DOWN, NOT OUT
Celebrating her 47th birthday, Madonna hops on a horse and takes a bone-breaking tumble

Madonna had planned to celebrate her 47th birthday on a warm summer afternoon at her country home outside London, relaxing with her husband and children and horseback riding with her assistant. And then: boom. On Aug. 16 the singer took a spill on an unfamiliar horse, suffering three cracked ribs and a broken collarbone and hand. Her husband, Guy Ritchie, drove her to a local hospital, where she was treated and released a few hours later.

Fortunately she's almost finished wrapping up her new album, which she shot cover art for last Thursday and is due out in November. That said, "I'm sure she'll be very restless," says rep Liz Rosenberg. "She's usually doing lots of things at once: Pilates, riding her bike. I think it will be tough on her." At the very least, she can count on the neighbors to pull her a sympathetic pint or two. "She is well-liked by the locals round here," says Tim Birks, landlord of Madonna's local pub the King John Inn. "A lot of people will be wishing her a speedy recovery." So will she get back on the horse and ride again? "Knowing her, she'll be riding next week," says Rosenberg. "She is a fearless girl."

DEMI AND ASHTON'S GETAWAY
On a private island in Fiji, five complete strangers had their hands all over Demi Moore—and she loved it. The actress "was raving about a massage she had in the spa, telling everyone they should do it," says a fellow guest at the Wakaya Club resort where Moore received the Tini Na Liga (translation: 10-hand massage) Aug. 9, a $450 treatment involving five massage therapists. Moore's relaxation session was just one highlight of her romantic getaway with boyfriend Ashton Kutcher. Later that day, the couple surfaced from nesting in their private beach hut to indulge in a couple's massage. They also took in room service dinners and strolled along the island's coast. What's with all the bliss? "You talk about meeting your soulmate," says Moore in September's Harper's Bazaar. "I truly feel I have been given that gift." As for the pregnancy rumors, Moore wasn't showing anything but a serene demeanor on their vacation. Still, the actress clearly hopes for more. The pair, who have been together over two years, are considering tying the knot. "It's right in there with everything we would like to share with one another," revealed the actress, along with another big wish. "We truly desire to expand our family."

MATT'S LOST CAUSE
It may not be Wisteria Lane, but the tropical island of Lost, ABC's other hit show, is also prime real estate—and, says star Matthew Fox, it's being severely undervalued. "We were busting our ass and weren't getting a lot of recognition," Fox says in the September issue of Details. "[The cast] feels like we're the bastard stepchild of the two huge hits on ABC." Adds Fox's costar Yunjin Kim: "Foxy isn't one to complain unless he has good reason. We all took a pay cut to do this show." Indeed, the four principal stars of Desperate Housewives reportedly received raises and $250,000 bonuses. Though the Lost cast received modest bonuses, the difference in treatment "has been night and day," Fox said. Lost costar Jorge Garcia notes the show's 14 castmates may have been a factor in doling out extra money. And, adds a source, Housewives did draw nearly twice the viewers. An ABC rep had no comment.

Oprah's Class Field Trip
Oprah Winfrey's latest miracle? Fulfilling Houston gym teacher Mona Quinney's dream to take her 68 first graders—most from low-income families—to Disneyland. "Help them forget all of the sadness in their little lives," Quinney wrote to Winfrey. On Aug. 12 the TV talk show host granted Quinney's wish, even hopping aboard rides like the Mad Tea Party with the giddy kids as part of Disneyland's 50th anniversary. "I'm still on clouds," says Quinney, who joined her students. The excursion will air this fall as part of Winfrey's 20th-anniversary season. "After this trip I know these kids went home with happy memories to last a lifetime," says Winfrey.

Celebrity
SUMMER OLYMPICS

Can't wait till '08 to get your fix of sprinters, swimmers and rhythmic gymnastics? The real thing may be three years off, but here in the dog days of August, it's time for Celebrity Olympics 2005—an event that takes place at venues around the world and in the hearts and (judgmental) minds of Scoop editors, who awarded points according to a system as complicated and reliable as it is whimsical and arbitrary.

SOFTBALL

JAKE GYLLENHAAL
SCORE: 7
Good bat, but the outfit cost him style points from notoriously traditional Latvian judges.

GOLF

CAMERON DIAZ & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
SCORE: 7.5
The pair scored on style in the Tandem Golf event: Diaz wears two gloves—and who doesn't like a pink putter handle?

SURFING

RAY ROMANO
SCORE: 3.5

MINNIE DRIVER
SCORE: 7

KEVIN BACON
SCORE: 9

A survey of competing styles: Horizontal (Romano), Vertical (Driver) and the rare but effective Half Push-Up (Bacon).

DIVING

PRINCE EDWARD
SCORE: 6

COUNTESS SOPHIE
SCORE: 9

RUPERT EVERETT
SCORE: 2

Their passion equaled only by their pallor, the British Very Unsynchronized Diving Team was, as always, unmatched.

TRACK

NICOLE RICHIE
SCORE: 5

A bronze-medal winner in the This Sand is Really Hot sprint.

EQUESTRIAN

MARTHA STEWART
SCORE: 8

Stewart and her steed gave a controlled performance but, with the buggy, did poorly in the jumps.

POP QUIZ

Six Feet Under's
Peter Krause

The final episode of Six Feet Under, the HBO drama set in a California funeral home, airs Aug. 21, ending a five-season run. Fans are still reeling from the death of Peter Krause's character, Nate Fisher, a few weeks back—though through the miracle of flashbacks, he has appeared in succeeding episodes. Krause shared his thoughts with Scoop on his timely demise.

Death aside, how are you feeling?

I'm alive. Actually, I knew about it [Nate's death from a brain hemorrhage] for sometime.

Can you give us an epitaph for your character?

Nate was human to a fault, riddled with faults. He unfailingly sought to lead an authentic life, even though that meant making sacrifices.

Did he choose to die?

I don't know. I try to be as ambiguous as I can. I leave that [interpretation] to the audience: Does a part of us choose when to die? Do we want to go back to that energy field we all came from?

What did you do after taping ended?

I went back up north [California]. I want to be free pretty much till the end of August.

No other plans?

I turn 40 on Aug. 12. I'll go back to Minnesota to see my family. I became disenchanted with birthdays a while ago, but every 10 years, you can give yourself a month to celebrate.

Any fears about turning the big 4-0?

I already had to turn 40 as Nate Fisher. It was a weird year playing Nate. I'm glad I finished Six Feet Under before I turned 40. Nate is 40 and he's dead.

So what are you taking away from your five years on the show?

I try to look at the show as a human-behavior study. How conscious are we about the decisions we make? In life, is there a mixture of free will and fate?

What's today's agenda?

I think I'll go for a run.

Just don't get a headache, like Nate.

I'll drink plenty of fluids and take an aspirin to keep the blood thin. Maybe I'll run in a local cemetery. That would be cool.

ON THE BLOCK

MICHAEL MAKES A MOVE
PRICE: Not disclosed
PLACE: Dallas, Texas

George Michael and his longtime partner, Texas gallery owner Kenny Goss, are trading their 4,700-sq.-ft., three-bedroom Dallas condo for another place in the area with more land for their pooches. The couple, who also own homes in London and the English countryside, have three dogs and plan to adopt two Labrador puppies.