Ryan Reynolds files for divorce from Scarlett Johansson

Ryan Reynolds filed for divorce from Scarlett Johansson on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, with the actress filing her response to his petition immediately.

The couple's breakup went public Dec. 14, the day they issued a statement that they'd decided to end the marriage. "It's with love and kindness we leave" the relationship, they said, adding that while privacy "isn't expected, it's certainly appreciated."

Both parties agree on their date of separation and neither is seeking spousal support, both of which are signs of a cooperative split according to TMZ, which has the court documents.

And what about the notion that Sandra Bullock played a role in the breakup? While the Ministry was completely kidding Wednesday when we "linked" Sandy and ScarJo as a couple, Bullock's camp was just finished denying a for-real tabloid report Tuesday that Reynolds and his costar in "The Proposal" had been enjoying secret "date nights" and more.

Alas, as Gossip Cop explains, Reynolds and Bullock are "literally nothing except friends," a rep says. Sources close to the two have said ScarJo and Ryan simply grew apart because of career commitments and distance.

So, the Ministry of Gossip was joking ... the other Bullock-related story was a ... well, you decide.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photos: Ryan Reynolds on April 7, 2005, left; Scarlett Johansson on July 26, 2006. Credits: Reuters

 

 

Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson's divorce mystery -- solved?*

How dare Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds get divorced before giving the world at least one perfect offspring! The two say no third party is involved, but we have photographic evidence* that just might suggest otherwise.

Forget any Blake Lively rumors — a quick trip through our archives shows that Sandra Bullock obviously** made her love for ScarJo public months ago when they locked lips in June, as the star of "The Blind Side" star accepted the Generation Award at at the MTV Movie Awards.

I mean, just look at the way Johansson is staring*** in this photo ...

(Of course, sticklers will most likely continue to believe the couple's mature, mannered joint statement: "After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we've decided to end our marriage. We entered our relationship with love, and it's with love and kindness we leave it.")

* / ** / *** A disclaimer from The Ministry: We do not actually believe that Sandra Bullock and Scarlett Johannsson are involved in any kind of sapphic relationship leading to the dissolution of either woman's marriage. But if they were, we'd call upon the famous "Seinfeld" saying: "Not that there's anything wrong with that." We do believe the Sandy-ScarJo kiss was meant in pure fun — just as this blog post is.

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— Whitney Friedlander

Photo: Scarlett Johansson, left, and Sandra Bullock at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. Credit: Christopher Polk / Getty Images.

Barbara Walters' '10 Most Fascinating People of 2010': Do you agree? [poll]

Gen. David Petraeus and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg were the big reveals on Barbara Walters' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2010" special Thursday night, joining the already-announced Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Middleton, Sandra Bullock, LeBron James, Betty White, the cast of "Jersey Shore" and a back-again Sarah Palin on the annual list.

In addition to commanding Walters' No. 1 spot, Petraeus commands the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan, and we certainly hope this is the last time he's spotted here in the Ministry of Gossip. For his own sake! Nothing against you, general, but him popping up with a divorce, a DUI arrest or a sex tape would definitely do us all more harm than good.

A few people from last year's list popped up in the gossip ranks this year, including one, Brett Favre, for reasons we didn't expect. Walters' most fascinating person in 2009 was First Lady Michelle Obama, with Favre, Palin, Lady Gaga, Tyler Perry, Jenny Sanford, Kate Gosselin, Glenn Beck, Adam Lambert and Michael Jackson's children filling the rest of the spots.

In 2009, many commenters said they would have liked to have seen hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger on the list. (Hey, at least he ranked at the Tournament of Roses Parade.)

No 'Haitian cookie' for Eva Longoria? Adoption rumors denied

Eva Longoria might very well have A-list envy, but it doesn't currently extend to the world of adoption.

A source close to the actress on Monday debunked rumors that even as Longoria and Tony Parker work through their divorce, she intended to adopt a Haitian baby on her own. "Not true," the source told People.

The weekend rumors out of the UK reminded us of a recent Popeater column in which a friend of the couple said Longoria and Parker's elaborate 2007 wedding came as a result of the "Desperate Housewives" star "seeing all the attention Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding had received" in 2006.

That in turn reminded us of Sandra Bullock's adoption-to-be-envied earlier this year, in which the Oscar-winner stealthily pulled off a single-mom-to-be adoption of son Louis, whom she later referred to as her "little Cajun cookie," all the while decisively divorcing unfaithful husband Jesse James. Bullock's adoption plan, incidentally, was well underway before that marriage blew up.

Copycat castle nuptials aside, we thought, Longoria couldn't possibly be that predictable? Thank heavens, Monday apparently finds the world safe in the adoption-for-the-right-reasons department.

For now.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Eva Longoria at a charity event in Spain on Aug. 7. Credit: Javier Barbancho / Reuters

 

Sandra Bullock, Sarah Palin, Justin Bieber among Barbara Walters' 'Most Fascinating People' [Updated]

As dependable as Santa's naughty and nice lists, the annual release of names on Barbara Walters' "Most Fascinating People" list reminds us that the holidays are here.

This year, Walters curates a list of the 10 people (only eight will be revealed prior to the broadcast) who captivated our attention in 2010 -- including scandal survivor Sandra Bullock, teen sensation Justin Bieber, polarizing politico Sarah Palin and princess-to-be Kate Middleton. 

The sit-down is significant for Bullock, who has turned up publicly only for a couple of awards, a "Today" interview pegged to charitable work, and her mildly candid People spread about adopting baby Louis. Read: Expect the juice to flow.

Palin, an alumna of the 2009 list, makes the cut again, while heartthrob Beiber hits it for the first time. Betty White, LeBron James, Jennifer Lopez and the cast of "Jersey Shore" (yes, you read that correctly) will also appear.

Walters will reveal the ninth name, in addition to the identity of her "most fascinating" person, when the show airs Dec. 9. 

Can you guess which luminary will fill the empty spot? Lady Gaga again? Final-season Oprah Winfrey? Mel Gibson? Perhaps a repeat performance from the recently-more-fascinating Brett Favre?

Tell us in the comments section below. 

[For the record, 11:56 a.m.: Justin Bieber's last name was misspelled in an earlier version of this post. As for initially calling Kate Middleton "Katie," well, that's just our little pet name. Thanks to commenter @Emmy for the catch.]

-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly 

Photo: Sandra Bullock at the 2010 People's Choice Awards. Credit: Getty Images

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'Fit parent' Sandra Bullock talks about her 'Cajun cookie'

How's Sandra Bullock doing as a mom? Her "little Cajun cookie" Louis has a regular poop schedule, America, and it was waterworks-inducing at the end of the adoption process "to have someone say, 'I think you're a fit parent.' "

If the smile on her face when she mentions her new son is any indication, things are going just fine.

As she helped open a health clinic at a New Orleans high school this weekend, Bullock hit the "Today" show for an interview that aired Tuesday, sharing how she came to love the city and how she managed to keep a big secret -- and a modicum of privacy -- earlier this year. (Video of the interview is at the end of this post.)

"I spent so many summers and New Year's and fun times in New Orleans," said the Oscar winner ...

Getting down with the Teen Choice Award winners

"The Twilight Saga" and those associated were the big winners at Monday's Teen Choice Awards, but Sandra Bullock did OK with "The Blind Side" and "The Proposal" as well -- plus Sandy got to make yet another award-show appearance with Betty White, who may now hold the title of the hardest working woman in showbiz. (Maybe someone should make sure Betty hasn't already taken her "best dance" trophy surfboard down the beach for a spin?)

To see highlights and lowlights of how the night went down, in pictures, click here. For a photo gallery of red-carpet arrivals, starting with a very slender Lea Michele, click the picture of "Glee's" Kevin McHale at left. (We love that hair so much we're running the pic into the ground!

Finally, those who want to cut to the chase can find a list of winners right here.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Sandra Bullock does something resembling the Bump with Betty White on Aug. 8, 2010, at the Teen Choice Awards. The show aired the next night. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Sandra Bullock is Hollywood's highest-paid actress -- and about that Gulf Coast PSA ... [poll]

Sandra Bullock is currently the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, having pulled in $56 million between June 2009 and June 2010, Forbes reports.

Tens of millions of dollars away in second place, it was a tie: Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz each earned about $32 million for the year. Jennifer Aniston came in fourth at $27 million, and Sarah Jessica Parker notched in fifth at $25 million. 

Bullock pulled in the bucks largely from "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side." On the latter, she cut her asking price, earned an Oscar and took home a sizable chunk of the $320-million box-office take, according to Forbes.

In other Bullock-related news, Women of the Storm responded Saturday to a blogger's allegations ...

Sandra Bullock asks to be pulled from Gulf Coast PSA

Sandra Bullock doesn't want to be "the one" anymore.

The actress and new mom made headlines Friday by asking that her image be removed from a recent celebrity PSA promoting restoration of the Gulf Coast.

Did she stumble into some bad lighting? No. Is the organization responsible for the PSA in bed with major oil companies? Well ...

What we know: Women of the Storm, billed as a nonpartisan collection of women assisting relief efforts in the wake of the BP oil-spill disaster, counts the America's Wetlands Foundation as a partner. The America's Wetlands group lists BP as a sponsor (along with many others).

"Ms. Bullock was originally contacted through her attorney to be a part of the PSA in order to promote awareness of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico," a rep for Bullock said.

"At no time was she made aware that any organization, oil company or otherwise had influence over Women of the Storm or its message. We have immediately asked for her participation in the PSA be removed until the facts can be determined."

A spokeswoman for Women of the Storm told People magazine that no money from BP or other oil sponsors was used to produce the celeb spot, which also includes Blake Lively and Lenny Kravitz.

Is Bullock making the right choice, or making something out of nothing? Tell us in the comments section below.

-- Matt Donnelly

Photo: Sandra Bullock in February 2010. Credit: Kirk McCoy / Los Angeles Times

See related stories on Sandra Bullock from the Ministry of Gossip.

Sandra Bullock leads a star-studded PSA for Gulf Coast restoration

Sandra Bullock, who recently bought a home in New Orleans, and at the MTV Movie Awards gave a shout out to the region affected by the BP oil spill, has loaned her megastar status to a PSA calling for restoration and protection of the United States' Gulf Coast.

The video, filmed in New Orleans and other locations around the country, features people with various ties to the region -- the likes of chef Emeril Lagasse, author-actor Bryan Batt of "Mad Men" fame, a slimmed-down John Goodman and a gravelly voiced Dr. John. (Find a full list of participants, in order, on the video's YouTube page.)

Women of the Storm, a self-proclaimed nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization of women that grew out of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is gathering signatures on an online petition showing support for funding an implementation of coastal restoration. The group says it will deliver the petition to Congress and the Obama administration. 

The Restore the Gulf effort was launched Tuesday at a press conference in New Orleans.

-- Christie D'Zurilla