 | |
Madonna news - Feb. 2010
← Jan. 2010 | March 2010 →
Sticky & Sweet US broadcast & DVD release delayed
25 February 2010Following several delays already, the latest date for the VH1 US broadcast of the Sticky & Sweet Tour is now Friday, April 2nd. Because of that, the American street date for the Blu-Ray/DVD is now April 6th, as listed on Amazon.com. This should not affect the rest of the world, where the release is still reported to be March 26th/29th.
In related news, several online retailers are now publishing the tracklist of the bonus live CD, but was not yet confirmed by Madonna's official site. Following the tradition started with her previous live albums, once again it's a selection of 13 numbers from the show:
01. Candy Shop
02. Beat Goes On
03. Human Nature
04. Vogue
05. She's Not Me
06. Music
07. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
08. Spanish Lesson
09. La Isla Bonita
10. You Must Love Me
11. Get Stupid
12. Like A Prayer
13. Give It 2 Me
The DVD contains the full show as performed in Buenos Aires, which includes Madonna's live rendition of the Evita ballad Don't Cry For Me Argentina. There's also 30 minutes of bonus behind the scenes footage. Click here to pre-order your copy from Amazon!
UPDATE: Madonna.com confirms the delay is only for the US.
New official Madonna app for iPhone and Android
Source: Madonna.com - 25 February 2010Madonna fans, we are happy to announce the launch of Madonna's official app for iPhone and Android!
The app features music, videos, news and photos but also all of the tools you need to comment Madonna's albums and tours while interacting with other Madonna fans around the world.
Just click here to download it for free and to have your Madonna branded app installed to your phone in the blink of an eye!
Liz Rosenberg leaves Warner, keeps Madonna
Source: Variety - 23 February 2010Liz Rosenberg, longtime publicity exec at Warner Bros. Records, is ankling to form her own praisery, Liz Rosenberg Media, the label announced Tuesday.
During the course of her 39-year career at the company, Rosenberg was closely associated with Madonna. The superstar vocalist – originally signed in 1983 to Warner's distributed imprint Sire, and later head of her own imprint Maverick – exited the Burbank-based label last year for a 360-degree deal with Live Nation.
As part of an ongoing consultancy with the firm, Rosenberg will continue to rep Madonna, as well as current Warner acts Michael Buble, Cher, Stevie Nicks, David Foster, Charice and Katherine Jenkins.
Warner Bros. Records chief executive officer Tom Whalley said in a statement, "Over the course of her remarkable tenure, Liz Rosenberg's contribution to the company has been immeasurable. We are delighted that as she begins her own enterprise, we will continue our association with her on behalf of several of our key artists."
Madonna in talks for Macy's clothing line?
Source: WWD - 17 February 2010In the growing love affair between celebrity and fashion, one of the biggest names out there is close to getting into the groove: Madonna.
The pop icon is in talks to launch a contemporary women's collection with a group of licensees that would be sold exclusively at Macy's, according to sources. The merchandise would include apparel, accessories, intimates and footwear. Label names under serious consideration for the product lines include Material Girl for the apparel and Truth or Dare for the lingerie and underwear.
Truth or Dare was the title of a 1991 film, which documented Madonna's groundbreaking Blond Ambition worldwide concert tour.
Madonna's longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, did not return calls Monday seeking comment. A Macy's spokesman also declined comment.
Iconix Brand Group Inc. is involved in the negotiations for the venture, according to sources, and Madonna has made visits to the company's New York offices. Iconix is a brand management firm, which owns and licenses 21 brands, including Candie's, Bongo, Rampage, London Fog, Rocawear, Danskin and Badgley Mischka. The brands ring up $10 billion in retail sales in total, according to the company.
An Iconix spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny a potential Madonna deal. "Iconix has no comment on this story," she said. However, sources said a deal is close to being signed. Iconix has experience working with pop superstars, having re-signed Britney Spears last month to a second year representing the Candie's brand, which is sold exclusively at Kohl's.
If a Madonna-Iconix deal with Macy's does come to fruition, it would be the latest in a string of recent tie-ups between celebrities and fashion brands. Sarah Jessica Parker has invested in Halston and been named its chief creative officer and president; Lindsay Lohan is artistic adviser at Ungaro, and Victoria Beckham, Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have prominent fashion lines of their own. Knowles also just launched a fragrance of her own, Heat, with Coty Inc., which is expected to generate revenues of more than $100 million worldwide in its first year.
Yet the misses in the celebrity fashion game far outnumber the hits. Jessica Simpson has a successful footwear collection with Camuto Group, but has had troubles in the sportswear category, recently signing a license with Jones Apparel Group Inc. for a jeanswear collection. Jennifer Lopez was never able to build a sustainable business with Sweetface and JLO; Eve repeatedly relaunched her Fetish brand only to have it lapse; Paris and Nicky Hilton's fashion collections petered out, and lines from the likes of Whitney Port quickly fizzled.
Madonna is Madonna, however, and she remains one of the world's most recognizable stars. The 51-year-old's previous forays into the fashion business have been numerous and memorable. She currently appears in the Dolce & Gabbana spring advertising campaign, and has previously appeared in ads for Louis Vuitton, Versace and Gap. Madonna walked the runway topless for Jean-Paul Gaultier in 1992 and has cropped up in the front row of shows on occasion, including Marc Jacobs last season.
In spring 2007, Madonna created a co-branded women's collection with H&M, under the M by Madonna label. "Madonna has an impressive feel for fashion and trends. She was extraordinarily style conscious, passionate and was involved in even the smallest details of every design," said Margareta van den Bosch, head of H&M design at that time. She clearly is eager to branch out from performing, with reports that she may write and direct a film about the romance between Wallis Simpson and Edward, the Prince of Wales, called "W.E." She also is said to be preparing a worldwide tour for later this year. The singer is known to demand total creative control over her projects, which is one of the reasons she has yet to launch a fragrance, even though she has tried to do so for more than a decade. Beauty companies have been reluctant to meet her financial demands, while many question whether her appeal remains as strong as it once was.
First preview of Madonna-episode on Glee
Source: LA Times - 17 February 2010Sue in a cone bra? The Cheerios working their pompoms in a routine to Express Yourself? Curt proclaiming himself to be part of the glitterati?
It sounds like the highly anticipated all-Madonna episode of "Glee" will have all the Gleeks dancing on La Isla Bonita.
Entertainment Tonight previewed a sneak peek at the Golden Globe-winning show. The one-minute clip, which you can watch repeatedly above, also shows Jonathan Groff, more slushy throwing and more cattiness from our favorite Cheerios. By the way, those are Lea Michele's golden pipes on Express Yourself.
Rumors have plagued the Internet over which songs from Madonna's nearly 25-year catalog would be featured. Quinn (Dianna Agron) is reportedly singing Papa Don't Preach, while Sue (Jane Lynch) takes on Vogue.
Now what could the rest of the gang take on? There would have to be some new Madonna tracks cut in for the young'uns, maybe a take on 4 Minutes, naturally because Will (Matthew Morrison) is the resident Justin Timberlake at McKinley High, and maybe there could be a duet on one of my favorite Madonna songs, the aforementioned La Isla Bonita or Get Together.
Creator Ryan Murphy told Entertainment Weekly that the episode would be huge. "It's got like 10 numbers in it, and the production value is very big," Murphy said. "We adore her and worship her, so when I'm directing, I'm always, like, 'Do it for Madonna.' " Bring it on on April 13, and please try to get the queen in the episode. We wouldn't want her to be somewhere in the English countryside in a stately manor home, weeping.
Madonna checks out Rio's Carnival
Source: AFP via Yahoo - 16 February 2010Madonna has enthusiastically embraced Brazil's spectacular Carnival in Rio and even wanted to try some samba moves herself during parades overnight, Brazilian media reported Monday.
The US entertainer attended the spectacular shows with her Brazilian toyboy boyfriend, model Jesus Luz, her two children and a coterie of US friends.
Other celebrities, including Paris Hilton, "300" star Gerard Butler, and Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger were also in town to catch the festivities rolling out in summer heatwave conditions.
According to Globo, the Brazilian television broadcaster of Rio's parades, Madonna tried to join in on the fun in an overnight parade, but the frenzy she triggered among cameramen and security agents as she got close to the event prevented her from busting out some samba steps.
Instead, she watched from VIP boxes along the parade route, the guest of Rio governor Sergio Cabral and a Brazilian beer maker.
Paris Hilton watched from another private box in the company of her American boyfriend. She was expected to play up for the cameras later on, having been hired as the face of an advertising campaign for another brand of Brazilian beer.
The parades were to continue to early Tuesday, with the winning samba school announced on Wednesday.
Madonna directing 'W.E.'
Source: Variety - 14 February 2010Madonna, the queen of pop, has her eye on a king.
She's set to direct "W.E.," a biopic about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson that led to the Brit royal abdicating from the throne to marry his divorcee lover.
Vera Farmiga ("Up in the Air") is eyeing the plum role of Simpson, who precipitated the most severe constitutional crisis in the English monarchy in the 20th century after Edward proposed to her, only months into his reign.
There is no word yet on who will play King Edward.
Madonna is writing the script with Alex Keshishian, who directed the multihyphenate in Truth or Dare.
Former Miramax exec Colin Vaines and David Parfitt are producing the pic. CAA is handling domestica sales while IM Global has international.
This will which will be Madonna's second directorial effort; her first, Filth and Wisdom, preemed at Berlin in 2008. Simpson led a colorful life, having been married twice before her romance with Edward. The two of them, who lived the rest of their lives as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, spent the best part of three decades living a life of leisure as social celebrities around the world.
Madonna's statement in memory of Alexander McQueen
Source: Access Hollywood - 12 February 2010Access Hollywood published Madonna's statement on Alexander McQueen's unexpected death on February 11th:
"Lee McQueen was a truly unique visionary in the world of fashion. A creator of beauty. What a tragedy."
Malawi government backs Madonna over school
Source: AP via Yahoo - 12 February 2010Malawi's government has told a group of villagers they will have to move to make way for a $15 million girls' school being built by pop star Madonna.
Residents have refused to leave the site just outside Lilongwe, the capital.
Lilongwe District Commissioner Charles Kalemba told 200 villagers Thursday that the government land has been handed over to Madonna. The villagers have been offered other government land.
Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo, who will be principal of Madonna's school, says the singer paid the villagers more than 16 million kwacha (about $115,000) to compensate them for their houses. Headman Binson Chinkhota urged residents to move, saying the school would benefit their children.
Madonna to appear on The Marriage Ref
11 February 2010According to Madonna's official site, she's set to appear on Jerry Seinfeld's series The Marriage Ref. Fan club ICON members of the NY / Tri State area are encouraged to take part in a competition to attend the filming, taking place on February 24th in NYC. Check out Madonna.com for more info.
Liz Smith: Madonna waited 50 years for Jesus love
Source: Liz Smith @ Wowowow - 10 February 2010"To think, I only had to wait 50 years for this!" That's what Madonna told a friend months ago discussing her love affair with the 22-year-old Jesus Luz. (And she wasn't just talking about the sex.) Mr. Luz is apparently attentive, tender and in tune with Madonna in a way she feels she missed out on with her two ex-husbands and, well, others …
Nobody believes me when I say it, but Madonna is an old-fashioned romantic. A bouquet of daisies and a candlelit dinner go a long way with famous women who can buy and sell any guy they meet. (As Elizabeth Taylor remarked of her last hubby, Larry Fortensky, who was 20 years her junior. "No boy is poor if he has a loving heart." And, no boy is poor if he can make a killing in the divorce settlement.)
Talk swirled last week that Madonna and Jesus had split. Within 48 hours of this gossip flurry, there they were in London, kissing up a storm at a movie premiere. She also chatted up her ex, Guy Ritchie, at the same event. And she danced like a dervish with a bevy of hot men at the after-party. (Insiders insist that Jesus will accompany Madonna to Rio on February 14 for Carnival.)
Do I think Madonna might marry Jesus? Not likely. She may be a romantic but she's not a fool. Still, I expect this relationship to endure for several more happy years. More power to them both.
Madonna leads celebrity charge to Rio for Carnival
Source: AFP via Yahoo! - 10 February 2010Madonna on Tuesday led a charge of celebrities descending on Rio de Janeiro for the city's famously sexy Carnival starting this weekend.
The US entertainer triggered screams from fans as she checked into an upmarket hotel on Ipanema beach with her children in tow, Brazil's Globo news websites reported.
The frenzy added to a crowd already gathered in front of the hotel because of another singing guest lodged there: Beyonce, who was wrapping up a series of pre-Carnival Brazilian concerts as part of a Latin American tour.
Rio's attraction this year for the rich and famous owes much to the city's rising profile as host of the 2016 Olympic Games and as a beachside showcase of the economic bonanza Brazil is currently enjoying.
The fact that much of the US and European jet set are fleeing freezing temperatures at home might also have something to do with the influx.
Other celebrities expected to show up for Carnival, which runs from Saturday to next Tuesday, include Alicia Keys and Paris Hilton, according to star-gazing website O fuxico.
Hollywood heart-throbs Leonardo DiCaprio and Lindsay Lohan, however, cancelled their plans to visit, the daily O Dia said.
Madonna reportedly was to mix in a bit of work for her children's charity Success for Kids, heading to Sao Paulo on Wednesday to rustle up donations.
On Friday, she was to return to Rio to accompany Brazilian politicians on visits to slums before throwing herself into the festivities of Carnival.
That swirl of street partying, balls and parades hits its climax Sunday and Monday night when Brazil's top samba schools file past packed stands in a glitzy display of fantasy and bare-breasted dancing queens.
Madonna and the other celebrities will be in exclusive VIP boxes along the parade route.
Madonna sets the record straight: still with Jesus, no audition
Source: New York Daily News - 5 February 2010Back off, cougars of the world --Jesus Luz remains Madonna's man.
Despite rumors the Material Mom had dumped her Brazilian boy toy, we hear the two appeared very much together at the London premiere party for "A Single Man" on Monday night.
"They were all over each other and were even kissing in front of everyone," a spy on the other side of the pond dishes of the duo, who snuck into the famed Harry's Bar around 11 p.m. "They looked like they were still very much an item," although the snitch added that while Jesus snuck out right before the party ended, Madonna stayed until the venue closed.
"Tom Ford was there, and she looked like she wanted to talk to him before she left for the evening," the source says. "But there's no doubt she and Jesus were at the party together."
Madge even buried the hatchet for the evening: She was also spotted chatting with her ex, Guy Ritchie.
While the Queen of Pop may not be single, that doesn't mean she can't mingle: We hear she also enjoyed herself in NYC on Wednesday night — having a great time but certainly not stepping out on her man.
"She came into SL with a huge entourage of guys, but it looked very friendly," a snitch dishes. "At first, she was blocked off by security, but as the night went on she was having such a good time that she was out dancing like everyone else."
The 51-year-old still knows how to party: Our spy says that she even had a dance-off with the members of her posse, which included Knicks player Danilo Gallinari.
"They made a huge circle, and Madonna looked like she was competing with ["The Hurt Locker's"] Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner. Madonna looked really happy and like she was having a good time, but any attention she got from the men was definitely platonic."
Well thank God - err, Jesus - for that!
Madonna holding dancer auditions at NYC club?
Source: NY Post - 5 February 2010Madonna seemed to be holding auditions at Meatpacking District hot spot SL on Wednesday night. "She was looking for new dancers for her upcoming tour," said a source. More than 30 wannabes formed a circle around her and conducted a dance-off. "It was pretty epic," our spy says. "Some professionals were doing flips and spins, while the amateurs sort of just stared." Madonna's own deejay, Tony Touch, got on the turntables while Knicks star Danilo Gallinari and singer Eve looked on.
Madonna nominated for 2 International Dance Music Awards
Source: Madonna.com - 2 February 2010The 25th Annual International Dance Music Awards will take place on February 26th, as part of the Winter Music Conference.
This year, Madonna is nominated in 2 different categories: Best Pop Dance Track (Celebration) and Best Solo Artist.
Votes are now open, so make sure to visit the devoted page before February 26th! Please note that you can only vote once. Multiple submissions will be disqualified.
Good luck Madonna!
↑ Back to top of page