-help steps must be employed legally. If you are an authorized user of your spouse's computer or cell phone, the information would be legally discovered.

You can open up a mine field of damaging evidence so long as no crime is committed in securing the facts. Internet browser histories, cell phone records and e-mails are increasingly being introduced into disputed divorce actions. Don't illegally take a Blackberry or laptop to a forensic expert to retrieve deleted information. Don't steal passwords. Attorneys and courts won't be party to illegal acts or invasions of privacy. But aside from those warnings, happy data mining.

Britney Spears' visitation rights were reinstated on Friday after her ex-husband Kevin Federline agreed to a modification in a court order. The troubled pop star will get to see her kids Sean Preston and Jayden James (we don't know when) after two stints at psychiatric facilities and several court appearances.

K-Fed has sole physical and legal custody of the boys; Britney's visitation rights were suspended on January 4 after her first hospitalization.

No matter the situation — and it's unclear exactly what her condition is (published reports say it's everything from bi-polar disorder to manic depression to obsessive compulsive disorder) — Britney will likely feel better when she sees her children. And the kids? At the tender ages of 2 and 1, respectively, these kids need their mother's presence in their lives. Is their mother troubled? To be sure. But childhood memories and emotional/physical bonds form very early. Attachment and abandonment issues come to the fore very quickly even in infancy.

I sure hope Britney, who seemingly has all the resources (both financial and familial) in the world, gets the help and treatment she needs to improve her mental and physical well-being. Even if she goes back to the business of being Britney/mega pop star, she'll never be whole if her kids are out of her life for long.

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It might be one of the stickiest situations in a divorce. It doesn't concern the kids, the house or the china: It's the question of who gets the family pet and it can be as complicated as any child custody case. Really.

Take the case of million Marsh Newmark who says he spent $60,000 in battling his ex for custody of their golden Lab mix Rocky. At first, the estranged couple had a shared custody arrangement. Newmark's ex got the dog Monday morning through Thursday night; Newmark got Rocky on the weekends.

The arrangement worked, for the most part, until one day two years ago when his ex's dogwalker told Newmark that Rocky wouldn't be returning. Newmark's ex reportedly accused him of abusing the dog. Low blow. Eventually, Newmark went to court to get custody of the dog but he lost the case and is now appealing. He hasn't seen the dog since last summer.

As bad as a divorce is for the people involved, it just may be worse for the pets. Pets are like children to most people...so the issues involved are nearly as emotional. When a couple who divorces doesn't have kids, the pets are the kids. The thing is, there are so many animals that need good homes, you'd like feuding exes could just go down to animal shelter and choose a new pet.

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Heather Mills, the ex-wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, is just a little richer today, having scored a $108 million dollar settlement after a week-long battle in a British court.

The Daily Mail newspaper also reports that Mills will receive a lump sum of $40 million with another $5 million a year after the couple's daughter Beatrice, 4, turns 18.

The newspaper reports that the whopper settlement represents just a fraction of McCartney's fortune.

Originally, Mills asked for up to $160 million.

The Mills/McCartney nasty divorce began in May 2006; Mills is the primary caretaker of the couple's daughter but both parents have equal visitation.

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According to a published report, Sana, 27, and Adnan, 32, Klaric, coined the screen names Slatkica (Sweetie) and Princ radosti (Prince of Joy) when they met online. Sana and Adnan grew closer over the course of several months and shared their marriage problems, hopes and dreams. During the course of their chat, they found understanding and support.

"I was suddenly in love again. It was beautiful, I thought I finally found someone who understands me, and who is in a similar situation — in a bad marriage, like I am," said Sana.

Sweetie and the Prince of Joy believed they found true love so they decided to go on a date. They were shocked to find that they were already well acquainted with one another since they'd been married for a few years. Go figure... Having accused one another of cheating, the couple decided to divorce.

People following the couple's saga urged them to remain together. Whether it was fate or something else at play, something caused this couple to confront one another as cheaters. But when you cheat with your own spouse, is it still cheating? Perhaps it's a form of emotional cheating. What do you think?

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And that's more often the case these days. U.S. census data revealed earlier this week that more than half the Americans who might have made it to their 25th wedding anniversaries since 2000 got divorced, separated or widowed before reaching that benchmark. The data reveals that for the first time since World War II, couples who got hitched in the late 1970s had a less-than-even chance of remaining married 25 years later.

You've heard of the seven-year itch, the restlessness that occurs in a marriage after seven years —allegedly — and if not, the brilliant movie starring Marilyn Monroe. These days, some experts think the seven-year itch is happening even earlier, say around three years. People start getting bored, they're looking for an adrenaline boost — a little romance and excitement — the kind you can get from a new partner.

First Wives World's Debbie Nigro commented on the new census data and trends in a piece today on the "CBS Early Show." Debbie noted that one of the problems is that for some people, "commitment" doesn't mean "commitment" any longer, or doesn't mean "commitment" to a single person for life. "It's ‘commitment' until I say it isn't." Marriage, Debbie told the "Early Show," is a "work in progress." To be sure, it is a relationship that requires understanding, empathy and a commitment to working on it throughout your life.