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Celebrity couples who should split up

Enough already, Sean and Robin Wright Penn. And who would root for Heidi and Spencer Pratt or Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva?
/ Source: msnbc.com contributor

Spencer and Heidi Pratt

Image: Heidi and Spencer Pratt
Ray Tamarra / Getty Images North America

Given how perfectly suited Spencer Pratt and his made-for-reality-TV bride, Heidi, are for one another, it’s almost a shame to root against their relationship. Their mutual pursuit of paparazzi lenses and public scorn make for an ideal pairing. But then again, who cares? Putting an end to their fame-fueled romance has nothing to do with what’s best for them. It’s about the rest of us. Just think of it. We’d never have to hear about yet another of their harebrained schemes, fake feuds or televised religious revelations. The Speidi sideshow depends on both attention-seeking participants. Separate Heidi’s weak-willed ways from Pratt’s wannabe-Svengali routine and it’s all over.

Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva

Image: Oksana Grigorieva and Mel Gibson
epa01712892 Australian actor Mel Gibson (R) and Oksana Grigorieva (L) arrive for a screening of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' in Los Angeles, California, USA 28 April 2009. 'X-Men origins:Wolverine' is the first chapter in the X-Men saga. EPA/PAUL BUCKPAUL BUCK / EPA

Just when it seemed safe to watch a Mel Gibson movie without thinking, “Hey, it’s that guy who got loaded, waxed anti-Semitic, and ascribed confectionery anatomy to a police officer,” the once-awesome Mad Max had to go and mess it up again. Thanks to his more recent antics, he’s now “that guy who got all preachy before separating from his wife of 29 years and impregnating an aspiring Russian pop star on the sly.” That’s why Gibson’s ongoing relationship with ladylove Oksana Grigorieva poses a problem. Unlike that DUI kerfuffle, which faded a bit as time passed without another offensive outburst, the Gibson-Grigorieva romance persists. He’s doomed to remain “that guy” at least until the pair finally calls it quits.

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz

Image: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz
U.S. musicians Pete Wentz (R) and Ashlee Simpson pose for photographers as they arrive for the Australian MTV Awards at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre March 27, 2009. REUTERS/Aman Sharma (AUSTRALIA ENTERTAINMENT HEADSHOT)Stringer/Australia / X01245

What’s wrong with Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz? Nothing if their reps are to be believed. Their mutual mouthpieces spent the last couple of weeks insisting all’s hunky dory. Of course, they wouldn’t need to do that, if it weren’t for Simpson’s rapid-fire red flags. Break-up buzz barely hit the tabloids before a seemingly insecure Simpson added fuel to the fire by accosting Wentz’s ex-girlfriend, “Gossip Girl” Michelle Trachtenberg, at a party. “I hope you know, the whole time you were dating Pete, I was f---ing him!” Simpson allegedly shouted. She later apologized to Trachtenberg for the “misunderstanding,” but followed that up with a tweet to her “Petenut Butter” (side note: ew!) promising to “always throw down for my man!” Doesn’t she know marital bliss means never having to “throw down”?

Madonna and Jesus Luz

New York City Candids & Sightings
NEW YORK - MARCH 1: (ITALY OUT, NY DAILY NEWS OUT, NY NEWSDAY OUT) Madonna and model Jesus Luz are seen on the streets of Manhattan on March 1, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images)Arnaldo Magnani / Getty Images North America

Frankly, it’s amazing Madonna even has time for a relationship. Between her busy career, yoga obsession, and mommy time with David, 3, Rocco, 8, Lourdes, 12, and new additions Mercy, 4, and Jesus Luz, 22… Oh, wait! Luz isn’t the latest kid to join the 50-year-old’s motley brood — he’s her boyfriend. Or at least that’s the idea. Shortly after Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie went their separate ways, she and her Brazilian beau hooked up to form what at best appears to be a PR stunt designed to boost his male-model pay scale and keep her in the headlines, or at worst a desperate move by the aging queen of pop to appear younger by association. Either way, Madonna’s at her best when she’s a solo act.

Sean and Robin Wright Penn

Image: Robin Wright Penn, Sean Penn
FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2009 file photo, Robin Wright Penn, left, and Sean Penn arrive for the 81st Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)Matt Sayles / AP

Sooner or later romance roulette has to end. Sure, every couple suffers ups and downs during a long-term relationship, but for acting duo Sean and Robin Wright Penn, the downs have it. During their nearly 20 years together, 13 of those as man and wife, the Penns have separated at least three times and filed for divorce twice in the last 18 months alone. Enough already. Why drag it out any longer? It’s not like their marital forecast is improved by the fact that the notoriously hotheaded Sean Penn has been linked to more starlets while married than some single celebs ever see.