 | |
Madonna news - Nov. 2013
← Oct. 2013 | Dec. 2013 →
Madonna visits Sean Penn's aid work in Haiti
Source: AP - 26 November 2013PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Madonna is in Haiti to visit humanitarian projects that ex-husband Sean Penn has been overseeing since the Caribbean nation's devastating earthquake in 2010, the actor said Monday.
Penn said in a brief phone call to The Associated Press that he had invited Madonna, with whom he has "maintained a great friendship over the years," to visit several times and that she had come with her son Rocco. He said they arrived a "couple of days" ago, and he wasn't sure when she would leave.
"She's here, she's seeing, she's made the effort to come here, and I'm thrilled by that," Penn said, adding that he hoped Haiti might inspire her to seek out a cause in the country. "She has a unique platform, and wherever she chooses to bring that to, it's very well."
Madonna's been busy posting photos on Instagram. One shows her posing with others at a new hospital built by public health pioneer Dr. Paul Farmer in the central part of the country. The caption: "Revolution of Love in Haiti." Another picture shows a view of the mountains at dusk. The caption: "Sunset in Haiti. This is Heaven!"
Penn has served as an ambassador-at-large for Haiti since early 2012. He received the recognition for his work as head of a humanitarian group he co-founded in the aftermath of the earthquake, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The group has focused on housing and relocating thousands of people from a golf course that was among hundreds of impromptu settlements that sprang up after the quake.
His group recently sponsored five Haitian runners to participate in the New York marathon.
Madonna tops list of World's Highest-Paid Musicians in 2013
Source: Forbes - 20 November 2013Lady Gaga and Madonna have a superstar rivalry made in gossip-blog heaven. The former burst onto the scene five years ago with a provocative pop sensibility reminiscent of the latter's. Last year, Madonna accused Gaga of ripping off one of her songs; this year, the "Born This Way" singer insisted she doesn't want the Material Girl's throne.
From an earnings perspective, however, there's no question over the winner of this battle's latest round. The honor goes to Madonna, who pulled in $125 million over the past year, making her the highest-paid musician in the world. The bulk of Madge's millions came from the tail end of her MDNA Tour, which grossed $305 million. She augments her income with heady merchandise sales at concerts, as well as her Material Girl clothing line and Truth or Dare fragrance.
Gaga ranks second with $80 million; she grossed over $160 million on her latest tour before succumbing to a hip injury. Had she been able to finish, she would have likely topped $200 million. Her ARTPOP album was released after the end of our scoring period, but should give her a boost on next year's list. She could easily reach the No. 1 spot with a successful set of concerts, the main driver for most major artists' earnings.
“With touring being the biggest revenue stream, if there's an opportunity for an artist to go out, if there's an opportunity for a promoter to curate a festival, people are doing it, said Kevin Liles, founder of KWL Enterprises and manager of artists including Big Sean, Trey Songz and Young Jeezy.
A look at the rest of the list underscores the importance of live performances in today's music world. Bon Jovi ranks third with $79 million, most of it from the appropriately named Because We Can tour. Road warrior Toby Keith pulled in $65 million to land the No. 4 slot, while Coldplay parlayed seven-figure nightly grosses into a $64 million payday.
Madonna wins Vogue lawsuit
Source: ContactMusic - 19 November 2013Madonna has won a lawsuit brought against her track 'Vogue', which claimed it contained an illegal horn sample.
Madonna has won a lawsuit over her track Vogue.
The 'Music' singer's 1990 track was subject of a court case brought by VMG Salsoul, who claim producer Robert 'Shep' Pettibone illegally sampled two horn hits from the 1983 track 'Love Break' by the Salsoul Orchestra, a track which was, in turn, a remix of their 1976 song 'Chicago Bus Stop'.
VMG Salsoul claimed new technology enabled them to prove the horns were a sample when they filed the lawsuit earlier this year.
Further complicating matters, Robert was the person who remixed 'Love Break'.
The judge eventually decided it didn't matter whether the horns were a sample or not, as he ruled in Madonna 's favour, saying the average listener would not notice.
Californian District Judge Beverly O'Connell said in her ruling: ''Having listened to the sound recordings of 'Chicago Bus Stop', 'Love Break', and 'Vogue', the court finds that no reasonable audience would find the sampled portions qualitatively or quantitatively significant in relation to the infringing work, nor would they recognise the appropriation.
''The Court finds that any sampling of the horn hit was de minimis (sic) or trivial.''
Defence Lawyer Richard Busch , acting on behalf of Madonna and Robert said: ''We are thrilled with the decision, and believe it is absolutely the right result.''
↑ Back to top of page