WILL special shared birthday save shaky ZETA-JONES/DOUGLAS marriage?

NationalEnquirer.com

Despite the horrible downward spiral MICHAEL DOUGLAS and wife CATHERINE ZETA-JONES are caught up in, he still holds out hope they can work things out and/or avoid a punishing court battle for custody of their beloved, shell-shocked kids – Carys, 10, and Dylan, 13 – and here’s the star’s Hail Mary battle plan:

“Michael’s pleading with Catherine to celebrate the birthday they both share – Sept. 25 – in hopes that they can try to work things out,” said a close friend.

“Throughout their marriage, they’ve always made that day a very special occasion between them. Michael’s saying that if Catherine agrees to spend this next birthday together, he believes he can convince her that their marriage is worth saving.”

Here’s the kicker: Michael’s picked out a sparkly bauble with a half million-dollar$$ price tag to gift her on their special day.

Stay tuned. 

CLICK HERE for exciting news about Mike’s new novel “Out for Blood!”