Fox News
Roger Friedman

It's not exactly news that Meg Ryan's marriage to Dennis Quaid is in trouble.

Back on April 10, reports from London were that Meg and the Proof of Life co-star were "dancing on table tops" and hanging out until all hours of the day and night in London.

Unfortunately, wire stories then listed Meg's companion as Russell Crowe. This was before Gladiator turned Crowe into a star.

April 10 was 11 weeks ago — five weeks longer than the official six weeks ago that Ryan's publicist says she separated from Quaid.

But those who trod along to movie premieres could tell you that Ryan and Quaid have been distant for some time. Two years ago, Quaid did not accompany Meg to the premiere party of You've Got Mail, which was held at the Museum of Natural History. Ryan herself skipped out of the party early and refused to do interviews.

At the opening of Quaid's current film, Frequency, on April 25 in New York, Ryan was absent and not mentioned. I guess she was busy on those table tops.

The Quaid/Ryan union has not been an easy one, so I'm surprised the international press — here in London, the story is everywhere — has been calling it a "solid" relationship.

In particular, Quaid's drug abuse led to an estrangement between Ryan and her mother, Susan Jordan, because of comments made by mom and husband writer Pat Jordan. The rift grew in infamy, but something tells me that as Ryan's son Jack, who's 8, has aged, the family squabbling has been rough.

Also adding to the family problems are Quaid's sister-in-law Evi, wife of movie star Randy. Evi Quaid, as noted in Premiere magazine, is — let's say — high spirited and eccentric. Meg was not thrilled with Evi's public outbursts.

Then again, Ryan and Quaid were starting to look like a real life version of the couple from A Star is Born. Meg has been in countless hits like Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, etc. Dennis' career has foundered, with a mild kids hit — The Parent Trap — and some recent nice work in Frequency. But the latter is far from a mega hit, and Quaid has seemed a little forgotten. This latter problem, more than anything, is a recipe for disaster in Hollywood.