Kamis, 16 Oktober 2008

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John McCain And Barack Obama Sharpen Attacks In Final Presidential Debate

Posted: 16 Oct 2008 09:56 AM PDT

Candidates take the gloves off to fight over negative campaigning, taxes, abortion and health care.
By Gil Kaufman


Senators Barack Obama and John McCain
Photo: Spencer Platt/ Getty Images

Forget Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The real winner at Wednesday night's presidential debate was a guy from Ohio called "Joe the Plumber."

In their most bare-knuckle meeting yet, the men vying for the White House got personal at Hofstra University during a 90-minute debate focused on domestic issues ranging from the tanking economy to education, abortion and the Supreme Court.

(Which candidate do you think won the debate? Go to the MTV Newsroom blog to weigh in.)

Both candidates sharpened their attacks and tried to give one final impression of his opponent — McCain again painting Obama as a typical big-spending liberal who is going to raise taxes, Obama repeating his assertion that McCain will continue the failed policies of President Bush. But they also veered off topic to air dirty campaign laundry and argue over who was going to do more to help Joe the Plumber.

As the candidates sat at a large table within a few feet of each other and moderator Bob Schieffer, McCain went on offense early in the evening, responding with a snap to an early assertion from Obama that the Arizona senator would keep up the policies that have led to the biggest national deficits in American history.

"Essentially, what you are proposing is eight more years of the same thing — and it hasn't worked," Obama said. "And the American people know it hasn't worked."

Looking like he'd been waiting to unwrap the line for weeks, McCain responded to a question about whether he could balance the budget in four years by saying, "Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago." The line was already being called out as the quote of the evening by many pundits moments after the debate ended, but it did not throw the calm, measured Obama — whom some Republican commentators on CNN called "professorial" and cold during the debate.

One of the most heated exchanges of the night, though, came when Schieffer brought up the relentlessly negative tone of the campaign and asked both men if they would repeat to each other's face some of their campaigns' nastiest charges.

McCain sounded genuinely hurt when recounting a recent comment from Representative John Lewis, who said that McCain and running mate Sarah Palin were stoking the fires of hatred much like 1960s segregationist George Wallace did. McCain asked Obama to repudiate Lewis' comments, and Obama said he had already done so.

When the question came up again about what proposals they could cut given the current financial disaster, Obama once more appeared to talk around the answer. He mentioned cutting the $15 billion spent per year on insurance company subsidies and said the answer is to invest in education, health care and energy policies. McCain pointed to several obscure budget items, including marketing assistance programs, ethanol subsidies and tariffs on imported sugarcane-based ethanol from Brazil.

But back to Joe the Plumber. According to The New York Times, he is Joe Wurzelbacher, a small-business owner from Ohio who was seen speaking to Obama earlier this week. He became a running example during the night of how differently the two candidates plan to fix what ails the country. McCain said Obama wants to tax people like Joe out of business and force them to buy health care while attempting to "spread the wealth around" to lower-income Americans. Obama said the opposite was true, that he wants to give Joe a tax break right now.

"You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket, which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him to not be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream," McCain said, accusing Obama of engaging in "class warfare." He asked Obama why he would want to increase taxes in the current economic climate.

"Now, Senator Obama talks about the very, very rich. Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked for your whole life and be able ... I'll keep your taxes low, and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees," McCain said.

Obama reiterated that his plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, adding that an independent study found that his plan provided three times the tax relief to the middle class as Senator McCain's. "Now the conversation I had with Joe the plumber, what I essentially said to him was, 'Five years ago, when you were in a position to buy your business, you needed a tax cut then,' " Obama responded.

The elephant in the room, though, was the William Ayers question. McCain's camp had, until this week, been daily questioning Obama's truthfulness and judgment by attempting to link him to the 1960s radical, and McCain had vowed to bring Ayers up for the first time in person on Wednesday night. Obama smiled when the subject finally was on the table and said, "Mr. Ayers is not involved in this campaign, he has never been involved in my campaign, and he will not advise me in the White House." Obama added that the fact that McCain keeps bringing up Ayers, "says more about your campaign than it says about me."

McCain also questioned Obama's association with the community organization ACORN, which has been accused of hiring workers whose job it was to sign up new voters, but some of whom filled out their forms with phony names. McCain accused the organization of being "on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy." Obama said his campaign has nothing to do with ACORN and that he represented the organization years ago as part of a "Motor Voter" project in Illinois to register voters at their DMV offices.

While McCain accused Obama of spending more money on negative ads than any campaign in history, Obama shot back that McCain has run "100 percent" negative ads, an assertion McCain refuted. "This has been a tough campaign," McCain said, suggesting that if perhaps Obama had agreed to his suggestion for 10 town-hall style meetings, it might have been less nasty.

"The American people are less interested in our hurt feelings during the course of the campaign than addressing the issues that matter to them so deeply," Obama countered, noting that McCain's own campaign said last week that they would lose the race if they kept talking about the economy.

And when it came down to those issues, both men made it very clear that they do not see eye to eye on most of them. In response to a question about why they thought the country would be better off if their running mate became president, Obama said his VP pick, Senator Joseph Biden, "is one of the finest public servants" in the country's history, with a long list of foreign policy credentials and strong ties to his working-class roots. McCain praised Palin as a "reformer" and "role model to women," who would be a "breath of fresh air" in Washington. Obama ducked a follow-up about whether Palin would be qualified, but McCain said he thought Biden had been wrong on "many foreign-policy and national-security issues" over the years.

Painting Obama as being in concert with "extreme environmentalists" in saying nuclear power isn't safe, McCain said he would deal with climate change by building 45 new nuclear power plants and investing in clean technologies. Obama said he thought it would take 10 years, not four as McCain suggested, to wean American off foreign oil.

They clashed once again on health care, hitting at one another's plans in much the same way as they have in previous debates, but with Joe the Plumber getting into the mix this time when McCain talked about his claims that Obama's plan would fine those who don't sign up, a claim Obama again refuted.

One of the pivotal issues in any presidential campaign, abortion, finally came up when the candidates were asked if they could ever nominate a Supreme Court justice who disagreed with their stance on the Roe vs. Wade decision. McCain, who is against abortion, said he has never imposed a litmus test and said he would look for "the best people ... in the United States" for the job.

Obama, who is pro-choice and wants to uphold Roe vs. Wade, said he would also look for judges with "an outstanding judicial record, who have the intellect and who hopefully have a sense of what real-world folks are going through." McCain lashed at Obama over his voting record while in the Illinois Senate — at one point attempting to tie Obama to the most "extreme" proponents of abortion.

But the men agreed that more needs to be done to prevent unintended pregnancies and that reforming education is so critical as to be a national security issue. Both vowed to give parents more choice and provide funding for more affordable college loans.

McCain ended by saying, "All of these things and all the promises and commitments that Senator Obama and I made to you tonight will ... be based on whether you can trust us or not to be careful stewards of your tax dollar, to make sure America is safe and secure and prosperous, to make sure we reform the institutions of government. That's why I've asked you not only to examine my record, but my proposals for the future of this country."

Saying investing in tax cuts for the middle class, health care for all Americans and college for every young person is necessary, but won't be easy, Obama signed off by admitting that "it's not going to be quick. It is going to be requiring all of us — Democrats, Republicans, independents — to come together and to renew a spirit of sacrifice and service and responsibility. I'm absolutely convinced we can do it. I would ask for your vote, and I promise you that if you give me the extraordinary honor of serving as your president, I will work every single day, tirelessly, on your behalf and on the behalf of the future of our children."

A New York Times/CBS News poll released Tuesday night suggested that the negative campaigning from McCain's camp was not working, with 60 percent of the voters surveyed saying they thought McCain spent more time attacking Obama than explaining what he would do as president to help the country, while 63 percent said they thought Obama has spent more time explaining his policies than attacking McCain.

With Obama up by 8 points and 8 percent of voters still undecided, according to the latest CNN poll, with 8 percent of voters still undecided, both men are scrambling to reach those voters who have not yet made up their minds in the final 20 days of the campaign. It remains to be seen if their performance Wednesday night will be able to tip those scales.

Get informed! Head to Choose or Lose for nonstop coverage of the 2008 presidential election, including everything from the latest news on the candidates to on-the-ground multimedia reports from our 51 citizen journalists, MTV and MySpace's Presidential Dialogues, and much more.

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Who Do You Think Won The Final Presidential Debate? Tell Us!

Posted: 15 Oct 2008 07:57 AM PDT

John McCain and Barack Obama took the gloves off, and we want to know what you thought of it.


Photo: Spencer Platt/ Getty Images

G-Unit Say Eminem's Album Is 'Definitely Coming Out' After 50 Cent's

Posted: 16 Oct 2008 05:00 AM PDT

Dr. Dre's Detox release, however, is 'iffy,' DJ Whoo Kid tells MTV News.
By Shaheem Reid


Photo: MTV News

Tony Yayo's hope isn't too different from a lot of hip-hop fans out there — who wouldn't like to see the Shady/Aftermath/G-Unit triumvirate come back together to smash the game?

"This is my dream," Yayo said to MTV News on Tuesday while taping a segment for Mixtape Monday. "First 50 Cent, then Eminem, then Dr. Dre ... or 50, then Dr. Dre, then Eminem, because they'll both do a million, first week, behind the anticipation. [Before I] Self Destruct, last album [for Interscope] — that means a big bag of money might be coming from somewhere. ... Eminem, he's like Jesus overseas. He's like Elvis overseas. Then Dr. Dre drops. Then a G-Unit/Shady/Aftermath tour."

"All that snapping, all that prancing is gonna stop and hip-hop is back," DJ Whoo Kid added. 50's DJ then said he had a more authoritative word on how Interscope Records is going to unleash its "three-headed monster."

"My reality is 50, then Eminem, because I know that's definitely coming out next [after 50]," Whoo Kid insisted. "Then iffy on the Dre. But Eminem is definitely coming out.

"I heard four joints, and I tried to Bluetooth it, and I got caught at the door," he added with a laugh. "There's no way to get an Eminem joint unless they officially leak it. Them mutha----as got FBI on the computer."

Whoo Kid didn't speak in depth about the material he heard from Em but did promise that everyone would love it.

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed. "You're gonna be wilding. Eminem is definitely next. You heard it from my f---ing mouth. That's that. I wish I could play it out my head right now."

"I been hearing the talks through the building," Yayo offered. "50 album and an Em album and a Dre album. That's like the focus. Them three dudes shut down the building. But 50 is the point man. He sets it off."

50's album is set to drop December 9. There are no official release dates for Eminem's upcoming album and Dr. Dre's long-awaited Detox.

Next week's edition of Mixtape Monday goes online and on MTV Jams on October 20. A special sneak of the Yayo segment will be featured, as well as a very rare treat for all Eminem fans.

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Danity Kane's Dawn Richard Discusses Real Reason For Aubrey O'Day's Dismissal

Posted: 16 Oct 2008 06:07 AM PDT

O'Day's risque magazine shoot led to Diddy booting her and D. Woods, Richard says.
By Chris Harris


Danity Kane and Aubrey O'Day (right)
Photo: Gregg Delman

Three years after he picked them to round out the all-girl pop group he'd been assembling, Sean "Diddy" Combs gave Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods the proverbial boot during Tuesday night's live season-three finale of "Making the Band 4," leaving only Aundrea Fimbres, Shannon Bex and Dawn Richard to carry on as Danity Kane. Diddy's reason for the dismissals? Fame turned O'Day into someone he no longer recognized, he said via satellite, and D. Woods was merely guilty by association, caught up in the shrapnel of O'Day's celebrity.

But according to Richard, it was O'Day's image that gave Diddy pause.

"Puff did not like [O'Day's] image ... where her image was going for the group," she told UsMagazine.com "It wasn't a personal thing," she added, explaining that O'Day's recent topless appearance on the cover of Complex magazine wasn't sending the right message to the group's fans.

"We had just did a signing with Dollhouse Teen, which is for 13, 14-year-old young girls," Richard continued. "So, we can't do that one day and then the next day do an obnoxious cover. ... [Diddy] wants the fans, and he says he can't do that if we can continue to go in the direction that we were going."

While Diddy said he would work with Woods in the future, O'Day's time is over. But the group will continue, Richard said.

"Well, Puff told me specifically that Aubrey is no longer in Danity Kane, and Danity Kane will move forward without her," she explained, adding that Diddy hasn't mentioned anything about replacing the two singers. "He has not said anything per that. But I think in my heart that he is going to do another show."

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'Gossip Girl' Author Is A 'Faithful Watcher' Of The TV Series -- Although One Thing Was 'Ruined' ...

Posted: 16 Oct 2008 05:04 AM PDT

'I just wish Vanessa was like she is in the books,' Cecily von Ziegesar tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena


"Gossip Girl" author Cecily von Ziegesar
Photo: Jordan Strauss/WireImage

Back in 2002, Cecily von Ziegesar was working as an editor at Alloy Entertainment when she came up with an idea for a book. It would revolve around devious and wealthy Manhattan teens who use their status to stab each other in the back and treat New York like their playground.

And just like that, the "Gossip Girl" world was formed. It was an idea that von Ziegesar was worried might not work.

"I never thought anyone would want to read the books to begin with, because I thought, 'Who would care or relate to these people?' " she told MTV News. "The success of the books was one thing, and now it's a household thing."

Six years later, the books have been turned into a buzz-worthy TV series revolving around the high school antics of Serena, Blair, Nate, Chuck, Vanessa, Jenny and Nate. (Who's the real queen bee of "Gossip Girl"? Weigh in on the Newsroom blog.)

Von Ziegesar had very little to do with the show's transition from the printed page to the small screen, and she was a bit worried about what would happen to the show when it made the leap — especially with "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz at the helm.

"I knew about ['The O.C.'], and that made me more worried that Nate's going to be a lifeguard, and it's going to be totally cheesy," she said. "But the costumes are so great. It's such a great show."

After her trepidation passed, she was pleased with the TV versions of her characters. "I was worried they were going to ruin it, but then when I watched them filming the pilot and read the scripts, I got more and more hopeful, because it sounded like they wanted to stay close to the pilot," she said. "When I saw the pilot, I was thrilled, and I knew it was going to be big."

She admits that she enjoys the way her characters were cast. She didn't have a clear vision of their appearances while writing the novels, so to see them come to life has been an interesting experience. "Leighton Meester is totally perfect for Blair, and Blake [Lively] is perfect for Serena. I was more worried they would insert Barbie-doll-looking people, which they didn't," she said. "I think the actors do a brilliant job. Chuck is my favorite character, and the way he looks and acts is in keeping with how he is in the beginning of the series."

But von Ziegesar does have one criticism of the show: "I think Vanessa is one character they ruined. In the book, she's kick-ass and has a shaved head and wears lots of black ... and I think a lot of the readers who don't usually read teen fiction indentify with Vanessa. Even though I don't like Vanessa's character, it's nothing against [actress] Jessica [Szohr]. I just wish Vanessa was like she is in the books a bit more."

At the end of the day, she assures fans that although "there were definitely liberties taken," she still loves seeing what's going to happen week after week on the Upper East Side.

"I really don't want to be negative, because there are so many good things about the show," she said. "I'm a very faithful watcher. And sometimes it's better than other times, and generally I'm entertained and I think it's great."

Kanye West's <i>808s & Heartbreak</i> Album Preview: More Drums, More Singing, 'No Typical Hip-Hop Beats'

Posted: 15 Oct 2008 02:37 AM PDT

'Ye laid out stringent requirements for the new LP, which the press heard Tuesday.
By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Kim Stolz and Yasmine Richard.


Kanye West
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Kanye West had some very simple rules when making 808s & Heartbreak, according to veteran producer Mike Dean (Scarface, UGK, Juvenile), one of the people mixing the LP. First rule: No dummies allowed in the lab.

"He has no tolerance for stupidity, people who don't know what they're doing," Dean told MTV News in a Burbank studio. "He's cool to me in the studio though."

West also had some other laws he enforced in the three weeks of recording in Hawaii. "Every song has got to have an 808 [drum pattern] in it," added Dean, who met Kanye years ago while 'Ye was working with Scarface. "A keyboard part, no typical hip-hop beats. They've gotta be tribal drums. They're all singing."

On Tuesday night in Los Angeles, Kanye held a listening session for music journalists, as well celebrities Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Q-Tip, Jimmy Kimmel, Mike Rapaport and others. (Head over to the Newsroom blog for a report on Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak listening party, which featured 50 naked women — no kidding!)

People there definitely heard the Auto-Tune effect throughout the album. "We were working on the remixes for [ Lil Wayne's 'Lollipop' and Young Jeezy's 'Put On,'] and he fell in love with the Auto-Tune," Dean explained.

Undisputed Auto-Tune King T-Pain spoke to MTV News a few weeks ago about his involvement in the LP. "I co-sign his whole album," T-Pain said. "I just flew in last night from Hawaii, working. His whole album is crazy, and it's definitely a different kind of Kanye. I mean, as far as 'Love Lockdown' goes, he did that whole thing himself. He just had me in mind. 808s is really all Kanye. I'm just here to keep it from [sounding] adult contemporary."

Common also praised the project recently. "I love it," Common said. "Let me tell you, as an artist, you wanna be free. You gotta do what you feel. You can't just cater to the audience. You gotta say, 'Hey, y'all, this is where I'm at.' For him to do an album called 808s & Heartbreak, you know that's where he is at this moment. I heard some songs, and I think it's fresh. I think the people are ready for it."

At the listening party, "Amazing" with Young Jeezy was a hit with the audience, as was "Tell Everybody You Know," featuring Lil Wayne.

"Lil Wayne is singing with a rock edge," Dean said. "He actually sounds a lot like Axl Rose on that track. They bring a lot out of each other. They're each other's favorite MC. Kanye is Wayne's and Wayne is Kanye's."

"Robocop" is supposed to receive Herbie Hancock's magic touch by the time the LP arrives on November 25. "[Herbie] hasn't actually done it yet," Dean said. "He's in France. We sent somebody out there to record him."

Jon Brion — who co-produced West's Late Registration — plays the strings on the album intro "Welcome to Heartbreak." "Say You Will" — which will hit home with the recently dumped — harkens back to a young George Michael.

As of now, "Heartless" is slated to be 808s & Heartbreak's second single. The video was just shot, but no details have been released about the top-secret clip.

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Ludacris To Join Beyonce On 'TRL' Finale

Posted: 15 Oct 2008 02:57 AM PDT

'I'll be here to celebrate!' MC says about final show.
By Jocelyn Vena


Ludacris
Photo: Samir Hussein/Getty Images

Ludacris stopped by "TRL" on Wednesday (October 15) to announce that he'll be performing on the show's finale, "Total Finale Live," on November 16 at 8 p.m. He will be joining Beyoncé, who on Tuesday made the announcement that she'll also be performing on the show's farewell episode.

"It's messed up, 'cause I heard that 'TRL' is gonna be over," Luda said. "That's bad news, but I'm coming for the finale. I'll shut it down. I'll be here to celebrate!"

Ludacris made his first appearance on "TRL" back in 2001, clad in an outfit that then-host Carson Daly described as "drunken hobo" — but seven years later, Luda still stands by his outfit. "It was the Southern style to wear the thermal underwear underneath your clothes," he said.

The MC also talked about how much the show has changed in its 10-year history. "I guess you can say the first time I was here, it was just music, and now it's music and movies," he said. "I love all my fans for their support since day one."

Luda also talked about his new film,"Max Payne," starring Mark Wahlberg, which opens Friday. "I took this movie so that I can point a gun at [Mark]," Luda joked about his role in the film. "We have a lot in common, with him coming from the music world. I just have to spend some more time on my golf!" he added about his friendship with Wahlberg.

Wahlberg, who was also on "TRL" Wednesday, had some fond memories of the show as well — check them out on the Newsroom blog.

Ludacris was also on hand to premiere his video for his new single "Undisputed," from his new album "Theater of the Mind," out November 25. "Every song is like a movie," he said of the album. "I took the things I learned and made an audio. It's a theater for your mind."

Luda will also be performing for the October 24 special, " 'A Night For Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE."

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Aubrey O'Day And D. Woods Kicked Out Of Danity Kane, Diddy Announces

Posted: 15 Oct 2008 08:56 AM PDT

Dismissal announced during the live season-three finale of 'Making the Band 4.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Aubrey O'Day
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

On Tuesday night's live season-three finale of "Making the Band 4," Diddy confirmed the rumors that Aubrey O'Day is no longer in Danity Kane. He also kicked out D. Woods, leaving only Aundrea Fimbres, Dawn Richard and Shannon Bex in the group he so carefully put together before our eyes four years ago.

"I would rather be hated every damn day of my life for being real than loved for being something I'm not," O'Day defiantly told Sway on the special that aired Tuesday night.

Diddy, who spoke to the girls and the audience via satellite, had some advice for tabloid target Aubrey. "Check this out, baby girl," Diddy said. "See, your attitude is gonna have you in a dark and lonely place. ... What you need to do, at the end of the day, is humble yourself.

"I got love for Aubrey. I don't have any beef with her," he added. "I just want to work with the young lady that I signed, not the person that fame has made her."

"I don't think any of us has been happy for a long time," admitted D.Woods, who Diddy said had gotten "caught up in the wrath" of Aubrey.

MTV News reached out to a rep for Danity Kane to see where the future of the band stands now that Aubrey and D. Woods are no longer in the group. It's being reported that D.Woods has plans to work with another group, the Girls Club. O'Day, who recently made her Broadway debut in "Hairspray," has not announced what she will be doing next.

"Tonight is a representation of the end of a chapter in my life; it's not the end of the book," O'Day said in a backstage interview before the finale. "I will do everything possible to make my mark on this industry, and Danity Kane and Puff provided me with this amazing opportunity to go out and really touch people's hearts. I think the way that we were able to inspire people was something that I will never be able to achieve in that way again in my life."

On Tuesday, it was also confirmed that there will be another season of "Making the Band."

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It's Official: Madonna And Guy Ritchie To Divorce

Posted: 15 Oct 2008 09:02 AM PDT

Singer's spokesperson confirms reports in statement on Wednesday.
By Gil Kaufman


Guy Ritchie and Madonna
Photo: Jon Furniss/ WireImage

Just months after Madonna denied that her marriage was in trouble, the singer's spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday (October 15) reports that the pop star and husband Guy Ritchie will divorce after seven and a half years together.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press, Madonna's longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said the couple had agreed to divorce and requested that the media maintain their privacy.

The statement, which was reportedly co-signed by Ritchie's representative, said the couple had not yet agreed to a settlement; a spokesperson in Rosenberg's office confirmed that the statement was issued Wednesday morning.

The news came just hours after a British tabloid reported that an announcement of a split was coming "imminently." British tabloid The Sun reported Wednesday that a "highly placed source" confirmed that Madonna, 50, and Ritchie, 40, "just couldn't live together any more" and could "no longer bear to live with the pretence" of being a happily married couple.

Ritchie was not on hand in New York on Monday night at the premiere of Madonna's directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom" (check out an exclusive clip from the film right here). When MTV News caught up with the singer at the event, she seemed in good spirits and showed no signs of any strife, though she did take time to explain her recent string of disses to Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

When similar rumors about a divorce emerged earlier this summer — including allegations that Madonna had become involved with New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez — the couple, who have been married for almost eight years, denied the reports.

"My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce. I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us," Madonna said in a statement at the time, during which Rodriguez was going through his own divorce proceedings. "I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study."

Around the same time, rumors also emerged that Madonna had hired high-powered divorce attorney Fiona Shackleton, who represented Paul McCartney in his recent divorce proceedings. The couple has a son, Rocco, and they adopted another boy, David Banda, from Malawi in 2006. Madonna has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship. The Sun reported that tensions between the couple have grown over the amount of time they devote to their respective careers and over Madonna's wish to adopt another child. The paper reported that the couple initially wanted to wait until next year to announce their separation — after Madonna wraps up her Sticky and Sweet Tour — but now want to finalize it before Christmas, which would have marked their eight wedding anniversary.

"It wasn't a matter of 'if' but 'when,' " the unnamed source reportedly told the paper. "They tried hard over the last few months, but their fighting was getting out of control. The final straw came before Madonna started her U.S. tour. Madonna wanted a highly stage-managed separation, with their split being announced when it was convenient for her. She didn't want the distraction while she is trying to concentrate on her tour."

The source went on to say that after a "series of rows" around Ritchie's birthday, Madonna stormed out of the house and Ritchie declared that they had to split now. The paper reported that Ritchie has flown back home from France, where he's filming "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey Jr., to break the news to his parents. The couple is reportedly worth more than $520 million, most of which belongs to Madonna, with Ritchie bringing $35 million to the table. They have homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, as well as a 1,200-acre spread in Wiltshire, England.

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