The Daily Mirror, which in June broke the story that Madonna and Guy Ritchie were heading for divorce, worked itself into what can only be described as a monumental dummy spit today after missing the fact that the couple were about to announce their split. That appeared yesterday on the front page of the Sun and made headlines around the world. Monkey hears Mirror hacks saw the Sun story late on Tuesday night but did not put in into their final edition, thinking they had already covered it. One day late, today's Mirror contains no fewer than 15 bitter references to the fact that they broke the story, in addition to barbed lines like: "Madge's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg and her hapless UK puppet Barbara Charone repeatedly and deliberately lie." And: "At the time one downmarket newspaper did insist all was rosy in the Madge marriage. Yesterday that same paper tried to claim a break-up exclusive, such is the looking glass world of Madonna's deluded PR machine ... Our world-beating exclusive reinforced the Daily Mirror's reputation as No1 for real news. No1 for real entertainment. Accept no substitutes." Over at the Sun, they were so chuffed at riling their red-top rival that they stuck up a cutting of the Mirror alongside the gallery of famous front pages. And in case you're wondering, the Mirror's splash yesterday was: "Town puts up Christmas decorations 71 days early." D'oh!
