 | |
Madonna news - Sep. 2008
← Aug. 2008 | Oct. 2008 →
Madonna gets a MTV Europe Music Awards nomination
Source: Madonna.com - 30 September 2008Madonna is nominated for the Best Act Ever award at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards, which will take place at Liverpool's Echo Arena on November 6.
The "Best Act Ever" category includes 40 new, established or legendary artists that fans love the most.
Please visit your local MTV website for more info.
Sean Penn texts Madonna over gay film snog
Source: Daily Mirror - 29 September 2008Sean Penn was so chuffed about snogging a bloke he sent a text to ex-wife Madonna to brag. The star plays a gay man in new movie Milk and has to kiss actor James Franco.
James said: "After our kiss Sean texted Madonna and said, 'I just popped my cherry kissing a guy. I thought of you. I don't know why.'
Miles Away promo CD sent to US radio stations
29 September 2008Fansite MadonnaTribe reveals that the promo CDs of the 3rd single of Hard Candy, Miles Away are being sent to US radio stations, starting today.
They also provide us with scans of the promo, which does not have Madonna on it, but includes all of the European Sticky & Sweet Tour dates in the form of passport stamps.
This is just in time for the kick-off of the US leg of the tour, but we wonder if there is going to be a physical single for this fantastic song anytime soon.
Madonna fined for breaking Wembley Stadium curfew
Source: ContactMusic - 27 September 2008Pop superstar Madonna has been fined $249,750 (GBP135,000) by Wembley Stadium officials for breaking the venue's curfew during the London stop of her Sticky & Sweet world tour earlier this month (Sep08).
The Material Girl's show overran the 10.30pm curfew by 40 minutes when she played there on 11 September 2008 her only date in [the city].
And she has now been charged $92,500 (GBP50,000) for every 15 minutes she overstayed her welcome.
A Wembley Stadium source says, "The concert was meant to start at 8.30pm but Madonna didn't come on stage until 9.10pm. The gig ended at 11.10pm so she was quite a bit over.
"Her people knew about the possible implications for going over the curfew but this is a pretty hefty fine, even for Madonna."
Timbaland & Madonna pushed Pharrell to produce more songs
27 September 2008TheNeptunes.org, fansite of Pharrell Williams & co, posted an interview with Pharrell, who mentions that Madonna created a friendly competition between her superstar collaborators to push him for more songs:
"Timbaland was pushing me, he was like 'I like that one song you did' and I was like yeah? And he was like 'You gotta hear the album I did almost the whole thing' and I was like 'Yeah?!' Then Madonna kept teasing like 'Tim Got More Sooongs Than You, Tim Got More Songs Than You' and I was like... 'Okay you aint gonna like me when I start turning green...'"
The first track Pharrell did with Madonna for Hard Candy was of course Candy Shop. Madonna & Pharrell ended up having several recording sessions through 2007, the last one taking place in late October/early November when they reworked the leaked track Beat Goes On, which ultimately resulted in Pharrell's songs making up more than half of the CD.
We assume that the demos of Heartbeat & Ring My Bell, that were leaked months ago, were done by Pharrell especially for Madonna herself after he got this push. His quote proves that the Timbaland sessions yielded several outtakes, and maybe by the end of the making of Hard Candy, Madonna herself preferred Pharrell's style more?
Click here to watch the interview, that also features Shay from Pharrell's band N.E.R.D with both of them discussing their latest album 'Seeing Sounds' with its lead off single 'Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom)' playing in the video.
Tiny Montenegro town gears up for Madonna's big gig
Source: Reuters via Yahoo - 25 September 2008More than 65,000 Madonna fans are expected to visit Montenegro's small coastal town of Budva for the pop diva's concert on Thursday, the biggest-ever event to be held in the small Adriatic republic.
Media reports have revealed the singer's various requests, such as kosher food to be prepared by a Belgrade rabbi and her stay at a luxurious hotel's penthouse with a swimming poll on a balcony under banana and palm trees.
Organizers have unveiled that Madonna requested two rooms and a big bathroom in the 50-room backstage area.
"The rooms should be without air conditioning and fluorescent lights and colors," said public relations officer Aleksandar Rados. "Smoking is forbidden..."
The event on the Jaz beach, famous for its turquoise water and golden sands, will cost some $7 million, according to the Russian Mirax Group, which is the concert's general sponsor.
The beach was picked as the concert site after the last year's Rolling Stones concert and other musical events including a Lenny Kravitz concert this summer.
Something to remember: "Brothers, sisters, why can't we learn to accept we're different?"
25 September 2008While Madonna is currently on the road with the Sticky & Sweet Tour, today we take the opportunity to celebrate the 15th anniversary of one of her old tours. The Girlie Show kicked off exactly one and a half decade ago, on September 25th, 1993 with a sold-out date in the old Wembley Stadium of London.
The schedule of the trek was very special, Madonna did only a handful of dates in Europe & US and focused mostly on LatinAmerica, Australia and Japan. This immediately brings a comparison with the Sticky & Sweet Tour, as Madonna is finally going back to Latin America this year.
The Girlie Show had one of the slimmest Madonna tour setlists: only 15 songs performed in a show divided into only 3 segments (not counting the encores), the only "elaborate" Madonna tour that does not have at least 4 distinctive sections.
Half of the setlist consisted of tracks from her then-current Erotica album and the rest of the setlist contained some of Madonna's biggest hits reinvented, all of her albums were represented by at least one song (something she'd repeat on future tours). Most notable were the Eastern-tingled Vogue, the disco rendition of Express Yourself and a West Side Story-esque remake of La Isla Bonita.
The core of the show was the 1970s section where Madonna stood up against discrimination in race, gender and sexual orientation, and made a moving speech about Aids. The concert also borrowed from the best of Hollywood, with Madonna paying homage to stars like Marlene Dietrich from The Blue Angel & Morocco, which idea was approved by Gene Kelly himself. The live extravaganza was recorded in Sydney, Australia, and is available on DVD.
New compilation only in 2009?
24 September 2008UK music industry publication Music Week revealed the following in their upcoming releases summary:
"...and the anticipated Madonna best of, which was to provide a welcome shot in the arm via the Warner Bros release schedule – bringing her long-running partnership with the label to end – has also slipped back."
We are puzzled by this decision, as a Madonna compilation would have had its best shot in the holiday season, just at the same time the Sticky & Sweet Tour is still showcasing some of her biggest hits on the road...
Madonna's tour towels confiscated by border guards
Source: The Sun - 24 September 2008Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour is set to get a little stickier after Eastern European border guards seized her entire stock of towels.
The Queen Of Pop travels with 300 expensive designer towels for her and her dancers to use when they come off stage.
But officials in Montenegro confiscated the lot because they were suspicious about the number she was taking into the country.
A source said: "The customs people had never come across that kind of volume of towels for personal use before, or the cost given for them. People in Montenegro just aren't used to spending that much on a towel."
Her Madgesty is due to perform in the Budva city stadium tomorrow.
Buenos Aires gets a fourth show! *official*
23 September 2008The Sticky & Sweet Tour itineary has just been expanded with an unprecedented 4th date in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In fact it's the kick-off show in the Latin American country, set to Wednesday, December 3rd.
Ticket sales are expected to happen this Thursday, September 25th. Buenos Aires is the only city on the tour schedule that has four stadium concerts scheduled (Madonna will perform in the River Plate Stadium).
Madonna's success in South America is simply incredible! This date is obviously the very last addition to the itineary, which now has a grand total of 58 dates, just 2 concerts shy of equaling the Confessions Tour, that had the most dates ever for a Madonna tour. Congratulations to the Argentine fans!
No music video for Miles Away?
2 September 2008According to French music portal Musique Radio, Warner has confirmed that the 3rd single of Hard Candy, Miles Away is not going to be accompanied by a promotional music video.
While this is very disappointing because it's yet another great song after Nothing Fails that won't have a video, it just shows that record labels are so weak nowadays that they can't afford 3 music videos from the same album by such an important artist like Madonna, and of course further evidence for the 'music video era' being long gone...
Nathan Rissman to film Brazil show for DVD?
2 September 2008French fansite Absolument Madonna claims that Nathan Rissman, director of the Malawi documentary I Am Because We Are, is supposed to film a Sticky & Sweet show in Brazil for the DVD release.
He would be in charge of directing the show and the DVD would be packed with behind the scenes stuff. Keep in mind we have no official confirmation about a DVD release or a tv broadcast, so keep checking our newspage in the upcoming weeks for more info, if emerges.
Official Madonna 2009 calendar cover revealed
2 September 2008The cover picture of the official Madonna calendar of 2009 has just been revealed. It's a picture from the Give It 2 Me video, shot by Tom Munro. You can pre-order the calendar @ Amazon.com, which will be released on October 1st.
Share your tour experiences with Mad-Eyes!
19 September 2008The Mad-Eyes team would like to have your Sticky & Sweet tour reviews and pictures. Please send us your photos, positive and negative experiences to madeyesteam@gmail.com! You can also use our contact form. We promise to post them!
Do also check out our press reviews and tour diary pages for more coverage on Madonna's current live extravaganza! Thanx a lot in advance for your contribution!
Madonna to become Lego
Source: Yahoo Launch UK - 18 September 2008Madonna, Amy Winehouse and Cheryl Cole are amongst the pop culture stars to be immortalised in Lego.
The iconic range of plastic figures have been created to mark the 30th anniversary of the famed toy building block company.
David Beckham and Spice Girl wife Victoria are amongst the other celebrities chosen, alongside Cliff Richard and other international showbiz figures.
"X-Factor" judges Simon Cowell, Danni Minogue and Louis Walsh have also been made, alongside Girls Aloud singer Cole.
The figures are not expected to be put on official sale to the public.
Madonna gets Latin VMA nomination
Source: Madonna.com - 18 September 2008South America fans! Madonna is nominated for the "Best International Pop Artist Award" at this year's MTV VMAS Latin America.
The ceremony will take place on October 16 and you can already vote for your favorite artist. Make sure to cast your vote by visiting MTV's website now!
Warner Music Netherlands confirms Miles Away as 3rd single
17 September 2008News just in from Warner Music NL, confirming that the 3rd single of Madonna's latest album Hard Candy is definitely going to be Miles Away.
This isn't actually a shocker, since long before the album release, we did know the song was already mentioned as a possible single release by Madonna herself and it was used as the theme song of the Japanese tv show Change.
We think that this breezy track is a great follow-up to the 2 previous massive dance hits, as it gets a great response and audience involvement on the Sticky & Sweet Tour! The release date is rumoured to be next month, according to UK's Music Week publication.
Madonna is the all time #1 solo & female Billboard Hot 100 artist
16 September 2008Billboard.com is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and they compiled a list of the 100 biggest Hot 100 artists.
Madonna astonishingly came in at #2, behind only The Beatles, which means she's the all time #1 solo and female artist of the Billboard singles chart! Congratulations to Madonna!
You can find Madonna's Billboard peaks on our charts page.
Watch the controversial Get Stupid video online
15 September 2008Madonna's official site has just added the politically-charged tour video Get Stupid, which has been making rounds in the press since the tour kick off. In the clip, Madonna is trying to raise awareness and she's explicitly showing off her preference to the US Democratic party. Watch the video below.
Arkady Gips: touring with Madonna
Source: Columbus Dispatch - 15 September 2008Arkady Gips, 52, has played the violin since he was 3, but he never thought that his career in folk and classical music would lead him to Madonna's world tour.
Gips, who moved from his native Ukraine to Columbus in 1993, was personally selected by Madonna for her 12-piece band on her worldwide Sticky and Sweet tour, which began Aug. 25.
Gips' sister, Mira Axelrud, who also lives in Columbus, said the tour is going well.
"He played for around 40,000 people the other night. He usually plays for audiences of 15,000, tops."
Axelrud described her brother as a "big Madonna fan" and said that he has found the pop singer to simply be "very nice."
Gips' background is grounded in Russian Gypsy music. Madonna's tour is divided into four sections: pimp, old school, Gypsy and rave.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for my brother," said Axelrud, who hears from Gips almost every day. "This chance is huge."
Third date added for Buenos Aires
15 September 2008Ticket sales in Latin America continue to be such a success that yet another date has been added to the tour schedule. Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour will perform in Buenos Aires on December 4th.
With the earlier announced dates on December 6th and 7th, she brings 3 shows to the capital of Argentina. Believed to be the final tour date to be added, this brings the total amount of shows to 57, thereby surpassing the Re-Invention Tour.
Sticky & Sweet continues to shatter records
Source: Press release MarketWatch - 15 September 2008The Material Girl does it again!
With a sell-out crowd of over 74,000 fans and a gross of over 12 million USD, Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour easily surpassed all previous grosses at both the old and the new Wembley Stadiums.
This record breaking performance adds another first following last week's confirmation that Madonna's Zurich performance in front of 72,000 fans was the largest audience ever for a concert in Switzerland.
With upcoming European sell-outs in Lisbon, Paris and Athens, the beat definitely does go on and Sticky & Sweet is certainly destined to be the tour of the year. But it's not just Europe that is enthralled by the world's tastiest sweetheart.
In South America fan demand has been so great that multiple dates have now been confirmed everywhere dates were announced, resulting in three performances in Buenos Aires, two in Santiago and Rio de Janeiro and a final three performances in Sao Paulo before the tour wraps up on December 21st.
The North American continent is no exception. Sticky & Sweet kicks off October 4th in New York with over 66,500 tickets sold for five consecutive sold out arena performances including one at New Jersey's Izod Center and four Madison Square Garden events before heading throughout the US and Canada and culminating in Mexico City where Madonna's two Sticky & Sweet concerts November 29th & 30th sold out in record time.
Sticky & Sweet boasts two hours of non-stop hits that include new twists on old favorites (Vogue, Borderline, La Isla Bonita, Like A Prayer) coupled with sensational versions of modern classics (Music, Hung Up, 4 Minutes, Give It 2 Me).
Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour is produced by Live Nation Global Touring.
Madonna dismisses London show controversy
Source: ContactMusic - 13 September 2008Pop superstar Madonna has dismissed controversy over her recent London concert - insisting the late start was within the venue's guidelines.
The holiday hitmaker was due to begin her show at the city's Wembley Stadium on Thursday (11Sep08) at 8.30pm - but she didn't launch into her first song until 9.10pm, meaning the two-hour event ran late.
Madonna now reportedly faces a fine from the venue, as artists are given a 10.30pm curfew to help local public transport systems cope with the large numbers of concert-goers all exiting at the same time.
Last year (07) British singer George Michael was fined $240,000 (GBP130, 000) when his Wembley gig over-ran by 13 minutes.
But a spokesperson for the star insists that the rules are not binding, telling British publication The London Paper, "Stage times are only guidelines."
The singer has also come under fire for the poor sound quality at the gig, with many fans complaining that they could not hear most of their favourite songs.
But the representative insists there was nothing wrong with the equipment, saying, "I was at the gig and the sound was fine."
Madonna's Sticky + Sweet tour concludes in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 21 December (08).
~ The Mad-Eyes team was at the London show and didn't notice any problems with either the time schedule either the sound quality. Check out our review of this fantastic show at the tour diary.
Final tour date added in Sao Paulo
10 September 2008Madonna.com just added a third date for Sao Paulo, Brazil, scheduled to Sunday, December 21st. This show is not only the closing concert of the Sticky & Sweet Tour, but it's almost surely the last date to be added to the schedule.
This addition brings the grand total of Sticky & Sweet shows to 56, which equals the total of the Re-Invention Tour.
Sticky & Sweet Tour gets the party started with DJ Enferno
Source: Press release via Yahoo Finance - 9 September 2008DJ Enferno, one of this country's hottest DJs, has been handpicked by Madonna to be an integral part of her 2008 Sticky & Sweet World Tour.
Onstage, Enferno (aka Eric Jao), has already been flexing his championship skills throughout her European stadium dates by using his unique scratching and effecting skills and by utilizing turntables as musical instruments.
The Sticky & Sweet Tour is scheduled to start its U.S. leg on October 3rd at the Izod Arena in New Jersey, followed by a run of dates at New York's Madison Square Garden beginning October 6th. Additionally, Enferno, in collaboration with Madonna's Musical Director, Kevin Antunes, helped remix a number of classic and new tracks performed throughout the tour.
"There's no greater satisfaction than when I'm up there makin' the whole crowd move. I'm an artist and DJ at heart," said Enferno. Few DJs possess the skills and expertise that Enferno has earned during 17 years as a DJ. Besides blazing the worldwide nightclub circuit, Enferno won the DMC U.S. Finals and took 2nd place at the DMC World Finals, both in 2003.
At WMC 2006, Enferno debuted an entirely new take on the DJ show by incorporating turntablism with spontaneous music production with his "Live Remix Project," dazzling journalists and audiences alike. Hailed by Remix Magazine as a "DJ Innovator," Enferno is in a class by himself.
Enferno will be touring with Madonna on all 43 shows of her Sticky & Sweet World Tour, which includes all European dates, the U.S. leg of the Tour, and the November 29th and 30th dates in Mexico City. Currently, Enferno has DJ residencies at top nightclubs, including Mur.Mur at The Borgata (Atlantic City), Shrine at the MGM Grand (Foxwoods), and several other venues throughout the U.S.
~ Of course the tour has 55 dates and is finishing in Brazil. The North American leg in fact kicks off on October 4th.
Buenos Aires gets another show
8 September 2008The first show in Buenos Aires, Argentina is already sold out according to Madonna.com, so they just added a second date for the Evita city, set to Sunday, December 7th. Tickets are already onsale!
This might be the last date added to the Sticky & Sweet Tour itineary, unless Sao Paulo, Brazil gets that long-rumoured third date. Madonna's 8th tour consists of 55 shows, spanning through 17 countries!
Madonna dedicates Like A Virgin to pope
Source: Reuters via Yahoo - 7 September 2008Pop star Madonna, once accused by the Vatican of staging one of the most satanic shows in history, surprised fans by dedicating her hit Like A Virgin to the pope at a sold-out concert held in Rome.
"I dedicate this song to the pope, because I'm a child of God. All of you are also children of God," the 50-year old "Queen of Pop" told the 60,000 fans that flocked to the Italian stop of her Sticky & Sweet world tour on Saturday.
Italian newspapers gushed over the singer's electric performance and called the dedication a surprising provocation.
"At the Roman leg of her tour, Madonna didn't miss the opportunity for a provocation that will certainly be discussed," Italy's top newspaper Corriere della Sera said in a front-page report.
Madonna, who comes from a devout Italian Catholic family, has raised the ire of the Catholic Church in the past with sexually charged antics designed to shock.
In 2006, she staged a mock-crucifixion at a concert in Rome to the backdrop of accusations from the Vatican of blasphemy.
The Vatican also condemned her controversial 1989 video for the song Like A Prayer that featured burning crosses, statues crying blood and Madonna seducing a black Jesus.
The Vatican later panned a show where she decked the stage out with religious imagery as one of the most "satanic shows in the history of humanity."
Second show for Rio de Janeiro confirmed
6 September 2008Madonna.com has added a second show for the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, set to Monday, December 15th. Ticket sales info is unknown, but it will probably take place in the next couple weeks.
Let's hope the sales will be better for the second show than for the first one, where many fans were unfortunately left without tickets because scalpers bought up most of them.
The second date of Rio de Janeiro is one of the last shows to be added to the Sticky & Sweet Tour itineary. There's one more show expected to be added for Sao Paulo and possibly another one for Buenos Aires, Argentina, before the schedule can be considered as final.
Guy: "Madonna is very supportive"
Source: People.com - 5 September 2008She may not have been on his arm for the Toronto Film Festival premiere of RocknRolla (blame her touring schedule!) but Guy Ritchie says his wife Madonna was there for him throughout the making of the film.
"She's been very supportive," Ritchie, 39, told People. "It was great."
That said, he told reporters that he didn't know the secret of a happy marriage. "That's a toughie," he conceded. "If you know, you tell me."
The stars of Ritchie's film also had tons of praise for the Material Girl, who often visited the set.
"She's gorgeous," Toby Kebbell said. "A lovely, stunning woman."
Added Ludacris: "Madonna was so low key and so incognito that I hardly noticed her, and when I did it kinda caught me by storm. But honestly speaking, she's a really down to earth, really cool individual. I'm glad I got a chance to meet her – rub some of that energy off!"
Live Nation press release: The Beat Goes On
3 September 2008Live Nation has just published a press release to celebrate Madonna's record breaking Swiss concert and the amazing ticket sales of South America:
Madonna kicked off her Sticky & Sweet World tour August 23rd in Cardiff to unanimous acclaim and just played to 72,000 in Zurich, the largest audience ever for a concert in Switzerland. This mashed up, rock tinged dance-athon features familiar hits and new favourites including 4 Minutes, Candy Shop and Give It 2 Me from her sensational Hard Candy album that debuted at number 1 in 32 countries.
"If those who took in this spectacular opening to Madonna's world tour have seen anything as slick, innovative and energetic in recent months, then please point it out. The choreography, visuals and live talent were world class and mind-blowingly well executed, intelligent and witty." -- The Independent 4*
"In the premiere league of song-and-dance spectaculars, the queen of pop remains unrivalled and undefeated." -- The Times
"Without question Madonna is still the Queen of Pop. Long live the Queen." -- The Sun
"Nobody does a big stadium show quite like Madonna -- this is a theatrical, two hour blockbuster." -- Daily Mail
The European leg of the tour finishes September 27th in Athens while the US leg starts October 4th in New Jersey and finishes in Miami November 26th. Sticky & Sweet then travels to Mexico where two stadium performances sold out in record time.
In South America, record setting pre-registration to buy tickets has resulted in over 450,000 advance reservations for what has now become six confirmed performances in Brazil (3), Chile (2) and Argentina (1).
Madonna dazzles at hubby's film premiere
Source: The Press Association via Yahoo - 1 September 2008Madonna walked down the red carpet with her film director husband at the world premiere of his latest film.
The A-lister made a surprise appearance in London after the stars of RocknRolla met fans and the press.
She arrived in Leicester Square just minutes before Guy Ritchie's gangster film was shown.
Wearing a short black Stella McCartney dress with jewels down the front, the singer walked arm-in-arm with Ritchie and posed for photographs before entering the Odeon West End cinema.
RocknRolla is set in London's criminal underworld and features property scams and Russian mobsters.
Ritchie, 39, wrote and directed the film, which is seen as his make or break movie following his last two efforts Swept Away and Revolver.
He revealed that he has already written the sequel. "If people go and see this and like it I'll make the second one straight away," he said.
Speaking before his superstar wife arrived, Ritchie - who hit fame a decade ago with another gangster caper Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels - described his latest film as an "indulgence".
He said: "It's the kind of film I like. I've made a film for me.
"My inspiration came from the fact that London has changed so much in the last 10 years."
