news and notes

- Madonna and Guy Ritchie are dunzo and I couldn't be happier. This means Guy can put his full focus and attention on his new adaptation of Sherlock Holmes which has recently started filming in London. Coincidence? Madonna herself is on tour and Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla opens wide next week so this seems to be a good time for a controversy career wise for the both of them. Guy will walk away with assets totaling around $60 million, including a 1,200-acre country estate, a London pub, and a cash settlement. Madonna walks away with her 24 inch biceps, thighs that could squeeze a bear into submission, and face that is more and more resembling the hobgoblin. Have fun with a woman more used than a port-a-pot at Pimlico there A-Rod.

- The economy remains to be shaky as we enter the final 2 weeks before a new president is decided. Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, has announced he plans to reduce the budget by $500 million for EVERY department owned by the company. With parent company GE in the toilet and advertising rates in steep decline, NBC expects to cut 3% of its work force going into '09. Not to be outdone, Sumner Redstone has announced similar cuts are in the wings at CBS, and Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp (owner of Fox News) will be following suit in the new year. Tough times for media stock as well as every other sector and the job market is becoming tighter and tighter as companies plan their budgets for 09 and hiring new employees isnt on the docket.

- An artist you should keep an eye on is Lady Gaga. Every once in a while I'll spotlight a hot new trendy artist that is set to take the world by storm and this week Lady Gaga takes that place. She has been endorsed by celeb's such as Lindsay & Samantha Ronson, Perez Hilton, the girls from The Hills, and more. Her cd drops 10/28 and here's her single "Just Dance" which has been tearing up the chart since April.