Chris and Gwyneth split

TOGETHER IN BEING APART: In perhaps the most well-mannered announcement of a break-up ever, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow have jointly published a blog post called "Conscious Uncoupling" on the latter's site, GOOP. "It is with hearts full of sadness," they write, "that we have decided to separate. We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner." The post promptly drew enough traffic to crash the site. Prepare for an onslaught of tabloid analysis, tweets and other commentary for the foreseeable future. (3/25p)