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Madonna news - July 2005
← June 2005 | Aug. 2005 →
Vogue interview and pictures
29 July 2005Website Style.com offers an adaptation of the Madonna interview that appears in the August issue of Vogue Magazine.
DVD news *rumour*
29 July 2005Madonna.com said that the RIT DVD would be out in time for the Christmas shopping season and that more info would be announced closer to the time. (Most rumours indicate it as a November release, timed to be near to the release of the new album to maximize exposure to both.)
The documentary might be going to straight to DVD according to latest rumours. Apparently the only hope for it in theatres is a limited theatrical release. One rumour even said a possible screening at the Toronto International Film Festival which is the biggest international film festival of the season.
As for the Blond Ambition DVD, a rep at Warner replied to an email a fan sent them and claimed that it should be on DVD sometime in 2006. Source: David Figueiredo via MIR #1296)
Possible single remixers *rumour*
Source: peterrauhofer forum; thx to MIR #1296 - 29 July 2005According to sources in Warner, Huerta and Madonna's team has contacted Basement Jaxx, Jacknife, Superchumbo, Rauhofer, Jan Driver, and Fierce & Coppola about re-mixing Madonna's new single. They send a copy of the first single to them. They are not confirmed yet. Again Madonna's hand picks each remix.
The single is set for September as a single with a B-side of Hollywood (Layo & Bushwacka Mix). The maxi single will be out on October, with an album on November.
Will 'I Love New York' be a single?
Source: SoundGenerator - 28 July 2005Earlier this month we learnt that Madonna's 10th studio album, Confessions On A Dance Floor, is currently in the final stages of completion for a late 2005 release.
Now, we can reveal that the Mirwais/Stuart Price (Jacques Le Conte)-produced set will be led by first single 'Hung Up' in September/October. The 46-year-old queen of pop is currently mixing with the producers in Los Angeles, reports her official website.
Previously, it was thought 'I Love New York' would be the first single release, although it now seems that it will be a likely second or third single. However, the news regarding the Re-Invention tour DVD has been confirmed, with the tour package confirmed for release later this year.
While Mirwais has taken the producers helm since 1998's Ray Of Light, Price's involvement began when he co-wrote X-Static Process on 2003's American Life, which led to him becoming the musical director for the 2004 Re-Invention Tour.
Madonna will shoot the album cover next month with Steven Klein, who is also expected to direct her new video.
Liz Rosenberg about the new album
Source: The Scoop - 28 July 2005Don't believe those reports that Madonna is teaming up with Christina Aguilera. "Christina is working on an album in the [same] building [as Madonna] but they have not seen each other", Madonna's spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, tells The Scoop. She went on to debunk another rumor. "Gwen Stefani is not guesting on the record either. It's all Madonna, all the time - a total dance record called 'Confessions On A Dance Floor.' No ballads, no messages. Her fans will go insane when they hear it. It's back to Madonna the queen of the dance floor."
Possible release date
28 July 2005Several sources are hinting at a mid-November release for the album Confessions On A Dance Floor.
MadonnaTribe reader Kent heard from sources close to Warner Denmark that the Danish release date is set for November 14. This date is also listed on the website of UK music retailer HMV where the album is currently available for pre-order.
Meanwhile, Robster at the MadonnaMad forum has reported a general release date for the album on November 15th, 2005. An official announcement is expected soon.
Madonna 'Hung Up' on new single
Source: Reuters/Billboard - 28 July 2005Madonna has chosen "Hung Up" as the first single from her new album, Confessions On A Dance Floor.
No release dates have been unveiled for either item, but both are expected in the fall via Warner Bros. Madonna told ABC's "The View" in June that the new album is dominated by dance music and will likely be supported by a tour in 2006.
The set will be the follow-up to 2003's critically maligned album American Life, which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, but posted the lowest sales of any Madonna album to-date (657,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan).
Her official Web site says "Hung Up" was produced by Stuart Price, who previously served as the musical director on Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention Tour. That outing will be the subject of a DVD due out near year's end.
Madonna plans Hung Up single
Source: Irish Examiner - 27 July 2005Madonna's first single from her new studio album will be called Hung Up.
Produced by Stuart Price, the track is taken from the 46-year-old's upcoming album titled Confessions On A Dance Floor expected in the autumn. The album is the follow-up to Madonna's 2003 American Life.
Madonna is currently in Los Angeles mixing the album and in mid-August she will reportedly shoot the album cover in the UK with Steven Klein who will also direct her new video.
A DVD featuring footage of Madonna on the Re-Invention Tour is also due by the end of the year.
Official album and single title confirmation *official*
26 July 2005Madonna.com is happy to announce the name of the first single off of the new album is called HUNG UP (produced by Stuart Price). The album, Confessions On A Dance Floor, will be released this fall.
~ Click here for all the facts & rumours on the new album.
Big screen gossip
Source: Sky - 23 July 2005Madonna and her quest for movie success continues at a fast pace... but she is now planning to hit the screen as a producer. While she may have been the undisputed star of the recent Live 8 show in London, as far as movies are concerned, Madonna's star doesn't shine so bright.
But she plans to rectify this by making a big-screen version of the life of Sixties singing legend Dusty Springfield - who scored worldwide success with tracks like I Only Want To Be With You. Madonna told my mole: "In order to work at the level I want in movies, I have to create my own vehicles. This is a story I can relate to well."
Not only will she produce the movie, but she's also hinted that she will take a small role... that of Dusty's manager. Fans of Musical Madonna, take note that her new album - provisionally called Confessions Of A Dance Floor - will be out towards the end of October this year.
Rumoured new single title *rumour*
21 July 2005According to fansite Madonnatribe, Madonna is currently mixing her new album in Los Angeles with Stuart Price, and the first single will be called "Hung Up". Madonna will make the album photoshoot and the new video in mid-August in the UK with Steven Klein.
Tour costume exhibition?
Source: Contactmusic - 20 July 2005Madonna has hired a team of fashion experts to catalogue her famous costumes.
The pop superstar has kept every outfit from her career and now she wants them all displayed and conserved.She says, "I've kept everything - the Like A Virgin dress, pieces that (Jean-Paul) Gaultier made for the Blond Ambition Tour, all the costumes from all of my shows, all the dancers' costumes.
"My goal is a travelling exhibit, like the Jackie Kennedy show - not just costumes but video imagery and film and interviews and concert footage."
And Madonna has been careful to destroy any costume she doesn't want to keep: "We didn't want anything to end up on the internet."
Mad's bridle frown
Source: 3am Mirror - 19 July 2005Horse-ride star bans the public.
As if Madonna's bid to reinvent herself as an English country wife hasn't gone far enough, the queen of pop has now turned to horse riding...
But in true Madge style, it hasn't been without some diva-like behaviour.
We hear the 46-year-old star recently booked an hour-long lesson at the Stag Lodge Stables, in Richmond Park, South-West London.
And the novice rider quickly decreed that no one, apart from her instructor, should see her ride in the arena.
"Madonna didn't want to be recognised at all, so she booked the place out," says our source. "She was adamant and insisted that she have the arena to herself."
Despite her uncharacteristic shyness, Madge was so taken with her latest pursuit that she even borrowed two nags from the stables, to ride at her country estate.
"Madge asked for two horses - Fifi and Phoenix. She also hired equipment, including hats, saddles, reins etc. After three days, the horses were sent back to the school.
"She seems really keen on riding now." It's just the latest outdoor pursuit for the energetic mother-of-two, whose country base is £9million Ashcombe Park, in Wiltshire.
She recently took up shooting thanks to her fanatical husband, film director Guy Ritchie. Madge first enrolled for clay pigeon shooting lessons at the West London Shooting School, in Northolt, Middlesex. She then splashed out on a pair of £20,000 guns from the Queen's supplier, James Purdey & Sons, as well as gear such as a Barbour tweed hunting vest, moleskin Burberry trousers, a £975 cashmere field coat, knee-length breeches and a £65 cashmere shooting cap.
Madge also hired an instructor and then hosted shooting parties on her 1,200-acre estate for guests including singing legend Sting, hard-man actor Vinnie Jones and restaurateur Marco Pierre-White.
"I skip the huge breakfast," she reveals. "Once you eat it, I don't know how you can get up and move around. So I have my macrobiotic soup and then I go out and shoot some pheasants." But Madge soon tired of blasting birds - she wasn't a good shot and tended to wound rather than kill - and said that the souls of the creatures they did manage to kill would come back to haunt them in a future life.
So now she has settled on a more animal-friendly option...
Along with horse riding, fitness fanatic Madge does yoga, has taken up karate and uses a Gyrotonic expansion rack to stretch and tone her muscles.
"She's already very muscly and the riding will firm up her thighs even more," continues our source.
"Madonna has really embraced country living and, after changing her mind about shooting, she feels riding is a much less brutal hobby."
Whatever next, thigh-high waders and a fishing rod?
Madonna shows Vogue her reinvented side
Source: AP News - 19 July 2005Madonna isn't the person she once was - and that's the way she wants it. These days, the former Material Girl spends more time with her two children than she does performing. She collects art instead of boyfriends, and she's traded in her leather and lace undergarments for more demure outfits.
In the August issue of Vogue magazine, Madonna is featured in a lengthy interview and a photo spread at the English country estate she shares with her children, 8-year-old Lourdes (Lola) and 4-year-old Rocco, and her director-husband, Guy Ritchie ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels").
The photos include Madonna feeding chickens on the lawns of Ashcombe wearing a cream-colored Grace Kelly-inspired chiffon dress and cashmere cardigan and playing dress-up with her children in her sitting room while wearing a yellow cashmere cardigan and multicolored polka-dot silk dress.
She shares her wedding album with writer Hamish Bowles, finally allowing an outsider to see her in her gown, an ivory duchesse satin dress with an hourglass corset bodice and crinoline skirts. (Madonna and Ritchie were married in December 2000.)
The 46-year-old singer-actress says she's different from the sexed-up star featured in 1991's "Madonna: Truth or Dare." In some ways, that film is hard for her to watch, she tells Vogue.
"I was a very selfish person. You go through periods of your life where the world does revolve around you, but you can't live your whole life that way," she is quoted as saying. "On the other hand, I kind of admire my spunk and directness!"
Madonna stars in a new documentary, "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret," that is due out later this year. She says the film "starts with the struggle of a dancer trying to get into a show" and ends with her visit to Israel.
The film also features parts of Madonna's most recent tour, called "Re-Invention."
England is home, Madonna says
Source: USAToday - 19 July 2005Don't look for Madonna to return to her Midwest roots anytime soon. England, she tells the August Vogue, is home forever.
"The last thing I thought I would do is marry some laddish, shooting, pubgoing nature lover — and the last thing he thought he was going to do was marry some cheeky girl from the Midwest who doesn't take no for an answer!"
In the interview, which arrives Thursday, Madonna says she has mellowed. She says she wears sensible shoes around her country estate and caters to a beloved flock of chickens, and her children, Lola, 8, and Rocco, 4, don't watch TV.
She even shows off her whopping wedding album (until now seen only by her "closest friends") from her 2000 marriage to director Guy Ritchie. So, for the record: She was married in a traditional, cinched-waisted gown with a long train and veil.
She acknowledges that she didn't fall in love with England initially, but since meeting Ritchie, 36, Madonna, 46, has learned to ride horses, shoot and fish. Her preferred mode of transportation: bicycle. And she "could be a connoisseur of ales if I wanted to."
Ashcombe, the 1,000-acre estate the family calls home, was once the home of the late photographer Cecil Beaton, and Madonna says she and Ritchie were immediately in love with it.
"To me, Ashcombe is a reflection of me and my husband in many ways, because it reflects our willingness to make a commitment. Not necessarily to each other but to the idea of having a home somewhere, instead of living like gypsies."
Herb Ritts-outtake splash page
18 July 2005Madonna.com is using a Herb Ritts outtake from 1989 as the splash page. The picture is also featuring on the cover of the 44th issue of ICON magazine.
ICON #44
15 July 2005The 44th issue of the official Madonna fanclub magazine is available now. It contains a letter from Madonna where she talks about the following:
she's been editing the documentary since October 2004;
she enjoys reliving the tour over and over and can't wait to share the final product with us; she collaborated with Mirwais and Stuart Price which she called "fun";
she hopes to finish the album next month and release it by the end of the year; a
nd she talks about her book signing and the story of the book (Lotsa De Casha)
Ladies Home Journal interview online
15 July 2005The Ladies Home Journal interview from March is available online here.
Vogue magazine info
14 July 2005According to fansite Drownedmadonna, the Vogue magazine is releasing its August 2005/ Madonna issue to the print and television media on Monday, the pics will be premiered in US Weekly Magazine & People Magazine late next week. TV Shows (including Access Hollywood & Entertainment Tonight) will be premiering the photos on Monday or Tuesday.
Ingrid Casares will promote the new album
Source: Herald.com - 12 July 2005To some it's a revolution, to others it's just evolution. But, whatever you call it, TAI, the nocturnal troika of Tommy Pooch, Alan Roth and Ingrid Casares, has just lost its I. According to Casares, who was with TAI for just over a year, the parting is purely amicable -- it's just that the partners didn't see eye to, uh, I.
"It's nothing personal," she says. "We just want to do different things. No hard feelings."
Her former partners agree."Ingrid is great, and Tommy and I will always care for her. But we just had different directions we wanted to take the company,'' Roth says.
On Casares' to do list: "I'm working on Madonna's new album, which is a dance record," she says. "I'll be working on that nationwide.'' She's also doing an MTV Video Music Awards party at the Raleigh with Maverick Records honcho Guy Oseary; Pink, the gay-friendly monthly event at the Raleigh, and she's reteaming with former Joia partner Nicola Siervo in the restaurant biz again when Quattro opens on Lincoln Road in December.
"I get offers every day," she says. "Thank God, life is good." How can it be bad when you're BFF with Madge?
Vogue magazine cover revealed
11 July 2005Fansite Madonnalicious revealed the cover of the August 2005 issue of Vogue magazine. The photoshoot also featured Lola and Rocco. (Legal representatives have asked Madonnalicious to take the picture down, so we have removed it too.)
Don't kill innocents, learn from them
7 July 2005The Madonna.com splash page shows a picture of the Music performance on Live8. The text reads "Terrorism is the worst way to make your voice heard. Instead of killing innocents, try and learn from them. Peace", a great message hinting at today's tragic events in the city of London. Mad-Eyes, just like Madonna, condemns all such barbaric terrorist attacks. Peace!
Madonna and McCartney duet?
Source: ContactMusic - 7 July 2005Madonna discussed collaborating with rock legend Sir Paul McCartney backstage at the Live 8 concert in London on Saturday (2JUL05).
The pair were among the star-studded line-up at the charity extravaganza in the capital's Hyde Park.
And, according to the New York Daily News, Madonna took the opportunity to approach McCartney for a guest spot on her upcoming disc.
A source tells the newspaper, "She was spending quality time backstage with Paul McCartney, and they had a 15-minute chat about her new CD and him possibly doing something with her for the record."
Madonna's extravagant vacation
Source: ContactMusic - 7 July 2005Pop superstar Madonna is going on a summer vacation so extravagant, it will cost her and husband Guy Ritchie a staggering $300,000 (GBP150,000).
The pair will take Madonna's eight-year-old daughter Lourdes and the couple's four-year-old son Rocco on a 12 day trip to Italy and Greece.
The Material Girl has even enlisted some help so she looks good on the beach, claims the New York Daily News.
A source tells the newspaper, "She even had pal Donatella Versace whip her up duds just for the vacation, including some hot bikinis."
Madonna's still queen of pop
Source: The Mirror - 5 July 2005Best-selling author and Daily Mirror writer Miranda Sawyer explains why Madonna's Live 8 performance proves the 47-year-old is still the..
On a day when rock and pop veterans showed the new kids how to do it, Madonna stole the show.
Whether welcoming Birhan Woldu, the Ethiopian famine survivor saved by Live Aid's efforts, or berating VIPs in the "golden circle" in front of the stage - Lady Madge was in complete control.
All in white, an angel in strides, she led her band and dancers through an uplifting set that included Like A Prayer, Ray Of Light and Music.
Memories of a plump chick in leggings rolling about at the original Live Aid were forgotten as 21st century Madonna proved the older generation can do it better.
More than 20 years of performing means she know what she's doing - and 47 years of life means she knows why.
Madonna, like Bono, understands the power of a perfect moment. And she was bold enough to seize it, combining both the Live 8 message and its medium, pop music, in a performance nobody watching will ever forget.
And it was a reminder of just how famous and special Madge still is. The girl has still got it - by the bucket-load.
Just weeks ago at the London premiere of Sin City, a red carpet paparazzi-fest where Brittany Murphy posed prettily alongside Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen and Jessica Alba, she stole the show.
When Her Madgesty and Guy turned up unexpectedly, it triggered a frenzy of photos. Her impromptu night out made the crowd's day and was covered in every paper.
And even the fuzziest of camera phone pictures couldn't disguise how great Madonna looked. In slick black gown, with beret, footless tights and T-bar shoes to remind us that she knows a) where fashion is at and b) that this wasn't her night (no upstaging premiere frock), she looked sparkly-eyed, glossy-haired and gorgeous.
Before Saturday night's breathtaking performance we were in danger of taking Madonna, a middle-aged working mother-of-two who just six years ago made London her home, for granted.
At the time, we couldn't believe it - the world's most famous woman has decided to move in with us.
Is that allowed? Shouldn't she be ensconced in some Beverly Hills enclave, some Miami mansion, New York penthouse, Cannes hideaway?
What's she doing in the UK, doing British things? Can that really be the Queen of Pop, in flat cap and baggy tracksuit, nipping along bus lanes on a bicycle?
Next thing she'll be extolling the virtues of drinking beer. Oh... "I love ale," said Madge last year. "I get drunk, but all it takes is half a pint. I'm a cheap date."
Yes, Madonna has fitted in just fine, adapting her efficient US habits to the UK's more relaxed way of life. When I interviewed her in 2000, she bemoaned British slackness - "At six o'clock, everyone goes home and no one works at the weekend and people go away for a month in the summer," she said, incredulously. But she also admired the way we enjoy "music and art and literature and nature".
Now, ever the culture sponge, she's taken on our characteristics. So we see Madonna going hunting (boo), going to a public gym (hooray) and writing children's books (hmmm).
A combination of a British marriage and British environment has changed her from distant superstar into a high-achiever who knows her way around, one who combines American drive with UK humour and a European appreciation of life's joys.
She's part of the British furniture these days. But has this familiarity bred contempt? Have we stopped caring what Madonna is up to? Judging by the crowd's reaction at Live 8, the answer is no - she's still one of the world's brightest, shiniest most talented celebrities.
A star who's famous because she's achieved more than any of us could ever imagine - unlike the wannabes who hit the headlines after a drunken fumble with Calum Best.
Even in the short time she's been here, Madonna has produced a lifetime's work. She's released two albums, written four children's books, made one film with her husband and another with cult director Jonas Akerlund. She's starred in a West End play and progressed to the Third Series in Ashtanga yoga, which makes her one of the most advanced yogis in Britain. Enough to make you want to sit down for a cup of tea.
It's a shame her last album, American Life, was so ropey. Still, her forthcoming new one, reputedly called Defying Gravity (well, her body certainly does) is rumoured to be a return to form.
Saturday's performance was a corker, proving that with a back catalogue that Britney would kill for, a dancer's grace and a showwoman's sense of occasion, Madonna is one of the few pop stars who can pull off a stadium show.
There's been controversy about Kabbalah, a form of Judaism that's become an important part of her life since she moved to London.
And though Kabbalah seems hokum to most of us, Madonna is a devotee and if it makes her happy, what's the problem? If she's donating money to a non-violent cause, one that promotes peace, she's alright by me.
In her Re-Invention show, she showed a film of Palestinian and Israeli children holding hands.
It's not going to change any politician's mind, but it's better than pretending such problems don't exist, that it doesn't matter if the West turns its back on the Middle East.
Whatever Madonna does, she'll get attention, good or bad. She knows that, but it doesn't stop her having a go, trying new ideas.
Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes she fails. But she doesn't stop trying.
Live 8 proves her star still shines and reminds us how lucky we are to have her.
~ Although Madonna has already announced her album title to be "Confessions On A Dance Floor", there'll probably still be articles using the old rumoured title "Defying Gravity".
Dirty Madonna
Source: Boston Herald - 5 July 2005Madonna and Snoop Dogg's foul mouths during Saturday's Live 8 London concert elicited "just under" 400 complaints by viewers, reported BBC News.
A spokeswoman for BBC stated, "Millions of people enjoyed our 12 hours of live broadcasting. We are sorry if any offense was caused."
Madonna added an expletive while greeting London, and Snoop Dog did not bother to edit his curse-riddled lyrics for the family friendly daytime audience. The BBC did not use a time delay during the broadcast.
Madonna reveals album title
4 July 2005In an interview with John Norris at Live8, Madonna has revealed that her new album, which includes a song 'I Love New York', will be called 'Confessions On A Dance Floor'. She also said that she wasn't sure yet whether the documentary 'I'm Going To Tell You A Secret' would be released before or after the album.
Here's the transcript from the interview on MTV News:
Madonna: "First of all, going out there and meeting that little girl, that was wild. She hugged me so tight and that was great, one of the best hugs I ever had. I felt very emotional. And I thought: "You know, you can't sing and cry at the same time"
John Norris: "Did it take some arm twisting to get you to do this?"
M: "Yes! Well it did because [Bob Geldof] sent me a letter asking "will you do Live8?" and he didn't really tell me anything and I went "Oh common dude, you gotta do better than that. Prove to me that it's gonna make a difference and I'll be there for you." And he did."
JN: "You mentioned you were in the studio for a new record; it's gonna be out in the fall, I understand?"
M: "Yup, that's the idea - hopefully"
JN: "And more dance?"
M: Oh yes, it's called 'Confessions On A Dance Floor'.
JN: OK great. I'm gonna run through the rumours real quick: there's a song called 'I Love New York'?
M: "Yeah there is and I think you'll probably gonna love it."
JN: If you love [New York] so much, you should spend more time there.
M: Well, the reason I don't spend more time there is coz my kids are here and my husband likes it here and I'm being a good wife.
JN: "And the documentary is gonna be out... when?"
M: "I don't know when the documentary is gonna be out. We're almost done with the offline, the edit is almost finished, and I don't know what's gonna come out first, my record or the documentary, one or the other."
Birhan: 'Madonna gave me strength'
Source: ContactMusic - 4 July 2005Birhan Woldu, the famine survivor who joined Sir Bob Geldof on stage at Saturday's (02 JUL 05) London Live 8 concert, was intimidated by the worldwide audience watching her until Madonna held her hand.
Woldu, who was reminded of her dead mother and sister when she took to the stage, was terrified by her appearance until the Ray Of Light superstar's calming influence made her realise Live 8 will help provide salvation for her troubled continent.
She recalls, "The crowd seemed to stretch for miles, but I'd been telling myself not to be nervous.
"There was just a huge picture of me as a child on the screen. That photo still upsets me.
"It was 20 years ago when both my mother and sister died. I knew I must be strong for them but when I walked on I could feel my body shaking.
"Then Madonna took my hand and looked into my eyes. The crowd roared and I realised the world wanted to save my continent.
"I felt myself grow stronger."
Woldu survived Ethiopia's terrible 1985 famine thanks to aid supplied by 1985's Live Aid fundraising, organised by Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.
Berated by Madonna, rocked by Robbie, stunned into silence by images of famine
Source: Guardian Unlimited - 4 July 2005Virtually every act at Live 8 makes some reference to the concert's capacity to change the world. Certainly, the world of rock and pop seems to capsize for its duration. The sheer overload of artists and celebrities is disorientating enough - as they scuttle on and off stage, it's like trying to watch a rock festival with your finger permanently stuck on the fast-forward button - but in addition, your expectations keep being confounded in the most unlikely ways. The most cutting-edge stuff on offer keeps falling a bit flat. [...]
Alt-rock stars Razorlight kick over mic stands, take their tops off, bend iron bars with their teeth, etc, in the hope of making an impression. It might have worked if they hadn't been followed not just by Madonna, but Madonna on top form, hand in hand with a former victim of the Ethiopian famine, loudly berating the assembled journalists and VIPs in the "golden circle" in front of the stage. Within seconds of Like A Prayer starting, you forget Razorlight were ever on stage.
Lady Madonna
Source: Gigwise - 4 July 2005In one of the most emotional moments of Live 8, Queen Madge took to the stage with 24-year-old Birhan Woldu - the living symbol of hope from Bob Geldof's 1985 Live Aid campaign.
Woldu was caught on film twenty years ago – given just ten minutes to live by doctors.
Sir Bob said: "See this little girl? She had 10 minutes to live 20 years ago and because we did a concert in this city and Philadelphia and all of you came and some of you weren't born, because we did that, last week she did her agricultural exams in the school she goes to in the northern European highlands."
Woldu herself addressed the crowd: ‘Hello from Africa... We Africans love you very much . It's a great honour to be here to stand on the Live 8 stage and please continue to support Live 8 and we love you very much and thank you.'
Madonna was visibly moved and appeared humbled as she clasped Woldu's hand and sang eighties classic Like A Prayer. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror after her performance Madonna said: "Today has been successful in terms of raising awareness but more than anything the pressure its going to put on the world leaders to decide whether to remove debt and increase funding - that's the most important thing and hopefully we will have achieved that."
Madonna is defying logic
Source: Fox News - 3 July 2005[...] But it was Madonna everyone wanted to see, and even the most jaded of the A-list poured out from behind the celebrity barrier to catch her three song set of Like A Prayer, Ray Of Light, and Music.
Dressed in her white mom-goes-to-a-chic dinner suit Madonna launched the first song with a gospel choir and had the newly dense crowd swaying and clapping. But was this Madonna or a replacement android? Maybe she even sensed it. By the time Ray Of Light began off came the jacket, up went the middle finger, and she sent out the F-word to wake up her old fans. Madonna was back!
And here's the thing: she's never looked better. Her face is tight and shining. Her body is lithe as ever. Her voice is rich, supple and perfect. However she's doing it, Madonna is defying logic. She's doing Madonna, and while it seems a little sterile compared to the real Madonna, it works. She's still the superstar. Joss Stone, the 18-year-old phenom, should take note: you can have a great voice but you need a persona. Madonna's is overflowing.
Jay-Z, U2, Madonna, Pink Floyd deliver Live 8 highlights
Source: VH1 - 3 July 2005Bob Geldof promised "the greatest concert ever" as he revved up his global jukebox one more time on Saturday. And, with fierce sets from original Live Aid participants U2 and Madonna, a reunion of psychedelic rockers Pink Floyd and the first-ever live performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by a Beatle, he delivered.
With millions watching the globe-spanning concerts in person (see "In The Crowds At Live 8: Music, Mud And A Shared Desire To Help") and an estimated billion or more tuning in to the broadcast for what will likely be the most-watched music event in history, the twin messages of Live 8 were inescapable: "We don't want your money, we want you" and "Three seconds."
The latter was the figure given for how often a child dies in Africa of extreme poverty. Will Smith dramatically illustrated the point by repeatedly snapping his fingers and exhorting the estimated million-plus crowd in Philadelphia to do the same, creating an eerie crackling sound that slammed thepoint home.
It was just one symbolic gesture in a day full of strong words and energetic performances aimed at influencing this week's G8 conference in Scotland (see "What Is The G8, Anyway?").
Perhaps the day's highest drama came during a set by Live Aid alum Madonna, who also provided one of the musical highlights with an electric performance of Like A Prayer. Twenty years after she took the stage as a budding star, Madonna was introduced by concert organizer Bob Geldof, who called her the "queen bee of rock." Geldof also introduced a woman who had had "10 minutes to live" when she was featured 20 years ago in the African-famine documentary that inspired the original concert.
With the dramatic image of her emaciated face frozen on the stage's massive screen, Geldof invited the now grown woman to stand beside him. Smiling broadly during an extended ovation, she urged the crowd to keep up its support and was eagerly embraced by Madonna, who kissed her and held her hand for several minutes.
"Are you ready to start a revolution?" asked Madonna, who, like many of the day's performers, was dressed in an all-white outfit. "Are you ready to change history?" Backed by a choir also dressed in white, Madonna pranced the stage for a spirited gospel-rock rendition of her 1989 hit with the crowd clapping along and repeating the event-appropriate line "I hear your voice." The set also included a run-through of Music, during which Madonna bumped and grinded with a pair of breakdancers. Continue article
Madonna meets comedy hero Gervais
Source: ContactMusic - 3 July 2005Madonna's most memorable moment from yesterday's (02 JUL 05) Live 8 concert in London was meeting her hero - British comedian Ricky Gervais. The veteran superstar pleaded with The Office actor to give her a job, however menial, when she met him at Hyde Park, because she is so desperate to spend time with him.
Madonna, who wowed the crowd with her performance at the show watched by five billion people worldwide, says, "My highlight of the day was that I got to meet my favourite, favourite, favourite comedian in the whole world, Ricky Gervais. "I worship him and I told him that I would sweep his floor for him if he would employ me in such a fashion and he agreed with it, so that was cool."
Madonna overcome by Live8
Source: ContactMusic - 3 July 2005Madonna struggled to keep her emotions in check when she went on stage at London's Live 8 concert yesterday (02 JUL 05) - she came face-to- face with a young African woman whose life was saved by Live Aid. Concert organiser Sir Bob Geldof introduced Birhan WolduU, who appeared in video footage at Live Aid in 1985, before introducing Madonna.
Geldof explained, "See this little girl? She had 10 minutes to live 20 years ago... She is here tonight... Don't let them tell us it does not work."Caught up in the moment, Madonna hugged the girl when she ran out onto the stage in Hyde Park, and was so overcome she almost couldn't perform. She tells MTV News, "It was one of the best hugs I've ever had. It was so emotional but you can't sing and cry at the same time."
Madonna performed, insisting the thrilled African, who is now studying at a university in Ethiopia, stay with her onstage.
How the Live 8 acts performed
Source: BBC - 2 July 2005The BBC's Ian Youngs gives his verdicts on the the numerous performances which graced the stage at the Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park.
Sir Paul McCartney and U2: One of the most super of supergroups of all time, and Sergeant Pepper was a suitable opening, even if the song has dated a bit. 9/10 for wow factor.
U2: They still have so much passion that it was impossible not to get swept up in their blockbuster anthems. They had the park singing and clapping. 10/10
Coldplay: Powerful, popular. The peak of their rousing set came when Richard Ashcroft came on for a rendition of Bittersweet Symphony. But they are not ready take over U2's mantle as biggest band in world quite yet. 8/10
Sir Elton John: Posing and pouting at every opportunity. He was another to prove that the veterans can still outperform younger rivals. He wheeled out a couple of classics before being joined on stage by Pete Doherty, who with his gothic get-up and dazed look rekindled Adam Ant circa 1985. 10/10 for Elton, 5/10 for Pete.
Dido/Youssou N'Dour: Youssou stole the show from Dido during their spot together, She may have the hits, but he has more charisma and a more haunting voice. Their duet of 7 Seconds was warmly received. 7/10
Stereophonics: : They may be too cool to show emotion, but Stereophonics can rock in a Rod Stewart kind of way. The crowd is responding better to things with some oomph and they went down well. 7/10
REM: It was arms in the air time as heart-wrenching song Everybody Hurts had the crowd spellbound. Michael Stipe's eery blue face paint and freaky dancing sent a collective tingle through the whole crowd. 9/10
Ms Dynamite: She buried any suspicions of tokenism with an emotional rendition of Redemption Song. 6/10
Keane: They may be nice boys with nice songs, but Keane can sure belt 'em out. They are about as rock 'n' roll as you can be without a guitarist, and imposed themselves with a big presence. 8/10
Travis: Fran Healy's affable bonhomie and catchy hits caught the mood, and they did not even make it rain when they sang Why Does It Always Rain on Me? The brave version of Staying Alive must have been for a bet - but kind of worked. 8/10
Bob Geldof: Despite promising not to play, he could not resist. He suddenly reverted back to straggly, straining old rock star - but the crowd was generous. 5/10
Annie Lennox: Despite having been out of the spotlight for a while, she was another veteran who showed the young stars a thing or two. Starting with a poignant version of Why? she ended with a storming performance of Eurythmics classic Sweet Dreams. 8/10
UB40: Their appearance seemed like an attempt to represent multi-cultural Britain, but it was a good soundtrack for a trip to the toilet or burger stall. 6/10
Snoop Dogg: He raised the temperature with a racy rendition of his hip hop hits and got one of the most energetic responses of the concert so far. Fans were waving their hands in the air like they just didn't care. 9/10
Razorlight: This band grabbed the chance to shine on a world stage with their thumping rock tunes and singer Johnny Borrell's theatric antics grabbing attention. He jumped off the stage, he ripped his shirt off - he has learnt the lessons of 1985. 9/10
Madonna: She's not the queen of pop for nothing. During Music, she got everyone clapping in unison the way Freddie Mercury did in 1985. This will be remembered as one of the Live 8 moments, with the crowd desperate to worship in her regal presence. 10/10
Snow Patrol: Another band to provide some good songs, but little power or passion, which is what this crowd really needed. 7/10
The Killers: This white-suited band had gone to so much trouble for just one song. But the Vegas electro-pop kings made good use of their time. 7/10
Joss Stone: She took to the stage barefoot and sang in front of a 200,00-strong crowd with a confidence that belies her age. Her trademark vocals soared, and she lifted the crowd as it entered the seventh hour of the concert. 8/10
Scissor Sisters: They put on a fun spectacle and evoked the spirit of the 80s with their unashamedly spangly pop. They spoilt it a little by playing a new song at the end - it was good, but we just wanted the hits. 8/10
Velvet Revolver: They kept the metal fans happy, but let's face it, they're aren't many of those. The rest of the crowd were rather bemused by the high-voltage heavy rock and leather quotient. 6/10
Sting: Another old pro proved to be a crowd-pleaser. He rallied fans with favourites like Every Breath You Take. 9/10
George Michael praises Madonna
2 July 2005Jo Whiley (BBC) just interviewed George Michael and asked him what he thought of Madonna's performance. In spite of his recent blasting of Madonna, George Michael was very nice about Madonna, saying she never sang better and that it was definitely one of the highlights of the day.
Madonna leads a revolution
Source: NME - 2 July 2005Madonna wowed crowds at Live 8 this evening with a spectacular performance.
The star kicked off her set with Like A Prayer, backed by the a full choir, who - like the star and her band - were dressed completely in white. Madonna was also joined onstage by an Ethiopian woman who had been, in Bob Geldof's words "10 minutes from death," until the money raised at the first Live Aid concert helped save her.
"Are you ready to start a revolution," Madonna asked the crowd. "Are you ready to change the world?"
Running through Ray Of Light she finished with an extended version of Music bringing break-dancers to the stage and leading 200,000 fans in a singalong. The concert marked a return to the Live 8 stage for the singer.
Madonna performed at the American leg of the first Live Aid concert in 1985 where she played Holiday, Into The Groove and Love Makes The World Go Round.
Speaking about her involvement with the 2005 concert, which aims to raise alleviate developing world debt and establish fairer trade, she said she wanted to thank Bob Geldof for making the whole thing happen.
The singer is currently working on the follow-up to 2003's American Life album and her appearance marked her first live engagement of 2005.
Madonna wears white
Source: VH1 - 2 July 2005The skies over London's Hyde Park had been threatening to open up all day long. Heavy gray clouds hung lazily in the sky, pregnant with raindrops. A cold breeze whipped over the barren parkgrounds, sending the assembled Live 8 crew and band techs running for their windbreakers and hoodies.
Most of the grass in the park had turned from a robust green to a tired, weary brown, and huge tracts of mud had been opened up by foot traffic and the odd Caterpillar tractor. Even the ducks in Hyde Park's pond looked miserable — and they live here.
And in the middle of all this, standing on a barren stage, Madonna had chosen to wear white — fabulous, virginal white. In fact, she'd dressed her entire backing band (complete with a full gospel choir) in white too, the type of wardrobe mandate only Madge could make. And this was all just for her soundcheck, which lasted for the better part of an hour.
Before an audience of about 100 stagehands and various members of the media, she ran through a bumping medley of her hits: Like A Prayer, Music, Ray Of Light, all of which had grips and gaffers dancing in their workboots while Sting braved the drizzle to watch.
In fact, the music was so loud that the throngs of fans gathering outside the concert grounds — on the other side of a massive field, across crowd-control barricades and huge green walls put up only days ago — were able to hear it. And they were dancing too.
Madonna wows Live 8 crowds in London
Source: SoundGenerator - 2 July 2005The Queen of Pop sent over 200,000 Live 8 music fans into delirium this evening, performing three souped-up versions of her biggest hits.
Before the hits though, we got a glimpse of Birhan Woldu, the child featured in the 1985 Live Aid film, which touched the world. Recently qualified as an agricultural student, Woldu was just weeks from death when featured in '85, according to Geldof, who used her appearance as an example of how just one life had been saved due to Live Aid.
Taking to the stage in a silver satin suit, Madonna was rousing, passionate and demonstrated clearly why her 'Queen of Pop' tag is so deserved. Opening with Like A Prayer, the star questioned the crowd 'Are you ready to start a revolution!', 'Are you ready to change the world'. Accompanying her was a full choir, also dressed in white.
By the time Ray Of Light and Music came, the mix had changed into a bass-heavy breakbeat hybrid, with a myriad of b-boy dancers invading the stage. Music weighed in at six minutes running time, with an extended chorus of 'Music, makes the people, come together' in which Madonna convinced pretty much every one of Hyde Park's 200,000 crowd to clap along.
The 15-minute set was received by many as the day's standout performance - so far that is. Madonna also performed at the first Live Aid concert in 1985. Then, the set list included Holiday and Into The Groove.
Madonna gives one of the best performances at Live8
2 July 2005Just moments ago, Madonna performed live at Live8 in Hyde Park, London. Her performance was introduced by Bob Geldof himself, who called her the "queen bee of rock 'n roll". Geldof brought an African woman called Birhan Woldu to the stage, whose life was in critical danger 20 years ago at the Live Aid concert.
Thanks to the concert aid she survived her illness and now completed her studies. Madonna then came on stage, hugging Woldu. She looked gorgeous and natural with blond curls and a white suit. With Woldu next to her, she started Like A Prayer, backed up by the London Community Gospel Choir.
The version of the song was like on the Re-Invention Tour and the screens used the same imagery. At the end of the song Madonna fell on her knees and ended the song beautifully. She pleaded to the crowd to make a difference, to help make poverty history. She kicked into Ray Of Light and gave her best ever vocal performance of this song.
Again there was tour imagery on the screens. Cloud, the Re-Invention Tour dancer appeared on stage at the end doing some flipflops, while Madonna hit a high note. Cloud and another dancer stole the show during Music, in a performance that borrowed choreography and screens from the Re-Invention Tour.
The end was a blast, when the whole choir joined Madonna, backup singers Donna DeLory and Lisa Fischer, and the dancers for a great choreography. All dressed in white and dancing together, they urged the crowd to sing, clap and dance. Madonna was in great shape and smiling all the time. It was already clear that Madonna's performance was one of the highlights of Live8.
Right after her performance, Madonna was interviewed by the BBC. She said this was the biggest crowd she had ever played for, and probably the closest gig to her home: "my kids probably could hear me sing at home". She told about how Bob Geldof had sent her a letter asking to join in Live8.
She hadn't said yes immediately, but after discussing it with Geldof she realised it was a good cause and that no personal issue or agenda could prevent her from joining. She also briefly talked about what she's been up to lately: mixing her album, editing her documentary and right now she'll spend 2 weeks holiday with husband and kids.
~ If you haven't yet added your voice to the Live8 campaign, DO IT NOW! Together we can make a difference. Music makes the people come together!
Performers rehearse for Live 8 concerts
Source: AP - 1 July 2005They're wishing away the rain in London, preparing to dance in the streets of Philadelphia and stringing up the lights at the Palace of Versailles. From Canada to Japan, organizers made last-minute preparations Friday for Live 8, a starry series of free concerts urging the world's richest nations to strike a new deal for the poorest.
"You will never see it again. You will never see this happen again, it will be the greatest concert ever," organizer Bob Geldof said Thursday. "It's all the promise of rock 'n' roll — all of it."
Announcing the gigs just over a month ago, musician and anti-poverty campaigner Geldof said Live 8 would be a chance for "the boys and girls with guitars ... to turn the world on its axis."
There has been no shortage of guitar-wielding volunteers. Among the acts scheduled to perform for free in London's Hyde Park on Saturday are U2, R.E.M., Coldplay and Pink Floyd, reunited for the first time in more than 20 years.
The hastily assembled Live 8 campaign has grown to 10 shows around the world — in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Philadelphia and Toronto, with a related all-African concert at the Eden Project in southwest England.
More than a million people may attend, and organizers say 85 percent of the world's population will have access to a television, radio or Internet broadcast of the day's events.
The concerts come four days before leaders of some of the world's richest nations meet in Scotland for a G-8 summit, and 20 years after the twin Live Aid shows in London and Philadelphia that raised millions for victims of famine in Africa.
Live Aid was about raising money — some $80 million by day's end. Live 8, Geldof says, is about raising awareness.
He wants G-8 leaders meeting at Gleneagles, Scotland to double aid, cancel debt and rework unfair trade laws to lift African nations out of poverty.
"All of that promise will be made concrete in nine cities, four continents, one culture, 1,000 artists — all because too many people are dying on one continent," Geldof told an audience of young people at an MTV question-and-answer session Thursday.
The alternative, he said, was "to watch the carnival of death every night on our television screens forever in full glorious color and stereophonic sound, and indulge in the pornography of poverty. Not my world. I don't want it."
Despite Geldof's passion, some doubt whether Saturday's events can match the magic of Live Aid, a sometimes shambolic, occasionally inspiring trans-Atlantic showcase that included many of the era's biggest stars — David Bowie; Queen, Duran Duran; Phil Collins — and youngsters like Madonna, described at the time as an "up-and-coming singer."
Madonna will be onstage again in London this Saturday, as will Live Aid veterans U2, Elton John, Sting, Paul McCartney and Annie Lennox, alongside the likes of Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams and teen soul diva Joss Stone.
In Philadelphia, performers include Destiny's Child, The Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, P. Diddy and Jay-Z.
Green Day and Brian Wilson will join German bands at the Berlin show near the Brandenburg Gate that once divided east and west.
Eclectic lineups are the order of the day: Neil Young and Motley Crue in Barrie, north of Toronto; Icelandic eccentric Bjork and boy band McFly in Tokyo; the Pet Shop Boys and Russian performers in Moscow; Goth-rockers The Cure and Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour in Paris.
In Britain, 2 million mobile phone text messages were sent applying for 150,000 tickets to the outdoor show in Hyde Park. Thousands of people lined up for hours when 55,000 more tickets to watch on giant screens in the park were released on Wednesday.
"I'm not political at all, but there shouldn't be poverty, there shouldn't be children going without food in the world and we want to be part of the event," said Ray Williams, 47, who lined up for tickets at a theater in Birmingham, England. "People power does work sometimes."
Live 8 Hyde Park running order
Source: BBC - 1 July 2005The centrepiece of Live 8 day is the star-studded concert to be held in London's Hyde Park. The official running order has not been revealed, but an unofficial order and set list has been printed in a number of UK media.
The BBC News website has compared the lists and the below is a fair indication of what to expect from 1400 BST onwards.
1. Sir Paul McCartney and U2: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. U2: One
3. Coldplay: In My Place, Fix You
4. Coldplay and Richard Ashcroft: Bitter Sweet Symphony
5. Sir Elton John (introduced by Little Britain's Matt Lucas and David Walliams): Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, The Bitch is Back
6. Sir Elton John and Pete Doherty: Children of the Revolution
7. Dido: Life for Rent, White Flag, Thank You
8. Stereophonics: Songs to be confirmed
9. REM: The One I Love, Losing My Religion, Imitation of Life, Everybody Hurts
10. Ms Dynamite: Dy-na-mi-tee, Judgement Day, Redemption Song
11. Keane: Everybody's Changing, Somewhere Only We Know
12. Travis: Sing, Turn, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
13. Annie Lennox: Walking on Broken Glass, Sisters are Doin' It for Themselves, Sweet Dreams
14. UB40: Food for Thought, Red Red Wine
15. Snoop Dogg: Songs to be confirmed
16. Razorlight: Somewhere Else, Golden Touch, Vice
17. Madonna: Like A Prayer, Music, Ray Of Light
18. Snow Patrol: Chocolate, Run
19. Joss Stone: I Had a Dream, Super Duper Love
20. Scissor Sisters: Laura, Take Your Mama
21. Velvet Revolver: Songs to be confirmed
22. The Killers: Songs to be confirmed
23. Sting: Every Breath You Take, Message in a Bottle, Desert Rose
24. Mariah Carey: Make It Happen, Vision of Love
25. Robbie Williams: Let Me Entertain You, Rock DJ, Feel, We Will Rock You
26. The Who: Won't Get Fooled Again, Baba O'Riley
27. Pink Floyd: Money, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here
28. Sir Paul McCartney: The Long and Winding Road
29. Finale: Sir Paul McCartney joined on stage by George Michael and Sir Mick Jagger
~ According to this schedule, Madonna will be performing around 7 pm CET.
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