all about Madonna

By Chris Habana, available at Oak for $54

Part of Legends of Pop, a limited edition line, which also includes Michael Jackson’s glove, New Kids on the Block’s Hangin’ Tough mantra and Boy George’s fedora.

British songstress Natasha Bedingfield appeared on the Today show Friday morning to put her own spin on Madonna’s hit single “Ray of Light.”
She also performed Ray Of Light on BBC Radio One two years ago.

Bulgaria’s Council for Electronic Media decided to slap Darik Radio with a hefty fine for airing a recorded Madonna invitation to her fans in Bulgaria, because in the invitation, the pop-star spoke English, Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa daily has reported.

According to chapter 12 article 1 of the Radio and Television Act, all advertisement in foreign languages are forbidden, and so the commission has ordered Darik Radio to pay a penalty, the amount of which is expected to be in the range of 2000 to 15000 leva. Should the radio station repeat the broadcast, the fine will be doubled.

The 10 second message from Madonna to her fans in Bulgaria said; “Hello Bulgaria, this is Madonna and I expect to see you at the August 29 show in Sofia in Vassil Levsli Stadium”.

A spokesperson for Sofia Music Enterprises, the Bulgarian organisers of Madonna’s concert, said “this is normal procedure and it is used in all countries. Any time Madonna has a concert in a country, she records a message for her fans, and it is always in English. There is no way that an exception will be made just for us.”

Konstantin Vulkov, program manager of Darik Radio said the station “apologies that Madonna is not proficient in Bulgarian.”

Darik Radio will have to stop the offensive broadcast, unless Madonna brushes up on her Bulgarian.

source: sofiaecho

There is an old cliche: When the student is ready the teacher appears.
I had traveled the world many times over, performed in soccer stadiums, appeared in films, dined with the state leaders, collaborated with great artists and achieved what most people would view as a high level of success but I still felt like something was missing from my life.
I was pregnant with my daughter, almost 14 years ago and I had just finished the film Evita and I realized I had spent my whole life worrying about myself and that I would soon be responsible for someone else’s life.
I was raised a Catholic and my father was very religious but none of my questions were ever really got answered when it came to trying to understand why people suffered in the world or what the meaning of life was all about.
And I suddenly thought, “What will I teach my child about the important things in life?”
I was practicing yoga for years and studying Sanskrit. I had read many books by the great Yogi Masters and Indian Avatars. I studied Buddhism and the teachings of Dali Lama. I studied Taoism and the Art of War.
I read about the Gnostics and the early Christians.
I learned a lot and I was very inspired but I still could not connect the dots and find a way to take this knowledge and apply it to my daily life.
I was looking for an answer.
I went to a dinner party in L.A.
A woman sitting next to me was telling me about a class she was taking from Rabbi.
She said it was so inspiring and that I should come along. I asked her what it was about.
She said “Life”.
I asked her what it was called.
She said “Kabbalah”.
I told her I wasn’t Jewish and she said: “What difference does it make what its called and what religious upbringing you have had if you are inspired?”
She had a point.
So I went to the class and sat in the back and I listened to a man named Eitan teach the class.
I heard what he had to say and I knew at this moment my life would never be the same.
I began to go to the classes regularly and sit in the class with my notebook. No one bothered me. I Took notes.
I met with Eitan privately and asked a lot of questions. The thing that was encouraged the most was to enquire further.
All the questions I had about life began to be answered and I realized I had finally found a “belief system” or a philosophy that incorporated Science and Spirituality.
I was learning about Physics, Astronomy, Nature and the laws of Cause and Effect.
All the puzzle pieces started falling into place.
Life no longer seemed like a series of Random events. I started to see patterns in life. I woke up. I began to be conscious of my words and my actions and to really see results of them.
I also began to see that being Rich and Famous wasn’t going to bring me lasting fulfillment and that it was not the end of the journey.
That it was the beginning of of the journey.
I have been studying with Eitan consistently since that first class and it was only a matter of time before I met Michael Berg, whose father Rav Berg, comes from a long line of Kabbalists and was the teacher of Eitan.
Michael Berg is a very unique human being. He might be the smartest person I know.
At first he seemed quiet and shy, conservative and even perhaps a bit naive. But ask him a question on any subject and you will find yourself swimming in an ocean of information.
Its astounding what he knows and what he has accomplished at such a young age. The fact that he translated 22 volumes of the Zohar from Aramaic into Hebrew and English is remarkable.
The funny thing about Michael is that he is as comfortable and knowledgeable about discussing the teachings of the Ari as he is of discussing his favorite Seinfeld episode.
He knows more about Pop Culture and what’s going on in the world then anyone I know and yet his desire to really affect change in the world and compassion he feels for people who are suffering is unparalleled.
When Michael gets up to tell a story in front of a room full of people there is never a dry eye in the house including his own.
I am lucky to call him my friend.
He has a child with Down Syndrome and it is perhaps because of this that he feels the need to come to the rescue of children who are living in challenging situations or abject poverty.
We were both looking for a project to do with children and low and behold a Malawian woman appeared and told us about the plight of over 1 million children orphaned by AIDS in a small land locked country in Africa.
Before we knew it we were visiting Malawi and that was the birth of our foundation Raising Malawi.
Of course now that I know what I know, I realize that this did not happen by chance.
Once again the students were ready and the teacher appeared. In this case the children of Malawi are the teachers.
They have taught me so much. And they continue to teach me.
As do Michael and Eitan.

Madonna

NME.com has a new reader’s poll, they’re trying to determine who are the most overrated bands/artists.
Right now Madonna is at #4 with average score over 8.
Click here to rate Madonna. (the lower the better)

It’s the early nineties, a new era and pop icon Madonna and designers Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana have yet to meet. As told exclusively by designer Stefano Gabbana, we take you behind the scenes to find out exactly how they all met.

The first Madonna concert we went to was on July 13th 1990 in Torino, Italy. Domenico and I had seats close to the stage. Madonna was on the European leg of her Blonde Ambition Tour. We were in love with her at that time. We always have been. It was that iconic period of excess and provocation that her concerts symbolized. As Madonna sang, and danced, moving in synch with the dancers on the stage, we felt we were dreaming with our eyes open.

We wondered to ourselves if she’d ever wear Dolce & Gabbana and we’d ever get the opportunity to express our admiration for her in person, let her know how inspiring and express the gratitude that all fans feel when they meet their idol…our idol (an exaggerated word I know, but I think it’s the correct one where Madonna is concerned!). The concert ended, reality hit and we returned to Milan.

The summer came and went, and one day in September whilst we were preparing our womenswear collection for the forthcoming fashion week, our press office received a page from the International Herald Tribune with a photo of Madonna. She was in Paris, dressed in a jersey skirt, bra, and embroidered cardigan, all black and all Dolce & Gabbana. We were incredibly emotional; Domenico and I still consider this moment today as one of the most intensive of our career. It seemed like a lucky gift for two Madonna fans, and we couldn’t ask for more.

A few weeks after, something else happened however that convinced us we couldn’t pretend to be just ‘lucky fans’ any longer. Her first film “In Bed with Madonna” had its premiere and she arrived in a complete Dolce & Gabbana look, a black body with suspenders and blazer. The world’s press went crazy over the look and started to ask her why she chose to wear our label. One newspaper printed an image of Madonna dressed in Dolce & Gabbana with the catwalk image beside it. It created an explosion of world attention and instantly pinpointed the emerging relationship between Madonna and us. At this point, it wasn’t something we could turn our backs on. Attempting to keep our emotions in tact, we took the plunge and asked Madonna if she’d like to meet. Madonna replied asking for a meeting in New York.

The appointment was for dinner in Manhattan at an Italian restaurant at 17, between 6th and 7th. We arrived early, our legs were shaking, and we were incredibly nervous. At that time you could still smoke inside restaurants, and I must have smoked about half a pack of cigarettes whilst I was waiting. Madonna arrived right on time. She was on the set of the film Dick Tracey then, and arrived dressed as a man with make-up like Marlene Dietrich.

She was sweet and kind, and immediately put us at ease, telling us how much she loved our work, how she loved Italy, and that she was originally from Abruzzo. She was curious to know more about our career, how we’d started, how we worked, where we drew our inspiration from, Sicilian women, dolce vita, pop culture and the era of the eighties that had just finished.

We didn’t hide our admiration for her for even a minute; we felt a reciprocal kindness, and pretty soon, the lunch developed into one between friends, full of ironic jokes and compliments. We admired her more that we thought possible as fans. We felt like the luckiest fans in the world. We’d met a wonderful person, and above all, a new friend.

As told by Stefano Gabbana

source: swide.com

James Morrison has revealed how he was once snubbed by Madonna.

The Please Don’t Stop The Rain singer admitted he wasn’t the Queen of Pop’s biggest fan in the first place, and his opinions didn’t change much when the diva didn’t seem interested in an introduction.

“I was really nervous – whether you like her or not, she’s still Madonna!” James said on This Morning.

“I just said ‘hello, pleased to meet you’ and she just looked at my hand and said ‘what do you do?’ and I just felt really awkward and thought, ‘ahh, I’ve been snubbed by Madonna!’”

He continued: “I did think it was a bit rude but you get over it. I would’ve been kind of disappointed if she was really nice though, you know?’”

James explained that he didn’t like Madonna because of her live performances.

“I’ve never been a massive fan of Madonna – but I see why she’s as big as she is… she changes with the times which is amazing but I’ve never liked her singing and I don’t think she can sing live,” said James.

source: virgin media

Madonna looks fiercer than ever on stage these days, and she has one man to thank for that On the opening night of the Material Girl’s Sticky & Sweet tour’s second leg July 4 in London, Madonna wowed fans with a new “super couture, sensual, Goth, bondage” costume that Givenchy Haute Couture’s Riccardo Tisci designed for her opening act. “What I wanted for the opening was to give a very iconic view of Madonna,” Tisci tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She’s wearing an outfit that will make history. I wanted to do something even stronger (than what he designed for her in the tour’s first leg) because she wants to be stronger.” Working with the Queen of Pop was easy, says Tisci. “I just met her six months ago and I’m completely in love with her,” he says. “She’s an artist but she let me express myself, which is rare. She knew what she liked from my collection and wanted me to translate that for her on stage.” He also designed a new dress for another part of her show. “She said she wanted to do colors,” he says. “I said why not? So we did fluorescent rosary necklaces (over a black dress.)” Tisci was also very impressed with Madonna’s ability to remain calm in the midst of so much activitity, rehearsing and putting her tour together. And yet, he says, “She was very calm and Zen. She is a Leo like me. For Leos to be calm and Zen takes time because we are very energetic. She was amazing.”

And while Madonna may be strong, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t deeply feeling the death of friend Michael Jackson, paying homage to him midway through her Saturday night’s show at London’s O2 arena — where Jackson was scheduled to kick off his “This Is It” tour on July 13 — when one of her dancers burst onto the stage dressed in Jackson’s trademark fedora, sequined jacket, white t-shirt and white glove, boogeying to a medley of his megahits including “Wanna Be Starting Something.” “All right people!” Madonna said afterward. “Let’s give it up for one of the greatest artists the world has ever known: Michael Jackson! Long live the King!!!” And we say long live her Majesty.

source: peoplestylewatch

in V Magazine:

The Paris-born Okur, whose dreams came true when he first joined Madonna onstage before an audience of 60,000 in September 2008 as a dancer during her world tour, was busy rehearsing for the upcoming performances of the tour last week, but took some time to answer a few questions on the phone.

How is Madonna’s behavior towards her dancers?

In my opinion, Madonna is more of a beautiful mother than an artist. … She approaches all of us just like a mother. She cares about our comfort, and she approaches with love and protection just like a mother does.

In a documentary, I watched Madonna gather her dancers and pray together with them before her stage shows. Did you also pray with her?

Yes, of course we did. Among her dancers there is also another Muslim dancer named Norman, who normally lives in Malaysia. Madonna knew we’re Muslims. She heard us read al-Fatiha [ahead of a performance] in one corner, and she listened to us. Just two days later, while we were about to pray all together before the show, she said to us, “You read ‘al-Fatiha,’ too.” She is so unique and so special.

Which Madonna song gives you the greatest inspiration for dancing?

My favorite song from her Sticky & Sweet Tour is “Beat Goes On.” Actually I was chosen as a choreographer, and I prepared the choreography for the song “Heartbeat.” You will see it when the tour’s DVD comes out. I love the song “Heartbeat,” as well.

Any hints for approaching Madonna or any guidelines for getting a chance to become a dancer for her?

Actually, there is a hint. Madonna likes things she has never seen before, things that are very unique. A brand new dance undiscovered, brand new music undiscovered. She liked my slow-motion numbers when she chose me. … Madonna likes original and very different things, and she is not afraid of giving it a try. She is open to novelty. If you want to approach her, you have to come up with new things.

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