TMZ claims to have an insider source that confirms what a lot of you have suspected about Guy Ritchie and Madonna’s marriage – they’ve been going through the motions for a while and are milking it for maximum publicity and profitability.
These two are said to be waiting to officially split until her “Sticky and Sweet” European tour is complete. They’re hoping that the continued speculation about their marriage will help Madonna sell as many tickets as possible and that she’ll continue to land on the front pages of the glossies. They even waited to visit divorce lawyers to ensure maximum buzz. When her tour is over and she has enough piles of cash to ensure that their children are set for life they plan to part amicably. It’s all business for Madonna’s personal life as well as her well-controlled career:
Never forget — Madonna is the master at using the media to her advantage, and the current are-they-or-aren’t-they divorcing drams is no different. Now we’re hearing Guy and Madge’s peeps have been planning this for months, hoping the hubbub will sell more tickets to her upcoming tour.
Well-placed sources tell us the Ritchies plan to officially split in November or December — after the Mrs.’ upcoming “Sticky and Sweet” world tour. Why? Big bucks. The concerts are expected to earn close to $300 mil worldwide, and they’ve decided to ear mark that to provide for their three children’s future…
There is a whole PR strategy that has been in place for some time. We’re told the Material Girl will be “very visible” in the months leading up to the tour to “generate a lot of publicity.” That’s when “news” of the marriage’s demise would slowly leak out, causing tongues to wag — and Madonna to be on the cover of papers and mags around the world.
The marriage, we’re told, has been effectively over for some time. The couple are friends, and have realized that it is in both of their interests to make a pile of cash from this tour. No working things out here — our spies say rumors of reconciliation are “garbage.” One person told us, “She is simply playing the media — and the public — as usual.”
[From TMZ]
TMZ talks a lot of shit about people, but their sources are usually solid and they had the scoops in the Heath Ledger case before the other news outlets. They don’t seem to make up stories based on hunches like the gossip rags and I would bet they have good reason to publish this. It makes sense, too.
Meanwhile Alex Rodriguez’s wife Cynthia officially filed for divorce in Miami today. She cited her husband’s “extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct” and said he “emotionally abandoned his wife and children.” Cynthia Rodriguez is seeking custody of their two children, Natasha, 3, Ella, 2 months, along with child support and alimony. Madonna is not named in the divorce papers, but as we reported earlier today her lawyer told the media that Alex’s “relationship with Madonna was the final straw for Mrs. Rodriguez.”
Third baseman Rodriguez has a 10 year contract with the NY Yankees worth $275 million. He has a prenuptial agreement with Cynthia, but she may contest that. The couple owns a 6 bedroom home in Miami worth $12 million and an apartment at Trump Plaza in NY worth $7.4 million. [Details from AP via Huffington Post]
We’ll have to wait a few months to see if this news about Madonna holding to her failed marriage for the sake of her tour is true. In the meantime Alex Rodriguez’s divorce will get a lot more media attention because of his alleged relationship with the pop star.
Photo credits: Header is of Guy Ritchie and Madonna leaving Harry’s Bar on 3/18/08 the last time there were rumors of a split. Photos below are of Guy Ritchie, David Banda, and Lourdes Leon outside the Kabbalah center on 7/5/08, thanks to Anthony Dixon for WENN.
I read that on TMZ too.
I can’t help but think that this kind of publicity will hurt Madonna, not help her.
It’s all about the money. Always is.
But, this is negative publicity. It will hurt her.
Madonna’s a whore. Always has been. Always will be.
Madge is a homewrecking cultist!!!
GO AWAY!!!
I have no idea how this could be related to money. She (and he, I guess) are richer than god! She’ll always have money and she can make more money with or without Guy. Sounds stupid to me – I kind of hoped they’d work it out.
The only thing I find fishy about the TMZ reporting is the idea that MadgeVadge would suddenly need money to provide for the kids – she’s already worth $600 million by many estimates.
I think she’s just a fame whore for the love of being a fame whore. Sure the money doesn’t hurt, but it’s the headlines that The Almighty Vadge wants.
Hmmm….I’ve been reading this on other web sites. The only thing is I doubt they’d be blabbing that to anyone. That’s why you can’t believe any of this stuff. I don’t know why they have to wait until the tour to split if they are….who cares if she does the tour married or not?! Something doesn’t add up.
I think the creepy outfits they wear to Kabbalah is a bit much. I remember seeing Demi moore and that idiot she’s married to in some weird Pilgrim looking shit, too.
Frauds!
Why??? No-one cares if they’re married or not
Having that much money probably isn’t enough for Madonna. She probably has a goal – to be richer than Oprah or sultan of Brunei or some redic shite.
LOL Anne… the idea of The MadgeVadge Oil Fields, a la The Sultan of Brunei. That’s funny. 🙂
I would like to offer my services in this clever charade to appear in the supporting role of Guy’s other woman. Free of charge, because I’m a romantic.
No one really cares if they are married or not. As far as it helping with ticket sales, that’s rubbish too. Either you want to go see her or you don’t and you’re not going to buy a 175.00 ticket to a show to see if she’s doing ok. Even is she was on every newpaper/glossy cover in the world, that’s not going to make you buy a ticket. Also, please take into consideration that TMZ generated over 100 million dollars in revenue last year and that it needs your traffic to maintain it’s hits per day. I am sure they will post whatever they need to for thier numbers to remain high.
I agree that Madonna’s kids are set up for life with or without their mother touring again. I think her manipulating the are-they/arent-they story and the timing of any announcement is simply about her need to control. Everything.
Yeah, she needs more money so she can buy more steroids for her grotesque man-arms.
RON: I had no idea that TMZ generated that kind of revenue. That’s pretty amazing. The overall caliber of the comments made on that site make me an infrequent if ever visitor. Plus, during the Heath Ledger incident, I thought they posted quite a few gossip grabs that were later contradicted.
TMZ has become a known “brand” is now part of the AOL/Time Warner group , has it’s TV version etc. They are making some serious jack now.
Madge always goes where the money takes her, and we already know that about Arod too.
Now apparently so does Guy.
I could never understand her appeal.
That’s why TMZ doesn’t care who they insult or for what reason. They are brutal but since their cruelty seems to be just what the public wants, they’ll continue doing it for the major $$$ they’re hauling in. Harvey Levin must be delighted.
TMZ is trash. I stopped reading it months ago.
Why do they need to save money for the kids — isn’t a few hundred million bucks a good enough inheritance?
If Maddona wanted to get rid of Guy, she’d do it. Her kids are getting older, and the publicity of this ‘will they or won’t they’ isn’t good for them.
Statistically the most vulnerable year for a divorce is the 7th year of marriage, and Madonna probably is having huge menopausal hormone changes that are making life difficult. But she has a huge investment in this family and my gut feeling is that she’s really trying to keep it together.
I agree with PJ. She doesn’t need the money, and neither do the kids. Besides, don’t her tour tickets usually sell out within an hour after they go on sale? She doesn’t need the extra publicity, either.
If she and Guy are trying to hold it together until after the tour, it’s probably because she DOESN’T want this to be “the divorce tour” and have everybody talking about the state of her marriage, instead of the show itself.
I have to say it again, Madge is probably never happy, her tickets sold out in one millionth of a second last time, this time she’s aiming for one billionth of a second. She can never have enough money or fame. She won’t be happy, ever. I would hate to be around her when she does actually start to slip in popularity and ticket sales. For Madonna, someone will always be more rich or famous and that just won’t do! It must suck to be around her or be her for that matter.
I do not believe this