Diane Lane, the lovely wife of actor Josh Brolin, is said to be both mortified and fuming over the arrest of her husband after a drunken brawl in a Shreveport, Louisiana bar. Apparently, this isn’t the first time Josh’s drinking has been an issue for the couple, and now sources say that Diane is fed up and wants Josh to choose between her or alcohol.

“Diane gave Josh an ultimatum – it’s her or the bottle,” one insider tells Star. “She is tired of him going out and acting like a frat boy. She’s worried sick about him every time he leaves the house.”

And with reason. Trouble began for Barbra Streisand’s stepson when he and several crew members went out to party on July 11 after finishing up work on Oliver Stone’s biopic, W, in which he plays President George W. Bush. According to a source, as the night wore on, the group got drunker and became too flirtatious with female patrons at Shreveport’s Stray Cat bar. When several local men told Josh and friends to back off, the situation quickly turned violent- and the police pepper sprayed and arrested Josh along with six others, including Jeffrey Wright, who plays Colin Powell in the movie.

“All these problems have taken a huge toll on his wife,” adds the insider. Making matters worse, less than a week after the arrest, Josh was spotted outside a Santa Monica bar on July 19, exchanging words with Sean Penn after he was accused of getting touchy-feely with his wife, Robin Wright Penn.

This isn’t the first time Josh’s wild ways have landed him in hot water. As Star has reported, Josh, 40, was booted out of the Whiskey Bar at the W Hotel in Westwood, California, last month for hitting on women.

And in December 2004, just four months after they walked down the aisle, Josh was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge when Diane, 43, called 911 during a fight that got physical. She did not press charges and dubbed the episode a “misunderstanding.”

[From Star, print version, August 4, 2008]

For the most part, I approach every story appearing in Star with great suspicion, but there are just enough kernels of truth in this one to make me wonder. Diane Lane seems like such a smart, strong woman, and I hate to think of her being in this type of situation. But it happens to strong women every day, unfortunately. I do agree that, at 40 years old, it is probably time for Josh to cut down on the partying. Especially if it’s putting his marriage and career in jeopardy. Is booze really worth losing everything over?

Diane Lane and Josh Brolin are shown at the “In the Valley of Eljah” premiere on 8/17/07. Credit Fame