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Madonna news - Feb. 2017
← Jan. 2017 | March 2017 →
Madonna teases at her Oscar Party
Source: Mad-Eyes - 28 Feb. 2017Not much has been revealed about what happened at Madonna's annual Oscar Party, which took place yesterday at Guy Oseary's residence. According to PageSix, guests included Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Lana Del Rey, Jon Hamm, Ed Norton, Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips.
There seems to have been some kind of art corner with JR Artist. Madonna teased some pictures and videos in a quite revealing outfit. JR hints that some of the photos taken that night will end up in Harper's Bazaar.
'When do we get the tour DVD?'
Source: Mad-Eyes - 26 Feb. 2017Everything you need to know about the recordings for Rebel Heart Tour, Re-Invention Tour and Blond Ambition
It's the number 1 question on many Madonna fans' minds, especially now that we have no other Madonna projects going on. When will we finally get the DVD for the Rebel Heart Tour? And while we're on the subject, how about the DVD's of Re-Invention and Blond Ambition?
While we wait for official news, we wish to clarify a few things about these DVD's. Many fans think it's enough to say they want it and don't understand the technical or business reasons that are sometimes behind the decision of such a release. So let's take a look at why we have DVD releases for 'only' six of her tours so far.
Let's start with the most recent one. The Rebel Heart Tour wrapped up in March 2016, but almost a year later we still don't have a DVD. The good news is: we know there IS a recording. Danny B. Tull and Nathan Rissman recorded the shows in Sydney, as well as several other tour stops. The result has been broadcast on American cable channel Showtime on December 9, 2016. Since then, we've had no more news. At the time of the broadcast, we received the news that the broadcast would be shorter than the DVD version, because Showtime only allowed a broadcast of maximum 2 hours. The actual recording is about 2h15 long, so it also includes the request songs and the Love Don't Live Here Anymore performance. The Tears of a Clown performance in Melbourne is said to be part of the DVD extra's.
So why don't we have the DVD yet? Some fans fear it's cancelled because it's been taking to long. That seems very unlikely, because the costs of the recording surely were not made only for the broadcast. Most likely Showtime required the release to be at least a few months after the broadcast, as part of their deal. The Sticky & Sweet Tour was broadcast on EPIX in October 2009 and the DVD release followed only on March 30, 2010. So that was almost 6 months after the broadcast. If Showtime also demanded a 6 month buffer, the DVD would follow in May or June of 2017, but that's just speculation at this point.
Other possible reasons might be that Madonna wants something changed, although that seems unlikely so many months later. Possibly she wants to tie the release to another project, or maybe she's just too busy with the adoption of the twins to spend time on the release.
Verdict: this DVD is most likely to see the light of day. A recording was made specifically for this release and there's no reason why this release wouldn't happen. So it's rather a question of WHEN, not IF. Stay tuned!
Of course the fears for the Rebel Heart Tour DVD are based on that trauma we all had after not getting a DVD for the 2004 Re-Invention Tour. Every so often, voices are raised to demand that this tour sees the light of day. However, this case is much different. There are reasons why this tour wasn't released on DVD. Madonna had asked Hamish Hamilton, who had previously worked on the Drowned World Tour DVD, to record the Lisbon shows and rework the footage for broadcast and DVD release. However, there was a dispute between Madonna and Hamilton, with him filing a lawsuit against her, so the recording never happened. But it meant that there was no footage for the DVD.
The confusing part is that we've seen footage of the show appear online. Why didn't she use that for the DVD? This footage is believed to be shot by Chris Lamb, which was intended for the venue screens. While it's better than nothing, that footage was probably not considered good enough for the DVD.
Finally, there was the footage shot by Jonas Åkerlund, which was used for the documentary I'm Going To Tell You A Secret. Of course, it doesn't contain all the performances, but it's the best footage we have of the show. A reaction of Madonna's manager Guy Oseary a few years ago sums it up best. When asked about the tour DVD, he replied: "We already have the documentary." So Guy (and probably Madonna too) consider that documentary to be the ultimate representation of the tour.
EDIT: we received many messages about this item. Some sources claim that Hamilton did film the Lisbon show after all. Others say the Paris show was filmed. On the web you can find quality recordings for Burning Up and Die Another Day. It's unclear who filmed those. Either way, it remains unclear which recordings actually exist and if so, why they were never released.
Verdict: it's unclear whether quality footage is available. Either way, Madonna and Guy Oseary don't see the need, as they consider the documentary as the official representation of this tour. Unless another party involved does something with any available footage, we won't be seeing this tour on DVD anytime soon.
Considered by many Madonna's most revolutionary tour was also never released on DVD. Unlike the Re-Invention Tour there are several recordings made of shows in the United States, France, Japan and Spain. Most notably the show in Nice, France which was released on laserdisc format by Pioneer. Whether those recordings are of sufficient quality to make them into a DVD, remains to be seen. Another problem is that those recordings are not in Madonna's possession, but rather with Pioneer. Some sources even suggest that those recordings have been lost completely.
EDIT: we received some messages about the possible existence of quality remastered footage, possibly from the show in Paris or Nice. If that's true, question remains why it hasn't been used by now...
Verdict: as time goes by, it gets increasingly unlikely there will ever be a DVD of this tour. Rumours of a remaster exist, but 27 years later it remains a question why that was never released. As for Madonna and her team, they probably see Truth or Dare as a good representation for this tour.
Finally, there's her first tour. Daniel Kleinman filmed the Detroit show of the 1985 Virgin Tour, which was released on VHS. He removed the performances of Angel, Borderline and Burning Up because he believed Madonna was not her best in them. The recording was later upgraded to laserdisc format, but never made it to DVD.
EDIT: supposedly the show was filmed on 35mm film and remastered, so there could exist quality footage.
Verdict: even if there's remastered footage available, it's doubtful anyone is waiting for this release. While fans would like it to complete their collection, it probably wouldn't sell enough to make it a commercial success. It could've served well on its 25th or 30th anniversary, but as they've passed, it's getting doubtful.
Madonna is the unsung heroine of ageism in Hollywood
Source: SheKnows - 18 Feb. 2017Hating Madonna's body only makes her show off more of it
By this point in time, no one is really surprised to see Madonna flashing her nipples on a magazine cover like she did on the cover of the current issue of Vogue Italia.
Madonna, 58, won't be fully appreciated until she's gone. The simple fact that she's old enough to be a grandmother and still baring her nips on magazine covers proves that she's anything but all talk when it comes to combating ageism in the music industry. It's something Madonna has been speaking out against for literally decades.
"I've always felt oppressed. I know a lot of people would go, ‘Oh, that's ridiculous for you to say that. You're a successful white, wealthy pop star,' but I've had the shit kicked out of me for my entire career, and a large part of that is because I'm female and also because I refuse to live a conventional life," she told Harper's Bazaar earlier this year. "I've created a very unconventional family. I have lovers who are three decades younger than me. This makes people very uncomfortable. I feel like everything I do makes people feel really uncomfortable."
And when she's not fighting ageism, she's spreading a message of body positivity. Madonna has been the subject of an absolutely unreal amount of body-shaming throughout her career. The woman's been hated on for every single part she possesses, but she's still proud of her bod (which obviously looks amazing) and showing it off on her own terms.
Is it too late for one last New Year's resolution? Be as badass as Madge.
Welcome to the brand new Mad-Eyes website!
Source: / - 15 Feb. 2017We're proud to present you this brand new version of Mad-Eyes.net!
What can you expect?
This version is completely responsive, so you can visit it with your laptop, tablet as well as smartphone. Depending on your screen resolution, the navigation and content will adapt itself, making it easier to read and navigate through the site.
The News pages have been cleaned up so the information is clear and easy to read. The Homepage gives you easy access to the most recent articles. The news archive will gradually be added again.
The Music section shows you a full overview of Madonna's discography. You can choose between an overview of her albums or an alphabetical song list. They give you access to informative album and song pages, containing all the information you need.
The Tours section has received a major overhaul. For each tour, you can now easily access information about the tour schedule, the setlist, the crew, the DVD recording, the awards, pictures, costume designs, tour diaries and much more. Press reviews will soon be added as well. NEW: Madonna's benefit concerts have now received their own pages too!
The Movies section contains reworked pages with a clean overview of information on each of Madonna's movie projects, such as production and release info, cast, synopsis, pictures and awards.
Finally, the Career section gives you an overview which releases Madonna made in a particular year, together with pictures of that same year.
All the information and website code that we've accumulated over the past 16 years has been cleaned up, so it's easier and faster to access. In the process, many corrections have been done, and much more information will follow in the coming weeks.
Enjoy the surfing!
Tell us what you think on our Facebook page.
Madonna and Steven Klein attend Phillipp Plein's NYFW show
Source: Daily Mail - 14 Feb. 2017Last night, Madonna and her friend and photographer Steven Klein attended the show of designer Phillipp Plein at the New York Fashion Week. The show started a bit later, after Madonna was seated in front row, next to Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Tyga.
While Kylie revealed her cleavage in a white embellished mini dress, mother-of-six Madonna kept covered up in a red and black coat with black fluffy trimmed hood and sunglasses.
Madonna looked happy and relaxed as she waited for the models to start coming down the catwalk.
Her blonde hair was softly styled and she wore flawless make-up including lip color that matched the shade of her coat.
She wore black fingerless gloves and dangly earrings.
During the show, Madona socialized a bit with Kylie & Tyga. Both Madonna and Tyga were wearing diamond grills.
Madonna's visit might've been a way of thanking Phillipp Plein's recent contribution to Madonna's charity Raising Malawi, as she indicated on her Instagram:
Madonna on the cover of Vogue Italia
Source: Instagram - 13 Feb. 2017In a series of social media posts, Madonna has announced that she will be on the cover of the latest issue of Vogue Italia. The new photoshoot was done by Steven Klein, while the collaboration was done with Vogue's editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani, who sadly passed away in December 2016. In her comments, Madonna praised Sozzani for her work and inspiration for fashion and strong independant women.
Madonna is NOT appearing on Jimmy Fallon Show
Source: HeadlinePlanet - 11 Feb. 2017Update: Thursday night, NBC issued a press note confirming Madonna as an interview guest for the February 16 "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
The official "Tonight Show" website was subsequently updated to reflect her forthcoming visit.
Friday night, both references to Madonna were removed. She does not appear in the latest press lineup, and her image is no longer featured on the show's official website.
Currently, only interview guest Robert Irwin and musical guest Rag'n'Bone Man are listed for the February 16 "Tonight Show."
It thus appears Madonna will not, in fact, be appearing on that episode. Headline Planet will provide an update in the event a new date is confirmed.
Madonna "overjoyed" after adopting twins Esther and Stella
Source: E Online - 8 Feb. 2017Madonna has opened her heart—and her home—to a set of twins.
"I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family," the Material Girl, 58, told her 8.7 million Instagram followers Wednesday. "I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible, and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transitional time. Thank you also to my friends, family and my very large team for all your support and love!"
Madonna shared a photo of herself holding hands on a walk with daughters Esther and Stella.
Six months before their adoption was finalized, the "Living for Love" singer shared the first photo of the twins via Instagram; it also featured her daughter Lourdes Leon, 20. "3 Beauties," Madonna wrote. "Lola spends time with twins, Stella and Esther at Home of Hope Orphanage."
A court in Lilongwe granted Madonna permission to adopt the 4-year-old twins, whose mother died in childbirth and whose father appeared in court during the proceedings. Judge Fiona Mwale said Madonna can provide a loving home for the girls in a "luxurious, spacious and comfortable abode in an affluent neighborhood" in the U.S. And though she is "above the age normally considered within the ranges of parenting," Mwale said, Madonna is in good health. "Her charity work brings her into contact with orphanages," she added. "And it was as a result of this contact that she felt compelled to fill a gap in their lives and open up her home to them."
Just last month, Madonna denied she was planning to add to her family. "I am in Malawi to check on the children's hospital in Blantyre and my other work with Raising Malawi, and then heading home," the pop singer told People. "The rumors of an adoption process are untrue."
Madonna previously adopted two other children from Malawi: David Banda, 11, and Mercy James, 11. She is also mom to Rocco Ritchie, her 16-year-old son with filmmaker Guy Ritchie.
Madonna confirms twin adoption on Instagram
Source: Instagram - 8 Feb. 2017After a few days of conflicting reports, Madonna has now confirmed on Instagram that she has indeed adopted twin sisters from Malawi. Congratulations to Madonna and the rest of the family! We're sure these girls will get a bright future under Madonna's wings! ❤
Madonna adopts orphaned 4-year-old twin sisters from Malawi
Source: People - 8 Feb. 2017Madonna has opened her heart to two more children.
Malawi's judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula tells PEOPLE the High Court in Malawi confirmed the adoption order for the pop icon to adopt 4½-year-old twin girls from the country.
Madonna, 58, and her lawyer appeared in court on Tuesday, along with the children, their father and their uncle, all of whom witnessed the adoption, Mvula says.
A rep for Madonna did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
“Their mother died a week after she delivered the babies” in August 2012, Mvula says of the the twin girls. “After their mother died, the children were looked after by their grandmother, who could not fully provide for them, so they were taken into an orphanage.”
As for their new mother?
She “exuded happiness,” says Mvula, who adds, “she smiled while she was making her way out of the courtroom, and then she drove away” with her new daughters.
Prior to her latest adoption, Madonna was already mother to four children: Lourdes Leon, 20, Rocco Ritchie, 16, David Banda, 11, and Mercy James, 11.
The “Living for Love” singer has a long history with the people of Malawi: She adopted David and Mercy from the African country in 2006 and 2007, respectively. And she's worked to fight against poverty amongst the nation's orphaned children for more than a decade with her Raising Malawi charity. This year, the philanthropic group will build Malawi's first pediatric surgery and intensive care unit, the Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care.
Madonna granted permission to adopt two children from Malawi
Source: The Telegraph - 7 Feb. 2017The High Court in Malawi has given its approval to Madonna who has been granted permission to adopt two more children from the impoverished southern African country.
The US singer's previous adoptions stirred anger among some Malawians who accused the government of allowing the pop star to skirt laws that ban non-residents from adopting children.
Madonna was inside the courtroom when the approval ruling was delivered, Mlenga Mvula, a spokesman for Malawi's judiciary said on Tuesday.
"Today the High Court made a ruling that she should go ahead and adopt the two children," Mvula told Reuters, adding that the singer was smiling after the court's ruling.
Mvula could not provide details on the children Madonna will adopting, saying it was against the law to divulge such particulars at this stage.
"Within a year she should provide us with a home survey report which the court has ordered her to provide," Mvula said, referring to one of the conditions of the adoption.
Madonna, 58, adopted Malawian children David Banda and Mercy James in 2006 and 2009. The mega-selling pop singer has two other children, Lourdes and Rocco, from previous relationships.
Madonna had denied reports that she wanted to adopt again after she visited Malawi last month, at the time saying her trip was for her charity work.
Madonna established the non-profit Raising Malawi in 2006 to provide health and education programs, particularly for girls, in the southeast African country.
Why won’t we let Madonna age the way she wants to?
Source: nymag - 3 Feb. 2017Helen Mirren's snowy crop. Patti Smith's silver locks and crinkly eyes. Charlotte Rampling's chiseled laugh lines and Diane Keaton's covered-up chic. These are some of the things people will reliably cite when they talk about "aging gracefully." Of course, we all know that there's a very specific social prescription for how to do so, and it usually involves a) embracing your natural hair color, b) an absence of visible "work", and/or c) being French.
One person who consistently falls on the other end of the age conversation? Madonna. When she strutted into the Alexander Wang show in September with her college-age daughter, Lourdes, in tow, they almost looked like classmates, not mother and daughter. Madonna was flaunting a lace corset and track pants, while her daughter wore a turtleneck. At the after-party, she was having more fun than anyone, even donning a branded beer helmet. But everything about Madonna — the red-carpet flashing, the "new new face," the string of younger boyfriends — seems to bring out criticism that she's not aging in the "right" way, which seems to mean that she's just refusing to settle into a role as a grande dame. Her every move is the stuff Daily Mail caption writers' dreams are made of, whether she's "worse for wear" or "attempting to outdo Ariana Grande despite 35-year age gap" or skiing with a "toyboy." (Have these people not seen that iconic belt?) Then there's the way she folded an Illuminati-chapter-meeting's worth of celebrities into her Bitch I'm Madonna video, earning cries that she was out of touch, even vampirically siphoning off the talents of younger stars.
Sure, every pop star has his or her legion of haters, but Madonna's actions sometimes even make her critics literally ill. "You can't be 58 and dancing around like that," said Piers Morgan, immediately before stage-vomiting into a bucket on British TV. (The inciting incident: She had the audacity to twerk during her "Carpool Karaoke" segment.) Recently, she's been on the receiving end of slings and arrows from Camille Paglia, who wrote a column for The Hollywood Reporter called "How to Age Disgracefully." She called out Madonna's "pointless provocations" and "trashy outfit[s]," while suggesting she be more like Marlene Dietrich.
Three years ago, Out.com columnist Michael Musto wrote an essay for Scene in which he, too, was critical of Madonna's clinging to youth. He called her Grammys outfit that year "latter-day Mae West impersonating Colonel Sanders," and he was no fan of her penchant for grillz. Since then, Musto says he has "done a complete flip-flop" on Madge. For a long time, he hoped she'd "do a Peggy Lee tribute album and dress in a sultry, age-appropriate gown," he admits. But her recent speech at the Billboard Women in Music Awards, where she confronted the misogyny she's faced throughout her career, changed his mind. Madonna is stuck between a rock and a hard place with her refusal to go gently into that good night, to the tune of "Is That All There Is?"
"We're all for aging," points out Musto, "but God forbid someone have a natural wrinkle and God forbid someone Botox their wrinkles … you can't win." Unspoken in our paeans to the beauty of aging is the fact that it has to look effortless. Madonna's "work," her Botox, and her gym-hardened body, are too visible. We want our pop stars to be forever young, but are uncomfortable reckoning with the kind of labor that requires.
Meanwhile, Musto points out, Mick Jagger — who is 73 to Madonna's 58 — can dress, dance, date, and reproduce without much outcry. I'd add that he's hardly under the pressure to reinvent himself that Madonna is. No one seems to complain that he hasn't explored the world of EDM or brought in some younger, hotter artist for a feature on a "Wild Horses" remix. In Madonna's Billboard speech, she paid tribute to fellow shape-shifter David Bowie, but also noted that he was far less subject to critique than she was. "He made me think there were no rules," she said ruefully. "I was wrong. There are no rules if you're a boy." She ended by advising her fellow women in pop: "And finally, do not age, because to age is a sin. You will be criticized, you will be vilified, and you will definitely not be played on the radio." Her morally loaded language is no accident — to be female and age unapologetically is still a venal sin in some quarters.
Still, we can hope that maybe Madonna is creating a new playbook for how to age, a freer one that those a generation younger than she — like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga — are already starting to follow. Think of her as the rocky test case for this new approach. Musto predicts that soon, "it's going to be ingrained in our society that a woman can be sexy in her 50s, 60s, and so on. And Madonna can be thanked for having paved the way for that."
Drew Elliott, Paper's creative director and a judge on America's Next Top Model, goes so far as to call Madge's youthful ways kind of punk. "She behaves like a young person in that she's radical still," he says, "which I think is fabulous and usually associated with youth." He cites her in-on-the-joke performance as a clown at Art Basel as a recent example. While many of her contemporaries have settled into placid diva-dom, she refuses to play it safe, and Elliott hopes it stays that way: "The last thing I want to see is Madonna in a muumuu."
In Defense of Madonna
Source: Advocate - 1 Feb. 2017Welcome to the Trump resistance, General Madonna. We need you more now than ever.
You know you struck a cultural and political nerve when a week after a stirring and defiant speech at the historic Women's March on Washington January 21, people are still talking, debating, and pissed off about it. Love it or hate it, Madonna's speech was a rousing success.
As a gay man in my 40s, I have followed (sometimes rabidly) Madonna's career since its immaculate conception. I'm not embarrassed to admit I once had my entire teenage bedroom plastered with floor-to-ceiling Madonna pictures and posters. There is no pre-Madonna era in my memories. Her songs have scored each decade of my life, and her provocative antics have joyfully titillated and shocked me.
I'm a fan of not just her music, not just her talent, but of the person. I love that she challenges unrighteous authority, takes risks in expressing views contrary to unjust social norms, and is unapologetically herself. She is a rebel in the best sense of the word.
Madonna being under fire for her language, her music, her videos, her imagery, her performances, you name it, really, is nothing new. This is a woman whose career has always ridden the precarious wave of both critique and praise. What is new, however, is how Madonna is now using her legendary status as an entertainment icon to boldly lead a newly founded rebellion against President Trump and his administration.
Madonna's address at the Women's March in Washington, D.C., has moved well beyond that one triumphant moment. Her speech has now seeped into our cultural divide; it has become more than just the words she uttered. It has transcended just that one protest on that one Saturday in front of hundreds of thousands of protesters. It's now become a global taking point, a direct reflection of two political schools of thought.
Because if there is one thing misogynistic men in power hate most — men who minimize and dehumanize women by summing up their entire worth based on their genitals and one's ability to grab said genitals at will — is a woman who dares to stand up and speak out.
We need a mouthpiece strong enough to offend and inspire, uplift and challenge, and excite and energize a movement still in its infancy. Because of these very reasons, I'd like to assign Madonna a title, as homage to the late, great, never forgotten Princess Leia. A title that is not linked to her Queen of Pop or Material Girl monikers, but one that is more that reflective of the Madonna today: General Madonna, Voice of the Trump Resistance.
I realize she was not and is not the only voice at the protest worthy of assuming the title, but in the interest of this essay, it fits.
To the various dissenters, I offer the following defense on behalf of my new general. To former 1980s pop rival Cyndi Lauper, who took to the airwavess to critize Madonna, I say, girl, couldn't you have discussed your issues diva to diva rather than through the media?
I mean, I get and agree that “clarity and humanity” is usually better than anger any day, as Cyndi put it. Thoughtful discussion is always a better way than screaming and yelling. Except, you know, in a budding movement meant to fire up the participants. In this instance a more measured and gentle approach would probably not have generated the attention Madonna's f bomb-laden “rebellion of love” did. In this moment, at this rally, a rousing, angry speech, crass as it was, is totally acceptable.
Also, the last thing we need, Cyndi dear, is infighting. Now is the time for unity and support, for backing each other and bringing our forces together as one. Now is not the time for disagreements and backbiting in the press. Privately, sure. Hash it out singer to singer, but don't give the opposition a sound bite in their attempt to burn our general at the stake. As America's Popular President declared, we are “Stronger Together.”
To the radio station in Texas banning all Madonna music and calling her unpatriotic, I say, um, isn't freedom of speech the very First Amendment of the Constitution? What can be more patriotic than speaking up when you disagree with where the county is headed?
Rejecting the president is something that right-wing voters championed every single moment of every single day in all eight years of Barack Obama's presidency. I know this very well because I had to endure my entire extended family rant and rave against Obama for eight years. Their constant anger was exhausting. I do find it odd how conservative opposition and speaking out against a president was an example of their patriotism and yet somehow Madonna doing the same is not. I find the lack of logic and self-awareness alarming.
Also, haven't we been down this road before? The Dixie Chicks circa 2003, anyone? “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” right? If history is a guide, I for one am excited for a possible Madonna CD that addresses this moment, ends up racking up Grammys, and becomes a pop music mission statement a la the Chicks' genre-busting song of defiance, “Not Ready to Make Nice.”
To Newt Gringrich, I will concede that I reluctantly agree that the “blowing up the White House” part of Madonna's speech was probably not her best use of metaphor — you really shouldn't ever openly say you want to murder the leader of the free world, even in jest. Taken out of context, it sounds horrible and dangerous. However, within the context of her entire statement, it isn't as incendiary as conservatives are making it out to be. “Blowing up the White House” was meant to contrast an act of violence in a deadly uprising versus her true goal, which is the creation of a rebellion of love. Context here is key.
Also, the desire to arrest her and throw her in jail, which seems to be the answer for any woman with power who defies the Trump political machine, isn't as threatening as it sounds. I mean, what could be more rebellious than going to jail for standing up to tyranny? Madonna in prison? Dare I say yes to this? If only because I would love to see how much stronger and more fierce she'd be post-jail. And the music to come from such an experience? I shudder in excitement.
And finally, to the ridiculous meme generators spreading like a disease around social media ridiculously showcasing various images of Madonna's career with various crotch-grabbing — both hers and others — in a ridiculous attempt to justify Donald Trumps nefarious hot-mike pussy-grabbing remarks, I say, you're ridiculous.
The two, Madonna's crotch fondles versus Trump's, aren't even logically comparable. First of all, Madonna wasn't and isn't running for political office, nor is she our current sitting president. She's an entertainer. Not an elected official that's mean to represent all Americans, regardless if you support him or not.
Secondly, a key factor missing in these meme detractors' desperate and lame attempt to justify crotch-grabbing in their president is the very notion of consent. Madonna's genital groping was with consenting adults — people whom voluntarily and willingly welcomed her hands on their body. Trump's remarks are boasts grossly highlighting his privilege as a rich white male, being able to ignore a woman's basic right to her body by manhandling it at will. It is assault. Plain and simple. Assault is wrong.
As a fan of Madonna and of our democracy, watching the amazing coverage unfold of all the inspirational women's marches throughout America (and the entire world), witnessing the throngs of peaceful protesters — let's emphasize peaceful — gathering together as one felt like the most uplifting American thing I've been in years.
For the first time in months, if not years, my various social media feeds were a thing of joy. I thrilled at the millions of determined Americans standing up for a better tomorrow. I wept, I cheered, I celebrated.
To have Madonna sum up the efforts of millions of people the world over — men, women, children — in a rousing speech that is still is being addressed, nitpicked, and argued over today, a week later, keeps the experience alive.
She, as our newly dubbed General Madonna, leader of the Rebellion of Love, is the right leader at the right time for the right movement. So, if you missed the point of Madonna's speech, if you didn't understand why people gathered in support of women, minorities, civil liberties, LGBT equal rights, and more, that's OK. Because, perhaps, this momentous march wasn't for you. But it was for us.
BRIAN ANDERSEN is a writer and indie comic book creator who lives in San Francisco with his husband and gorgeous baby daughter.
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