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LONDON: It should come as no surprise that the queen of pop is again courting controversy. The first show of Madonna's world tour made a foray into U.S. politics with a none-too-subtle dig at U.S. presidential hopeful John McCain Saturday night. Images of destruction and global warming flashed on to a screen during a video interlude. Those were followed by pictures of Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's authoritarian ruler Robert Mugabe — and McCain. A later sequence showed slain Beatle John Lennon, climate activist Al Gore, Mahatma Gandhi and finally McCain's democratic rival, Barack Obama.

Dressed up to the nines and wearing plenty of make-up, Madonna still manages to look pretty sensational for a woman rapidly approaching her half century. But bare-faced and in short sleeves, she reveals some of the gruelling health and beauty regime behind the glamour. Madonna, seen holding hands with her daughter Lourdes as they left a Kabbalah centre in New York, wore a T-shirt which exposed the veins standing out on arms subjected to endless workouts. -snip-

Pop icon Madonna is using kabbalah to brainwash Yankee star Alex Rodriguez into believing they are "soulmates," the ballplayer's estranged wife is telling friends. Cynthia Rodriguez, who has bolted to rocker Lenny Kravitz's Paris pad to avoid the limelight, is blaming the Material Girl for breaking up her five-year marriage, a close friend told the Daily News. The 34-year-old stunner has revealed to close confidants that she discovered a note her husband wrote professing his true feelings to Madonna. "I believe he was having an affair with Madonna," she told a friend, who spoke anonymously for fear of angering A-Rod....

Us Weekly reports in its new issue, on newsstands tomorrow, that Madonna's seven-year marriage to Guy Ritchie has stalled out – and the singer has been hosting late-night visits from New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez at her Central Park West apartment in New York City. A ringless and grim-faced Ritchie, 39, arrived in New York City from London yesterday after several weeks apart from his family. A source tells Us that the $28-million-a-year Rodriguez, 32, has made numerous solo nighttime visits to Madonna, 49, at her spacious home and would sneak out "as late as midnight." Says the source, "All...

WORLD EXCLUSIVE Madonna and Guy to end marriage after seven tempestuous years. Madonna told Guy Ritchie she wants a divorce after the couple agreed they had fallen out of love. They admitted to each other that their seven-year marriage was doomed because they had simply drifted apart. A friend said last night: "They were both very calm. Madonna told Guy: 'I'm sorry, I want a divorce'. And he agreed. It was quite painless but very sad." Last night Guy was holed up alone in his country mansion last night hoping against the odds that he can rescue his doomed marriage...

Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie went on the Cookie Diet ... and stopped wanting to have sex with her as a result, she told a Phoenix radio show recently. "My husband went on that Cookie Diet, and it was such a turn-off because he didn't want to have sex," she told "The Johnjay and Rich Show."

It is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden era, a triple Oscar-winning classic with electrifyingly charismatic stars and a script bursting with memorable lines. But now Madonna has stunned the movie industry with plans to remake Casablanca – and this time set it in Iraq. The singer, whose previous film career has been littered with critical and commercial turkeys, is also planning to take the lead role of Ilsa Lund, which originally made a star of Ingrid Bergman.

Obama a distant cousin of Bush Close political rivals - now there's a connection in their family histories It has emerged that Barack Obama is a tenth cousin, once removed, of the man whose job he wants - George W Bush.They are linked by Samuel Hinkley of Cape Cod, who died in 1662. Mr Obama is also a distant cousin of the actor Brad Pitt while Hillary Clinton is related to Mr Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. The ties of the US Democratic rivals were established by a respected US genealogical organisation after three years' investigation. Mrs Clinton and Mr...

On the surface to a casual observer the 2008 Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame class appears to be fairly strong and rather non-controversial. Three of the five artists being enshrined in the main performer category are very well deserving, including one of the most dominant artists in rock history. They also have seen fit to give overdue recognition to some long eligible figures in other categories and so on the whole this year's inductees are a solid group deserving of their honors.

Madonna, Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five, the Ventures and John Mellencamp. The inductees will be honored at a ceremony on March 10 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

Sean Penn endorsed Dennis Kucinich for President, after tipping off news agencies of a major political announcement earlier this week. While his choice of candidate may not suprise many, it should have surprised John Edwards. After all, Penn had already given him twice as many greenback endorsements as Kucinich (via the Political Machine): Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn endorsed Dennis Kucinich for president in San Francisco Friday. Penn made what had been billed as a "major political statement" at San Francisco State University. Andy Juniewicz, National Press Secretary and senior advisor to Kucinich told NBC11 that Penn made the endorsement...

She follows a strict macrobiotic diet and an intense Pilates-based exercise regime in her quest to remain youthful. Pictured this week, the star, who has recently appeared gaunt and pale, revealed hands which seemed suited to a woman much older than her 49 years. EIMEAR O'HAGAN asked five experts for their verdicts. CHEEKS Cheek to cheek: Madonna's indented cheeks and gaunt appearance have been particularly noticeable in recent months Dr Alex Karidis is a plastic surgeon based at the St John and St Elizabeth Hospital, London. He says: Madonna has a chronically low percentage of body fat due to her...

Madonna personifies celebrity. Google her name and you will get almost as many hits as "Jewish," meaning that she is roughly as famous as the religion she has come to admire. With other celebrities in tow, Madonna declared in Tel Aviv this week that she was an "ambassador for Judaism." Meanwhile, the head of a Kabbala-oriented yeshiva reacted: "It is a known fact in Kabbala that impurity and evil are inherently attracted to sanctity. That's why people of Hollywood, a place of iniquity and lasciviousness, are naturally attracted to the holiness of Kabbala." Is Madonna really "evil"? Or should we...

O.J. Arrested LAS VEGAS - Plainclothes officers arrested O.J. Simpson on charges connected with what police described as a robbery at a Las Vegas hotel. A judge ordered Simpson be held without bail, and a court date was set for Thursday. The seven felonies Simpson was charged with all revolve around the use of firearms, something Simpson strongly denied when questioned by reporters while being arrested: "Firearms? That's (expletive) ridiculous, everyone knows I'm a knife man." Madonna: "I'm an Ambassador for Judaism" JERUSALEM - Madonna toasted the Jewish new year with Israeli President Shimon Peres and declared herself an "ambassador...

Orthodox teachers of Kabbala reacted with disdain Sunday to pop idol Madonna's Rosh Hashana visit in Israel, during which she took part in a study session of Judaism's most esoteric texts. "It is a known fact in Kabbala that impurity and evil are inherently attracted to sanctity," said a director of one of the most respected Kabbala yeshivot in Jerusalem who preferred that he and his institution remain anonymous. "That's why people of Hollywood, a place of iniquity and lasciviousness, are naturally attracted to the holiness of Kabbala." The director of the yeshiva said he was explaining a basic Kabbalistic...

Madonna toasted the Jewish new year with President Peres of Israel and declared herself an "ambassador for Judaism," local newspapers reported yesterday. The singer, who is not Jewish, arrived in Israel Wednesday on the eve of Jewish new year to attend a conference on Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism.

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Visiting pop idol Madonna toasted the Jewish new year with Israeli President Shimon Peres and declared herself an "ambassador for Judaism," local newspapers reported Sunday. The singer, who is not Jewish, met Peres at his official Jerusalem residence on Saturday evening, and the two exchanged gifts, with Madonna receiving a lavishly-bound copy of the Old Testament. She presented Peres a volume of "The Book of Splendor," the guiding text of Jewish mysticism, or Kabbalah, inscribed, "To Shimon Peres, the man I admire and love, Madonna," the Yediot Ahronot daily said. Madonna arrived in Israel on Wednesday night, the eve of...

A Muslim extremist has called for Madonna and Britney Spears be beheaded for spreading "their satanic culture against Islam". Muhammad Abdel-Al, the senior leader of the Palestinian terror group The Popular Resistance Committees, attacked the two pop stars, labelling them "prostitutes". He rants, "If I meet these whores I will have the honour - I repeat, I will have the honour - to be the first one to cut the heads off Madonna and Britney Spears if they will keep spreading their satanic culture against Islam." Abdel-Al spoke out as Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie prepare to celebrate the Jewish...

Muslim terrorist leaders threatened to cut the heads of the pop stars Britney Spears and Madonna if they refuse to convert to Islam. Photo by images.google.com Muslim terrorist leaders threatened to cut the heads of the pop stars Britney Spears and Madonna if they refuse to convert to Islam, World Net Daily reported. The threats, recorded on audio, came a day before Madonna arrived in Israel to celebrate the Jewish New Year with fellow Kabbalah practitioners. "If I meet these whores I will have the honour to be the first one to cut their heads off if they will keep...