Madonna took to the stage in Boston Wednesday – the same day she announced the demise of her seven-and-a-half year marriage – but kept mum on her marital woes.
The 50-year-old singer tore through her athletic, two-hour set with her usual enthusiasm, as 30,000 fans at the TD Bank North Garden cheered her on.
The closest Madonna came to mentioning her soon-to-be-ex, Guy Ritchie, or her marriage came while introducing the song, "Miles Away." As she has in previous shows on her Sticky and Sweet Tour, she dedicated the song to the "emotionally retarded."
"You may know a few people like that," she said. "God knows I do."
Earlier this year, Madonna told Elle magazine, that the song – which includes the line "When I'm gone you'll realize/That I'm the best thing that happened to you" – was inspired by her director husband. "So many people have to deal with long-distance relationships," she told the magazine at the time. "It's not easy. You have to work hard to make it work." Now, as the mother-of-three copes with her very public split, Madonna's fans are rallying around her. "On the day she announces her divorce from a guy she really did love, all the die-hard fans are here to support her," said Boston concert-goer Peggy Rose. "[We] love her no matter what."
With news that her seven-year marriage to Guy Ritchie is finally set to be terminated, Madonna is today facing up to yet another embarrassing failure in her life.
Because despite her immense riches and years of success, aged 50, Madonna has had more toe-curling moments than most celebrities.
From her evermore cringe-inducing obsession of keeping up with the latest young trends well into middle-age – never mind her insistence on wearing revealing leotards at every opportunity – Madonna has refused to grow old gracefully.
Here, Mirror.co.uk rounds up Madonna’s Top 10 most embarrassing moments for you to blush along with:
1. Madge rather embarrassingly fell over live onstage during her Sticky And Sweet tour in Lisbon last month. In knuckle-chewingly cringeworthy scenes, Madge gyrated seedily up against speaker as she attempts to get her acoustic guitar to make some feedback noise, before she gave up and attempted to mosh on stage like a rock chick – before falling flat on her arse. Watch the clip:
2. Trying to be a proper country-house-living Englishwoman – then mashing herself up good and proper, cracking three ribs and breaking her collarbone and hand, by falling off her horse as she trotted around her estate. An entire nation stifled its laughter.
3. Going out with faux rapper Vanilla Ice. Quite literally, we need say no more.
4. Hanky Panky. Or her cover of American Pie. Two of the nadirs of Madonna’s recorded output at any rate. The pop equivalent of fingernails down a blackboard.
5. Her starring role in the universally-panned Swept Away – directed by hubby Guy. Was this turkey the beginning of the end for the pair? Whatever, we bet Madge has a few cardboard boxes of this stinker on DVD hidden under her bed.
6. Her brother Chris writing a tell-all book about her. The Queen of Pop is a famed control freak, but after falling out with her little bro some years back, she had no say over this juicy little book of horrors. We bet Madonna’s heart chills with embarrassment whenever she thinks of it.
7. Fellating a bottle in her famed ‘on the road’ documentary In Bed With Madonna to show off her ‘technique’. As embarrassing as walking in on your mum and dad getting fruity in bed. See the clip here - WARNING! Madonna is being a right pottymouth too...
8. As if that weren’t bad enough, after getting her boobs out on the catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier, Madge then decided to show the world her even ruder bits in all their un-airbrushed glory in her explicit coffee table book Sex. A planet averted it’s eyes and said in unison: ‘Put it away, love’
9. Undignified and inappropriate swearing at inopportune moments. Like saying ‘motherf******’ while announcing the winner of the highbrow Turner Prize live on BBC Two. Wow, like, how crazy, zzzzzzz.
10. Her entire involvement in the hocus pocus ‘religion’ of Kaballah. Fifty dollars for a bit of red string, we ask you.
Actually, some may say that her marrying Mockney posh, ginger, slightly rubbish film director Guy Ritchie is probably one of the sorriest episodes of her career to date too, considering her first marriage was to the edgy Sean Penn, now lauded the world over as one of the finest actors and directors of his generation.
Then again, we hope our Madge won't be too hard on herself over her more embarrassing moments. As you sang yourself once Madge darling, it's only Human Nature…
After getting mixed up in the middle of someone else’s divorce over the summer, Madonna may finally be heading for her own. A new tabloid report is circulating in the UK that an announcement of her split from British filmmaker Guy Ritchie is “imminent.”
Earlier this year, Madonna surfaced in the middle of Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez’s divorce from wife Cindy. The pop star denied being involved with A-Rod and said her marriage was strong. But, well, you know how things go.
Various reports about the end of the Material Girl’s eight-year marriage have been circulating since the beginning of the year. Each time, the couple has denied the rumors, despite bits of tantalizing evidence to the contrary, and numerous anonymous comments from so-called “friends.” There have been reports, for example, that Madonna is anxious to move back to New York after living in England during the marraige. Madonna was in New York this week for the premiere of her new movie “Filth And Wisdom.” She also performed concerts at Madison Square Garden.
British tabloid, The Sun is the latest to stir the pot. It claimed the couple was only clinging to the marriage until Madonna could wrap up her Sweet & Sticky world tour later this year. "Despite huge attempts to patch things up they both knew deep down that divorce was on the cards. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. They tried hard over the last few months but their fighting was getting out of control," an unnamed source told the newspaper.
Guy has reportedly flown back from France, postponing filming of his new movie “Sherlock Holmes,” to break the news to his parents. This week he will take his possessions from the couple’s London home, which Madonna owns, and move into their Wiltshire home, which he owns.
The source said: “She was adamant that she was leaving Guy and not coming back.” We’ll see.
Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie are to end their marriage after nearly eight years, British newspapers reported Wednesday.
Citing unnamed sources, The Sun and Daily Mail said the couple hoped to have a divorce finalized by Christmas. The Sun said that Madonna, 50, had wanted to wait until her latest world tour wraps up in Brazil in December before announcing the split.
The singer will perform concerts Wednesday and Thursday in Boston as her "Sticky and Sweet" tour continues.
Barbara Charone, Madonna's spokeswoman in London, declined comment on the reports. Ritchie's mother, Lady Amber Leighton, told reporters the family wouldn't be making any statement to the media.
This is the second time this year that the superstar couple's marriage has come under the media microscope. Over the summer, Madonna was linked — unfairly, she said — to the breakup of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and his ex-wife Cynthia.
In July, Madonna's U.S. publicist released a statement that said the singer and Ritchie had "no plans to divorce."
Madonna and Ritchie married in December 2000 at a Scottish castle. The couple have two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted from Malawi in 2006. Madonna also has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from her relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon.
The couple are reportedly worth some $525 million, the bulk of that belonging to Madonna. Ritchie has an estimated $35 million fortune. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre retreat in Wiltshire, England.
Alan Kaufman, head of family law for London firm Finers Stephens Innocent, said he would be surprised if Madonna and Ritchie hadn't come to some arrangement before they were married.
Kaufman, who isn't involved in the case, also said he doesn't expect the case to end up in court because the couple would likely prefer to come to a private agreement both custodially and financially.
"They both had substantial assets and don't really need any money from each other," Kaufman said.
"This is not like the McCartney divorce," he said, referring to the acrimonious split between former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills earlier this year.
Madonna took to the stage in Boston Wednesday – the same day she announced the demise of her seven-and-a-half year marriage – but kept mum on her marital woes.
"So many people have to deal with long-distance relationships," she told the magazine at the time. "It's not easy. You have to work hard to make it work."
Now, as the mother-of-three copes with her very public split, Madonna's fans are rallying around her.
"On the day she announces her divorce from a guy she really did love, all the die-hard fans are here to support her," said Boston concert-goer Peggy Rose. "[We] love her no matter what."
