Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver

Chelsea Lauren/FilmMagic

California's former first lady filed for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, a source confirms, two months after the actor's public admission that he fathered a child with the couple's longtime housekeeper.

Citing irreconcilable differences, Shriver is seeking shared custody of their minor children, Patrick, 17, and Christopher, 13. The couple also have two daughters, Katherine, 21 and Christina, 19. Shriver is also seeking spousal support from Schwarzenegger and that he pay her attorney fees.

Schwarzenegger's rep Adam Mendelsohn had no comment on the filing.

According to a source, one of the reasons Shriver had confronted housekeeper Mildred Baena was because it became more and more apparent over the years that Baena's son, Joseph, 13, bore a striking resemblance to Schwarzenegger.

"While Maria may not have been as angry at Mildred as she was at Arnold, her instinct would be to protect her family," a source close to the family previously told PEOPLE. "Whatever she did in the aftermath was about taking care of her kids, trying to shield them and trying to minimize the repercussions."

Shriver, 55, most recently attended the Special Olympics in Athens, Greece, accompanied by her four children.

It remains to be seen what sort of relationship Schwarzenegger, 63, plans to have with Joseph, although a source says the actor has been providing for the boy for many years.

In early May, the couple announced their split as they contemplated the state of their 25-year marriage.

"At this time, we are living apart, while we work on the future of our relationship," the couple said in a statement at the time. "We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives."

Prominent in the move toward democracy for European countries was the feeling among their citizens that their governments had little or no tolerance for the opposition. Slowly, the rights of opposition parties became firmly defined, often leading to the ouster of the government in power. More recently, the citizens of Libya and Egypt have protested against their leaders' similar intolerance for opposition.

Early in my days within the United Nations Secretariat I was shocked to see a newly formed government in Africa exiling their opposition leaders by making them ambassadors to foreign countries where they could do no harm (or have any influence). My more seasoned colleagues laughed at me and noted that this was a step forward for some new countries. Before then, any persons who might oppose the government in power were done away with -- rubbed out. What I'd been appalled at was indeed progress towards a more viable society.

An established democracy, in whatever form, requires a majority that works with a critical opposition offering constructive alternatives -- not that ships them off or rubs them out.

In America, with our non-parliamentary system, the role of the opposition is crucial in making our government function, particularly in moving legislation between the legislative and executive branches.

Is the present Republican Party in Congress fulfilling this essential function? No, not really. It just pretends to.

In our form of democracy, the "opposition" to the executive branch can control one or both of the houses in Congress. The opposition's role is therefore more demanding than in, say, Britain, for it has more power. In my view, under these circumstances, they should feel a heightened sense of responsibility to voters.

Has the Republican Party responded to this heightened responsibility since last November when they won a majority in the House? No.

The Republicans in Congress have presented what they call policy alternatives to any and all of the Administration's proposals. However, their alternatives have but one sole objective stated by their leaders--to defeat Barack Obama in 2012. To make sure he doesn't serve more than one term. Their objective is not just double-edged, it is pointed. The Republican attitude has little or nothing to do with their role as "the opposition" within our government.

In practical terms, they are not serious about any of the issues -- any of the problems -- we expect our government to be addressing. They are not serious about focusing on people who have lost their jobs or the roofs over their heads, or on critical environmental problems, or even on our insatiable preoccupation with terrorism and security. On the last issue, they are highly selective, ignoring solutions to home-grown terrorism, including the threat of guns being freely carried in urban areas. (The attack in Arizona on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords should have been impetus to increase gun control in America, not increase the number of guns.)

Unfortunately, the Democrats respond to this posturing -- at least in public -- as if it is a serious expression of right-wing thinking, thereby compounding the public's impression that there is serious discussion and negotiation taking place in the nation's capital. Are the Democrats afraid of offending their "opposition" by pointing out the absurdities -- the manipulations -- of Republican proposals such as Ron Paul's alternative health care plan? The White House is fearful of saying anything that might disturb potential negotiations. (Apart from his critique of the Paul Ryan budget plan, the president seems still stuck in his notion of a functioning bi-partisanship.)

The latest example of the Republicans placing America at risk is the urgent crisis of our debt ceiling. The United States is in real danger of defaulting (supposedly as of August 2nd) because of potentially exceeding the amount to which the law limits our debt. Not raising the debt ceiling would be a disaster for our financial system, and hence for the economy as a whole, since we remain a nation struggling to get out of its most serious recession since the Great Depression. A June 24th New York Times editorial summed up the situation:

Congressional Republicans, who played a major role in piling up the government's unsustainable debt in the first place, have thrown a tantrum and walked out of the debt limit talks. This bit of grandstanding has brought the nation closer to the financial crisis that Republicans have been threatening for weeks. But, at least now, their real goals are in sharp focus.

Perhaps it is beyond the scope of editors to look behind the "temper tantrum" and spell out "the real goals." Are they suggesting that the Republicans would like to see America in default, with all the disastrous implications for our financial system, as well as our leadership role on the international scene, hanging around their necks? What do they really think the opposition party is up to?

I see this particular crisis over the debt ceiling as just the current expression of the sick mindset that seems to inhabit the Republican Party at both state and national levels. Probably the Times would think it inappropriate to quote Richard Hofstadter's insights from his 1966 The Paranoid Style in American Politics, but I think it perfectly captures today's political landscape: "[W]hat is always at stake is a conflict between absolute good and absolute evil...." Hence the absence of "a willingness to compromise," only "the will to fight things out to the finish. Nothing but complete victory will do."

There may be more seasoned hands in Congress who will be able to persuade the Republican leadership -- probably at the last minute -- that for the Republican Party to be responsible for America's defaulting is disastrous politics for an opposition party to practice, as well as disastrous economics. But who knows. The paranoid style lies deep in our guts.

The best movies of 2011? Already? How can we possibly know?

This weekend, our friends at Moviefone are looking back at this year's most entertaining films -- so far. After all, we've reached the exact halfway point of 2011. We know plenty of critics predicted 'The Beaver' would be a turkey, so you might be surprised to see it kick off the Top Ten. Did your faves make our countdown?

10. 'The Beaver' Sure, we giggled like children at the title. We also scoffed at the notion that scandal-plagued Mel Gibson was the star (with a brown furry puppet on his hand, no less) of Jodie Foster's latest directorial effort. But we were pleasantly surprised to see this film was unlike anything either Oscar winner had done before. With an intense performance by Gibson and strong supporting acting from Anton Yelchin ('Star Trek'), the movie is both dark and humorous, and left us near tears by the end.

8. 'Beginners' Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor play father and son in this movie about accepting who you really are. Plummer's character drops two late-in-life bombshells: He comes out of the closet and announces he has terminal cancer, revealing both facts to his shell-shocked son at once. Heartfelt and genuine, this is the year's sleeper hit, so far.

7. 'Cedar Rapids' This indie, starring Ed Helms and Anne Heche, came and went in theaters, overshadowed by the disappointing likes of 'The Hangover Part II.' But few films this year made us laugh as hard, or charmed us more, than this flick. A great premise delivered by a stellar cast, the Midwest-set comedy also gave John C. Reilly his due as one of the flat-out funniest people alive.

6. 'Win Win' This movie, about real people with real problems, celebrates the great things that come from helping others. From star Paul Giamatti, to Alex Shaffer's knockout debut performance as a troubled teen, to a script both poignant and hilarious, 'Win Win' is a simple film done extraordinarily well. And that's about as much as we can ask for when going to the movies.

5. 'X-Men: First Class' After the disaster that was 'Wolverine,' we were praying 'First Class' would turn out okay. Thankfully, it exceeded our expectations. 'First Class' traces the origins of some of our favorite mutants, including Charles Xavier, Mystique, Magneto, Havok and Beast. As for the villain, you knew Sebastian Shaw (played brilliantly by Kevin Bacon) was a perfect pick after the awful things he did during the opening sequence.

4. 'Tree of Life' Terrence Malick's ambitious meditation on childhood, spirituality and evolution isn't for everybody -- the Brad Pitt drama earned both boos and the Palme d'Or at Cannes. But for those who believe that film is also an art form, 'Tree of Life' is a welcome respite from summer's onslaught of angry robots and juiced-up superheroes (though, be warned, there are dinosaurs).

3. 'Bridesmaids' Featuring a bevy of talented actresses, 'Bridesmaids' married raunchy humor with real relationship dilemmas. As a result, every new comedy released between now and Dec. 31 will compete with 'Bridesmaids' to be pronounced "Funniest Film of 2011." Applying a classic Judd Apatow slacker-who-must-grow-up formula to 'SNL' star Kristen Wiig (who co-wrote the screenplay), 'Bridesmaids' is a nonstop escalation of bickering, reconciliations and breakdowns. While everyone else debated what the hit meant for women in comedy, 'Bridesmaids' simply did one thing: deliver great comedy.

2. 'Midnight in Paris' It's not easy to convey how much we loved this Woody Allen movie, because if we gave away details, we'd spoil the magic for everyone who hasn't seen it yet. That said, 'Midnight' is the one movie we've seen this year that had us grinning ear-to-ear from beginning to end. Owen Wilson has never been better, and of the 40-some-odd films in Allen's repertoire, it's pretty amazing that he's still makin' 'em this full of surprises.

1. 'Super 8' Director J.J. Abrams lays out a tale so clearly inspired by '70s/'80s Steven Spielberg, the legend himself agreed to produce it. A mysterious monster attacks a sleepy Ohio town, and against all odds, some middle-school movie geeks uncover the truth and save their neighbors, and their planet. But the heart of 'Super 8' isn't its spectacular effects. It's the kids in the cast (including exceptional newcomer Joel Courtney as Joe Lamb) who truly bring the film to life. We haven't seen an ensemble of child actors this good since 'Stand by Me,' and that's some serious praise.

For the full list of the Top 20 films of 2011 (so far!), check out Moviefone >>>

The final divorce documents were filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to E!.

The pair discreetly dated before exchanging vows in rural wedding outside Vancouver in 2008. They have no children.

"Irreconcilable differences" were cited in court papers, and both have said very little to the press to shed additional light on their relationship or breakup.

While Johansson, 26, rebounded this year with a short-lived fling with Sean Penn, Reynolds insisted in a recent interview, "The media was not invited to my marriage, and they're definitely not invited into the divorce." And the 'Green Lantern' star, 34, did concede, "I don't think I want to get married again."