It's an image we've seen far too often lately: The supportive wife standing beside her man, doing her best to remain stoic while he reveals his extramarital blunders to the entire nation.

The media's response seems to follow a strict pattern. First, there is speculation ("Will Clinton be impeached?"), followed by the questions ("Who was McGreevy's lover?"), and finally, a healthy dose of political spin ("Senator Craig wasn't soliciting sex, he just needed some toilet paper").

Only after all the dust has finally settled does the media's eye turn to the most obvious victim: Yes, the supportive wife in the smart pantsuit, still standing beside her man.

So how does the media handle "the wife"? Much the same way it handled the husband — even though she wasn't the one cavorting around with interns and prostitutes (both male and female).

Take Silda Spitzer. Fox News speculated on whether she would leave her husband or not. The Washington Post questioned her choice to stand by Eliot's side during his announcement. By the time the spin came, Silda was all but forgotten - the "other woman" was discovered on myspace, and the whole cycle repeated itself again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Forget about those Santa Ana winds. Oscar's embers blew directly into Ann Blanchard's house Tuesday night as Hollywood honchos, TV execs, first and second wives, along with various and sundry well-wishers gathered for a reading of Mimi Schmir's fictional and hilarious "Hot Flashes" blog...

The confab, masterminded by the former William Morris überagent who's now with Mosaic Media, drew Hollywood's finest TV and film actresses who read selections from the blog which chronicles the rollercoaster antics of Schmir's heroine, Esme, a late 40s-ish divorced mother of two. While I wasn't in Ann's parlor experiencing the "Hot Flashes," faux and for-real, firstwivesworld.com's intrepid correspondent reports the evening was a scorcher. Yes, HOT or you know, HOT!

Actresses Amy Brenneman ("Private Practice" and "Judging Amy"); Dana Delany ("Desperate Housewives"); Kathyrn Morris ("Cold Case"); and Natasha Henstridge ("Commander-in-Chief") each morphed into Esme as they read portions of the edgy blog that began on firstwivesworld.com. And they say there aren't any good parts for women?? Huh?!

Schmir, a writer for TV hits "Grey's Anatomy" and "Shark," was feted for her fiesty and comedic portrayal of the daily exploits of a pre-menopausal late 40s mom who's trying to move on with her life after a divorce in which her husband leaves her for a younger model (surprise, surprise). "Hot Flashes" just may be the next "Starter Wife" but there's a difference: "Hot Flashes" started on firstwivesworld.com, yes, the Web baby, and is destined for episodic television.

Oscar's afterglow may be fading but man-oh-man is it gettin' hot in here or what? Nah... it's just those damn "Hot Flashes"! Yeah, baby...

What, you say, am I talking about? Well, it's a reading of Mimi Schmir's fictional blog "Hot Flashes" that's getting firstwivesworld.com all hot and bothered. Mimi (pictured here) and a whole bunch of first, and most likely second wives will gather Tuesday night in Los Angeles to hear actresses Dana Delaney (ABC's "Desperate Housewives"), Amy Brenneman (ABC's "Private Practice"), Natasha Henstridge ("Dirty, Sexy Money") and Kathryn Morris (CBS' "Cold Case") read selections from the blog.

The reading, presented by First Wives World Productions along with the fabulous, Ann Blanchard, will feature the renowned actresses channeling the adventures of "Esme," Mimi's alter-ego, as she goes through a variety of pitfalls, hilarious escapades and twisted sexcapades. "Hot Flashes" appears once a week on firstwivesworld.com. Mimi also wrote for ABC's hit series "Grey's Anatomy".

There are more fictional series and episodic Webisodes planned on firstwivesworld.com. Now how's that for hot...?

"Me & You, Us Forever," is an indie film about a love story that was 30 years in the making. It's the story of Dave, a 47-year-old Christian man, who's on the unwanted end of a divorce.

The movie follows Dave through the process of his painful divorce and his dive back into the dating scene. Unsure of how to get back out there, he finds himself longing to see his first love, Mary, who he hasn't seen in 30 years.

Against the advice of his co-workers and much to the chagrin of his potential girlfriend Carla, who he met at a Christian Divorce Recovery Group, Dave goes see Mary who's now married with children and living in New York. Dave and Mary fell in love as high school sweethearts and he's always wondered what happened to her.

The film is set in 2004 and flashes back to 1974. The viewer sees the relationship through Dave's eyes and how things ended with Mary.

I think anytime that we've had love and lost it — through any circumstances — it always creates a potential for us to go back and examine all of our past relationships, as well as the current one. Although I haven't seen it, I think this movie appears to offer an excellent portrayal of process in which we re-examine previous relationships, perhaps measuring them against our current one.

To read more about "Me & You, Us, Forever," you can visit the film's Website. You can view the trailer here. The film's writer, director and producer, Dave Christiano sums it up beautifully by saying "I believe we have a strong message and one that will help people. Everyone knows someone that's divorced, so I think this film will touch a lot of people."

So here's a question for those of you who've been through a divorce: How did things go the first time you got intimate with some else?

I'm sure we can all have a long conversation about that topic. I saw a letter to a sex columnist that raised this issue, and it was interesting to me because it came from the male perspective. The writer was a 35-year-old divorced "bloke" (it was in a British publication) who said his girlfriend left him because he couldn't keep an erection. For the moment, we'll look past the fact that this must not have been much of a relationship if that was really the reason she left him. The guy is wondering if the remaining emotional weight of his divorce is somehow making it tough on him in bed.

And that's something a lot of divorced people probably face. It's not uncommon at all. A lot of sexual dysfunctions, especially in younger people like this guy, have more to do with the mind than they do with the body. If something like this happens and it's a consistent problem, it's probably worth taking to a therapist who specializes in sexual matters. It goes without saying that making such an appointment for yourself is a daunting step, especially if you're doing it alone. But a divorce can impact your mind in so many ways that you're not consciously aware of. A little help with a problem like this isn't too much for anyone to ask.

Click here for more.

It seems Japanese businessmen are getting serious about saving their marriages. CNN did an entertaining report on an organization called the National Chauvinistic Husbands Association, which, despite the way that name sounds, pushes men to be better husbands. There's probably a little something lost in translation with that name, but what they advocate seems pretty clear. Basically, they tell the guys to be more attentive and practice the "three golden rules of love." You're dying to know, so here they are:

• Say thank you without hesitation.
• Say I'm sorry without fear.
• Say I love you without embarrassment.

What's interesting is that there may be one particular factor motivating all of this good husbanding: pension money. Japan enacted a law this year that entitles a woman to claim half of her husband's pension in a divorce.

Let the courtesy and chivalry begin!

The number of divorce cases has risen in Japan, but it's still nowhere even close to what we have here in the U.S. I'd like to think that guys don't need a point-by-point lesson plan in what amounts to basic sensitivity. But that's wishful thinking, isn't it? We all know they do. And there are probably a lot of long-held cultural standards in Japan that keep the guys from having a sense of what to do. So we should all give a big thumb's up to the Chauvinistic Husbands Association!

Put that on the top of the list of things I never thought I'd hear myself say.

Click here for more.

Here's an interesting trend that's sweeping through Germany, and I wonder if this is going to start happening here in the United States: People are opting to forgo wedding rings for second marriages.

Apparently, the divorce rate in Germany is so high (a little more than 50 percent, according to a story I read) that a lot of couples are deciding not to bother with rings. I'm curious whether the guys are still handing out engagement rings, though the story doesn't say. But the trend is starting to have an impact on the jewelry industry in Germany. Only 60 percent of men and 74 percent of women say they wear a wedding band.

Germany sounds like a place that's learning how to live with divorce as a significant part of the culture. Until recently, unmarried couples couldn't claim child tax credits. Now they can. Good to hear that some places in the world realize that for many people, divorce is just a part of life.

Click here for more.

Just in time for the holidays, it's another lesson on post-divorce dating. These tips come courtesy of a Chicago relationship counselor who is a contributor to NBC's Today Show. And they come with the usual set of caveats.

If you have children, you have to be careful about dating after your divorce. And if you've been out of the game for a while, you need to be a little cautious and ease yourself back into it. But she offers up many common-sense ideas that you should keep in mind once you make that decision to "get back out there."

Rediscover yourself: You have to get back in touch with who you are and what makes you tick. What are you interested in now? May not be the same things as when you were married or before.

It's OK to date Mr. Right Now: I'm not sure I totally agree with this one, but I see what she's getting at. The idea is that even if a guy doesn't give you butterflies — even if you just enjoy his company and nothing else — go ahead and spend some time with him. Get out of the house and get some dating practice.

Don't turn a date into a bitch session: Complaining about your ex is bad form. If you start spending real quality time with someone, you'll know when the time is right to go into depth about your past.

Introducing your kids: There's no hard and fast rule here. You don't want to do it too soon. You don't want your kids to get attached to someone who won't be in your life long-term. You don't want your kids to get angry or hurt. It's a minefield. Easy does it and a little at a time seem to be the best rules of thumb.

Taking it to the next level: When do you sleep with someone? She gave a good piece of advice here: Only have sex that is emotionally healthy. And it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) she means emotionally healthy in the broader sense. It's always emotionally healthy in the moment.

You’ll be faced with a lot of different advice when you decide to “get back out there” and start dating after your divorce.

I always feel like most of what you hear is pretty useless because every situation is different and you never know who you’re going to meet and what his attitudes are going to be. He may not care that you’re divorced or it may scare the hell out of him. There are too many variables for there to be any blanket advice that everyone should follow.

Nonetheless, the Web is full of post-divorce dating tips. I read a piece on CNN.com the other day that tried to delve into the question of when to tell a date that you’re divorced. And it also offered some advice about how much and how soon you should reveal things about your past. Again, I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all answer, but here are some things to consider:

1. Be honest about the status of your divorce. If it’s just getting started, that’s different than “I’m divorced.” Don’t be misleading because if a guy gets interested, he could resent you not telling him that you’re at the beginning of a long process.

2. Don’t drag out the details and drag your ex through the mud. Sure, he’s going to be curious if he’s really interested in you, but if you start moaning and groaning about what an ass your ex was, how do you think that’s going to look?

3. Mention that you have kids. Hello? This one should be obvious. You have to be careful you don’t come off looking like you’re asking him to be a second father to your kids, but he has to know you have them.

4. Be sure you’re really ready. You’re only doing yourself and your date a disservice if you try to jump back into the dating pool too soon.

Click here for more.

Somewhere, Lorena Bobbitt is smiling.

A court in Taiwan has granted a man a divorce because his wife has been threatening to cut off his penis.

What a perfectly lovely story this is.

The couple has been married for 10 years. Two years ago, the wife began to suspect that her husband was cheating. And that's when she started making threats against his manhood. She would wake him up in the middle of the night to interrogate him and let him know that bad things might be happening to that sensitive part of the anatomy.

You think that’s sick, try this: She started sharpening a knife and leaving it next to the bed. Think about how brave this guy must have been to get into bed every night with a woman like that.

So, given all this information, the court decided there was no way this couple could continue living together and granted the divorce.

See what you started, Lorena?

Click here for more.