McCartney's unhappy ending

What happened

Former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills went to court on Monday to begin hammering out the final terms of their divorce. The hearings could take five days, and are taking place behind closed doors. (London Times)

What the commentators said

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This is the “main event” we’ve all been waiting for, said Stuart Heritage in the Heckler Spray blog, but “the build up has certainly been fun.” Although McCartney “hasn't really done much other than change a set of locks,” Mills has been on the warpath from the get-go,” claiming that McCartney stabbed her in the arm with a wine glass, and used to beat up his late first wife Linda. Of course, Mills insisted all along that “she absolutely wasn't a gold-digger” after McCartney’s $1.6 billion fortune, “even though she once calculated her basic living expenses” at $20,000 a day.

Talk about “a fairytale gone wrong,” said Jane Ivory in eFluxMedia. The couple married in 2002, just four years after Linda McCartney died of breast cancer. But “what started out as surprising love, ended some four years later in nasty accusations and shocking revelations, mostly on Mills’ part.”

“The case could set an important precedent in measuring just how much a spouse can pitch for when short marriages fail,” said Reuters’ Paul Majendie in ABCNews.com. The proceedings are taking place behind closed doors, but Mills, who is representing herself after firing her lawyers, is reported to be asking for $100 million. McCartney apparently is willing to pay half that, so this should wind up as one of “the biggest and most bitter divorce battles in showbusiness history.”

Mills’ demands seem “fairly reasonable,” said the British blog Holy Moly. Here’s what the animal rights activist and former model wants: Two of their houses; 24-hour security; two full-time nannies for daughter Bea; personal trainer, household staff, secretary; medical expenses for her and Bea for life; and travel expenses. “Round one to Heather.”