She's like a real life character in the world's craziest soap opera. Her marriage is a total sham and she's having a mental breakdown right in front of our eyes -- but we'll be damned if she doesn't look good through it all.

Going from fashion victim to having one of the most enviable wardrobes on the planet, we've all been watching as Katie Holmes was brainwashed by Scientology matured and grew up in the public eye.

Maybe blonds have more fun. But when you're tanning on the yacht, drinking daiquiris, and getting pedicures from Marco -- the hot pool boy, who lives to satisfy your every need -- chances are you won't care. That's because, at least according to dating experts, you, the brunette, are far more likely to land a man who can lavish you with absurd sums of money than your blond counterpart.

Which brunettes scored billionaire hubbies?



In fact, 62% of billionaires have married (or are in long-term relationships with) brunettes, while only 22% chose more fair-haired companions. Women with black hair reeled in a measly 16% of the world's wealthiest bachelors, while redheads barely made the list.

I'm sure getting married is really stressful. All the planning, the family tensions, the commitment (it's no wonder my girlfriend and I are still waiting to tie the knot). But you'd hope that on their wedding night -- of all nights -- couples would be able to look past their differences and love one another.

Not attack each other with pointy shoes.

Sadly, that's the story of Teresa Brown and Mark Allerton, a Scottish couple that got into a fight on their big day -- which ended when Brown attacked her groom with a stiletto, he stumbled, head bleeding, down to the front desk, and had his bride arrested. She spent the rest of the weekend in jail, and he spent the rest of the weekend wondering just what in the hell he'd got himself into.

Now she's out, and the couple are still together (barely) -- so maybe they'll get over this little speed bump and live happily ever after (though I doubt it).

Unfortunately police chose not to disclose who designed the assailant's weapon of choice, but we'll keep you posted.

I'm not exactly a Desperate Housewives fan, but I do love me some Tony Parker. Naturally, the marriage of T.P. (as the French like to call him) and Eva Longoria last weekend intrigued me more than other celebrity nuptials. The wedding, which took place in Paris on Saturday, was a complete blow-out. From the dress to the location to the A-list guest list, seemingly no expense was too great for the event, including the take-home gifts for the guests.

If you're thinking boxes of Jordan almonds or a wedding colored M&M's, think again. Eva and Tony presented each of their world-traveling female guests with 18-karat gold bracelets from Van Cleef & Arpels' Sweet Alhambra range.

Not a bad gift if I do say so myself.

We're in the thick of wedding season, so chances are you've spent the whole summer sitting through ceremony after ceremony, making nice at the receptions and drinking too much champagne -- 'til death do us part, blah blah, whatever.

The hardest part for me, by far, is buying a good wedding present. I know most people register, and that's fine. I don't mind buying you a new toaster oven to celebrate you and your partner's beautiful new life together. But when close friends are tying the knot, I always try and buy them something personal -- something they never would've registered for, but still says I'm happy for them.

However, it's hard to know what to get.

That's what I was pumped to find these Mr. & Mrs. beach towels. I know, I know, they're incredibly tacky -- but they're perfect for the honeymoon, when the bride and groom will be so excited that they're betrothed, that they'll eat up any reference to their new husband and wife status. Plus, as newlywed gear goes, this isn't bad. I like the font, and the towels even come in a more stylish solid black -- instead of that boring blue the company chose for their product photo.

For an additional $14, you can even throw in the newlywed flip-flops, which leave a "just married" imprint in the sand as the happy couple walks along the beach, hand in hand, wondering just what they've got themselves into.

You have to sort through your CDs, your books, maybe even a few t-shirts, but all that seems to pale in comparison to the larger question of relationship etiquette: when an engagement ends, should the woman return the ring?

The answer, at least for one New Yorker, is yes. He's suing his ex to return a 4.06 carat cushion-cat diamond ring worth $48,000.

While the man's lawyer "declined to say which partner ended the engagement," according to the New York Sun, some think that doesn't matter. Gothamist found quotes from both Emily Post, who says: "Why keep a painful reminder of the end of an engagement just to be spiteful? It's better to take the high road and move on." And from a married couple on About.com, who say that in the state of New York, an engagement ring is a "conditional gift," so unless they wed, all bets are off.

But what do you think? Should she return the rock, or is he being just being $48,000 worth of spiteful?

In equal measure to the way they have held on to their cigarettes, young people in France have begun to reject traditional marriage. According to an article in the Washington Post, marriage has been in decline for a generation across much of northern Europe, from France to Scandinavia. Sociologists have described the trend as a "soft-culture revolution," which is a dramatic way of saying that young France is rejecting the traditional expectations of old France. With the Catholic Church's diminished role in French life, migration to dense urban centers, and overall sense of freedom when it comes to lifestyle choices, the French are no longer choosing to say "I do." And even though populations and birthrates have increased over the past generation, French marriages have decreased by 30 percent.

Never has post-divorce friendship looked more attractive.

Elle Macpherson, the supermodel known as "The Body" (despite what Heidi Klum would have you think), is gracing the pages of Elle the magazine for the first time in nearly a decade. After Elle and her husband photographer Gilles Bensimo, split in 1996, the all-American beauty refused to pose for her ex- or the magazine for which he primarily worked.

However, the two fashion-world connoisseurs have found a way to work together again, and the result is gorgeously displayed in a 12-page spread. "When we were shooting, we didn't need to speak," said Macpherson. "Gilles would hold his hand up in a certain way, and I would know what he meant. I remembered the language, and so did he."

Elle's issue featuring Elle will hit stands on Tuesday, Novemeber, 7, 2006.

When I got engaged and began the fun but overwhelming task of finding the perfect wedding dress, I got one piece of advice over and over. Women would tell me not to worry, that I would "know my dress when I found it," meaning that I would have absolutely no doubts, no second guessing, no wondering if I should visit just one more store.

Well, Elizabeth Hurley apparently does not subscribe to the traditional wedding dress advice I received. Ms. Hurley recently commissioned thirteen wedding dresses to be made for her big day, and reportedly hasn't felt a single qualm about the decision. Katie Holmes has followed suit, requesting (at last count) five dresses for her upcoming nuptials with Tom Cruise.

So what do you think? Did you "just know it" when you found your wedding dress? Or did you wish you had the option of choosing from several dresses and changing throughout the ceremony and reception?

After a lengthy on-again-off-again courtship, Pam Anderson and eternally topless rapper Kid Rock have finally tied the knot. The couple exchanged "I do's" on a yacht off the coast of the balmy French resort, St. Tropez. To exchange vows, the buxom bride wore a white bikini, while the groom opted to go shirtless (big surprise there!).

This is Pammie's second marriage. Her first was to Motley Crue provocateur-drummer Tommy Lee, which ended in divorce back in 1998. Like all newly weds, Anderson seems both pleased and optimistic about her second run with matrimony. On her website, she writes, "I'm in love, I'm happy, I see the light."

Blech! If getting hitched to greasy-bad-hat-wearing Kid Rock is seeing the light, I think I'll be content to just hang out in the shade.