I’m naive: Kinnear

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear has blamed his extraordinary, expletive-laden attack on sections of the British press on "sickening" reports that have proved "soul-destroying" to him and his family. However the 61-year-old admitted to possibly being "naive" about the nature of press reporting of his appointment by Newcastle as caretaker manager. Kinnear caused a storm last week when he singled out newspaper reporters over their coverage of his shock appointment at the crisis-hit Premier League club.

The Magpies manager claimed he had been "ridiculed for no reason" and hinted at taking legal action against his detractors in the media. He described some reporters as "c***" and "f****** out of order". Kinnear admitted that his outburst was partly down to his "short fuse". But he said the level of hatred he had felt since being appointed at Newcastle had shocked him. "Some of the stuff I've had to deal with has been soul-destroying and my family has stopped reading the newspapers," he said. - AFP

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Madonna dines out with A-Rod

According to Usmagazine.com, Madonna and Alex Rodriguez had an intimate dinner last week in the New York restaurant Dos Caminos on 3rd Avenue.

The Kabbalah pals seemed very close, according to sources that tipped off the mag. A-Rod, the multi-million dollar Yankees star, who signed a divorce deal with wife Cynthia last month, has not been seen with Mrs Ritchie since Cynthia claimed last July that he had had "an affair of the heart" with Madge. The tale of the baseball star and the pop diva continues.