TOM CRUISE AND SUMNER REDSTONE

After Mission Impossible III failed to blow up at the box office, the action movie's star and Viacom's CEO struggled with irreconcilable differences. Cruise's increasingly oddball public image had turned off his female fans, including Mrs. Redstone. Rather than renew Cruise's generous production deal with Viacom's Paramount Pictures, the media mogul cut his biggest star loose in August and trash talked about him to the Wall Street Journal. After proving he was still desirable by arranging a quickie deal with some financiers, Cruise later settled down by buying his own studio, United Artists. That's some kind of risky show business.

BRITNEY SPEARS AND KEVIN FEDERLINE

The November breakup of the pop princess and her hyper-fertile backup dancer makes the chicken wings served at their 2004 wedding seem downright classy. Spears informed Federline, the father of her two sons, that their marriage was over in a text message. The next day Federline recovered from losing his gravy train, er, wife, by telling a crowd at a show, "You know I'm a free man, right, ladies? You wanna dance with a pimp?" Spears, meanwhile, lost a lot of weight, stopped wearing panties and started hanging out with Paris Hilton. We get it, kids, you're single.

PAUL MCCARTNEY AND HEATHER MILLS MCCARTNEY

The biggest Brit split since Charles and Diana pits a beloved Beatle against an anti-land mine campaigner. U.K. papers say they have court documents alleging that McCartney physically abused his wife during their four-year marriage and denied Mills McCartney, who has a prosthetic leg, use of a bedpan at night. His lawyers say they'll vigorously defend against such allegations, and the Beatle is mostly keeping mum, except for admitting that he has started seeing a psychiatrist. The pair have a toddler named Beatrice and, despite McCartney's $2 billion fortune, no pre-nuptial agreement. The good news is, we can no doubt expect some classic breakup tunes to come from this sad story.

WHITNEY HOUSTON AND BOBBY BROWN

Over 14 years, this pop music pair endured tumult that would have brought down the mightiest of marriages: drug use, jail time, infidelity rumors, career slumps, a reality show, a crush by Osama bin Laden, parachute pants, colonics. In the end, we may never know what finally killed the greatest love of all. We do know that Houston filed for divorce in October, and that she is seeking to share custody of the couple's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, 13, and finish her next album with the help of Clive Davis. Brown's career future is hazier. Perhaps the former New Edition member and Federline could go on the road, in a kind of Lollapaloser.

THE WIGGLES AND GREG PAGE

It was the break-up that hit pre-schools like a thunderbolt: No, not Barbie and Ken, Greg Page and the cultishly followed Australian kids' band he has led in his bright yellow jersey for 15 years. Page left the Wiggles due to an illness that prevents him from wiggling across the stage during performances of such sandbox hits as "Toot Toot, Chugga, Chugga," and "Yummy Yummy (Fruit Salad)." The other members of the Wiggles, which earned $40 million in 2005, are soldiering on with a new lead singer, Page's understudy Sam Moran. While the diapers set seems to be coping well with Page's departure, their mothers are taking longer to recover.

REESE WITHERSPOON AND RYAN PHILLIPPE

They pose so graciously together on the red carpet that it came as something of a surprise when this cinematic couple stopped clicking. In mid-October, at the premiere of Phillippe's Flags of Our Fathers, the fair-haired pair, married since 1999 and parents to Eva, 7, and Deacon, 3, bickered. Rumors swirled that Phillippe had been having an affair with a co-star. By November, Witherspoon, who once talked openly about attending couples counseling, filed for divorce. The Walk the Line star went off to work on her next film, Rendition, with Jake Gyllenhaal, while Phillippe issued a statement saying, "I'm not a perfect person." Which, frankly, really bums us out.

TERRELL OWENS AND THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Just one season into the seven-year, nearly $50 million deal he signed when he came to Philadelphia in 2004, the flamboyant wide receiver had already performed one end zone dance too many. This breakup began in late 2005 when Owens said his new team showed "a lack of class" for not publicly recognizing his 100th career touchdown and he repeatedly criticized Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in interviews. In March of this year, Philly released Owens from his contract to play for the team's most hated rival, the Dallas Cowboys. In a heavily hyped homecoming in October, Owens returned to play Philly as a Cowboy. Dallas lost 38-24 and the only cheers from Owens' old fans came when he dropped a routine pass.

KATE HUDSON AND CHRIS ROBINSON

In the summer 2006 comedy You, Me and Dupree, Owen Wilson plays a third wheel who nearly wrecks Hudson's marriage to Matt Dillon. In the summer of 2006, Wilson became the real-life third wheel whose relationship with Hudson was rumored to play a role in the August dissolution of Hudson's nearly six-year marriage to Black Crowes frontman Robinson, with whom she has a two-year-old son, Ryder. Or there's always this explanation for their separation: In July, Hudson told People magazine, "I can sip on the same cold cup of coffee all day long. It just drives [Robinson] nuts." Yes, folks, this breakup has been brought to you by Starbucks.

THE VIEW AND STAR JONES REYNOLDS

When is an awkward breakup a good thing? When it gives you a ratings boost. After nine years on Barbara Walters' daytime chat fest, Reynolds, one of the show's original cohosts, learned last spring that her contract with ABC was not going to be renewed. In June, Reynolds surprised her bosses by announcing live on the air that she wouldn't be back on The View in the fall. The next day, Reynolds was given the immediate boot and Walters was giving interviews saying audience members were turned off by Reynolds' dramatic weight loss and over-the-top 2004 wedding. Rosie O'Donnell took over in the fall at The View and Star is still looking for a place to shine.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR AND DENISE RICHARDS

All we know is the supermarket in Westlake Village, Calif., where these two actresses live, must be the site of some awkward random encounters. Locklear helped her neighbor Richards through an ugly breakup from Charlie Sheen in 2005, even taking care of Richards' newborn. In February of 2006, Locklear split from her husband of 11 years, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, the father of her 8-year-old daughter, Ava. Within—oh—minutes, Sambora was photographed canoodling with Richards. In May, Richards told People magazine, "I wish Heather well. Unfortunately, our friendship had to dissolve." Really? We can't imagine why.

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