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What can we learn from serial celebrity break-ups, billionaire bust-ups, misbehaving spouses, pants-on challenged politicos and the ever-shifting landscape of divorce law? Question is, "What CAN'T we learn"? With latte in hand and clicky finger at the ready, dive in for the best in divorce news, views, gossip, and buzz – assembled below for your reading pleasure.

Our current contributors are Jill Brooke, Maureen Dempsey, Naomi Dunn, and Linda Lee.

"Say ‘thank you' without hesitating. Say ‘sorry' without being scared. Say ‘I love you' without being shy."

Welcome to the National Teishu-Kampaku Association — or the Chauvinistic Husbands Association — where buttoned-up Japanese businessmen are making these culturally uncharacteristic vows in an effort to save their faltering marriages.

Shuichi Amano, a magazine editor by trade, started the group back in 1999 after attempting his own last ditch effort to save a marriage of more than 20 years.

Along the way he stumbled upon a social phenomenon in which a growing number of Japanese women have begun suing their husbands for divorce once the men retire. The aim of the women, apparently, is to bring an end to longstanding marital problems caused by the
indifference of their husbands.

"Many husbands are making a living managing risks at their businesses, but they neglect the ones at home," Amano, 55.

"The old ways don't work anymore and we husbands have to get out of our little fantasy of having ultimate power over our wives. We have to show our ability to change ourselves for the sake of our marriage," he
said.

Through his own experience and interviews with women, Amano discovered that, with women, everything boils down to their desire to hear their husbands repeatedly say "three magic phrases:" "Thank you," "Sorry," and "I love you."

Amano describes his technique — while is presently being used by over 4,000 Japanese men — as "smileage," or husbands fostering the goodwill of their wives.

Smileage. That's our new favorite word.

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Samantha Louis's picture

To Die For Divorce Movies

Posted by Samantha Louis on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 10:15am
Conflict, heartache, betrayal, and, uh, comedy? Yep, ripe with drama — often to the point of hilarity — divorce has served as perfect grist for movie-makers since the silent era. For our viewing pleasure, Reel Girl over at E! Online has composed a list of the top ten divorce movies of all time.

All the usual suspects are listed like "Kramer vs. Kramer," "The First Wives Club," "Irreconcilable Differences," and our all-time fave, "The War of the Roses."

She also devilishly includes Mike Nichols' "Closer," which challenges even the most steadfast romantic, and the equally bleak "We Don't Live Here Anymore." Her top pick, though, "The Squid and the Whale," is a realistic yet heartening depiction of new relationships emerging from the wreckage of old and dying ones — the best you can hope for from a divorce.

Still, there are countless films that brilliantly capture either the harsh realities of splitting, or help us to laugh at the whole affair. While it doesn't explicitly deal with divorce per se, "Reversal of Fortune" perfectly captures the dark complexity of decaying relationships.

We're always a sucker for the cold urbanity of Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives." Then, on the lighter side, there's the adorable Dick van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds in the late 60s' classic "Divorce American Style."

Tell us your top picks. Jim Carrey in "Liar, Liar"? Schwarzenegger in "True Lies"? What will it be?

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