Celebrity splits making headlines: When it comes to dirty laundry and divorce, nobody does it better than Tinseltown stars

Ugly divorces are a Hollywood trademark.

If you're a celebrity, chances are good you're going to go through a messy split, with all your dirty laundry splashed across the front pages of magazines and newspapers worldwide. This week has been particularly bad (or good, depending on your perspective) for a few Tinseltown couples who apparently don't the meaning of "too much information."

Country singer Sara Evans and her estranged husband Craig Schelske finally faced each other in court since Evans filed for divorce on Oct. 12. After suddenly leaving Dancing With the Stars, Evans accused Schelske of looking at pornography online and has alleged he browsed personal ads on the Internet for "three-party sex." Schelske denies having a porn addiction, but admits, in his divorce documents, on one occasion both he and Evans were watching adult entertainment together when their eldest child walked into their bedroom. Schelske also denies claims he has been photographed having sex with other women and has suggested it was Evans who cheated on him.

Meanwhile, David Hasselhoff is furious lurid details of his divorce were leaked this week. The paperwork, inadvertently entered into public record after a hearing, claims his wife Pamela Bach tested positive for cocaine two months ago and alleges she was drunk at their daughter's 16th birthday party in May. The information also states Hasselhoff was unfaithful, abused Bach and has had problems with alcohol and drugs.

While it will be months before either of these real-life soap operas conclude, one thing is certain -- these messy divorces will make for some good water-cooler gossip in the weeks to come. Here's a look at some other celebrity splits -- past and present -- that have given people something to talk about:

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney

The battle between the former Beatle and his soon-to-be ex-wife is still raging. Last weekend, a report surfaced suggesting there are tapes of McCartney admitting he abused Mills. Friends of Mills have now rung in, saying she'll claim he also abused his first wife, Linda, while friends of McCartney claim he was the one who was physically abused in the relationship.

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger

Baldwin and Basinger got divorced in 2002 after a rocky marriage (in which Basinger alleged physical abuse), but the custody battle between the two continues. Basinger is now set to stand trial in January on charges of disregarding court orders over Baldwin's visitation rights with their daughter Ireland.

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards

While Sheen and Richards have called a truce on their feud for the sake of their children, the actors have been locked in a bitter split battle since April. In her divorce papers, Richards claimed Sheen was verbally and physically abusive towards her, was "addicted" to pornography and had sex with prostitutes.

Matt LeBlanc and Melissa McKnight

After LeBlanc drunkenly groped a stripper at a Canadian club in 2005, he publicly apologized to his wife and baby girl. But only a few months later, he again shocked his wife when he filed for divorce and started dating his Joey co-star Andrea Anders.

Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee

Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee were married in 1995 after dating less than a week. She filed for divorce a year later, revoked it, then refiled for divorce again after Lee allegedly kicked her in front of the kids. Anderson also claimed Lee he gave her hepatitis C. They are now divorced and Anderson is married to Kid Rock.

Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison

While not messy in terms of publicly humiliating each other, the Ford divorce is one for the books. They were married for 18 years and with no prenup in place, the divorce cost the actor a whopping US$118 million. Now that's gotta hurt.

Marshall (Eminem) and Kim Mathers

In April, less than three months after remarrying Mathers, Eminem filed for divorce yet again. In response, Kim said on a U.S. radio talk show she had been both unaware of Eminem's plans to divorce her and blamed their split on his addiction to prescription drugs. Eminem immediately issued a blistering rebuttal stating, "her allegations regarding my status post-rehab are both untrue and unfortunate. Second, she was aware that I was filing for divorce."

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman

More than five years after Cruise stunned Kidman by filling for divorce, the mystery of why they broke up remains. At the time, she claimed she was shocked because Tom was the father of a child she miscarried after the separation. She managed to get in one light-hearted dig, however, when she said she could wear heels again.

Roseanne and Tom Arnold

In July 1994, after four years of marriage, Roseanne filed for divorce, sparking an insult-filled battle in the media. Tom started things off by saying Roseanne's "Property of Tom Arnold" tattoo made him the fourth-largest property owner in California. Roseanne came back by criticizing the size of Tom's apparently small manhood, to which he responded: "Even a 747 looks small when it lands in the Grand Canyon."

Mike Tyson and Robin Givens

Rumours of spousal abuse surfaced almost immediately after the heavyweight boxing champ married the actress in early 1988. But it was their interview with Barbara Walters, in which Givens said Tyson repeatedly hit her, that sealed their fate. After divorcing on Valentine's Day 1989, Tyson bragged about hitting Givens, who he called a gold-digger. "She flew backward, hitting every wall in the apartment. That was the best punch I've ever thrown in my life."

This celebrity roundup brought to you by Jam Showbiz.