Why did Elin Nordegren demo her $12M oceanfront house?

Elin Nordegren appears to be building an essentially identical house to replace the $12.3-million mansion she had demolished in North Palm Beach — but she had a couple of good reasons for getting rid of the old one.

Turns out the house, built in the 1920s, didn't comply with current building codes designed to keep the place together in case of a hurricane, and it would have cost more to renovate than to rebuild, her builder told People.

"We had an architect and a structural engineer out here and everyone agreed that it made more sense — structurally and economically — to tear it down and start over," Dan Reedy of Onshore Construction and Development told the mag.

And then they found the bugs. Termites and carpenter ants, to be specific. Nordegren had given a local Habitat for Humanity chapter four weeks to strip fixtures, cabinets and hardware from the six-bedroom house, and the volunteers were the ones to make the creepy, crawly discovery.

"When we pulled out the windows, the bugs were everywhere," Bobbi Blodgett, Habitat's director of deconstruction, told People. (The Ministry pauses a moment to shudder.)

TMZ obtained drawings submitted tothe Palm Beach County's Department of Planning, Zoning & Building that show the exterior of the new house looking similar to what was there — and why not? It was pretty darned beautiful. And that's without being able to see the soon-to-manifest couple of Jacuzzis, the wine cellar or the grotto. Not to mention nine bedrooms to replace the six originals and any number of other changes inside) — plus three guest bungalows to boot.

Also, for those with sticker shock, keep this in mind: One peek at an L.A. County property tax bill will serve as a reminder that with almost any property, the land is worth way more than the shack sitting on it, no matter how swell that shack may be.

So the $12.3 million Elin paid was not really the value of the house she knocked down — and as far as we can tell, that acre or so of oceanfront property remained intact.

Nordegren, of course, picked up a reported $110 million in her divorce from Tiger Woods.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Elin Nordegren in 2009. Credit: David J. Phillip / Associated Press.

Zooey Deschanel files for divorce from Ben Gibbard

Zooey Deschanel has officially filed for divorce from Ben Gibbard, sliding the paperwork in at L.A. Superior Court before last year drew to a close.

Singer-songwriter and actress Deschanel, 31, and Death Cab for Cutie lead singer Gibbard, 35, separated on Halloween after two years of marriage. The decision was "mutual and amicable," it was reported at the time. 

Court documents filed Dec. 27, obtained by TMZ, are par for the course in citing "irreconcilable differences," but the inclusion of her income and assets is a bit of a treat for the Hollywood-curious: The paperwork shows Deschanel with a little more than $3 million in assets, $95,000 a year coming in from She & Him and no credit card debt. Also detailed are expenses totaling $22,500 a month, including a $4,000-a-month mortgage, $2,000 a month for clothes and $1,500 going to charity.

PHOTOS: Celebrity splits of 2011

Not surprising to see she's doing OK — Deschanel had a pretty successful 2011 with the hot sitcom "New Girl" and more: She notched a Grammy nomination for the song "So Long" from "Winnie the Pooh" and a Golden Globe nod for performance by an actress in a TV series, comedy or musical, which means, come Jan. 15, she'll up against Tina Fey, Laura Dern, Laura Linney and Amy Poehler — no sweat, right? — for that shiny golden trophy.

Zooey also became an aunt in September, when sister Emily "Bones" Deschanel and husband David Hornsby welcomed a baby boy.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard arrive at the "Winnie the Pooh" premiere in Burbank in July. Credit: Dan Steinberg / Associated Press.

 

Sinead O'Connor reconciles with Barry Herridge, calls off divorce

Sinéad O'Connor's love life has another chapter. Actually this is more like an extended cut of the previous chapter. She announced on Twitter that she's back with her husband of less than a month.

The Irish singer, who married Dublin substance-abuse counselor Barry Herridge in Las Vegas in early December, then announced their separation a couple of weeks later, has called off the divorce proceedings.

As she put it late Tuesday, "yay!!! me husband is a big hairy cave man an came to claim me with his club : ) and now im in cave-land.. yay!!"

When one fan, who obviously doesn't speak cave man, tweeted to ask for confirmation that the singer now wasn't getting divorced, O'Connor responded, "Yup that's wot it means. An I can add to my lingerie collection. Size uk 12 btw for anyone wanting to send any. 36b. : )"

Previously, O'Connor had written a long post on her website announcing the breakup of the relationship due to people in her husband's life urging him away from her and to a "wild ride" in Las Vegas on their Dec. 8 wedding night, when self-described non-drinker O'Connor went looking for weed to smoke and ended up with a handful of crack instead.

Never a dull moment in the O'Connor household.

The good news for her Southern California fans is that they will have ample opportunity to congratulate her in person: The newly reconciled Mrs. H will be headed to L.A. on Thursday for a performance on Friday, and she'll return in February for a pair of shows at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to celebrate the release of her new album, "How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?"

O'Connor says she's slowing things down with husband No. 4 and that they plan to act like boyfriend and girlfriend (or cave man and cave woman) for a while. Either way, this isn't likely to be the last of the O'Connor love drama in 2012.

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-- Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: Sinéad O'Connor in October. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

 

Russell Brand files for divorce from Katy Perry

Katy Perry and Russell Brand's missing wedding rings did mean something: Brand on Friday filed for divorce from Perry.

"Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage," Brand said in a statement. "I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."

Brand filed in L.A., TMZ reported, posting documents that reveal the traditional California divorce dilemma, "irreconcilable differences."

PHOTOS: Celebrity splits of 2011

Those differences were evidenced just before Christmas in an allegedly "massive" fight that, according to Us Weekly, might have been about Russell and his feelings about Perry's parents and their beliefs. The two spent the holidays apart, Russell in London and Katy in Kauai.

The two married in October 2010 with an elaborate ceremony in India, fending off a swarm of media attention ahead of the event. Reports at the time indicated they have no prenup. In recent TV interviews, both parties had downplayed talk of problems.

So much for poppin' out those babies. Sigh.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Katy Perry and Russell Brand on Dec. 3 in L.A. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images.

Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard have called it quits after 30 years

Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard have split up after almost three decades together — but don't rush out to console either party: The couple reportedly called it quits about two years ago.

Lange, 62, and playwright-actor Shepard, 68, met while working on the film "Frances," for which she was Oscar-nominated. They have two grown children together, Hannah, 26, and Samuel, 24.

Lange has another daughter, 30-year-old Aleksandra, with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Both actors had been married once before becoming involved with each other in 1982.

PHOTOS: Celebrity breakups 2011

In more recent Jessica Lange developments, the two-time Oscar winner was nominated for a Golden Globe last week for her work in TV's "American Horror Story."

Privacy: It's one of the perks when you don't have to file for divorce to break up.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Sam Shepard and Jessica Lange in April 2006. Credit: Diane Bondareff / Associated Press.

Debra Messing and hubby David Zelman separate

Debra Messing and husband Daniel Zelman have quietly separated after more than a decade together.

The "Will & Grace" star and the actor-producer privately separated earlier this year after a 10-year marriage, a rep for the couple said Tuesday in a statement.

"The decision was mutual, and they remain supportive of one another and committed to raising their son as a family," the rep added exclusively to Us Weekly. The couple have a 7-year-old son together, Roman.

PHOTO GALLERY: Celebrity breakups of 2011

The duo met as students at New York University in the '90s. They continue to live under the same roof in New York City, where Messing is filming "Smash," the Steven Spielberg-produced NBC drama about the making of a Broadway musical. 

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— Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Daniel Zelman and Debra Messing in 2009. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images 

 

Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz finalize divorce

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are finally, officially over — the couple's divorce was finalized by a judge in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, according to court documents reported on by TMZ this week.

The couple is keeping the exact terms of the divorce confidential, per the Associated Press. Though a 103-page agreement has been drafted, it will only be filed if a dispute arises later.

Since the agreement isn't public, details concerning the custody of the couple's 3-year-old son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, are unclear. When the couple filed for divorce in February, Simpson sought primary custody of the boy, with visitation rights for the former Fall Out Boy bassist. Wentz responded that he was seeking joint custody.

Upon filing for divorce, the couple had cited "irreconcilable differences." At the time, sources told TMZ that Wentz had tried to talk his wife out of filing papers but that Simpson had wanted out of their nearly three-year marriage for some time because she could no longer handle the rocker's alleged "erratic behavior."

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Photo: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz in 2008. Nancy Ostertag / Getty Images

Celebrity breakups of 2011: How many can you name?

Lots of celebrity couples broke up in 2011 ... how many can you remember? We shouldn't kick up our heels at evidence that the famous and well-funded are as human and fallible as ordinary folk. But it's pretty hard not to.

"Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world."

Yes, Ashton, yes it is.

PHOTO GALLERY: Celebrity breakups of 2011

Kutcher -- who allegedly spent his and Demi's sixth anniversary fooling around with a San Diego party receptionist -- was among those thinking deep, end-of-relationship thoughts as 2011 drew toward a close. 

ScarJo had a tough 2011 on the personal front.  She had a tough 2010 too, splitting up with Ryan "Sexiest Man Alive" Reynolds. She followed that this year with a split from Sean "I'm 24 Years Older Than You" Penn. Topping it all off, photos of her bare backside and upper body, hacked from her phone, were trotted out all over the Internet. Those pictures weren't for 24 Years Older Than You, by the way; they were for then-husband Sexiest Man Alive.

Meanwhile, Kat Von D, whose upper body has been seen bare without the hassle of hacking, found herself planning a summer wedding, then later counting the number of alleged hook-ups by fiance Jesse James while they were together.

"Today I encountered the 19th girl to add to the list of people Jesse cheated on me with during this last year ..." the tattoo artist wrote in mid-November on Facebook.

Which is worse: someone cheating on you behind your back, or someone who doesn't back your behind? Kris Humphries allegedly said Kim Kardashian had a fat behind.

And you know where that couple landed -- the same place as all the other couples in our gallery: Splitsville.

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-- Amy Hubbard

Photos, clockwise from top right: Kat and Jesse; Kris and Kim; Demi and Ashton; and Arnold and Maria. Credits: Getty Images, top, center and bottom right; Reuters, left.

Kris Humphries: Annul it, void it, just make it all go away

Kris Humphries is having a legal field day this week, parrying soon-to-be-ex-wife Kim Kardashian's divorce petition with a request for legal separation and an annulment instead -- and as of Friday he reportedly wants their prenup disappeared as well.

Humphries asked for an annulment of the marriage in a response filed Thursday in L.A. Superior Court. Kardashian filed for divorce on Oct. 31 after 72 days of wedded bliss or something. TMZ said Friday that the pro basketball player wants the annulment for religious reasons.

The annulment is being sought on the grounds of fraud, according to court documents. That sounds pretty nasty, but it's also a box that can be checked if it can't be alleged that one or the other party involved was already married, was too young to get married or was physically incapable of getting married at the time of, you know, getting married.

PHOTOS: Celebrity breakups of 2011

Of course, there are also the boxes alleging that someone wasn't of sound mind at the time of the wedding, or that someone was forced to say "I do." But there we are again, getting back into nasty territory. Plus the last two don't count if the parties lived together freely after getting hitched -- and of course, Kris and Kim's cohabitation was captured on camera for the sake of reality TV.

Oops.

Humphries wants the prenup voided not because of any his-and-hers property issues but rather, according to Radar Online, to nix what a source calls an "extensive" confidentiality clause.

"Kris wants to be able to talk about the situation without being sued," said a Radar source supposedly close to the situation. Apparently, the thinking is that if the marriage were annulled, it would be as if it never existed, so a prenup would become moot. Well, never existed except for the two-part TV special.

Kim, meanwhile, doesn't appear too worried about a judge buying that the marriage was contrived for the cameras. She's reportedly told friends that as a "marketing genius" along with mom Kris Jenner, there's no way she'd set herself up for the Kardashian brand bashing that has resulted from filing for divorce.

Also, the couple still have not yet determined an important element of their split: Who gets Bruce Willis? Oh wait -- that's a different divorce.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Kris Humphries in New York City in November. Credit: Donald Bowers / Getty Images

Ashton Kutcher 'swarmed' by single ladies in Iowa

Though Ashton Kutcher missed Paris' Crillon Ball this year, the "Two and a Half Men" star made his own debut last week: as a semi-single guy in Iowa.

While his stepdaughter (for now) Tallulah Willis made her debutante showing in Paris over the Thanksgiving holiday, Kutcher went back to his Midwestern roots, partying among an abundance of young ladies in Iowa City.

The Cedar Rapids native and his male pals hit two different sports bars, where his naked ring finger turned plenty of heads, according to Us Weekly.

"He was drinking beer, and girls kept coming up to him," a source told the mag of the Thanksgiving Eve outing. "He loved the attention. Girls were hugging him and shaking his hand."  

Kutcher's night out in Iowa got a repeat performance Saturday, only this time beers and shots abounded, some ladies invited him to a local strip joint and, according to an Us source, "He was swarmed by girls."

He reportedly declined, but did manage to tweet a photo of himself with another local: a real cow. 

Kutcher and wife Demi Moore announced their separation and intent to divorce in the second week of November, with both lying low since statements were released. Moore was also absent from Tallulah's French debut; the magazine cited a source saying she had work conflicts.

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Ashton Kutcher welcomes the holidays on "Two and a Half Men." Credit: CBS