Seriously? OMG! WTF?

Ryan Phillippe hired and fired a high-powered Los Angeles publicist in the space of a few hours after his firm made up quotes and provided them to a magazine for its cover story. Michael Sitrick, whose clients have included Halle Berry and R. Kelly, was let go after giving a story to In Touch magazine regarding Phillippe’s split from wife Reese Witherspoon. Phillippe has long been represented by Baker Winokur Ryder, the public relations firm that also represents Witherspoon. The firm’s partner Nanci Ryder, actually introduced the couple, who married seven years ago and have two children. When the couple announced their split last week, BWR hired Sitrick to handle Phillippe’s public relations duties, reportedly to avoid a conflict of interest. A BWR spokeswoman tells New York Post’s Page Six, "We hired him. We out-sourced. We thought we might need the extra help, but we didn’t. It turned out, smaller is better." An insider says the publicists at Sitrick’s company "gave a fake story to In Touch. They did a not-kosher thing, and that’s uncool. They f**king lied." In the In Touch cover story, which they touted as an "exclusive interview", Phillippe was quoted as saying, "I’m not jealous of her, that’s so far from the truth. She’s someone who’s very talented and works hard. I’ve done well, too – that was never an issue." He was also quoted as saying, "This is the hardest time of my life – I miss my family." Sitrick has hit back at BWR’s claims saying, "The project was not as big as they expected…We were not fired because of any fake quote given to In Touch magazine. We don’t even know what you are talking about with respect to that." Meanwhile, editors at In Touch are furious about the fiasco adding, "We’re angry. We trusted the publicists."

Starpulse 

But then again when does In Touch get a story correct?

Reese Witherspoon has officially filed for divorce from estranged husband Ryan Phillippe. TMZ obtained Witherspoon’s divorce petition, in which the actress is asking the court for joint legal custody of the couple’s two children. Reese is asking for primary physical custody. Witherspoon is asking the judge to block any attempt on Phillippe’s part to get spousal support. Reese is asking the judge to allow her "exclusive use of the family residence." As TMZ reported, the couple does not have a prenup, which means earnings during the marriage will be divided 50/50. The couple was married for seven years. They met at Reese’s 21st birthday party. Witherspoon lists the date of separation as October 30, citing "irreconcilable differences."

TMZ 

Isn’t ironic she files for the divorce the day Ryan admitted he is not perfect to People?

Publicists for Australian actress Abbie Cornish are refuting reports that their client is the secret reason behind Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe’s shock split. Articles running in this week’s tabloids claim Witherspoon decided to end her marriage to the star, 32, after learning he had romanced Cornish on the set of their new movie "Stop Loss" in Texas. The reports go so far as to suggest that Witherspoon, 30, found out about her husband’s alleged romance with Cornish after reading a saucy note on his BlackBerry communication device. But Cornish, 24, insists the reports are all false. In a statement, released yesterday, her publicist writes, "It’s not true. They are co-stars and that is it."

Starpulse 

We have heard that before from…oh let’s see…Owen Wilson, Angelina Jolie and so on…?

Reese and Ryan Split: Witnessed I hate to say it, but I actually witnessed the split between Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon. The Hollywood couple officially called it quits today. But two weeks ago, they came to the opening night party for Ryan’s performance in Clint Eastwood’s "Flags of our Fathers." It was not a pretty scene. Reese was packing away cosmos and chatting happily with just about anyone, but it was clear she was peeved about something. The party took place in the rooftop penthouse suites of the Soho Grand Hotel, and what I saw next was something I decided not to print at the time. The couple went out on the roof terrace and had a knock-down, drag-out fight. It looked like something from "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" My line of vision was partially blocked by a big exhaust pipe, so at different times during the fight they were obscured. But then Ryan would appear, disgusted, on one side of it, and Reese on the other. Suddenly, Reese stormed back inside, crossed past me and headed for the elevator. Ryan followed in hot pursuit. Thus, their security guards assigned for the night went running after them, thinking that they were leaving. After a couple of minutes, though, clearer heads prevailed. The couple came back from the elevator with security in tow. Perhaps they’d forgotten that many members of Ryan’s family, including his grandmother, were still in the room, oblivious to what was going on. All of this was alluded to in our Oct. 17 column. I referred to their marriage as "tempestuous," trying to err on the side of good manners. It was obvious from their heated exchanges that the couple was in trouble. But no one really knows what goes inside a marriage; maybe fighting was part of their deal. In retrospect, however, Ryan and Reese already knew it was over when they came to the "Flags of Our Fathers" party. They had already committed to it, and Phillippe’s family wanted some kind of celebration. The sad thing is, they are both nice people. But they are also young; Ryan is 32, Reese just 30. They could never have calculated her stratospheric success. But actresses tend to hit their stride early, with tougher times after 40. For men, it’s the opposite. In five years, Ryan could be a perennial best actor nominee. But the early 30s — with the exception of Leonardo DiCaprio, thanks to Titanic — is the hunker-down time for most young actors. They’re too young for the good roles and too old for the teen ones. I’m sure the tabs will be full of stories of infidelity. This column has already gotten calls about it. But I think, in the end, there are no villains for Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon. It was just too much too soon.

Fox411 

I guess that picture was taken before it all went down.

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe have separated. The couple’s rep released a statement to TMZ Monday morning that says "We are saddened to announce that Reese & Ryan have decided to formally separate. They remain committed to their family and we ask that you please respect their privacy and the safety of their children at this time." Sources tell TMZ Witherspoon has contacted celebrity divorce lawyer Robert Kaufman, who has represented Jennifer Aniston, Roseanne and Lisa Marie Presley. Sources say Witherspoon spoke with Kaufman about divorcing Ryan Phillippe, her husband of seven years. The couple has two children. They met at Witherspoon’s 21st birthday party. As for why Witherspoon contacted Kaufman, we’re told it was not triggered by one event. Rather, one connected source says it was "cumulative." Divorce papers have not yet been filed.

TMZ (story) and AP (photo) 

That picture was taken on the 16th and they still look kind of happy, so sad. I really thought they were going to make it.

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