Thursday, June 30, 2011

Madonna's Plans For Malawi........

Months after overhauling her charitable foundation, Madonna is getting back into the giving groove. In this exclusive peek at her interview in American Revolutionaries: The Hitmakers, Ovation's new three-week docu-series focusing on some of pop music's most influential artists, Madge reveals she plans to redouble her efforts to aid orphans in the South African country after adopting son, David, and daughter, Mercy, from an orphanage there. Here's what she had to say:

"My short term goals are to build an orphan care center that will service and reach at least 1,000 children and I'm also actively involved in funding several orphanages that already exist," Madonna said.

1

Hitmakers, which also chronicles such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Run D.M.C., and Beyoncé, airs from July 1-24 with Madonna's episode set to premiere on July 12.

Happy 25th Anniversary To The "True Blue" Album!

From Wikipedia:

True Blue is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on June 30, 1986, by Sire Records. Madonna worked with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard on the album while co-writing all the songs. Deemed as Madonna’s most girlish album, True Blue deals with her visions of love, work, dreams as well as disappointments, and was inspired by her then husband Sean Penn, to whom Madonna dedicated the album.

According to Guinness Book of World Records, True Blue reached number one in at least 28 countries worldwide, an unprecedented achievement at that time. It was the world’s top-selling album of 1986, and by 1991 it had sold over 17 million copies worldwide. It has become one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 24 million copies worldwide. In the United States, True Blue debuted at number twenty-eight on the Billboard 200 and reached number one on the issue dated August 16, 1986, staying on the top for six weeks, and was on the chart for a total of eighty-two weeks. The album also reached a peak of forty-seven on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On February 9, 1995, the album was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over seven million copies of the album. This made True Blue the third best selling album of Madonna in the United States behind Like a Virgin (1984) and The Immaculate Collection (1990)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Rebel WITH A Cause!

The "Weinstein Company" To Release Madonna's "W.E." In The U.S. On December 9th, 2011 - Official Press Release


NEW YORK, June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - The "Weinstein Company" (TWC) announced today that it will release Madonna's "W.E." on December 9th, 2011 in New York and Los Angeles.

The film will expand to additional markets in December, with wide release anticipated by mid-January.

Madonna's narrative feature directorial debut, "W.E." is co-written by Madonna and Alek Keshishian, produced by Madonna and Kris Thykier, and executive produced by Scott Franklin ("BLACK SWAN").

It stars Abbie Cornish ("LIMITLESS"), Andrea Riseborough ("NEVER LET ME GO"), James D'Arcy ("MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD"), Oscar Isaac ("DRIVE"), Natalie Dormer ("The Tudors"), Richard Coyle ("PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME"), James Fox ("SHERLOCK HOLMES") and Laurence Fox ("Inspector Lewis").

The announcement was made by "TWC" Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein and "TWC" "President of Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment" Erik Lomis.

"Madonna beautifully interweaves past and present in "W.E.". It's a very smart film, and a stunning feature directorial debut", said Weinstein. "I'm incredibly excited about this movie and I wanted to give it a prominent release date."

Madonna is represented by "CAA" and managed by "Untitled Entertainment".

SYNOPSIS:

"W.E." looks at the fabled romance between American Wallis Simpson and Britain's King Edward VIII, who famously gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved.

More than six decades later, their story enthralls a young woman named Wally Winthrop, who thinks she sees in their devotion a stark contrast to her own unhappy marriage – and an example to follow as she searches for the meaning of true love.


source: prnewswire

Behind The Scenes Of "Material Girl" Clothing Line Shoot!

Madonna, Lola and Kelly Osbourne.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Abel Korzeniowski: “W.E. could be my best score so far”

A source at Showbiz411 called Madonna’s W.E. “Smart and Stylish”
The inside word from The Weinstein Company is that Madonna’s effort as a movie director, “W.E.,” apparently is really really good.
Madonna showed the movie to TWC first probably because Harvey Weinstein released her “Truth or Dare” twenty years ago. And the people who saw “W.E.,” including Harvey and Bob, loved it.
This is what was said…
“It’s a smart and thoughtful and incredibly stylish.
A performance by Andrea Riseborough that’s Oscar worthy.
I don’t know how the f— she [Madonna] did it.
It’s an art picture, there’s no question about it.
It’s a picture for women.
Bob and Harvey really loved it.
This is a lot like Tom Ford’s directing of A Single Man.
We were impressed with her. Everyone’s been talking about her in house for two weeks. She’s gotten it all up there on the screen.
It’s hard to tell a good story. She managed to do it.”
Now Polish film and theatre scores composer, Abel Korzeniowski is using his Facebook page to talk about the music he created for the movie…
“W.E. could be my best score so far. Madonna really let me spread my wings and soar.
FYI: None of William Orbit’s music is used in Madonna’s W.E.
Apparently, the source of some confusion is Orbit’s old interview, where he comments on a very early cut of W.E.: “I’ve done two pieces of score music for the film”. That information is outdated.
Please consider updating your blogs and reviews, and I hope you’ll enjoy the movie

Monday, June 27, 2011

I Know You Take A Lot Of Shit For It...

Liz Smith Talks About Madonna Encore:


"I AM my own creation. I am my own work of art."

That was Madonna saying things like that.

I’ve been reminding you (and myself!) of some of my "great scoops" over the decades — breaking the Woodward/Bernstein book "The Final Days" … The Donald and Ivana Trump divorce … Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding to Larry Fortensky.

Inevitably we arrive at Madonna.

Aside from Miss Taylor, Madonna has surely taken up the most space in my column.

I didn’t "get her" at first, but eventually I was charmed by her brash attitude, her supreme confidence, her various tributes to great stars of the past, her brilliant videos, and quite a lot of her music, even.

And, she was a marketing genius. She spoke openly about issues of homophobia, violence against women and being true to one’s nature — "Express Yourself" was her anthem.

By the time I finally clapped eyes on her, in 1991, at the premiere of "Truth of Dare", she was very much aware of the extensive support I’d given her.

She was brunette and heavily painted, and wearing something revealing. I thought she seemed like a little girl dressed up, trying to be a big girl.

I was there being interviewed for "Primetime Live".

The producers wondered if Madonna would give them a moment of her time and speak about me? As this was her premiere, I doubted it. I was wrong:

"I love Liz Smith because she has big balls like me!" she said, laughing. Although it didn’t make the final cut, on air, of course. (I have her compliment embroidered on a pillow given to me by Diane Sawyer and Mike Nichols.)

A few years later, I was interviewing her for real. As we prepared, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You’re not afraid of me. I like that."

Over the years I found her warmer, nicer, much more vulnerable than she ever let on, publicly. She had (and still does) a wonderful press rep, Liz Rosenberg, with whom I am also friends.

My column had the best access to her, first dibs on her latest videos and albums.

I was in her corner, especially when such press pleasure was taken at her mistakes or failures. She was always supposed to be "over", but somehow never was.

I had championed Madonna to star in the film version of "Evita" way before anybody else thought of it.

When she finally captured the role, I felt I was a part of that triumph.

Two weeks into filming "Evita" in Argentina, I received a call late Friday from Liz R. "Liz", she said "I have some news."

Pause.

"Madonna is pregnant."

"What?!" I shouted.

"How far along?"

"Two months."

I was sputtering in shock. The world had been waiting for "Madonna and Child" for years.

Now it was happening. (The father was trainer/actor Carlos Leon, who was desperately in love with her, and one of the nicest men she ever loved.)

"But filming has just begun. How can she hide it? And all the strain…"

Suddenly, Madonna herself got on the line — "Liz, I’m pregnant, and I’m having my baby, now write!"

I sure did. Only one teeny problem:

I had to hold the story for 78 hours!

Even in 1996, this was almost impossible. I had to wait till the very last moment to send my column Monday morning. The syndicate was going crazy. Then I had to alert my papers, so they could clear the front page. I was sure I was going to lose the scoop. But I didn’t.

It held.

And as with Donald and Ivana and Elizabeth’s wedding, the day the story broke news crews awaited me in the lobby of my building, and the phone rang nonstop.

Yes, that is always kind of absurdly thrilling.

Madonna paid me back for all my support by giving me what I needed most — a great big juicy exclusive.

And she was grateful in other ways. Once, at the height of her "unpopularity" — the duel release of her "Body of Evidence" movie and her "Sex" book — she called me.

"It’s Madonna. I just want to thank for all you’ve written. I know you take a lot of shit for it."

I was charmed. It was almost — but not quite — as good as a scoop.

source: wowowow

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Madonna out and about in Paris 6/25/11

M visits a Paris Flea Market
And Back At The Ritz

The Woman I Love.......

Liz Smith Talks again about Madonna's upcoming film "W.E.":


Over in England, royalists are still fretting that actress Natalie Dormer, who plays the beloved Queen Elizabeth (later the even more beloved Queen Mum) in Madonna’s coming "W.E." movie will portray this revered figure in a "savage, unflattering manner".

Well, she doesn’t play it that way, although it’s no secret that the Queen Mother was nobody’s fool and a tough cookie. That’s how Dormer handles it.

Nor is Wallis Simpson (played in the movie by Andrea Riseborough) made to appear overly sympathetic — the Brits worry over that, too.

But director Madonna does not cast the character as heroine or villain. In life, things are rarely so black and white, as "M" herself knows.

It all happened 75 years ago. I remember sitting on the floor at home in Texas, listening to the astonishing King Edward VIII say he would give up his throne for "the woman I love".

It did seem kind of dreamy.

But England, on the verge of war, has never quite recovered or forgiven the "romantic" abdication of their monarch.

source: wowowow

Friday, June 24, 2011

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Birthday Tribute Promo Video.



It's coming and we are getting ready! Stay Tuned!

Thanks to @slutco

Billboard Magazine: Madonna Typography.

Loves It!!!

Madonna and Me, Women writers take on the Ultimate Icon


“Madonna and Me” is an anthology of essays by women writers, edited by Laura Barcella, a San Francisco, California-based freelance writer and editor.
The Book will be published by Soft Skull Press in March 2012.

In Madonna and Me, more than 40 female authors including Cintra Wilson, Bee Lavender, Wendy Shanker, Susan Shapiro, Lesley Arfin, and Shawna Kenney write about how Madonna changed their lives.

Why? Because, for children of the ’80s and ‘90s, Madonna’s been nothing less than a constant companion. Maturing in the media spotlight for nearly 30 (!) years, Madonna has truly grown up with us (not to mention that she’s sold more than 200 million records worldwide). Brazen, beautiful, and balls-to-the-wall, Madonna is so much more than just the sultry architect of a few hit songs. For the MTV generation and beyond, Madonna is a living example of having it all. She’s been so much more than a media darling or a “boy-toy” tartlet, even in her later incarnations as savvy businesswoman and kooky Kabbalah matriarch. Madonna has inspired us and challenged us, pushing us to be bolder, edgier versions of ourselves.

Of course, not all women love Madonna, so not every writer in Madonna and Me worships at her altar. The essays are honest, funny, engaging, and real, and they’re about much more than just Madonna. They delve into the hearts, souls, and memories of contemporary writers both established and up-and-coming. In “Madonna and Me”, they examine a broad array of perspectives on aging, sex, marriage, childhood and more.

Madonna and Me was edited by Laura Barcella, a Madonna devotee since the age of six. With years of experience writing about pop culture, lifestyles, and women’s issues, Laura’s work has been published in more than 40 magazines, newspapers and websites, including the Village Voice, Salon.com, Time Out New York, ELLEGirl and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Source: Softskull Press

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Monday, June 20, 2011

Joe Henry Rumored To Be Definitive Collaborator For Madonna's New Album

At the gathering of program director’s meeting in Chicago this weekend, the hot topic was Madonna.

The big talk at the meeting was Madonna’s upcoming album, and the possibility of Jim Steinman as a collaborator.

Apparently, Madonna wrote some songs with melody ideas and sent them to Mr. Steinman, who was very impressed. Madonna, despite what some say, does write her own lyrics and melodies, but relies on producers to come up with the music.

Some of the program directors thought the idea was interesting, while others thought that Jim Steinman would be cheapening himself.

Even if Mr. Steinman doesn’t come through, one of the definite collaborators for Madonna’s next album is going to be Joe Henry, who co-wrote two of Madonna’s most loved songs: "Don’t Tell Me" and "Jump".

source: Peter Buchanan