all about Madonna

Raquel Hecker used to worship at the same Kabbalah centre as the singer. Now she's become disillusioned - both with mystic Judaism and with her favourite star.
A petite blonde steps into an unassuming five-storey building in midtown Manhattan, strides past a poster with her image on it, takes an elevator up a storey and steps out into a gleaming white chamber with rows of pews decorated in a Greco-Roman motif. A man leading a service for 200 worshippers glances up from a book. The entire room inhales at once. One woman's jaw goes slack.
Madonna - Esther to her friends here at the Kabbalah Centre - has entered the building. Back before she was Esther, Madonna was my childhood idol. So I was curious how Kabbalah had inspired her - how she had gone from covering Don McLean to covering the Barry Sisters, as she did in July, performing at a private party for the head of the Kabbalah Centre, Rabbi Philip Berg.
The first time I went to the Kabbalah Centre was for a Friday-night Shabbat service. The place was packed, albeit unevenly. The men were seated throughout the left and centre sections, the women squeezed tightly into the right section, except for an empty front row. I slid in there and heard two women by the door whisper and point. Slowly it dawned on me: I had planted my ass in the designated celebrity row.
When Madonna walks into the Kabbalah Centre, chairs materialise out of thin air to form a new row in front of the celebrity row. A bearded man runs over with an electric fan and aims it at Madonna, who is flanked by two thin, attractive women in bad blond wigs. Sitting with one yoga-sculpted leg over the other, Madonna dismisses the man with a wave of her hand and he returns, humbled, to where he was sitting.
The service continues: rabbis take turns leading prayers, then when they're finished step off the stage to shake Madonna's hand. The Material Girl follows along nonchalantly, mouthing indiscernible nothings to her husband, Guy Ritchie, sitting across the room from her in the men's section. Her daughter Lourdes comes over to sit with her mother, then runs out of the room. Men steal glances, women whisper among themselves. I look, too, and I'm both mortified and delighted to learn that, if you stare at Madonna for long enough, Madonna will look right back at you.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is said to have written Zohar, the 2nd-century mystical document now considered Kabbalah's most important text.(These days it also provides the basis for a T-shirt 'I Scanned Zohar with Ashton', a reference to the actor and Kabbalah devotee Ashton Kutcher). According to legend, the Aramaic manuscripts were lost for years and found by Moses de Leon in the 13th century in a cave in Israel. 'Kabbalah', literally 'to receive', became an esoteric practice studied only by male Hasidic scholars over 40, and later a legitimate element of Judaism.
Philip Berg (n' Feivel Gruberger) is trying to change that. An insurance salesman and Orthodox rabbi from Brooklyn, Berg became involved with Kabbalah when he met the renowned Kabbalist Yehuda Brandwein. He studied with Brandwein in Jerusalem and married his niece Rizka. Eight children later, he left her and took up with Karen Berg, an acquaintance from his days selling insurance. According to Centre literature, she possesses 'an extraordinary sixth sense and intuition'. She was the one who suggested they start the Kabbalah Centre in Israel in the early Seventies, then return to the US in 1981.
When Berg spends Shabbat at the New York Kabbalah Centre, he sits at the head table with Karen on his right and Madonna on his left. On Madonna's recent Reinvention tour, he blessed every stage she danced across. Berg's gravitas has made enough of an impression on Madonna that she has recommended his Centre to Gwyneth Paltrow and Britney Spears, among others. Roseanne Barr lectures at the Centre in LA. Among the stars seen with the Centre's red strings around their wrists are Sharon Osbourne, Winona Ryder, David and Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell and Courtney Love.
Paris Hilton, Madonna explained in an ABC interview, was brought to the Centre by her parents after they heard about her sex video. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, who wore matching his-and-hers baby costumes to the Centre's Los Angeles Purim party in March, may have a Kabbalah wedding in Tel Aviv.
Certainly Madonna has given Berg's organisation a particular sort of credibility. Former presidential candidate Wesley Clark seemed taken with Kabbalah as he grew interested in Madonna's support; in December 2003 he gave a speech that included Kabbalah in a list of major world religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Just as Madonna draws the celebrities who admire her, those celebrities in turn draw those who admire them. On the Kabbalah Centre website, a young devotee says her interest in the Centre began 'the minute I heard that Britney wears the bendel and that it was also shown in her latest music video, "Everytime".'
Once wannabes only had to dress like her; I should know - I was one. Such was my Madonna worship that one night when I was 13 I wore a cross around my neck to Hebrew school. At my bar mitzvah, I sang "Material Girl' in lace half-gloves and rubber bracelets.
These days, though, keeping up with Madonna isn't simply a matter of trading your old black bracelets for new red ones. 'I want people to think like me now,' Madonna told the TV show 20/20 last June. And just how does she think? 'When in doubt,' she said, 'act like God.'
I got to know more Kabbalah devotees by volunteering to set up Shabbat dinner. I'd ask the students what drew them to the Centre and several mentioned Madonna. They'd tell their specific story - an epiphany they had reading one of Berg's books, a serendipitous glimpse of one of the Centre's ads in the paper - then mention Madonna as an afterthought. Few of them gave her sole credit with bringing them to Kabbalah, but just about everyone mentioned her and most said they had heard about it in the first place because of her. Only one credited her without hesitation. 'I saw how much she had transformed because of Kabbalah,' he said, 'and I thought, well, if it worked for her ...'
One evening, when I had just reported for duty, another volunteer asked me, 'Do you have your tickets yet?' 'Huh?' 'Your Madonna tickets!' she exclaimed (referring to her recent Reinvention tour). 'If you buy them from the Centre they are the best seats! And all the proceeds go to the Spirituality for Kids programme!' The royalties from Madonna's children's books go to the same fund, which helped purchase the former Atkins headquarters for the Kabbalah Grammar School for Children. According to WABC, Madonna spent a total of $22 million on the school, which will open its doors in 2005 - but only to pupils whose parents are both Kabbalists.
Celebrity Kabbalah followers like Elizabeth Taylor get private tutoring in their mansions. 'There's no set charge, just donations,' said one student. But the typical donation is $200 to $300 an hour, and students can only serve kosher food.
'During the week ahead we will want to bad-mouth others,' my teacher told a class one Thursday night. 'Miriam got leprosy the second she bad-mouthed Moses.' Pause. 'What is leprosy?' No one says anything. 'Leprosy is when on your skin there's a big stain, like barley. Every time you speak lashon hara ' - talking about someone behind his back - 'you might get one.'
There are other lessons, too. 'Satan makes us feel like we could put things off,' the teacher says. 'This week, work on your sense of urgency to do things. For example, "I want to buy a Zohar , but maybe in two weeks" - then it will never happen!' The Kabbalah Centre loves its product placement. During Shabbat services, one rabbi instructed the congregation to drink $3.80, 1.5 litre bottles of Kabbalah water even as he took drinks from a bottle by his side. According to the rabbi, the process of making Kabbalah water is 'more complicated than that of making Coca-Cola'. In the lobby you can buy a single red string that has been blessed at Rachel's tomb in Jerusalem for $8.50, or a yard's worth for $26. Thesmokinggun.com reported that the US Patent Office rejected the Centre's request for a patent on bendels, so they're not exclusive to the lobby. Next season they'll be sold with a Kabbalah candle at Bergdorf's, Barneys NY and Neiman Marcus.
As I leave a class with Jane (not her real name), we walk past posters advertising a few of the Centre's other classes - 'How to Find Your Soulmate', '12 Steps to Everlasting Love' - with stock photos of couples kissing and kids on swings. Jane tells me that she works in public relations and that 'it's not very Kabbalistic'. We walk past piles of tapes for sale on 'Divine Sex' and 'Kabbalistic Astrology'. Over the speakers, I hear Ray of Light. Later, Jane and I are folding napkins into unlikely origami shapes to add a French-restaurant feel to the next evening's Shabbat dinner. Jane has been fishing for religion since her teens; she's attended Methodist, Catholic, Pentecostal and Jehovah's Witness services. She says she likes the Kabbalah Centre best: the principles taught in the classes are easy to apply, especially the notion that when you help others you really help yourself.
I am disillusioned as to how my former idol is no longer the unabashedly confident superwoman I so admired. Plenty of people are still following her, but look what she's following. Maybe once she gets the financial breakdown she requested and finds how her money is being spent, she will reinvent herself as the wayward Catholic iconoclast I loved. My friend and I spend the rest of the night drinking tea in a Chinese restaurant, reading fortune cookies, and commiserating about how we missed Madonna over steamed pork buns.
source : guardian.co.uk

Madonna is reportedly planning to adopt a child as she has not been able to conceive, despite being absolutely healthy.
According to the Star magazine, Madge and hubby Guy Ritche are planning to bringa child home in early 2005, though they haven't given up on having a child of their own.
According to a source close to the couple , the couple is happily keen to adopt a child as well as have a baby of their own, the magazine said.
source : ANI

Elton John has said he will apologise to Madonna, after launching an expletive-laced attack on the Material Girl for lip-synching on stage.
"Would I apologize to her if I saw her? Yeah, because I don't want to hurt any artist's feelings," Sir Elton said in an interview in the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly magazine.
"It was my fault. I instigated the whole thing," he said. "But (lip-synching) applies to all those bloody teenage singers."
Attending an awards ceremony in London earlier this month, Sir Elton was incensed to find that Madonna had been nominated for best live act.
Taking to the stage, Sir Elton blasted: "Madonna - best f live act? F off. Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage ... should be shot."
In the interview, the pop legend acknowledged that he had spoken out of turn.
"I don't want to escalate it because I like Madonna," he said. "She's been to my house for dinner. It was something that was said in the heat of the moment, and probably should not have been said."
At the time, Madonna's US spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg had flatly rejected Sir Elton's accusations, saying that Madonna neither lip-synched nor spent time "trashing" other artists.
Sir Elton argued that the media reaction to his comments had been out of proportion to their content.
"It was like I said I think all gays should be killed or I think Hitler was right," he said. "I just said someone was lip-synching."
source : turkishpress.com

Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn was heckled at a screening of his latest movie on Tuesday (26OCT04) by an audience member wanting to know what it's like to enjoy sexual relations with Madonna.
Penn, 44, was at a question and answer session following a Boston, Massachusetts, viewing of "The assasination of Richard Nixon" when a cheeky participant asked him about his private life with former wife Madonna.
And the heckler also demanded to know if Penn, who ignored the remarks, wore a toupee. Penn, now married to second wife Robin Wright, wed the Like a virgin singer in 1985. They divorced in 1989. He refused to answer the intimate questions.
source : contactmusic

The University of Kansas is about to be flooded with Madonna condoms.
The Douglas County health department is the winner of the Madonna Condom Giveaway. It was sponsored by the New York-based condom store, Condomania.
The health department wins 21,000 Madonna Condoms, with an authorized picture of the pop star on the wrapper.
Department officials say they'll be handing out the condoms during Pride Week at the university, where they'll also host a Madonna look-alike drag show.
source : azcentral.com

Nominees for the 31st annual People's Choice Awards were announced Tuesday by Jason Alexander and Malcolm-Jamal Warner of TV's "Listen Up" and Eva Longoria and Nicollette Sheridan of "Desperate Housewives."
The nomination and awards process, formerly based on a national poll, has been revised.
The nominees were compiled by Entertainment Weekly, the People's Choice production team and pop culture fans. The public can choose the winners online starting Tuesday (www.pcavote.com).
Additional feature film categories will be announced later. CBS will broadcast the ceremony from 9-11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 9. Live in the East, it will be delayed in the West.
Nominees : ...
Favorite combined forces:
- Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliot, Lil' Kim ("Carwash");
- Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake ("Where is the Love");
- Norah Jones, Dolly Parton ("The Grass is Blue");
- Lil' John, Usher ("Yeah!");
- Britney Spears, Madonna ("Me Against the Music")
source : yahoo.com

Pop superstar Madonna has made a profit of more than $3 million (GBP1.6 million), after selling the Beverly Hills home she purchased from actress Diane Keaton four years ago.
The Material Girl paid $6.5 million (GBP3.6 million) for the home when she bought it in 2000, and has now sold it on for close to its $8.9 million (GBP4.9 million) asking price.
The home boasts courtyards, an outdoor fireplace, a pool and detached offices.
Madonna, who lives primarily in London with her husband Guy Ritchie, first listed the eight-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom property in May 2003 at $10.9 million (GBP6 million).
A month later, she purchased a Beverly Hills compound from actress Sela Ward for $12 million (GBP6.6 million).
source : contactmusic.com

They may have produced one of the biggest flops in recent movie history, but that hasn't stopped Madonna and Guy Ritchie teaming up again.
The Material Girl and her film director hubby start filming new gangster flick Revolver in London this week.
It comes after they were ridiculed over their remake of 70s movie Swept Away, a massive flop at the box office in 2002.
One critic snarled: "New ways of describing badness need to be invented to describe how bad it is."
It even went straight to video in Britain after a disastrous release in the US.
Swept Away went on to pick up five Razzie Awards for Worst Actress, Worst Director, Worst Picture, Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Screen Couple.
But, unabated, the couple have joined forces on Ritchie's latest work, with Madge reportedly to play a crime boss.
Jason Statham, who worked with Ritchie on Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and Goodfellas actor Ray Liotta, also star.
Madonna has made a habit of working on movies with her men.
She appeared with ex-husband Sean Penn in Shanghai Surprise and former squeeze Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy.
source : sky.com

Madonna's sermon at the Kabbalah bash thrown by her and Demi Moore took every one by surprise when the pop queen began with a four letter word.
"Turn those f***ing mobile phones off!," the star shouted in anguish on hearing ring tones emanating from the onlookers, before she began her speech.
And to many's surprise her speech turned out to be a political outbusrt in support of John Kerry, rather than a religious tirade.
"Demi Moore gave a speech thanking everyone for coming. Then Madonna got up. Her speech was very amusing, even more amusing when people's mobile phones were going off when she was speaking. She was shouting, 'Turn those f***ing mobile phones off!'. Then she started ranting on, 'Vote for John Kerry,' which raised a round of applause from the crowd," a source was quoted by The Sun, as saying.
The gathering centred around Kabbalah, the religious sect based on Jewish mysticism and thrown to mark the launch of 'Becoming Like God', by the eminent kabbalist rabbi Michael Berg at a private members' club in Portman Square, Marylebone, London also included celebs like
Gwyneth Paltrow and fashion designers Donatella Versace, Valentino, Matthew Williamson and Alexander McQueen.
source " ANI

Pop diva Madonna, who has almost turned the mystical Jewish religion Kabbalah into a brand name, has admitted that she took to the faith after getting disillusioned with her fame and money.
"It was eight years ago. I was on top of my world. I'd done Evita, I was pregnant, I had fame," the actress was quoted by The Sun as saying
"But I was saying to myself, 'Why am I here? Why am I inside this body? What am I doing?' I went to a class and there was a man who looked like a rabbi and what he was saying was amazing. I was inspired. Kabbalah teaches you that your true potential has nothing to do with selling records or making money, but what you are doing to help and make the world a better place," she added.
source : ANI

My faith gets up your nose? Good!
It's Thursday night at the smartest party in town and we are sitting over a drink talking about kids; Madonna, Demi and me. Life has some surreal moments to offer and this is definitely one of them. We're having to raise our voices above the hubbub of beautiful people, including Gwyneth Paltrow and the fashion designers Donatella Versace and Valentino, gathered upstairs at Home House, a private club.
We are all here to celebrate, if that;s the right word, the launch of Becoming Like God, a book about the teachings of Kabbalah, an obscure offshoot of Judaism. Madonna is wearing the red string bracelet that denotes adherents next to a big, diamond-studded watch.
Demi Moore, a fellow Kabbalah-ist, is officially hosting the evening but it is really Madonna's night. The former Material Girl has approved the venue, the guest list and the admission of a single journalist "me" to witness the wonders of ersatz spiritualism.
Kabbalah is regarded by some as worryingly near to a cult and earlier this year the chief rabbi's office issued a statement distancing it from mainstream Judaism. A member of Rabbi Sacks's cabinet said that there was a "great deal of unease about (Kabbalah's) methods and the pressure brought to bear on those they view as being vulnerable and as possible sources of income".
There have been similar warnings about other sects, but doubts about Kabbalah have been tempered in the public mind by the enthusiastic endorsement of glitzy celebrities. Fervent followers include Roseanne Barr and Elizabeth Taylor. Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger also had a flirtation with Kabbalah and hosted a fundraising dinner in London four years ago.
The book outlining Kabbalah's theories seems more flaky than sinister, full of psychobabble about "transformative sharing" and getting rid of your "ego nature". Certain sections are printed IN SHOCKING PINK CAPITAL LETTERS for emphasis, giving it a disturbing resemblance to the letters that journalists routinely receive from crazies in coloured, usually green, ink.
Rabbi Michael Berg, its author, is a pleasant chubby man wearing a little black beret. When I tell him that I find the design very arresting, he has the grace to look sheepish. "Oh, the pink was Madonna's idea," he says.
Madonna, who recently announced that she wanted to be known by her spiritual name Esther (although everyone on Thursday night continued to refer to her as Madonna), first got involved nine years ago. She was far from the needy, emotionally damaged wreck who we usually think of as finding refuge in obscure religions.
"I was what you would call at the top of my world," she says. "I'd won a Golden Globe for Evita, I was pregnant, I had fame, I had fortune, everything that you would perceive a person would want in life. But I'm sure everyone's had that out-of-body experience where you say to yourself, and it might happen at 28 or 38 or 68, why am I here? Why am I inside of this body? What am I doing? And I was hearing that question a lot."
A girl she bumped into at a party told her that she had been studying Kabbalah. "I love taking classes," says Madonna. "I learn languages, I go to dance class, I love the idea of being in school. So I thought, "Okay, I'll try this". I went to a class and, yes, there was a man standing at the front who looked like a rabbi but what he was saying was amazing.
"I felt so inspired when I left the room. One thing Kabbalah teaches you is that your true potential in the world has nothing to do with selling records or making money or being popular, it has to do with what you are doing to help. What are you doing to make the world a better place?" The Kabbalah centre in Los Angeles was founded by Rabbi Rav Berg, father to both Michael Berg and the modern Kabbalah movement. Kabbalah, Hebrew for "received tradition", is based around the Zohar, or Book of Splendour, a 2,000-year-old book in 23 volumes written in Aramaic.
Berg formulated a simple, practical version of Kabbalah that promises "fulfilment in every aspect of your life: relationships, business, health and more". It was Kabbalah's lucky day when Madonna arrived at the centre. Her huge popularity turned a little-known movement into a global brand. It now has 56 centres around the world and its website gets 150,000 hits a month.
Adherents can buy Kabbalah merchandise, from the $25 bracelets to bottles of specially blessed mineral water (very effective, apparently, in treating Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie's verrucas). It is just this sort of thing that raises hackles, but Madonna dismisses the criticisms with an imperious wave: "You know, I've been dealing with cynicism all my life."
So we shouldn't be worried about the allegations of money-making? "Slowly, slowly catchee monkey," she says mysteriously. "The fact of the matter is that people are criticising Kabbalah because it's pushing a button. They are paying attention because it is rankling people's nerves."
Madonna has a reputation for being tricksy but this evening she is in her element, working the room and urging her American friends to vote for John Kerry ("If you vote for Bush you're not becoming like God"). She looks amazing in a very fitted and very expensive light tweed skirt and dark roll-necked top.
Anyone else in that outfit would look like Princess Anne, but tiny Madonna has a glow about her that transcends her outfit. At 46 her skin is flawless, her eyes heavily made-up, her hair glossy and expertly tinted. She has been a superstar for 20 years, selling more than 250m records and reinventing herself over and over again, from the crop-topped ingenue of Holiday, one of her early hits, to the sophisticated rerun of Like a Virgin on MTV last year.
She had a brief and tempestuous marriage to the actor Sean Penn and a daughter Lourdes, nicknamed Lola, by Carlos Leon, her personal trainer, before marrying Ritchie four years ago. The bluntly spoken British director of the films Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch has been a steadying influence.
He teases her "something her staff would never dare to do" calling her "Wiff" or "the Missus". Their son Rocco is three. I am impressed by her adoration for her children and her conviction, even if what she says is sometimes startling. During the evening it transpires that Michael Berg has a child with Down's syndrome. She explains how Kabbalah sees it.
"Nobody looks at Joshua as somebody who got a bad deal. Kabbalistically, everything that happens to you is a blessing," she says. "You hit the jackpot and win a million dollars or you break your leg skiing or you're born with disabilities . . . it's all about perception. We perceive having Down's syndrome as a bad thing but if you go past the physicality of it and what it looks like and how we expect people to behave, we deal with everything at the soul level.
"There are some who say that children born with learning disabilities or who are born blind or deaf are people, if you believe in reincarnation, who have come into this world in their last correction, so to speak, and they choose to be born into this physical body which cannot communicate in the normal way. It's perceived as quite an elevated position so we don't look at him with pity, we're not sorry for the parents, we don't think they've been cursed and nor do they, which is an amazing environment to be in.You can be a celebrity or you can be a person with Down's syndrome, that's not relevant."
But at least part of the need for spiritual fulfilment must be as an antidote to the madness of fame? "There's a need to be beautiful and successful, yes, but that is not just reserved for celebrities," she says. "That pressure to be beautiful, to be successful, to be rich, to be thin, to be popular, it's everyone's pressure. If it wasn't everyone's pressure we wouldn't have depression, we wouldn't have anorexia.
"We live in a society that judges everyone on a completely superficial level. So it's not just the celebrities of the world who have to contend with the constant anxious feeling that you have to perform, to rise to meet some common denominator of what we consider to be beautiful or acceptable."
She is reported to have given $22m to fund a Kabbalah school in New York under the so-called Spirituality for Kids programme, with which she has become involved. She says it's not that much but the figure must be substantial: a building to house more than 300 children is being converted.
In Los Angeles, where a school is already up and running, children from problem families, and often their relatives, too, are bussed in and given Kabbalah therapy. Her daughter attended after-school classes there last year and Kabbalah heavily emphasises passing on mother-to-daughter wisdom. "She is learning that she's responsible for things. That she's not a victim, that things don't just happen to her by accident," says Madonna.
"For example, there's a girl in her school that she's always fighting with. I don't know why they're fighting but there's some kind of jealousy thing going on. She's eight, it's normal. They're constantly squabbling and this has been going on for months and it's driving me bonkers.
"I said, Lola, you have to make friends with her, do you understand? She said, "But mummy it's not my fault, I didn't start it." I said, you know what, it doesn't matter. Sometimes even when you don't think you're wrong, you have to say you're sorry because when you say "I'm sorry" the dam bursts, everything changes.
"So last week she came running home from school and said, "Mummy, I did it, I did it and it worked. I said I was sorry and she said she was sorry and we made up and now we're friends." So it's teaching her that even if you're caught in a situation and it feels like a stalemate you still have the power to change things . . . and saying sorry is actually a powerful position to be in, not a vulnerable or weak one."
To anyone with children this does not sound like Hebrew mysticism, just plain common sense. And her mix of the mystical and the prosaic seems to leave Madonna's friends cold, too; although happy to drink her champagne, at the end of the evening the stack of books by the exit remains almost untouched.
source : timesonline.co.uk

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie have thrown a lavish star-studded party with a Kabbalah theme in London.
A host of celebrities arrived at the exclusive Mayfair venue to mingle and discuss the latest religion to become a hit with the showbiz set.
Demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow and Donatella Versace were just some of the big names to attend the cocktail soir'e.
Guests were sent away with Kabbalah books so they could further their studies of the in vogue religion at home.
Last month the chart-topping singer and 2000 other members of the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, visited Jerusalem for a mass gathering of the faith's followers.
source : itv.com

Madonna will head the voice cast of the big-budget computer-animated "Arthur," based on a series of children's books written by French filmmaker Luc Besson, who will direct the project, sources said Thursday.
The $80 million English-language project, scheduled for a 2006 release, follows 10-year-old Arthur who, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from developers, goes in search of treasure hidden in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in harmony with nature.
Madonna is understood to be voicing the part of Princess Selenia, a character who travels with Arthur to a mysterious forbidden city where an evil being dwells.
"The recording is being done at the moment," a production source said.
Besson's Europa production banner also is in the process of casting a major male star. The film will include some live-action sequences.
"Arthur" will be the first film directed by Besson since "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" five years ago. Besson also is working on a parallel live-action project, which he has written but which remains a closely guarded secret.
source : reuters.com

Pop diva Madonna and her director husband Guy Ritchie are reportedly teaming up to work together in another film titled 'Revolver', the shooting for which will commence from next week in London.
The celebrity couple's last film 'Swept Away', which was released in 2000, was torn to shreds by critics and had failed to hit the box office jackpot as well, according to rate the music.
But it seems that their unsuccessful past in movie making has not deterred them from venturing into another ambitious movie project again.
source : ANI

Missy Elliott snubbed Madonna when the pop queen tried to convert her to the Kabbalah. The rap star, 33, has admitted the 'Material Girl' offered her the religion's signature red bracelet - worn by stars including Britney Spears and Demi Moore.
But Missy declined because she'd been raised a Christian.
She said: "I love Madonna - we became friends after the Gap advert. She introduced me to Kabbalah and gave me a red bracelet. I'm Christian, so I didn't join - but we're still close."
Meanwhile, Missy has confessed her mother scolds her for her raunchy songs.
The star - whose tracks include 'Get Ur Freak On' and 'Toyz', an ode to vibrators - claims her mother complains she can't boast about her daughter's success to her friends - because her songs are too offensive.
She said: "Mom's very religious and calls me up to tell me off about my songs.
She says she can't even tell people at church to go and buy my records because my lyrics are so rude."
source : femalefirst.co.uk

Pop queen Madonna's latest book has infuriated Kabbalah critics, who claim it brutally forces the mystical offshoot of Judaism "down the throats of innocent children".
Madonna's new kiddies book branded Kabbalah propaganda aimed at children
The Material Girl's fourth children's tome THE ADVENTURES OF ABDI tells the story of ABDI, a young boy who has to deliver the most precious necklace in the world to the queen, and overcomes numerous obstacles "through the power of spiritual certainty".
Religious cult expert Rick Ross tells American news site MSNBC.COM, "The book is just more Kabbalah preaching disguised as a kiddie book. The character survives 'through the power of spiritual certainty'
"It's just pushing Kabbalah down the throats of innocent children." The book will hit book shops in November.
source : femalefirst.co.uk

Madonna's tour documentary, which chronicles her Reinvention Tour and the "new" Madonna, among other things, is now tentatively projected to hit theaters by this spring, her spokesperson said. Jonas Akerlund is directing.
source : mtv

German TV station RTL broadcasted the "Ultimative chartshow - most successful female singer" in German over the last 40 years, based on how many weeks (more than 1 week) their singles spent in the Top 10 of the German charts. In total 73 female singer were listed.
No.1 was Madonna.
They showed several short video clips (interviews, Madonna's first live performance with "Holiday" on German TV , music videos) and stated:
Madonna had 19 Top 10 hits in Germany, spent 136 weeks in the Top 10 with "La Isla Bonita" being the most successful single of her. Each one praised her for her talent, strength, and permanent Re-Invention.
source : drownedmadonna

Madonnalicious.com is the winner of People's Choice Award for best unofficial music website at this year BT Digital Music Awards. Congratulations to Clare ;)

Pop superstar Madonna is planning a duet with African jazz singer Cesaria Evora.
Fans of the 63-year-old Cape Verdan star were surprised to see the Material Girl in the crowd at a concert Evora gave in London last week.
But sources say Madonna is a huge fan and desperate for the pair to collaborate.
An insider reveals, "She's a big admirer of Cesaria's. As far as I know, nothing's been signed yet, but I think they could be singing together soon."
And a spokesperson for Evora's record label Bmg admits a duet isn't out of the question: "A collaboration wouldn't surprise me. Cesaria has an immense global following."
source : teenmusic.com

British pop star Elton John held back on Tuesday from apologising for his recent foul-mouthed attack on Madonna, whom he accused of miming during live performances, saying she is an "artist of the video age".
"I do regret hurting her feelings because she's a major artist," John told Television New Zealand from Las Vegas where he is performing.
However, he appeared to qualify his regret by adding: "But she's a major artist of the video age and she's not the same kind of artist as U2 or Springsteen or Prince or Sting, or someone like that."
Picking up a songwriting award from Q music magazine in London earlier this month, John publicly attacked Madonna when he heard she had been nominated for best live act.
"Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay, like, 75 quid to see them should be shot," he said, referring to London ticket prices for her Reinvention tour.
"Madonna, best fucking live act? Fuck off," John said loudly.
Asked by the TV New Zealand interviewer if Madonna is still speaking to him, John said: "Well, she's probably not actually, which is a shame, but I'm going to have to rectify that."
He said he does not regret saying it "because I have a bee in my bonnet about live shows".
Her show isn't totally live, he said.
"Madonna is a great artist -- I hate to hurt her. I don't like slagging people off."
The pop star added: "It was in the context of a very rowdy lunch. Sometimes when you say something and then it's written down on paper, it looks totally different.
"But I do think she's a good person and I will try to rectify that."
The American pop superstar rejected John's charge at the time, saying she does not lip-synch or criticise other artists.
source : mg.co.za

Debbie Harry and Edinburgh were made for each other. Like the city, she is iconic with a certain arctic hauteur and a tendency today towards a venerable cragginess. And like its Morningside inhabitants, she has also been known to parade about with no knickers.
Despite a number one hit with "Maria"'s jangly pop a few years ago, most of Harry's fans braving the Hogmanay hoar will be in their thirties and forties, a generation who still remember Harry's late-70s heyday as sex on a record; the result of some weird chemical experiment involving Nico, Michelle Pfeiffer and a big bottle of bleach. More knowing than Marianne Faithful, less self-exploitative than Madonna, she was in her thirties when Blondie had hits with "Denis" and "Sunday Girl". Surrounded by the gaucheness of punk, and possessing cheekbones you could hang coats on, the age factor added to her alluring image of mature sexuality. Her habit of wearing skirts with no beginning probably helped too.
An adopted child who grew up in New Jersey dreaming that her real mother was Marilyn Monroe, Harry has said that when she first started singing in groups, she would sometimes wonder if her birth parents were out in the audience, watching her. Yet she never tried to trace them. Instead she threw her energy into gaining wider attention: "In those early days, I was obsessed with fame and fortune. I really wanted to be noticed and adored. It was a big motivating factor and it got me through a lot of bullshit I would never have stood for otherwise."
As an adventurous teenager in New Jersey in the Fifties, she listened to the liberating rhythm and blues of Fats Domino and Bo Diddley. "I had a boyfriend who was hip. We'd go to the Village to see bands. Back then, there was that sense that everything was up for grabs. Kind of like punk later on."
She moved to Manhattan and worked as, among other things, a waitress and a Playboy Bunny girl. She sang in bands; rumour has it she became a groupie, hanging out on the New York punk scene with the Ramones and Iggy Pop and dabbling with narcotics from heroin to LSD and cocaine.
A former cohort of Andy Warhol, Harry was singing with an all-girl trio called The Stilettos when she met Chris Stein. They became inseparable, forming a group together called Angel and the Snake which later became Blondie.
"Every night you just had to watch where you walked," she recalls of their journeys home from gigs in the early days. "And all you'd get was a couple of beers for playing. We had been playing there for six months with the bikers shouting: "Hey, Blondie". One night it clicked. I thought: "That's it - let's call the band Blondie."
Blondie's first hit, "Denis", a pop-punk remake of the 1963 original, made it to number two in the British charts in 1978. That same year, the band's album, Parallel Lines, became a million-seller. From then until the mid-Eighties, Blondie were a bombshell to be reckoned with, and far more musically ambitious than they needed to be. Although nobody thanked them for it at the time, Harry was the first to introduce rap music to a mainstream, white audience with their 1980 hit "Rapture" "and then you're in the man from Mars, you go out at night eating cars...").
But of course a large part of Blondie's commercial success was centred on Harry's sexiness, as was much of the criticism that followed. Long before Madonna's more hard-nosed hard-sell sexuality, Harry was going on stage without any knickers, acting out the part of an assertive blonde bombshell. She attracted condemnation even for a jokey picture where she pretended to lick a record.
After a long series of Blondie hits, however, she took a break at 38 to care for Stein, her lover and guitarist, who had been afflicted with pemphigus, a rare and often fatal skin disorder. Stein slowly recovered, but at the expense of their relationship and Harry's career. "At that point, I never thought I would have a viable pop career again," she noted later. "I thought I was finished. I was tired and disillusioned, burnt out."
She was also physically falling apart; in her forties and early fifties she hit her "ice-cream years" and had her widely discussed weight problems. Then after two decades of peroxide, she went bald in her forties, so she gamely got a crop and a selection of wigs for outdoor wear. "Now that I am a middle-aged woman," she said bravely, "I have become like Cher." Cher, however, had not recorded now-ironic hits such as "Eat To The Beat" and "Die Young, Stay Pretty". And yet Harry has weathered the years better than, say, Mick Jagger or Ronnie Wood, and at 59 is now back in shape thanks to diet and surgery.
Harry is still on the road at venues such as the Edinburgh Hogmanay bash because Blondie made her famous but not rich; the band being one of the last of that foolish breed of rockers who apparently signed recording contracts without consulting lawyers. Consequently their 25 million sales went largely to the record company. It says something about Harry's strength of character that she refuses to whine about this, or the other disappointments she has had along the way.
When she went solo she changed her name to Deborah, but found the fans only wanted Blondie. Despite a hopeful hit, her record company had also lost interest. "French Kissing" was a massive success, but my relationship with Warners was over by then. They were too busy pushing some other blonde. I felt overshadowed by their commitment to Madonna, and this feeling that I was being viewed as some sort of competitive thing that they couldn't devote much time or energy to. Those songs sort of happened on their own."
She claims not to feel any real resentment towards Madonna, despite the fact that the younger woman effectively stole and coarsened her act. "But she did it so well," she says, without bitterness. "She's a very smart woman, actually. I really respect her."
However, even Harry could not dig up a generous response to Atomic Kitten, who covered her hit "The Tide is High".
A film career Harry hoped might blossom, obstinately refused to germinate beyond bit parts in Hairspray and Videodrome. And while Stein has gone on to marry, twice, and have a child, Harry is unmarried and alone. "I don't feel frustrated," she has said. "If I want to have children I can always adopt. Or I can go out and steal them."
Old pop stars never really fade out, they simply re-release. The onward journey may not carry much dignity but there's no mistaking Harry's determination and willpower in pulling herself back to life so many time, professionally and personally. "In some ways it's pretty preposterous that anybody my age is doing what I do but I don't feel bad doing it," she said recently, "and I feel like I'm doing a good job." Debbie Harry may have outgrown her sex kitten stylings, but she has matured into a woman altogether more substantial and formidable.
source : MadonnaNation / scotsman.com

But how does this relate to next month's long-anticipated DVD release of 1985's Live Aid benefit concert, let alone to Elton John's recent attack on Madonna?
Glad you asked.
Sir Elton, as he is known in his homeland, was quick to blast Madonna earlier this month at the annual Q Awards show in London.
"Madonna - best (expletive) live act?" he sputtered. "(Expletive) off. Since when has lip-syncing been live? Anyone who lip-syncs in public on stage when you pay (about $169 per ticket) to see them should be shot."
John, who was apparently unaware that some tickets for Madonna's recent tour cost up to $800 each, then quipped that he would be booted off her Christmas card list: "But do I give a toss? No."
Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, responded: "Madonna does not lip-sync, nor does she spend her time trashing other artists. She sang every note of her Re-Invention tour live and is not ashamed that she was paid well for her hard work."
Eager to help out, Madonna's actor friend, Rupert Everett, came to her defense, in a manner. "Madonna sings everything she can sing," Rupert told reporters in England. "But, if she goes into a dance routine, she's got to dance; you can't breathe and dance and sing at the same time."
Since Madonna danced through the majority of songs on her Re-Invention tour, which bypassed San Diego, Everett's comments don't exactly bolster the case for her singing live. (For the record, James Brown, Tina Turner and many other gifted artists are living proof that you can simultaneously sing and dance - if you're talented enough).
It's no secret that Madonna has lip-synced for years, most notoriously on her Blonde Ambition tour of 1990, which found her talented six-man band miming at least some of its parts as well.
But a flat, hopelessly out-of-tune Madonna did sing live during her mini-performance at Live Aid in 1984. Barring a last-minute change, her unaltered vocals on "Holiday" and "Into the Groove" are scheduled to be included the four-DVD Live Aid release, which is due for release Nov. 10 on Warner Vision International.
Madonna's unadorned singing was so shrill that even Pop Scene - which has long condemned lip-syncing performers - believes Live Aid would have benefited had Madonna not sung live.
That all-star benefit, as you may recall, was spearheaded by Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof to raise money for African famine victims. Held at London's Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's JFK Stadium, the marathon Live Aid concerts raised about $120 million, thanks to worldwide TV coverage, viewer donations and performances by U2, Queen, Sting, the Who, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, Madonna pal Elton John, the Pretenders and many more.
Other artists included Paul McCartney. But the former Beatle was so unhappy with his London Live Aid performance of "Let It Be" that he insisted on recording his vocals anew for the DVD. The reason, ironically, is that McCartney's microphone went dead for the start of the song, which made it appear that - unlike Madonna a continent away - he was lip-syncing.
Conversely, Led Zeppelin has decided that its Philadelphia Live Aid reunion is beyond repair. Guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones recently issued a release describing their performance (which featured both Phil Collins and Chic's Tony Thompson subbing on drums for the deceased John Bohnam) as "substandard."
To compensate for their absence from the DVD, Plant and Page will donate proceeds from their upcoming DVD, "No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded" (due out Oct. 26), to the Band Aid Trust.
Jones, meanwhile, is giving to the trust his earnings from his recent North American tour with Mutual Admiration Society, the ad-hoc band that teamed him with the three members of San Diego's Nickel Creek, ex-Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips and veteran Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas. That tour, like so many others, also bypassed San Diego.
Giving Madonna a run for her money in the most out-of-tune performance of the day competition was the mangled-up-in-blue acoustic mini-set by Bob Dylan, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, who stumbled through "Ballad of Hollis Brown," "When the Ship Comes In" and "Blowin' in the Wind" (the only song to be included on the DVD).
Curiously absent are any of the Live Aid performances by a number of performers, including Santana, Pat Metheny and Run DMC, who were the event's sole hip-hop act. As for Madonna and Elton John, speculation that they will team up for a remake of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," John's disco-tinged 1976 duet with Kiki Dee, is unfounded.
For the record, John's recent acerbic remarks about Madonna's lip-syncing aren't the first time he's dissed the Material Mom.
In 2002, he blasted her performance of "Die Another Day," the theme song to the James Bond film of the same name. "It hasn't got a tune," he charged at the time. "James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one's different. It is the worst Bond tune of all time."
source : signonsandiego.com

Madonna's personal kabbalah guru Rabbi Philip Berg has suffered a stroke and is now wheelchair-bound, raising fears the controversial spiritual leader may not have long to live.
Since his stroke a month ago, Berg has remained in a Los Angeles hospital with his health in decline, one of his assistants said.
Most of his devoted followers at the Beverly Hills Kabbalah Center, where celebs such as Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears often visit, are unaware of the guru's serious health woes.
The 76-year-old rabbi was spotted by The Post last week making the trip from his hospital bed at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where he has been treated as an in-patient, to a $2 million Beverly Hills mansion owned by his eldest son, Yehuda Berg.
Yehuda and Berg's other son, Michael, were seen gathering with other friends around the rear of the car in order to help the ailing rabbi out.
Family and friends attached a small ramp from the back of the van to the driveway and the rabbi was wheeled down in a wheelchair, his head slumped over and looking very weak.
One of his assistants said the rabbi was struggling to regain his strength after the stroke.
"He's doing OK right now, but we'll see in time," he said.
source : nypost.com

"We are very pleased to be able to offer a chance to pre-order Madonna's latest book, The Adventures of Abdi. The book is a beautifully illustrated hardcover picture book about Abdi, a little boy who has been given a very big task. He is to deliver the most precious necklace in the world "made by Eli, his teacher and a master jeweler" to the queen. Along the way he is robbed in the desert, thrown in a dungeon, and has a surprising encounter with a snake. But no matter what obstacles he faces, Abdi never gives up hope, guided by Eli's wisdom that "everything that happens in life is for the best."
The store is also offering an exclusive T-shirt featuring one of the distinctive illustrations from the book on the front and the book's title and the name of the author (you've heard of her, right?) on the back. This shirt comes in two colors (light blue and sand) and in both youth sizes and adult sizes. This shirt is only available there, pre-order before 3:00pm EST on Thursday, November 4th, and you will be automatically entered into a contest with a chance to win an autographed copy of the book.
source : madonna.com

While being in Rome for the Blond Ambition Tour in July 1990, Madonna left a nice autograph to the Hotel in Via Veneto where she stayed. Now the website of the Hotel Majestic has put online nice souvenir. (hotelmajestic.com)
source : madonnatribe

"I'm very pleased that together we completed severl original projects which will soon be announced", says the Dj on her official website... "We worked together on one remix project, Madonna's Easy Ride, which you can hear in our sets". - DJ Tracy Joung
source : djtracyyoung.com

A clarsach player who entertained the pop star Madonna at her Scottish wedding swept the boards at the Royal National Mod in Perth yesterday.
Jennifer Port, from the village of Golspie, north of Inverness, won four medals in what was probably the most impressive individual performance of the day.
A graduate from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the 23-year-old hopes her success at the Mod will help to establish her career as a professional clarsach player.
"At the moment, I suppose you could say that I am a full-time freelance musician. I am just gigging all the time. I spend more of my time in the car than anything else."
There are few ordinary people, like Ms Port, who have come into personal contact with Madonna. Ms Port performed when the pop icon was married at Skibo Castle four years ago.
Ms Port said that Madonna was impressed with her clarsach-playing abilities.
"It was a bit different to playing in a Mod competition, but, yes, I spoke to her and she did seem to really like my playing," said Ms Port.
Meanwhile, the Lord Provost of Perth, Bob Scott, said that judging by the talent on show at the junior competitions on Monday and Tuesday, he would have no problems in supporting further Gaelic music events throughout the year.
"The Mod has been very, very well received by the people of Perth," he said. "The business community has also benefited, and they have taken full part in the Mod.
"You certainly know that there is a Mod in Perth.
"I have been very, very impressed by the talents of the young competitors at the Mod.
"In fact, I would say that I would have no problem in putting such concerts on at the Perth Theatre or the Pitlochry Theatre at any time.
"If the Gaelic language is going to survive, then the young are the key and we are willing to support that."
Angus MacDonald, the president of Mod organisers in An Comunn Gaidhealach, said he was heartened by how the week had gone.
He said "We have been very impressed with Perth. There is a real buzz about the place, and I am quite sure that as the week goes on it will only get better and better."
Today will see the conclusion of the individual adult solo singing competitions, with much of the attention expected to focus on the performance of Wilma Kennedy in the traditional event.
Ms Kennedy is one of the most familiar names on the Gaelic music scene and already has the coveted gold medal under her belt after picking up the award back in 1991. Now she is aiming to join the exclusive club of Gaelic singers who have captured both of the top solo prizes.
source : scotsman.com

Irascible rock star Sir Elton John has admitted he may have been unfair in comments about Madonna's supposed miming on stage.
At a charity fundraiser in Los Angeles he said: "It was probably a bit unfair because there are people who lip- sync worse and whole shows are lip-synced. Her show is not wholly lip-synced.
"Madonna is a great artist, a great performer and a great writer."
He had erupted over her nomination for best live act at a London awards ceremony earlier this month, saying: "F*** off ! Since when has lipsyncing been live?"
source : thisislondon.co.uk

Signatures Network, Inc. (SNI), the entertainment industry's leading merchandising and licensing company, announced today that Madonna's The English Roses(TM) collection is currently launching in select Nordstrom stores, department stores and boutiques. Select items are also available on Nordstrom.com. SNI signed and developed the product lines for the premier licensees for The English Roses, Madonna's hugely successful debut children's book. The licensing program for The English Roses(TM) features Girl's Apparel, Footwear, Rainwear, Collectable Dolls, Teas and Hot Chocolate, Tea Sets, Jewelry Boxes, Charm Bracelets and Necklaces, Calendars and more.
Beginning in October, Nordstrom will create an extensive in-store program around The English Roses(TM), including fashion shows and tea parties.
"Nordstrom is thrilled to carry many items from The English Roses(TM) collection in our stores," said Marci Scott, VP of Kids' Wear at Nordstrom. "We're looking forward to events in our stores for our young customers, giving them the opportunity to see this fun, new merchandise."
The licensees include:
AccessorLee for Belts, Hair Accessories and Lapel Pins
Alexander Doll Company for Collectable Dolls and Dolls' Accessories
Andrews McMeel for calendars
Enzo Shoe for Slippers and Fashion Shoes
Harney & Sons for Teas and Hot Chocolate
High IntenCity for Charm Bracelets and Necklaces
Kidorable for Raincoats and Umbrellas
Lipstik Clothing for Girl's Apparel
Schylling Associates for Tea Sets and Jewelry boxes
"Signatures is delighted to be partnering with Nordstrom and our other launch retailers to debut this exciting program," said Matt Hautau, VP of Licensing & Marketing for SNI. "We're very excited about the incredible group of licensees that we've assembled for this program. Madonna is a true artist of many dimensions, and this line is another extension of her creativity."
source : yahoo.com

...JK ROWLING has written her smallest ever Harry Potter book - for a charity auction.
The tiny tome is full of magic Potter facts such as a list of the books Harry needs for spells, the clothes he wears plus JK's own drawings of broomsticks and witches' hats.
The wizard author is one of 23 big names who have each written an inch-tall book to help the homeless and needy.
Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Lady Thatcher, Muhammad Ali, David Beckham and Bill Clinton have also put pen to paper to produce their own mini-manuals.
All the books are bound in leather except for ex-Beatle Paul's. He is a vegetarian and insisted on a different cover for his hand-written Hey Jude lyrics.
And boxing legend Ali's paper had to be slightly bigger because he has Parkinson's disease, which affects his ability to write and draw in miniature.
His book features a series of matchstick men sketches showing him fighting Joe Frazier.
The books will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on Monday, November 1. The unique Potter publication alone is expected to fetch five figures.
All the money raised will go to the 999 Club charity, which offers emergency support to disadvantaged people living in Deptford, South East London.
JK said: "I wanted to support the 999 Club because of the nature of the way it works - supporting people from local communities and run by people from the local community."
Geordie Greig, editor of society magazine Tatler, who got the celebrities on board, said: "The 999 Club came up with the idea of thumb-sized books and approached me for help. The response has been fantastic.
"We have had calls from all over the world about JK Rowling's book."
Tickets for the auction cost GBP30.



source : drownedmadonna/sun

Madonna is on course to claim Simon Cowell's crown as the world's toughest talent-show judge.
The Queen of Pop is stepping into Mr Nasty's high-waisted trousers in a new US star-search programme to be fronted by hip-hop singer MISSY ELLIOTT.
Madge got the thumbs-up from producers after destroying hopefuls during a screen test with some of the most biting criticism ever seen on a talent show.
Many of her comments were so strong they made Simon Cowell sound like Snow White, so we've used some computer trickery to turn her into the scourge of showbiz.
A source close to Madonna told me: "She doesn't suffer fools gladly. She will have no patience with the have-a-go heroes trying to make a name for themselves.
"If someone walks into the room the wrong way she'll say "no" before a note is sung and that will be their chance gone.
"She will reduce people to tears because she is so direct.
"Her comments really find their targets, they don't go flying past and hit the wall. There is no pantomime about her performance.
"She plays the role of a judge as she is in real life. There is no showing off like there is with Cowell.
"Only real hopefuls will get through to be judged by her. She is brilliant at separating talent from over-confidence and the best thing is that nobody can argue with her verdict."
Madge filmed her screen test for the show in a London studio a month ago after she finished her Re-Invention tour.
She was given tapes of hopefuls and the producers recorded her reaction.
Missy Elliott personally asked Madge to collaborate on the show after they got to know each other while making a series of Gap adverts together.
They became so close they have given each other nicknames.
Madonna calls Missy "Miss Lissa" and Missy calls Madonna "Mad." The new talent show, which has a working title of The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott, has been pencilled in for launch on American television early next year.
I am told Madonna also expects it to be broadcast in Britain soon afterward.
source : sun

Sir Elton John refrained from going to Donatella Versace's bash hosted in honour of pop queen Madonna, and sent his partner, David Furnish instead, reports the Sun.
Elton John who rebuked Madonna for miming during her re-invention tour, at last weeks Q awards avoided an awkward situation by abstaining from the party, in which Madge was the guest of honour.
"Elton's just lucky that he had a sacrificial lamb to send to the slaughter. There was an uncomfortable atmosphere and there were lots of intense stares coming from Madonna's table," a source was quoted as saying.
However, David looked a bit uneasy and sat far away from Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie.
source : ANI

A number of British celebrities, including the likes of 'Harry Potter' creatorJ K Rowling, Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney, football ace David Beckham and pop icon Madonna are doing their altruistic bit by writing a series of 23-books for poor and homeless children.
The series, which is an initiative of London's 999 club, is to be autioned soon and Rowling's book which she has illustrated with witch's hats and Harry Potter's glasses herself and Sir Paul's book, which has the lyrics of the Beatles hit 'Hey Jude,' are expected to draw some of the highest bids, reports The Sun.
source : ANI

Pop icon Madonna has revealed that she visited Israel recently to seek blessings for another baby.
The 'Material Girl' singer, who already has two children and is a known advocate of the Jewish faith of Kabbalah, let this piece of information out at a party at her house, which was attended by the likes of Victoria Beckham and actress Demi Moore, reports the Star magazine.
"She talked about how the trip would renew their lives, and the hope was that being blessed by holy people would make her wish come true," an insider was quoted saying.

Madonna leads the finalists for Billboard's inaugural Backstage Pass Awards. The veteran performer is contending in three of the six artist categories.
The awards recognize the top achievements in touring, according to box-office data gathered from Billboard Boxscore reports between November 2003 and September 2004. They will be presented during the Billboard Backstage Pass touring conference, set for Nov. 8-9 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.
source : billboard.com

Creative partnerships have a tendency to become strained, however, and none more so than those in the film business. In spite of being friends - Vaughn was best man when Ritchie married Madonna - they have had major disagreements. The notorious Swept Away almost brought them to blows. Ritchie wanted Madonna in the role of the heiress trapped on an island with her chauffeur while Vaughn preferred Penelope Cruz. Ritchie believed that Vaughn was implying that Madge wasn't up to the job. In fact, he was taking the line of a producer which was simply that Cruz would sell the movie more easily to investors. Ritchie got his way, however, with the result that we have seen.
Clearly, Vaughn's got the chops to continue producing movies in the UK, a terrifyingly difficult thing to do even with a successful track record. And while he produced Layer Cake, having acquired the rights from its author J J Connolly after meeting him on a train to Belgium, the opportunity to direct the movie has given him a taste for the creative side. In the four years it took to develop Layer Cake, Guy Ritchie pulled out of directing the film and Vaughn was reluctant to give it to anyone else.
"I had put so much effort into it that I wasn't willing to let it go," he said. "I thought, I am not going to run around town and find some director who will start doing things I wouldn't want. I knew every shot of this movie. Why go through the hell of giving it to someone else?"
In the closed and jealously protective world that is the British film industry, Vaughn and Ritchie are still regarded as rogue upstarts, cinematic spivs who got lucky. But now that Vaughn has shown himself capable of being both the money and the talent, his detractors are going to have to start taking him seriously. Goodbye Mr Schiffer. Hello Mr de Vere Drummond.
source : belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Madonna's legion of fans have launched a vigorous defence of the singer following Sir Elton John's recent verbal assault.
Sir Elton's expletive-strewn tirade against Madonna at the Q Awards accused the singer of miming in her concerts.
However, Madge's friend Rupert Everett has waded into the war of words, accusing Elt of being "bossy and cranky".
And on Madonna's website www.drownedmadonna.com, fans have lined up to criticise Elt, one of pop's elder statesmen. They label him a "fat frog" and dub him senile.
Speaking about Madonna's nomination for Best Live Act, Sir Elton said anyone who lip-synchs at a £75 per person concert "should be shot".
He said: "Madonna, best f****** live act? F*** off. Since when has lip-synching been live? That's me off her f****** Christmas card list but do I give a toss? No."
A spokeswoman for Madonna said Sir Elton remains on the star's Christmas card list "whether he is nice ... or naughty"
source : itv.com

Rupert Everett has accused Elton John of being "bossy and cranky" after he criticised his pal Madonna for lip-synching on her re-invention world tour.
The British actor became close friends with Madonna when the pair teamed up in film flop The Next Best Thing and he has stepped in to defend her after Elton attacked the singer during the Q Awards ceremony in London.
Bitchy Elton slammed Madonna for charging fans upwards of $75 (GBP41.60) to see her perform and then lip-synching certain songs - criticism Everett has taken to heart.
He fires back, "I don't understand what he's got against her because this is the second time he's stuck into her a bit. That seems really unfair to me.
"Listen, any singer who dances all the time, you don't have the breath to sing all the time. Everyone knows that. It's unfair to make it a point. If you do a heavy dance routine, at some point you're going to do a bit of lip-synch. But everybody does that.
"Madonna sings everything she can sing but, if she goes into a dance routine, she's got to dance; you can't breathe and dance and sing at the same time. She doesn't lip-synch her whole performance.
"I bet Elton has lip-synched moments of his performance, even though he's at a piano all the time.
"He's very bossy these days, I think. I mean he's lovely but he's a bit bossy and he does seem a bit cranky."
source : contactmusic

Hey Madonna fans,
Madonna is thrilled to announce the debut of her official ringtones & images service for your mobile phone!
Now you can take Madonna's music and image with you wherever you go!
Eight of her greatest hits are now available as mobile phone ringtones as well as 16 of her most stunning live and studio shots.
Personalize your mobile now and turn it into an authentic Madonna devoted device!
source : madonna.com

Sir Elton John has accused Madonna of cheating fans by miming on stage, while collecting a Q Award for songwriting.
As he collected his Classic Songwriter prize in London on Tuesday, he criticised live award nominee Madonna.
"Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay GBP75 to see them should be shot," Sir Elton said.
Muse won best live act while the Red Hot Chili Peppers won best act in the world and Roxy Music took the Lifetime Achievement award from Q magazine.
Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's US press agent, denied that the star used lip-synching when performing live.
"Nor does she spend her time trashing other artists," she said.
"She sang every note on her Re-invention tour live."
Elton John said his comments would mean he would no longer be on Madonna's Christmas card list.
But Ms Rosenberg added: "Elton John remains on her Christmas card list where he is nice.... or naughty."
source : bbc.co.uk

Italian singer Laura Pausini admitted she feels very satisfied to have recorded a song written by Queen of Pop Madonna about spirituality, that is included on her forthcoming album Resta in Ascolto/Escucha Atento.
"Madonna wanted to give one of her compositions to a person that usually doesn't sing in English and the fact that I'm Italian like her and that I sing in Spanish like she also does, in a language she adores... I think that's what has bonded us together in music", Pausini told yesterday a South American newspaper.
The song Pausini recorded is called Mi abbandono a te/Me abandono a ti and features some changes to the original Madonna song. Changes made by the Italian singer herself that were submitted to the Queen of Pop by e-mail as the two didn't have the time to meet in person yet.
Laura's new album also includes a song dedicated to the story of the Ali Smain, the Iraqui kid that lost both parents and both his arms after when a bomb was dropped on his house in Bagdad. "I would like that people would go on the internet and read his story", said Pausini. "Some many things happened to this child and my songs talks about a kid, a soldier and an eagle."
Mi abbandono a te/Me abandono a ti, a song produced by Rick Nowels is rumoured to be a new version of the famous (among Madonna diehard fans) song Like a Flower, that leaked on the internet a year ago in a demo version beautifully sung by Madonna herself in 1998, during the sessions of the Ray of Light album.
source : madonnatribe.com

In the quest to find our inner selves, Kabbalah has become the buzz word for celebrity spiritual sampling, with Madonna its megawatt champion.
It has made the once obscure ancient mystical Jewish teaching for spiritual enlightenment a household word around the world, in what one publication called a "celebrity Kabbalah cult".
But when the lapsed Material Girl made her tour of Israel last week in her new spiritual alter ego of Esther, the news reports hit home with Ben Ketang here in Jakarta.
"I have been living and breathing Kabbalah since 2002," Ben said, not without pride. "It has done so much for me personally."
Ben, who worked as a media and public opinion analyst for one of the presidential teams and is part of the Indonesia-Israel Cooperative Association (IICA) for business ties, said the spiritual tool provided him with a sense of direction in his life.
"I am now quite in control of myself. I am at peace with myself. It takes something to control oneself."
Some critics have dismissed Kabbalah as a cult, with unscrupulous practitioners making a buck off lost souls searching for themselves.
Ben countered that in its teaching that the individual must overcome egoism and the yearnings of self, Kabbalah shows how to put a clamp on one's thoughts.
"We have to eliminate all negative thinking, even if it concerns your enemy," Ben said. "It is very hard not to think badly about people whom you know think (badly) about you. But, the main ingredient of the teaching is sharing. There are many things to share, which does not necessarily mean sharing on a financial level."
It can take the form of sharing a good idea, or listening to someone's complaints, for instance. Kabbalah is Hebrew for "to receive" and people are "vessels" to receive blessings, happiness and sustenance.
The ancient spiritual tool, which started about 2,000 years ago, became better known in Indonesia through former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres, a friend of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.
Ben said Peres sent several hundred copies of the Zohar, widely considered the most important work for the study of Kabbalah, for donation to whoever might be interested in learning more.
"That is when my interest in Kabbalah started," Ben said. "It is not only practiced by the Jews, other Arabian countries also delved in this spiritual technology thousands of years ago."
Kabbalists claim the spiritual tool can be used as a supplement to greater enlightenment for those from any religion.
They also say that it is a very powerful tool with mystical overtones (thus, each word of the Scriptures is believed to contain its own power). The word impossible does not exist in a practitioner's dictionary; failures or difficulties are regarded as illusions; they are not real. Real is the Light of the Creator.
With its ties to Judaism and Israel, however, many Indonesians may be wary of Kabbalah's mission.
Although Gus Dur, who is an international board member of the Shimon Peres Center for Peace, urged the opening of greater ties with Israel during his presidency, the need for presidential candidate (and likely winner) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to declare that he would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel during the campaign shows the continuing sensitivity on the subject among Muslims.
Ben said his personal hope was for the establishment of an Israeli embassy in Jakarta, to allow greater exploration of Kabbalah, but he realized it was not a possibility today.
"At the moment, we still don't have enough members," said Ben, who has visited Kabbalah centers in Israel. "Pakistan is advancing much better than us. They have had a study center since a couple of months ago. I'd like to set up a center here, too, to give those who are interested the opportunity to learn Kabbalah. It would be a branch of The Kabbalah Center in the USA."
The center has more than 50 study centers spread around the globe and more than three million members worldwide, said Allan Harari, an American expatriate in the flour milling business who has studied Kabbalah for seven years.
In a bid to introduce the teachings to more people in the country, Harari organized a presentation on a recent Sunday. About 20 people showed up to listen to what benefits they could expect if they studied Kabbalah. The teaching promises protection, happiness, prosperity and well being, if you do not let your ego get the better of you, Harari said.
It is by no means an easy study. It boils down to correcting oneself most of the time, and students should expect to turn around their way of thinking order to tame their egos. The belief is that problems and chaos are mainly due to ego.
A recent practitioner of Kabbalah is Jeffrey Mogot. Out of work and suffering badly from asthma, he started to scan the "healing" word provided in a book named 72 Names Of God.
The healing words are in Aramaic print. Kabbalah claims that the letters radiate a healing force that will cure illness or make a person's wishes come true.
Jeffrey said that the daily practice was of great help. His condition changed within a couple of weeks; coughing practically stopped altogether, the wheezing has also disappeared and he felt more energetic.
"It really is a blessing since I don't have the means to get regular treatment at some expensive hospital or clinic," he said.
source : thejakartapost.com

Producer, remixer, and DJ extraordinaire Rauhofer releases his fourth volume of the wildly popular "Live @ Roxy" series straight from his residency at NYC's club Roxy. This specially priced double CD contains rare new exclusive remixes as well as Peter's own signature mixes of Madonna, David Morales, and others.
source : drownedmadonna

Pop diva Madonna has rubbished rumours that she has enrolled at Britain's prestigious Oxford University to study English Literature.
It was earlier rumoured that the 'Frozen' star had signed up for a distance learning programme over the Internet, but an Oxford University spokesman revealed that they don't provide online degree courses.
"We don't actually do online degree courses, so there can't be any truth in this," rate the music quoted the spokesman as saying.
Madonna's agent, meanwhile, said, "As far as I know, this is rubbish."
source : ANI

Pop superstar Madonna has one regret about her new clothing line the English Roses Collection - she's too old to wear it.
The Material Girl recently launched the line, based on her children's books, and the mother-of-two says she'd love to be able to wear some of the items herself.
She says, "I wish I was eight years old again and could fit into an English Roses outfit. I have tried to squeeze into one of my daughter's shirts and I looked ridiculous. No fair!"
source : contactmusic.com

Despite many rumours in the press, the Re-Invention tour will not be extended to any other venues or countries. Madonna's manager Caresse Henry has confirmed that there will be no extension to the tour.
source : madonnalicious.com

For her solo debut, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, out November 23rd, No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani cast her net wide, seizing the opportunity to work with a vast array of artists.
"The whole idea was to collaborate," says Stefani. "To do a solo record means trying to pour my heart out, which I feel like I already do in No Doubt. This is more of an art project. I wanted to play different roles and work with a ton of people."
Expect hip-hop beats from Dr. Dre and the Neptunes, as well as OutKast's Andre 3000. Dallas Austin (Pink, TLC) and Nellee Hooper (Massive Attack, Soul II Soul) give some tracks a dance feel, and the album's New Wave sound comes by way of Depeche Mode's Martin Gore, ex-Eurythmics Dave Stewart and New Order.
"I knew exactly what my influences were -- Club Nouveau, Lisa Lisa, Prince, New Order, the Cure, early Madonna," says Stefani. "Everybody was under strict instructions."
The album's first single, "What You Waiting For?," is set to hit airwaves this month. And Stefani will make her Hollywood debut in December, when she plays Jean Harlow alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator.
source : rollingstone.com