Madonna May Be Headed To Divorce Court

Material Girl Reportedly Seeks Services Of McCartney's Divorce Lawyer

(CBS)  Just when you thought it was safe to come out after the Paul McCartney-Heather Mills divorce, it seems there's another aging rocker's split to wallow in.

The marriage of Madonna and British film maker Guy Ritchie was always as unlikely as it was tempestuous, observes CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. And now, he says -- if you believe the headlines -- it's becoming very publicly unstuck.

"More telling" than media reports, Early Show entertainment contributor and People magazine Executive Editor Jess Cagle said Saturday, "is the fact that the Madonna camp is issuing a 'no comment.' I think, if it wasn't true, or if something wasn't going on, they would have issued a denial."

Behind the headlines, Phillips says, "the usual nameless friends" are quoted saying the couple "had simply drifted apart" and "were leading increasingly separate lives."

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Photos: Madonna's "Raising Malawi" Tribeca Premiere

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That things were a little tense was obvious when the couple were in India earlier this year. From the looks of tabloid photos of their visit, it would have been hard for two people to be further apart in a car, Phillips remarked.

Madonna, 49, and Ritchie, 39, married seven-and-a-half years ago after meeting at a dinner party given by the pop star Sting.

Ritchie was an up and coming film director making movies about London's east end crime scene like 1998's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

However unlikely the pairing, the marriage did have its good years, Phillips points out. She brought daughter Lourdes, now eleven, into the marriage and the couple had Rocco, now seven. A third child, two-year-old David, was adopted from Malawi in Africa.

But the couple's different worlds and interests seem to have pulled them in opposite directions, Phillips says. Madonna had her career, while Ritchie's seemed stuck after its early success.

She became increasingly involved in various causes - including anti-poverty and AIDS awareness - and devoted to the Kabbalah Centre's controversial form of Jewish mysticism.

Now the heavy-artillery lawyers have. reportsd say, been called in: She's using Fiona Shackleton, the divorce lawyer McCartney hired to represent him in his split from Heather Mills. Ritchie is apparently being represented by London law firm Forsters.

In addition to custody of the children, the couple will likely be negotiating over their properties in London, the English countryside, New York and Los Angeles.

Madonna's fortune is an estimated 600 million dollars. The couple is said to have no pre-nuptial agreement -- although that doesn't count much in British law, Phillips notes. The speculation is that Ritchie will come away with about a hundred million, for anyone who's counting. But he is also said to be hoping the marriage can be saved.

[tootall10142]

PROSTITUTION COMES IN MANY GUISES THIS ONE THAT GETS THE MOST ADVERTISING.IF YOU ARE TALENTLESS RICH WELL DRESSED *** THE PRESS WILL BUILD YOU UP.IF YOU PROSTITUTE TO FEED YOURSELF THEY WANT TO PUT YOU UBDER THE BUILDING.ISNT FREE PRESS A FORM OF PROSTITUTING YOUR SELF TO THE CRAZY A-HOLES LIKE ME THAT ACTUALLY TOOK TIME TO READ IT.

[tootall10142]

UNTIL DEATH DO YOU PART OR I GET REALLY PISSED DECIDE THER IS ANOTHER POND ACROSS THE STREET AND THE FISH ARE GOLD.

[tootall10142]

There is alwaysevery day updates on the sheeety life styles of the so called celeberties.i rarely see updates or something new in the health or science sections of this site.i guess it is not hard to see what pays the bills and greases the wheels.feed the greed so they can afford thier weed.

[whatsup49]

who cares?

[keithle1]

BITES!

When brides are walking down the aisle on their BIG DAY, I wonder if they really believe they will be married to the guy til one of them dies. Or do they just think that they''re not getting any younger/prettier & might as well get married now. He''s not gay or a serial killer. All her friends are married. Don''t want to be an old maid living in an apartment with 30 cats.

If it''s really love then why does it fade so fast? Maybe it was never love to begin with?

Single American women get consumed by wedding frenzy. Over 20 magazines devoted to weddings. You heard right. No detail is too tiny to be discussed. The pros & cons analyzed. Should you get your napkins custom-made? Everything from A to Z must be considered. Even a magazine called "GROOM." I think that one has gone under. Can''t imagine any heterosexual man in the world reading that.

The daily grind of marriage can''t compete with all the hoopla of the wedding & honeymoon.

[keithle1]

Another marriage beats the dust.

[loneeagle57]

And now for My prestigious Get of my planet Award. Given
daily to people in the news, to those whose 15 mins have gone the way of the dodo. In your case Madonna, you have had yours 5 times over don''t ya think that it is time to fade away?
We do give you our congrats and your name will be added to the wall of shame along with Hillary and Bill Clinton, Tonya Harding, Lorena Bobbitt, and O.J. Simpson. Congrats.

[realhdvideo]

Who cares about some want-a-be singer that could never sing. She is nothing and has ZERO talent.

She can%u2019t write a song that she can call her own because she can only buy someone else%u2019s tune.

She is nothing more than a s-t-u-p-i-d entertainer that wants to appeal to teens and she seriously needs to grow up.

Who cares about some worthless person when we just lost about 85,000 people in Asia.

I hope she gets want she should for being a i-d-i-o-t for years.

[moliere69]

Madges religious leanings are different but Jewish Misticism is not bad, I like it she believes something, better than nothing, well I''m a christian who believes that Jesus is a salvation god of this universe but there are other gods of other types of universes like power gods or master wizards of wizards worlds, I believe and some day after we get done here we may be allowed to go on there, kinda like federal witness program and live another life.

[moliere69]

What''s wrong with her accent, have not heard that much of it, or is that the problem well, if you got a problem with what I have written, write me at [e-mail] , anyway so read my other entery for more, well got go, Moliere out

[moliere69]

I think she will get what she wants as normal, spit the kids their not related, two is bad enought, let him have one. If you we''re betting people like I am, I would of bet on this divorce because of how much he did not get involved in the care of his own children.
Seemed she was always carring them around, britts and their maleness. This guy (Guy richiie)could not find... well I''ll be nice,the time to take care of his own child, well ... sorry, Madonna is great she deserve someone eqilly to her talent, he might of been nice, but I don''t see him as a dancer to her music which he should be because that''s her inside her bread and butter, well time flys when your talking about Madonna, anyway have a nice day

[marcosis78]

Noone is thinking of the big problem, whats going to happen to her British accent?!?! :)

[rushlimpdrug]

but didn''t they adopt kids from Africa?

[likeitis5050]

yawn.....she''s so not worthy of all the attention heaped on her...but then neither is Amy, LL, BS, or Paris...really really slow news day.

[lambofgoth]

Maybe you can''t, Keithle1...

[keithle1]

How many marriages make it past 10 years? There was a time when people stayed married for 50 years. Can you imagine that now?

You can''t keep a woman happy for long. Impossible to satisfy. Most anyway. Why even try?

[keithle1]

Attention women of the world: marriage is not the key to a lifetime of happiness. How many couples these days stay in love til death do them part?

That lavish marriage they had. Typical huge celeb production. Of course he could have cared less. Weddings are for women. "Everything has to be PERFECT!
Do you hear me? Or I''ll kill everyone!!!"

caldwellptr is in the house:

"I hope he gets custody of her English Accent."

She''s sooooooooooooo full of herself. With her Kaballah nonsense. Adopting that boy from Malawi. Retire. We''re sick of you. You''re not 25 anymore.

[sociald63]

who gives a rat''s a_ss ...

[donnierog]

Who really cares. I got a divorce & nobody cared.

[caldwellptr]

I hope he gets custody of her English Accent.