all about Madonna

A piper who was hand-picked by Madonna to perform on her world tour is having the time of his life, his father said today.
Lorne Cousin, 31, was working as a lawyer in Edinburgh when he received a telephone call from the superstar asking him to play the bagpipes on her five-month Reinvention tour.
Mr Cousin, who is from Campbeltown, Kintyre, is now appearing with Madonna on stage in America, after taking leave from his job.
His father Alastair said his son was loving every minute of performing with one of the world’s most famous women.
“I spoke to him a few days ago, and he seems to be enjoying the experience of being on the tour,”? said Mr Cousin Snr.
“He is having the time of his life – he gets on really well with Madonna, there are no problems there.”?
Madonna first noticed Mr Cousin when she heard him playing the bagpipes at her friend Stella McCartney’s wedding on the Isle of Bute, last year.
Mr Cousin Snr, who is a vet in Campbeltown, became a friend of the McCartney family after looking after some of their animals.
He added that his son would continue with the tour of America and Canada until the middle of July, when he planned to take a 10-day break, before flying back for Madonna’s European concerts.
Simon Mackintosh, a partner at the Turcan Connell law firm where Mr Cousin works, said today: “We are delighted that Lorne has been given this opportunity.
“He is recognised in piping circles as an outstanding piper and is also a valued member of our rural property team.
“It is not easy to lose him for six months, but for Lorne it really is a chance of a lifetime.”?
Another Scots piper Callum “Spud”? Fraser from Aviemore, was initially reported to have been chosen as piper for Madonna’s tour.
Mr Fraser had played the bagpipes at Madonna’s wedding to Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle in 2002.
It was reported he had been approached by the singer’s staff during the wedding celebrations and asked to come on the tour but he had no contact again.
source : scotsman.com

Madonna’s Yakov and the Seven Thieves is the most visually magnificent of her three children’s books, but the dreary and inappropriate story is lackluster and verbose. The luscious, wonderfully ornate illustrations, which convey a sense of 18th-century Ukraine, were created by the prolific and gifted Russian-born artist Gennady Spirin, who has illustrated 33 children’s books and won a number of prizes.
Putting the name of the illustrator on the cover of a children’s book is a traditional practice when the illustrator and writer are two different people.
Apparently, however, when one has an ego fatter than the onion domes topping Moscow’s skyline, giving credit to others isn’t part of the program. Spirin, like the illustrators of Madonna’s previous two books, must settle for having his name listed on the book’s title page.
Ego also plays a huge part in this moralistic tale. We’re not talking about the ego of the characters. They are far too underdeveloped for that. It’s the ego of Madonna, who apparently sees herself as destined to improve the world’s moral tone.
The tale involves a dying little boy named Mikhail whose desperate father, the cobbler Yakov, and distraught mother, Olga, consult doctors but cannot find a cure. In desperation, Yakov visits a wise old man who claims that his prayers are powerful enough to pass through heaven’s gates. When this doesn’t happen, the old man has his grandson, Pavel, gather the village’s pickpockets, thieves and other criminals. When this gang prays, the little boy miraculously recovers.
Unfortunately, Madonna violates several rules of children’s literature, including don’t be wordy and keep it appropriate. And parents will enjoy explaining the occupation of one particular character: an arsonist. Most of all, get off your high horse, Madame Morality. This tale is humorless and heavy-handed.
In fairness, Madonna did write an appealing children’s book with her first, The English Roses, published in 2003.
She writes best when drawing upon personal experience. Roses effectively explored the difficult situation of being a motherless girl snubbed by her peers.
Her second book was weaker. Mr. Peabody’s Apples addressed gossip and lies. A cloying stench of self-pity about the media’s obsession with Mrs. Ritchie could be detected. Not that Madonna “

Madonna hopes to have her next feature-length documentary ready to debut at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. A sequel of sorts to “Truth or Dare,” the film chronicles her current Reinvention Tour and the “new” Madonna, among other things. Director Jonas Akerlund (”American Life,” “Ray of Light”) said that after each night’s concert, he heads back to his hotel room to start editing, because the amount of footage he’s collected so far is massive “

She’s off again – for her “Reinvention Tour” (from May 24th to September 5th), Madonna, the uncontested queen of pop and fashion icon always at the cutting edge of the trend, will be revealing her best assets.
This time the singer approached CHANEL, and Karl Lagerfeld designed two fringed bodysuits in a music-hall singer style – one in black and white stripes, the other in red and black. His comment was, “I love Madonna.
She is a source of inspiration for us all – always ready to be transformed. Who could refuse to work with her?”
The items have been designed in a stretch fabric to accommodate the star’s body movements, embroidered with some 200 000 sequins, each one set in place individually using a hook! An amazing achievement that took more than 250 hours of work by the nimble fingers in the Haute Couture workshops.
In all, three copies of each of the two outfits have been made, to make allowance for the little accidents that are likely to occur in the course of a six-month tour.
Madonna will be performing in Toronto, July 18, 19 and 21st, 2004.

source : cnv.ca

A Vatican meeting has singled out Madonna’s latest religious curiosity as a potential threat to the faithful, MSNBC reported Monday.
The lapsed-Catholic diva and former Material Girl has recently embraced a mystical form of Judaism called Kabbalah and announced she had taken the hebrew name Esther.
The Vatican has been holding a special summit with Catholic leaders from around the world, hammering out a way to deal with New Age religions and spiritual fads that pose a threat to the historic Christian faith.
Last week that summit singled out “Kabbalah as espoused by Madonna,” plus several fad, quasi-Eastern religions.
“In the past, the Pope has criticized Madonna for the contents of her concerts,” said cult expert Rick Ross, who has closely followed the activities of the Kabbalah Center. “Now, ironically, it’s become a theological issue.”
source : beliefnet.com

Word on the street is, Madonna’s grown up.
Her latest children’s book, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, due out tomorrow, isn’t quite what you’d expect from a star known for racy club queen antics and concerts with as much shock value as singing. But if you know anything about the 45-year-old pop chameleon, you know you can’t put a label on her .
(In fact, as she revealed Friday, you can’t even just call her Madonna any more. A follower of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, she’s adopted the name Esther as her religious name.)
The book’s release coincides with Madonna’s aptly named Reinvention tour, one buzzed about for its lack of carnal content and abundance of political symbolism.
The slim, $19.95 hardback from Callaway Arts & Entertainment features a colorful cast of characters, enhanced by Russian artist Gennady Spirin’s ornate and lively illustrations.
For starters, there’s Yakov, a humble shoemaker overwhelmed by the beauty of his 18th-century eastern European village and the sorrow of his young son’s illness.
Add a miracle-working old man, his young grandson and seven lively criminals – including Stinky Pasha (smells like the horses he steals) and Boris the Barefoot Midget (pint-sized pickpocket who’s afraid of the dark) – and what results is a tender, albeit peculiar, tale of how to make a miracle happen.
The moral lies in the thieves’ ability to heal Yakov’s son through prayer, even when the nameless, magical old man is stopped short by heaven’s locked gates. A blurb from Madonna inside the front cover is gently profound: “When we go against our selfish natures, we make miracles happen, in our lives and in the lives of others. We must never forget that hidden behind a large amount of darkness is a large amount of light.”
But don’t be fooled. Even though Madonna has shifted to humble advice-giver, Yakov and the Seven Thieves – the third in her series of five children’s books – won’t make its way modestly into bookstores. A major international media campaign will accompany the release, beginning with interviews on 20/20 and Good Morning America.
Publisher Nicholas Callaway said the media attention comes from Madonna’s success and talent. “Her first two books have been global best sellers,” he said . “She has an unusual gift for communicating with people.”
Callaway might just be right. Her books, promoted as “stories for children of all ages (even grown-up ones),” the singer’s tales clearly appeal to readers. In Yakov, she aims to capture some universal elements of humanity – vulnerability, honesty and even dishonesty.
“This is a well-told story that has a timeless message,” Callaway said. “I hope it will be not only as well-received, but as popular as the first two books.”
Those books, The English Roses (September 2003) and Mr. Peabody’s Apples (November 2003), are available in 38 languages, plus a Braille edition, and in more than 110 countries. The English Roses was a New York Times best seller for 18 weeks, and Mr. Peabody’s Apples remained on the list for 10 weeks.
Two more books are already in the works. The Adventures of Abdi is scheduled to hit shelves in November. The other book, due out next April, at least suggests that the old Material Girl hasn’t completely vanished. Its title: Lotsa de Casha.
source : baltimore sun

Madonna spins another lesson-teaching yarn in her third picture book for children ‘(even grown-up ones),’ this time drawing inspiration from an 18th-century Ukrainian teacher for a tale about overcoming selfishness to help others.
Paired with ornate, awe-inspiring illustrations by award winner Gennady Spirin, the author’s tale – ‘dedicated to naughty children everywhere’ – centers on a cobbler, Yakov, who looks toward a wise man to help cure his deathly ill son.
Although the wise man’s prayers alone cannot help Yakov, the cobbler’s sincerity drives the old man to round up seven of the town’s thieves and scoundrels, including the malodorous Stinky Pasha and a one-legged rascal named Ivan the Arsonist.
When a surprising group effort leads to the son’s recovery, an explanation from the wise man reveals the miraculous reason, giving a jubilant Yakov and us readers plenty to ponder.
In her first children’s book with a pre-20th-century setting, Madonna combines storytelling resourcefulness with a non-Western theme for a read that will sit comfortably alongside her previous two books.
Without a doubt, Spirin’s artwork is the tour de force here, bringing to life Ukrainian landscapes and culture in a way that reflects the artist’s remarkable attention to detail.
For those who enjoyed The English Roses and Mr. Peabody’s Apples, this story, which follows a familiar format of old-fashioned fables, makes a fine addition to your Madonna ‘literary’ collection.
source : barnes & noble

Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce the release today of Madonna’s third book for children, Yakov and the Seven Thieves.

Madonna bent over backward – literally – to give a crowd-pleasing performance at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night, but she still wasn’t happy.
The singer, who’s been hounded by rumors of ill-health after canceling her first tour date due to the flu and reports of backstage fainting spells, didn’t get a wink of sleep Wednesday night.
The Material Mom showed up for preshow preparations on Thursday in a “really foul mood,” according to a backstage source.
But her dancers, who started rehearsing for the tour with the famously perfectionist performer back in March, celebrated anyway. They held a private party at Show on Thursday night while a camera crew captured their off-stage antics for “Truth or Dare 2,” a sequel to the infamous 1991 rockumentary.
source : NYPost

Madonna has said US President George Bush and ex-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein are alike because ‘they are both behaving in an irresponsible manner’.
She pulled the anti-war video for her American Life single last year because there was a ‘lynch-mob’ patriotism in the US at the time, she told ABC News.
‘I have children to protect and I just didn’t think it was the right time.’
Madonna’s American Life video depicted Mr Bush kissing Saddam Hussein, and her tour has a strong anti-war message.
During the US interview Madonna tried to draw a line under her wild days, vowing to be ‘part of the order, not the chaos, of the world’.
She said: ‘The stance of a rebel is ‘I don’t care what you think’. But if it’s just for the sake of upsetting the apple cart, you’re not really helping people.’
‘You turn the apple cart over and then what? Then everyone’s looking at an apple cart that’s turned over and they’re like, well, now what do I do?’
The 45-year-old mother-of-two said her days of shedding her clothes on stage or in front of the camera are also over.
‘I thought I was liberating mankind but, like I said, I wasn’t really offering an alternative.’
‘To a certain extent I was saying ‘Look, you know, why do men only get the job of objectifying women in a sexual way? I want to do it too.’
‘There was an element of that, but there was also an element of being an exhibitionist and saying ‘look at me’. It wasn’t that altruistic. I can admit that.’
Madonna – who was named after her mother – said she now wanted to be called Esther as part of her following of the Kabbalah religious teachings.
‘My mother died when she was very young of cancer, and I wanted to attach myself to another name,’ she said.
‘This is in no way a negation of who my mother is. I wanted to attach myself to the energy of a different name.’
source : BBC