By SAMANTHA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
2-FEB-06

Two of the most recent high profile celebrity breakups prove that, in Tinseltown, your personal life can dramatically impact your career. Let's take a look at Jennifer and Brad and Jessica and Nick.  How have they handled their splits and what can we deduce from their post-breakup behavior?

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt
Their million dollar wedding was a snapshot into what appeared to be a fairytale marriage, so when their relationship fell apart very publicly last year, many held out hope that the twosome would reunite.  But despite Brad's fervent denials, it was clear from the beginning that Angelina Jolie had played a central role in his sudden change of heart and reconciliation was never a possibility. As the jilted wife, Jennifer was met with overwhelming public support and many even speculated that Brad's career would suffer as a result of his underhanded actions.

Yet only one year later, the roles have dramatically reversed.  Brad and Angelina seem to have won tacit approval for their relationship, most notably reflected in the fact that celebrity watchers hardly blinked when the couple announced that Angelina is pregnant with their child. This nonchalant reaction is good news for Brad, who should be credited with setting up such a soft landing.  He has spent much of his time in Europe with his new family, escaping the intense scrutiny of the American paparazzi and becoming a doting father to Angelina's two children, even applying for adoption papers to formalize the role he has already assumed.  Meanwhile, as Brad has laid low, gradually regaining public acceptance, Jennifer's stock has been plummeting.

Always a media darling, Jennifer was depicted as an innocent bystander to the collapse of her marriage, and she played that part to its fullest, appearing in Vanity Fair and on Oprah to tell the world she was wounded yet surviving.  It initially appeared that her image would be enhanced by her personal struggle, the seemingly perfect, indestructible movie star morphing into a vulnerable woman we could all relate to. Yet her last two films have not been successful at the box office, and in the last couple months Jennifer's new relationship with Vince Vaughn has cast a cloud over her clean cut image. She has recently proved that she will go to any length to keep her new man, uncharacteristically gambling and drinking until all hours in an effort to keep pace with her new beau.

Jennifer Aniston's Celebrity A$$ets
Brad Pitt's Celebrity A$$$ets

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey
In the third season of MTV's reality show Newlyweds, the growing tension between Nick and Jessica was impossible to miss, particularly for fans who had watched their love affair unfold in seasons 1 and 2. Yet it still came as a surprise to Nick when Jessica abruptly filed for divorce in December. This week, he filed for spousal support, further solidifying his role as the victim in this increasingly sordid mess.

Though to the uninitiated Nick's fame may seem a byproduct of Jessica's, when the couple wed in 2002 Nick was the more successful artist as the popular lead singer of boy band 98 Degrees.  Nick's comfort with the spotlight has enabled him to emerge strong and poised, as he pours his emotion into a new album and uses the newfound solo attention to promote his work.  He has received overwhelmingly positive buzz on his soon to be released new single, "What's Left of Me," which has already broken popularity records on AOL music. If he stays on course, Nick's future will be significantly brighter than his past, a prediction that is harder to make for Jessica.

Since their split, Jessica's image has taken a decidedly bad girl turn. Before marrying Nick, Jessica wore her "wait until marriage" virginity credo on her sleeve. But since their separation she has turned into the consummate party girl, most recently paired with Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine, a relationship now rumored to have launched during her marriage.  Jessica's behavior is not only disrespectful to Nick given the recency of their breakup, but also potentially detrimental to her career, alienating fans who bought into her apple pie image.  If her father, as rumored, is indeed responsible for the demise of the marriage, we bet he is second guessing himself now. 

Jessica Simpson's Celebrity A$$ets
Nick Lachey's Celebrity A$$$$ets

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