Maternal Madonna

(Newser) - After a 2006 marriage-counseling session, Madonna pinned up a contract instructing Guy Ritchie to “enrich his wife's emotional and spiritual well-being” and defining what words he could use during fights, sources tell the Sun . If Ritchie shouted, fell behind on Kabbalah reading, or used “sex as a stick to beat” Madge, the Material Girl simply reminded him, “Contract, Guy, contract.” More »

(Newser) - Madonna's split from Guy Ritchie is getting messier by the day, and Kabbalah leaders don't want the couple's dirt tarnishing the sect's image. Madge's spiritual guide has given her 24 hours to come up with a mediation plan, the Daily Mail reports. Rabbi Yehuda Berg “would like to put an end to the public raking over of their marriage,” a source said. More »

(Newser) - Madonna always suspected Guy Ritchie married for money and was jealous of his sexy, younger ex, sources tell the Sun . Ritchie dumped model Tania Strecker months before marrying the Material Girl in 2000. “Madonna took Guy from Tania, but never really trusted him,” a source said. “She’s consumed by the fear that ... if it hadn’t been for her fortune, he’d have stayed with Tania.” More »

(Newser) - Is Alex Rodriguez trading strip clubs for spirituality? The newly single Yankees star denies dating Madonna—who recently split with hubby Guy Ritchie—but his actions suggest otherwise, the New York Daily News reports. This week, A-Rod was spotted at Los Angeles’ Kabbalah Centre, where Madge is a regular—and he’s closing in on a penthouse two blocks from her New York digs. More »

(AP) - Madonna's divorce settlement with estranged husband Guy Ritchie has yet to be finalized, the singer's publicist said today. In a brief email sent to the AP, Liz Rosenberg wrote, "I will not be commenting on the various reports regarding the divorce or of the settlement, which has not been finalized." The Sun and the Mail today reported that the two had struck a $60 million deal over their finances and how to split their property, with the Mail also reporting that they had agreed on a child-custody arrangement.   More »

(Newser) - With the ink barely dry on their $60 million divorce settlement, Madonna and Guy Ritchie appear desperate for the world to know just how much they hate each other. Madge tells the Telegraph that Ritchie demoralized her with verbal abuse, saying she looks “like a granny” on stage. Ritchie, meanwhile, describes his ex to the Daily Mail as a self-obsessed tyrant. More »