It has been a long, long time since Gwyneth Paltrow has been photographed in public with Madonna. It’s been exactly 12 hours since Gwyneth Paltrow was photographed with Madonna’s ex-husband and Jacqui, the mother of his newborn baby.

GOOP will roll her eyes and say that gossips are making something out of nothing and that a dinner with Guy Ritchie doesn’t mean she and Madge are no longer tight. If Jacqui wasn’t around, I’d be more inclined to give that explanation some weight. After all, G and Robert Downey are very close. And RDJ and Guy are close too. And, you know, sometimes you can’t get around those relationships. But the fact is, Jacqui was there. And Jacqui is over 20 years younger than her predecessor. As such, she’s also fertile. And, well, for Madonna, who won’t stop fighting it, this kind of thing, it’s not received with a simple shrug. Those of you who insist that famous girls can get along without drama and it’s not true that they’re always stabbing each other in the back...

You do know this blog is about Hollywood, right?

Now ordinarily, when someone busts Madonna’s ass, she has the power and the influence to shut them down and make them hurt. With Gwyneth though...Gwyneth has her own very respectable connections. So respectable that she’s probably immune to even Madonna’s shenanigans. Gwyneth always knew just as many people in the same room. Gwyneth, on that level, was never lesser. If you’ve followed Madonna through the years, you’ll note that in all her female friendships, she has to be the main event. All of her friends are also her fans. They’re sycophants. They’re part of her entourage. I’ve seen her several times in social situations. She puts herself in the centre of the circle and everyone else is expected to surround her and amuse her. See Ingrid Casares. To my knowledge, Gwyneth, for a long time, like years and years, was able to roll with that. And then one day she either couldn’t anymore or Madonna cut her off. Also, what do you make of the fact that the other girls who used to be part of that little friend situation, like Stella McCartney, are still down with G and have too, over the same period of time, not had much, if any, contact with M? I can’t decide what I want to believe - did Gwyneth meangirl Madonna, or did Madonna become intolerable?

PS. If you’re wondering about Gwyneth’s sweater, Sasha found it here.