MANILA, Philippines - Madonna has always been a newsmaker who?s become an expert at periodically surprising her audience.

Of late, however, her fans have been more shocked than surprised, because Madonna and hubby Guy Ritchie have opted to end their May-December marriage in such an acrimonious way.

From day to day, the viewing and reading public has been ?entertained? by the volleys of insults sequentially hurled against each other by the embattled spouses.

The latest sour exchange has Madonna criticizing Ritchie for his low sex drive, and hubby countering that making love to wifey is like romancing sandpaper.

Don?t take him at his (caustic) word, though. Decades ago, after shooting ?Some Like It Hot? with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis shared that kissing Marilyn onscreen was ?like making love to Hitler.?

Naturally, the ungallant statement shocked many people. Recently, however, Curtis offered a belated explanation: He was just kidding!

So, could Ritchie have been joshing as well when he bitched about Madonna?s scratchy charms? Perhaps, decades later, we?ll know.

Oprah as kingmaker

The successful US presidential bid of Barack Obama is seen as another feather in the many-plumed hat of his most visible and voluble supporter, Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah boosted Obama?s presidential bid very early on, and got many of her similarly stellar friends to do the same. So effective was Oprah in her campaign that some political analysts credit her with adding around a million votes to her candidate?s total!

After Obama?s victory had been affirmed, Oprah was asked if she would accept an ambassadorial post in Obama?s new administration. While she didn?t answer in the categorical negative, she insisted that she had no personal agenda in helping her candidate of choice.

Another candidate, VP bet Sarah Palin, didn?t make it, but she became an overnight sensation, and much of her viewer if not voter appeal is credited to the satirical show, ?Saturday Night Live? in general, and impersonator Tina Fey in particular.

A number of SNL telecasts poked fun at Palin, but the candidate didn?t object, and in fact made some personal appearances on the show, because she knew that it boosted her popularity.

Like Oprah, SNL is credited with having added a million votes to Palin?s presidential partner, John McCain?s bid. That?s a big boost, and it should prompt candidates in future polls to make even more aggressive use of television to improve their chances of winning.

This would require politicians to know, not just how to govern, but also how to perform.