A birthday shoot for Madonna... with Guy in the firing line

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Guy Ritchie has been putting a great deal of effort into planning a surprise 50th birthday for his wife Madonna – but it seems he may have shot himself in the foot.

Guy has arranged a country-themed weekend at Ashcombe, the couple's £9million Wiltshire estate, which will entail a day of clay-pigeon shooting.

But while Madonna loves her lady-of-the-manor lifestyle, she hates shooting and is known not to be a very good shot.

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Country girl: Madonna will be donning the tweed for a traditional country birthday

The Kabbalah devotee certainly won't be turning her gun on any living creatures.

She is said to have banned pheasant shooting at Ashcombe, for fear that the souls of dead game birds might return to haunt her.

Says a friend: "Madonna's birthday falls on a Saturday in August and Guy is planning a riding, clay-pigeon shooting and English manor-themed weekend.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin and Vinnie Jones will be joining the party and will have to dress in tweeds. Madonna won't object to clay-pigeon shooting, but she's not great at it and doesn't enjoy it.

"She'd rather just have a holiday."

Meanwhile, the revelation that Guy and Madonna sleep with their Blackberries under their pillows has inspired the firm that makes them to commission a special range of pillowcases, complete with a pocket to hold the gizmo.