You would think that with all the resources celebs have at their fingertips, they could avoid making mistakes that make them look stupid. Well, I guess celebrities don’t think to utilize those resources because they are too busy tweeting or reading movie scripts. So when celebs make mistakes, I guess they just need a good PR team (but sometimes that isn’t even possible, see below).

Here are some of the biggest mistakes could have avoided if they would have just used Google or hired an investigator, or done SOMETHING, anything at all.

5. Anne Hathaway’s ex-boyfriend was not very good with money

We all remember when Anne seemed so happy with Raffaello Follieri. Then they broke up because he allegedly committed fraud and scammed some people out of millions of dollars.

4. One of Kris Humphries wedding guest scammed him (No, not Kim)

One of his wedding guests was allegedly  raising money for a billion-dollar hedge fund, BUT the fund didn’t even exist. Kris supposedly invested a lot of money into this fake fund, and now he’s out tons of money and a wife.

3. Winona Ryder gets caught shoplifting

I still don’t understand this. She is a celebrity. I’m sure she could have afforded some of the stuff she stole. Maybe she just loves the rush of stealing from department stores.

2. Matthew McConaughey gets arrested for playing bongos while naked

I’m including this one because I feel like the only mistake made was that I wasn’t there to see this happen.

1. Hilary Swank Does This

And this is coming from a self-proclaimed reading snob.

I’ve created a list of my top 4 books made into movies. Granted, I have not seen every movie ever made that is based on a book, but I think I have a pretty good base to choose from. Let me know if you agree or add your own to the list

#4. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

I know that I’m probably going to get flack for this one from the hard-core fans, but making “The Lord of the Rings” novels into movies was not only one of the best financial decisions ever made (raking in a cool BILLION on ticket sales and rentals alone), but also a smart pop culture move. Before the movies, the books and whole “culture” of LOTR were fairly underground; some people read the books in school, but other than that, they weren’t terribly popular. And I’d like to think I know why.

I tried to read the books. I barely got through the first one and had to give up. I’m not a detail person so I found several pages describing the movement of grass in a valley to be WAY too much. But then I saw the movie – which obviously eliminated all that need for boring description – and it. was. awesome. The story, the drama, the imagination that went into coming up with all those characters and details. Good move with the movie, LOTR people. A good move, indeed.

#3. Girl, Interrupted

“Girl, Interrupted” is actually an autobiography. Susanna Kaysen was committed to a mental institution in 1967 because reality had become too “dense.” Susanna was certainly not crazy, so her account of her 2 year stay makes for a super interesting read. However, the visual is so much more compelling. You can read about the interesting characters she encounters all you like, but when you actually see them there is a much greater impact. Matched with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder’s superb acting skills (critically acclaimed, in fact!), the story just takes flight. I found myself to be much more attached to and affected by the movie compared to the book. Some things you just have to see for yourself, I guess!

#2. The Bourne Trilogy

After I realized that the Jason Bourne movies were actually based on action novels, I rushed to the library to pick up “The Bourne Identity.” I was shocked at the size of it: a whopping 544 pages! Needless to say I less-than-quickly read through it and was left wanting more. The movies were so action-packed and kept me on the edge of my seat and the books fell a little bit flat. Perhaps this was because I had already seen the movie, but I really feel like the book is a bit of overkill. For example, the first 60 or so pages explain how a Frenchman found Jason floating in the middle of the ocean and nursed him back to health on an island. In the movie, that same part took about 30 seconds to explain. I just found that the screenwriters did a really good job of cutting out the unnecessary junk in the book and making a really streamlined, fast-paced thriller (as all action books and movies should be).

#1. The Notebook

Originally written by Nicholas Sparks, “The Notebook” was a best-selling novel. But despite how well it did as a book, the movie just blows it out of the water. I won’t give away too much plot for those 3 people on earth who haven’t seen it, but basically, it revolves around the epic love story of Allie and Noah. From their humble beginnings as teenagers, to a rough time where they almost lose each other due to family problems, to them as seniors, the movie encompasses their entire lives together.

The film is heartfelt and tells the story so perfectly, jumping between the past to the present. The cast was perfect and everything from the script to the scenes to the superb acting just draws the viewer into the story. I’m typically not a crier, but I cry every. time. I watch this movie. It truly is book-to-movie perfection.

It’s okay if you don’t. It certainly wasn’t the biggest incident of that year. Still, the event garnered a lot of press, a lot of speculation, and no answer from Ryder.

Today, she’s breaking her silence.

Sorta.

Winona told People magazine recently that she didn’t “have [a] tremendous sense of guilt” about stealing a little less than $5,000 from Saks in Beverly Hills because she didn’t “hurt anyone.” She goes on to say that during the whole courtroom drama, she consciously stopped herself from making a statement and “just waited for it to be over”.

As to the reason behind her behavior, Ryder claims “Two months prior to [the arrest], I broke my arm in two places, and the doctor, a sort of quack doctor, was giving me a lot of stuff and I was taking it at first to get through the pain. And then there was this weird point when you don’t know if you are in pain but you’re taking it.”

Stating she was in a state of “confusion” when she grabbed tons of jewelry and stuffed it into her purse, Ryder did her darndest to skirt any responsibility for the theft.

You know, Winona, I knew a girl who was arrested for stealing gobs and gobs of jewelry. She was also in a state of “confusion” at the time. Confusion over which diamond necklace would look the best on her…so she decided to take them all.

Sound familiar?

Breaking up sucks, so you might as well get a good story out of it. None of this civil shit — I want tears in the eyes, blood on the walls, buttons off the shirts.

Unfortunately, most of my breakups have been rather tame. I keep my grudges to myself. Depending on the magnitude of the schism, I cope by going the patented Jennifer Aniston route (yoga, weed, Smart Water) or taking a ride on the pie highway to drown my sorrows. Either way, slander and slaughter are kept to a minimum; the only victim is me.

So, I don’t really understand crazy, dramatic breakups, but that doesn’t mean I can’t revel in them (read: laugh at) when they happen, especially in Brad-and-Jen Land. There are the sad ones, like Reese and Ryan and Jake and Kirsten which leave you a little deflated but ultimately make you feel better about yourself — because if they can’t make it work, who can?

And there are the messy ones, like when Claire Danes stole Billy Crudup from pregnant Mary Louise Parker (and then dumped him for Hugh Dancy…nice), or when Jude cheated on Sienna with the nanny. Classic.

And then there’s the plain – old weird breakups: let us not forget how Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (RIP) burned down the house of her ex, or how Johnny Depp’s arm will always say “Wino Forever.” With the recent demise of Kate and Pete, I eagerly anticipate many more chapters in this file. Does anyone stay together these days?

For more reading pleasure, ivillage has compiled a list of the 12 Most Shocking Celebriting Breakups.