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Madonna news - Dec. 2002
← Dec. 2002 | Jan. 2003 →
29 December - Madonna bans shooting *rumour*
Madonna, criticised by fashionable friends for wearing a coat made from the fur of Persian lambs cut from their mothers' wombs, has had a dramatic change of heart about animal rights. She wants to ban the shooting of pheasants and partridges at her 485 ha country estate in Wiltshire. She believes the souls of thousands of dead game birds will return to haunt her. Friends say Madonna issued her order because of her devotion to kabbalah, an ancient Jewish mystical tradition which draws on numerology, spiritual teachings and arcane prophesy to help adherents achieve a higher spiritual plane. Kabbalah teachings are notoriously open to interpretation, but some practitioners believe in the evolutionary progress of the soul through repeated reincarnation and stress the relationship between mankind, nature and God to bring followers closer to the Divine Light. Madonna's conversion has led her to bitterly regret taking up shooting. But her sudden decision to end all bloodsports at the Ashcombe estate has caused friction with her husband, Guy Ritchie - a keen shot and countryman. He persuaded her to buy the property in the first place so he could invite his friends round to bag pheasants with him. (source: The Herald Sun)
29 December - Madonna on Donna's Top 2002
Belgian Radio Donna is broadcasting its Top 2002 hits of all time, voted by their listeners. Naturally, Madonna appears several times in this list; this year she made the list 27 times. Here are the positions that were played so far:
1937 What It Feels Like For A Girl
1810 Express Yourself
1616 Into The Groove
1549 Papa Don't Preach
1461 Don't Tell Me
1349 Beautiful Stranger
1239 Material Girl
1133 Don't Cry For Me Argentina
1108 Holiday
1010 Borderline
842 Drowned World / Substitute For Love
743 The Power Of Good-Bye
626 Ray Of Light
606 Live To Tell
29 December - Madonna no. 2 on UK's biggest earners list
Harry Potter's creator, J.K. Rowling, was the top woman earner in Britain this year, a new list revealed Sunday. Her annual pay of $77 million was six times greater than the salary of Queen Elizabeth, according to an annual list of The Mail on Sunday newspaper. Rowling's tales of a teenage wizard have been a worldwide publishing phenomenon and the focus of two hit films. The writer was followed on the list by pop superstar Madonna's pay of 27 million pounds. The U.S. singer and actress qualified for the list because she lives in London with her film director husband Guy Ritchie. Next in line were investment banker Robin Saunders, "Weakest Link" TV quiz presenter Anne Robinson and Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. (source: Reuters)
27 December - More rumours on new album *rumour*
Here's some rumour update about the new album, coming from a post by Robster at the MadonnaMad forum. Remember these are just rumours for now. We hope to get some confirmations soon.
"I just got a message from an anonymous source! This source gave me info about the new Madonna album. I'll tell you all about the details!!! The source also mentioned that this information is still everchanging at the moment but that most of this info is 90% sure! So without further ado, get ready for some amazing news:
- The album will definitely be released in March. We can safely go by that rumoured date of the 18th of March
- First single details are still sketchy since they are still planning the marketing and promotion and Madonna hasn't decided yet what the first single will be, she can't decide yet if the first single will be something mid-tempo or slow (so no dance track!)
- The song by Air might not end up on the actual album, it could become a bonus track on the japanese version of the album and later a b-side on one of the singles. This tells us two main things. She has done a song with Air, and we might get more new songs than just 10 new ones.
- For the time being she has decided that Die Another Day will not be featured on the US release of the new album!!! Which means more new tracks for the fans!!!
- The photoshoot that will be featured in W magazine will have a ballet theme to it and is going to be amazing!!!
- The theme of the new album is a well guarded secret but supposedly it could be a fucked up dance inspired reinvention of the ballet idea!
- The rumoured tracktitles we heard like Hollywood are still tentative titles, but could very well end up being the final ones used!
- From the info that my source gave my I understand that the photographer for the album cover will be a photographer who also did some amazing work for Lady Di. Testino? Maybe!!! Probably!!!
- Count on an official press release in the next few weeks, so the second week of January would be a sure bet I guess! "
27 December - M photographer Herb Ritts dies at 50
Celebrity
photographer
Herb Ritts — famed for his sensuous images of such stars
as Richard Gere, Madonna and Julia Roberts — died Thursday
of complications from pneumonia. He was 50. Ritts died at University
of California-Los Angeles Medical Center, publicist Steven Huvane
said. "He accomplished a great deal in a short period of
time," said his friend David Fahey, co-owner of Fahey/Klein
Gallery in L.A. "He knew how to make the perfect photograph."
Ritts was born in Los Angeles in 1952. He studied economics at
New York's Bard College and returned to California to work for
his family's furniture business. His photography career began
almost by accident. Ritts was driving in the California desert
with pal Gere, then a budding star, when their car broke down.
Ritts grabbed a camera. A few months later, his shots of Gere
were snapped up by fashion magazines. Ritts's access to celebrities
was unmatched. His subjects included the Dalai Lama, former president
Ronald Reagan and Monica Lewinsky. His mostly black-and-white
work was a staple in such top magazines as Vanity Fair and Vogue.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ritts in 2000 had a $1 million
per year contract with Condé Nast. Ritts also photographed
landscapes and homoerotic imagery. He championed AIDS causes.
He even won two MTV Video Music Awards for directing 1991 music
videos for Janet Jackson and Chris Isaak. But it was his ability
to connect with celebrities that made him Hollywood's most wanted
photographer. Ritts could find beauty in the most difficult subjects,
from a wheelchair-bound Christopher Reeve to Elizabeth Taylor
after her brain surgery "It's important to let your subjects
be themselves," Ritts once told USA Today. A public memorial
service is planned next month. Ritts is survived by his partner,
Erik Hyman. (source: USA
Today)
~ Herb Ritts was the famous photographer most notable for the
True Blue cover and the
Immaculate Collection
art work. He had dozens of photo shoots with Madonna throughout
her career, which helped build her iconic image (check them out
in Mad-Bio). He also directed
one of her most beautiful videos, for Cherish.
27 December - M at no. 5 in all time UK chart success
The Guiness Book of Hit Singles has placed Madonna at No.5 of
most successful artists in the UK since the charts begain 50 years
ago. She is also the most successful female. The top 10 stayed
the same as last year.
1 (1) Elvis Presley
2 (2) Cliff Richard
3 (3) The Shadows
4 (4) Elton John
5 (5) Madonna
6 (6) Diana Ross
7 (7) Michael Jackson
8 (8) Rod Stewart
9 (9) The Beatles
10 (10) David Bowie
(source: Madonnarama)
23 December - Rumoured release date *rumour*
There's a rumour circulating that the new album will be released
on March 17th, 2003 and that the title would NOT be 'Hollywood'
as rumoured earlier.
23 December - Madonna boycotts Leno
Madonna is boycotting a top TV show after constant jokes about
her bad acting from host Jay Leno. The Tonight Show presenter
has ridiculed the Material Girl's film flops for years - poking
fun at flicks such as Shanghai Surprise, Who's That Girl? and
Swept Away. But his latest remarks about Bond film Die Another
Day provoked the pop queen to declare she'll never guest on his
show again after he commented that the adventure movie would have
made even more cash had Madonna not been in it. The host joked,
"It would have got $70 million had Madonna not been in it."
A show source says, "Madonna wasn't happy with Jay's jokes.
She's very serious about her acting and can take criticism but
she thinks Jay's comments are now beyond a joke. She says she
won't be coming back on." (source: Teentelevision)
21 December - DADay is the #1 Maxi-Single of 2002
Madonna, who had the No. 1 Maxi-Singles Sales hit of 2000 with
Music, is No. 1 again
with the remixes of her James Bond theme, Die
Another Day. Madonna and Cher are joined in the top-10 by
other women who go by one name: Sade, Dido, and Amber. Madonna
is the No. 1 sales artist, followed by Cher. Pink rounds out the
top three females. The top male is Maxwell, followed by Usher
and a tie between "Heaven" collaborators DJ Sammy and
Yanou. Die Another Day
is the Most Successful Maxi-Single of 2002 & Madonna is the
#1 Maxi-Single Sales Artist of 2002. (source: Billboard)
21 December - Madonna gets her own flower
Pop queen Madonna has had a flower specially created for her.
The new type of heather has been grown to thank her for helping
put the Scottish Highlands on the tourism map. The couple married
in December 2000 at a glitzy ceremony at Skibo Castle, near Dornoch.
And son Rocco was christened in Dornoch Cathedral. Tourist bosses
there reckon all the attention made the area about £2.5
million richer! They even set up the Romantic Scotland campaign
after the wedding to encourage more couples to marry there.
Fact File:
- The Madonna heather's expected to be purple
- It'll be registered with the National Heather Society
- It will be called Romantic Scotland
- Heather's a symbol of luck in Scotland
(source: BBC)
19 December - Madonna #3 Top Musicians/Groups
Madonna came in at # 3 on Googles 2002 Year-End Zeitgeist for
Top Musicians/Groups. Googles Year-End Zeitgeist offers a unique
perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based
on more than 55 billion searches conducted over the past year
by Google users from around the world. Zeitgeist enables you to
look at the past year through the collective eyes of the world
on the Internet. The complete Top Musicians/Groups list is below.
Top Musicians/Groups 2002
1. eminem
2. shakira
3. madonna
4. nelly
5. 2pac
6. linkin park
7. korn
8. blink 182
9. ja rule
10. metallica
(source: Google,
thanx to Madonna.com)
19 December - DADay song nominated for Golden Globe Award
Congratulations to Madonna for her Best Original Song Golden Globe
nomination for the title track single to Die
Another Day! This is Madonna's second Golden Globe nomination
- she previously won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her portrayal
as Eva Peron in Evita. Click
here for a full list of nominees. (source: Madonna.com)
Die Another Day with
music and lyrics by Madonna and music by Mirwais goes up against
Paul Simon's 'Father and Daughter" from The Wild Thornberrys
Movie, 'The Hands That Built America' by U2 from Gangs Of New
York, Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' from 8 Mile and 'Here I Am' by
Bryan Adams for the movie Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron. (source:
Undercover.com)
18 December - DADay song nominated for Golden Satellite
Golden Satellite Nominations for Original Song:
Love Is A Crime 8 MILE
Die Another Day DIE ANOTHER DAY
Work It Out GOLDMEMBER
Girl on the Roof VAN WYLDER
Something to Talk About ABOUT A BOY
8 Mile 8 MILE
(source: Madonna.com)
17 December - The ultimate girlie icon
Dirty Dancing has been voted the top 'chick flick' of all time.
The 1987 movie, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, beat
Grease and Thelma and Louise to clinch the top spot. On the dancefloor,
the Weather Girls' It's Raining Men was voted the top Girlie Anthem,
ahead of Gloria Gaynor's I will Survive and Can't Get You Out
Of My Head by Kylie Minogue. Pop queen Madonna was named the Ultimate
Girlie Icon, beating Hollywood legends Marilyn Monroe and Audrey
Hepburn. The findings are based on a survey of 8,000 women conducted
by Babycham to mark the launch of the 'girlie' drink's website
Babycham. (source: Ananova)
17 December - Madonna's biggest dance floor fillers
Abba's Dancing Queen has been named the greatest ever dance floor
filler. The Swedish superstars narrowly beat Kylie Minogue, whose
Can't Get You Out Of My Head was runner-up in the poll for music
TV channel VH1. Number three in the chart of tunes which get everyone
on their feet was I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. Dancing Queen
topped the charts in 1976. The band's Benny Andersson said of
the result: "It's rather fantastic that our music is still
around and that they didn't kill us for being so corny at the
time." More than 400,000 votes were cast to find the 100
greatest dance floor-fillers and the songs will be counted down
from December 16-20. The full list will be broadcast on December
21. Madonna and Michael Jackson are the acts with most tracks
in the chart with three apiece. The queen of pop is at five with
Holiday, 23 with Vogue
and 57 with Into The Groove.
Jackson is at eight with Billie Jean, 27 with Don't Stop Till
You Get Enough and 39 with Blame It On The Boogie, a track he
recorded with the rest of his Jackson brothers. The top 10 are;
1. Abba - Dancing Queen;
2. Kylie - Can't Get You Out Of My Head;
3. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive;
4. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen;
5. Madonna - Holiday;
6. Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart;
7. S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin';
8. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean;
9. Robbie Williams - Rock DJ;
10. Village People - YMCA.
(source: Ananova)
17 December - Q&A with Caresse Henry part III
Madonna.com
has posted another round of fan questions, answered by Caresse
Henry:
Israel asks
Will you be releasing Madonna's Die
Another Day in DVD featuring making the video?
CARESSE: The Soundtrack has an enhanced CD which has the Die
Another Die music video and 4 minutes of the Making of. The entire
Making of is not going to be released commercially.
Jeremy asks
Around the time of The Girlie Show,
Madonna referred to a painting by Edward Hopper (of a burlesque
dancer) that she says inspired the name of tour. Do you know the
name of this image?
CARESSE: The painting by Edward Hopper is - The Girlie Show -
hence the inspiration for the title
Richard G. asks
There must be so many Madonna tracks over the years that have
not ended up being released for 1 reason or another. Is there
any way to get hold of these / are there any plans to release
an collection of these, particularly songs from the 80's?
CARESSE: There are a few demos - but not many - if they don't
make the album - it's for a reason so they are typically locked
away and every now and then given to other artists to record -
but that is very uncommon. We most likely would not release them.
Angel asks
I keep hearing on the radio here in Puerto Rico a new Madonna
song called Revenge.
I try to look for it on the site and stores but nobody seems to
know about it. Is it part of the 007 soundtrack?
CARESSE: That was a demo that was leaked via the internet and
will not be available.
Sidney asks
What are the last three cds Madonna purchased and is currently
listening to?
CARESSE:
1. Lemonjelly "Lost Horizon's"
2. Brian Eno "Thursday Afternoon"
3. Avia "I See That Now"
Tom asks
This is a quick question regarding DVD Audio. I was pleasantly
surprised to see Madonna is going to release some titles in this
new format. Would it be possible for you to find out, when these
are going to be released for the UK market and whether or not
they are going to be remastered in the 5.1 format which a couple
of videos and lyrics and images?
CARESSE: The DVD's will be part of the Madonna Ultimate Box Set
which is tentatively scheduled for release Winter 2003 - they
will be 5.1 mix and I am sure additional content will also be
added.
Darren asks
Will the Virgin Tour be released on DVD in the future, with Angel,
Borderline and
Burning Up included?
CARESSE: Not sure about that yet. I would like to see it included.
Christy asks
Will Madonna ever put out an HBO album with her songs from the
Drownded World Tour in Detroit?
CARESSE: You never know!!!! A live album is a must...
16 December - No more tough Guy
Life with Madonna is truly taking Guy Ritchie away from his gangster
movie roots. The Lock Stock writer and director is apparently
in the process of penning a film called The 49th Gate, which is
based on the quasi-Jewish Kabbalah religion that has so entranced
his wife. 'In Kabbalah there are 50 levels of holiness and this
film will be about Moses' attempt to get from the 49th to the
50th, something he never manages,' says a slightly mystified source.
Kabbalah is based on an esoteric reading of the first five books
of the Old Testament, the so-called Books of Moses. And you thought
Swept Away was a bad idea. (source: PeopleNews)
16 December - GQ article on M
For twenty years now, she has perplexed, confounded, aroused and
amused us with her grit and guises, always remaining in fuzzy
focus. Jennifer Egan deconstructs this most mutable of legends:
"Unlike a lot of people in my generation, I was never all
that interested in Madonna. I knew about her, of course (how could
anyone not?), but I didn't really want to know, and over the years
this forcible knowing engendered in me a blustering sort of resentment.
Why do I have to keep hearing about this woman? I wondered, sometimes
aloud, jabbing a finger at yet another picture of her yet again
transmorgrified visage. Part of my problem was that except for
a few songs (Into the Groove,
Justify My Love, Vogue),
I didn't much like her peppy, tuneful music. And the scandals
over the videos for Like A Prayer
and Justify My Love, along
with the infamous Sex book, struck me as cheap stunts of a publicity
glutton. The birth of Lourdes, with the attendant honeyed photos
and MADONNA AND CHILD headlines made me faintly nauseated. And
as for the Kabala studies and the mystical face doodles, please.
*Will she ever go away?* I asked. And I asked and asked as the
years kept passing. Then something happened. I'm not sure how
or why or even when- the past couple of years?- my antipathy toward
Madonna began to ease. It wasn't that she disappeared, because
of course she hadn't disappeared. But at a certain point, I was
startled, in response to some new bit of Madonna lore, to feel
rustling within me a grudging affection, even admiration, for
the woman." Continue reading at Madonna.com