Madonna hearing to be public

Singer Madonna (L) and director Guy Ritchie arrive on the red carpet at the 61st Cannes Film Festival May 21, 2008.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie's custody hearing will be made public.

The legal meeting to decide the arrangements for their two sons - Rocco, eight, and David, three - has been moved to the New York Supreme Court.

Pop star Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie (R) are seen leaving Dornoch Cathedral after the christening of their four month old son Rocco, Scotland in this December 21, 2000 file photograph.

Unlike English family law court cases, the inquiry - which will take place on March 2 - will be open to the general public.

Madonna - who also has a daughter, Lourdes, 12, from a previous relationship - is planning to move to New York with her children and needs US courts to ratify a custody deal negotiated in London.

A source said "There is going to be a hearing next month and the papers that have been filed will be available then.

"The New York hearing will confirm the English proceedings. There will be revelations, but the divorce remains amicable and intelligently handled."

She will be forced to provide the court with details about her divorce proceedings, including financial arrangements and demands for her sons' welfare.

It has been claimed the 50-year-old singer - who is a devout follower of Kabbalah, a mystical off-shoot of Judaism - makes her sons eat kosher food and attend religious meetings.

It has also been alleged she has demanded Guy, 40, upgrade the internet connection and computer equipment at his country home in England so she can contact the boys at all times when they are visiting.

The couple - who married in 2000 - announced they were separating last year, but have not revealed any details of their ongoing divorce proceedings.

Madonna to pay Ritchie $76 mln in divorce deal

Maverick Money Makers - Get Paid For Life! - Click Here!

American singer Madonna has settled her divorce with ex-husband Guy Ritchie by giving him at least 76 million U.S. dollars, according to media reports Tuesday.

The figure includes the value of the couple's country home Ashcombe in western England and their west London pub, the Punchbowl, said Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg.

The couple were granted a preliminary divorce on Nov. 21 after announcing their split in October, which is expected to become final in January. Madonna is worth an estimated 450 million dollars while film director Ritchie's assets are valued at about 45 million dollars.

Director Guy Ritchie and wife Madonna are seen arriving for the world premiere of "RocknRolla" at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square, central London in this Sept. 1, 2008 file photograph.

They were married in a lavish ceremony in December 2000. But in recent years, reports began to accumulate that their relationship was on the rocks. And in this summer, Madonna unofficially confirmed her relationship with New York Yankee baseball star Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez.

The couple has agreed to share custody of their sons, Rocco, 8, and David, 3, who was adopted from Malawi.

Madonna's daughter, Lourdes, 12, from a previous relationship will live with her in New York.

A-Rod moves closer to Madonna as her sexless marriage ends

Following Madonna's divorce announcement, her rumoured lover Alex Rodriguez is moving in a bid to be closer to the singer.

The baseball player, nickname A-Rod, is said to be keen to make his romance with the 50-year-old singer public, and thinks relocating nearer her New York home would make their relationship stronger, according to media reports on Tuesday.

A source close to the sportsman said, "A-Rod was living in an apartment on Columbus Circle, five blocks from Madonna's New York base in Central Park West. But now he wants to move three blocks north to 15 Central Park West - meaning he would only be two blocks away from Madonna."

Singer Madonna (L) and director Guy Ritchie arrive on the red carpet at the 61st Cannes Film Festival May 21, 2008.

It was recently claimed Madonna and A-Rod - who were first linked in the northern summer - had been enjoying clandestine meetings since July 2007 at a "secret love shack", a New York apartment rented by the sports star.

Madonna and estranged husband Guy Ritchie's announced divorce last week, who didn't have sex for 18 months as their marriage crumbled.

The couple - who announced last week they were separating, ending months of rumours - reportedly didn't get close beneath the sheets because the 'Hung Up' singer was too tired for love due to her gruelling daily 4-hour workouts.

A friend close to the pair said, "Guy got more and more frustrated as she spent nearly half the day exercising. When she did eventually get home she'd be too tired to make love.

"When the cracks first started to show, Guy would plead with her to spend more time with him but she wouldn't. She'd insist she did her four-hour workout. They've been apart so much in the last two years that their opportunities to make love would have been fairly limited. They've also been in separate rooms a lot after big rows so there wasn't any chance to make up."

New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez reacts to striking out in the first inning of their MLB American League baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas August 7, 2008.

It has also been claimed that Guy, 40, found 50-year-old Madonna's super-toned body a turn-off, and yearned for the soft, womanly curves she had when they first fell in love after meeting in 1999.

The 'RocknRolla' director is reported to have confided in a friend he was finding his superstar star spouse less attractive the more fitness obsessed she became.

The pal told Britain's News of the World newspaper, "After a few drinks one evening, Guy said it was like cuddling up to a piece of gristle. All the soft feminine tones had been replaced by the build of an athlete."

It has also been claimed the estranged couple did have a pre-nuptial agreement in place before they tied the knot at Scotland's Skibo Castle in December 2000.

Guy - who is believed to be worth ￡30 million - will reportedly receive around ￡12 million in cash, the pair's 1,200 acre Wiltshire estate and their London pub the Punchbowl in the settlement.

He cannot claim any of the ￡300 million fortune Madonna has amassed during their seven-and-a-half year union.

However, it is still not clear what the custody arrangements will be regarding the three children Madonna and Guy raise together - 12-year-old Lourdes, the singer's daughter with dancer Carlos Leon, son Rocco, eight, and adopted son David Banda, three.

Madonna's Cannes demands

Madonna's Cannes demands

Madonna stunned hotel staff in Cannes. The '4 Minutes' singer - who is in the French town for the world famous Film Festival - issued a barrage of requests to the Carlton Hotel before her arrival.

Madonna insisted her 1,000-a-night suite was kept at a constant 30 degree temperature and demanded that it was filled with fresh flowers and scented candles.

Madonna's and husband Guy Richie

Most bizarrely, she requested a hook to be attached to the ceiling. Two treadmills have also been installed in the suite so the singer and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, can work out together.

Madonna is in Cannes showcasing her film, 'I Am Because We Are'. The documentary focuses on the plight of children with AIDS in Malawi - a cause close to the 49-year-old singer's heart, because she adopted her youngest son David from the region in 2006.

This isn't the first time Madonna has made waves this month with her bizarre requests. The pop superstar insisted a helicopter carried her the short distance from her London home to Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival in Kent, South East England. She also demanded flowers in her dressing room and special Kabbalah water.