Psychic Judi Hoffman called the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline split back in January. She is the first to admit the prediction did not require special powers.
"Unless it's Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman," Hoffman said of foretelling celebrity uncouplings, "I have a pretty good shot at being right."
Suffice it to say, Spears and Federline are not Woodward and Newman.
On Wednesday, the day after Spears filed for divorce from Federline, her husband and tabloid costar of the past two years, the breakup that seemed a foregone conclusion to psychics and non-psychics alike produced little hand-wringing over what went wrong—but much speculation as to where the respective parties go from here.
Spears, currently sans a publicist, was mum. Federline, currently promoting his much mocked, little-bought rap album, was not.
Responding to Spears' divorce petition, Federline filed court papers seeking spousal support, as well as legal and physical custody of the couple's two sons, one-year-old Sean Preston and newborn Jayden James. The latter request sets the stage for a potentially nasty battle as Spears is also requesting custody of the children.
Even before Federline raised the custody issue, Manhattan divorce attorney Lois Liberman on Wednesday cautioned that the issue might become the key sticking point—and bargaining tool—in the couple's divorce.
"Unfortunately," Liberman said, "opportunists use whatever opportunity they can use."
Federline's spousal support request raises questions about the prenuptial agreement the former backup dancer was believed to have signed prior to marrying Spears in October 2004. Tuesday's New York Post even claimed the prenup called for Federline to receive a cool $10 million parting gift. (Spears herself reportedly is worth anywhere from an even cooler $32 million to a positively icy $150 million.)
Calls seeking comment from Federline's attorney, Mark Kaplan, were not returned Wednesday.
Federline himself was more in a rapping mode Wednesday, as he was scheduled to take the stage at the House of Blues in Chicago.
According to the club, the show, and Federline, would go on—divorce proceedings or no.
"It's just a show like any other," Mary Clare Bourjaily, a publicist for the House of Blues, said.
Well, maybe not like any other.
When asked if there was more media interest in covering the Federline gig in light of the divorce-court developments, Bourjaily said, "Uh, yeah."
What Bourjaily wouldn't comment on was ticket sales. And perhaps for good reason.
Just hours before the doors were to open Wednesday night, tickets for the Federline show were not only available, they were available for cheap. As in free, a $2.25 TicketMaster convenience fee excepted.
Life, meanwhile, was looking smoother for Federline's more professionally renowned spouse. Shortly after news of the divorce broke Tuesday night, Spears was spotted ice skating at Manhattan's Rockefeller Center.
Perhaps of even more import was the identify of Spears' skating companion: Larry Rudolph, her former manager.
Rudolph has been credited with guiding Spears from the ashes of the Mickey Mouse Club to the top of the pop charts. The two were together for nine years until they announced their professional split around the same time Spears wed Federline.
Rudolph's management company would not comment on Spears on Wednesday, and so it was not unknown if the Rockefeller Center rink sighting meant the wayward singer was returning home, or if Rudolph was just working on his lutz.
Spears, who ranks above Frank Sinatra, Janet Jackson, Faith Hill and more with 31 million career albums sold, has not released a new collection since 2004's Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, her last project with Rudolph.
The divorce filing has spurred speculation that Spears, still only 24, wants to get serious about her career again.
"This could be something of an opportunity for something approaching a fresh start," said Brian Hiatt, an associate editor at Rolling Stone. "It really depends on how she handles herself...How much of a fool she makes out of herself."
According to Hiatt, Spears' fall as a music star, and her rise as a tabloid star, predates Federline, and goes back to the time when she married "that other guy," aka Jason Allen Alexander, Spears' husband of Jan. 3-5, 2004.
The cure for what has ailed Spears' career for nearly three years now could be as simple—and elusive—as a hit.
"All she needs to do is go to the studio and make some really good songs," Hiatt said.
Unfortunately, such salvation might be beyond Federline, at least according to Hiatt.
"His music career is already nonexistent," Hiatt said. "So, I think it'll become less than nonexistent."
And the hits just keep coming.
As by recounted Canada's MuchMusic, cameras were rolling Monday night when Federline, shooting a reality segment for the network, became upset while text-messaging with an unknown party. The implication: Federline got the bad news about his marriage on the cell phone. If nothing else, the timing fits: Spears says the couple separated on Monday.
On Tuesday, it was announced Federline made a cash payout to 1980s techno-pop star Thomas Dolby to settle a lawsuit stemming from the unauthorized sampling of Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" on Federline's "America's Most Wanted." On Wednesday, the latest Nielsen SoundScan numbers showed his album only sold 6,000 in its first week in stores.
At least psychic Judi Hoffman sees a bright future ahead for Federline.
Oh, wait. It's Spears that Hoffman has pegged for better days.
"I think she's going to play around for a while. There's going to be another guy. And she's not going to marry him," Hoffman said, adding, "I see a Madonna-ish comeback."
And for Federline?
"Failure," Hoffman said. "Don't need to be a psychic."