In the implosion of Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez's marriage there are no winners, except at the strip clubs where his alleged new girlfriend works. A-Rod was a regular at the generically named VIP Club in Chelsea where he would seek out a dancer named Monique; when she moved from that club, atop a rifle range, to the Hustler Club (641 W. 51st St.), he adjusted his patronage likewise.
Meanwhile, soon-to-be-ex-wife Cynthia Rodriguez, who lives year-round in Miami with the couple's two children, was spotted in Paris this week with Lenny Kravitz, with whom her husband shares an agent.
And of course rumors are circulating that A-Rod has been visiting Madonna's Upper West Side pad, which may be a factor in her own supposedly rocky marriage.
Amid the swirl of rumors that Madonna is looking for a way to ditch her director husband, the husband in question came to New York this week to do... well, nothing in particular.
Guy Ritchie's just a regular guy coming to the Big Apple--although staying in a posh Upper West Side co-op isn't the way most people see the town. He'd better not see any bad movies in case paparazzi catch him flinching on the way out.
Madonna has been spotted at the Kabbalah Center, possibly getting some last-minute devotion time in before her world tour kicks off in August. Guy, should he still be around, will probably return to London to keep working on his upcoming flick "RocknRolla" and (say the yea-sayers) plan the Material Girl's blowout 50th birthday party in September. Move along gossips, nothing to see here... except Britain's next high-profile divorce case.
If you had only four minutes to save the world, would you spare one to run back to your hometown? Madonna's new single is, of course, purely hypothetical, but the offer her hometown of Bay City, Michigan is making is anything but: Come back and collect your key to the city, Miss Ciccione!
She was considered too controversial for such an honor in 1985, but Madonna's public image has mellowed enough that the town may even erect a statue in her honor, according to mayor Charles M. Brunner.
Of course, coming back to acknowledge her ties to the area as its native daughter would mean letting go of the absurd pretense that she's British, so it may not happen after all. No offense, Michigan; you're not a bad place from whence to be.
Madonna was never one to cleave to outdated tradition, so perhaps it's not surprising that today she'll become the first ever inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to not perform at her induction ceremony. The native Michigander turned fake Brit will be present at the ceremony in New York City, where Justin Timberlake will present her honors, and non-Hall-of-Famer Iggy Pop will cover one of her songs at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. (Yes, that Iggy Pop.)
If anyone wants to explain to us how Madonna--whose picture is next to the definition of the word "pop" in the dictionary--is suddenly considered rock and roll, let us know.
We weren't going to watch the ceremony anyway, but why would Madonna pass up a chance to promote her newly leaked single "4 Minutes," particularly when the track's guest star is none other than Timberlake?
Madonna carried her adopted son David Banda through security at LAX Sunday, with daughter Lourdes in tow, too. (Remember when David's adoption from Malawi was a big deal? It's almost finalized now, so speak or forever hold your peace.)
Despite the Australian clothing, Madonna and her entourage were actually heading back from the Berlin Film Festival, where Madge's directorial debut "Filth and Wisdom" had its world premiere. The film, about aspiring artists in London and featuring "Everything is Illuminated" breakout actor Eugene Hutz, got surprisingly not-terrible reviews, although disgruntled IMDb user "adamcool" writes, "You'd get more insight looking at an unwashed pair of underpants."
Luckily, the movie currently has no US release date.
With Memorial Day around the way, folks in New York City are thinking more about getting out on the water than into some stuffy museum. But where to go to find a tropical island breeze and all of nature wild and free? We'd like to think Madonna would skip over to Governors Island National Monument in New York Harbor, which opens June 2.
Long a US Army post, the island--just a few minutes from Manhattan--just recently came under control of the state and the Feds. There's a sort-of back-room secrecy about the place, since developers and other wonky types are fighting over what to "do" with the island these days. (A Santiago Calatrava bridge is one idea floating around.)
But until that gets all sorted, it's easy enough to tour the island and take in some awesome views of NYC's Financial District. A ferry leaves from the Battery Maritime Building, which is just east of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. All the schedules will soon go live on the Park Service's website.
Taking a two-week vacation with someone you're on the rocks with romantically is never fun, yet Madonna seems to be ignoring this well-known fact.
It seems Madge and Guy (and Rocco, Lourdes, and new baby David) are headed to a private island in the Maldives in a "last-ditch bid to save their marriage." The two supposedly are "hanging on by a thread," even fighting over where to escape for a two week break to to save their relationship.
We're sorry to hear this because in celeb-time, they've been together for an eternity...but why go to a tropical island to make-up and bring your kids?!
As we reported previously, the Russians actually spent time denying Madge a trip to space. Turns out they spent even more time changing their minds.
Russian officials have announced that they'll allow the Material Girl to hit up the galaxy in a scant three years.
Releasing an official statement, the Russian Space Agency said, "Taking into account the physical preparedness and financial capabilities, the dream of Louise Ciccone in a space flight could be realized in 2009." Basically, to get the Russians to let you into space, you'd better be in rock solid shape and loaded. Come to think of it, that would probably get you a lot of other things too. No word yet if Madonna's next album will feature balaikas in a salute to her comrades, though.
