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Madonna news - May 2014
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Madonna is 3rd among Most Obsessed-Over People on the Web
Source: Time - 28 May 2014
Time.com has published a list of the 100 most-obsessed-over people in the world. Madonna comes in 3rd, as the first woman and first artist on the list. She's only preceded by former US President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.
The list is based on the number of words written about the person on Wikipedia, the number of times it has been edited, and a handful of other measurements. A very simple algorithm combines these factors into a single estimate of the page's “prominence,” an imperfect term for how important a person is on the site.
Check the full list here.
Madonna writes heartfelt tribute to late designer friend
Source: The Indy Channel - 28 May 2014MADONNA has remembered her late interior designer friend DAVID COLLINS by writing an emotional tribute as the introduction to an upcoming book of his work.
The Material Girl star mourned the loss of Collins last summer (Jul13), when he died just weeks after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer.
Madonna cleared her schedule to pay her respects at his funeral in Ireland and now she has written a foreword for David Collins Studio, a new book featuring his design work, which is due for release next month (Jun14).
She writes, "Yes, David helped me decorate my homes in New York and London... When I think of David, I think of blue. Then again, when I think of David, I feel blue - because I miss him! When I look around my houses in New York or London, I am struck by what an influence he has had on me. He has left his souvenirs everywhere: his touch, his taste, his flair and his blue. He has influenced the way my homes look, of course, but he's had a much bigger impact on my life.
"He showed up when I was feeling lonely and working in London for a long period of time without a single friend to drink with, gossip with or cry on the shoulder of."
She continues, "After I gave birth to my son Rocco, I was feeling fat and unattractive and convinced that I resembled a milk truck. David took me shopping, bought me slimming clothes... He threw a corset at me and insisted we go dancing to sweat off those extra pounds of baby fat - such a sensible man!... In my darkest hours (and there were plenty of those) he always managed to say something that made me laugh and stop feeling sorry for myself...
"When he found out he was sick, he underplayed it. And because of this, I was not able to be there for him in the final weeks of his life and I never got a chance to say goodbye. So David, wherever you are, I hope you are reading this. I miss you."
Madonna skips jury duty
Source: ContactMusic - 28 May 2014Madonna reportedly failed to show up for jury duty on Tuesday (27.05.14) and didn't inform the court she wouldn't be able to make it.
Madonna reportedly failed to show up for jury duty.
The 55-year-old pop icon was expected to perform her civic duty at Manhattan Supreme Court in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday (27.05.14), but failed to show up at the assigned time of 9am.
The 'Hung Up' hitmaker also failed to inform the court she wouldn't be able to honour the commitment, as New York jurors are allowed one postponement, but must apply for it. Madonna didn't apply to defer her jury duty and was expected in court, according to the New York Post newspaper.
Madonna was previously called for jury service in 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
The star turned up for her duty but was dismissed four hours later.
Madonna has been living in New York since the early 1980s and currently resides in a $32 million mansion.
However, the singer's current fortunes are a stark contrast to when she first moved to the city.
Last year, Madonna revealed she scraped by upon her move by posing nude for art classes.
Sadly, the star also confessed she was raped at knifepoint during her first year living in New York.
Madonna criticises Malawi president amid vote chaos
Source: AFP - 28 May 2014 
Pop diva Madonna has weighed in on Malawi's chaotic election, criticising embattled President Joyce Banda, who has tried to nullify the vote amid allegations of irregularities.
The superstar, who adopted two children from the southern African nation, has been involved in a long-running spat with Malawi's government over her charity work in the country.
In a statement posted on the website of her charity Raising Malawi, Madonna accused the government of corruption and of failing its people.
"I am so sad to see that because of the actions of their president Malawians will continue to suffer," the American singer said.
"In my philanthropic work I have seen the depths of corruption in Malawi's government. I can only hope that change will come, Malawians deserve so much better."
The remarks come after Banda attempted to declare the presidential election "null and void", prompting fierce legal wrangling over her right to do so.
Madonna's charity says it has poured millions of dollars into the support of children, including orphans in Malawi, which is ranked by the UN Human Development Index as one of the world's 20 least developed countries.
But after a visit to the country last year Banda's government accused the 55-year-old of inflating the value of that help, demanding VIP treatment, being "uncouth" and bullying state officials.
In a long statement it said that if Madonna had her way "the Malawi government and its leadership should have rolled out a red carpet and blast the 21-gun salute in her honour."
When leaving the country, Madonna was for the first time denied use of the VIP section at the airport in Lilongwe.
A government spokesman claimed the singer "wants Malawi to be forever chained to the obligation of gratitude" for having adopted two Malawian children.
But Madonna denied "these ridiculous allegations".
"I did not ever ask or demand special treatment at the airport or elsewhere during my visit," she said.
During the trip she visited schools her charity has built, flanked by her four children, including David Banda and Mercy James who she adopted from the southern African nation.
"I will not be distracted or discouraged by other people's political agendas. I made a promise to the children of Malawi and I am keeping that promise," she said.
Did Madonna confirm title 'Unapologetic B*tch'?
24 May 2014
Madonna has posted a picture that is supposedly a fan-made cover with the words "Unapologetic B*tch". Did she share it to confirm that this is indeed the title of a new song? Or perhaps even the album?
In the comment Madonna uses several well-known tags:
"You heard it! #iconic #venividivici #unapologeticbitch #rebelheart #lartforfreedom"
So are "Iconic", "Veni Vidi Vici", Unapologetic Bitch", "Rebel Heart" and perhaps also "Art For Freedom" all songs that we'll soon be hearing?
Something to remember: My mama, she made me learn this song
24 May 2014
After two decades of defining what's popular, Madonna suddenly started an uphill battle to get her new music to be heard. Female-driven dance-pop was being phased out on the airwaves, album sales of divas dropped significantly and the press grew tired of Madonna's constant commerial success, aided by the fact that Madonna had spent the longest time working on her album alongside her acting stints, that was more or less the continuation of the mellower, less catchy sounds of her previous set.
Inspired by the downside of fame and Kabbalah, she lacked the relatable words and hooks, thus American Life quickly turned out to be a disappointment regarding Madonna's brand and commercial power and 2003 passed without Madonna landing a recognizable hit single. It was time Madonna had to enter the veteran-phase of her career and had to remind the people how she got this far. Although initially Madonna wanted to fuse her acting desires with music by writing scripts and songs for song-driven movies, those projects were abandoned and she found herself in tour rehearsals.
The concept of the Re-Invention Tour was born with putting the spotlight on her twenty years in the business, which was also handy to redress the balance as her Drowned World Tour focused almost exclusively on music released during the years she could not get on the road. The show itself, that commenced 10 years ago today, on March 24th, 2004, would be a trendsetter for Madonna in several ways.
Although one of the very few Madonna shows that has more than 4 distinctive segments, it would be the first one to have a more minimalist stage, accentuating the video screens behind her, that grew exponentially since the last trek and would feature a lot of new footage especially created for the tour, something that would end up shifting Madonna's priorities from promotional music videos. It would also be Madonna's first live show to be helmed mainly by Jamie King, who would direct her on the stage for the rest of the decade, with an ever-changing number of choreographers helping.
As the title suggests, the show was no longer promoting her then-current music but was a showcase of her career. That was reflected in both her theme/outfit choices and song picks. She first appeared on stage to re-imagine her MTV VMA performance of Vogue from 1990 in a re-invented choreography but still in Louis XVI style and the closing two songs happened to be the same anthems that were the finale of Drowned World Tour, just in a different order, Holiday and Music. The show carefully included every major Madonna era and studio album, a concept that would continue her live treks. Her catalog albums each featured one or two songs, with a couple of soundtrack songs including Lament for Evita, which represented a highlight in the middle of the show as a spiritual destruction and rebirth.
It has long been a debate among fans whether the title was meant to have an ironic twist as almost all of the songs appeared in their most familiar versions with little to no change in their arrangements (especially an album version of Frozen very early in the show and a near carbon-copy of Don't Tell Me from the previous tour in a similar segment), something she would actually change in her next two live shows where fans would get several less recognizable versions mainly in the forms of mash-ups. Notable exceptions of musical director Stuart Price's spiced up single versions are the guitar-driven Material Girl (which accentuates the comparisons with The Jackson's Can You Feel It), a slowed down, jazz/cabaret version of 1992's Deeper And Deeper (a reinvention style very oftenly used by Kylie Minogue) and Holiday powered by tribal beats.
While Madonna usually thanked her fans who had stuck by her for twenty years right before her heartfelt rendition of Crazy For You, she did not forget about the fans who got to know her in recent years and highlights of American Life did appear in the sea of hits. Although I'm So Stupid only got to the rehearsal stage, Love Profusion most likely only appeared on paper during the conception of the show and the famous Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duck Mix of Hollywood was relegated to a dance interlude, American Life tracks still managed to define the show.
The title track opened the second segment with footage of the withdrawn video and with Madonna's then-latest fashion statement in military gear in an arrangement that mixed the original, the acoustic and the Headcleanr Rock Mix, setting the tone for the commanding "don't ask, don't tell" rendition of Express Yourself. James Bond theme Die Another Day sped up the third, cabaret/circus inspired scene in a Madonna show staple couple dance choreography with tango vibes and the acoustic segment featured notable campfire performances of Nothing Fails and Mother And Father, the latter with lot less electronic vibes.
Of course most fans remember the meaty Nobody Knows Me that immediately followed Vogue with Madonna all-alone on stage, dancing on a conveyor belt with the lyrics appearing on the screens, now a statement after her difficult previous year. The show also featured the John Lennon cover Imagine, that has been little more than a footnote of her career ever since as Madonna opted to include other artists' songs in the forms of samples on her later tours instead of taking space of her own catalog.
The tour ended up having 56 performances in only 6 different countries, after her extensive recent two tours one can't imagine such a limited itinerary but it was only the first step of turning Madonna into a touring force. Her later tours would focus on her then-current albums instead, sometimes with complete eras ignored, which is what fans learned to expect as long as Madonna is binded by recording contracts to record new albums.
Inspired by Truth or Dare, a documentary was recorded during the tour that ended up as the film I'm Going To Tell You A Secret, eventually released on DVD mid-2006. Because of that, and also since Madonna's deal with CBS to broadcast the last dates of her tour fell through, there is no commercially available video recording of the show. Several songs appear in edited forms in the documentary, while a rough, unedited recording from Lisbon leaked online early 2010, which is the closest thing fans can use to re-live the tour. However, as a Madonna first, I'm Going To Tell You features a bonus CD as her first live album with a selection of 13 songs from the show, a trend she'd continue until 2013 where the full show would appear on double CD.
V Magazine alternative covers
Source: US Magazine - 22 May 2014You can now pre-order V Magazine on vmagazineshop.com. The magazine is available with 3 different covers.
We had already seen the standard cover, which features both Madonna and Katy Perry. One of the alternative covers shows only Madonna, in a boobalicious pose. The third cover seems to show only Katy, though it also has.... Madonna's legs up in the air!
Madonna and Katy Perry pose provocatively in leather outfits for V Magazine
Source: US Magazine - 21 May 2014 It's a Material Girl match made in heaven! V Magazine exclusively reveals its Summer 2014 issue to Us Weekly, featuring cover girls Madonna and Katy Perry. "Birthday" singer Perry previewed the new spread via Instagram on Monday, May 19. "Mmmmm my baby's got a secret," she wrote, alongside a pic of herself crawling on a floor and reaching for a mysterious figure's stiletto.
On the racy cover, Perry, 29, straddles Madonna—seated with her legs spread open—from behind. The pop singers are both clad in skimpy leather outfits as they pose provocatively for photographer Steven Klein. According to Madonna, 55, wild images like these are for the sake of art!
"I would always say, 'Dad, I'm an artist, I have to express myself. You don't understand,'" Madonna reasoned to V Mag . "I think he's finally come to terms with it. It's only taken 30 years," the "Like a Virgin" singer mused. "He's like, 'Do you have to simulate masturbation on the bed? Do you have to?' 'Yes, Dad, I do.'"
Perry, the daughter of Pentecostal pastor parents, said she has yet to pull a Miley Cyrus, referring to the Bangerz hitmaker's (ahem, intimate) "Adore" music video. "I haven't gone that far yet," Perry told V mag , while adding to Madonna, "but maybe under your great mentorship I might reach that point."
The stars are equally sexy in the magazine's accompanying spread, which was styled by Arianne Phillips. In a separate exclusive preview pic from the shoot, Perry wears a corseted bodycon dress and sultry black leggings. The "Dark Horse" singer holds a rope binding Madonna's hands, while the queen of pop is splayed across a leather couch.
"I was sore in my upper body and in my butt area from all that squatting," Perry said of her shoot with the pop icon. Madonna quipped, "It's good to be sore in your butt. My neck is sore from that wonderful moment when I was sucking on your heel."
Perry, luckily, was open to the personal contact, even with her OCD tendencies (which she revealed to Us in her "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" last fall. "Im so OCD that I want those letters in alphabetical order," Perry told V Mag. "C-D-O would be my preference."
Both stars really seemed to enjoy collaborating together on the magazine cover. "I really enjoyed working with you on the photo shoot," Madonna told Perry. "People always expect when two divas get together that there might be weird vibes or a strange competitiveness, but this was nice and easy and fun."
California native Perry added, "If you ever come to the show, there's a little wink to you. I'm paying my dues!"
The Summer 2014 issue of V Magazine hits newsstands on Memorial Day.
Madonna and Katy together in V Magazine
Source: V Magazine - 19 May 2014
After a long and arduous winter, it's time to bask in the sunshine. V want you to have a fulfilling summer season, and for that reason we've packed this issue with the best of what's to come: faraway festivals (for the avid music fan) and the most enticing reads, exhibitions, movies, and so forth.
Of course, who better to cap off this season of everlasting glow than the eternally youthful Material Girl, accompanied by pop's reigning princess of the charts? In a worldwide exclusive, V Magazine and Steven Klein come together again to capture Madonna and Katy Perry in their element, under the sartorial eye of Arianne Phillips.
Here, they delve into the importance of being creatively liberated, in a celebration of music, fashion, and artistic freedom. After all, isn't that what summer is all about?
Is Billboard's mystery track from Madonna's new album?
Source: Billboard - 17 May 2014Billboard posted this mystery track on their website, but their comments seem to contain hints that point in the direction of Madonna (see text in bold below). Could this be a new album track?
We've been sworn to secrecy, but the music speaks for itself
Due in no small part to the success of a couple of Parisian robots, disco is fully back in vogue these days. With its buoyant analog chords, filtered funk synths, and vocoded hook, this blistering tune by a shape-shifting dance legend takes a few cues from the Daft Punk playlist and is a flawless fit for the times.
Billboard was given an exlcusive listen to this forthcoming track, but we've been sworn to secrecy on the exact artist's identity. But, after a fair amount of begging, we were given exclusive permission to leak this 50-second snippet to the world. For now, the music will have to speak for itself.
Madonna's cover story of the May-June issue 2014 of L'Uomo Vogue
Source: Vogue - 16 May 2014Because of the Internet, or because we've acquired some kind of maturity vis-à-vis the mass media, celebrities' social role has changed in recent years. It's not that they're less interesting but now we demand greater transparency.
Consequently, many have rediscovered art's ancient function as a public conscience and they use their media leverage for social purposes. An example? Madonna; who is not only still the greatest pop icon of our time, but also the one most committed to the fight for human rights, as demonstrated by her frequent public statements, her humanitarian work in Malawi and her recent project Secretprojectrevolution and Art For Freedom.
Secretprojectrevolution is a short film co-directed with Steven Klein. It calls for a "Love revolution […] a revolution of independent thought, of having your own opinion and not giving a damn about what people say".
The movie has an autobiographical slant and reflects the many battles against stereotyping that Madonna has fought in her life. "How can you create art without becoming involved?", says Miss Ciccone. "I like to compare myself to Frida Kahlo: everything she did was a self-portrait".
The movie was intended as the advertising campaign for her lingerie range, but Secretprojectrevolution turned into a manifesto against oppression. It is founded on a sensuous, noir choreography featuring scenes of masochism shot in the labyrinth of rooms of a former prison in Buenos Aires.
Madonna alternately plays the roles of prisoner and torturer, accompanied by political messages about control and punishment. "Sometimes we are the victims of oppression, other times we imprison ourselves", she says. "The movie is an example of the paradoxical world we live in".
Art For Freedom is the next stage on from the movie. It is a digital platform in association with Vice Media that hosts videos, photos, illustrations and documentation of performances addressing intolerance and persecution. "There was a time when art reflected what was happening in society", she proceeds, pensively. "Artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Richard Pryor or Jean-Luc Godard made political statements through their art". The object of Art For Freedom is "to encourage people to believe that we can bring about change in the world through art" and a cry of protest against the commoditization of creativity.
Her greatest source of inspiration is the writer and activist James Baldwin, who has spoken at length of an artist's responsibility in society. "By allowing ourselves to be consumed by corporate branding, worrying about having the approval of others and promoting only what is acceptable and popular, we destroy our art and everything about it that's unique", Madonna states.
At the start of her career, in New York, she belonged to the East Village artistic community and she was friends with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, who addressed social issues through art in a direct way, as do many artists in Art For Freedom. "Hanging out with Keith and Jean-Michel deeply influenced me", she recalls. "Their approach to art was aimed at making it accessible to people, in the subway, on the street. It wasn't elitist, you didn't have to pay for it, go to a museum or gallery or frequent rich people, you could be anyone".
Art For Freedom fights stereotypes, bigotry and discrimination, and promotes civil rights and the acceptance of diversity. "There are enemies, tyrants, fascists and dictators, people who destroy other people's lives or take away their freedom: like Putin or the president of Venezuela", the star continues, fervently. "In actual fact, the enemy is inside us. Whether we're aware of it or not, we constantly discriminate against and judge others. So the first thing we have to change is ourselves. All the great leaders said that, like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, John Kennedy and Nelson Mandela".
After Pussy Riot's arrest, Madonna gave a speech defending gay rights at her show in St Petersburg in 2012. Eighty-seven people were arrested that evening and the star was fined one million dollars. Other times she's been booed, censored and threatened with death, but nothing stops her. "I'm willing to sacrifice all in the name of human rights", she declares, "apart from my children".
Her next album will be connected with Art For Freedom. And we can expect to see her increasingly involved and committed. "I have no choice. At this point, there's no turning back. This is my role in the world, my work as an artist. I have a voice and I have to use it".
Far from the walls of museums, which a growing number of pop stars aspire to cross, Madonna's statements and her resolve echo the words of Baldwin. They are meant for other artists in the hope of awakening them to their potential as agents, if they so wish, of social change and leaders of a more democratic, civilized society.
L'Uomo Vogue, May-June 2014 (n. 451)
Fashion Assistant: Esther Matilla, Rika Watanabe.
Manicure: Naomi Yasuda@Streeters
Hair stylist: Andy LeCompte@The Wall Group for Wella Professionals.
MakeUp Artist: Gina Brooke for Intraceuticals.
Personal Stylist: Arianne Phillips.
Fashion Editor: Rushka Bergman
Photo by Tom Munro
Madonna parties with album collaborators
Source: Instagram - 11 May 2014
Yesterday Madonna build a party with her album collaborators. In an instagram picture she's seen drinking champagne with Diplo, MoZella, Toby Gad, Nick Rowe and Ariel Rechtshaid.
One of the pictures is accompanied by the comment "Finish That Shit Off!", but it's unclear whether they're celebrating the wrap-off of the entire album, or just this week's recording session.
Madonna in the studio with Diplo
Source: Instagram - 8 May 2014Madonna is back in the studio this week, this time recording with Los Angeles-based DJ Diplo.
On Instagram, Madonna posted a picture of herself working on her Mac (with Diplo's dinosaur tattoo drawn on her arm):
"Working with @Diplo got me like................WHAAaaat?"
Shortly after, she posted a selfie:
"Diplo is a slave driver! Got me working all hours of the night in the studio. Had to sneak into the bathroom! #clicclacclicclacbitchgetoffmyback "
Not sure at this point whether the hashtag is any song reference or not.
Diplo, aka Thomas Wesley Pentz, is a 35-year old DJ, song writer and music producer. He has worked on production and mixtape projects with several pop artists, such as Beyoncé, No Doubt, Justin Bieber, Usher, Snoop Lion , and G-Dragon.
UPDATE May 9th: Madonna posted some more pictures, featuring MoZella and Diplo.
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