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Madonna news - June 2005
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Live 8: Then and now
Source: BBC - 30 June 2005Some of the performers who will be playing the Live 8 concerts made a contribution to Live Aid in 1985. Just how much has their musical style, looks and fashion sense evolved over the last 20 years - and how have their careers fared?
When Madonna performed at the Philadelphia Live Aid concert in 1985, her musical career was beginning to take off on both sides of the Atlantic.
In the UK, the singer was about to enjoy her first chart topper with Into The Groove, which would be the first of many.
In the 20 years which has elapsed since Live Aid, Madonna has remained a musical force to be reckoned with, reinventing herself on numerous occasions and remaining in the headlines.
After taking to the stage in London's Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, the musician will have a new album and another world tour to contemplate.
Live8 video backdrop *rumour*
29 June 2005According to fansite MadonnaTribe, Madonna will use the same video backdrops during her Live8 performance as on her tours.
Ray Of Light will be accompanied by the Drowned World Tour video, while the video for Like A Prayer and Music will be the same as on the Re-Invention Tour.
Live8 on TV
Sources: MadonnaTribe, MTV, TV guides - 29 June 2005Several TV stations will be broadcasting the Live8 concerts, among them are: MTV (US), VH1 (US), BBC (UK), JimTV (Belgium), MTV (Holland), Nederland3 (Holland), ARD (Germany), WDR (Germany), SF2 (Switserland), ATV+ (Austria), Sky TV (Italy), NRK1 & NRK2 (Norway), NTV (Turkey), MTV (Brazil), MTV (Latin America), The Musik (Pakistan), MBC4 (Saudi Arabia), DR1 (Denmark), TVN (Poland),...
Live8 splash page
28 June 2005Madonna.com is now promoting the upcoming Live8 concert on their splash page and takes a flashback to the Live Aid concert in 1985 with pictures of Madonna performing Holiday, Into The Groove and Love Makes The World Go Round (the latter she had written especially for the show and would appear one year later on her True Blue album).
Madonna hits the library for literary spread
Source: ContactMusic - 28 June 2005Celebrity photographer Lorenzo Agius has captured Madonna at her most literary for the new issue of US style magazine Ladies' Home Journal.
The pop superstar-turned-children's writer appears in a series of library-set scenes for Agius' lens, even sporting a bowler hat and kissing a mouse in one photo.
In one photo, Madonna sports a monocle and appears as a studious librarian in another.
In the accompanying article, the Material Girl serves tea at her London home and chats about life in Britain and how she keeps her marriage to movie-maker Guy Ritchie alive by sending him flowers and taking long walks with him.
She also feels that she and Ritchie met at the perfect time because both were searching for a religion that made sense.
Madonna explains, "I studied Hinduism, I was searching for all these things right before I got pregnant, the desire to try to understand became even more apparent.
"When I met my husband, he was searching, too, but he was searching from an intellectual point of view, he was reading theories of evolution and the Big Bang, physics and science of how did the world really get created.
"We met each other at the perfect time - he grew up, like me."
Madonna's disco game tire her kids out before bedtime
Source: ContactMusic - 28 June 2005Madonna plays a game called 'disco tag' with her kids in order to tire them out before bedtime. The pop superstar insists the night-time playtime helps her children Rocco and Lourdes get rid of any extra energy so they'll sleep soundly.
She says, "It's a fun game. There's a whole performance involved, and you dance, and you're supposed to fake the other person out that you're not interested in tagging them by dancing. "We all play - I play, my husband, the nanny... My son uses all his adrenaline and then passes out. That's a good night."
Scruffy Madonna ridiculed by family
Source: TeenToday - 28 June 2005Madonna says her family ridicule her for not being glamorous. The beautiful singer also admits her movie director Guy Ritchie makes fun of her sense of style when she dons some of her more outlandish outfits. She said: "He will sometimes laugh at what I wear. "I'll put something on and he'll look at me and say 'Who are you going as then?'"
Meanwhile, the pop queen's daughter begs her to make more of an effort with her appearance. The 46-year-old star confessed seven-year-old Lourdes begs her to dress up like the other smart mothers at the school gate when she arrives in a tracksuit.
She added in an interview with Britain's Grazia magazine: "I am perfectly happy to muck around in a pair of drawstring pants and wellies. "Sometimes my daughter gets angry because I go to school with her wearing my tracksuit and she say 'Can't you just wear normal clothes?' "I think she wants me to be a Yummy Mummy, but that's not me."
Madonna's bra therapy
Source: Female First - 27 June 2005Madonna wears crystals in her bra to improve her love life.
The pop queen has reportedly become a fan of the bizarre healing treatment which involves keeping pink quartz stone in underwear to boost love and healing.
A source said: "Madonna is a big fan of crystal therapy. One of the techniques is having pink quartz crystals glided over your body to help you relax. Another is wearing the crystals inside your underwear; there the stones are close to the heart to encourage love".
Earlier this year, it was reported that the 46-year-old star, who is a member of the controversial Kabbalah faith, turned to Indian medicine in a bid to conceive another child.
Insiders revealed mother-of-two Madonna and movie director husband Guy Ritchie were taking tablets prescribed by celebrity obstetrician Dr Gowri Motha, to help her get pregnant.
A source said at the time: "Tablets were sent over from India for her. They looked like horse tablets - they were just so huge".
Live8 acts to get just 15 mins
Source: The Mirror - 27 June 2005LIVE8 organisers have threatened to "revolve" stars like Madonna and Elton John off stage if they overrun on Saturday.
All the singers will perform on a 280ft-wide by 60ft-deep revolving stage. But they have been told to keep to a strict time-limit of 15 minutes. If they don't, they may find the stage starts moving while they're singing.
An insider revealed: "The organisers are determined to make sure everyone sticks to their allotted time.
"To avoid wasting time, some of the acts will be setting up and dismantling while others are on stage - and if people do outstay their welcome they will be revolved out of sight. Obviously, there is a curfew in place and the BBC will also be keen to stick to its schedule."
Organisers want to avoid a repeat of 1985 when the stage - run by a series of traffic lights: green (get ready to finish), yellow (wind it up) and red (you're off) - got stuck.
Sir Paul McCartney will close Live8 with a moving rendition of The Beatles' classic The Long and Winding Road. A host of stars is expected to join him for a finale. It will be a rallying cry to those travelling to Edinburgh to put pressure on the G8 summit, four days later.
Bob Geldof reportedly revealed running order details in Rome last week. He said: "It will be a surprise for everyone. Paul McCartney will end it. He'll sing The Long and Winding Road, and for us it's the symbol of the road which will lead us to the G8 summit."
Macca will also open the concert - with help from Irish rockers U2. Wearing appropriate costumes, they'll sing Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which begins "It was 20 years ago today..." - as a reference to the original Live Aid concert in 1985.
He also revealed that Pink Floyd - reuniting for the first time in 20 years - will be the penultimate act. But a planned duet between Madonna and Sting has been dropped.
Instead, Sting is understood to be using Spitting Image-style puppets of Tony Blair and George Bush. He is expected to change the lyrics of The Police song Every Breath You Take to "We'll be watching you".
More details on Live 8 performance
Sources: DonnaDelory.net, DrownedMadonna, MIR - 25 June 2005- Madonna has already said that she'll perform three songs, among which Like A Prayer and Ray Of Light. The third song is believed to be Music.
- Her backup singers will be Donna DeLory and Lisa Fischer
- The band will be the same as on the Re-Invention Tour
Live 8 concerts will air on MTV, VH1
Source: MTV/VH1 - 24 June 2005The Live 8 concerts are coming to MTV and VH1. The July 2 global shows to raise awareness of poverty in Africa will air for eight hours on the network and on VH1, with a mix of sets from artists such as Coldplay, Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, U2, Madonna and Dave Matthews Band, interviews with artists and retrospectives on the original Live Aid.
The MTV partnership means the concerts could reach a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion people; 1985's Live Aid reached more than a billion people and raised more than $100 million for African famine relief.
The MTV/ VH1 feed, which will run from noon until 8 p.m., will also air on mtvU. Relevant highlights will additionally run on July 3 on CMT and VH1 Classic.
In addition to showing select live coverage, the programming will include interviews with fans on site at some of the eight venues hosting shows and a look at what is expected from the upcoming G8 summit, where the topic of debt relief will likely take center stage.
"Our proudest moments are when we use our unique global position to help connect our audience with the important events of the day and offer a creative outlet for artists to express themselves about the issues of our time," MTV Networks Chairman Judy McGrath said in a statement. "Live 8 is one of those moments, and we're glad to join our musical brothers and sisters in every corner of the world to help shine the spotlight on ending poverty."
The Live 8 broadcast will be the longest period MTV has gone live for a televised event since the riot-scarred Woodstock '99 concert. MTV also provided comprehensive coverage of the original Live Aid.
Credit card for Lourdes
Source: ContactMusic - 24 June 2005Pop superstar Madonna has given her eight-year-old daughter Lourdes her own credit card with a $10,000 (GBP5,500) limit, according to a US magazine.
Friends say the Material Girl hopes the exercise will teach Lourdes to appreciate the value of money.
A pal tells In Touch Weekly, "Minors are not usually allowed credit cards so she had to pull a few strings to get it issued in Lourdes' name.
"She is hoping to teach Lourdes to be responsible with money."
Madonna interview: Fallen idol
Source: The Guardian - 23 June 2005What's Madonna doing writing yet another moral-heavy children's book? And why has she become such a vocal supporter of Kabbala? Dina Rabinovitch, a long-time fan, jumped at the chance to ask her straight out - but was left distinctly unimpressed by her answers.
A day in the life of the Ritchies. Kids at school, Madonna at her computer. She has a book deal to write children's stories - the only problem is, there's nothing on the screen yet. "It didn't come easily," she says.
"I'm methodical, so I set aside time to sit at my computer - of course, in the time that the children are at school - for four hours every day, but nothing came out. My husband [the film-maker Guy Ritchie] said: 'Write what you know about, and it will come, and then you edit out the bits you don't like.' And he was right - that worked."
Madonna, the original material girl, is on the fifth of her moral-heavy children's books. Lotsa de Casha is published this week and the message is, money can't buy happiness. Her first children's book, The English Roses, was launched in London, with a celebrity-studded rooftop party.
The author - much prettier in real life than in photos, and very tiny - was surrounded by heavies and nobody was allowed to approach. This time she is publicising her book in New York, but she has decided to give two UK interviews, to the Guardian and Grazia magazine. Madonna will phone me, I'm told, not the other way around, and it will be at 9.40pm British time. And sure enough, to the second, she does: "Hi, this is Madonna."
She sounds just like a regular New Yorker - quiet voice, clear American accent. So, fellow American, I don't do the English dance of politeness, but come straight out with the questions I'm really curious about.
I ask about the Kabbala Centre, of which she has become an habituée. To Jews, I say to her, it's a little odd that someone with the kind of business acumen she obviously has has been drawn into the Kabbala Centre, which is regarded within the Jewish community as being run by charlatans. "Is it?" she says.
"Yes," I say, "the selling of water at ludicrous prices, and claiming holy properties for it ... selling bits of red string ... claiming to teach Kabbala [a branch of Jewish mysticism], not something you can study without an in-depth knowledge of Hebrew, and Judaism ..."
"I have an incredible teacher who is very wise," says Madonna. "The last thing you'd accuse him of is charlatanism. I do think lots of the ones who started the centre, they're not worldly-wise, they've been naive about marketing themselves. What I say is, don't listen to the messenger, hear the message." A message I keep reading back to myself from my notes of the interview, and still can't make sense of, actually.
But what about the financial shenanigans? "If people want to delve into the veracity of religious organisations," Madonna says, "have a look at the evolution of Christianity; or hop over to the Vatican. Where does all that money go? Have you seen all the gold on that roof? Not that I'm picking on Catholics; God forbid, my father would never forgive me."
Her father was very strict when she was growing up, she says. It's left her with a certain regard for discipline and method which she applies to work, and to parenting. She passes on a household tip which I think is little short of brilliant.
Her daughter Lola (Lourdes) leaves clothes all over the bedroom floor. So how does that play when your mom is Madonna? Not good, apparently. Floor-bound clothes are bagged up and Lola only gets them back if she keeps the room tidy for the rest of the week.
Wow, I say, how did she think that one up? "Uh, I was talking to my housekeeper, you know, telling her not to pick all the clothes off the floor, and then I just suddenly thought of it - this is how to deal with it. And it works, mostly."
So she was a pretty tidy child herself, then? "Yes, very." And she never rebelled, did that teenage thing, dropped clothes on the floor? "Well, obviously I did rebel, as you know, but not in that way. I was never untidy."
Really, all through the rebellious years? "Yup, tidy, and ordered and meticulous."
Madonna's five children's books are beautifully produced, each illustrator vying to outdo the other. Gorgeous frontispieces, and yes, meticulously detailed drawings. All five stories are laden with Jewish imagery, from the heroine of The English Roses, called Binah, which is Hebrew for understanding, through the use of "everything is for the best" - gam zu le'tova - a saying of a Jewish scholar, nicknamed Nachum Ish Gamzu, because of his habitual use of the phrase.
Two of the tales are credited to the Ba'al Shem Tov, a Hassidic leader in the 1700s.
"I didn't get the stories from the Kabbala Centre," Madonna says sharply. "Well, some I gleaned from my studies, but I've adapted them to a modern vernacular. Some I made up. The idea of sharing is not unique to Kabbala. The story of The English Roses is universal. You know," she says with some feeling, "people jumping to conclusions about other people."
She was attracted to the Kabbala Centre, she says, because her Catholic school never answered any questions: what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of creation? If there is a God, why is there suffering? How do you reconcile Genesis with Darwinism? "When the student is ready," she told me, "I guess the teacher appears."
"Here's exactly what happened," she says, sounding like someone who is relieved to set the record straight. "I was pregnant with my daughter and I went to this dinner party where I heard someone talk about Kabbala, which seemed to address questions I'd started asking.
"I've been studying for nine years. I know there's all this fuss about it now, celebrities and so on. When I started, there were no celebrities, and I just sat at the back of the class."
She then tells me that the Kabbala Centre has nothing to do with Judaism really, or indeed religion, because, she says, she has a problem with religion - "people just doing stuff because they're told to, no explanations". The Kabbala Centre is something else entirely. "I don't consider it Jewish or religious, because I meet all kinds of people there - Hindus, pagans, Buddhists ..."
The centre has profoundly changed her, she says. How? "Ten years ago, I never thought I'd be writing children's stories and giving the money to charity." But the money goes to the Kabbala Centre, I say.
"Well, it goes to something they've founded, Spirituality for Kids, which is, you know, doing work with families all over the world, the occupied territories, even in London ... well, outside London. Ken Livingstone's trying to help set one up." She heavily emphasises the words "occupied territories".
By now, big fan that I am, I am feeling rather depressed. Madonna's a keynote figure in our household - my husband's daughter Chloe dresses up as Madonna on the Jewish festival of Purim, and any other day she can get away with it. Desperately Seeking Susan is my all-time favourite movie. Bagging this interview with Madonna was like winning the lottery - only cooler.
But I'm really floundering now at the news that Kabbala is nothing to do with Judaism at all, at the parroted stuff she keeps spouting about reconciling science with spiritualism. I loved Desperately Seeking Susan, but now it turns out she was acting more than we realised - messy bedrooms are so not her thing. I wanted this woman, my generation, my aspirations, to be great. But it doesn't turn out that way.
"Do you want to ask me any more questions?" Madonna says, very levelly indeed. "No, no, it's enough," I splutter. "You must be tired," I think I say.
Madonna admits loneliness
Source: Ananova - 23 June 2005Even though people would sell their grannies for a minute with the megastar, Madonna has revealed that she's struggled with loneliness most of her life.
Before having her daughter Lourdes, Madonna realised she was unhappy despite fame and fortune.
"What was wonderful about the money was that I could put a roof over my head and food in my stomach, but after that it just becomes unnecessary.
"Then you begin to realise there are whole areas of your life where you are not happy.
"I was definitely lonely 10 and 15 years ago," she tells Grazia magazine.
"There are whole chunks of my life where I was so lonely, and periods where I felt I didn't have a friend in the world and wondered if it was ever going to be possible for me to have a relationship that was going to last," she says.
Madonna credits her turnaround to "finding a man who can handle me" - Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels director Guy Ritchie.
Madonna, who now also writes children's books, says she started to change after having Lourdes (with her ex Carlos Leon), who is now seven.
Madonna, 46, admits she and Guy, who also have a son Rocco, three, would like to have another child - but will not be heartbroken if it does not happen.
"My attitude and my husband's attitude is that if we have more, then we do, and if we don't, we don't."
The singer and actress - of sorts - says she like nothing more than spending an hour dancing with her children "like a lunatic".
She also says Lourdes often complains that the tracksuit-loving Madonna is too casual and should wear "proper clothes".
"I think she wants me to be a yummy mummy, but that's not me."She says she and Guy teach the children "values and they know how lucky they are and they know how they should appreciate things" and that the children are far from spoilt.
Madonna slams Kabbalah marketing
Source: ContactMusic - 23 June 2005Superstar Madonna is concerned about the marketing campaign of her controversial Kabbalah following, claiming many who work at the religion's Los Angeles Center are "naive".
The mystical offshoot of Judaism has received negative criticism in the press over the large donations given by followers, such as Madonna and Demi Moore, and has also been lambasted by Israeli rabbis, who claim the Kabbalah Center in LA has nothing to do with the ancient Jewish study.
The LA Kabbalah Center generates money by selling special Kabbalah water and red-string bracelets for $8 (GBP4.20), and Madonna has puts thousands of dollars into funding a Kabbalah school in New York City and more recently a hotel in London for followers to stay in.
Referring to the LA Center's leader Rabbi Rav Berg, Madonna enthuses, "I have an incredible leader who is very wise. The last thing you'd accuse him of is charlatism.
"I do think lots of the ones who started the Center, they're not worldly-wise, they've been naive about marketing themselves.
"What I say is, don't listen to the messenger, hear the message.
"I don't consider it Jewish or religious, because I meet all kinds of people there - Hindus, pagans, Buddhists."
Madonna insists all religions need to raise money to support themselves.
She explains, "If people want to delve into the veracity of religious organisations, have a look at the evolution of Christianity, or hop over to The Vatican. Where does all that money go? Have you see all the gold on the roof? Not that I'm picking on Catholics, God forbid, my father would never forgive me." .
Madonna amazed by Kabbalah fuss
Source: ContactMusic - 23 June 2005Superstar Madonna is amazed by the media attention in recent years surrounding the controversial Kabbalah following, saying the press ignored it for years during her initial years of studying.
The Material Girl began studying the mystical offshoot of Judaism in 1996, when she was pregnant with her first child Lourdes, and is astonished that so many celebrities, including Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, have begun to take varying degrees of interest in it.
She says, "I was pregnant with my daughter and I went to this dinner party where I heard someone talk about the Kabbalah, which seemed to address questions I'd started asking.
"I've been studying for nine years. I know there's all this fuss about it now, celebrities and so on.
"When I started, there were no celebrities and I just sat at the back of the class.".
Madonna overcomes writer's block
Source: ContactMusic - 23 June 2005Pop star Madonna battled with writer's block as she created her five children's books.
The Material Girl made her debut as a kid's novelist with The English Roses in September 2003 and has just released her fifth tale, Lotsa De Casha.
Madonna admits she was relived to have six month gaps between books, because it gave her the time to overcome her creativity lapse.
She says, "It didn't come easily. I'm methodical, so I set aside time to sit at my computer - of course, in the time that the children are at school - for four hours every day, but nothing came out.
"My husband (Guy Ritchie) said, 'Write what you know about, and it will come, and then you edit out the bits you don't like.' And he was right - that worked."
Madonna wants more kids
Source: ContactMusic - 23 June 2005Madonna is keen to have more children and insists her age isn't an obstacle to child birth.
The 46-year-old mother of two is baffled by the fuss made about being an older mother, having given birth to Lourdes and Rocco at 37 and 40 years old respectively.
She says, "Everybody else has made a big deal about me wanting more children. And yes, it would be nice.
"My attitude and my husband's attitude is that if we have more, then we do, and if we don't, we don't."
Madonna has been married to film-maker Guy Ritchie since December 2000.
English Roses gets own website
21 June 2005Madonna.com's splash page promotes the new website dedicated to The English Roses.
On englishrosescollection.com you can get to know the characters of the book better, while the Fun&Games section provides buddy icons, wallpapers and coloring pages inspired by the book.
There's also a news section and an online store for merchandising. Also check the 'About' section for a statement by Madonna on the writing process of the book.
Madonna reveals album producers
Source: MTV - 21 June 2005Madonna wants to go back to her roots, so she's planning to get into the groove on her next album. "It's all dance music," she revealed recently. "No ballads, no slow songs."
The Material Mom has been working on her 10th studio album with several collaborators, some of whom have lent a helping hand before, such as French producer Mirwais Ahmadzai, who lent his retro-electro style to both Music and American Life, as well as Stuart Price, her musical director on the Re-Invention Tour who popped up on American Life by co-writing X-Static Process.
His '80s electro-pop sound will be showcased even more prominently on the upcoming, still-untitled album, she said, because she did "a lot" of it with Price (a.k.a. Jacques Lu Cont).
But Madonna isn't just tapping into the well of the tried and true — she's also borrowing a bit from Britney by experimenting with a duo of Swedish producer-songwriters known as Bloodshy & Avant (Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg), who made a name for themselves by writing and producing Spears' "Toxic."
Madonna's album is due in late November, and she plans to tour by next summer.
Madonna bans Astley from Guy's Revolver party
Source: The Mirror - 21 June 2005We never had Madonna down as a party pooper. But news reaches us that she vetoed a great plan to liven up one of her husband's parties.
Guy Ritchie had wanted to hire kitsch 80s crooner Rick Astley to perform at the wrap bash for his latest film, Revolver.
But Madge had a definite sense of humour failure and banned the move.
A source tells 3am: "Guy and the production staff on the movie thought hiring Rick would be a cool thing to do for his cast and crew, who had worked so hard on the gangster flick. They'd been filming scenes on the Isle of Man and wanted to have a bit of a party when they had finished.
"They were discussing how to make it a bit different and somehow came up with the idea of hiring Rick."
But they hadn't counted on the Material Girl...
"She wasn't into the idea at all and didn't find it amusing. She's meant to be an anglophile who 'got' the British sense of humour. But apparently not.
"When word got out that they were going to ask Rick along, the staff thought it was a great idea.
"Of course, he's cheesy but that was the point. It would have been a real laugh. Everyone was looking forward to dancing to Never Gonna Give You Up. Who wouldn't?
"But no one can understand why Madonna didn't approve of him being the star attraction."
At 46, Madge is the biggest-selling female performer of all-time in Britain and America, so why should she have developed such an aversion to the Warrington wonder?
Maybe we have the answer...
Could she be holding a grudge that goes back almost 18 years? In December 1987, Madonna released The Look Of Love at the same time as Rick's cover of the Nat King Cole classic When I Fall In Love.
Rick's song reached No.2, while Madonna's was at a mere No.9.
Time to move on, Madge...
Madonna mixes two sides of big time life
Source: NY Post - 20 June 2005Madonna is not going quietly into the night with her baby books. This Mother of the Year has also just made a documentary for which she held a private screening last week in TriBeCa.
Friends and industry folk invited only. The Great Unwashed will have to wait to stand in line to pay their money to see this thing when she finally figures how to market it.
And what's this documentary? A mélange of her two worlds. Part live act?
But no Doing It with a Coke bottle, and no cone-shaped iron breasts and no nudity with a big cross hanging off her neck. Because the other part of it is kabbalah. Big-time. Big-time kabbalah.
How sweaty sex, hot music and wriggling and writhing melds with God, I'm not sure. Sure only is that she should actually make a nice, neat little religious film. With Tom Cruise. And Mel Gibson. And sound bites from Richard Gere. And Al Sharpton to host it. Then they got the whole deal covered.
Anyway, afterwards, Little Mother did dinner with business partner Guy Oseary and Miami nightclub friend Ingrid Casares. She travels in an SUV with three bodyguards. And the body they were guarding was outfitted very Audrey Hepburn in short-sleeve, knee-length, prim lilac dress.
Mailing announces 'Secret'
17 June 2005Madonna.com has sent around a mailing, announcing the documentary 'I'm Going To tell You A Secret' and inviting ICON members to stream the teaser trailer on the ICON website. As we reported earlier today, you can also download it on madonna-tv.com. Click on the image to view the mailing, which features a beautiful new picture of Madonna.
Madonna continues tending 'English Roses'
17 June 2005Madonna has produced five children's books in the past 18 months in a deal with Callaway Editions, and the fifth, "Lotsa de Casha," was supposed to be her last. But now she has decided to do a sequel about the tween girls who starred in her first book, "The English Roses."
It's already written and illustrations are under way, she says. The expected publication date is September 2006.
She decided to revisit the young girls who were jealous of a beautiful yet insecure classmate because it was the book closest to her heart — and it's the favorite of her daughter Lola, she says.
"When I first started out (writing the books), I knew what the first book would be about, jealousy and envy, which I did in `The English Roses.' ... Girls can be especially hard on other girls," Madonna said in a telephone interview.
Publisher Nicholas Callaway said Madonna still has many stories to tell. He also pointed out that "The English Roses" was on The New York Times' list of best sellers for 18 weeks. "Lotsa de Casha" has also made the Times list, debuting at No. 3.
"She identifies with the English Roses. She wants to help guide girls through that crucial stage of life," Callaway said.
All of Madonna's books, however, teach a little lesson, and they've all been inspired by her own life.
"Mr. Peabody's Apples" was about the downfall of a rumor monger. "The whole idea of gossiping, speaking badly of each other and spreading rumors is a subject that's very near and dear to my heart," she said.
And in the new "Lotsa de Casha," a wealthy Scroogelike greyhound finds happiness only after he is forced to work for a living. He sees the other half lives a rich life without gold or jewels. The former "Material Girl," who sold millions of records and became one of the most powerful women in the music industry, is the right person to tell that story, she said.
"The ideas for all the books ultimately came from my own life experiences. This one was my realization that material things don't buy you happiness. ... If you don't have great success, how could you come to this conclusion? I had to go through this, and there were times in my life where I was perceived to have everything, yet I didn't feel fulfilled," she said.
What has brought her happiness, she said, is her family — Lola, son Rocco and husband Guy Ritchie. Raising children has taught her how to share and take chances for the greater good, which aren't always at the forefront in the minds of most celebrities, she said.
"You have to be a lot less selfish. For me, real sharing and the growth of sharing is when you do something ... outside your comfort zone."
The children's books embody that philosophy for her, she said, noting that she doesn't take any money for writing them, instead she makes a donation to the Spirituality for Kids Foundation, an education and outreach arm of the Kabbalah Center.
Jem Griffiths likes to release original Nothing Fails
Source: Entertainment News - 17 June 2005Jem Griffiths, co-writer of Nothing Fails in an interview with news.com.au:
Griffiths admits her Madonna co-write opened dozens of doors in the US. Griffiths is responsible for the song's key line, "I'm not religious". "I thought she'd change that," Griffiths says, "given everyone was talking about her and Kabbalah at the time.
But her version is very different from the one Guy [Sigsworth] and I did. At some point I'd like to release our version. A lot of people think it's one of the best things I've done.".
Madonna.com on album release and tour
17 June 2005Madonna.com has posted what Madonna has already said herself in the interview on The View, except that they mention an album release date for 'late November' instead of 'late October, early November':
"Madonna's new album is expected to be released late November this year. We can confirm that the album will be an all dance record! Madonna also hopes to go on tour again by next summer."
Tour documentary teaser
17 June 2005
Madonna has finally started promotion on her tour documentary. The title has now been confirmed to "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret". Go to fansite madonna-tv to download the official teaser, which was originally posted on the ICON website, for members to watch.
On the haunting tones of To Have And Not To Hold, you can hear Madonna talk on the phone: "No matter what you did, no matter who you are, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself."
Elliott shocked by Madonna and Britney smooch
Source: ContactMusic - 17 June 2005Rap star Missy Elliott was horrified when she witnessed Britney Spears and Madonna kissing at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards rehearsals - as she knew her mother would be offended.
The Work It singer first suspected she had spied a spontaneous smooch between the pair, but she was amazed to learn they were rehearsing the kiss for the evening's award ceremony. She says, "At first I thought they were just ... into each other.
"Then Madonna was like, 'Okay, let's take it again.' And, you know, we probably did that rehearsal 15 or 20 times.
"All I was thinking was, 'Oh my God, my momma gonna watch this, and all the church people gonna call her up.'"
However, Elliott is not ruling out any lesbian lip-locking action herself. She adds, 'I would never say what I would never do. Never say never."
Mother and Father in dance chart
Source: Billboard Chart Beat, Ask Billboard - 15 June 2005Holding at No. 9, Mother And Father (Maverick) is Madonna's seventh top 10 hit from her American Life album on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play tally. She is the first artist in the history of this chart to pull seven top 10 hits from one album.
~ The others were Die Another Day, American Life, Hollywood, Nothing Fails, Love Profusion and Nobody Knows Me.
There's also a reader's letter to Keith (Ask Billboard) about Madonna:
Dear Keith,
This is something that has been on my mind. The last Madonna single that charted on The Billboard Hot 100 was American Life, placing at No. 37 around April 2003. Being a huge fan of the diva, I know that the follow-ups, Hollywood and Nothing Fails, both failed to chart on the Hot 100.
As we near mid-2005, I wonder, is the longest span of time that Madonna has not appeared on the Hot 100 since her initial debut? Your response is most welcome."
Thank you,
PF, Michigan
"While this question is up Fred Bronson's alley at "Chart Beat, being a Madonna fan, I'll go ahead and answer this one.
We are currently in the longest Madonna-drought on The Billboard Hot 100. It has been 73 weeks since she last graced the chart - when Me Against the Music logged its final week (Jan. 17, 2004). "Against" was her collaboration with Britney Spears, which was the lead single from Spears' "In the Zone" album.
Previously, the longest span of time between Madonna singles on the Hot 100 was of 62 weeks, between the last week spent by Causing A Commotion on the chart in early 1988 and the debut of Like A Prayer in March 1989.
While Madonna has been working on a new album, not a heck of a lot is officially known about it. No title or release date has been announced. Madonna is slated to take part in the July 2 Live 8 benefit concert in London."
EBay withdraws tickets for Live 8 concert
Source: AP - 15 June 2005The Internet auction site eBay will withdraw tickets for the London Live 8 concert from sale, a company official said Tuesday, after organizer Bob Geldof said the sale was despicable. The concert was organized to highlight poverty in Africa, and the tickets are free.
More than 100 pairs of tickets, however, began appearing earlier Tuesday on the eBay auction site at high prices. Some attracted bids of up to 1,000 pounds ($1,800), prompting Geldof to call for a boycott of eBay Inc.
"The people who are selling these tickets on Web sites are miserable wretches who are capitalizing on people's misery," the musician said.
Later Tuesday, eBay Managing Director Doug McCallum said the company would take the tickets off its auction site, although the company said reselling charity concert tickets was not illegal in Britain.
"We've listened carefully to our customers," McCallum told Britain's ITV television. "Overwhelmingly the voice is that they would like us to take down the listing."
Geldof said he was glad eBay was removing the tickets from auction. "Well done for taking them down," Geldof told Sky News. "But it was despicable, and they should have thought about it before they did this."
There are a total of 150,000 tickets for the show in London's Hyde Park — one of several Live 8 concerts being held July 2 also in Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin and Rome.
More than 2 million people have applied by text message for London tickets, making it history's largest text-message lottery, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
New album is 'fresh & clean' *rumour*
15 June 2005Fansite Madonna.nu has received some really exciting news concerning Madonna's highly anticipated new album. The buzz around this album has been very positive and it is destined to become a classic!
We hear from our sources who have already listened to the album, that it is and we quote, "soooooo goooooood!" The album is described as being very fresh and very clean. Fans will be happy to know that Mirwais' role on this album was very limited and there's only one heavily influenced Mirwais track. The rest of the album is described as beautiful, upbeat and filled with happy songs!
The album is almost finished, they are still in the process of editing, adding and subtracting songs from the tracklist.
Rumours on new single *rumour*
15 June 2005From fansite Madonna.nu: We've received information regarding Madonna's new album and it says that there's a title of a song that has the word "Secret" in it, we're assuming that it's titled "I Have To Tell You A Secret" which is also the current title of her upcoming documentary as revealed by MadonnaTribe .
We're also assuming that this might be the next single release to coinside with the movie and promote her upcoming album as the rumour we got says a promo single will be sent to radio stations and DJ's in a couple of months. None of this is confirmed of course, we're simply sharing what we think based on the title and info sent to us.
[...]
And more from Madonna.nu: This is a rumor posted on MadonnaNation by a poster named John Rocker that we thought sounded quite interesting and exciting:
A WB account executive mentioned that Madonna is contemplating a release of one of her new songs over the next few weeks.
According to him Madonna is thinking of "distributing" (that's the word he used, with no further explanation) a new song from her album (could be through itunes, could be through AOL or could be a straight to radio song - who knows). The idea is to test the water for her new album and decide on the track listing and release date.
Courtney Love as Texas Guinan?
15 June 2005Movie website IMDB has updated their page for Hello Suckers. Madonna is no longer mentioned among the cast, but only as co-producer, together with Martin Scorsese.
Originally she was also set to play the leading role of Texas Guinan, but according to IMDB this role will now be played by Courtney Love.
The status of the movie project is currently "announced / in production", but there are no details about whether or not Madonna is actively working on it right now.
Album and documentary titbits & rumours
14 June 2005
Rumoured producers of the new album are: Mirwais, Stuart Price, Bloodshy & Avant. The album is supposedly finished and already sent to Warner.
From NY Daily News: "Madonna left Kabbala Centre rabbis Yehuda and Philip Berg cooling their heels Thursday night. Donna Karan and other friends came to Solo, the glam kosher palace on Madison, to celebrate Philip's birthday. Her Madgesty? She was tied up giving Warner Music honchos Edgar Bronfman, Tom Whalley and Lyor Cohen a listen to her new album..."
From MadonnaTribe: "MadonnaTribe has been informed that the people who attended the screening of Madonna's documentary last week in New York left the theatre ecstatic.
The event, that took place in the Greenwich Village district of Manhattan, was attended by Madonna, Guy Oseary, Ingrid Caseras, Rosie O'Donnell, Liz Rosenberg, Angela Becker, Rabbi Berg & his wife Karen, Rit dancer Seth, Nicholas Calloway, Stuart Price, Stefano Dolce and many more.
As the news of the screening was kept hush hush there weren't paparazzi around but just a handful of fans to whom celebrities smiled while entering the theatre.
Some of these fans turned themself into "red carpet journalists" and asked celebrities what they think about the film. Rosie O'Donnell confessed that the movie is "extremely good" and another guest said it's "amazing" and "very emotional", adding that the way the music was presented is awesome. Asked about when the fans will get to see the film Madonna's manager Angela answered that it will be "very very soon"."
Check Madonnalicious for screengrabs and downloads of last week's Madonna interviews on The Today Show and The View.
Border photo on Madonna.com
14 June 2005Madonna.com has put a new picture on its splash page, from Madonna's book reading for children at Borders Book Store in New York City, on June 7th.
Madonna: 'Marriage has made me less selfish'
Source: ContactMusic - 13 June 2005Superstar Madonna has become less selfish in recent years - and she attributes her new sharing demeanour to her film-maker husband Guy Ritchie.
The Material Girl now has more time for taking care of other peoples' needs since marrying British Snatch director Richie in 2000, but she admits she's still impatient.
She says, "Until you get married you get your own way. Then you suddenly have to think of somebody else before you make decisions. That's putting your ego in check.
"We are opposites. I'm very scheduled. I make lists, I stick to the plan. Guy is Mr Spontaneous.
"If I have a problem I want to work it out, right now. My husband is like, 'Let's talk about it in two days.' But I have to be right now - I have to prove I'm right."
Madonna says her man comes first
Source: Sky News - 13 June 2005It doesn't seem five minutes since Madonna was cavorting around in a conicle bra, telling the world that she was as strong - and powerful - as any man on the planet.But clearly marriage and motherhood has mellowed her, as she now claims putting your fella first is the way to get on in life.Madge has taken a more traditional outlook since getting hitched to Brit movie director Guy Ritchie.
And according to The Sun, she believes her first marriage to actor Sean Penn was doomed because they were both selfish.
"Until you get married, you get your own way," she is quoted as saying.
"Then you suddenly have to think of somebody else before you make decisions. That's putting your ego in check."
Madonna said she moved to London from Los Angeles to make sure her marriage to Guy worked.
"We had a long-distance relationship for a year. I thought, somebody has to compromise, which I did."
She was talking in New York at the launch of her fifth children's book Lotsa De Casha.
Madonna: I hated London
Source: Irish Examiner - 13 June 2005Pop superstar Madonna moved to London for the sake of her marriage to director Guy Ritchie - and she's stunned she's fallen in love with the British capital because she once detested it.
The Material Girl gave up her life in Los Angeles five years ago, because she knew she had to move to London if their relationship was going to be a success.
She says: "I moved (to London) for love. I never thought in a million years I'd live in London. I quite disliked the place. Then I met my husband. I realised that if I didn't live here I wouldn't get to see him very much.
"We had a long-distance relationship for a year. I thought, somebody has to compromise - which I did. Then I fell in love with London and Guy started taking me to the countryside and I started to feel comfortable here.
"I'd go to America and start to really miss London. It's funny the way things turned out."
Madonna's Hotel Kabbalah?
Source: E! Online - 13 June 2005Apparently, Madonna's devotion to Kabbalah is carrying over into the hospitality field.
If the Material Girl gets her way, she'll soon be building a Kabbalah-themed hotel and drop-in center in London's Regent Park district.
The singer has reportedly dropped $2.9 million on a five-story Georgian mansion that she plans to convert into a getaway for her fellow devotees of the religious sect.
However, neighbors of the proposed project are reportedly less than enthused at the prospect of a Kabbalah center in the neighborhood.
"Having a Kabbalah center would be totally inappropriate," one resident told London's Evening Standard. "It is a seriously manipulative sect which is very good at getting people's money, including Madonna's."
Madonna, who's known as Esther in Kabbalah circles, has already spent $6.5 million on a headquarters for the sect in London's West End and is at work on a multimillion-dollar New York center.
Kabbalah, a controversial mystical offshoot of Judaism, has won many high-profile followers, including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.
Madonna, who was raised Catholic, is emphatic that her devotion to Kabbalah has not damaged her career.
"I do know that there's cynicism involved but I accept it because it's different," the Like A Prayer singer told NBC. "It's something new to people and people are always guarded and suspicious of things that are new."
Proving her dedication to her faith, Madonna featured Kabbalah images on her Re-Invention Tour last year and has published a series of kiddie books featuring themes from the religion's teachings.
Her fifth and final book, Lotsa de Casha, was released stateside this week, prompting a series of interviews and a 15-page cover story for the July issue of Ladies' Home Journal, which will hit newsstands on Tuesday.
Madonna regrets her sexy image
Source: Yahoo! UK & Ireland - 13 June 2005Pop icon Madonna admits she took her sexy image too far in the early stage of her career.
The 46-year-old singer and actress says her attitude - which included suggestive songs such as Like A Virgin, daring concerts and releasing the provocative book Sex in 1992 - may have misled fans."
Sometimes I was being overtly sexy for the sake of showing off when I didn't need to be. I think I hurt myself.
"Ultimately none of us wants to be judged, or approved of, or loved because of the way we look, or how sexy we are," the singer tells US magazine Ladies' Home Journal.
"One minute I was saying 'believe in yourself' and the next minute I was saying 'just be sexually provocative'.
"I was letting it pump up my ego, thinking 'aren't I great, they're writing about me, my picture's on the cover of every magazine, I'm so fabulous'," she says.
The admission comes only days after the pop star released her fifth children's book, Lotsa De Casha.
But the over-40 Madonna is anything but dowdy. Last year she played all over the world on her Re-Invention Tour, which included a series of revealing costume changes to go with the hits.
She also recently fronted a £5m ad campaign for fashion house Versace.
Madonna's underwear - pre-worn - fetches 1,000 pounds
Source: AFP - 9 June 2005It could perhaps be described as a niche market, but such is the continued fame of US pop star Madonna that a pair of her black, lacy knickers - guaranteed pre-worn - have sold for 1,000 pounds (1,500 euros, 1,800 dollars).
The underwear, worn by the 46-year-old star in 1993 film "Body of Evidence", had been sold by a lapdancing club in Aberdeen, Scotland, the club's owner said Thursday.
Private Eyes Gentleman's Club bought the knickers from a costume shop in Hollywood and kept them in a glass case on a wall, but after a re-fit decided they should be sold on Internet auction site eBay.
Club owner Tony Cochrane said the auction was abandoned after eBay contacted him to say such already-worn garments could not be sold under its rules, but one US-based fan who had already made a bid contacted him to arrange a private sale.
"We are delighted to have sold them and are just sorting out final fees so the underwear can be transported to America," Cochrane said.
"It was always our intention to sell them to a true fan and we are happy with the sale."
Madonna's message: money can't buy happiness
Source: Reuters - 9 June 2005Take it from Madonna, the self proclaimed "Material Girl," money can't buy happiness.
That's quite a lesson from the 46-year-old pop diva, whose fifth children's book in the past 18 months "Lotsa de Casha," hit store shelves this week.
"Lotsa was by far the richest man in the country. He had everything that money could buy," is the opening line of her latest book. "But there was a teeny, tiny problem. No matter how much money Lotsa de Casha made, he wasn't happy."
The short book concludes with the moral, "When you learn to share, you will not only find happiness. You will also find a friend."
Renowned as much for her catchy dance anthems Vogue and Ray Of Light as she was for cavorting on stage in a partially disrobed wedding gown some 20 years ago performing Like A Virgin on MTV, Madonna Ciccone Ritchie said she's left some of her old antics behind and is all grown up now.
"I'd like to think I've been evolving and transforming my whole career, I grew up," she told Reuters in an interview.
Her new book, which features art by Portuguese artist Rui Paes, follows the transformation of an greyhound with a bad Italian accent, who loses everything but finds a friend in a vaguely Baroque fairy tale setting.
"The media likes to say it's just another one of my guises,' she said of her career as an author. "But it's much more deep and profound than that."
Madonna the singer is know as a chameleon, morphing from sexy outfits and suggestive lyrics to Eastern mysticism and Judaism. Similarly, Madonna the writer has penned a series of books which barely resemble each other.
A different illustrator was hired for each of the five slim volumes. But they are all anchored by the same message, she insists: "Nothing is what it seems." Her intended audience and some critics might agree.
A book reading at a New York bookstore on Tuesday drew puzzled responses from the group of about 25 kids, who appeared to have difficulty grasping the book's morals.
More used to books with just one easy to grasp message, Madonna's had six "rules" for the six-year old children to follow -- although they might have just grown restless after having been kept waiting for nearly an hour for the tardy Madonna.
"I think she makes the same mistake every celebrity author makes: They think they can write children's books," said Ilene Cooper, children's book editor of Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association.
"Generally it's just awful, beyond awful," said Cooper of efforts by celebrities-turned authors.
While the illustrations in Madonna's books have drawn positive notices, her latest book features a leading character who is a greyhound, who in many panels looks more like a rat.
Cooper called Madonna's writing to date "heavy-handed" and in need of a good editor. That hasn't stopped her selling books.
Nicholas Callaway of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, the publishers of Madonna's kids book, said over 2 million copies of the five books have been sold altogether. They were translated into 40 languages and sold in over 100 countries.
"I think you have raves, you have pans. With Madonna, you'll have reviews across the spectrum," Callaway said.
A sequel to her best selling book, "The English Roses," which was her first, is planned for Fall 2006, as is a television series based on the book.
Madonna also said her next dance music album is set for release by the end of the year.
Despite living quiet life, Madonna has a lot to say
Source: Boston Globe - 9 June 2005Every couple of years, Madonna reemerges. Sometimes it's with a CD; sometimes it's with a movie; sometimes, unfortunately, it's with a fragrance. This time, the 46-year-old expatriate pop star is back with a children's book, her fifth in the past three years.
If there was any doubt, the black-clad boy toy who squirmed so memorably on MTV 20 years ago is long gone. As one wag wrote recently, Madonna has become Mamadonna. The superstar singer lives happily in England these days with her director husband, Guy Ritchie, and her two children, Lola and Rocco.
But this week, Madonna is in New York, doing what she does better than just about anybody else -- publicity. Reached by telephone yesterday, she took a few minutes to chat about her new book, parenting, recording, and of course, religion.
Why are you doing press? Aren't there millions of people who'll buy whatever you do?
Are you kidding? No way. I still have to make an effort. You're being incredibly presumptuous and naive to think that people just run and get whatever you do.
So you don't think that way.
Hell, no.
Hell, no?
Yes... I'm still a girl from Michigan.
How much time do you spend actually writing?
Haven't been writing books lately, because I've been busy recording. But when I am writing, I set time aside, maybe four hours in the afternoon, when it's quiet and my kids are at school. I sit at my computer, and I have this little statue on my desk... She's a kneeling woman who's got her eyes closed, and she's very meditative. She's my muse.
If you're not writing or recording, what does your day look like?
There's always the bit where I have to get my butt out of bed in the morning. (Laughs.) That's at 7:15 a.m. I wake up, go downstairs, have breakfast with my kids, and argue with my daughter about combing her hair. Then I get them off to school. Sometimes I take them, but it's not my favorite thing to do, let's be honest. I don't like the whole getting up and make myself look presentable for school routine.
Tell me about motherhood. You like it? Is the idea better than the reality?
Isn't the idea of everything better than the reality? No, actually, I love it. My children aren't with me right now, and I miss them terribly. They fill up my life. I don't know where I'd be without them.
It's hard to talk about your children's books without at least mentioning your rather notorious first book (1992's picture book ''Sex"). You've said it was a different time. Does that imply regret?
No, no. You know me better than that. I don't regret it. What's the point of regretting anything you've done? If I didn't do everything I did, I wouldn't be who I am now.
Good point.
I mean, so I took my clothes off for a few pictures. That's the norm now.
You have to put your clothes on to get attention these days.
That's what I'm doing. (Laughs)
Tell me about your religious beliefs.
It's not religious beliefs. Don't call it religious beliefs. I was raised a Catholic, my husband's a member of the Church of England, I've studied Buddhism, Hinduism, and I was, briefly, an atheist. I don't think studying Kabbalah... It's not about a monotheistic religion. Everyone calls it Jewish mysticism, but that's absoutely not what it is. Nobody knows what it's about.
What's been Kabbalah's effect on you?
To me, the definition of religion is not asking questions. In England, soccer is the religion. In America, Christianity is the religion. It's really just what a group of people tends to do because everybody else does it... If you want to talk about corruption and violence and pain, let's talk about the Catholic Church. Let's talk about the Crusades, when they annihilated anyone who wouldn't convert to Christianity. That's religion, but that's not what I'm interested in.
I'm relieved to hear that. The new book, ''Lotsa de Casha," is about a man who's rich but still miserable. Doesn't money make life easier?
I'm not complaining about having money, or that I have a roof over my head and can afford airplane tickets. I know I'm in a very privileged position, but I know ultimately material things won't bring you happiness. Most very wealthy people are not happy. Why? They have too much of something they don't need, and they don't share it with other people.
Do you miss living in New York?
London is a slightly more laid- back city, and that's preferable with kids. It's so hard-core in New York. In London, people don't get all up in your face, but sometimes I miss that. (Laughs.)
Is it important to you that the books are taken seriously, and you're viewed as more than just a multinational celebrity?
I hope I'm more than that.
It sounds like you might be, but I wonder if reviews matter.
I want children to read them. If good reviews mean a bigger audience, yes, it's important.
What do you call yourself when you're filling out an application for a CVS card?
I call myself an entertainer. That kind of covers it.
And how do you relax?
I love to ride horses and go for walks. We have a house in the country, in the middle of nowhere, where we go for long walks. We have chickens and build tree forts there. And I like to go to pubs with my husband.
You played Live Aid and you're playing Live 8. What are you going to sing?
I think I'll do Ray Of Light and Like A Prayer, and the rest is a secret. The concert's in Hyde Park, and I live right down the street, so it's terribly convenient.
You can ride your bicycle to the show.
I'm thinking of dressing like a police officer and just walking in.
Are you wearing what you wore in 1985? Those embroidered pants, and that long jacket?
Ugh. Scary Larry. That was my Venetian period. (Laughs)
One last thing. Jose Canseco, to whom you were briefly linked in the '80s, wrote a book in which he said he spent most of the '80s taking steroids.
So?
Did you take steroids?
What? Are you mad?
Madonna longed for a meaningful relationship
Source: ContactMusic - 9 June 2005Pop superstar Madonna endured years of misery before settling down with British film-maker Guy Ritchie - because she was desperate for a meaningful relationship.
The Material Girl, whose busy love life attracted tabloid headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s, admits that she was often unhappy with the lack of true love in her romantic life - even though fans believed she had everything she wanted.
She says, "My life was a series of ups and downs. It was like one minute I was ecstatically happy and the next minute I could be very down.
"I think the biggest emptiness in my life was that I didn't seem to be able to have a lasting and meaningful relationship. And I wanted a family - and how could I have a family if I didn't have a lasting and meaningful relationship?"
Duff sisters on Material Girl cover
Source: MTV - 8 June 2005The Duff sisters are collaborating quite a bit these days, not only on shopping but in the recording studio, as well. With a movie titled "Material Girls," the two insisted on putting a song on the soundtrack that pays respect to the artist who inspired the movie's title and the sisters' careers: Madonna.
And are they going to cover what might just be the original Material Girl's signature song? "We are!" Hilary says excitedly. "We've been getting demos and stuff from different people to produce the song. We're really excited because we had so much fun [collaborating recently on the classic Go-Go's song] 'Our Lips Are Sealed.' So this will be like a new edition."
Covering Madonna, however, comes with some lofty expectations. "It's so much pressure," Haylie says. "Now that we're about to do the song, I hear it everywhere, like on commercials and in movies and stuff. I hear it much more than I ever realized I heard it."
"I think we want to try and release a couple different versions of it," Hilary adds, cradling one dog as another barks in the background. "Like one that's a little more dancey, one that's a little more kind of ... not hip-hop, but maybe we'll have a guest appearance or something."
What will these different versions sound like? To give an idea of their musical influences, the sisters Duff bust out their matching iPods.
"Haylie likes hip-hop," Hilary offers. "I'm a big fan of Postal Service. I like Saves the Day a lot, and I like Rancid and Britney Spears."
So: Imagine a classic Madonna song, reinterpreted by two girls to sound like Britney meets 50 Cent meets Rancid, with the word "like" sprinkled liberally throughout. Will it work? No matter how these different versions sound, and no matter how "Material Girls" looks when it lands in theaters next year, fans of the two will likely respond with a phrase that would make Homer proud: Can't get enough of that Duff.
Madonna at Unicef party
8 June 2005yesterday evening, Madonna joined the Unicef party at Bergdorf Goodmans in New York City. Matt Baron has provided a picture of a beautiful Madonna that night.
Bad cop Madonna
Source: FemaleFirst - 8 June 2005Madonna claims she has to play the "bad cop" to her children because husband Guy Ritchie is too soft.
The sexy star claims she is forced to dish out any punishment to the couple's two children, Rocco, and daughter Lourdes - from her relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon ' because Guy lets them do whatever they like.
She told American magazine Ladies Home Journal: "I'm the disciplinarian, Guy's the spoiler He's the fun guy I'm doctor's appointments, lessons, homework He's good cop, I'm bad cop".
The 'Like a Virgin' singer also says she has invented ingenious ways of disciplining her children to teach them a lesson.
Madonna, 46, insists she has no problem stripping either child of their privileges if they fail to adhere to her strict household rules and the pair have to "earn" them back.
Album in 2005, tour in 2006?
8 June 2005Madonna was interviewed by Barbara Walters and Star Jones on ABC's The View today. She spoke mostly about her family life and of course about Lotsa De Casha. She told the reporter that she was writing a sequel to the English Roses.
Lourdes, who gives her a lot of inspiration had asked her to include a boy in this sequel. Madonna also tells about her education skills. When Lola leaves her clothes on the floor, they'll be taken away until she has only one outfit left to wear.
These stories result in a lot of laughter with the audience. The most interesting part of the interview is at the very end, where they talk about Madonna's music. Here's a (quite exciting!) excerpt:
TheView: Each album - there've been 9 - has been different from the next. What's the 10th album gonna to be like, coz i heard you're working on something?
Madonna: It's all dance [applause]
TheView: All dance music? Good, still a party girl!
Madonna: It's supposed to come out late October, early November. I'm in a mood to dance, so that's the kind of music I'm making.
TheView: So you're still a party girl?
Madonna: Oh yeah! [applause] I love to dance, I love a cocktail, in its place, in its time...
TheView: You're gonna tour again?
Madonna: Yeah
TheView: Soon?
Madonna: The summer after this summer [applause]
~ An album this year and a tour next year? All we can say: YAY! :-)
Madonna plans tell-all - in 40 years time
Source: ContactMusic - 8 June 2005Madonna fans hoping to read a tell-all about the pop superstar's colourful life are in for a long wait - because she plans to write it in 40 years time.
The Music singer, whose romances and wild antics grabbed headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s, recently gained writing practice through putting her children's books together, but a novel on her own life will be a long time coming.
She says, "I've thought about (writing an autobiography), but it's a daunting idea. I don't know, maybe I'll do it in 20, 30, 40 years. I have some tales to tell, that's for sure."
Madonna defends Cruise's Scientology & reveals Live 8 songs!
Source: Zap2it - 8 June 2005Madonna sympathizes with Tom Cruise and the criticism he's had to endure about Scientology.
"I think people just feel uncomfortable with things that are different from the norm," she tells "Extra."
The controversial religion promotes vitamins over psychotropic drugs, a belief that drove his recent criticism about actress Brooke Shields, who describes in her book "Down Came the Rain" how taking Paxil cured her postpartum depression.
Madonna has also had her share of spiritual criticism regarding Kabbalah, but merely comments, "Don't knock it till you try it."
The former Material Girl is one of the many big-name performers -- along with U2, R.E.M. and Coldplay -- who will participate in Live 8, the charity concert to benefit global poverty to be held on Saturday, July 2.
"It's a sin that millions and millions of children in Africa continue to starve - and I do hope these concerts can make a difference," she says. "I'm going to sing 'Like A Prayer' and 'Ray Of Light' and haven't thought of a third one, so stay tuned."
She is currently promoting the release of her fifth children's book, "Lotsa de Casha," about a rich man who loses everything but gains a friend. Madonna is also working on a documentary, which she describes as "'Truth or Dare' -- 12 years later."
The full interview will air on Wednesday night, June 8.
~ Madonna has denied the Sting duet in another interview
Madonna plans a new musical *rumour*
Source: ContactMusic - 8 June 2005Pop superstar Madonna will hit the West End once more in a glittering new musical - but she's keeping the details under wraps.
The 46-year-old last stormed the London stage in 2002 with hit play Up For Grabs, and she was thrilled with its success.
She says, "My last play sold out within hours. I never missed a performance and above all, I loved it so much."
Her next theatrical effort is going to be a more tuneful affair, and Lord Lloyd-Webber, who worked with Madonna in movie musical Evita (96), is tipped to be her mystery collaborator.
She teases, "I'm planning on hooking up again with a musical mentor who I admire so much. "And yes, it will be a musical role on the stage."
Magazines: Greatest American
Source: Madonna.com - 8 June 2005A special commemorative edition of Life magazine looks at the 100 Greatest Americans chosen in a public vote for the Discovery Channel.
Last night the first show aired on TV and Madonna polled at number 46 in the list.
Christopher Ciccone once called his sister Madonna Louise 'her own masterpiece'. That she is an intricately crafted figure of great rarity who may or may not be a feminist icon and may or may not be much of a singer. But one thing is for sure; she is a star of the highest order, one with savvy, style, many facets and legs.
For more than 20 years she has had a phenomenial career, staying unerringly on the heat, while singing, dancing and voguing her way from disco diva to Marilyn Monroe marque to electronica queen.
Madonna can spot the next thing coming a mile off, she makes it her own, then delivers it with full frontal force.
She long ago perfected the art of creating controversy (remember her Sex book!) which has been a powerful weapon for every celebrity since Cleopatra. She has done it her way, even down to creating her own record company and maintaining approval over every artist signed.
Madonna can be pondered and questioned, castigated and criticized, but she will continue to come out on top.
Madonna film promises enlightenment
Source: ContactMusic - 8 June 2005Pop queen Madonna is urging fans to buy her new documentary film alongside her latest album Defying Gravity - because the two items promise spiritual enlightenment.
The Material Girl's documentary about her worldwide Re-Invention Tour is entitled "Madonna: I'm Going To Tell You A Secret", based on The Secret, by Michael Berg, a guru for Madonna's Kaballah faith.
And Madonna, a devotee of the mystical offshoot of Judaism, is convinced her latest efforts will inspire the public in the same way The Secret inspired her, helping people to "find (their) core".
With 'Lotsa' interviews, Madonna back in vogue
Source: USA Today - 8 June 2005Get ready to see lotsa Madonna, who is promoting her fifth children's book, Lotsa de Casha. The singer chatted with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show in an interview airing today, and she sat down for a 15-page cover story with Ladies' Home Journal for its July issue (on newsstands June 14); daughter Lourdes, 8, came along to the London shoot. The highlights:
From Ladies Home Journal:
On her first marriage, to actor Sean Penn: "I wasn't interested in making compromises — I wanted to do what I wanted to do, and he wanted to do what he wanted to do.
How she and husband Guy Ritchie deal with any problems: "If I have a problem, I want to work it out, right now. My husband is like, 'Let's talk about it in two days.' ... I have to prove that you're wrong now! Sometimes I need to learn to bite my tongue."
On parenting: "I'm the disciplinarian, Guy's the spoiler. He's the fun guy. I'm doctor's appointments, lessons, homework. ... He's good cop, I'm bad cop."
On discipline: "I take privileges away. My daughter has a problem picking up in her room, so if you leave your clothes on the floor, they're going to be gone when you come home. ... She has to earn all of her clothes back by being tidy."
From Today:
On not second-guessing herself: "I'm cooler about my decisions, and I'm more resolute."
Madonna releases her fifth kids book
Source: Undercover - 7 June 2005Madonna is in New York today for the release of her fifth children's book 'Lotsa de Casha'.
The material girl will spend the day meeting fans when she appears at an instore at Borders Time Warner Center and she is also planning a special reading at the New York City Library.
Over the next few days, you can expect Madonna to pop up on ABC's The View. She will also be featured on the cover of Ladies Home Journal.
Nicholas Callaway, Founder and CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, notes that, "In less than two years, Madonna has become one of the most successful children's authors in the world.
Her unique voice and beautifully illustrated volumes have sold more than two million copies in 40 languages in more than 110 countries. This latest work, Lotsa de Casha, is a whimsical updating of the age-old truth that money can't buy happiness."
Press release: Madonna brings Lotsa De Casha to Manhattan
Source: Callaway Arts & Entertainment - 7 June 2005Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce today's release of Lotsa de Casha, the fifth and final installment in an internationally best-selling series of children's books by Madonna.
Madonna returns to New York for a weeklong celebration of Lotsa's debut, which kicks off with a party hosted by venerable retailer Bergdorf Goodman. More than four hundred guests will gather at the Fifth Avenue store to toast the story of the richest man in the world, who loses everything but gains a friend.
Fans will have the opportunity to meet Madonna when she signs copies of Lotsa at the Borders Time Warner Center. The author also plans a special reading at a New York City library.
Madonna will make a select number of media appearances in support of Lotsa, including an appearance on ABC's The View and a cover story in the July 2005 issue of Ladies Home Journal, available on newsstands in mid-June.
Nicholas Callaway, Founder and CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, notes that, "In less than two years, Madonna has become one of the most successful children's authors in the world. Her unique voice and beautifully illustrated volumes have sold more than two million copies in 40 languages in more than 110 countries. This latest work, Lotsa de Casha, is a whimsical updating of the age-old truth that money can't buy happiness."
Portuguese painter Rui Paes, best known for his frescoes at the historical Munkebakken house in Oslo, Norway, illustrated this 48-page jacketed hardcover, written for readers aged six and up.
Mr. Paes says of working with the author, "Madonna has a visual awareness that allows her to see beyond the surface, and that is very rewarding for an artist." Madonna made publishing history with the global release of her first children's book, The English Roses, published simultaneously in 30 languages in more than 100 countries in 2003. It became the fastest-selling book in history written by a first-time children's author, debuting at no. 1 on the New York Times Book Review children's best-seller list and remaining on the list for 18 weeks. The English Roses is now available in 40 languages worldwide.
Callaway Arts & Entertainment is a leading creator of family entertainment properties across all media, including book publishing, animated entertainment, and children's lifestyle products. The company's hugely successful Miss Spider series, created by David Kirk, has sold more than 5 million books and inspired Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, a computer-animated television series that airs weekday mornings on Nickelodeon, and the Sunny Patch(TM) line of children's lifestyle products available at Target stores nationwide.
Live 8 ticket details
6 June 2005The official Live 8 website has posted more information on how to obtain tickets for the London gig. There is a SMS competition that runs from June 6th till June 13th. Send a text message to 84599 (Each entry costs £1.50 plus your operator's standard text charge.) with the correct answer to the following question:
What city is the forthcoming G8 summit being held near this July?
A) Berlin B) Moscow C) Edinburgh
Text A, B or C to 84599
(Let Madonna's kilts be a hint ;-)
The text competition will close at midnight on the 12th June. Winners will be chosen at random by computer and notified by text message after the 13th June with details of how they can collect their tickets.
Participants can also enter the competition by sending their response A, B or C on a postcard with their full name and address to:
Live 8 Ticket Competition,
PO Box 4026,
Leamington Spa,
CV31 9AZ
Note this route of entry closes at 1pm on Friday 10th June.
Unfortunately the competition is only open to UK residents and residents of the Channel Islands aged 16 or over. Good luck to those!
Other venues do not require tickets – details on how to attend will follow shortly.
Madonna launches perfume
Source: ContactMusic - 4 June 2005Madonna has signed a $9.5 million (GBP5 million) deal to launch her own perfume range to coincide with the release of her new album Defying Gravity.
The Material Girl is following in the footsteps of fellow pop stars J.LO and Britney Spears by releasing her own scent - originally titled Madonna.
Both the perfume and new album - the follow-up to 2003's American Life - have been carefully planned to simultaneously hit stores in November (05), ready for the Christmas shopping boom.
The Kabbalah devotee will be performing at London's star-studded LIVE 8 gig in Hyde Park on 2 July (05).
~ Please note that none of the release dates and titles mentioned in this article are officially confirmed.
Things set straight for Madonna lover
Source: Boston Herald - 4 June 2005Madonna's former lover has no case against St. Martin's Press for publishing a photo carrying his name on the picture of a gay man, an appeals court in Boston said yesterday.
The court upheld U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner's ruling tossing out the case but stopped short of endorsing her finding that calling someone gay isn't slander or libel.
"We find that no reasonable reader could conclude that (Michael) Albright is homosexual,'' the court said, noting that text with the photo referred to Albright's 'hot and heavy' affair with Madonna and to his 'fling' with a 'girl at a club.
The court said the text was reason enough to squash Albright's suit. "We need not decide whether such an imputation constitutes defamation per se in Massachusetts,'' the court said.
Albright sued St. Martin's and Madonna biographer Andrew Morton last year claiming his name on a photo of "outspoken homosexual'' Jose Guitierez smeared his reputation. The suit noted Guitierez often dressed as a woman on stage and engaged in sexually graphic acts.
Lotsa de Splasha
2 June 2005The splash page on Madonna.com has received a Lotsa de Casha update to promote the upcoming book release. There's a short summary of the book and a link to pre-order it.
Ladies Home Journal photo teaser
2 June 2005A while back we reported that Madonna had done a new photoshoot in London. Those pictures will soon premiere in Ladies Home Journal. There will be 8 pages of pictures and one page full text. Thanks to MadonnaMad forum member AvoidTheCliche we can already have a sneak peak at those amazing shots! (thx to MadGuy for bringing this to our attention)
Lotsa illustrator Rui Paes
Source: Reuters - 2 June 2005Portuguese illustrator and painter Rui Paes poses next to Madonna's latest children's book 'Lotsa de Casha' during its launch in Lisbon June 1, 2005. The book will be launched on June 7 in New York.
Madonna & Sting plan duet for Live 8
Source: Sky News - 2 June 2005Madonna and Sting are planning a duet at the London Live 8 gig, it has been reported. It is a collaboration which will go down in history and will be perfect for the giant event, says The Sun. It claims that one number the two superstars have talked about singing in Hyde Park on July 2 is John Lennon's Imagine.
The Sun quotes a source as saying: "They have had a discussion about performing a cover version.
"They thought about a Beatles song, or maybe Imagine. Madonna sang it on her Re-Invention tour."
The paper claims Madonna consulted her Rabbi adviser before agreeing to get involved in the biggest charity rock event since Live Aid in 1985.
She will reportedly star in a late afternoon slot, while Sting will perform solo earlier in the day.
It is said that they will join up for their duet shortly before the finale late in the evening.
Meanwhile the papers claims The Who have "begged" Bob Geldof to squeeze them on to the bill.
And she says Robbie Williams could well be joined on stage by ex-Guns 'n' Roses axeman Slash - two men born in the Potteries.
Lotsa De Casha goes on sale June 7th
Source: Madonna.com - 2 June 2005Hi Friends,
Run, don't walk, to your nearest book store to get Madonna's latest children's book. Lotsa De Casha, the fifth book in the series by Madonna, is due in stores on Tuesday June 7, 2005. It features another fantastically imaginative fable that you have come to expect from Madonna's stories for children, even grown up ones! You can pre-order the book today by going to Amazon.com.
Complimenting Madonna's unique writing style are the beautiful illustrations by Rui Paes. The images that Rui Paes pens helps weave the story of Lotsa and set a new standard in children's book artwork.
ICON, Madonna's official Fan Club, has a very special event planned for it's Fan Club members surrounding the Lotsa De Casha launch.
ICON editor Johann has reserved spaces at the Borders Book Signing on June 7th for 4 lucky fan club members. You will get the chance to meet Madonna and get a signed copy of Lotsa De Casha. You don't have to wait on line all night, all you have to do is enter the contest for a chance to meet our ICON. For more information about the ICON Book Signing contest, click here!
There will be more special treats for ICON members during the Lotsa De Casha press week. Make sure to keep logged into your computer and to the ICON site! So, don't miss out on all of the fun! Order a copy of Lotsa De Casha today!
Lastly, we have a very important announcement to make: Last week Madonna reached out to ICONers by requesting a fan club member attend her UNICEF event on June 8 and write a story for ICON magazine. Well, the lady has reviewed all of the articles submitted and we are happy to announce that the winner is Kelly Smith! Congratulations and we will see you in New York!
Madonna.com confirms Live 8 performance
2 June 2005Madonna.com confirms Madonna's participation of Live 8:
"Sir Bob Geldof confirmed in a press conference yesterday the details and confirmed the artists featuring in Live 8 - a series of five live shows in London, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome and Berlin on Saturday 02 July. The concerts have been organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure as part of a campaign to force the world's richest nations to relieve poverty in the third world.
For more info on the press conference, check this CNN article.
The concerts - which will be free - are aimed at raising awareness of poverty just before leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations meet in Scotland."
Official Live 8 website
1 June 2005
Visit the official Live 8 website at www.live8live.com for all the details on the event. There's more information about the goals of Live 8, most importantly raising awareness about the hunger problem in Africa, and especially towards the political leaders of the G8.
The site reprises the earlier published line-ups in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin & Philadelphia. The Paris gig will be held at the Palais de Versailles (venue was still under negociation yesterday)
UK – Hyde Park, London
France – Palais de Versailles, Paris
Germany – Brandenberg Gate, Berlin
Italy – Circus Maximus, Rome
USA – Museum of Art, Philadelphia
The concerts mark the start of The Long Walk To Justice. "Ahead of the G8 Summit, hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe will make their way by land, sea and air to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, to show the leaders of the world's richest nations that they must act to stop the scandal of extreme poverty."
The site explains that tickets for the London gig will be distributed by a text message lottery: "Tickets for the LIVE 8 London concert in Hyde Park will be allocated via a text competition.
For the chance to win a pair of tickets to the London event you will need to enter the text competition - you can enter as many times as you like - there are 72,500 pairs of tickets to be won.
Details of the text number and competition will be announced on the 6th June 2005via all UK radio stations & BBC Television. No entries will be accepted before 00:01 on the 6th June. Each entry costs £1.50* plus your operator's standard text charge." Other venues don't require tickets.
Read all @ www.live8live.com
Live 8 concerts to promote poverty relief in Africa
Source: AP, PoughKeepsie Journal - 1 June 2005London's Hyde Park, Circus Maximus in Rome and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are among the venues for Live 8, a series of concerts being organized by Bob Geldof, the driving force behind the 1985 Band Aid and Live Aid campaigns for African famine relief.
The July 2 concerts, which will be free, also will be held near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and in Paris. Performers will include Madonna, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Duran Duran and Brian Wilson.
"We don't want people's money. We want them," Geldof told a news conference Tuesday in London. He said negotiations for the Paris venue were continuing.
Performers will include Elton John, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Madonna, McCartney, R.E.M., Sting and U2 in London; Will Smith, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Wonder, Jay-Z and P. Diddy in Philadelphia; Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lauryn Hill and Wilson in Berlin; Jamiroquai, Youssou N'Dour, Yannick Noah and Craig David in Paris; and Faith Hill and Duran Duran in Rome.
The concerts are aimed at raising world awareness of poverty in Africa just days before G8 leaders meet in Britain.
Geldof said the G8 meeting provided a "unique opportunity for Britain to do something unparalleled in the world ... to tilt the world a little bit on its axis in favor of the poor."
John said he was "very proud to be involved."
"Now I'm fully aware of what's going on and seeing the injustices going on," John said. The 58-year-old pop star said he hadn't been mature enough to appreciate the last concert 20 years ago and its ramifications.
Geldof said that in the two decades since the Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia, Africa had gone into economic decline.
"The result of that is we see people dying on TV screens every night," he said. "This is to finally, as much as we can, put a stop to that."
Live 8 is not going to be "gloomy and doomy," Geldof said, and is "not for charity but for political justice."
The concert in Philadelphia will be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. John is set to headline an AIDS-relief concert for July 4 on the parkway. The site of the 1985 concert, JFK Stadium, was torn down to make way for an arena.
The June 13, 1985, concert in London took place at Wembley Stadium, which has also been demolished to make way for a new sports stadium. Fans enter a lottery by cell phone text message to obtain a ticket.
Live 8 line-up: Madonna in Hyde Park!
Source: Sky News - 1 June 2005The line-up of Live 8 has been announced yesterday. Some of the world's top acts will be playing at five Live 8 gigs on July 2. The concerts will be free and are designed to raise awareness of world poverty. Madonna is among the hallucinating line-up of London's Hyde Park. Here is a list of acts included in those performing at each gig:
London - Hyde Park
Coldplay - Mariah Carey - Dido - Keane - Elton John - Annie Lennox - Madonna - Paul McCartney - Razorlight - Snoop Doggy Dog - Sting - U2 - Joss Stone - Stereophonics - REM - Scissor Sisters - Muse - Robbie Williams - Velvet Revolver - The Cure - Snow Patrol - Bob Geldof - The Killers
Philadelphia - Museum of Art
Will Smith - Bon Jovi - The Dave Matthews Band - Stevie Wonder - Jay-Z - Puff Daddy - Il Divo - Maroon 5 - Sarah McLachlan - Rob Thomas - Keith Urban - 50 Cent - Kaiser Chiefs
Berlin
A-HA - Crosby, Stills and Nash - Lauren Hill - Brian Wilson - Bap - Die Toten Hosen - Peter Maffay
Paris - Tuilleries gardens
Jamiroquai - Placebo - Youssou N'Dour - Andrea Bocelli - Craig David - Calo Gero - Kyo - Yannick Noah - Axelle Red - Johnny Halliday - Manu Chao - Renaud
Rome - Circus Maximus
Faith Hill - Tim McGraw - Duran Duran - Irene Grandi - Jovanotti - Nek - Laura Pausini - Vasco Rossi - Zucchero
Bergdorf Goodman's UNICEF Party Contest
Source: Madonna.com - 1 June 2005Madonna is calling all ICONers for help with a special cause. On June 7 in New York City, Madonna is hosting a party at Bergdorf Goodman's that benefits UNICEF. It is very important that we get the word out about the power of UNICEF's charitable work.
Madonna has requested that an ICON special reporter be selected from the fan club to attend this event and write a story for ICON magazine & Madonna.com The ICON special reporter will work amongst international press as they cover this very important party.
To enter this contest, you must be a member of ICON and submit a 200 word essay by May 30th at 6PM PST as to why you are qualified to be the ICON special reporter. Madonna will review all valid entries submitted and pick the most qualified member.
Please email your essay in email format to icon@moov-u-mail.com .
Best live solo artist of all time survey
Source: Madonna.com - 1 June 2005Best live solo artist of all time survey Madonna appears in the top 10 of a survey commissioned by the UK based Carling to celebrate the Britain's live music scene and that lists the 10 best live solo artists of all time. The 2 different created lists, "Best Live Solo Artist Of All Time" and "Best Album Of All Time" go as follow:
BEST LIVE SOLO ARTIST OF ALL TIME
1. Robbie Williams
2. David Bowie
3. Morrisey
4. Elvis Presley
5. Elton John
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Paul Weller
8. Madonna
9. Michael Jackson
10. Bob Dylan
BEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME
1. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
4. Radioheads - The Bends
5. Coldplay - Parachutes
6. The Beatles - Revolver
7. U2 - Joshua Tree
8. Guns 'N' Roses - Appetite for destruction
9. Madonna - Like A Prayer
10. Stereophinics - Performance & Cocktails