Guy Ritchie

Guy Ritchie

Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968, Hatfield, Hertfordshire) is an English screenwriter and filmmaker.

In addition to his elder sister, Tabitha, a dance instructor, Ritchie has a half-brother, Kevin Bayton, who was born to Amber Parkinson when she was a teenager and given up for adoption.

From 1973 until 1980, when they divorced, Ritchie's mother was married to Sir Michael Leighton, 11th baronet. As a divorcée, she is correctly styled as Amber, Lady Leighton.

Ritchie directed a 20-minute short film in 1995 entitled The Hard Case. His first full-length feature was the successful Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998. Recalling Quentin Tarantino, The Sting and The Italian Job, the film was widely praised for its wit. It also introduced actor Jason Statham (The Transporter) to worldwide audiences, and introduced former footballer Vinnie Jones to a new career as a film star. In 2000 Ritchie won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.

His second feature film was Snatch, released in the year 2000. Originally known as Diamonds, it was another caper comedy, this time backed by a major studio following the previous success of Lock, Stock. The cast featured such Hollywood big names as Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina, along with the returning Vinnie Jones and Statham. Similar to "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" in featuring a complex and inventive storyline in which the characters weave in and out of each others' lives, the film also plays with time, depicting events from various perspectives and recalling such classic crime films as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing.

Ritchie created and produced a spin-off television series called Lock, Stock....

Following his marriage to Madonna, Ritchie began focusing his filmmaking on his famous wife, directing her in both a music video (for the song "What It Feels Like for a Girl," a controversial video that showed Madonna engaging in running people down with a car) and a short film, "Star", for the BMW films series. Ritchie's next film, also featuring Madonna, was a remake of the 1974 Lina Wertmüller hit Swept Away (also entitled Swept Away). Ritchie cast Madonna as a rich, rude, socialite who, after a shipwreck, is trapped on a deserted island with a slovenly Communist sailor who humiliates her. Ritchie renamed the woman Amber Leighton after his mother. This film was both a critical and commercial disappointment.

Ritchie's next project was a Vegas-themed heist film entitled Revolver, which was critically panned.

Another project Guy Ritchie was involved with was a hidden camera show called Swag, for channel Five in the UK, which turned the table on criminals and opportunists by using stunts to trap them in the act.

Ritchie has also written and directed RocknRolla starring Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Gerard Butler, Tom Hardy, Jeremy Piven, Thandie Newton, and Tom Wilkinson. Ritchie will also direct a film based on a comic book series he created with Virgin Comics entitled Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper. The film rights were acquired by Warner Brothers in July 2007. The film's being produced by Silver Pictures.

In 2008, Ritchie directed a commercial for Nike called "Take It To The Next Level", about a young Dutch footballer who signs for Arsenal, showing the progression of his career from his viewpoint, until he makes his debut for the Netherlands. The commercial features cameo appearances from Arsene Wenger, William Gallas, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tévez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, Marco Materazzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Theo Walcott, Ronaldinho, Rafael Márquez, Bojan Krkic, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Nani, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Eduardo da Silva and Wesley Sneijder. Additional cast include Nicklas Bendtner, Abou Diaby, Armand Traoré, Andrés Iniesta, and Maniche, with music by Eagles of Death Metal.

On 22 December, 2000, he married the American pop singer and actress Madonna at Skibo Castle in Scotland. They have a son, Rocco, born 11 August 2000 in Los Angeles, California, and have adopted a Malawian baby boy, David. On 15 October, 2008, British media reported that a split was "imminent" between Ritchie and Madonna. The split has since been confirmed by their spokesperson and Ritchie and Madonna are said to go public with the split because they "can’t bear to live with the pretence any longer".

On 18 May, 2000, Ritchie was arrested by the police after he assaulted a 20-year-old man outside the Kensington home he shared with Madonna, causing actual bodily harm.

Ritchie was the inspiration for, and is the subject of, singer Robbie Williams' single "She's Madonna" from his 2006 album Rudebox.

Ritchie started training in Shotokan karate at the age of seven at the Budokwai in London, where he later achieved a black belt in judo. He also has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ritchie is a fan of Chelsea Football Club.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie's marriage was dissolved by District Judge Reid by decree nisi at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division in High Holborn, London. Madonna, 50, and Ritchie, 40, entered into a compromise agreement for Rocco, 8, and David, 3, and divided the children's time between Ritchie’s London home and Madonna’s in New York, where the two will be joined by her daughter Lourdes, 12, from a previous relationship. Ritchie waived rights to any part of Madonna’s wealth. . On December 15, 2008, it was announced by Madonna's spokeswoman that the singer had agreed a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which grant him between £50million and £60million, a figure that includes the value of the couple's country house in England. It is thought to be one of the biggest divorce payouts in history. The statement also confirmed that custody of the couple's children had yet to be finalised.. Ritchie was represented by Helen Ward of Manches.

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Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper

Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper is a comic book series from Virgin Comics and film director Guy Ritchie. Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to the series for Silver Pictures to produce and Ritchie to direct.

Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper was created by Guy Ritchie, and the first volume was written by Andy Diggle, with art and color by Mukesh Singh, the current artist of Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter, also from Virgin Comics.

Volume 2 is being written by Jeff Parker and illustrated by Ron Randall and Ron Chan, with covers by Singh.

The man known only as Brock lives a quiet existence as gamekeeper on a secluded Scottish estate. The tranquility is disrupted when Russian paramilitary mercenaries storm the estate and kill Jonah Morgan -— Brock’s friend and owner of the estate. To avenge Jonah’s death and protect a secret equation, Brock must turn predator and journey deep into an unfamiliar, urban underworld. Throughout his journey, he is plagued by a dark past and his son's tragic death.

Issue #1 was released in March 2007. The trade paperback entitled "Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper: Tooth and Claw", which includes issues #1-5, was released in October 2007.

The series has received an overall favorable critical reception. A review of issue #1 by Wizard Entertainment praised the artwork and the story for its characterizations and plot twists. Issue #1 received a B+ by Variety blog Bags and Boards, which commended its originality and artwork.

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Virgin Comics

Virgin Comics LLC is a comic book company, founded in 2006, which produces stories (many of which are Indian-culture related) for an international audience. The company was founded by Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group, author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan, Suresh Seetharaman, and Gotham Chopra. In August 2008, it was reported that the company will be restructuring, including closing its New York office and relocating the company to Los Angeles. On September 24, 2008, it was announced that Virgin Comics changed its name to Liquid Comics after a management buyout.

Virgin Comics LLC and Virgin Animation Private Limited are collaborative companies formed by Virgin Group entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and Gotham Entertainment Group (South Asia's largest comics publisher) in 2006. The companies spun out of the previously announced partnership between Chopra, Kapur, and Gotham Entertainment (but not Branson). Gotham Studios Asia was announced in late 2004, planning its first release in 2005, which failed to occur. Variety reported in January 2006 that Gotham Entertainment head Sharad Devarajan and Chopra's son Gotham were the key movers, and approached Branson as a potential partner. With Branson on board, Gotham Studios Asia became Virgin Comics and Animation, with Devarajan taking the role of CEO, with Gotham Chopra as chief creative officer, with Indian advertising executive Suresh Seetharaman running Virgin Animation from India. The companies are based in Bangalore, India, with the comics arm having its headquarters in New York. Variety reported that Devarajan and Chopra planned to spend 2006 "staffing the Indian operation with approximately 150 people, most of them artists".

Focusing on Asia "as an area to inspire and create content and drive revenue... to reach a global audience", the two arms allow for properties to be translated into "full media properties across a wide line of products and media outlets".

Envisioned as a creative exchange, Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation leads the transition of India as an outsource to a source of innovative and dynamic creations and creators. With an eye on the rapidly evolving entertainment market (550 million kids under the age of 20 in the next 10 years in India alone), Virgin Comics seeks to create properties infused with a mythic sensibility that resonate with readers and audiences around the world.

On August 26, 2008, it was reported that Virgin Comics has shut down its New York office. A statement released by CEO Sharad Devarajan confirmed closure of the New York office, but indicated that the company would be restructuring and relocating to Los Angeles. Devarajan said that further information would be released later. Gotham Entertainment will be unaffected by this change. According to sources, Virgin will continue to own the rights for the properties which it published.

On September 24, 2008, it was announced that Virgin Comics changed its name to Liquid Comics after a management buyout.

Virgin Comics' initial lines were their flagship Shakti line, the Maverick (later Voices) line and the Director's Cut imprint. Although the first title, scheduled to debut mid-2006, was meant to be the first "Director's Cut" title, by John Woo, it in fact was the second "Director's Cut" comic, and Virgin's fifth overall when it debuted in October.

The Director's Cut line is designed to showcase the work of film directors, and effectively give them an unlimited budget to create works that might be more difficult to realise on screen. It sees directors such as Shekhar Kapur, Guy Ritchie and John Woo creating comics, and is rumoured to include the legendary Terry Gilliam at some point in the future. Gilliam's reputed interest (and that of the other directors) is said to be in part due to the comics' ability to "provoke new Hollywood interest in old ideas and, if nothing else, give the audience a glimpse of what intended" in a potential film version. Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper has been picked up by Warner Brothers Studios to be made into a motion picture, set to start filming sometime in 2009.

Virgin's highest-profile comic in the west, and the one announced before any other, became the company's fifth release in October, 2006. John Woo's Seven Brothers was a Chinese folklore idea was expanded by Preacher, Hitman and Punisher author Garth Ennis into "a modern, global story," in a manner that is "clearly a brother to the film medium," said Woo. John Woo described his experience "working in comics quite comfortable", since "it's like the ultimate storyboard". Ennis described the manner in which he became involved as remarkably straightforward. Indeed, in his own words: "All they had to say was ‘John Woo’ and I was sold instantly." The covers were by Yoshitaka Amano, with Greg Horn producing a variant for #1.

The Voices line (formerly known as the Maverick line) is intended to feature new talent, as well as presenting comics by actors and musicians. The lines first release was in December, 2006, and written by Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart. Dave Stewart's Walk In #1 was loosely based on "Stewart’s real-life experiences as a young man doing stage shows as "Memory Man" and – during this time of his life – suffering from odd moments of memory loss himself". It was scripted and expanded by Jeff Parker, author of the acclaimed comic Interman.

Additionally, "the company will tap into innovative creators in comics, film and entertainment from around the world." Virgin Comics animators have worked on graphic novels, and the venture is linked to Virgin Animation.

One such graphic novel is the upcoming children's environmental book The Econauts.

At the NYCC it was revealed Grant Morrison would working with Virgin Comics to produce "webisodes" (short animated stories) based on the Mahābhārata, he said it wouldn't be a direct translation but "Like the Beatles took Indian music and tried to make psychedelic sounds…I'm trying to convert Indian storytelling to a western style for people raised on movies, comics, and video games." It was also announced that Stan Lee will create a new superhero team to appear in a new Virgin title, the details of which were being kept secret for the moment.

Virgin also started Coalition Comix on MySpace, where users could suggest ideas for a comic which would then get made. The first one was Queen's Rook, written by Mike Carey.

Virgin Comics will be co-producing a number of TV series with the Sci-Fi Channel and the first will be The Stranded, written by Mike Carey.

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Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone on August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance. After performing as member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983, and then produced three consecutive number-one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s and four more since year 2000.

Madonna is known for exploring religious symbolism and sexual themes in her work. This drew criticism from the Vatican in the late 1980s. In 1992, she founded an entertainment company, Maverick, which published a book of photographs (Sex). She also released a studio album (Erotica) and starred in a film (Body of Evidence) with erotic themes. These works generated negative publicity and coincided with a fall in commercial sales in the 1990s. Madonna's career was revived in 1998, when the release of her album Ray of Light garnered critical acclaim.

Madonna has acted in 22 films. Although most failed critically and commercially, she earned a Golden Globe Award for her role in the 1996 film Evita. In 1996 Madonna gave birth to a daughter, Lourdes Maria (also known as Lola) by personal trainer Carlos Leon before marrying film director Guy Ritchie in 2000. She and Ritchie have two sons, Rocco and David Banda, a Malawian boy they adopted in 2006, which caused media allegations they violated that country's adoption laws.

She has been regarded as "one of the greatest pop acts of all time" and dubbed the "Queen of Pop" by various sources. She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified albums. Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of US$490 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Madonna was born Madonna Louise Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan at 7:05 AM on August 16, 1958. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was of French Canadian descent, and her father, Silvio "Tony" P. Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian American Chrysler/General Motors design engineer whose parents originated from Pacentro, Abruzzo, Italy. Madonna is the third of six children; her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula Mae, Christopher, and Melanie.

Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills). Her mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963. Her father married the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and they had two children; Jennifer and Mario Ciccone. "I didn't accept my stepmother when I was growing up," Madonna said, "in retrospect I think I was really hard on her." Madonna convinced her father to allow her to take ballet classes. Madonna attended St. Frederick's Elementary School and St. Andrew's Elementary School (present day Holy Family Regional) and West Middle School. She attended Rochester Adams High School, becoming a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan after graduating from high school.

Madonna's ballet teacher persuaded her to pursue a career in dance, so she left the college at the end of 1977 and relocated to New York City. Madonna had little money and for some time lived in squalor, working at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes. Speaking of her move to New York, Madonna said, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done." While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna became romantically involved with the musician Dan Gilroy, with whom she later formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, in New York. In it, she sang and played drums and guitar before forming the band Emmy in 1980 with drummer and former boyfriend Stephen Bray. She and Bray wrote and produced dance songs that brought her local attention in New York dance clubs. Disc jockey and record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo recordings, so he brought her to the attention of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.

Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records, a label belonging to Warner Bros. Records. Her first release was "Everybody" on April 24, 1982. Her debut album, Madonna was primarily produced by Reggie Lucas.

Madonna's look and manner of dress, performances and music videos, became influential among young girls and women. Defined by lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the Christian cross, and bleached hair, it became a female fashion trend in the 1980s. Her follow up album, Like a Virgin, became her first number one album on the U.S. albums chart; its commercial performance was buoyed by the success of its title track, "Like a Virgin", which reached number one in the U.S. with a six week stay at the top. The album sold 12 million copies worldwide, eight of which in the U.S. She performed the song at the first MTV Video Music Awards, wearing her then-trademark "Boy Toy" belt. Like a Virgin is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.

In 1985, Madonna entered mainstream films, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in the film Vision Quest. Its soundtrack contained her second U.S. number-one single "Crazy for You". Later that year, she appeared in Desperately Seeking Susan. The film introduced the song "Into the Groove", which became her first number-one single in the UK. Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in the U.S. in 1985 titled The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys. In July that year, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of black and white nude photos of Madonna taken in the late 1970s. Madonna took legal action to try and block them from being published, but when that failed she became unapologetic and defiant. At the outdoor Live Aid charity concert at the height of the controversy, Madonna made a critical reference to the media and stated she would not take her jacket off because "they might hold it against me ten years from now".

Madonna released her third album, True Blue, in 1986, prompting Rolling Stone to say that "it sounds as if it comes from the heart". The album included the ballad "Live to Tell", which she wrote for the film At Close Range, starring her then-husband Sean Penn. True Blue produced five Top 5 singles on the Billboard charts: "Live to Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart", "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita". In the same year, Madonna starred in the film Shanghai Surprise and made her theatrical debut in a production of David Rabe's Goose and Tom-Tom, both co-starring Sean Penn.

In 1987, Madonna starred in Who's That Girl, and contributed four songs to its soundtrack; including the title track and the U.S. number-two single, "Causing a Commotion". In the same year, she embarked on the Who's That Girl Tour. It marked her first conflict with the Vatican, as Pope John Paul II urged Italian fans not to attend her concerts. Later that year, Madonna released a remix album of past hits, You Can Dance. In 1988, city officials in the town of Pacentro began to construct a 13-foot (4 m) statue of Madonna in a bustier. The statue commemorates the fact that her ancestors had lived in Pacentro. In 1988, Madonna starred as Karen in a play by David Mamet called Speed-the-Plow.

In early 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. She debuted her new song, "Like a Prayer", in a Pepsi commercial and also made a music video for it. The video, which features many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and burning crosses, was condemned by the Vatican. Since the commercial and music video were nearly identical, Pepsi was unable to convince the public that their commercial had nothing that could be deemed inappropriate. They revoked the commercial and cancelled their sponsorship contract with Madonna.

Madonna's fourth album, Like a Prayer, released in 1989, was co-written and co-produced by Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray. Rolling Stone hailed it as "...as close to art as pop music gets". Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the U.S. album chart and sold seven million copies worldwide, with four million copies sold in the U.S. alone. The album produced three Top 5-charting singles: the title track (her seventh number-one single in the U.S.), "Express Yourself" and "Cherish".

In November 1990, Madonna released her first greatest hits compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, which includes two new songs: "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". "Rescue Me" became the highest-debuting single by a female artist in the U.S. chart history at the time, entering at number 15 and peaking at number nine. "Justify My Love" became a number-one dance hit in the U.S. Its music video featured scenes of sadomasochism, bondage, same-sex kissing and brief nudity. It was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and banned from the station. In 1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside North America), which chronicles her Blond Ambition World Tour, as well as her personal life. The following year, she appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own with a portrayal of Italian American Mae Mordabito, and recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground" which became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit.

In 1992, Madonna founded her own entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and also music publishing, television, merchandising and book-publishing divisions. It was a joint venture with Time Warner as part of a $60 million recording and business deal. The deal gave her a 20% royalty, equal at the time to Michael Jackson's. The first release from the venture was Madonna's first publication Sex, a book consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images photographed by Steven Meisel. It caused media controversy but sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. At the same time she released her fifth studio album Erotica. It peaked at number two in the U.S., becoming one of her least successful records. Its title track peaked at #3 in the U.S. Hot 100. The album also produced five further singles; "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", "Fever", "Rain" and "Bye Bye Baby".

During 1993, she starred in two films. First was the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. The film contained S&M and bondage and was poorly received by critics. The second was the first production for Maverick Films, Dangerous Game. It was released straight-to-video in North America but received some good reviews for Madonna's performance. The New York Times described that "She submits impressively to the emotions raging furiously around her." She expressed her disappointment regarding the final cut of the film, claiming that the director had cut many of her key scenes and completely changed the ending. Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show World Tour at the end of 1993. It featured her dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers. The controversy continued in Puerto Rico when she rubbed its flag between her legs on stage, while Orthodox Jews protested against her first ever show in Israel.

In the spring of 1994, Madonna released the single "I'll Remember" which she recorded for Alek Keshishian's film With Honors. That year, she also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, using four-letter words and asking Letterman to smell her underwear. That same year she began dating rap artist Tupac Shakur, who she wanted to have a child with. The two would continue to date through that year into 1995 during his incarceration. Later that year, she released her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. It produced four singles— "Secret", "Take a Bow" (which spent 7 weeks at #1 on the U.S. Hot 100), "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature".

In November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her ballads which featured her cover of the Marvin Gaye song "I Want You" and the top ten hit song "You'll See". In 1996, Madonna’s most critically successful film, Evita, was released. She portrayed the main part of Eva Perón, a role first played by Elaine Paige in the West End. The soundtrack album contained three of her singles, of which "You Must Love Me" won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture. Madonna also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Madonna's 1998 studio album Ray of Light debuted at #2 in the U.S. Allmusic called it her "most adventurous record." The album produced two U.S. top 5 singles: "Frozen" and "Ray of Light". It won three Grammy Awards. Its title track won a Grammy for "Best Short Form Music Video", Best Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards and was used by Microsoft in its advertising campaign to introduce Windows XP. "Frozen" was adjudicated to be a plagiarism of Belgian songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva's 1993 song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp", and the album banned in Belgium. The album has been ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 1998, Madonna was signed to play a violin teacher in the film Music of the Heart but left the project, citing "creative differences" with director Wes Craven. Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the single "Beautiful Stranger", recorded for the 1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. It reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 with airplay alone.

In 2000, Madonna starred in The Next Best Thing. She contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack, "Time Stood Still" and the international hit "American Pie", a cover version of the 1970s Don McLean single. Madonna's eighth studio album, Music, was released in 2000 and debuted at #1 on the U.S. album charts. It produced three successful singles in the U.S.; "Music", "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for a Girl". The latter having a video which depicts murders by car, was banned by MTV and VH1.

In 2001, Madonna began her first world tour since 1993, the Drowned World Tour, visiting cities in North America and Europe. The tour was a success as one of the highest grossing of the year. It grossed $75 million from 47 sold-out shows. She also released her second greatest hits collection, GHV2 to coincide with the home video release of the tour.

In 2002, Madonna starred in the film Swept Away directed by her husband Guy Ritchie. The film was a commercial and critical failure and released straight-to-video in the UK. Later that year, she released the title song "Die Another Day" to the 20th James Bond film, in which she had a cameo role. It reached number eight in the U.S. Hot 100 and was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song. In 2002, Madonna starred in a play by David Williamson titled Up for Grabs.

In 2003, Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein on an exhibition installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS. It included photography from a photoshoot in W Magazine and seven video segments. The installation ran from March 28 to May 3, 2003 in New York gallery, Deitch Projects, it then travelled the world in an edited form. In April 2003, Madonna released the album American Life, themed on American society. It received mixed reviews. The song peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. Having sold 4 million copies, American Life became the lowest selling album of her career. Later that year, Madonna performed the song "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott at the MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna kissed Spears and Aguilera during the performance, resulting in tabloid press frenzy. That fall, Madonna provided guest vocals on Spears's single "Me Against the Music". During the Christmas season of 2003, Madonna released Remixed & Revisited, a remix EP that included rock versions of songs from American Life, and "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the Bedtime Stories recording sessions.

In March 2004 Madonna and Maverick sued Warner Music Group and its former parent company, Time Warner, claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. In return, WMG filed a countersuit, alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own. On June 14, 2004, the dispute was resolved when Maverick shares owned by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev were purchased. The company was now a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music. but Madonna is still signed to Warner under a separate recording contract. Later that year, Madonna embarked on the Re-Invention World Tour in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning $125 million. She made a documentary about the tour named I'm Going to Tell You a Secret. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked her #36 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song "Imagine" on the televised U.S. aid concert "Tsunami Aid", which raised money for the tsunami victims in Asia. In July 2005, Madonna performed at the Live 8 benefit concert in London, run in support of the aims of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty. Her performances of "Like a Prayer", "Ray of Light" and "Music" were included in the Live 8 DVD. Her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor was released that year and sold more than 8 million copies. The album received positive reviews. It produced four singles — "Hung Up" reached #1 in a record breaking 45 countries. "Sorry" became Madonna's twelfth number one in the UK, making her the female artist with the most #1 singles in the UK charts. "Get Together", became her thirty-sixth number one dance hit in the U.S. The fourth single, "Jump", reached number nine in the UK.

In mid-2006, Madonna became the worldwide model for H&M. Included in the deal was a specially designed track suit, created by Madonna. The next year, the clothing line M by Madonna was launched internationally. Madonna's Confessions Tour began in May 2006. It had a global audience of 1.2 million people and, with reported gross sales of $260.1 million. The use of religious symbols such as the crucifix and Crown of Thorns in the performance of "Live to Tell" caused controversy. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia urged all members to boycott her concert. Prosecutors in Düsseldorf threatened to sue her and a Protestant bishop said, "the only way an aging superstar can attract attention is to offend people's religious sentiments." Vatican officials claimed her mock crucifixion was an open attack on Catholicism, to which Madonna responded: "My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole." In December 2006, PETA criticized Madonna for wearing a chinchilla fur coat in a London restaurant.

Madonna opposes American President George W. Bush. In her Confessions Tour performance of the song "I Love New York", she replaced the original lyrics "just go to Texas, isn't that where they golf?" with "just go to Texas and you can suck George Bush's dick!" She endorsed Wesley Clark's Democratic nomination for the 2004 presidential election in a letter to her fans saying, "the future I wish for my children is at risk." In late 2006, she expressed her support for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2008 election. Most recently, she stated that she would be behind Al Gore if he decided to run for the 2008 elections after seeing his documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. She also urged her fans to see Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

In May 2007, Madonna released the download-only song "Hey You", in anticipation of Live Earth, which was free for its first week. She also performed it at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007.

In October 2007, Madonna announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records and a new $120 million, ten year contract with Live Nation. She will be the founding recording artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists. The Warner Bros. deal will be completed with a compilation album due early 2009.

In 2008, Madonna promoted her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, with the Hard Candy Promo Tour. It was lauded by Rolling Stone as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour." The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, where Madonna achieved ten number one albums. Hard Candy sold 100,000 copies in the United States upon its first day of release. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with over 280,000 copies sold. The album received mostly positive reviews worldwide, though some critics panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market". Its lead single "4 Minutes" reached number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the U.S. Radio & Records Pop Chart. The single scored Madonna her 37th Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit, making her the artist with the most Top 10 hits in the history of the chart, surpassing Elvis Presley. In the UK, she retained her record for the most number one singles for a female artist, this being her 13th. Two further singles "Give It 2 Me" and "Miles Away" were released to accompany the album.

On August 23, 2008, Madonna embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, her first major venture with Live Nation. It became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist with $US280 million, surpassing the title previous held by her 2006 Confessions Tour. The tour also set new records in several countries for attendance and ticket sales. On January 30, 2009, it was announced the tour would be extended, adding new European dates commencing on July 4, 2009 at the O2 Arena in London.

In January 2009, Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Meisel for the 2009 Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer collection. Creative Director, Marc Jacobs, contacted Madonna to do the print advertising campaign after seeing a performance of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in Paris. On March 2, 2009, Madonna was honoured with the Japan Gold International Artist of the Year award at the RIAJ Gold Disc Awards for her album "Hard Candy". Madonna also teamed up with designer Ed Hardy to launch another fashion collection of her own after being approached by Christian Audigier.

Madonna's Catholic background and relationship with her parents were reflected in the album Like a Prayer. It is also an evocation of the impact religion had on her career. Her video for the title track contains Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. During The Virgin Tour, she wore a rosary and prayed with it in the music video for "La Isla Bonita".

In 1985, Madonna commented that the first song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra and that it summed up her "take-charge attitude." As a young woman, she attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, and during this time became interested in classical music. She noted that her favorite style was baroque, and loved Mozart and Chopin because she liked their "feminine quality". In 1999, Madonna identified musical influences that impacted her such as Karen Carpenter, The Supremes and Led Zeppelin, and dancers like Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev. In an interview with The Observer, Madonna professed her inspirations—Detroit natives The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, as well as New York band The Jett Set.

During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny...and I saw myself in them...my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence". Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she later studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for her film Who's That Girl. The video for "Express Yourself" (1989) was inspired by Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis. The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of Hollywood glamour photographers, in particular Horst P. Horst, and imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Rita Hayworth, while the lyrics referenced many of the stars who had inspired her. Among them was Bette Davis, described by Madonna as an idol, along with Louise Brooks and Dita Parlo. Madonna was also influenced by Andy Warhol for the 1992 music videos for "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper".

Madonna has been influenced by the art world, most notably by Frida Kahlo. Her 1995 music video to "Bedtime Story" featured images inspired by the paintings of Kahlo and Remedios Varo. Her 2003 video to "Hollywood" was a homage to the work of photographer Guy Bourdin which led to a lawsuit by Bourdin's son due to the use of his father's work without permission.

In the late 1970s, Madonna dated Dan Gilroy, with whom she formed the band Breakfast Club. In the early 1980s, she dated her collaborator Stephen Bray, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, DJ and record producer Mark Kamins, and musician Jellybean Benitez. While filming the music video for "Material Girl" in 1985, Madonna dated actor Sean Penn and married him on her 27th birthday that year. After filing and withdrawing divorce papers in December 1987, they separated on New Year's Eve 1988 and divorced in January 1989. Of her marriage to Penn, Madonna said, "I was completely obsessed with my career and not ready to be generous in any shape or form." Madonna then began a relationship with Warren Beatty while working with him on the film Dick Tracy. The couple broke up in the fall of 1990, after a year and a half together.

In late 1990, Madonna dated Tony Ward, a model and porn star who starred in her music videos for "Cherish" (1989) and "Justify My Love" (1990). Their relationship ended by early 1991, and Madonna began an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice, who appeared in her Sex book. Madonna dated basketball player Dennis Rodman in the mid 1990s. In September 1994, in Central Park, Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon who became her trainer and lover. On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Madonna dated Andy Bird, who sold his story about their eighteen-month relationship in late 2000. Madonna became involved with Guy Ritchie, whom she had met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler. On August 11, 2000, she gave birth to their son, Rocco. On December 22, 2000, Madonna and Ritchie were married in Scotland. Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie in October 2008. A preliminary decree of divorce was granted Friday, November 21, 2008, and became final on Friday, January 2, 2009. The document released by the court states that Madonna, said in a sworn statement that the reason for filing for her divorce is due to Ritchie's "unreasonable behavior." By December 15, 2008, the couple had agreed a divorce settlement, the terms of which grant Richie between £50million and £60million, a figure that includes the value of the couple's country house in England. .

In October 2006, Madonna traveled to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which she also funded as part of the Raising Malawi initiative. On October 10, 2006, she filed adoption papers for a boy named David Banda Mwale, born on September 24, 2005 and renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie. Banda was flown out of Malawi on October 16. The adoption raised public controversy because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adopting. The effort was highly publicised and culminated in legal disputes.

Madonna's 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour is the highest grossing concert tour by a solo artist. In the United Kingdom, she is the most successful female in the singles chart history and has more number one singles than any other female solo artist. In 2008, she surpassed Elvis Presley as the artist with most top ten hits in the history of Billboard Hot 100. In 2007, Madonna was listed by VH1 as eighth in the Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

There has been speculation about her relationships with other women, including Naomi Campbell and Sandra Bernhard. The book Sex depicts her in sexual situations with men and women, and she has been credited with educating people about bisexuality. Madonna has been criticized by the Roman Catholic Church, particularly during her "Who's That Girl Tour", "Blond Ambition World Tour" and "Confessions" tours. The New York Times journalist and author Gay Talese relates this to her Italian ancestry – people from Pacentro have been in a long tradition of rebellion against Catholics. Madonna had her son Rocco baptized in a Presbyterian Church.

Madonna has generated academic interest. Interdisciplinary research and publications address her relationship to and place within commodity culture, the mass-media spectacles she creates, and the iconography of minority groups such as gay and lesbian people, which she uses in videos such as those for "Vogue", "Like a Prayer", "La Isla Bonita" and "Borderline". These publications were so extensive that in the 1990s, academics would refer to "Madonna Studies" as a sub-field of media studies.

In 2006 a new water bear species (Latin: Tardigrada), Echiniscus madonnae, was named after Madonna. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1–36). The authors' justification for the name of the new species was: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.

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RocknRolla

RocknRolla is a 2008 British crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, and Tom Wilkinson. It was filmed in London and released on 5 September 2008 in the United Kingdom, hitting #1 in the UK box office in its first week of release.It was given a limited release on October 8, 2008 in Canada and United States, followed by a wide expansion on October 31.

Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) is a crime boss who calls the shots in London's underworld and real estate market. We learn all about Lenny from Archy (Strong)—his second in command—who serves as the film's narrator. When a wealthy Russian property dealer by the name of Uri Omovich (Roden) looks to Lenny for help on a major new deal, Lenny is eager to assist (for a very large fee, of course). Uri agrees to pay, and as a show of faith, he insists that Lenny borrow his "lucky" painting. Uri then asks his accountant, Stella (Newton), to transfer the money to Lenny, but things quickly go awry when a band of thieves known as the Wild Bunch—consisting of One Two (Butler) and Mumbles (Elba)—intercept the money before it reaches him (at the behest of Stella). To make matters worse, the lucky painting has mysteriously been stolen, and the number one suspect is Lenny's estranged stepson, crack-addicted rock star Johnny Quid, who is presumed dead. As Lenny desperately tries to locate the painting, Uri calls in sadistic henchmen to recover his money.

In an attempt to find Johnny, Lenny and Archy enlist his former record producers Mickey (Ludacris) and Roman (Piven) to track him down or else their concerts and clubs will be shut down. When One Two, Mumbles, and Bob try to steal the second load of Uri's money they are wounded and chased by Uri's persistent hired mercenaries who engage them in a shootout and a lengthy foot chase. They nevertheless deliver the money to Stella as they did before. By this time Uri has grown impatient and has Lenny viciously beaten, demanding that the painting be returned and the money delivered. Two item peddling junkies manage to steal the painting from Johnny and sell it to the Wild Bunch, which is given to One Two who gifts it to Stella after they have sex. Mickey and Roman find Johnny and call Archy to have him delivered. After capturing the three, Archy and Lenny's men go to apprehend One Two who is already in the hands of Uri's vengeful mercenaries. Archy and his men kill the mercenaries and kidnap One Two as well as Mumbles and Handsome Bob who arrived to deliver the name of the talked about police informant inside the London underworld.

Uri arrives at Stella's house to seal their arrangements while also asking her to marry him, as he has been smitten with her for a long time. Immediately after, Uri spots his lucky painting in Stella's living room. After being asked how long she's had it, Stella says she's had it for years, not knowing it's actually Uri's. Feeling betrayed and enraged, Uri orders his associate inside to kill Stella.

Meanwhile, Archy brings Johnny, the Wild Bunch, Mickey, and Roman to Lenny's warehouse where Johnny begins to verbally provoke Lenny. Lenny then shoots Johnny in the stomach before he finishes telling Archy that Lenny is the rat. Lenny then orders Johnny, Roman, and Mickey escorted downstairs while demanding that the Wild Bunch to tell him where the money is. Handsome Bob offers Archy the documents in his jacket pocket which reveals the informant, code named "Sidney Shaw," to be Lenny. Lenny had arranged with the police to give up many of his associates for prison at any given time in exchange for his freedom. One Two, Mumbles, and Archy himself are among the people Lenny has ratted out over the years. With this new information brought to light, Archy frees the Wild Bunch and kills Lenny.

In the meantime, Johnny informs Mickey and Roman how they will be executed prompting Lenny's men to act prematurely. Mickey and Roman intervene and kill the men and Johnny kills two more guards waiting outside the lift. The Wild Bunch save them from the last remaining henchman and they all escape.

Some time later, Archy picks up a rehabilitated but still eccentric Johnny Quid from the hospital. Archy offers Uri's lucky painting to Johnny as a peace offering and "welcome home present," which Johnny accepts. Archy reveals to Johnny that obtaining the painting "cost a very wealthy Russian an arm and a leg." The film closes with Johnny proclaiming that with his new freedom, he will do what he couldn't do before: "become a real RocknRolla".

In May 2007, director Guy Ritchie announced the production of RocknRolla, a film with a similar theme to his previous films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). RocknRolla, written by Ritchie, was produced by Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros.. The following June, Ritchie hired the cast for RocknRolla, and filming began on location in London on 19 June 2007.

A scheduling conflict prevented director Guy Ritchie from casting actor Jason Statham, who appeared in three of his films, into RocknRolla.

The DVD was released on January 27, 2009.

Critical reaction to the film has been mixed, with 59% positive out of 124 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The website Metacritic.com, which compiles and then averages major film critics' reviews of films, gave the film a 55 out of 100, which is categorized as having mixed or average reviews. Chris Tilly of IGN UK gave the film a positive review with 4/5 stars, saying "He's hardly re-inventing the wheel with this movie, but RocknRolla is nonetheless a comedy thriller that is every bit as accomplished as his early work, and without doubt a witty, adrenalin-fuelled blast from start to finish." Britain's top selling newspaper, The Sun, picked Rocknrolla as their "Best Film" of 2008 and Toby Kebbell picked up the "Best Actor" award.

It was revealed by Thandie Newton that Guy Ritchie has stated that he hopes to extend RocknRolla into a trilogy if the film receives enough positive attention. At the end of the film there is a title card stating "Johnny, Archy and the Wild Bunch will be back in The Real Rock n Rolla".

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