Madonna fires opening shot in divorce war

Madonna's divorce from Guy Ritchie looks set to turn very messy indeed. At a concert in Boston on Wednesday night, a few hours after their break-up was officially confirmed, the singer introduced a song she'd written about her soon-to-be ex with the words: "This song is for the emotionally retarded. Maybe you know some people who fall into that category. I know I do."

Commentators believe this confrontational approach could set the tone for the impending legal tussle. Astonishingly the couple did not sign a pre-nuptial agreement so in theory Ritchie can claim half of his wife's £300m fortune. Presumably to this end, Ritchie, 40, is said to have entered into talks with divorce specialist Lady Helen Ward (previously he was using the London firm Forsters). She is said to be one of the most tenacious lawyers in London and has a string of satisfied customers under her belt, among them Paloma Picasso, (Lord) Andrew Lloyd Webber and the novelist Ian McEwan. He will need her. As reported here, Madonna has been taking advice from Fiona Shackleton, aka the ‘Steel Magnolia’, who acted for Prince Charles and Sir Paul McCartney in their divorces.

Meanwhile, Madonna, 50, is facing something of a critical backlash for a film she has directed, Filth and Wisdom, which received its New York premiere on Thursday night. The story chronicles the lives of a trio of London room-mates, with the principal actor Eugene Hutz playing a would-be superstar reduced to enacting a series of kinky fantasies for paying customers. Newsday said: "The aimless script tries to evoke an atmosphere of underground cool, but it lacks authenticity and courage."