Sure, the mere fact that she was hangin’ with Guy and his sons doesn’t necessarily mean that anything of a romantic nature is going on but … I dunno. He’s a very attractive man, she’s an attractive woman. From what I understand about their relationship work-wise, he refers to her as his “rock”, especially in the wake of his divorce from Madonna. This may very well be what Guy’s new family looks like these days … and everyone looks very happy. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Fresh from her concert in Poland, Madonna jetted to Italy for a romantic reunion with toyboy boyfriend Jesus Luz for her 51st birthday yesterday. After performing in Warsaw on Saturday night, Madonna flew to the luxury resort of Portofino where the Brazilian model was waiting for her with her four children. Enjoying a two-day break before her concert in Munich on Tuesday, Madonna chose to celebrate her big day with an intimate family party. The Material Girl is reported to have booked an entire floor at the five-star, 1,000 Euros-a-night Hotel Splendido, which has stunning views of the Mediterranean. The 51-year-old singer was spotted having a romantic birthday breakfast for two with Jesus on the balcony of her hotel suite on Sunday morning. Later that day, Madonna, Jesus and the children were seen getting a boat out to a yacht, believed to be owned by her designer friends Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The designers hosted a birthday meal for the singer, during which she was presented with a big cake with sparklers on top and wore a lace dress by the duo. Throughout the meal, Madonna was seen kissing and nuzzling up to 22-year-old Jesus.

Oh yes, there was a lot of canoodling going on betwixt Madonna & Child yesterday day and night. After the jump, check out photos from the happy couple’s birthday breakfast AND intimate birthday dinner party with friends …

Buon Compleanno Madonna! Madonna — along with her gorgeous boy toy/model Jesus Luz — is in the Italian Riviera resort of Portofino Monday to celebrate her birthday in true star style. The superstar singer — who turned 51 Sunday — booked an entire floor of the town’s Splendido Hotel for her stay. The Material Mom (sans kids) was snapped Sunday sharing breakfast (and a kiss!) with Jesus before joining the rest of her entourage later for dinner and cake. Famed Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana [hosted] a star studded birthday party for the Material Mom during her trip. But where there’s Madonna, there’s always controversy. The ‘Like A Virgin’ Singer caused a flap on Saturday when her Sticky and Sweet tour concert in Poland happened on the same day as the Feast of the Assumption, a high point of the Catholic calendar marking the traditional belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus also known as the Madonna, was taken up into heaven. She may have been branded a “Satanist” by the religious leaders of Poland, but Madonna seemed genuinely touched when the 80,000 strong crowd at her concert in Warsaw surprised her by singing a traditional Polish birthday song, ‘May You Live A Hundred Years’. “I feel your love. I love what I do, but you regenerate me,” said a beaming Madonna. Many of the fans near the stage also held up paper hearts. One said: “Adopt Me.”

MMMM MMM MMMM … get it, girl. Clearly, Madonna and Jesus are closer than ever. The very intimate nature of their relationship seems very evident in these photos. As for the controversy in Poland, well, the folks who came out to her show Saturday night had no problem showing her the lurve. Here is video of the crowd singing Happy Birthday to her Saturday night:

These have to be the cutest pics of Maddy’s kids yet. They all seem to be having an amazingly fun time … and the look on Mercy James’s cute little face really tells the tale here. She is incredibly beautiful … I love these photos. I’m sure it’s a bit difficult for the kids to be on the road with their mother (tho, on the other hand, they prolly love spending their Summer vacation touring the world) but it looks like there is a lot of playtime built into their schedule. These are fun pics, y’all. I love them :)

[Photo credit: X17]

Madonna will be on tour up until early September so she and the kiddies have plenty of private planing ahead of them. It looks like little Miss Mercy James is getting a crash course in luxurious living now that she’s officially part of Maddy’s family. Here’s hoping it’s a successful tour … in every respect.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

If Mercy James looks a little bewildered, it’s simply because she’s come such a long way. And not just in miles. The little girl who started life in a spartan African orphanage found herself checking into the sumptuous splendour of the Ritz when Madonna brought the family to Paris. Its five-star luxury could offer no starker contrast to the life Mercy left behind in poverty-stricken Malawi when Madonna won her battle to adopt her last month. And her wide-eyed wonder as she arrived at the historic hotel with the 50-year-old singer showed she is still adjusting to a way of life her friends back home would never even dream of. Clutching her new mother’s hand, four-year-old Mercy insisted on stopping in the street as they got out of their car in front of the hotel. Still holding tight for reassurance, she twisted around to take in the beauty of the Paris street and the imposing facade of the Ritz. In a pale pink hooded jacket, jeans and matching pink pumps,she looked like any little girl dressed by a fashion-conscious mother … Mercy is going to have to get used to travelling – albeit in luxurious style – as her pop star mother shows no signs of slowing down her career. Also in the travelling party were Madonna’s adopted son David, 3, and daughter Lourdes, 13. Only son Rocco, who yesterday attended the Harry Potter premiere in London, could not be seen. Meanwhile Madonna is said to be in talks with Simon Cowell about performing on this year’s series of The X Factor. A show source told The Sun: ‘The last series proved anything is possible when Beyonce performed with Alex – the final got 15 million viewers and that is enough to entice the biggest stars onto our stage. “This year is going to be bigger than ever – we are planning to get the best names in music. Madonna would be so sensational.”

Aww … Mercy in pink — so cute!! Yes, I believe that Rocco was not with the rest of his sibs because he stayed back in London for a bit of extra time with his father Guy Ritchie. It must really be a huge shock to the system for little Mercy to go from an orphanage to the most luxurious places in the world. She is absolutely a beautiful child. Madonna is so lucky to be her mother.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

As you can see, little Mercy and David got all dolled up for the occasion … Madonna just wore whatever work-out clothes (hopefully clean) that she had handy. Nonetheless, despite Maddy’s dressed-downness they all look super-adorable together … I’m so happy for Maddy’s newly expanded family.

Oh and remember that you can watch Sky1’s broadcast of Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour performance from Buenos Aires, Argentina last December online HERE live TODAY at 1PM PT, 4PM ET. Don’t miss it!!

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

Guy Ritchie enjoyed a boys’ day out with sons Rocco and David yesterday as he took the pair to see the Peter Pan play in Kensington Gardens. The casually dress trio arrived at the production with friends and three-year-old David clutched his film director father’s hand as they may their way inside. Ritchie, 40, was every inch the doting father and couldn’t stop smiling as he enjoyed some bonding time with his boys. The ex-husband of pop star Madonna has been looking after Rocco, eight, and David at his home in Wiltshire while she bonds with newly adopted daughter Mercy in London. Madonna’s oldest daughter Lourdes is also thought to be with them. The 50-year-old pop star is said to be determined not to ‘smother’ four-year-old Mercy.

It’s very obvious that divorce is never the best family option for families but many, many times it’s a circumstance that cannot be helped. It seems to me that Madonna and Guy are doing a very good job keeping the kids of paramount importance and ensuring that they are able to spend lots of quality time with both of their parents. It’s not like Guy has to be commended for spending time with his own children but it is a happy sight to see him so involved in their lives (well, as much as he can be considering that they now live with their mother an ocean away). Maddy will be bizzy with the resumption of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in just a couple of weeks … methinks that daddy Guy will be picking up some of the parental slack in the coming weeks and months.

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It’s the most gentle of gestures – a tiny hand holding tightly onto the jacket of the woman carefully cradling her. This is the first glimpse of pop star Madonna and her new daughter Mercy James – who were united yesterday after the child flew into Britain. Hours after the four-year-old arrived on a flight from Malawi to Heathrow she got a taste of her new life as she joined her family on a trip to London’’s Kabbalah Centre. Hidden beneath a sea of shielding umbrellas Mercy was briefly glimpsed as she joined older sister Lourdes, and brothers David and Rocco at the centre. Even Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie was at the centre to meet the new arrival, whose adoption he publicly supported. Madonna, 50, had flown into Britain from New York with her three other children hours earlier. It is thought to be the first time that she has seen her new daughter since she travelled to Malawi in April when her adoption bid was initially rejected before being approved this month. Malawian police arranged for the airport terminal in Lilongwe to shut so Mercy and her new nanny Joanne could leave privately on a private six-seater Cessna Citation plane. They headed to Johannesburg on the first leg of their journey. From there the group flew first-class on a night flight to Heathrow, landing at 6.30am. Earlier Mercy was said to be filled with excitement at leaving her temporary home at Kumbali Lodge in Malawi. One member of staff said: “She was running around, singing to herself and telling everyone how she would be flying for the first time.” She said goodbye in her native language, telling staff: “I’m going now, I’m going on a plane, I’m going up to the sky.”

Yay!! At last … Mercy James is at home with her loving family! This union with her family has been a LONG time coming. I have to say, while the cute little story about Mercy “running around” is cute, I find it highly unlikely that anyone who has been allowed in close proximity to her would be talking to the press … no way. Even still, I’m sure the precious little girl was very excited (prolly a wee bit scared) to begin her new life with her new family. Madonna will be hittin’ the road again soon so she’s gonna have her hands full with all those kids plus a new concert tour. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a better picture of Mercy with her mother very soon :)

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Mercy Chifundo James, the 3-year-old toddler adopted by Madonna, was secretly flown from her home country of Malawi into London early Saturday morning. “A private jet flew in from South Africa and collected her at five minutes to six last evening,” an airport source tells PEOPLE. “She connected to London from Johannesburg at 10:30 p.m.” Mercy, who will be joining big sister, Lourdes, brothers Rocco and David Banda, – also a 3-year-old from Malawi – was accompany by a nanny, a child nurse and another aide. Madonna has homes in England and in the United States … Madonna, who was seen leaving London by private jet Friday afternoon after earlier flying in from New York’s JFK airport, was still expected in Malawi, but no one could confirm when she would arrive. “There are still preparation for her coming,” said a source at Raising Malawi, the charity the singer set up in the African nation. “We still have a two-week booking at Kumbali Lodge.” The Lodge is an exclusive ranch Madonna has been staying during all three of her visits to Malawi. Owner Guy Pickering confirmed his place has been booked for two weeks but could not divulge more. “We don’t discuss our clients; that’s private information,” he said.

HMMM … all of this seems … wrong. My guess is that the report that Mercy left Malawi is a ruse to throw people off track. It seems more likely to me that the little girl was flown to the Kumbali Lodge to meet up with Madonna and co. to begin the bonding process. If the family is scheduled to be in Malawi for a couple of weeks then I’m sure that’s where everyone is meeting up. Whatever the case may be, I am happy to know that the adoption process is moving forward and things appear to be on track. Mercy will return home with her new family soon enough … but for now, bonding. Sounds like a good plan to me.

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Prince Harry ended his first trip to New York on Saturday with victory at a charity polo match and a dousing in champagne. The prince, 24, projected a newly serious image on his two-day visit to the Big Apple, kicking off his first official foreign trip by paying homage at Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks. But he was back to his glamour-loving ways Saturday at the star-studded game on Governor’s Island in the Hudson River, with Manhattan’s skyscrapers the dramatic backdrop. Riding a chestnut-colored pony called Serena he helped his team win 6-5 before an adoring crowd. Well-heeled guests and celebrities in sunglasses, suits, tiny dresses and large hats sipped Veuve Clicquot champagne, which sponsored the event, as they watched from white pavilions. On the other side of the pitch, hundreds of members of an enthusiastic public lay on the grass, roasting in the sun. All afternoon, the “mwah mwah” of air kisses mingled with the shutter snaps of paparazzi cameras and thud of galloping polo ponies. Argentine model and professional polo player Nacho Figueras, who captained the losing team, told AFP that Prince Harry was a “good player.” He dismissed suggestions before the game — staged to raise money for Prince Harry’s Lesotho children’s charity Sentebale — that he might go easy on his royal rival. “When we’re on the polo field we are all equal. That’s the way he’d like it,” said Figueras, whose appearance caused exclamations of admiration from several female journalists, including one gushing: “You’re so tall!” After the match, the famously hard-partying Prince Harry was soaked in champagne. Figueras sprayed the third in line to the British throne, who then drank from a champagne-filled trophy — and sprayed a mouthful of bubbly back. The red-headed prince is notorious for his late nights out and occasional PR gaffes, but is seen as one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. While New York is brimming with celebrities, the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana has clearly made a mark. Invitees to the polo match included Madonna, Chloe Sevigny and fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

Rapper LL Cool J said he was thrilled. “It’s very cool he came over from London for it,” he said. The rapper, sporting diamond ear rings and shadowed by an enormous bodyguard in a black suit, said there was “a certain mystery” about royals. The closest he’d got to royalty, LL Cool J joked, was Queens — a decidedly down-to-earth area of New York City. This was Prince Harry’s first time to New York and first trip abroad as official representative of Buckingham Palace. He began on Friday with wreath-laying at Ground Zero, site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack against the World Trade Center. He then named the British Garden in Manhattan in honor of the 67 Britons killed on 9/11 and met with veterans at a military hospital.

Congrats to Prince Harry and his team on their win … but really, it is the children who benefit from his charity Sentebele that are the real winners. I understand folks paid quite a pretty penny to attend yesterday’s event, with proceeds going to Harry’s charity. It looks like Madonna was interesting in pretty much everything else (including reading the new issue of Interview magazine which features Björk on the cover) BUT watching polo. Still, it was nice of her to grace the prince with her hallowed presence. And thus ends the first official visit to the US by his royal hawtness. We were very glad to have him and hopefully he’ll come back real soon.

[Photo credit: Splash News, Bauer-Griffin; Source]