serving your anti madonna needs since 2003
SITE CONTENT:
Archives: 2009, June - Dec
DEC 2009
Beaten in Charts/ Polls (Fashion, Icon Status, etc)
Madonna was beaten by 21 people:
Madonna
-- Top 100 Women of 2009, Number 22
If you want to know what 22-year-old male model Jesus Luz sees in Madge, ex-Madonna-hubby Guy Ritchie reportedly received a $60-million settlement after his divorce from the rapidly deteriorating pop legend.
Recently, Asylum rated the top 100 hottest women on the Internet, based solely on how many times the babe-loving general public enters an attractive lady's name into AOL's search box [and Madonna was #22 on the list. Mandy Moore was #1; view list here].
Hat tip to Anshirk for the Celebrity charity story:
Justin
Timberlake tops Celebrity Philanthropists' list
What
celebrity earns the most for charity?
The Daily Beast's Celebrity Impact Rankings, a number-crunching exercise to determine which celebrities earned the most dollars toward their favorite causes, puts Justin Timberlake at the top of a 50-celebrity list, easily outpointing such well-known do-gooders as Bono and Madonna.
Timberlake
tops celeb charity earner poll
Judy
Garland Is Top Gay Icon Of All Time
Elton
John and Judy Garland ranked top gay icons
Sir
Elton John and Judy Garland named top gay icons of all time
Elton
John voted top gay icon of all time
British musician Sir Elton John who has sold more than 200 million records in his career, has been voted as the top gay icon of all
The 62-year-old Grammy-winning pop star, who married his long-term lover David Furnish in a civil partnership ceremony in 2005, has been declared the male most respected by homosexuals, alongside the late actress Judy Garland who was named the most iconic female among the gay community, Contactmusic reported.
Garland
is Top Gay Icon of All Time
Looking Ugly / Unattractive/ Old
Madonna
to Get Professional Help for ‘Stringy’ Arm Muscles
Madonna has sought the help of a yoga-inspired British "body-worker" to ensure that her daily iron-pumping routines don't make her muscles look "stringy and overcut."
It's
time to stop pretending we don't notice Madonna's rapidly changing face
Excerpts:
...WTH is going on with Madonna's face? Have you seen it lately?
....And also, did you see that Saturday Night Live with Madonna and Lady Gaga? Madge has the floppy, wiggly pancake booty of an 82-year-old man. And to be clear, I never want to see that in a leotard.)
So, yeah. While she once looked dubiously youthful, Madonna's new face is chopped and screwed harder than a Lil Wayne track. Look at that ad above! It's like she's always saying, 'Who?' or 'How?'
Poor thing. Probably will only be able to drink through a straw by 2015.
Madonna
Starts To Show Her Age
Excerpts:
She makes great efforts to look youthful but it was not her day at a film premier where 'Queen of Pop' Madonna could not hide from the unflattering glare of a camera flash which made her look old.
....A surprised look and arched eyebrows did not quite tally with a wrinkle-free forehead, making for a bizarre and unnatural appearance which was not helped by the fact that the skin around her eyes also appeared pulled taut.
Thick red lipstick, which seemed to have been hastily applied, served only to accentuate the uneven look of her mouth.
The Queen of Pop has been replaced as the face of fashion giants Louis Vuitton by a younger model.
....It's every ageing celebrity's biggest nightmare to lose out to a younger rival - especially when that celeb clings to her youth as Madonna does.
While the chart veteran celebrated her half-century last year, Dutch beauty Lara is just 25.
....The firm put the boot in further by describing the new campaign as "whimsical, young and optimistic".
At least two of these characteristics can't be applied to Madge.
Madonna
dropped by Louis Vuitton for a younger model it's confirmed
Madonna
appears to have grown a light moustache
Madonna
Strikes A Bride Of Wildenstein Pose At New York Screening - Picture
'Surprise' proves not to be the singer's most flattering expression...
With her look of surprise struggling against her taut, plumped up features, there was definitely a touch of the Jocelyn Wildenstein about Madonna's appearance.
Animals
Madge
is top of the vil at NY Bash
by Tim Nixon
Dec 7, 2009Dalmations would have run a mile at the sight of MADONNA yesterday.
The veteran songstress was more Cruella de Vil than Queen of Pop when she stepped out in a coat designed to send shivers down the spines of spotty mutts.
Madge donned the crow-like body-warmer for a special New York screening of A Single Man, which marks the directorial debut of her designer pal TOM FORD.
Slams / Put Downs
George
Clooney and Madonna went on a bad date
Madonna and George Clooney reportedly went on a date after the singer's divorce from Guy Ritchie.
An insider told the Daily Star that Clooney was set up on the date by a mutual friend.
However, the source alleged that the evening was a disaster because of Madonna's jokes.
"He figured she is a smart, accomplished woman, so why not give it a try?" the insider explained. "They went out for dinner in New York but it turned out really bad. She kept trying to make jokes that weren't at all funny the entire time and didn't want to have a real conversation. He couldn't wait to get out of there."
George
Clooney and Madonna went on a date
Madonna
and George Clooney went on a date... and it sucked
Miley
Cyrus criticises Angelina Jolie and Madonna
Miley
Cyrus Slams Angelina Jolie and Madonna
Miley
Cyrus in Dublin blasts Madonna, Angelina Jolie for parading kids in public
Paul
McCartney lashes out at Madonna’s onstage performance
London, Dec 5 (ANI): Former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney has lashed out at Madonna’s onstage performance, in front of 12,000 fans.
McCartney, 67, spoke out at the opening night of his European tour in Hamburg at the Colour Line Arena.
“That’s the big wardrobe change of the night,” the Daily Express quoted him as telling the German crowd, baring a white shirt and black braces.
“Madonna eat your heart out – or words to that effect. I’m wearing something simple, do you like it?” he added.
In October Madonna, 51, had commented how she would be “too bored” if she copied McCartney’s performance skills.
Beaten in Polls/ Charts (Music Related Areas)
The Rolling Stones beat Madonna on this list:
The
Rolling Stones are the Top Touring Act of the Decade
The
Rolling Stones are the Top Touring Act of the Decade
Rolling
Stones top Billboard's 'Top Touring Acts of the Decade' list
Rolling
Stones, U2 named as top touring artists of the decade
The
Rolling Stones Are Decade's Highest Grossing Tour Act -AndPop.com
Rolling
Stones Are Decade's Top-Grossing Touring Act -Chart Attack
Out's
100 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time - Madonna was beaten by seven
people on the list; David Bowie was #1 on this list
Absolutely no Madonna songs made it to the top selling I-Tunes list of 2009:
Jay-Z,
TI & Eminem Top iTunes 2009 Record Sales
Kings
of Leon, Lady Gaga Rule itunes Top-Selling 2009 Charts
iTunes'
top-selling songs and albums of 2009 (US and UK)
Apple has announced its bestselling albums and songs of the year in a new feature on the iTunes Store called iTunes Rewind. Songs by Black-Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga were among chart-toppers in the US and UK, and the Kings of Leon album Only By the Night was the best-selling album on both the US and UK charts.
Among other top-sellers that made both lists were albums by Michael Jackson and Black-Eyes Peas. Top-selling songs:
US
1. "Boom Boom Pow," Black Eyed Peas
2. "Right Round," Flo Rida
3. "Poker Face," Lady GaGa
4. "I Gotta Feeling," Black Eyed Peas
5. "Gives You Hell," The All-American Rejects
6. "Just Dance," Lady GaGa & Colby O'Donis
7. "Party in the U.S.A.," Miley Cyrus
8. "The Climb," Miley Cyrus
9. "Dead and Gone (feat. Justin Timberlake)," T.I.
10. "Use Somebody," Kings of LeonUK
1. "I Gotta Feeling," Black Eyed Peas
2. "Poker Face," Lady Gaga
3. "Just Dance," Colby O'Donis / Lady GaGa
4. "Boom Boom Pow," Black Eyed Peas
5. "Fight For This Love," Cheryl Cole
6. "In For The Kill," La Roux
7. "Number 1,? Tinchy Stryder
8. "Bad Boys (feat. Flo Rida)," Alexandra Burke
9. "The Fear," Lily Allen
10. "Use Somebody," Kings Of Leon
Susan
Boyle Makes UK Chart History
Susan
Boyle's debut album makes chart history
Susan
Boyle Album Debut Bigger than Madonna, Simon Cowell?
Simon Cowell says Susan Boyle's US album debut will be bigger than those of Madonna, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Cowell claims he has inside info that it will take number one spot in the States, making it the highest debut for a female artist ever.
Susan
Boyle's debut album tops Britain's charts
According to the Official Charts Company, which tracks music sales in Britain, the more than 410,000 copies of [Boyle's album] "I Dreamed a Dream" sold since its release Nov. 23 make it the fastest selling album so far this year, and are the largest first-week sales for a debut album in U.K. chart history.
Susan
Boyle: Cat Lady Obliterates Eminem in Sales Rankings
By Ethan Smith
December 2, 2009Onetime unemployed cat lady Susan Boyle became a bona fide global superstar Wednesday morning, when Nielsen SoundScan said her debut album, “I Dreamed a Dream” (Syco/Columbia), had sold nearly 701,000 copies during its first week in U.S. stores. That’s the biggest sales week for any album so far this year, eclipsing Eminem’s “Relapse,” which sold 608,000 copies when it came out in May.
“I Dreamed a Dream” also enjoyed the biggest first-week sales by an artist’s debut album since 1993, when Snoop Dogg’s “Doggystyle” sold 803,000 copies in seven days. It is now also the biggest sales week for a debut album by a female solo artist since SoundScan started counting discs back in 1991
Bad Acting
'Almost
Human: Madonna on Film' festival celebrates bad acting
Madge
to be feted….for bad acting!
When
You Care Enough To See The Very Worst
She
Almost Ruined A League of Their Own, for God's Sake!
Bad
Madonna! Pop star's worst films screen in Seattle
By Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
Dec. 3--Seattle's bad-movie guru David Schmader will host a new film series at Central Cinema: "Almost Human: Madonna on Film." The series, which begins Monday and continues weekly through Jan. 4, features five [Madonna] films, all of which Schmader aptly describes as "painfully lame" and all of which earned Madonna Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actress: in order, "Shanghai Surprise," "Who's That Girl?," "Body of Evidence," "The Next Best Thing" and "Swept Away." Schmader will introduce each screening and provide light running commentary throughout the films.
Immoral
Old
School Scandal: At Least Tiger Isn't Madonna
by John Nolte
For a couple decades now too many members of the American celebrity and sports class have made millions The Madonna Way: pimping their deviant behavior into fame and fortune — shoving their thug lives, drug lives, and sex lives down our throats and, unforgivably, the throats of our children.
With only “at least I’m not a hypocrite” as an excuse, these irredeemables have waged a war to destroy morality, and heaven help those who complain or demand restraint, for we will mercilessly be ridiculed and demeaned as suburban hypocrites, Puritans and worse.
....But in the broader context of the twisted world of celebrity we presently find ourselves in, Tiger [Woods, the golf player] at least kept his immorality to himself instead of demanding we accept it.
NOV 2009
Beaten in Polls/ Charts
Beyonce
is the new Queen of Pop
Beyonce has been adjudged the new 'Queen of Pop' in a fan poll.
Beyonce Knowles has taken the crown away from 'Material Girl' Madonna as she has been adjudged the new 'Queen of Pop' in a latest fan poll.
The 'Crazy In Love' hitmaker was given the title in Rimmel London's 'World's Greatest Popstars' contest, which had over 100,000 UK fans participating in the poll, Contactmusic reported.
Britney Spears came second and Madonna took the fifth place as Knowles was announced winner at a live concert on Sunday at London's Earls Court, where a special tribute was performed in her honour.
Beyonce
Voted World's Greatest Pop Star
Beyonce
Knowles is World's greatest Pop Star
Beyonce
Knowles: Beyonce the new 'Queen of Pop'!
And
the World's Biggest Pop Star Is... [Beyonce]
Slams, Put Downs / Ego
Nelly
Furtado blasts Madonna over her reluctance to age naturally
Singer
blasts Madonna for not 'aging naturally'
Furtado
blasts Madonna for trying to look young
Furtado:
'Madonna should age naturally'
Nelly
Furtado blasts Madonna`s young act
Nelly
Furtado Blasts Madonna Over Freakish Effort to Stay Young
Nelly
Furtado Thinks Madonna Looks Like A “Freak"
According to reports, Canadian singer Nelly Furtado has blasted Madonna over her freakish effort to look young and the lengths she goes to maintain her looks.
Furtado insists that she will never try and cheat father time in order to reverse the aging process, and would rather just sit around her kitchen and eat instead.
“I am not ready to adjust physically, just to be marketable. My sell-by date will run out eventually,” she said.
“Unlike Madonna, I wouldn’t be willing to do Pilates round the clock, just to slow down the deterioration of my body. I prefer to sit in the kitchen, drink tea and eat biscuits,” she added.
Hat Tip board member Anshirk for this story:
Peter
Hook Blasts Madonna - Contact Music
November 9, 2009
Peter Hook thinks Madonna is "horrible" and "like a Black Widow" spider.
The former New Order and Joy Division bassist told Absolute Radio he met the star on the night of her first British concert - at cult Manchester nightclub The Hacienda which he co-ran - and said she was "horrible" and "used" people.
He said: "Madonna's like a Black Widow spider. She tends to use people, then they shrivel up and disappear.
Peter, 53, revealed that a friend - who was managing Madonna at the time - persuaded him to let her sing in the club for cult TV programme 'The Tube' but she was less forthcoming when asked to perform again when as club opened later that evening.
He said: "She was horrible. She was sat there with her back to us, and Rob went up and said 'We were wondering if you wanted to appear later at the club', and she just went 'F**k off'."
Peter
Hook Calls Madonna a 'Black Widow Spider'
Peter
Hook Peter Hook: 'Madonna ist eine Schwarze Witwe'
Career Failure / Bad Acting, Directing
Madonna
wanted to produce 'Precious'
Madonna was declined from producing acclaimed new movie ‘Precious’, author Sapphire has revealed.
Sapphire said the Queen of Pop was eager to be associated with the film adapted from 1996 novel Push.
Madonna was almost Mariah Carey's boss on acclaimed new movie Precious - the pop superstar was among the first people to show an interest in adapting author Sapphire''s gritty drama into a film.
"There was this really earnest college student with his backpack on who wanted to do his first film, and then Madonna wanted to produce it,” the Daily Express quoted Sapphire as telling Entertainment Weekly magazine.
“I was like, ''Madonna? I don''t think this is her film,''" she added.
The post finally went to moviemaker Lee Daniels who managed to convince her with his credentials.
Madge
Desperate for Film Success
Now director ex-husband Guy Ritchie is out of the picture, Madonna has decided to launch herself as a serious filmmaker. But it seems she is having problems securing backing.
Madge, who divorced RocknRolla director Guy in December last year, hasn’t had much success in the film industry after a string of flops in recent years.
Swept Away, the 2002 box-office disaster in which she starred and which was directed by Guy, lost almost half of its £6million budget. In 2000 The Next Best Thing didn’t cover its £15million costs.
But the 51-year-old is determined to be respected among film critics and so has moved behind the camera and turned her hand to scriptwriting.
The singer has a big-screen project up her sleeve, although to her frustration it is proving difficult to launch.
“I just finished writing a script and I am trying to get funding and casting for it, believe it or not,” pouts the Queen of Pop...
Madonnas
film career refusing to take off
No
One Wants to Finance Madonna’s New Science Fiction Movie
Excerpts:
A little while ago, Madonna revealed her plans to script some flick about true love by placing the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the center of her film. And then by tacking a parallel plot point which focused on a New York couple, though she was careful to add that the New York couple were obviously tokens of her rich imagination.
Her publicist told some rag or other, “She did a lot of research on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.” Wikipedia is rife with insight about Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. This project may or may not be dubbed W.E..
Sadly, the flick’s proving a hard sell for backers. Perhaps it would make sense for her to bill it as science fiction or dark humor if she insists on leveraging the “romance” angle? Or if her last stab at directing hadn’t blown such chunks?
In 2008, She helmed, wrote, and singlehandedly created Filth and Wisdom? And that opened to horrible reviews and ultimately posted unimpressive box-office returns. If only there was a way to encourage her to step away from the camera and go back to cone bras. If only.
Unfulfilled, Lonely
Madonna
Admits: Guy Has Left Me So Lonely
No matter how hard she tries to keep busy, ex-husband Guy Ritchie's exit has created a huge void in her life and young boyfriend Jesus Luz is hardly the man to fill it.
Our source says: ‘Guy feels sorry for his ex and puts her mood swings down to stress. He's sympathetic, but also feels sorry for Jesus having to deal with it.
‘She's got another Christmas coming up when she'll basically be alone and she hates that. At the end of the day, she's a lonely, unfulfilled fifty-something woman.'
Last week, Madonna claimed she's happier now she's based in New York and even cracked a gag about her age.
‘I've adapted to my new life. My apartment's a bit small. I'm like the old woman who lived in ?a shoe,' joked the 51-year-old.
But our source adds: ‘She's trying to make out that life's rosy, but it's far from that.'
Unattractive / Scary Grandma Hands
Well, it's no secret that she's [Madonna is] over half a century old, but after taking a peek at her wrinkly, veiny hands, we shudder to think what her face would look like had she not gone under the knife!
View photo of Madonna's Veiny Zombie Hand
The material girl was spotted leaving a medical building in NYC last night, and we're not sure if she was there for a flu shot or to get some work done on her zombie hands, but at least her face looks good!
And we still love her albums, so who cares about her granny hands?
Check out the Vogue
Gallery for other veiny hand photos
Photo Caption Game
Top
Ten Captions for Pic of Madonna Yawning
By Robert Paul Reyes
LOS ANGELES (KABC) invited their readers to write a caption for this photograph of Madonna yawning during a breaking ground ceremony for her school in Malawi.
Here are my top ten captions:
*Maybe I should be covering my veiny hands instead.
*This is almost as boring as trying to teach my toy boy how to read.
* Dear God! Every time I yawn my plastic face stays frozen for a few seconds, I hope nobody notices!
*Every time I try to pull a rabbit out of my hat, that damn bunny gets scared when he sees my botox face and he won't come out!
*These is all about me, and the school I'm building! These damn bureaucrats should be mentioning me every few seconds.
*Whenever Lady Gaga wears a crazy hat she gets tons of ink. I wear a stupid white hat, and nobody says a word.
*Jesus, Please don't let my dentures fall out. The last time I yawned my dentures flew out. No, that was the last time I french kissed my boyfriend.
*If I had a mirror I could stop myself from yawning. I never yawn when I'm admiring myself.
*That's weird the older I get, the more I yawn. In a couple of years I'm going to be walking around with my mouth open all the time.
*I'm not going to let the photographers snap a pic of me with my mouth open, I'll look like that skank Lindsay Lohan.
Malawi / Baby Napping
Hat Tip board member Anshirk for this first story:
Madonna
’snubs’ adopted kids’ families in Malawi
Queen of Pop Madonna has returned to the U.S. without meeting parents of her adopted kids in Malawi, it has emerged.
The 51-year-old singer left the place with David Banda and Mercy Chifundo James, both four-year-old, after first dropping in at the construction site of her 9-million-pound Raising Malawi Academy for girls.
She also visited David’s residence for a year, the Home of Hope Child Care Centre.
However, the ‘Material Girl’ hitmaker skipped meeting the parents of the two children.
James Kambewa, who insists he is the father of Mercy even though he has never met her, said: “I was ready to be reunited with my daughter. I am devastated they denied me a chance of seeing her.”
Seemingly, Madonna has promised to bring back the kids to visit their native land in future.
“One day she will bring her home because that’s what she told me when I signed adoption papers at the High Court,” the Daily Star quoted Mercy’s uncle Peter Baneti as saying.
Also, David’s father Yohane said: “I heard David was at the orphanage. I’m not worried because Madonna promised she’ll bring him back.”
A Raising Malawi official added: “She will take them there at some point in the future.”
Madonna's
Raising Malawi school construction blocked by villagers
A project to build a girl's school in Malawi funded by Madonna has run into problems after villagers sought to block its construction.
A group of around 140 villagers in Chinkhota village, about 10 miles outside the capital Lilongwe are demanding more money for land the government has leased to Madonna's charity – Raising Malawi – for 99 years.
Talks between senior government officials and representatives from the singer's charity have failed to resolve the dispute, the latest controversy for the singer in the African country from which she has adopted two children.
The government has now threated to arrest any villages seeking to prevent the building going ahead.
"If we cannot agree on this and if you cannot understand that this is government land, then I will have no choice but tell police to arrest you people for blocking development work on the site, " Lilongwe Charles Kalimba, the district commissioner, told villagers.
...."We are protesting because we feel government and Raising Malawi have not been fair ... earlier agreements about how much they were supposed to pay us have been scrapped and now we are being told the land does not belong to us," the village chief, Chinkhota, said after the meeting.
Malawi
villagers want more cash for Madonna school land
Madonna
school 'in political battle'
Madonna
faces more protests in Malawi
Madonna's plans for a multi-million dollar girls academy in Malawi has faced protests by villagers.
The singer's charity, Raising Malawi, leased the land from the Malawi Government for the planned construction but now around 140 villagers are demanding more money.
The protesters could risk being arrested with District Commissioner for Lilongwe Charles Kalemba telling village chiefs : "If we cannot agree on this and if you cannot understand that this is government land, then I will have no choice but tell police to arrest you people for blocking development work on the site."
Mr Kalemba met with other senior government officials and Raising Malawi but all parties failed to reach an agreement in talks with representatives of the villagers in a bid to resolve the dispute.
The village chief, Chinkhota believes his people are getting a raw deal saying: "We are protesting because we feel government and Raising Malawi have not been fair, earlier agreements about how much they were supposed to pay us have been scrapped and now we are being told the land does not belong to us."
Madonna
Tangled in Political Battle Over Girls Academy
Malawi
villagers want more cash for Madonna school land
Malawian
Villagers Block Construction of Madonna Charity's School
OCT 2009
Ego / Slammed - Madonna Snubbed by Some Yoga Guy
Big-head
Madonna snubbed by India Yoga guru
Madonna has been snubbed by India's top Yoga guru - because she's too big-headed.
The star was desperate for private lessons with Bikram Choudhury at his US retreat in Hollywood, where he invented Hot Yoga, performed in a sweltering 105 degrees in specially heated studios.
But the high-handed singer refused to come to classes and insisted he had to visit her at her home instead.
Choudhury revealed: "Madonna came to me and asked for private lessons. I told her that if she wants to learn from me, she has to come to my classes."
"I told her. 'You will have to leave your ego behind'.
"None of my famous clients - like Jim Carrey, George Clooney and Jessica Simpson - have ever objected to coming to public classes," he added.
Madonna
Turned Down by Yoga Guru
Oct 29, 2009
Madonna was left fuming after a famous yoga guru refused to give her private lessons - insisting the singer would have to take a class like everyone else.
The pop superstar recently parted ways with her longterm fitness trainer Tracy Anderson, revealing she wants to "try a new method of working out."
But Madonna's plan to hire Bikram Yoga inventor Bikram Choudhury went awry when the Indian multi-millionaire turned down her request, accusing her of being too temperamental.
He says, "Madonna came to me and asked for private lessons. I would have none of that. If you want to learn from me, then you have to come to my classes. You have to leave your ego behind. If you disagree with her (Madonna), you're immediately blacklisted."
Choudhury insisted none of his other celebrity clients, including George Clooney, Jessica Simpson, and Jim Carrey, have objected to his methods.
He adds, "They do 90 minutes of yoga whenever they're near a Bikram school - even when they are overseas."
Indian
yoga guru refuses to give lessons to Madonna
Indian
yoga guru refuses to give lessons to Madonna
Contrary to popular belief, A-list celebrities can’t click their fingers and get what they want, not even Madonna, her Royal Highness the Queen Mum of pop.
The macrobiotic nut bar, 51, got more than she bargained for when she tried to arrange a private yoga lesson with Bikram Choudhury, 63, the inventor of fitness flavour of the month, hot yoga.
The stretchy hippie said: “Madonna came to me and asked for private lessons.
“I would have none of that. If you want to learn from me, then you have to come to my classes. You have to leave your ego behind.
“If you disagree with her, you’re immediately blacklisted.”
Meanwhile, Bikram has nothing but praise for George Clooney, 48, Jessica Simpson, 29, and Jim Carrey, 47.
He said: “They do 90 minutes of yoga whenever they’re near a Bikram school – even when they’re overseas.”
Rip Off Artist / Unoriginal
The
Slits’ Punk Icon Dethrones Madonna, Lady Gaga, & the Queen
By Nick Haramis
October 22, 2009[An Interview with Ari Up, band member of The Slits]
Tell me about your personal style.
The Slits were the first girls to dress the way we did. People should give credit to the Slits, not just for originating sound and music, but also clothes. We went from Vivienne Westwood and the whole punk thing into the Jamaican crazy-time. Of course, people like Cher were always out-there.I suppose Madonna was, too.
But Madonna was always imitating people. Always.Oh, that’s right. In an interview you called Madonna a thief.
I’ve heard many stories of Madonna sending her entourage to clubs in search of the latest looks and sounds. But that’s not so bad because she has to be isolated—how else is she going to go? Some people cash in on a look and some people are just die-hard originals. Madonna is definitely not a die-hard original. It’s frustrating when you see people wearing your entire outfit and trying to sound like you, without getting credit for it.
Madonna Video Voted "Least Sexy of All Time"
Madonna's
'Hung Up' voted 'Least Sexy Video Ever'
Madonna's
Hung Up 'least sexy'
Madonna's
Hung Up 'least sexy'
Madonna's Hung Up has been voted the least sexy music video of all time.
The Queen of Pop's disco-style video - which saw her gyrating in a purple leotard - proved to be a turn-off for viewers of music video website Muzu.tv.
Madonna's
Hung Up 'least sexy music video of all time'
Beaten Musically
At
67, Streisand Out-Sells Madonna
Streisand
Tops Charts in a Week Full of Divas
By BEN SISARIO; Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
Published: October 7, 2009Who is the biggest diva of them all? Barbra Streisand.... Her latest record, “Love Is the Answer” (Columbia), opened at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, ahead of new albums by Mariah Carey, Madonna and Paramore, the band led by Hayley Williams.
Barbra
Streisand beats Paramore and Mariah Carey [and Madonna] to #1
Paramore,
Mariah Carey [and Madonna] Lose #1 Spot To Barbra Streisand
Madonna's final effort for Warner Bros., the greatest hits album Celebration, isn't much of a cause for one, landing at #7 on sales of just 72,000, tailed by country singer Miranda Lambert's Revolution (#8, 66,000).
Barbra
Streisand tops US pop chart for ninth time
Streisand extended her lead as the female act with the most No. 1 releases on the Billboard 200. She also became the first artist to top the chart in five consecutive decades.
....At 67, she also is the second-oldest living artist to top the U.S. chart. The record was set earlier this year by her labelmate Bob Dylan, who is 11 months her senior.
Streisand last topped the chart in 1997, when "Higher Ground" started off with 207,000 copies. The music industry has plummeted in the ensuing decade, making Streisand's latest sales tally all the more noteworthy.
Yet another pop diva also underperformed. Madonna's hits collection "Celebration," which fulfills her contact with Warner Music Group Corp, opened at No. 7. Her previous hits package, 2001's "GHV2," also opened at No. 7. But while that set sold 150,000 copies, "Celebration" managed only 72,000.
Streisand
beats Paramore, Carey to US No.1
Barbra
Streisand Surprises With Ninth No. 1 On Billboard 200
Smacked Down
Hey,
Madonna, It's Maybe Time for You to Stop Using the Word 'Retarded'
Excerpts:
By: Chris Rovzar
We're writing you this open letter because we just happened to read a quote from you in this week's Rolling Stone.
You said, "I've never been a good judge of what things are going to be huge or not. The songs that I think are the most retarded songs I've written, like 'Cherish' and 'Sorry,' a pretty big hit off my last album, end up being the biggest hits. 'Into the Groove' is another song I feel retarded singing, but everybody seems to like it."
Then, a while back, you maybe called your ex-husband Guy Ritchie "emotionally retarded" at a concert in front of thousands of people.
Not to get all preachy and PC on you, but we think maybe it's time for you to stop using the word "retarded" so much. We know, we know, you don't mean to malign developmentally disabled people.
It's just an expression! But really, at the end of the day, it's just not that cool of an expression.
Negative Review
Music
DVD Review: Madonna - Celebration: The Video Collection
Celebration: The Video Collection is a collection of forty-seven of Madonna's music videos spread over two DVDs with a running time of approximately three and a half hours. This is more expansive than the thirty-six track CD counterpart.
One of my gripes with the CD version is the non-chronological sequencing, which makes hearing her artistic progression impossible without creating a customized playlist.
....But during the '80s it was largely Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna that set the dominant tone for the way pop music looked and sounded. The former two easily outshine Madonna when it comes to vocals. Prince's nearly unparalleled musicianship (by pop standards, at least) also trumps Madonna's comparatively novice skill set.
As a casual fan, I found many of the lesser seen clips interesting. Songs like "Rain," "What It Feels Like For A Girl," and "Give It 2 Me" aren't among her biggest hits, in the U.S. at least, and their videos didn't receive a ton of airplay.
The songs themselves aren't very good, as the quality of her work slipped more and more as the years went on.
One after another uninspired dud drags across the screen, making disc two a bit much for the non-fanatic.
As Madonna ages before our very eyes, becoming more sinewy and gaunt, her attempts to maintain her sex appeal appear garish and embarrassing.
The odd thing about owning music video collections on DVD is that they don't necessarily hold much replay value.
While it was entertaining revisiting the older promos, I can't imagine finding a reason to spend much time with them.
An artist with the massive popularity of Madonna deserves a set like Celebration: The Video Collection, but I'm guessing only the truly obsessed will commit the time needed to justify dropping around thirty bucks on it.
The video quality is a mixed bag. Most of the visual problems crop up during the earlier clips, which were photographed on much more primitive equipment. The video is presented in 4:3, with even the later widescreen videos windowboxed.
All things considered, especially when viewed on a Blu-ray player and hi-def TV, this is a pretty rough looking set. Even some of the later videos have an excess of visual noise and are lacking in sharpness.
Fans will inevitably pick this up, but are ultimately going to be disappointed by the missing videos that could have made this collection definitive.
Casual fans will likely overdose during the 112 minute second disc that probably digs a bit too deep into the Madonna catalog.
Add to that the so-so video quality that plagues many of the videos, plus a PCM stereo track that sounds better than the Dolby surround track, and it all adds up to an underwhelming experience.
Facing Lawsuit by Neighbor
NYC
neighbor sues Madonna over loud music, dancing
NEW YORK — One of Madonna's New York neighbors says the superstar's loud music and frequent dance sessions are causing a commotion.
Karen George, of Manhattan, lives above Madonna in a building on Central Park.
She said in a lawsuit filed Friday against the building's co-op board that the Material Girl is using her apartment as a rehearsal studio, forcing neighbors to endure "blaring music, stomping and shaking walls," for up to three hours each day.
George complained about "unreasonably high-decibel, amplified music" and vibrations pouring through walls, ceilings and radiators.
The building's board says it has already threatened to evict Madonna.
Madonna
May Be Evicted From NYC Condo For Noise
Madonna
branded "neighbour from hell"
Pop
star Madonna's music annoys
Madonna
Sued by Neighbor for Being Too Loud
Neighbor
Wants Madonna to Turn Down the Volume
Madonna's
neighbour sues her over loud music
Madonna
neighbour sues over noise
Madonna is an Ageist
Madonna
says men her age are “grumpy, bald and fat”
Oct 7, 2009
Madonna has apparently explained why she likes younger men.It appears that the Queen of Pop, 51, who’s dating 22-year-old Brazilian model Jesus Luz, believes that blokes are “more adventurous, open and fun”.
According to her [Madonna], men her age are “usually married, divorced, grumpy, fat and balding”, reports The Sun.
'Men
my age are bald, grumpy and fat' [says Madonna]
Racism
Madonna
Scrapped Controversial Album Title and Cover
Madonna ditched the provocative title and cover image from the album that became Hard Candy because she feared too many people would have a problem with it.
The pop superstar [Madonna] had planned to call the project Black Madonna and posed in blackface make-up with white eyes for photographer Steven Klein's cover art, but she quickly realised the whole idea would be too controversial - and scrapped it.
She tells Rolling Stone magazine, "I painted my face black, except for red lips and white eyes. It was a play on words. Have you ever heard of the Black Madonna?
"It has layers of meaning, and, for a minute, I thought it would be a fun title... Then I thought, '25 per cent of the world might get this, probably less, it's not worth it.'"
Madonna
rejected 'Black Madonna' cover art & album title
Madonna
wanted to title her album as Black Madonna
Old Lady / Health
Touring
Aches And Pains Cripple Madonna
Madonna
Finally Admits She's Older Than Dirt
By Robert Paul Reyes
"'Queen of Pop' Madonna has finally admitted that age has caught up with her as she needs ice baths and special therapy to soothe her body after every concert.
The 51-year-old superstar says that years of abuse caught up with her and now she now has to take extra care to make sure she's in tip-top form onstage, reported Rolling Stone magazine". ( Spicezee)
With strenous daily workouts and tons of botox Madonna is fighting a losing battle against old age.
In a desperate attempt to appear hip and cool she dates men youung enough to be her grandsons, but now Madge is finally admitting that her old creaky body is breaking down.
The only way that the old cougar can recuperate after her energetic concerts is by taking an ice bath, and hiring a team of physical therapist to knead her wrinkled flesh.
In a couple of years Madonna will have to resort to cryogenics in her pathetic bid to look young.
Admits to Being Jealous of Michael Jackson
Madonna:
'I Was Madly In Love With Michael Jackson'
When asked [by a journalist at Rolling Stone magazine] if she [Madonna] was jealous of the later singer, Madonna replied: “In a good way. I'd wished I'd written 'Billie Jean' and 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin''. What song didn't I love?”
Madonna:
I'd wished I'd written Billie Jean
Madonna
"madly in love" with Jackson
New
Book: Madonna Jealous of Michael Jackson's Fame
Madonna's
Message: Pop's Reigning Queen in Her Own Words
Were you [Madonna] jealous of him [Michael Jackson]?
In a good way. I'd wished I'd written "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." What song didn't I love?
Sept 2009
Negative Review
Apparently the new Madonna greatest-hits collection Celebration is full of botched mastering jobs and bad segues, so those of you looking to spend money on a CD in 2009 should be warned.
(Example: “A bad edit jumps the track from the end of the chorus to the repeat of the bridge which kills the structure of the track. This version is unlistenable.”)
Beaten Musically
Paramore
On Course To Replace Madonna At Top Of UK Album Chart
by Jason Gregory
September 29, 2009Paramore are on course to replace Madonna at the top the UK album chart with 'Brand New Eyes'.
The US band's new album is 8,000 copies ahead of the singer's greatest hits retrospective and current UK number one, 'Celebration'.
Paramore
set for number one album
'American
Idol' Contestant to Debut Ahead of Madonna, The Beatles
Lambert
Riot - Debut album beating Madonna in sales, weeks before release
September 29, 2009
'AMERICAN Idol" runner- up Adam Lambert is bigger than Madonna and even The Beatles.
Within hours of making his yet-to-be-released album available for pre-order on Amazon.com, a frenzy of ordering drove Lambert's ranking all the way to No. 2 on the online retailer's bestsellers list.
That put Lambert ahead of Madonna, The Beatles and world-wide sensation Susan Boyle.
Pre-sale
surge for Adam Lambert's debut CD
Season eight "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert is no also-ran.
His first album, not due for release until November 24, zoomed to the No. 2 spot on the Amazon.com sales list Monday, behind only Barbra Streisand's much-publicized new jazz album, the New York Post reported.
The distinction ranked Lambert, 27, ahead of Madonna, the Beatles and Susan Boyle on the online retailer's sales list -- and shows that one needn't nab the top title on Idol to win the sales race, as also evidenced by such chart-topping second-place winners as Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry.
Lambert's sales figures are all the more impressive because his label, RCA, made no announcement that the disc could be pre-ordered, so the reaction was basely solely on word of mouth, noted the New York Post.
Adam
Lambert's Album No. 2 on Amazon
Lady Gaga / Madonna = Has Been, Irrelevant
Today
a Musical War Is Waged for Gay America's Soul
[Mariah Carey, Madonna, and Streisand all released albums at the same time]
So, who will be the big victor in the Diva Death Battle 2009? Lady Gaga of course! What? She doesn't even have an album out today! Precisely, but she is poised to be the gay icon of the youngest babygays that are just taking their first fledgling steps on the big pink road we call queendom.
While there is definitely plenty of crossover between the Madonna/Mariah/Britney crowd, only confirmed bachelors of a certain age are going to be purchasing the new Streisand.
Every generation of gays gets their own singing female deity to worship (whether we like it or not), and as Streisand crowd ages and the diva herself gets closer to retirement age, it's going to be up to Gaga and her ilk to entertain "the children."
Madonna's influence may spread now that her greatest hits CD will educate a new generation of kids, but those dancing at Campus Thursdays at the local gay bar weren't even born when "Burning Up" was first burning up the charts.
Mariah is no spring chicken either, and her album of slow jams isn't really ready made for dance floor remixes that will spread her new sound across the floors of a thousand gay dance palaces.
As long as Britney can hold it together, she'll continue to be relevant for a certain crowd that came out to her hits earlier this decade, but it's Gaga who will be holding sway from 2010 on.
Michael Jackson on Madonna: 'She is not sexy, was jealous of me, and she was a nasty witch'
Michael
Jackson brands Madonna a 'nasty witch' and claims she was jealous of his
success
Excerpts:
Michael Jackson branded Madonna a 'nasty witch' after she tried to take him to a strip bar on a date, it has emerged.
....During the recorded conversation [with Rabbi Shmuley], he named Madonna as one of the people jealous of his success.
'M is one of them,' he said. 'Madonna. She's not a nice... She hadn't been kind. She's a woman and I think that's what bothers her - women don't scream for other women and men are too cool to scream for women, and I get that. I get the fainting, the adulation and the notoriety - but she doesn't get that.'
When asked about their dinner date in 1991 - brought up by Madonna in the emotional tribute she paid to him at the Video Music Awards two weeks ago - Jackson says he was put off by her kinky ways.
He says the Material Girl had a library of books of women 'who were tied to walls', and wanted them to go to a strip bar.
'Madonna laid the law down. She said, "We are going to the restaurant, afterwards we are going to a strip bar." I said, 'I am not going to a strip bar, where they cross-dress." Guys who are girls and girls... "I am not going there. I am not going."
'I think afterwards she wrote some mean things about me in the press and I said that she's a nasty witch.'
Madonna
and Michael Jackson Shock: 'Madonna was not sexy'
New
Book: Madonna Jealous of Michael Jackson's Fame
Michael
Jackson Candid About Madonna and Lisa Marie Presley
Rabbi:
Michael Jackson Thought He Was A Lizard and Madonna Was A Jealous Bitchface.
Seriously.
Book
Claims Michael Jackson Dissed Madonna
New
Book: Madonna Jealous of Michael Jackson's Fame
Michael
Jackson Tapes Reveal Star Felt Madonna Was Jealous of Him
Michael
Jackson's Rabbi Rats Him Out in New Tell-All
Michael
Jackson believed Madonna wasn't sexy enough for him
Michael befriended and dated Madonna in the early 1990s but wasn't smitten by her charm.
"I think she (Madonna) likes shock value and she knows how to push buttons on people," he told Boteach during an interview. "I think she was sincerely in love with me and I was not in love with her. She did a lot of crazy things. I knew we had nothing in common.
"She is not sexy at all. I think sexy comes from the heart in the way you present yourself."
Interestingly, Michael believed Madonna was jealous of him like several other stars.
"They admire you and know you are wonderful and great because they are jealous, because they wish they were in your shoes. Madonna is one of them. She is jealous. She is a girl, a woman and I think that's what bothers her...
"I get the fainting and adulation and she doesn't."
Michael
Jackson Disses Madonna
New CD, "Celebration" Single Struggling and Failing
Despite the fact the "Celebration" song eventually made it to
number one in a narrow American Billboard category (dance hits), the song
continues to flop and flounder in the USA, and it still struggles on British
radio.
So Madonna and/or her record company have, out of desperation, tried new marketing strategies to get more attention for the song, including getting it featured on a MySpace music page, and a contest where fans can submit home made videos using the song.
mySpace
Celebrates Madonna on New Home Page
Fan
Contest: Create Your Own Madonna's 'Celebration' Video
Madonna's
"Celebration" - Resurrecting a Pop Single
By Bill Lamb, About.com Guide to Top 40 / Pop since 2005
September 18, 2009Just a few weeks ago it looked like Madonna's single "Celebration" would be distinctly disappointing in its chart and sales performance.
In the UK BBC Radio 1 had failed to playlist the song with comments indicating the powers that be thought she was not appealing enough to a younger demographic.
In the US the story was not much better.
"Celebration" opened at #71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and then quietly disappeared. The song has been a #1 dance hit, the 40th for Madonna, but it seems the pop music world was unimpressed.
What a difference a few weeks makes.
In the UK the BBC elected to move "Celebration" from the BBC Radio 2 playlist to the BBC Radio 1 "B" list.
With a bit more support, it could move up to the top playlist.
With the official release this week it looks like Madonna may roll into a top 3 debut on this week's UK pop singles chart.
Back on the other side of the Atlantic in the US, it's still an open question whether the song can be turned into a pop hit, but a clever new video could help considerably.
Jonas Akerlund, director of the official "Celebration" video, has put together a "fan version" featuring a wide range of Madonna fans edited in with the star herself.
It is being heavily promoted on MySpace and quite possibly could regenerate interest in the single. Don't give up on "Celebration" just yet.
Filth and Wisdom = Terrible Movie
Top
of the Queue: Madonna's 'Filth & Wisdom' not a wise choice
Excerpts:
From "Swept Away" to "Shanghai Surprise" to "d*ck Tracy," the general consensus is that Madonna is better off without the movies, and the movies are better off without Madonna.
....That's fitting, though, because without Madonna's name on top, it's hard to imagine that such a weak indie film would make much of a splash.
....Madonna obviously thinks she's making a terribly naughty movie here, but as with so many of her self-consciously "shocking" career moves, the on-screen shenanigans provoke a snort of derision rather than a howl of outrage.
Beaten in Music / Pop Culture Areas
Lady
Gaga: Many insiders say VMA performance tops Madonna
Excerpts:
September 19, 2009
by Randy AaronIn 1984, Madonna shocked the world by appearing in a sleazy (but hot) wedding gown singing "Like a Virgin." Twenty five years later, Lady GaGa makes that performance forgettable.
....Rolling Stone described the performance as "shockingly unforgettable" while many blogs have been buzzing about GaGa's show for days.
Legal Problems
Madonna
to be sued by Bulgarian sports stadium bosses - New Kerala
Madonna
to be sued by Bulgarian sports stadium bosses
Singer Madonna will reportedly be taken to court by sports stadium chiefs in Sofia, Bulgaria, who claim fans at her concert ruined their national stadium pitch. The Queen of Pop performed at the Vasil Levski National Stadium on August 29 as part of her ‘Sticky & Sweet’ world tour.
Ego / Michael Jackson
I
abandoned him: Madonna on Jackson
Kate
Gosselin co-hosting 'The View' this morning: Mocks Madonna
'The
View': Kate Gosselin talks meltdown, paychecks, Madonna
When the ladies were discussing Madonna's rather egocentric words of tribute to Michael Jackson at Sunday night's Video Music Awards, almost every line of which was ended with "so did I," Kate did it one better that if it had continued the Material Girl would have ventured, "Michael Jackson passed away, but I haven't."
Kate
Gosselin Admits Meltdown, Takes High Road (Madonna and Those Duggars Aside)
Madonna:
Michael Jackson Doppelganger?
Yes, once again Maddy utilizes her uncanny ability to make it all about her, even when she's honoring a dead person.
Check it out: they were both born in August, 1958! They both grew up in the Midwest! They both have eight brothers and sisters!
And they both look like gaunt white women! Apparently she forgot that one.
Beaten Musically
U2
Remains Atop Hot Tours List, Madonna Takes No. 2
U2 has already topped the $100 million mark in tour grosses from the "360 Tour" based on the box office totals reported from the first thirteen shows on the schedule.
Ask
Billboard: Madonna vs. Whitney ... vs. Mariah
According to Nielsen SoundScan, Carey is the clear winner by a wide margin, actually topping the total album sales - again, since 1991 - of Madonna and Houston combined. Carey's sum stands at 51,833,000.
Madonna
can't compete with my Irish jigs, says Guy Ritchie
Guy
Ritchie says his Irish music beats a Madonna concert any day
Guy Ritchie has revealed that his favorite music tops anything his ex-wife Madonna sings.
The British director plays guitar in an Irish ceili group at the London pub he bought with the pop superstar last year, The Punch Bowl.
The British director plays guitar in an Irish ceili group at the London pub he bought with the pop superstar last year, The Punch Bowl.
“A good music session with these Irish lads is unbeatable,” he said. “Better than any Madonna concert or anything.”
Has Been / Irrelevant (Music Related)
At first glance, this may not fit the "has been" category, but
as I've often said on the discussion board, she fell out of favor in the
United States a long time ago; pay attention to the portion of the text
in bold-face type below:
Madonna
Earns 40th Billboard #1 Dance Single
"Celebration" is also a #1 single in various countries around the world, except for the U.S. The song has currently peaked at #71 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Has Been / Irrelevant
Posted by LisaCianci on Sep 15, 2009
I had a "feeling my age" moment the other night while watching MTV's video music awards with my son.
Sure, I'm in my 40s, but I'm not stuck in the '80s.
I like the old music, but I like new music, too. Recently my son was swimming with several friends, and I had my iPod docked on the porch, listening to music.
The boys enthusiastically endorsed my music choices. "Congratulations," my husband said sarcastically. "You have the same taste as 12-year-old boys."
At the beginning of the VMAs, Madonna came out to offer a heartfelt tribute to Michael Jackson.
That's when the trouble began.
"Who's that?" my son asked.
"Madonna."
"Who's Madonna?"
Huh? I mean, seriously, how can he not know who Madonna is? Ironically, he knows who Michael Jackson is, and after being exposed to his music after Jackson died, he's a big fan.
But Madonna? No way.
Fashion
Page below has photos of Madonna wearing tacky outfit:
By Tamara Abraham
15th September 2009View photo of Madonna in tacky dress
It's a quirky young label adored by twenty-something fashionistas - so it is little surprise that Madonna made an effort for the Marc Jacobs catwalk show at New York Fashion Week yesterday.
But despite her gym-honed body, and trend-setting reputation, the queen of pop was mutton dressed as lamb in a gothic-style lace skirt teamed with leather jacket and thigh-high boots.
It appeared to be a literally transparent attempt to fit in with the youngsters following the risqué ensemble she attempted at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Only the previous evening the 51-year-old stepped out in a skintight body with the same thigh-high boots. Worn beneath a tailored black coat, its transparent back section did little to preserve her modesty.
Madonna's
Bro Rips Into Her: She's Not Hot
Madonna's
Brother Expresses Himself: Sis Doesn't Look So Hot
Slams
Meet
the new Madonna, queen of twits
Excerpts:
It's been a busy week for pop's envoy of peace, but is the world better for it? Marina Hyde thinks not.
L'CHAIM! It's time once more to catch up with Madonna, whose I Am Queen Shiksa tour just came to an end in her recently designated spiritual homeland of Israel. Not only that, but there are developments on another of madam's forays into the medium of cinema. It's shaping up to be another win-double week for humanity.
First, though, to that triumphant last concert in Tel Aviv. ''Every time I come here, I get so supercharged with energy,'' Madonna told the crowd, referring to ''energy'', the mystical property many New Age stars believe themselves able to tap into, although experimental research on lab celebrities has only ever detected high levels of self-regard and a staggering lack of understanding of science. ''I truly believe that Israel is the energy centre of the world.''
We know you do, love. But you also believe that some $4-a-bottle Kabbalah water being poured into a lake within the Chernobyl exclusion zone neutralised all nuclear waste therein. So do you mind if we get a second opinion on your seismic surveys?
....Then there was another heavily bodyguarded visit to the Western Wall, which I heard described this week as ''Kabbalah's most sacred site''.
Incorrect!
Kabbalah's most sacred site is in fact a private bank in Beverly Hills. But then, it was a week of misunderstandings, as actual Kabbalists - by which I mean the Jewish elders who study something different to the spiritual pyramid scheme dreamed up by Madonna's former insurance salesman guru - once again felt they could have done without her presence, and revived their quarrel with her in various media interviews.
Reviews
Perez
Hilton Gives "Revolver" (New Madonna Song) a Negative Review
Excerpt:
...but we far from love her new song, Revolver.
It's kinda suckass, actually.
....But the new song just doesn't work. It lacks originality. It's uninspired - and Madonna doesn't even sound like herself on it!
Madonna:
New 'Celebration' video inspired by Mariah Carey
Madonna's new Celebration single is not groundbreaking, but it's fun, danceable, and better than anything on that pathetic album known as Hard Candy.
Unfortunately, Madonna subscribed to the Mariah Carey principal when creating the video by barely putting in any effort and doing the same thing that she's done in several of her other videos.
It's great that a 51-year old woman can be sexy and dance. But Madonna has been bombarding us with this message for the past five years. We get it! Move on!
It's also great that a 51-year old woman can cavort with a 23-year old man. Good for you, Madonna! Just stick it up to such a misogynist society! Wait a second - you already have several times. Didn't we see you and Jesus cavorting in a magazine earlier this year? Move on, Madonna!
We have to give Madonna credit for one thing. After she overstays her welcome with a certain image, she strikes back with something new and makes us love her all over again.
Perhaps she doesn't want to do anything new until her contract ends with Warner Brothers this year. As boring as she is right now, her first musical effort with Live Nation will undoubtedly turn the tide.
Looking Ugly / Scary Man Hands/ Arms
Is
Madonna turning into the Bride or Wildenstein?
Madonna
slammed by brother Christopher Ciccone: 'She looked like Rachel Zoe gone
horribly wrong!'
Madonna's brother decided to express himself, all right.
Her Madgesty's estranged sibling came out swinging to E! News recently, slamming his sister's appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards last Sunday.
"She looked like Rachel Zoe gone horribly wrong," snapped Christopher Ciccone after Madonna stepped out in a tight black satin ensemble for her tribute to Michael Jackson last weekend.
Madonna's
brother is our favorite catty bitch!
Madonna's
Brother Expresses Himself: Sis Doesn't Look So Hot
Madonna
Gets No Brotherly Love
Madonna's
Brother To Madonna: Girl, You Ugly!
Christopher
Ciccone Still Hating His Sister Madonna
As for the photo on the following page:
Ignore for a moment the manly arm - take note of the very veiny Granny hand peeking out from under the scarf that is draping the arm:
Madonna
Wraps Up World Tour, Ugly Arms
(See Also: Cover It Up, Madonna! Madonna Covers Just One of Her Veiny Arms on Trip)
Make that ugly arm, singular.
Madge finished off her Sticky and Sweet Tour with a sight-seeing trip to Petra, Jordan yesterday wearing a scarf that spared us from the sight of one of her veiny appendages.
I just wish she'd add a second scarf and maybe a pair of gloves while she's at it! Seriously, what's the point?
Parenting - pimping out the kids to make a buck and keep name in the papers
Pictured at left: poor 12 year old daughter of Madonna, Lourdes Leon,
being dressed up in the sleazy bimbo look of Madonna's 1985 "Like
A Virgin" music video for some Madonna-related product, probably
the "Celebration" music video, or 2009 greatest hits CD. (Did
I mention she's only twelve years old?)
Madonna
Pimps Daughter To Promote New CD
Excerpts:
But now the pop queen has stepped over the line, she dolled up her 12-year-old daughter to look like a hooker wearing a wedding dress. Madonna is way too old to look sexy, she's reduced to pimping her daughter to promote her new greatest hits compilation.
Madonna has kept her children out of the spotlight for years, it's tragic that she's now exploiting her own daughter to sell records.
I urge everyone not to buy Madonna's new CD, let's send Madge the message that she shouldn't pimp her daughter.
Does
the World Really Need Another Madonna?
Excerpt:
So why the change of heart? Why suddenly push Lourdes firmly into the spotlight? We reckon it's all down to Madonna's advancing years... if she's got a mini-me understudy ready to step in, she can take a bit more time off to rest her weary old collapsing bones.
Liz
Hoggard: Don't put your daughter on the stage Madonna
Oh Lourdes! What is Madonna doing? The sight of her 12-year-old daughter dragged up in full bridal outfit and red lipstick in Madge's latest video – recreating the pose from her 1985 hit song "Like A Virgin" – had me shuddering at so many levels.
Never mind the hypocrisy of exploiting your daughter – Lourdes also joined her mother on stage, on the penultimate night of her Sticky & Sweet world tour in Israel – while demanding privacy for your family.
Why is Madonna – the self-styled most original woman on the planet – so hell-bent on turning her daughter into a mini-me?
....But this video is a step too far. What worries me is the effect on little "Lola" herself. It's hard enough being the daughter of a very famous woman.
....And Lourdes, bless her, looks 12 going on 38. It's not her fault. When she's older, the mono-brow and bushy eyebrows will give her the dignified chic of Frida Kahlo. But she shouldn't be going round slathered in lipstick and fake beauty spots yet. Which makes you wonder: will Madonna ever be able to cede the spotlight in a natural, maternal way to her children?
....But it's [Madonna featuring her daughter in her music video] not smart – and it's not caring. This way she makes Lourdes a legitimate target for every paparazzo in the world.
In her mid-20s Madonna made the calculated decision to sell her image to the highest bidder. She made a fortune – and changed the culture forever. But it was her image to sell.
Madonna
vs. Whitney: Who's the Worst Stage Mom?
by Gina Serpe
It's not just their fashion sense that's similar. Madonna and Whitney Houston apparently also share the same parenting style. The same pushy, awkward stage mother parenting style, that is.
Madonna
criticised for using daughter in racy video
'Queen of Pop' Madonna is no stranger to controversy, but the pop star's latest gimmick involving her 12-year-old daughter Lourdes has stirred a hornet's nest.
The pre-teen is dolled up in full wedding garb with a veil, white lace gloves and a slash of scarlet lipstick in the 51-year-old pop star's latest video, emulating her mother's look in her controversial single 'Like A Virgin', reported Daily Mail online.
The fact that Madonna is seen making out with her 22-year-old boyfriend, Brazilian model Jesus Luz, in the same video has added to the furore.
The popstar had earlier pulled her eldest child into the spotlight when she brought her on stage during the curtain call of her epic 12-month global tour 'Sticky and Sweet'.
Lourdes who is affectionately called Lola, had raised eyebrows with her revealing outfit, the same as Madonna's troupe of dancers.
The latest development is a startling about-turn as Madonna has for years brought her children up with draconian strictness and made news with the revelation that she does not allow them to watch TV.
"In the past couple of years Lola has grown six inches, so she's actually taller than her mum now. They are very close and most of the time they get on pretty well. But she is the only person I know who answers back to Madonna and gets away with it," said a source close to the singer.
Religion
Bulgarian
church blames Madonna for boat tragedy
Nikolay, the metropolitan of Bulgarian city Plovdiv said the date of Madonna's gig should have been a day of contemplation rather than enjoyment, as it coincided with the commemorative anniversary of the beheading of John The Baptist, reports the The Daily Telegraph.
The September 5 tragedy occurred on Macedonia's Lake Ohrid, when a pleasure boat carrying Bulgarian tourists sank.
"The catastrophe in Macedonia in which 15 Bulgarian citizens died was a sign from heaven," Nikolay claimed. "The Orthodox Church had called for people not to enjoy themselves on the day marking the execution of John."
Madonna
blamed for Bulgarian boat disaster
Is
Madonna responsible for 15 deaths?
Bulgarian
church leader blames defiant Madonna fans for tragedy
'Madonna
is a devil worshipper'
Madonna’s
pilgrimage to Israel hits a sticky patch
It should have been a cause for celebration: Madonna and Jesus were back in Israel. The Material Girl and her Brazilian model boyfriend, however, have not had a universally enthusiastic welcome on their one-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Madonna, who ended her “Sticky and Sweet” world tour with concerts in Tel Aviv this week, began with a reminder of her faith in the kabbalah, or mystical Judaism, by asking that work on her performance stage be halted to respect the Sabbath.
One Orthodox rabbi tried to get her to show “respect” for the Jewish faith by wearing “more modest” clothing during her two performances, but the request fell on deaf ears, and the concerts featured the usual skimpy costumes that her fans have come to expect.
YouTube
users outraged by Madonna in Israeli flag
Excerpt:
Pictures of the pop star wrapped in an Israeli flag made their way around the internet and world newspapers, outraging Palestinian youth in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
A video clip showing Madonna in the Israeli flag was uploaded to Youtube, drawing hundreds of angry responses, most of which included some choice words (which cannot be published here) against Madonna and Israel. Among the more obscene was a response from a UK user calling the singer a "devil worshipper" and telling her "to go burn in hell, you're end is near."
Dry and Sour Tour - Beaten Musically
Ignore the headline and focus on the portion in bold-face type:
Madonna
world tour breaks her own record
Madonna smashed her own record for top-grossing tour by a solo artist, but the "Material Girl" had to play more shows in bigger venues, according to data released by concert promoter Live Nation Inc on Wednesday.
....The top-grossing tour overall is the Rolling Stones' $558 million "Bigger Bang" trek of 2005-2007, which drew 4.7 million people to 144 shows.
Madonna
Passing Torch to Daughter?
And, says Palmer, putting aside talk that Madonna relied on extra dates in large venues to pull in those returns, there's no question the Queen of Pop is now well into middle age -- as British tabloids like to underline.
Enviornment
Madonna
Wastes 271,040 Gallons Of Water With Beefy Meat Request
Madonna is on Mother Earth’s naughty list.
The material girl recently placed an order for 110 pounds of kosher beef for the last two performances of her “Sticky and Sweet” tour in Tel Aviv. WHOA!
While some believe that Kosher beef is less cruel, the truth is far more grim. And environmentally? Well you can bet Mother Earth is crying her damn eyeballs out. Let’s do a little math, shall we?
According to the Water Education Foundation – a non-profit organization that prides itself on being “the only impartial organization to develop and implement educational programs leading to a broader understanding of water issues and to resolution of water problems” – it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.
That means Madonna’s one order is using 271,040 gallons of water!!!!
Now consider this: federal regulations mandate that new shower heads must exceed no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute.
A little number crunch on the old calculator will show that you could take 10,840 showers with the same amount of water used to produce 110 pounds of beef. Assuming you take one shower a day, this means you could shower for more than 29 years with the amount of aqua Mo wasted on her beefed-up order.
For this stunt Ecorazzi gives Madonna 2 HUGE green thumbs down. Save some water for the rest of us, why don’t you?
Madonna tour ruined grass at stadium:
Madonna
leaves Bulgaria pitch in borderline state
Madonna
leaves damaged pitch for Bulgaria-Montengro match
Bulgaria's coach lashed out Thursday, two days ahead of a crunch World Cup qualifier against Montenegro, over the condition of the pitch at the match venue, the Vasil Levski stadium. The grass has been badly damaged by tens of thousands of fans at the pop-queen Madonna's concert and cannot be recovered despite an intense watering and fertilizing programme, officials said.
"It smells of hay there. What can we expect of players, who cost millions and are used to perfect fields, when they play on that surface," coach Stanimir Stoilov told the Darik radio.
Reporters visiting the stadium described the condition of the pitch as "tragic" and "shameful."
Madonna
concert leaves Bulgaria facing pitch battle
Aug 2009
Fans/ Slams / Dry and Sour Tour
Hat tip board member Rayca:
Madonna
booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies
Madonna
Booed Over 'Sad' Gypsy Abuse
Madonna
Booed during Romania Concert after Defending Roma
Madonna
booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies
Madonna
booed by thousands in concert
Madonna's
Roma appeal sparks crowd jeers
August 27, 2009
A mid-performance plea for tolerance by pop superstar Madonna was met with boos by thousands of fans attending her Bucharest concert Wednesday night.
Madonna, currently on the eastern European leg of her Sticky and Sweet world tour, paused during her song La Isla Bonita to urge acceptance of the Roma people, also known as Gypsies.
"I've never been to Romania before and I am happy to be here," the singer said, according to the Romanian Times.
"But I found out that there is a lot of discrimination against Gypsies in Eastern Europe, and that makes me very sad, especially because we believe in acceptance, Gypsies, homosexuals, people that are different. Everyone must be treated the same, don't forget that!"
Thousands among the packed crowd of approximately 60,000 reacted to the statement with boos and jeers.
Tacky Fashion
by the Portland Fashion Examiner • We all know Madonna has had a bit of a tough time lately, what with that divorce and fighting for Malawi's children and all, sadly those trials are now affecting her wardrobe, and something has got to be done! Just look at this moment here, while vacationing with her boy toy Jesus in Italy on Dolce & Gabbana's yacht.
View Madonna Image (link will open in new browser window)
The true crime is not only is this look bizarre, but it's also dated. Does anyone else remember Prada's Fall 2008 collection that made lace all the rage? Apparently Madge's people, I'm looking at you Arianne Phillips, don't mind keeping her clad in last year's wares.
Music: Has-Been
Aug 22, 2009 • Could this be the beginning of the end of Madonna's reign as the Queen Of Pop?
The powers that be at Radio 1 have snubbed Madge by failing to playlist her new single Celebration.
The track, which sees the pop-skeleton collaborate with dance legend Paul Oakenfold, has not made the A, B or C list for the UK's most popular and influential station.
And after some digging through chart history, that's the first time one of her singles has not made the playlist.
Madonna can console herself in the knowledge that at least Radio 2 have found a place for the song and have been playing it for the past two weeks.
This has been coming for a while.
Her Madgesty's last album, Hard Candy, didn't do as well as expected. Probably because it was rubbish.
I'm also sick of the sight of her parading around in her undercrackers.
On September 29 Madge will release her latest Greatest Hits compilation, also called Celebration.
I think I'll celebrate when she finally puts her feet up and calls it a day.
Religion
Madonna
'disrespects Christianity'
Madonna
accused of 'disrespecting church rituals'
Bulgaria's
church deplores Madonna concert
Bulgarian
church condemns Madonna concert
Holy
Synod Raise Voice against Madonna Concert
Orthodox
Church condemns Madonna gig in Bulgaria
Bulgaria's
church deplores Madonna concert
Orthodox Church officials are urging Bulgarians to keep away from a planned Madonna concert this weekend, accusing the pop singer of showing disrespect to Christianity.
The powerful Church of Bulgaria has issued a statement expressing "disapproval and disagreement" with Saturday's event, and says the U.S. performer "openly violates" holy Christian symbols.
Tuesday's statement accused Madonna of displaying "a disrespectful and intolerant attitude" to the religious feelings of Christians on her ongoing Sticky and Sweet tour.
Rip Offs / Unoriginality
Madonna's
Poetic Inspirational Echoes
Madonna's romantic correspondence wasn't always as original as her songwriting.
One love letter the Material Girl faxed to one-time boyfriend Jim Albright -- among her many missives on the block at Gotta Have It Collectibles on East 57th -- borrowed heavily from Anne Sexton's "Love Song," from the poet's 1967 Pulitzer Prize-winning "Live or Die."
Can
Lady Gaga Top These Iconic MTV VMA Performances?
There's no one who gets the magic of MTV's biggest spectacle more than the Material Girl [Madonna], who has tried it all and worn it all.
She's dressed in Marie Antoinette garb for her performance of "Vogue" in 1990. In 1993, she channeled Marlene Dietrich for her performance of "Bye Bye Baby."
And then she went all Hindi-spiritual for her "Ray of Light" performance in 1998.
Music: Beaten in Polls, Charts
From Billboard.com: Madonna Beaten on Hot 100 (music chart), by Aretha Frankllin and Dionne Warwick:
Chart
Beat Thursday: Sugarland, Selena Gomez, Jordin Sparks
Here is an update look at the women who've made the most Hot 100 visits:
73, Aretha Franklin
56, Dionne Warwick
55, Madonna....Among all artists, Madonna ties the Beach Boys for a share of 13th place for most Hot 100 entries. Elvis Presley is the overall leader with 108 Hot 100 appearances.
....On the Hot 100, Madonna and Houston had made simultaneous Hot 100 starts twice before. On Aug. 17, 1985, Madonna unveiled the eventual No. 5-peaking "Dress You Up" at No. 36, and Houston debuted at No. 53 with "Saving All My Love for You," which would become her first No. 1.
On Feb. 19, 2000, Madonna arrived at No. 43 with "American Pie," and Houston began at No. 83 with "I Learned From the Best." Again, though Madonna launched at a higher spot, Houston's track would peak higher. The former title reached No. 29, the latter No. 27.
Young
people rate Beatles, Elvis Presley, Stones higher than Madonna in survey
A new survey by Pew Research Center seems to indicate that young people are more fond of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles and even Frank Sinatra than they are of Madonna, Nirvana and Kanye West.
....Even more interesting is who they listen to. Topping the first five spots were the Beatles, the Eagles, Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
Next comes the Stones, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Carrie Underwood and Garth Brooks.
Among all the various age groups, the Beatles place in the top five among each, placing second among ages 16-29, third among 30-49, first among 50-64 and fourth among ages 65 and older.
Madonna placed 17th among the youngest group and no higher than 10th in any group. Kanye West placed fifth among ages 16-29.
Battle
of the bands: Beatles top poll of fan favourites through the generations
Beatles
top of the pops in America
Beatles
Strike Chord Across Generations In Pew Study
~Paul McCartney~
McCartney
breaks Fenway Park records
By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR
August 12, 2009Sir Paul McCartney is credited with being the most successful musician and composer in popular music history, and the 67-year-old just keeps breaking records — 50-plus years after he wrote the early Beatles hit "When I'm Sixty-Four."
Last week, McCartney set a record for the two-night attendance at historic Fenway Park in Boston. Organizers claimed it was the highest in the ballpark's 97-year history.
Paul
McCartney Breaks Fenway Park Record
It’s not enough that Paul McCartney is an original member of one of the most influential bands in music, but he also has to break records as a solo artist in his spare time. McCartney set an attendance record at Boston’s Fenway Park on August 5th and 6th. It was the highest two day attendance in the ball parks entire history.
Looking Unattractive
Scroll down this page to see Answering Madonna Apologists: Sinewy
Mannish Arms
Madonna
= Mary Poppins on Meth
Man
Arm Battle: Madonna Vs. Renee Zellweger
Dry and Sour Tour
Madonna
cancellation blamed on tickets
Pop star Madonna has cancelled her concert in Ljubljana, Slovenia scheduled for August 20, her tour manager says.
Local media cited poor ticket sales as the main factor, although promoters denied this was the reason.
.... Slovenian media reported the concert had to be cancelled as promoters had sold only 7000 of a planned 63,000 tickets in a city with a population of 250,000.
Madonna
cancels Slovenia gig, media cite sales
According to Madonna's website www.madonna.com, of 12 remaining concerts on her Europe tour which ends in Israel, only Sunday's upcoming concert in Gothenburg, Sweden, is sold out.
Slovenia
Won't Open Hearts, Ears or Wallets to Madonna
Ljubljana
not interested in Madonna
Too few tickets sold was said to have been the reason for the cancellation of Madonna's August 20 concert in Ljubljana...
Madonna's
Ljubljana, Slovenia gig canceled
Madonna
Cancels Slovenia Concert
Answering Madonna Apologists: Sinewy Mannish Arms
Last month, a British site published a photo of Madonna taken around July 26 or 27, which featured her arms looking very veiny, sinewy, deformed and mannish yet again.
For some reason I cannot fathom, many people expressed shock that Madonna's arms looked so terrible, as if they had never before noticed how veiny and disgusting her arms are.
At the Anti Madonna site, gallery, and discussion board, we have been posting photos of Madonna's deformed-looking, mannish, and sinewy arms for literally years now, so the recent "sinewy arms" photo comes as no surprise to the "Madonna haters" at the board.
In addition to all this, Madonna's spokesperson, as well as several Madonna fans around the web (including professional journalists - shame on them!), have taken to making excuses for the gross-looking arms, by, for example, insisting that someone "photoshopped" the image to make her arms look worse than they actually do.
I have put together a collage of various photos of Madonna taken over the years which show that the latest photo was not some oddity, fluke, or aberration, but is, rather, another in a long line of photos of her arms looking horrible.
(Even more photos of Madonna's sinewy arms can be viewed in the Vogue Gallery's "Deformities and Manly Physique" album.)
Click image below to view larger version:
Also hosted on Image Shack (direct link); click image below to view larger version:
Related:
Madonna
plans to 'tone down' her strict fitness program
Madonna
plans to 'tone down' exercise regime
July 2009
Music Review/ Slams/ Has-Been
Madonna's
Celebration Art Reflects Dwindling Legacy
By Rohin Guha
July 23, 2009Yes, yes, there’s been much hullabaloo about Madonna maybe-killing two of her dancers, which after figuratively castrating ex-husband Guy Ritchie and kidnapping a Brazilian boy and a little Malawi girl, may not seem like such a stretch.
But appropriately enough, she’s also making time to celebrate her legacy, one that bottomed out right before the 21st century.
For which reason, it’s no surprise that this collection, her third greatest hits package—second in nine years—banks on the appeal of her earlier work.
Everything about the campaign for this third volume of greatest hits—Celebration—smacks of long-ago nostalgia.
Jonas Åkerlund is directing the collection’s first single of the same name. He lent his aesthetic brilliance to many of her past videos.
This includes “Ray of Light”, a single spawned from what was arguably the final bit of pop brilliance the singer put out before her attempts at breaking trends started sliding, becoming contrived, though still respectable but then simply tragic.
Even the album art, designed by Mr. Brainwash, hearkens back to East Village street art. Though troublingly enough, it seems like imitation of street art, like the Urban Outfitters-ization of a Warholian prototype.
Which may be the most succinct way of summarizing the pop star’s career—from her early Basquiat-dating days to eventual superstardom and megalomania.
It also kind of hits that middle ground between when she started becoming more noted for sparking trends than pathetically limping to keep up with them.
It’s fine that the art visually places a notable emphasis on “Express Yourself” and “Vogue” over the travesties that would come much later; her body of work from the first 20 years of her career is nothing short of iconic.
It’s just the near-decade since where Madonna has sabotaged the greatness of her own back-catalog with silly media stunts and cynical career choices.
Nevertheless, that’s almost 30 years in the business, two thirds spent at the top. This is something no contemporary pop aspirant will achieve. Or at least not anytime soon [Note from site owner: this is somewhat incorrect; it might be true of pop stars today, but not for previous ones. See our thread, 20+ Years in Show Business, at the Anti Madonna discussion board for a long list of other pop singers who have been around as long, or longer, than Madonna].
We could hope for this collection to inspire the singer to take a hard look at the direct relation between her creative decline and the increased frequency of creative flops. But that’s foolishness. For Madonna’s uneven legacy, Celebration will probably be a band-aid on a bullet wound.
I.Q. / Stupidity
Pop
star Madonna mistakes Spanish Andalusia for Transylvania
July 2009
Pop star Madonna mistook the Spanish region Andalusia for Transylvania during her concert in Barcelona (Spain) on Tuesday night.
During her concert, part of her world tour "Sticky & Sweet Tour", Madonna was the "Queen of Spain," where she gave three concerts in Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza.
The 45,000 fans who attended her show at the Olympic Stadium in Bacelona didn't seem to mind when the artist mistook the Andalusia region in Spain for Transylvania, the land of Dracula, in Romania.
Rude Behavior
James
Morrison: Madonna snubbed me
James
Morrison reveals he was snubbed by Madonna
James
Morrison was once snubbed by Madonna
London, July 14, 2009- ANI: Brit singer James Morrison has revealed that he was once snubbed by Queen of Pop Madonna.
Morrison, 24, revealed to Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield on This Morning that the incident did not faze him much, as he was not such a big fan of Madge.
"I've never been a massive fan of Madonna - but I see why shes as big as she is... she changes with the times which is amazing, but Ive never liked her singing, and I don't think she can sing live," the Mirror quoted him as saying.
"But I did meet her, this guy was like, Madonna's here, do you wanna say hello' I was like, Well I'm not a huge fan, I wouldnt know what to say and he was like, 'Oh come on' so I went over."
"I was really nervous - whether you like her or not, she's still Madonna! I just said 'hello, pleased to meet you,' and she just looked at my hand and said, 'what do you do' and I just felt really awkward and thought, 'Ahh, Ive been snubbed by Madonna!...'
"I did think it was a bit rude but you get over it. I wouldve been kind of disappointed if she was really nice though, you know,' he added.
Michael Jackson
Answering Madonna Apologists - Re: Michael Jackson
Madonna
Puts On Strange Michael Jackson Tribute During her Tour
Although Madonna said in an interview,
‘I could never say that either of them [Michael Jackson and Prince] were friends. I’ve spent a great deal of time with both of them.
and although she was rude to Jackson and behaved like an arrogant brat,
Perhaps Madonna found Michael too introverted and nervous to keep in conversation, and it seems likely that he was intimidated by her brash self-confidence.
‘I had my sunglasses on,’ he told J. Randy Taraborrelli, recalling their first ‘date’. ‘And I’m sitting there, you know, trying to be nice. And the next thing I know, she reaches over and takes my glasses off. Nobody has ever taken my glasses off…
And, then, she throws them across the room and breaks them. I was shocked. ‘I’m your date now,’ she told me, ‘and I hate it when I can’t see a man’s eyes.’ I didn’t much like that.’
and, although Madonna rudely abandoned Michael Jackson at an after-Oscars party they both attended together, (citation is far below),
-some idiots in the media have taken it upon themselves to defend Madonna's tribute to Jackson during her tour on the basis that Madonna genuinely liked or loved Jackson:
Speaking of Michael Jackson, he has, in death, broken a few music related sales areas. For more details, please see the "Madonna beaten in musical related areas" thread at the discussion board, here (and scroll down a bit to get to the Michael Jackson related material).
When Madonna dies, I seriously doubt her singles or albums will sell as much as Jackson's have.
This further rips to shreds the unimpressive "but Madonna is still in show business after 25+ years" arguments the Madonna defenders often raise (and see this information):
From
Billboard by Gary Trust, July 10, 2009
What has occurred following Jackson's death - a catalog title outselling the top-selling current album - is unprecedented...
Michael
Jackson's Sales Beating Out Relvant [i.e. newer] Artists
JACKSON
TAKES OVER US ALBUM CHART TOP 10
Michael
Jackson rules pop charts for 3rd week
Michael
Jackson Makes History On European Charts
Not too long ago, cable music channel VH1 had a program on called "The Great Debate," where the question, "Who is the bigger/better pop star, Michael Jackson or Madonna?" was raised, and Michael Jackson won.
Michael
Jackson vs. Madonna, VH1 Great Debate - who won? from Yahoo Answers
Jackson
memorial gives web boost
Jackson is officially Facebook's most popular person with 7+ million fans
Jackson
also left legacy as cultural phenomenon - by Errin Haines
When
Jackson died, so did an era in pop culture
Michael
Jackson memorial service 'to be biggest online event ever'
Sites
get record traffic during Jackson memorial
Apparently, Michael Jackson didn't like Madonna:
Source: Taraborrelli bio about Madonna
There had probably been times when Michael Jackson wished he could forget about Madonna.
As he once said, "She's always in your face, isn't she? I don't get it. What is it about her? She's not a great dancer or singer. She does know how to market herself," he said. "That must be it."
Two years earlier, in 1989, Warner Bros. Records have paid for an advertisements in one of the industry trade publications pronouncing Madonna "Artist of the Decade."
Even though most people in the business understood that this ad was the kind of empty compliment record labels often paid artists in promotions they financed themselves, Michael Jackson was particularly annoyed by it.
An irate Jackson, who had sold more records with his Thriller album than anyone in history, telephoned his attorney John Branca to complain that Madonna didn't deserve such acclamation. "See, it makes me look bad," he explained, as Branca later remembered.
From page 210 of the same biography:
[Madonna abandoned Michael Jackson to go chat with former boyfriend Warren Beatty]
Poor Michael Jackson stood awkwardly alone in the middle of a roomful of celebrities, many of whom couldn't help but gawk at him. Luckily, his mentor Diana Ross was present to take him under her protective wing.
"Well, I just don't understand it Michael," she told him loudly enough for anyone standing near them to overhear. "I mean, she's supposed to be with you, isn't she? So, what is she doing with him [Beatty]?"
"I don't know," Michael said. "I guess she likes him better."
Across the room, Madonna cuddled with Warren, nibbling his ear and whispering to him as if they were still a couple. Diana Ross, sipping a glass of champagne, eyed Madonna with scepticism. "Well I think she's an awful woman," Diana decided after a few moments. She drained her glass. "Tacky dress, too."
"Yeah," Michael agreed, glumly. "Tacky."
[The biography goes on to explain that Michael Jackson considered making a music video with Madonna at one point, even though he did not like her on a personal level, and he called his sister Janet for advice on the matter.]
Janet also never had much respect for Madonna. ("If I took off my clothes in the middle of the highway, people would look at me, too," she once said. "Does that make me an artist?")
...Michael decided to pass on the idea [of making a music video with Madonna].
Beaten in Polls / Surveys Etc.
See also: Michael Jackson section, above
Angelina
Jolie is ultimate lesbian heroine
July 10, 2009
The poll results spanned 2,600 lesbians and showed the Hollywood star as the favourite.
....She [Jolie] was ranked over Madonna, Pink and former tennis player Martina Navratilova due to her figure, physique and fashion sense.
Looking Unattractive / Scary Manly Arms
Hat tip to board member "SheSucks" for this first link:
A
shock lesson in anatomy as super skinny Madonna reveals her protruding
muscles and bulging veins
Her punishing fitness regime is legendary, but it seems Madonna has finally pushed it too far.
The 50-year-old pop star shocked onlookers as she stepped out in London last night in short-sleeved top that revealed her arms.
With not an inch of fat to act as a buffer, her protruding muscles and thick bulging veins were clearly visible through her ageing and wrinkled skin.
The startling sight resembled an exhibit by the controversial German anatomist Gunter Von Hagens.
Madonna's fanatic approach to exercise is well documented, complete with gruelling two-hour workouts, six days a week.
But is seems her relentless pursuit of the perfect body has backfired rather spectacularly.
Shocking:
Madonna reveals bulging veins and muscular arms
Madonna
shows off her bulging biceps
A
Call To Arms. Stop Working Out Madonna!
Madonna
reveals her protruding muscles and bulging veins
From TMZ.com, "They're So Vein"
TMZ:
View Madonna's Scary, Veiny Hand
TMZ:
View Close-up of Madonna's Scary, Veiny Hand
From a fan site:
View
veiny, gross nasty Madonna arm photo (taken during tour)
Various news sources on Madonna's gross looking arms:
Is
Madonna losing the arms race? Singer reveals her 'bingo wings' on a night
out in Italy
Despite gruelling two-hour workouts, six days a week, it seems the 50-year-old is struggling to stave off one of the tell-tell signs of ageing - the dreaded 'bingo wings'.
The queen of pop revealed decidedly droopy skin on her triceps and around her elbows as she delivered a regal wave to fans after dining out in Milan last night.
(View Saggy, Droopy Madonna Arm Photo)
Dressed in a sleeveless leopard print Dolce and Gabbana number for an evening with boyfriend Jesus Luz and designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the flapping undercarriage of her arms was on show for all to see.
The onset of 'bingo wings' will no doubt infuriate Madonna, who has really pulled out all the stops in her attempts to roll back the years.
A
Call To Arms! Madonna Snapped With ‘Bingo Wings’
July 15, 2009
First it was Elle Macpherson’s cellulite legs - now Madonna has been struck down by the dreaded ‘bingo wings’.
(View Madonna Saggy Arm Photo)
The Material Mom -- who prides herself with her toned and muscular arms -- revealed the decidedly droopy skin on her biceps and around her elbows at a dinner date in Milan, Italy Tuesday night.
Dressed in a sleeveless leopard print Dolce and Gabbana dress accompanied by her toy-boy lover Jesus Luz and the two fame Italian designers, the superstar’s flapping arms were on show for all to see.
The on set of her sagging limbs will no doubt infuriate the 50-year-old superstar who regularly visits the gym to stay in tip-top condition for her rigorous tours and infamous dance routines.
Madonna has been rumored to have undergone various plastic surgeries and cheek implants to staying youthful but it now looks like a new work-out plan for her arms are urgently required.
Just Jared has some recent photos of Madonna looking oily, unattractive,
etc: view
photos
I added some new photos to the Vogue Gallery the other day.
From Celeb Jihad.com (page has picture of Madonna's manly, sinewy arms):
Madonna
Shows Off Her Man Arms
Who says you can’t be a sex symbol after 70? Allah, that’s who.
The “Material Girl” is back, and this time the “material” seems to consist mainly of male growth hormones she stole from A-Rod and old-lady skin.
But Madonna’s grotesque appearance isn’t slowing her down. This past weekend she kicked off her “Sticky and Sweet” tour in London. We can only assume that she’s referring to “Fixodent Control Plus Scope Flavor,” the only denture cream that provides the “stickiness” of Fixodent with the “sweet” freshness of Scope Mouthwash.
Health
Madonna
in Agony - Limps Off Stage
Madonna
sports injured ankle in Paris
Crocked
Madonna limps offstage after energetic dance routine in Paris
Baby Stealing / Parenting
The following is pretty long, so I'm only going to paste in a little bit
of it here-
Madonna,
Mercy And Neocolonialism
by Ama Biney
23 July 2009The Malawian government Spokesperson for Adoption Silas Chege appeared like a bumbling, disingenuous, buffoon character; like that of Joyce Cary's Mister Johnson.
When asked in an interview whether he was concerned that Madonna and the Kabbalah organisation may be attempting to create a Kabbalah state, he laughed and said: 'My mandate is to speak on behalf of children and women. My area is not spiritual.'
The minister was asked if he was aware that Madonna's organisation was in the process of buying land for the building of a girls school and the fact that local villagers were not only concerned about being pushed off their land but that they had yet to receive the promised US$4,000 for the land, despite the fact that the government had marked up the land for Madonna's contractors to begin building.
He responded: 'I wouldn't comment on that. I guess they are following procedures.'
What can be inferred from the minister's evasive response is his sheer indifference because the government considers Madonna an important donor who has donated US$12 million to Malawi since the establishment of her foundation.
....In the specific case of David and Mercy, they were never strictly orphans. They both had one living parent.
....Yet the dignity of African people on the continent and in the diaspora will continue to be damaged by the arrogant paternalism, dependency and obsequious attitude that exists among some African ministers who collude with Westerners in our continued subjugation and dehumanisation.
I don't understand this. Madonna adopts a couple of kids only to hand them off to nannies while in France - did the Malawian officials also interview Madonna's nannies, to make sure they meet Malawian adoption standards?
I'm not certain that having one's physical needs met but being emotionally neglected by a parent is any better than the kid having their physical needs met in an orphange (and remember, Mercy James has living family who loved her, including a grandmother).
Madonna's
kids explore Paris without their mom
Madonna was too busy working to take her kids exploring in Paris, France -- so the four children were sent sight-seeing with their nannies.
....The singer was tied up with rehearsals and soundchecks for the concert all day, but didn't want her brood to miss out on seeing the city.
So Lourdes, 12, Rocco, 8, David Banda, 3, and her newly adopted daughter Mercy, 3, were sent round the sights with their caregivers. The group took a boat trip on the river Seine and visited the Eiffel Tower.
Sour and Dry Tour
Yes, Madonna is continuing on with her "Sticky and Sweet" tour
now in 2009. It first began in 2008.
To view photos of Madonna's legs looking deformed and lumpy, and to view her arms looking too muscular and sinewy in photos taken during this tour, please visit the Vogue Gallery > 'Deformities or Manly Physique' album.
Madonna
refuses to help stage collapse investigation
Madonna
refuses to help stage collapse investigation
Criminal
Overtones in Madonna Stage Deaths
July 18, 2009
French cops are treating the two deaths associated with Madonna's stage collapse as homicide -- this according to the British Press Association.
Assistant prosecutor Marc Simamonti said the prosecutor's office opened an investigation for manslaughter and involuntary injuries in a work-related accident, and that initial hearings will be held on Sunday or Monday.
Criminal
Investigation Into Madonna Stage Collapse Begins
Madge
puts on bizarre O2 'tribute'
Desperate Madonna made a stunt out of Michael Jackson's death at her O2 Arena gig on Saturday night.
Never one to miss publicity, the Material Girl included a Jacko lookalike in her show.
Dressed in the singer's trademark black fedora hat and spangly silver glove the dancer performed a Moonwalk on her Sticky & Sweet tour.
Madonna, 50, danced along at the side as he performed to a medley of Jackson hits including Wanna Be Startin' Something and Billie Jean.
With a picture of a young Michael above her she yelled to the crowd: "Put your hands together for one of the greatest performers the world's ever known, Michael Jackson."
It was just five days before Jackson would have taken the same stage in London. Fan Alex Scott said: "It was a great performance, but a bit weird. "I was a huge fan of Michael Jackson. It did seem like she was jumping on the bandwagon."
Most of this review was a waste, so I'll only be quoting the decent parts here:
From The Times | July 5, 2009
Madonna may have required her microphone more than Britney Spears, but she relied largely on pre-recorded vocals, while the music was more frequently driven by synthesised beats than her smartly-attired, five-piece band.
....Madonna only faltered when [she] tried to look credible, notably pretending to play a guitar during half a dozen tracks. Her faux-soloing complete with taped feedback was as excruciating to watch and the heavy blonde wig she donned for the second half of the set must have been itchy to wear.
Madonna
'booed at London concert'
Monday, July 6 2009
By David Balls, Music ReporterMadonna was reportedly booed by her fans after arriving late to her London 'Sticky & Sweet' live show on Saturday.
The '4 Minutes' singer kept the audience waiting for one hour in "sweltering conditions" at the capital's O2 arena, according to Metro.
Eventually appearing on stage in a mock-up white Rolls Royce, she said: "All right London, get up."
Madonna
Delayed Gig Over Air Conditioning
But the singer angered fans by leaving them waiting, with the crowd's cheers turning to boos and jeers as time ticked on.
June 2009
Slams and Put Downs
You're
A Slut, Madge [Re: new Cohen film]
Sacha
Baron Cohen brands Madonna 'a total slut'
Comic Sacha Baron Cohen has branded Queen of Pop Madonna ‘a total slut’.
Sacha, 37, has left a host of celebrities livid with his stunts to promote his movie, where he plays the character of a gay fashion designer Bruno, reports the Daily Star. The outrageous Brit, who fell onto Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards dressed as a bare-bummed dove, posed as a gay Queen''s guard for the London premiere of his new film.
On Madonna, Bruno said: “She’s a total slut. Her gynaecologist will only inspect her over the phone these days.”
Pedophilia
Sure, it makes total sense to allow someone who flirts with pedophilia on a TV show (and who may have actually engaged in it before) to adopt a kid.
Note that when this SNL (Saturday Night Live) T.V. show skit ran, Chelsea Clinton was about 12 years old - (Madonna could have refused to appear in this skit, or she could have asked the writers to change it):
Franken's Rush Limbaugh / Chelsea
Clinton Lie
[snip part about talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh discussing how SNL used to make fun of Chelsea Clinton a lot]
What, you may ask, was Rush [Limbaugh] talking about?
Well, a Saturday Night Live skit had Madonna making a sexual advance toward Chelsea Clinton (played by a dressed-up Julia Sweeney, the actress who also played the androgynous character “Pat”).
It was outrageous.
The following is from a transcript of the show, which aired on 1/16/1993:
[[Bill] Clinton gives Madonna the "Call Me!" signal again, but she shakes h[e]r fingers "No, no", and acknowledges Chelsea instead, who is pleasantly surprised by the outcome]
Baby Stealing
Madge
Snub to 12 [Orphan] Kids
June 28, 2009
Madonna has been accused of snubbing 12 needy orphans so she could adopt two Malawian kids she really wanted.
The singer - now mum to David Banda, three, and four-year-old Mercy James - was asked to pick from a dozen children who had been chosen for her by the Malawian government.
But a Channel 4 documentary says she chose David and Mercy instead despite them having families.
....Mercy's grandmother Lucy Chekechiwa - whose 14-year-old daughter Mwandida Maunde died in childbirth - initially put a stop on Madonna adopting the youngster.
Madonna
'Snubbed 12 Needy Orphans'
Madonna's
adopted daughter Mercy was to be returned to family, grandmother claims
By Ben Leach
28 Jun 2009Mercy, the Malawian child adopted by Madonna, was to be returned to her family from the orphanage she was living in, her grandmother has claimed.
Lucy Chekechiwa, the maternal grandmother of Chifundo "Mercy" James, said that the family never agreed to put the four-year-old up for adoption on a permanent basis.
She said she had long fought to keep Mercy, whom the southern African country's highest court ruled that Madonna could adopt earlier this month, and that she had only recently given up her long battle to keep her.
She said: "The initial agreement was that Mercy was to be kept in the orphanage for six years. After six years Mercy was supposed to be brought back here and then I would have taken care of her.
....Mercy's father, James Kambewa, claims he was told that Mercy too had died and only learned the truth after being tracked down by journalists in April. He now says he wants his daughter back.
He told Channel 4: "I am not supporting the adoption because I am still alive. I don't see any justification why the girl should be adopted.
New
controversy in Madonna adoption case
Mercys
granny never wanted to give her to Madonna permanently
I
Wanted Mercy To Stay, Says Her Grandma
I've
Lost My Dearest Child to Madonna [says Mercy's biological Grandmother,
Lucy Chekechiwa]
Lucy said: “The initial agreement was for Mercy to be kept in an orphanage for six years and then I would have taken her home.
“First I did not want her to go with Madonna but the men in the family did and as a family we had to sit down and reach an agreement. I won’t resist any more. I still love Mercy. She is my dearest.”
Her plans to retrieve the child from care were ruined when in 2006 Guy Ritchie, Madonna’s former husband, arrived at the Kondanani Children’s Village orphanage near Zaone with a video camera and filmed Mercy and David Banda, the three-year-old boy Madonna adopted in 2007.
....It has been claimed the Malawi courts had felt pressurised to grant Madonna’s adoption application because of the help she has given the poor country where half the population is under 14 and the average life expectancy is just 40.
Hat tip to Anshirk for this first link:
Madonna
converts Mercy to Kabbalah
Meanwhile, Mercy's father James Kambewa has revealed he is "heartbroken" his daughter has been taken from him.
The 21-year-old man told Britain's The Daily Mirror newspaper: "My Mercy is gone. Madonna has used her money and power but my blood lives in Mercy for ever and ever. There is nothing I can do now."
I offer this next news item with a caveat; it's another one that attempts to depcit the biological family as being money-grubbing gold diggers, but it does demonstrate that Madonna apparently used her wealth to steam-roll over the wishes of the child's real father, and that the father was genuinely interested in keeping his daughter:
Debate
continues over Madonna’s adoption
June 22, 2009
“Behind the scenes, there was a lot of pressure on Mercy’s father and the judge to allow this (adoption)” a source connected to Raising Malawi said.
Why
Madonna has shown a lack of Mercy
Madonna's latest adopted child, threeyear-old Mercy, arrived in Britain from Malawi yesterday - and what a shock it must have been for her.
After a 12-hour flight away from everything she has known so far, Mercy must have felt disorientated and bewildered.
But rather than settling her in slowly to a new life, what's the first thing Madonna does? Takes her to a Kabbalah meeting.
Chantal
criticizes Madonna, Jolie for adoptions.
June 22, 2009
by Adrian ChamberlainCelebrities such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie are making a mistake by adopting African children, says Canadian pop singer Chantal Kreviazuk.
Kreviazuk - who on Tuesday (June 23) plays a fundraiser in Victoria for War Child Canada - said she believes Madonna and Jolie are well-intentioned, but the celeb adoption trend is merely a Band-Aid solution to a complex problem.
"It's traumatic; the (adopted African children) never truly feel they belong. They always wonder where their siblings are,'' Kreviazuk said in an interview from Los Angeles.
Kreviazuk's performance, along with her husband Raine Maida Our Lady Peace, also features a talk by War Child Canada founder Dr. Samantha Nutt. Unlike typical pop singers who proffer shoot-from-the-hip opinions on politics, Kreviazuk's in a position to know what she's talking about.
For a decade she has worked with War Child Canada, an organization providing humanitarian assistance to war-affected children around the world. As well as helping with fundraising, Kreviazuk has visited War Child projects in Asia, Europe and Ethiopia.
Like Madonna and Jolie, she, too, considered adopting after witnessing the plight of orphaned African children. "But then I changed my mind about international adoption,'' Kreviazuk said.
Instead [of adopting a child from another nation], Kreviazuk prefers to support such War Child Canada initiatives as one now providing clothing, food, medical aid and educational assistance for 55 young Ethiopians.
...."The number 1 thing children want when they lose their parents is not to be separated,'' Kreviazuk said.
....At first glance, such efforts seem 100 per cent noble. After all, Madonna's Mercy will join her adoptive mom in New York at her $47-million townhouse with 13 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. This is an impressive step up from an African orphanage.
Yet not everyone is jumping for joy. Reportedly, Mercy's grandmother didn't want her granddaughter to live with the American pop star who used to cavort in pointy bras. (Mercy's biological mom died soon after she was born. It's not clear why the child was living in a orphanage rather than with grandma.)
Not surprisingly, the grandmother's protest paled when pitted against one of the most powerful celebrities in the world. If anyone doubts today's pop and movie stars wield the clout once possessed by royalty, Madonna's neo- imperialist baby collection settles the question.
Meanwhile, Kreviazuk said the thousands of bucks Jolie blew at the fanciest hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while on her adoption mission likely rivalled the $200,000 a year it costs to help the 55 young Ethiopians in the War Child Canada program.
``The entire program could have been run by the flight and the nights staying in Ethiopia,'' she said.
Rather than plucking tots from Third World cultures and dipping them in Western opulence, Kreviazuk said, it's preferable to build better social systems in these countries.
How
much did Mercy cost Madonna?
Monday, 22 June 2009
When Madonna told the Malawian orphanage where little Mercy James was living that she would ‘adopt the child at any cost’, the 50-year-old wasn’t kidding.
Now can reveal she’s splashed out over $7 million to make sure she can take 3-year-old Mercy back home to New York.
.... Due to her heavy donations, Madonna’s been able to sidestep the usual problems foreigners have owning property and land.
....The pressure group Eye Of The Child has campaigned ferociously against the way Madonna’s been able to brush aside the law in Malawi, but even they’ve admitted defeat in the face of her millions and the power she wields.
Celebrities:
Are international adoptions the best way to help children?
Misguided
Madonna's just helping the baby traffickers
Excerpt:
But the real reason I oppose her [Madonna's] illconceived actions [adopting David Banda and Mercy James from Malawi] is simple: children prosper best within their own families and communities, however poor they are. Research and years of experience has taught us this.
....Grinding poverty does not deprive them of the right to raise their children. Madonna seems to be making a simple yet pernicious equation: 'If you are poor, you cannot look after your kids.'
....We are also witnessing the rise of a distressing new phenomenon dubbed the Madonna Effect, in which destitute mothers abandon their babies in the hope that they will be adopted by wealthy foreign mothers.
It is a tragic corollary of Madonna's personal triumph that such abuses are now flourishing.
Madonna’s
Malawi Adopto-Snatch Made Gloriously Official
Excerpts:
When Madonna adopts a child, it’s hard. There’s the spoon-feeding. There’s the bathing. There’s the constant threat of incontinence.
Yup, that Madonna sure does take a lot of looking after. But little Mercy James is bound to cope.
Because, just as we’ve been expecting all week, the Malawi Supreme Court has finally approved Madonna’s request to formally adopt Mercy James and take her home.
Madonna has fought so hard for this - it’s everything she’s always wanted. Until next week when she decides that she also wants a diamond-studded unicorn, and throws another pissy fit when someone tells her no, obviously.
Of all her admirable attributes, Madonna’s tenacity is right up there with her slightly nauseating unwillingness to dress remotely like a woman her own age, her swiftness to attach herself to religions which are plainly rooted in bullsh*t and and her ability to push a Snickers bar through the gap in her teeth sideways.
When Madonna sees something she wants, she just goes ahead and gets it.
....Because don’t forget that Madonna has done a lot for Malawi recently. She’s founded a charity to feed the country’s orphans and provide them with medical supplies - plus she’s built the Raising Malawi Kabbalah School to educate them in the mystic ways of the Kabbalah, ensuring that generations of Malawian orphans can grow up to be at least as clever as Ashton Kutcher. It might not be much, but it’s a start.
It just goes to show that money can’t buy you love. But it can buy you a crapload of bricks to build a school to indirectly guilt a government into giving you a kid who you can then go on to shower with the nearest approximation of love available to you at any given moment of time. Which is a completely different thing. It is.
Madonna
Steals Malawian Native James Kambewa Baby? Man Claims Long Lost Daughter
Has Madonna just stole someone's baby? According to reports, Madonna once again underwent a court decision if she would be allowed to adopt. Previously, the lower courts said no and it was appealed.
Now the country's highest court ruled she could take the child. Although, a man has come out claiming it's his long lost daughter.
According to CBS News, "A Malawian man claiming to be Mercy's biological father had also objected to the adoption, as CBS News correspondent Priya David reported last month. James Kambewa, a security guard, says he'd been told Mercy had died in childbirth.
The girl's maternal relatives have said they don't believe Kambewa is the father, and his objections weren't addressed in Friday's ruling, which removed all his potential parental rights. He told David on Friday that the court's ruling had left him in tears."
There is no word if the father will undergo DNA testing or not or if he has spoken with Madonna's people. Hopefully Madonna will do her best to get the child back to the rightful parent that has been lost for 3 years from him.
Excerpts:
Rights groups have accused the government of giving Madonna special treatment and said the case would encourage foreign celebrities to think they can adopt Malawian children at will.
Mercy's father said Madonna, who is dating 22-year-old Brazilian model Jesus Luz, should not be allowed to adopt Mercy.
'No one wants to listen to me, I have protested this all along... I want my child back but I don't know what to do now,' James Kambewa said.
'Madonna cannot take her away.'
There is little he can do now - the Supreme Court ruling cannot be challenged.
Kambewa said he quit his job as a security guard to fight the adoption and is being supported by his aunt.
According to tradition in southern Malawi, where Kambewa lives, a grandmother has more say in a child's future than the father.
When Mercy's mother died, Kambewa was powerless to stop his daughter being sent to an orphanage when she was three days old.
....'Of course we are disappointed with the ruling because we know that adoption should only be granted as the last resort,' said Maxwell Matewele, executive director of the Eye on Child non-governmental organisation.
So she gets the go-ahead to adopt the girl, but instead of flying in herself, these news articles say she's sending in nannies and nurses to care for her:
Madonna
to leave Mercy at home during Sticky and Sweet tour
Madonna will jet off on her world tour just three weeks after her newly adopted child arrives in New York.
....Madonna is expected to leave the newest addition to her family with staff in New York...
.... [Said Mercy's biological father, James Kambewa] "I am asking Madonna to make sure that, while the child is growing, she must be informed of me as her biological father ... she really must know that while she is far away the father is still alive."
....Madonna's lawyer, Alan Chinula said the singer was not going personally collect the child, who is expected to leave for New York, via Johannesberg, today.
Madonna has flown in a nanny and a nurse to look after orphan Mercy James — who is set to arrive at the star’s lodge in Malawi today.
Other aides will also care for the four-year-old while adoption papers and visas are arranged.
Madonna loves her career more than she loves her adopted daughter:
Mercy
Gets Just 3 Weeks With Madge
June 15, 2009:
Little Mercy James will have less than three weeks with new mum Madonna before she flies off on tour.
....But Madge, 50, is due to start a seven-week European tour on July 4 in London – taking her 3,500 miles from her family home.
A source said: “Madonna was desperate to adopt Mercy but this is bad timing and she is bound to raise a lot of eyebrows by heading off on tour so soon.”
Maxwell Mateware, from Malawi’s Eye of the Child group, added: “It’s hard to say how much damage may have been done to a girl who’s been moved from pillar to post because of one woman’s determination to have her.”
Dad
[of Mercy James] drops Madonna adoption appeal
Madonna
adoption: Mercy's dad plans fight to stop singer taking four-year-old
to America
By Suzannah Hills 14/06/2009
The father of the little girl Madonna is adopting in Malawi last night said she has a fight on her hands.
James Kambewa has vowed to do whatever it takes to stop the singer taking four-year-old Mercy to America.
On Friday Madonna succeeded in getting an order preventing the adoption overturned by Malawi's Supreme Court of Appeal - after pumping £12million into the povertystricken country.
Speaking from his home Mr Kambewa said: "I am devastated. I did not even know that the judges were making a ruling about Madonna adopting my child on that day.
"I feel betrayed by my countrymen who gave me a deaf ear because I am poor and Madonna is rich."
Mr Kambewa is now writing to the US Embassy asking them to refuse Mercy a visa. He is also seeking an injunction on the appeal ruling until the court has heard his side.
Madonna
'donated £12 million to Malawi'
Madonna donated £12 million to help children in the poverty-stricken African state of Malawi before being granted permission to adopt a second child from the country, it has been reported.
Did
Mercy cost Madge a whopping £12 million?
June 24, 2009, LONDON: While Madonna is ecstatic over winning her bid to adopt a second child from Malawi, critics have claimed that the superstar won only
because she pumped a whopping £12 million to the poverty-stricken country.Malawi's supreme court of Appeal overturned a previous ruling that stopped Madonna taking Mercy James, four, to America, and granted her the permission to adopt the African girl.
However, many of her critics have said that she [Madonna] won the legal fight because of the huge sums she has given the African state to fund orphan aid projects.
"It smacks of bribery. How can they refuse her requests when she gives Malawi so much?" a worker at an international welfare agency said.
The Material Girl has reportedly spent £12million funding six orphanages as well as paying for shoes, clothes, books and mosquito nets. Madonna jumped with joy after she came to know that she had won her battle to adopt orphan Mercy. "I am ecstatic. My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her," she said.
Madonna
Adoption Dad Shocked By Ruling
The man who claims to be the father of Madonna's new adopted child says he did not expect the star to get his daughter.
The singer was given permission by a Malawian court to adopt four-year-old Mercy James on Friday, and is expected to take custody of the girl later today or tomorrow.
It is understood most members of Mercy's family agree with the decision.
But James Kambewa said he wanted to look after his child.
"I did not expect this outcome. I did not think the court would rule in this way," he said.
"Right now I do not know what to do so I'm keeping quiet.
"I will have to sit down with my people and strategise on the way forward but right now I have not decided on my next course of action."
Madonna's
adoption of Malawian sends wrong message: agency
Excerpts:
When news recently surfaced about Madonna's second adoption of a Malawian child, we couldn't help but be concerned about what kind of a message this sends.
This adoption is wonderful news for Madonna and most likely, for the three-year-old child.
However, her situation is representative of a larger problem -- one that cannot be solved by celebrity adoptions, or international adoptions more broadly.
We believe the best place for the world's 145 million orphans is in family-based care, in-country.
Ideally, they could be cared for by their extended family, in their own cultural context. When this is impossible, organizations like ours work around the world to provide them with this loving, culturally appropriate home environment.
SOS Children's Villages aims to prevent children from becoming orphaned or abandoned in the first place. Parents faced with crises or poverty often lack the resources and ability to care for their children. Our family-strengthening programs seek to empower families.
Religion
Poland
Catholics oppose Madonna's concert - Times of the Internet
Madonna
concert outrages religious - Polish Radio External Service
Madonna
concert outrages religious - thenews.pl
Poland
Catholics oppose Madonna's concert - The Money Times
Poland
Catholics oppose Madonna's concert - UPI
WARSAW, Poland, June 10 (UPI) -- Catholics are urging the Polish government and organizers to cancel U.S. pop star Madonna's concert scheduled for Aug. 15, the Assumption of Mary feast.
Marian Brudzynski, member of the Mazowiecki regional assembly, Wednesday said Madonna "cannot sing" on the religious feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary and announced a protest committee is being organized to stop the concert.
Brudzynski, a former member of the conservative League of Polish Families party, said Catholics will do all in their power to prevent the concert from taking place. The protest committee plans to ask Interior Minister Grzegorz Schetyna to cancel the concert, he said.
Brudzynski said if they fail to stop Madonna's concert they will stage a massive picket outside and added, "We want to stifle Madonna," Poland's thenews.pl Web site reported.
Krzysztof Zagozda, of the Catholic Society organization, said the concert would hurt Poles' religious sentiment as Madonna's performances are anti-Christian.
Stanislaw Malkowski, former Warsaw Solidarity union's chaplain, said the Catholic church and the Polish nation should protest loudly against the Madonna concert.
Slams and Put Downs
Madonna
must have awful wind on those diets ... no wonder her dancers look so
miserable
By Emma Cox
[photo caption:]
Diet disaster ... Alan [Alan Carr] jokes about Madonna having flatulence problemFirst we talk about Madonna. Alan [Alan Carr] is disappointed by her [Madonna's] Kabbalah conversion and obsession with working out and dieting.
He says: "She must have awful wind on those macrobiotic diets.
"You see her on stage bending into these funny positions and she must be parping away - no wonder her dancers look so miserable.
"It's such a shame, isn't it? Her face looks pretty but the veins... it's like the M6 all down her arm. When I watched her film In Bed With Madonna [a.k.a. Truth or Dare] she's effing and blinding and is good fun. She seems to have changed so much."
Huge Ego / Rude (Madonna's Staff)
I'm not surprised... 'birds of a feather flock together,' as people say.
Are
Madonna's Employees Divas, Too?
Madonna's
Crew Is “Cheap” And “Horrible”
Madonna's
entourage dubbed horrible, cheap by hotel employee
Madonna's
concert employees are 'horrible'
June 5, 2009
Madonna’s concert employees are treating the staff at a posh New York hotel horribly, it has been reported.
A front of the house worker at the Bryant Park Hotel claims that the pop superstar’s backup dancers, technicians and roadies are acting in a demanding fashion, The New York Post reports.
The 'Holiday' singer booked 28 rooms for staff while her 'Sticky & Sweet' tour is on hiatus.
"They are horrible," the source said. "We work with people in the fashion and entertainment industry all the time, a crowd that is notoriously difficult, but these guys are rude."
The source also claimed that the crew has been "cheap" when it comes to tipping hotel workers.
"They are presumptuous and cheap. Nearly every one of them have stiffed their bellman and servers, and what's worse is they have tons of stuff."
A rep for Madonna said that she typically takes care of tips once the stay is over, and a hotel spokesperson called the allegations "fabricated", saying: "They are a polite group. We are happy to have them stay with us."
Failure to Make it to Polls, Charts, or Beaten By Others on Charts
Madonna did not make it to this TIME magazine list:
Time
magazine releases 'Top 100 Most Influential in World' list [2009]
Madonna did not make it to this 'Twitter' list (at least not the top 10; I've no idea if she falls anywhere in the 11 - 99 part):
'We
Are Hunted' Knows What Music Is Hot on Twitter
Twitter
users love Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift and Eminem
Angelina Jolie is #1 on Forbes' celebrity power list (I think this is for 2008):
Angelina
Jolie beats out Oprah, Beyonce and Madonna on the Forbes Celebrity 100
list