all about Madonna

Madonna must be seen as well as heard, as the video portion of The Confessions Tour Live From London’s CD/DVD combo proves. Whether emerging from a giant disco ball in an equestrian getup or hanging from a crucifix no other performer has her knack for turning arena concerts into performance-art spectacle Madge displays her genius for eye-popping (and scandal-seeking) tableaux. The CD is less engrossing, but it makes a good case for the 2005 Confessions… album even the woozy Kabbalah anthem ”Isaac” holds up with Madge’s best. B+

Several gossip Web sites reported the comments beneath headlines and lead paragraphs that said that Irish actor Liam Neeson had criticized Madonna’s adoption of an African boy. Neeson threatenes to sue gossip Web sites over the reports.
“In response to totally unfounded allegations recently published on the Internet that I had criticized Madonna’s decision to adopt an African child, I wish to make it absolutely clear that I have not at any stage sought to criticize or pass judgment on Madonna’s decision,” Neeson said in a statement supplied by his Belfast lawyer to The Associated Press.
“Indeed I did not even mention her name, and most certainly was not intending to refer to her, during the course of the interview which has been so blatantly distorted,” Neeson said.
source : ap

She’s sold over 200 million albums worldwide, won seven grammy awards, and is the highest earning female singer of all time. But even Madonna had to start somewhere. In this exclusive WOW TV clip, Madonna is filmed during her first-ever live performance.
The clip is featured on the WOW TV No Entiendes channel, a large archive of filmed performances from legendary doorman and club promoter Haoui Montaug’s talent shows at New York’s Danceteria in the 1980s. There’s no grand entrance from a giant mirrorball, just a shabby red curtain pulled to one side by Montaug. There’s no tightly choreographed dance troupe, just three mismatched dancers who look like they rehearsed in someone’s kitchen. But there’s no mistaking that Madonna, with her spunky persona, funky moves, and earnest voice, is already on her way to bigger and better things as she performs “Everybody.” And just what is that glare we see the singer throw back at the dancers towards the end of the song? Is this clip also witness to the birth of Madonna the short-tempered diva?
WOW TV proudly presents the world premiere of Sire Recording artist Madonna, singing “Everybody” at Haoui Montaug’s No Entiendes (1982).

Click here to watch this video.

English director Guy Ritchie is venturing into television with “Suspects,” an ABC drama pilot that he will direct and executive produce.
“Suspects” is a procedural crime drama that tells the story of each suspect in a recently committed crime until the truth about which one of them committed the crime is revealed.
Ritchie is best known for writing and directing “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch,” as well as the infamous remake of “Swept Away,” starring his wife, Madonna.

Her Madge releases a live album, The Confessions Tour, on January 29. Where to next for the queen of controversy and reinvention? It’s anyone’s guess. As this top 10 demonstrates, she has covered a lot of bases, but key principles remain at the core of her work: attitude, danceability, savvy, elusiveness and tunes to die for.

1 Cherish – Quite simply one of the greatest pop songs ever. “Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way, I bet”?, indeed.
2 Papa Don’t Preach – Her best vocal, and the most musically rewarding of her early songs.
3 Material Girl – The defining anthem of the greed-is-good decade?
4 Vogue – Did anyone ever master the dance steps? Maybe not, but we sang along all the same.
5 Into the Groove – The moment when, with the Desperately Seeking Susan tie-in, she went stratospheric.
6 Like a Prayer – The video was condemned as blasphemous, overshadowing this hair-raisingly good song.
7 Ray of Light – Always at her best when written off, Madonna discovered rave here, and blazed back into contention.
8 Borderline – Impossibly addictive 1980s electro, back when she pretty much owned the genre.
9 Music – A return to her dancefloor roots reductive, in your face, unmistakable.
10 Like a Virgin – A helium-voiced come-on, touching the world for the very first time.

Source: The Times.

International Album of the Year
Christina Aguilera

International Female Artist of the Year
Christina Aguilera

Madonna leaving the gym in London (January 18 2007)

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. J.K. Rowling
3. Martha Stewart
4. Madonna
5. Celine Dion
6. Mariah Carey
7. Janet Jackson
8. Julia Roberts
9. Jennifer Lopez
10. Jennifer Aniston
11. The Olsen Twins
12. Britney Spears
13. Judge Judy
14. Sandra Bullock
15. Cameron Diaz
16. Gisele Bundchen
17. Ellen DeGeneres
18. Nicole Kidman
19. Christina Aguilera
20. Renee Zellweger

Madonna
Rank: 4
Net Worth (in $ millions): 325
Age: 48
Marital Status: married
Kids: 3
Source: music

She could have easily disappeared into pop obscurity like the other frothy pop tartlets (Cyndi Lauper, Neneh Cherry) who came to fame on nascent MTV in the early 1980s. But Madonna’s masterful manipulation of her image and the press, combined with an astute business sense, have crowned her as one of entertainment’s wealthiest and most enduring acts. While her albums don’t sell like they used to, her concerts still set attendance records all over the world, grossing $1 billion over the course of her 20-year career. The Material Girl’s portfolio is also crammed with expensive items like contemporary art, real estate and a wardrobe of no small historical significance.

source : forbes

Golden Globe winner Dame Helen Mirren finds Madonna’s controversial 1992 Sex book inspirational – and admits she holds the star’s outspoken sexual views in high regard.
Sixty-one-year-old Mirren, whose reputation for stripping off in films often obscured her acting ability, insists she hated having to play a certain type of ’sexy female’ in the past – but admires Madonna’s ‘fantastic’ and unique grasp of her sexual self.
She says, ‘The thing that was imposed on me from the outside was crude and vulgar and distressful to me, and disturbing – that big t**s, blonde hair, Diana Dors, blowsy kind of thing. (But) I think Madonna got it right. Madonna claimed it for herself, and I’ve always admired her for that. I loved that Sex book she did. I thought it was fantastic, because it was a big two fingers up, ‘This is my sexuality, it’s not what you put on me, it’s mine.’
source : contactmusic

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Ritchie is a dynamic entrepreneur who has succeeded in a competitive industry. How has Madonna achieved her success? And why should we care? Because the five dimensions of her successful strategy are equally important to success in the business world.
Vision. One of the most important drivers of Madonna’s success has been her vision, held since high school, of becoming the world’s foremost female performer. Firms too must have a vision of where they want to go and how to get there. Similarly, managers who are unsure of their career goals frequently miss opportunities.
Understanding customers and industry. It is clear that Madonna’s successes have been underpinned by a deep and insightful appreciation of her customers and understanding of the music industry. Madonna was one of the world’s first artists to bring the focus-group approach to the music industry. In mid-2005 she partnered with DJ and producer Stuart Price to test tunes (without vocals) in clubs from Liverpool to Ibiza. The reaction of the dancers was filmed and used to determine the tracks for Confessions on a Dance Floor. She has also realised the need to partner with the key industry players such as MTV and is a skilled self-publicist. To get ahead in an increasingly competitive and global world, companies must also develop a keen understanding of their customers and industries.
Leveraging competences, addressing weaknesses. Another important element in Madonna’s success has been her ability to acknowledge her own competences and weaknesses. Very early in her career Madonna realised that neither her dancing nor voice were strong enough on their own, so she teamed up with people who could help her, including Michael Jackson’s manager, Freddie de Mann. Similarly, companies and managers need to think about developing the skills and contacts that they need to ensure future success.
Consistent implementation. Madonna isn’t the product of any music company her success is down to sheer hard work. Most of her entertainment interests have been owned or operated by her own companies. Likewise in industry, compiling strategy or setting targets is easy, the difficulty is in implementation.
Continuous renewal. The frequent reinvention of Madonna’s style and sound has reflected an acute awareness of changing styles, social norms and attitudes in a rapidly changing industry. Likewise companies and individuals who are one-trick ponies can expect market or career derailment unless they are able to renew and reinvent themselves.
This is a precis of Entrepreneurs on a Dance Floor, by Jamie Anderson and Martin Kupp, in the London Business School magazine Business Strategy Review (Winter)

source : The Times