Ending it with "The Starter Wife"

If today’s news of the separation of producer Brian Grazer and author Gigi Levangie Grazer is just some sort of ambitious viral promotion for Gigi’s USA network miniseries “The Starter Wife,” starring Debra Messing as a woman of a certain age who gets dumped by her slimeball movie-executive husband, then it seems a little bit of overkill (then again, this is Hollywood).

Your Mayor chattered with Gigi a few weeks back about the production, and she spoke, for someone ostensibly happily married to a Hollywood power broker, fairly forcefully about the trauma of divorce:

"I don't want to keep it just to Hollywood wives. It's a very real thing that women can go through — being dependent on the man they're with, financially dependent, socially dependent. There's a very real fear. I see it in my own life with people I know. It's a terrible thing to have to live with."

I cut off the quote there for the story, but she went on to talk about herself and her own situation (my notes are currently locked in a comatose computer – any recommendations for a good local data-retrieval outfit in the comments section will be much appreciated), and mentioned pointedly that as she has her own career, she’d be able to fend for herself should any unspecified-but-we-all-know-what-we’re-talking-about-here thing happen.

But that was hardly the first time she contemplated a single life: Two years ago in the New York Times, she contemplated with a curious measure of sanguinity not being married to Brian Grazer:

“‘Well, if I lost everything,’ she said slowly, ‘I would have a house to live in with a backyard. I would have a car that works. I would have children still in school. My closest friends wouldn't change because they're not really of Hollywood. So then you kind of have to quantify what would I be missing. Brian. I wouldn't get to go to certain parties. I wouldn't be going to the Academy Awards.’ Her expression grew mischievous. ‘Unless I picked up the Thalberg, you know, posthumously for Brian. I would look fantastic. Anyway. In other words, would I miss it at certain points? Probably, but would it kill me? No.’”

Well, there are two ways to wrap this up: Either with a dryly wry observation that cracks like that aren’t the best way to maintain a happy marriage, or with a cynical heartfelt offer of a shoulder for Gigi not to cry too much upon. I will take these options under advisement and get back to you.