Madonna - Queen of Pop

According to Rolling Stone, Madonna "remains one of the greatest pop
acts of all time". She has been dubbed the "Queen of Pop" and listed by Guinness World Records as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time.

On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first year she had been eligible for the honor. Billboard magazine ranked her as the most successful solo artist (second artist overall, behind only The Beatles) on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists".

She is also the most successful female solo artist in the British chart history, with the most number-one albums and number-one singles. Madonna is featured in the book 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century, published by Ladies' Home Journal in 1998.

In July 2003, VH1 and People magazine listed her as seventh in the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time."

In 2006, a new water bear species called Echiniscus madonnae, was named after her. The paper with the description of E. madonnae, was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1–36). The Zoologists commented: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.

Madonna lays first brick of school in Malawi

Madonna has laid the first brick of her charity school in Malawi, watched on by daughters Lourdes and Mercy

Comments :
Bravo Madonna!!!

Madonna had to build a school just for girls, because part of Malawi's population is Muslim. I believe that soon, she will build a school just for boys. I think she was right. We have to respect the culture of any country.

Madonna mic, Boom Mounting

Talk about Madonna Mic..
Andrew Castle, the BBC's tennis commentator, is in the midst of his sixth year courtside at the Wimbledon championships. Castle, a former British number one player himself, has covered four men's singles finals. He tells Ian Burrell the secrets of his favourite commentary box, one of the secrets is..
THE MICROPHONE
I use what I call a "Madonna mic". It leaves you with two free hands. The downside is that unlike the lip mic, which you can take away from your face if you are not going to say anything, or bring it up to your mouth if you are going to speak, the Madonna mic is always there and generally it's always on. So you have to use hand signals and eye contact in the commentary box, where I'm generally working with John McEnroe and John Lloyd. Once you've worked a few times with people you develop a chemistry... in detail on http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/wimbledons-no-1-seat-455502.html


"Kai Harada, sound designer and sound handbook author, writes about "The Feeding and Care of RF Microphones".... Also say about Madonna-mic, as below

Boom Mounting- also known as the "Madonna-mic," it is the use of a headset boom fastened around the head or over the top of the head, with the microphone capsule on a boom arm that extends to the mouth. See this page for some creative methods to make your own boom microphones.
o Fantastic gain-before-feedback.
o Low-frequency response is enhanced.
o As the head moves, the microphone moves with it.
o Susceptible to plosive "pops" and breath pops because of the proximity to the mouth and nose.
o Aesthetically unpleasing to most, although some manufacturers have developed microphones with very small capsules and very thin-diameter stiff wires, allowing the microphone-cum-boom to be hidden very well along the cheekline... in detail on http://harada-sound.com/sound/handbook/rfmics.html

Madonna Sticky & Sweet BluRay / DVD+CD / Download trailer
Madonna Sticky & Sweet BluRay / DVD+CD / Download trailer

Canada/USA April 6th, 2010

Rest of world March 30th, 2010

For viral advertisment purposes, no copyright infringement intended.

britney ...gaga... beyonce... pink... xtina... rihana....etc....are very nice ....and all the time compare with MADONNA ... she's the models for us ...ok but respect for madge...28 years she's here ... and they 're the place for all star...and the superstar

Madonna - WE and Sticky & Sweet.

Madonna pic

Madonna's set to direct "W.E.," a biopic about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson that led to the Brit royal abdicating the throne to marry his divorcee lover.

Madonna, was originally planning to play the part of Wallis, but has since reconsidered and is in talks with Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga. Vera Farmiga ("Up in the Air") is eyeing the plum role of Simpson. Madonna is writing the script with Alec Keshishian, who directed the multihyphenate in "Truth or Dare."

Former Miramax exec Colin Vaines and David Parfitt are producing the pic. This will be Madonna's second directorial effort; her first, "Filth and Wisdom," preemed at Berlin in 2008. Madonna’s directing credit is 2008’s ‘Filth and Wisdom’, which starred Richard E. Grant and Eugene Hutz, although she has served as a writer on documentary ‘I Am Because We Are’.

CAA is handling domestic sales while IM Global has international.


Madonna wants to sign up David Tennant for her W.E new film. Madonna is hoping the former ‘Doctor Who’ actor will take on the role of the monarch, who sensationally abdicated the British throne to live with the American divorcee in 1936.

A source said: “Madonna’s interest in directing a drama was first revealed a year ago.

“She put it on hold while going through her divorce but is really keen to get into directing again and has her eye on David, having loved his work on ‘Doctor Who’.”

‘W.E’ is still in pre-production and has a preliminary release date of 2011.



Madonna - Like A Prayer... BTW. Madonna performed "Like a Prayer" on the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief concert on January 22, 2010. She announced the release of her third live album Sticky & Sweet on March 30, 2010. It is her first release under the new recording and business deal with Live Nation and will be distributed by her former record company Warner Bros. Records.

Madonna - Echiniscus madonnae

Madonna In 2006 a new water bear species (Latin: Tardigrada), Echiniscus madonnae, was named after Madonna. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1–36).

The authors' justification for the name of the new species was: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.

Madonna - The power of goodbye official video clip

Madonna - Reinvention

Throughout Madonna 's career, like David Bowie, has repeatedly reinvented Madonna herself through a series of visual and musical personas, as well as expanding Madonna's career to become a film and stage actor.

Fouz Hernandes argues that this reinvention is one of MAdonna 's key cultural achievements. He argues MAdonna has achieved this by constantly working with upcoming talented producers and previous unknown artists, while remaining at the center of media attention.

In doing so Madonna has provided an example of how to maintain one's career in the entertainment industry.

Madonna a role model for businesswomen.

She has also received acclaim as a role model for businesswomen in her industry, "achieving the kind of financial control that women had long fought for within the industry" generating over $1.2 billion dollars in sales within the 1st decade of Madonna's career.

Offered by Warner Music the usual perk of a vanity label (similar deals had been arranged for artists such as Mariah Carey and others), within a few years Maverick Records had - unusually for such labels - become a large commercial success due to Madonna's efforts.

Writing in The Times in 2009, music journalist Robert Sandall reported that in a 1992 interview w/ her it had been clear that being "a cultural big hitter" was more important than pop music, a career she described as "an accident". He also noted the contrast between Madonna's anything-goes s*xual public persona, and a secretive and "paranoid" attitude towards Madonna's own finances (for example, firing her own brother as interior designer when he charged her for a light-fitting, estranging him in the process.)

An analysis of her business acumen by academics at the London Business School presents Madonna as a "dynamic entrepreneur" worth copying, identifying Madonna's vision of success, Madonna's understanding of the music industry, Madonna's ability to recognise her performance limits (and thus bring in help), Madonna's "sheer hard work" and her ability to change as key to why she has been a striking commercial success.

However Madonna's ability to overcome her own musical limits has been sharply criticised by songwriter Joni Mitchell, who in widely reported comments stated that "[Madonna] has knocked the importance of talent out of the arena. She's made a lot of money and become the biggest star in the world by hiring the right people." These comments were part of a sustained attack on the contemporary music industry as a whole, with Mitchell threatening to quit recording altogether. Reporter Michael McWilliams comments: "The gripes about Madonna -- she's cold, greedy, talentless -- conceal both bigotry and the essence of her art, which is among the warmest, the most humane, the most profoundly satisfying in all pop culture."

Madonna MP3 Downloads

Madonna s*xuality and feminism

She's use of at times shocking s*xual imagery has both benefitted her career and had an impact on public discourse on s*xuality and feminism. The Times has commented that, "Madonna, whether you like or not, started a revolution amongst women in music. She made the female body seem more like a machine with cravings, rather than a Barbie doll. Her attitudes and opinions on s*x, n*dity, style and s*xuality forced the public to take up and notice." Rodger Streitmatter reported in his book s*x Sells! (2004) that "from the moment Madonna burst onto the nation's radar screen in the mid-1980s, she did everything in her power to shock the public, and her efforts paid off". He further commented, "The reigning Queen of Pop thrived on the criticism, and continued, throughout the decade, to reiterate the most fundamental of her issues by consistently celebrating women's s*xual power". The book s*x depicts her in s*xual situations with men and women, and she has been credited with educating people about bis*xuality. At the time there was even speculation about her relationships with other women, including Naomi Campbell and Sandra Bernhard. Part of the recent academic sub-discipline of Madonna Studies has been taken up with the iconography of minority groups such as gay and lesbian people, which she uses in videos such as those for "Vogue", "Like a Prayer", "La Isla Bonita" and "Borderline"[221].

Madonna's openly s*xualised persona has influenced many younger performers. Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge (2000) stated, "Madonna may have preached control, but she created an illusion of s*xual availability that many female pop artists felt compelled to emulate". Writer-author Santiago Fouz-Hernández, in his book Madonna's Drowned Worlds has commented that female pop performers such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue and Pink were like Madonna's daughters in the sense that they grew up listening to her and admiring, while deciding to emulate her style. Among all of them, Madonna's influence was most notable in Spears, who was called her protégé. Britney Spears has commented on their similarity: "I think we have the same drive. When we want something, we get it." Madonna's influence on the Spice Girls came with her reinterpretation of feminism as a power in her music videos. The Spice Girls' slogan of "girl power" is noted to have been derived from this portrayal of female independence. Beyoncé Knowles of Destiny's Child was influenced by her sense of control over her music. Madonna has also been credited with the introduction of European electronic dance music into the mainstream of American pop culture, and bringing European producers like Stuart Price and Mirwais Ahmadzai into the spotlight.

Madonna MP3 Downloads

o Madonna o A Greatest pop acts of all time

According to Rolling Stone, she "remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time". Madonna is also "the world's highest earning female singer on earth". Her 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour became the highest grossing concert tour by a solo artist. In the UK, Madonna is the most successful female in the singles chart history and has more number one singles than any other female solo artist.

In 2008, Madonna surpassed Elvis Presley as the artist with most top ten hits in the history of Billboard Hot 100.

In 2007, she was listed by VH1 as 8-th in the Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.

On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Source: wikipedia

Madonna MP3 Downloads

Madonna-Music videos

"Madonna-Music videos"

In The Madonna Companion, biographer Andrew Metz noted that more than any other recent pop artist, she had used MTV and music videos to establish her popularity and enhance her recorded work. According to him, many of her songs have the imagery of the music video in strong context while referring to the music. The media and oublic reaction towards her most-discussed songs like "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer" or "Justify My Love", had to do with the music videos created to promote the song and their impact, rather than the song in itself. Her career started in 1984, the same time that MTV also started. Madonna's initial music videos reflected her American and Hispanic mixed street style and a flamboyant glamour. Essentially a dancer, she expressed this imagery through Madonna's music videos. With Madonna's 1st real music videos for songs like "Burning Up", "Borderline" and "Lucky Star", she transmitted her avant-garde downtown New York fashion sense to the American audience. Madonna continued w/ the imagery and incorporation of Hispanic culture and Catholic symbolism with the music videos from the True Blue era. Author Douglas Kellner noted, "such 'multiculturalism' and her culturally transgressive moves turned out to be highly successful moves that endeared MAdonna to large and varied youth audiences". Her Spanish look in the videos became popular and appeared in the fashion trends at that time in the form of boleros and layered skirts accessorizing with rosary beads and crucifix like the video. Academics noted that with her videos, she was subtlely reversing the usual role of male as the dominant s*x and destabilizing the usual power relationship between the "voyeuristic male gaze and object". This symbolism and imagery was probably the most prevalent in the music video for "Like a Prayer". The video included an African American church choir, she "turning on" a statue of a black saint and singing in front of burning crosses. This mix of the sacred and the profane upset the Vatican and resulted in the Pepsi commercial withdrawal. From being in boy-toy girlish roles of Madonna's earliest videos to the s*xual persona in videos for "Justify My Love" and "Express Yourself", she represented herself as someone who is unfazed by the cultures and the struggles Madonna has endured. Devoid of this, Madonna portrayed herself to be dancing off-screen to the music at the end of the video. MAdonna's re-invention has continued in her most recent videos like "Ray of Light", which was lauded with the video of the year award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

Source: wikipedia

Madonna-Musical style and influences

"Madonna-Musical style and influences"

As an artist, Madonna's music has been the subject of much scrutiny among critics. Author Robert M. Grant comments in his book Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2005), wrote that what has brought her success is "[c]ertainly not outstanding natural talent. As a vocalist, musician, dancer, songwriter, or actress, Madonna's talents seem modest." He asserts Madonna's success lies in relying on the talents of others and that her personal relationships have served as cornerstones to the numerous reinventions in the longevity of her career. Conversely, Rolling Stone magazine has named Madonna "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics, and a better studio singer than her live spectacles attest." She has been called "the perfect vocalist for lighter-than-air songs", despite not being a "heavyweight talent."

In 1985, Madonna commented that the 1st song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra and that it summed up her "take-charge attitude." As a young woman, Madonna attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, and during this time became interested in classical music. Madonna noted that her favorite style was baroque, and loved Mozart and Chopin because she liked their "feminine quality". In 1999, Madonna identified musical influences that impacted her such as Debbie Harry, Karen Carpenter, The Supremes and Led Zeppelin, and dancers like Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev. In a 2006 interview with The Observer, Madonna cited her current musical interests, which included Detroit natives The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, as well as New York band The Jett Set.

Madonna's Catholic background and relationship with her parents were reflected in the album Like a Prayer. It is also an evocation of the impact religion had on her career. Madonna's video for the title track contains Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. During The Virgin Tour, she wore a rosary and also prayed with it in the music video for "La Isla Bonita". Madonna also referred to her Italian heritage in her work. The video for "Like a Virgin", features Venetian settings. The "Open Your Heart" video sees her boss scolding her in Italian. In Ciao, Italia! - Live from Italy, the video release of her Who's That Girl Tour, she dedicates the song "Papa Don't Preach" to the Pope ("Papa" is the Italian word for "Pope".)

During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny...and I saw myself in them...my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence". Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she later studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for her film Who's That Girl. The video for "Express Yourself" (1989) was inspired by Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis (1927). The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of Hollywood glamour photographers, in particular Horst P. Horst, and imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Rita Hayworth, while the lyrics referenced many of the stars who had inspired her, including Bette Davis, described by Madonna as an idol, along with Louise Brooks and Dita Parlo.

Influences also came to her from the art world, most notably through the works of artist Frida Kahlo. Madonna's 1995 music video to "Bedtime Story" featured images inspired by the paintings of Kahlo and Remedios Varo. Her 2003 video to "Hollywood" was a homage to the work of photographer Guy Bourdin although it sparked a lawsuit by Bourdin's son, due to the unauthorised use of his father's work. Other new-age artists like Andy Warhol was the inspiration behing the music videos for "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper". Warhol's usage of S&M imagery in his underground films were reflected in these videos. Madonna even enacted Warhol's one-time muse Edie Sedgwick in "Deeper and Deeper".

Madonna joined the Jewish mystic religion Kabbalah in 1994 after the release of her album Bedtime Stories. She has spoken about the influence of the religion on her and donated millions of dollars for schools based on the religion, around New York and London. In 2004, she changed her name to Esther, which in Hebrew means "star". However, her immersion in Kabbalah caused a furor and she faced opposition from Rabbis who called Madonna's joining the religion as sacrilegious and a case of celebrity dilettanism. Madonna defended her Kabbalah studies by stating it "would be less controversial if I joined the Nazi Party" and that the Kabbalah is "not hurting anybody." The religion went on to influence Madonna's music, especially albums like Ray of Light and Music. It made an appearance in her 2004 Re-Invention World Tour where at one point of the show, Madonna and her dancers wore t-shirts that read "Kabbalists Do It Better.

Madonna - The Sticky & Sweet Tour, Life with My Sister Madonna, Celebration.

Madonna, to further promote the album, she embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, which was her first major venture with Live Nation. It became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist with gross of $US280 million, surpassing the title previous held by her Confessions Tour. The Sticky & Sweet Tour was extended to the next year, adding new European dates and places where Madonna did not visit previously.

Life with My Sister Madonna, a controversial book by Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, was released on July. The book debuted at number two on the New York Times Best Seller List. It was not authorized by Madonna and led to a rift between them. Madonna filed for divorce from husband Guy Ritchie in October 2008. After being granted a preliminary decree of divorce, the separation became final in December. On March 2, 2009, Madonna was honored with the Japan Gold International Artist of the Year award at the Recording Industry Association of Japan Gold Disc Awards for her album Hard Candy. Madonna decided to adopt again from Malawi. The country's High Court initially approved the adoption of Chifundo "Mercy" James. However the adoption was rejected with court registrar Ken Manda stating the reason ebing Madonna not a resident of Malawi. This ruling was overturned by the country's highest court. On June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of Malawi granted Madonna the rights to adopt Mercy James.

Madonna started working on Celebration, her third greatest hits and closing album with Warner Bros. Records. It contains the new song "Celebration" and all her hit songs from her career. In June, Forbes Magazine has named her as the third most powerful celebrity of the year.

Madonna - Released 11th studio album, Hard Candy.

Madonna, in 2008, she released her 11th studio album, Hard Candy.

Hard Candy was lauded by Rolling Stone as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour." Hard Candy album debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart, where Madonna achieved 10 #1 albums. Hard Candy also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 280,000 copies sold.

Hard Candy album received mostly positive reviews worldwide, though some critics panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market". Its lead single "4 Minutes" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Hard Candy single scored Madonna her 37th Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit, making Madonna the artist with the most top ten hits in the history of the chart, surpassing Elvis Presley.

In the U.K., Madonna retained her record for the most #1 singles for a female artist, this being her 13th.

Madonna - Directed 1st film, Filth and Wisdom and reviews.

Madonna, in December 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Madonna as one of the five inductees of 2008. The ceremony took place on March 10, 2008.

Madonna also directed her 1st film, Filth and Wisdom and produced and wrote I Am Because We Are, a documentary on the problems faced by Malawians directed by her former gardener Nathan Rissman.

Filth and Wisdom received mixed reviews from the British press. The Times Online said MAdonna has "done herself proud" while The Daily Telegraph described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort [but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job."

The Guardian praised I Am Because We Are, saying that Madonna "came, saw and conquered the world's biggest film festival."

Madonna - Released the download-only song "Hey You", in anticipation of Live Earth.

Madonna In May 2007, she released the download-only song "Hey You", in anticipation of Live Earth, which was free for its first week. Madonna also performed it at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007.

In October 2007, Madonna announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records and a new $120 million, ten year contract with Live Nation. Madonna was the founding recording artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists.

Madonna - Banda preferred adoption than financial support.

Madonna refuted the allegations on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She said that there are no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulate foreign adoption and that Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when she met him.

Madonna (Singer) and humanitarian activist, Bono, defended her by saying, "Madonna should be applauded for helping to take a child out of the worst poverty imaginable."Some said that Banda's biological father Yohane did not understand what adoption meant and had assumed that the arrangement was fostering. He said, "These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing." He also said, "They want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband." Madonna responded that Banda had rejected her offer of financial support and preferred adoption. The adoption was finalized on May 28, 2008.

Madonna - Adoption Malawi boy, David Banda Mwalei

Madonna, in October 2006, she traveled to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which Madonna also funded as part of the Raising Malawi initiative.

On October 10, 2006, Madonna filed adoption papers for a boy named David Banda Mwale, born on September 24, 2005 and renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie. Banda was flown out of Malawi on October 16.

The adoption (by Madonna) raised strong public reaction because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adopting. The effort was highly publicised and culminated in legal disputes.

Madonna - in Confessions Tour, Replaced lyrics of "I Love New York" song

Madonna opposes American President George W. Bush.

So in Madonna Confessions Tour performance of the song "I Love New York", Madonna replaced the original lyrics

"just go to Texas, isn't that where they golf?"

with

"just go to Texas and you can suuck George Bush's dick!"

:(