all about Madonna

Either you do or you don’t believe Madonna’s midlife conversion to a more spiritual way of life. If you do, you will be touched by her documentary, “I Am Going to Tell You a Secret.” If you don’t, you can still savor brilliant concert footage from last year’s “Reinvention” tour. The film, directed by Jonas Akerlund, was screened Tuesday night for an audience of dyed-in-the-wool fans. They screamed and applauded throughout. There is intimate and revealing material with her father, her husband, Guy Ritchie, and her two children, Lourdes and Rocco. (Rocco provides rambunctious comedy relief. Lourdes is a soulful beauty.) And while M does quite a bit of “enlightened” proselytizing here, she has not lost her rowdy sense of humor, her pop-star “attitude” or her sense of the ridiculousness of her position ” seeking serenity in the world of showbiz. It’s the flip side of “Truth or Dare” ” the decadent diva of 1990 versus the searching wife and mom of 2005. Fifteen minutes of sharp editing would help, but I’d say the same of “Truth of Dare,” too. (”Secret” airs tomorrow night on MTV.)
M, who looks stunning on film and in real life (must be those oxygen facials!) partied joyously after, at the Morgan Hotel ” those broken bones have healed! To everyone who approached with a compliment, the star said earnestly, “Did you get it? Did I make my point? I want people to feel better, to be uplifted.” She couldn’t be more sincere. And I am not in the least surprised. I never quite believed in Madonna the sexual outlaw. Though she freely admits, “I had a good time back then.” The good times aren’t over, just altered. Life is change.

from TheSun.co.uk : Anyone who thought Madonna might have abdicated as the Queen of Pop can kneel at her throne once more.
I’m the first journo in the world to have heard her new album – and it is an absolute belter. Confessions On A Dance Floor wipes the, er, floor with her critically acclaimed CDs such as Ray Of Light. It is an hour of pure electronic dance/pop heaven. Madonna says: “I want people to jump out of their seats. It’s about having a good time straight through and non-stop.”?
And she’s absolutely right about that. There are no gaps between tracks so listening feels like you are having a private DJ session at the Ministry Of Sound. I can’t find a weak track, and I’m confident the album will be hailed a masterpiece on its November 14 release.
Click here to read the full “track by track” review.

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source : madonna.com

No matter what Madonna does, she courts controversy ” and her latest album and documentary are no different.
Confessions on a Dance Floor made news last week when Israeli Kabbalist rabbis declared one of “I’m a big fan of being spiritual.
I’m not a big fan of being religious in [an] elitist way.” ” Madonna the album’s songs to be a “great sin,” while the tour documentary “I’m Going to Tell You a Secret” has just started making headlines for some of the religious commentary in it.
“What are you going to do?” Madonna asked in exasperation at the movie’s premiere Tuesday night in Manhattan.
The song that has religious leaders up in arms is called “Isaac,” which the rabbis said was about the 16th century Jewish mystic Yitzhak Luria, whose name, according to Jewish law, is not to be used for profit. Rabbis Rafael Cohen and Israel Deri told the Israeli newspaper Maariv that Madonna singing a song about Luria was “unacceptable” and that they’re asking that she be thrown out of the Kabbalah community.
“The absurd thing is that it’s not what they think it is,” Madonna said. “It’s not a song about Isaac Luria. I don’t know anything about Isaac Luria, so I couldn’t write a song about him. The song is called ‘Isaac’ because the man who is singing on it is named Isaac. I think one person saw that name and decided that they were going to go out and say I was doing something blasphemous, and it’s just not true.”
It is true, though, that religious ideas play a large part in the documentary ” they’re just not addressed in a shocking way, as the headlines would have you believe.
Yes, she read from the book of Revelations, and yes, her dancers dressed in religious garb and marched down a runway during “American Life” ” but that’s old news to anyone who saw her Re-Invention Tour (see “Madonna Twirls Rifle, Lifts Up Her Kilt At Tour Opener”). Madonna’s glib commentary about priests and nuns shouldn’t shock anyone who’s seen her videos, but all the attention on those brief moments undermines the larger themes she tried to get across ” bridging religions, bringing people together, hoping for peace.
Perhaps her message was most clearly expressed through her cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which she played each night on the tour. “I think John Lennon was a prophet in so many ways,” Madonna said. “It could have been written 100 years ago or 100 years from now, the words still mean the same.”
The song doesn’t present a message particular to her Kabbalist leanings, she emphasized. “I would make a distinction between spirituality and religion,” she said. “To a large degree, religion does separate people, you know: ‘This is my group; if you’re not in this group, I’m better than you.’ And there’s a lot of discrimination in the world because of that. I’m a big fan of being spiritual. I’m not a big fan of being religious in that sort of elitist way.”
Madonna said spirituality is even more powerful than politics when it comes to changing the world for the better. “Historically, you get rid of one despot, another pops in his place,” she said. “You have to get involved in the community around you, and there’s a way you can use politics to make a change, but I don’t think it’s going to change everything.”
That’s why she went to Israel, she said ” an experience that caps the end of the documentary. She was originally supposed to perform there, but the shows were canceled for security reasons. While she was there, she gave a fundraising speech in Tel Aviv for Spirituality for Kids, a group whose goals include bringing Israeli and Palestinian kids together.
“They bring kids in from abused homes and they bring them in with their parents and teach them how to relate to one another and to relate to each other with human dignity,” she explained. “My daughter, who attends classes, is learning about her ego and how she can control it. Who would have thought you could learn that when you were a child?
“I think it was important to show that aspect, and put my money where my mouth is,” she added. “Because all during the show, all during the film, I’m saying we have to take responsibility not just for ourselves but the world around us. I talk the talk, do I walk the walk?”
“I’m Going to Tell You a Secret” premieres on Friday at 10 p.m. on MTV. That same day, you can catch the in-depth interview “MTV News Raw: Madonna” exclusively on MTV Overdrive.
source : mtv

Click here or on the image bellow to download short report from the premiere of Madonna’s new documentory.

Videos from Leute Heute, RTL and MTV News are available on Madonna TV

As for her apparent move away from her “Material Girl” image, “(The Jewish spiritual movement of) Kaballah is a big part of it, I think. She’s definitely evolved, as a person, and as an individual, and it’s reflected in her work. And you can certainly see in this film that the things that were important to her once (aren’t as important anymore).
“There’s a great point in the movie where she says, ‘You know, I had a lot of fun back then. I’m not going to say I didn’t have fun. But fun can be overrated.’ And I think she’s discovered that other things matter.”
Does that seeming evolution surprise Norris?
“You have to sort of wonder, what was the alternative, if there wasn’t a family. She says she felt sort of like a spinning wheel 15 years ago. She had a good time, but some days she’d feel like, ‘Hey, this is great.’ Other times, she would feel like something is lacking. Obviously, she found her path.”
Asked whether there’s any reflection in the movie on Madonna being a very strict mother, Norris says, “You do see the kids. I think it’s the first chance people have ever had to hear the kids speak. They’re so great and charming and adorable and articulate. Whatever she’s done, she seems to be doing it right. You get a good view of the kids.”
Norris describes Madonna’s new album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor” as “wall-to-wall dance music; the most dance-oriented thing she’s done, at 47. More power to her. It’s gonna do well in the clubs. We’ll see how it does on radio.”
Is Madonna as relevant or important as she was 20 years ago?
“I think,” Norris says, “to a lot of people, she is, and (she) even (has) a certain more relevance now.”
source : cbs

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US – #2

Academy Award winner, Morgan Freeman, Honorary Chair, for the Pasadena-Foothills Chapter of the United Nations Association (PUNA) announced today that popular singer and music artist, Madonna will join him as Honorary Co-chair for PUNA’s October 22, fundraiser to celebrate the 60 years of the United Nations (UN). Comedian and alumni Saturday Night Live cast member, Nora Dunn, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. This year’s event brings the UN’s goals for Human Rights back into focus, as the organization highlights the United Nation’s 8 Millennium Development Goals to create a better world.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 19, 2005 — Academy Award winner, Morgan Freeman, Honorary Chair, for the Pasadena-Foothills Chapter of the United Nations Association (PUNA) announced today that popular singer and music artist, Madonna will join him as Honorary Co-chair for PUNA’s October 22, fundraiser to celebrate the 60 years of the United Nations (UN). Comedian and alumni Saturday Night Live cast member, Nora Dunn, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. This year’s event brings the UN’s goals for Human Rights back into focus, as the organization highlights the United Nation’s 8 Millennium Development Goals to create a better world.
Executive Director, Sherry Dean-Simpson, point out, “This chapter of the UN is one of the oldest and most influential chapters around today. I am pleased to announce the addition of Madonna as Honorary Co-chair for this important occasion.”? We are proud to have such distinguished guests support us in our efforts.”?
Also sharing the events’ spotlight will be worldwide renowned Honorary Artist Patron Chair for the UN, Nishat Khan. In April 2002, Nishat received an award for his inspiration and dedication to humanity from a foundation linked to the United Nations (past recipients included Sting and Nelson Mandela). Khan will also be a featured speaker.
The gala will also include a tribute to past and present chapter PUNA presidents and a taped appearance by Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu. The exhibit will feature artwork of community artists and international celebrities inspired by the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As part of the fundraising activities, select art pieces will be on display for silent auction bidding, additionally, the Navajo Indian, Peace Beads will be on sale as a memento of heritage and peace between peoples. Works inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and pay tribute to the UN’s 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be on sale to the public.
The historic Pacific Asian Museum provides a beautiful and graceful backdrop for the silent auction fundraiser, with three separate areas of activity. Starting at the museum’s front gate and moving upstairs to where the selected art pieces will be displayed, then on to the back courtyard where the reception will be held.
Sponsored by Pasadena’s K-Mozart 105.1 radio station who has been serving the cultural community with classical music for over 45 years, and Cobblestone Vineyards, Napa Valley and Monterey exceptional wineries, the event will draw attention to the local chapter and its plans to boost the UN’s presence in the Los Angeles community.
The group hopes to raise $50,000 to further its mission of educating the public about the goals of the UN. The funds collected from this event will go toward the association’s goal of creating a greater awareness and extension of their reach to a broader community. Pasadena Mayor, Bill Bogaard is one of a number of outstanding figures comprising the Honorary Committee, whose members lead the way in unifying the community and global consciousness.
Doors are open to the public. All artwork will be on display for silent bid starting at 6 p.m.
source : emediawire

Madonna hasn’t let her kids see her classic, controversial 1991 documentary ‘Truth or Dare,’ which profiled her Blonde Ambition Tour.
Perhaps she’ll let them see her forthcoming ‘I’m Going to Tell You a Secret’ – which premieres Friday at 10 p.m. on MTV – and not just because they’re in it. For her latest re-invention, Madonna’s all grown up now. (Get a 10-minute sneak preview of Madonna’s new documentary, only on Overdrive.)
‘It’s a different me,’ she said. ‘I have a husband, I have a family, my whole life has changed. It would be pretty strange if I was behaving the same way I did 12 years ago – that would be a little freaky. No more Evian bottles!’
Besides ditching the erotic simulations, Madonna’s documentary ‘I’m Going to Tell You a Secret,’ which chronicles her 2004 Re-Invention Tour, also abandons a lot of the self-involvement that made ‘Truth or Dare’ so candid. This time, she’s happy to share screen time with her troupe of dancers, her musical director, her choreographer and others. She’s constantly pushing them to think more, to be more, do more – asking them if they believe in God, if they’re registered to vote.
She gives one crew member a guitar, so that he’ll write more songs. And during one tour stop, she takes her dancers to see a classical pianist play, so that they’ll be exposed to passion in another art form.
Still, she tells them just before their last show, crying, that she regrets not having spent more time with them. That’s because this time, to contradict Warren Beatty’s famous criticism in ‘Truth or Dare,’ she is living off-camera.
‘I think one of the big differences was that I didn’t have a family during ‘Truth or Dare,’ ‘ she said, ’so I spent more time with the dancers, doing goofy, crazy, mischievous things with them. This film, it’s a juggling act. I do less stuff with the dancers, but I cry, because I love them, and it’s very hard to let go of them.’
That connection starts right at the beginning, with an audition process where she pointedly looks for dancers not to blend in, but to stand out. She wants them to have ’something special’ – so they can do solos and not just be in the background. ‘I don’t think of them as dancers,’ she explained. ‘I think of them as actors, as performance artists.’ She picks one for his skill at tap-dancing, another for breakdancing – and asks them if they smoke marijuana. Not because she’s morally opposed, but because she says it’ll slow them down in the end.
Because she identifies with them – having worked as a dancer herself – she hates cutting them from the auditions, and seems to be as gleeful when they are when she gets to tell them they’ve made the cut. ‘I know what it’s like to dance your heart out and have them go, ‘Thanks, you can leave now,’ ‘ Madonna said. ‘It’s terrible.’
It’s also terrible, she says, to try to leave her family behind, so she tries to take them on the road with her at times, although her husband seems to prefer hanging out at pubs to seeing every show. Her two kids, meanwhile, have definitely learned a few lessons from mom – including how to steal a scene. Lourdes, 9, sounds impressive when she instructs 4-year-old Rocco to look at ‘the big picture.’ Rocco laughs uproariously.
Madonna says she was reluctant at first to include them – she didn’t want to exploit them, but if she didn’t show that side of her life, the documentary ‘would be a lie.’ ‘It’s a fine line to walk,’ Madonna said. So she ended up taping the segments with her kids with a friend of the family. ‘Everyone was very comfortable,’ she said. ‘Honestly, they didn’t even know (the cameraman) was there. They just sort of behaved as they normally do.’
Even though Lourdes is a natural, Madonna jokes that she doesn’t want her daughter following in her footsteps. ‘She’s going to be a nun!’ Madonna declared. But seriously, little Lola is already displaying a talent for ballet, and will be dancing in ‘The Nutcracker’ in London this year.
Perhaps after that, Mom will reconsider letting her daughter see at least this documentary, to see what life as a dancer on the road is really like.
‘I’m Going To Tell You a Secret’ premieres on Friday, October 21, at 10 p.m. on MTV.
source : mtv

The hulking security guards standing at the side of a Hunter College lecture hall was a big hint that their usual professor might be taking the afternoon off. When the lights came up and Madonna walked in, that confirmed it.
The former Material Girl surprised students at a film course who had just seen an advance screening of her tour documentary, I’m Going to Tell You a Secret.
Her appearance was filmed for the mtvU network series Stand In, where celebrities such as Marilyn Manson, Bill Gates, Shimon Peres, Melissa Etheridge and Kanye West have appeared as guest lecturers at colleges.
Many of the students were about the age Madonna was when she moved from Michigan to New York, determined to make it first as a dancer, then as a singer.
“I wanted to be different,” she said Tuesday. “I wanted to be somebody.”
Asked by a student what drove her to succeed, the 47-year-old pop star said, “It’s one of those things you can’t really answer. You’re either hungry and determined to make it, or you’re not. I know a lot of people who, when they got rejected, they accepted what people said about them. I never did that.”
Madonna, who was raised a Roman Catholic, said she was led toward Jewish mysticism following a spiritual quest that began when she had children.
“Being a celebrity, you can get very caught up and seduced into believing and thinking that what you do is the most important thing in the world and get very attached to material things,” she said. “I’m guilty of that and I’m still guilty of that, but hopefully I’m becoming less attached.”
When she studied Kabbalah, it was the first time she felt encouraged to ask questions.
“Kabbalah may not be the best thing for everybody,” she said. “It has worked for me.”
The wife of filmmaker Guy Ritchie offered a piece of personal advice: “The best thing to do is find one person in your life and try to love them unconditionally. If you’ve accomplished that, you’ve accomplished a lot.”
source : ap