VOTE for WeLoveMadonna.com
WeLoveMadonna.com was nominated at Digital Music Award for People's Choice Awards - Best Unofficial Music Site

This beautiful Photo Gallery is courtesy of madonna-connexion.com - visit their site for high resolution photos.

OCTOBER 17, 2007

October 17, 2007 -- Warner Music Group boss Edgar Bronfman Jr. is downplaying the loss of Madonna to Live Nation in part by taking issue with the $120 million that the concert promoter is ponying up for her future work.

"We remain committed to maintaining financial discipline. We simply will not enter into agreements with artists that fail this test - whether or not the artists are well-known, and regardless of media reaction," Bronfman told employees yesterday in an memo obtained by The Post.

Madonna and Live Nation on Tuesday confirmed their long-anticipated joint venture agreement. Financial terms of the pact, which sources put at $120 million, were not disclosed.

Source: NY Post by Brian Garrity

OCTOBER 16, 2007

LOS ANGELES, CA - October 16, 2007 - Live Nation's President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Rapino officially confirmed today that Madonna has entered into an unprecedented global partnership with Live Nation and will become the founding artist in its Artist Nation division.

"The paradigm in the music business has shifted and as an artist and a business woman, I have to move with that shift," commented Madonna. "For the first time in my career, the way that my music can reach my fans is unlimited. I've never wanted to think in a limited way and with this new partnership, the possibilities are endless. Who knows how my albums will be distributed in the future? That's what's exciting about this deal - everything is possible. Live Nation has offered me a true partnership and after 25 years in the business, I feel that I deserve that."

"Madonna is a true icon and maverick as an artist and in business," stated Mr. Rapino. "Our partnership is a defining moment in music history. I am thrilled that Madonna, who is also now a shareholder in our company, has joined with us to create a new business model for our industry. Bringing all the varied elements of Madonna's stunning music career into the Artist Nation and Live Nation family, moves her future and the future of our company into a unique and extraordinary place."

The first-of-its-kind partnership between Madonna and Live Nation encompasses all of Madonna's future music and music-related businesses, including the exploitation of the Madonna brand, new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan club/web site, DVD's, music-related television and film projects and associated sponsorship agreements. This unique new business model will address all of Madonna's music ventures as a total entity for the first time in her career.

Arthur Fogel, Chairman of Live Nation's Global Music Division and Chief Executive Officer of Global Touring, who has produced the artist's last three worldwide tours with the company which generated close to $500 million in the last six years commented, "Madonna is without a doubt one of the most fiercely original artists in history. It is a great opportunity for Live Nation and Artist Nation to build upon our years of success with Madonna as a touring artist."

Artist Nation was created to partner with artists to manage their diverse rights, grow their fan bases and provide a direct connection to fans through the global distribution platform and marketing proficiencies that have made Live Nation the world's largest live music company. Headed by the division's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Cohl, Artist Nation has significant infrastructure in place to execute additional revenue streams including recorded music, merchandise, studios, media rights, digital rights, fan club/website and sponsorship divisions.

Joining with Artist Nation to work with Madonna will be Live Nation's unmatched global distribution platform and artist-to-fan-reach, including over 80 offices in l8 countries, over 200 national and local sponsorship personnel, over l60 venues, access to over 35 million fans that attend well over l0,000 shows that Live Nation produces, promotes and/or hosts each year for over l,000 artists including fan access via Live Nation's growing database of over 25 million fans.

"I've been fortunate enough to work with Madonna for half my life. She has always encouraged me and set a great example for me to push the boundaries to reach our full potential. This partnership exemplifies just that," commented Madonna's co-manager Guy Oseary.

Angela Becker, Madonna's co-manager added, "The partnership and vision for the future that Artist Nation along with Live Nation presented to us assured me that this is the ideal home for Madonna. It is with great trust and optimism that we collectively move ahead together."

In regard to Madonna's relationship with her current label, the artist commented, "My time with Warner Bros. Records has been great. I appreciate their hard work and value the many relationships I have developed over the years with the label in the U.S. and around the world. I have an album coming out with them next year and I'm excited about it. We still have work to do together."

ABOUT MADONNA
The multi-Grammy Award winning artist, songwriter, children's book author, producer and video visionary with an unrivaled reputation for astonishing stage spectacles, has made music history many times over, logging an incredible 12 number one pop singles and 35 number one dance singles in the U.S. alone. Her 2006 "Confessions" tour generated almost $200 million, making it the highest grossing concert tour of all time by a female artist. Over the last 25 years, Madonna's collective record sales number over 200 million albums worldwide. Her last album, Confessions On A Dance Floor debuted at number one in 29 countries and sold almost 8 million copies worldwide. Her last concert DVD The Confessions Tour - Live from London, sold more than 1.2 million copies worldwide.

ABOUT LIVE NATION
Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional information about the company can be found at www.livenation.com under the "About Us" section.

Source: Madonna.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Madonna and concert promoter Live Nation Inc. announced a deal Tuesday that will give Live Nation a stake in her albums, tours, merchandising, films and other music-related projects.
Financial terms were not disclosed in the joint statement released by Madonna and Live Nation. A person familiar with the agreement previously told the Associated Press it was worth about $120 million over 10 years.

The official announcement came after weeks of speculation that the Material Girl would abandon Warner Music Group Corp., which refused to match the Live Nation deal.

Madonna said in the statement that she was drawn to the all-encompassing deal with Live Nation because of the changes the music business has undergone in recent years.

"The paradigm in the music business has shifted and as an artist and a business woman, I have to move with that shift," Madonna said. "For the first time in my career, the way that my music can reach my fans is unlimited. I've never wanted to think in a limited way and with this new partnership, the possibilities are endless."

The singer still owes Warner Bros. Records another studio album and a greatest hits album.

Under terms of the proposed deal, Madonna, 49, would receive a signing bonus of about $18 million and a roughly $17 million advance for each of three albums, the person said. A portion of the compensation would involve stock, the person told the AP.

Madonna could also benefit significantly from the touring component of the deal, which gives Live Nation the exclusive right to promote her tours, the person said. The person asked not to be named because of the confidential nature of the negotiations.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said in the statement that Madonna will be the founding artist in its new Artist Nation division, created to partner with artists to manage their diverse rights and provide global distribution and marketing.

"I am thrilled that Madonna, who is also now a shareholder in our company, has joined with us to create a new business model for our industry," Rapino said. "Bringing all the varied elements of Madonna's stunning music career into the Artist Nation and Live Nation family, moves her future and the future of our company into a unique and extraordinary place."

The deal encompasses all of Madonna's future music and music-related businesses, including the Madonna brand, new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan club and Web site, DVDs, music-related television and film projects, and associated sponsorship agreements, the statement said.

Source: AP by Alex Veiga

Madonna has never been afraid to try new things, and her latest move is no exception.

The 49-year-old singer has left Warner Music Group in favor of entering into a global partnership with Live Nation, worth a reported $120 million over 10 years.

Madonna will become the founding artist in the company's Artist Nation division, formed to provide entertainers with a direct connection to their fan bases and a way to manage their diverse rights.

"The paradigm in the music business has shifted, and as an artist and a businesswoman, I have to move with that shift," the Material Girl said in a statement. "For the first time in my career, the way that my music can reach my fans is unlimited. I've never wanted to think in a limited way, and with this new partnership, the possibilities are endless."

The deal encompasses all of Madonna's future musical endeavors, including studio albums, touring, television and film projects, fan club, Website and merchandising.

"Who knows how my albums will be distributed in the future? That's what's exciting about this deal—everything is possible," the singer added. "Live Nation has offered me a true partnership, and after 25 years in the business, I feel I deserve that."

Sources familiar with the deal told the Wall Street Journal Madonna would receive a $17.5 million advance up front, as well as $50 million to $60 million advance payments for three studio albums.

If and when the singer decides to tour again, she is expected to be allotted 90 percent of the profits, with the remaining 10 percent going to Live Nation, which will reportedly shell out $50 million in cash and stock for the right to promote her concerts. Profits from licensing ventures that use Madonna's name and image are expected to be divided equally between the artist and the company.

Before cutting ties with her longtime label, Madonna still owes Warner another studio album and a greatest-hits collection.

"I have an album coming out with them next year, and I'm excited about it. We still have work to do together," she said.

Source: AP by Sarah Hall

OCTOBER 11, 2007

Madonna, who long ago reshaped the definition of a pop superstar, now appears intent on redefining the traditional model of a record label, according to people familiar with a possible 10-year, $120-million deal that is under negotiation.

Reports have been circulating since June that the 49-year-old icon might walk away from her longtime label, Warner Music, to sign a comprehensive deal with Live Nation Inc., the concert promoter. That deal would have Live Nation not only selling her recordings and mounting her lucrative tours but also handling her merchandising, corporate sponsorship deals and the licensing of her name and image.

The deal is not signed, but last week Madonna's management told Warner that the singer would be bolting because the label had failed to match the offer made by Live Nation, according to someone close to the situation who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to comment.
Madonna is under contract to deliver one more studio album and a greatest-hits package to Warner, which has handled her hits since the first one, "Holiday" on Warner's Sire imprint in 1983.

A spokesman for Beverly Hills-based Live Nation said Wednesday that there would be no comment from the company because there was no deal to discuss. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Madonna was "close to leaving" Warner and that the Live Nation deal included a general advance of $17.5 million as well as advance payments for three albums of $50 million to $60 million.

A source inside Live Nation on Wednesday expressed frustration with the report and its numbers and said it was premature to talk in specifics about a deal that was still up in the air. Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's spokeswoman, could not be reached for comment, and the singer's manager, Guy Oseary, did not return calls.

Two other sources close to the deal, however, confirmed the framework of a 10-year deal for $120 million.

Madonna is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful female musician in the world, and her live shows remain a potent draw; her 2006 tour racked up tickets sales of $86 million in North America alone. But her recent albums have not been blockbusters, which creates an element of risk for Live Nation. The company, however, has been pushing to broaden its reach, and with this sort of deal it could send a signal that it has a 21st century model for how the business of music could be handled after the tumult of the digital revolution over the last decade.

Last week, platinum-selling British band Radiohead, a free agent after leaving EMI Music, announced that it would be moving forward without anything resembling a conventional label. With the sales of CDs tumbling in recent years, other established music stars have also hinted that they may seek alternative paths. Music insiders say the chaos of the industry has retailers, Internet companies, management firms, promoters and even ticketing companies stepping into the breach to perform many of the traditional duties of a label.

Attorney Don Passman, who has represented artists such as Mariah Carey, R.E.M. and Tina Turner and written "Everything You Need to Know About the Music Business," said the weakened labels had been pushing for deals with newer acts that give the labels access to income streams they haven't traditionally dipped into, such as the act's concert touring. Now, the labels are seeing a push back in the form of Live Nation's overtures.

The major labels once had singular inroads to radio and bricks-and-mortar retail, but as those two sectors have narrowed, that advantage has become less vital.

"This is the first example of this sort and this scale," Passman said.
"Everything is going to get fuzzy. The roles are in flux. And the reason is the labels are weaker. The barriers to entry in the business are almost gone."

Source: Los Angeles Times by Geoff Boucher

OCTOBER 10, 2007

Madonna is nearing an agreement with Live Nation, the concert promoter, that would pay her more than $100 million in exchange for three albums and the exclusive rights to promote her concerts and to market her merchandise in a wide-ranging partnership, according to people briefed on the talks.

The deal, which includes cash and stock, would pay her about half the total upfront, said these people, who requested anonymity because the agreement had not been completed.

The deal, which was first reported yesterday on The Wall Street Journal’s Web site, is the latest example of how tough times for record labels and concert promoters have set off a free-for-all over the rights to the various revenue streams created when a musician becomes a star. Instead of sharing in only one piece of the income — say, CD sales — companies are angling to share in all of an artist’s business lines, like publishing, merchandise sales and endorsement fees.

It also comes as the major record companies are reeling from the loss of historically reliable brand-name acts. Word of Madonna’s likely exit from Warner Brothers, a unit of the publicly held Warner Music Group, came the same day that one of rock’s biggest free agent acts, the acclaimed British band Radiohead, started delivering digital copies of its new album directly to fans, in a big break with industry convention. Another influential free agent band, the Eagles, is selling its new album directly to Wal-Mart Stores.

Madonna’s move particularly underscores the determination of Live Nation to encompass a wider swath of the music business. The publicly held company, based in Beverly Hills, Calif., made an earlier foray into so-called all-rights or 360 deals with artists when it made a small investment to share in the earnings of Korn, the hard-rock act.

But it is making a much bigger leap — and taking a bigger risk — with Madonna, who turns 50 next year, and who, the company expects, will continue her live-concert success for years to come. Madonna’s “Confessions” tour last year ranked as the highest-grossing tour ever by a female artist, according to Billboard magazine. The tour generated roughly $195 million from 60 shows and drew more than 1.2 million fans.
Her last album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” sold an estimated 1.6 million copies in the United States.

It is not clear how many copies Live Nation expects her future albums to sell, but it may be some time before the company has a chance to release Madonna’s music. Madonna owes one more studio album to Warner under her contract there; that album is expected to be released next year.

Warner also owns the rights to Madonna’s catalog of earlier recordings. Under the deal with Live Nation, according to people briefed on the arrangement, ownership of her new recordings would eventually revert to her.

Representatives for Live Nation and Warner Music declined to comment. Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary, could not be reached for comment.

Source: NY Times

Madonna walks through midtown on October 10, 2007 in New York City

For HQ Photos visit GettyImages.com

Source: GettyImages.com / Photo: Arnaldo Magnani

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Madonna intends to sign a $120 million recording and touring deal with live entertainment promoter Live Nation Inc. and leave her longtime record label at Warner Music Group Corp., a person familiar with the contract negotiations said Wednesday.

The pop superstar's management informed Warner last week that she would accept Live Nation's offer after the record company refused to match the deal, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the matter.

Under terms of the proposed deal, Madonna, 49, would receive a signing bonus of about $18 million and a roughly $17 million advance for each of three albums, the person said. A portion of the compensation would involve stock, the person said.

Madonna could also benefit significantly from the touring component of the deal, which gives Live Nation the exclusive right to promote her tours, the person said.

In a bid to compete with the Live Nation offer, Warner pursued a possible partnership with ticket retailer Ticketmaster, a unit of IAC/InterActiveCorp, that would have enabled the record company to offer a spectrum of touring services to Madonna, the person said.

Warner Music and Live Nation declined to comment. A call to Madonna's publicist was not immediately returned.

The proposed 10-year agreement would give Live Nation the rights to sell Madonna merchandise and license her name, and any revenue from such products would be split between the singer and the company, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the deal.
Live Nation also would have to pay $50 million in cash and stock to promote Madonna's tours, according to the Journal, which broke news of the deal on its Web site Wednesday afternoon.

The agreement would be in line with similar deals other artists have struck with labels in recent years that give record companies a stake in their artists beyond the sale of recordings.

Live Nation, which promotes and produces music shows, theatrical performances and other live events worldwide, has been looking to expand beyond its core businesses to offer artists services such as direct merchandising and exclusive ticket sales. Its Artist Nation division sells tickets and artist merchandise online.

Warner has also set out to strike deals with artists and other music industry players in a bid to garner a share of revenue from other segments of the music industry, such as merchandising and touring. Those segments are faring better than recorded music sales.

Madonna first signed with Warner Music Group subsidiary Warner Bros. Records in 1984. Her last contract with the New York-based company calls for her to deliver one more studio album, expected next year, and a greatest hits record.

The singer has been among Warner Music's best-selling artists for years and arguably remains pop music royalty. Losing the rights to release her new recordings could prove to be a significant blow to the company's bottom line.

Warner, however, retains the rights to sell and license her catalog of hits such as "Like a Virgin" and "Music."

Warner shares rose 11 cents to $11.29 Wednesday. Shares of Live Nation fell 32 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $23.36, then gained 64 cents in after-hours trading.

Source: AP by Alex Veiga

Madonna leaves Upper West-side Gym in NYC

For HQ Photos visit GettyImages.com

Source: GettyImages.com

OCTOBER 9, 2007

Madonna arrived at the New World for a performance of Celia, a musical about late salsa queen Celia Cruz. She was joined by Carlos Leon and pals Ingrid Casares and Guy Oseary.

For HQ Photos visit WireImage.com or GettyImages.com

Source: WireImage, FilmMagic / Photos: Kevin Mazur / Bruce Glikas

OCTOBER 6, 2007

EVERYBODY is the debut single by pop singer Madonna, released on October 6, 1982 by Sire Records. It appears on her 1983 debut album, Madonna. It was later remixed and included on the 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance.

The song is Madonna's very first commercially available single. It originally appeared on a four-track demo tape Madonna used in clubs to make a name of her own and ended up being one of the tracks that got her a record contract with Warner's Sire label. "Everybody" was written by Madonna and produced by New York DJ Mark Kamins.

Before landing a recording contract, Madonna used to go to a disco in New York City called Danceteria. Mark Kamins was one of the club's best DJs at the time and was beginning to produce songs. Madonna brought him some of the demos she had recorded with Stephen Bray and Kamins decided to play them at the club. "Everybody" was one of the demos played and it received a great response from the crowd. Kamins, seeing the song's potential, decided to produce it.

The song was released in October 1982, a time when disco was dying out and 80s new wave synth pop was beginning to appear on the music scene. "Everybody" is a simple call to get everyone on the dancefloor: "Everybody, come on, dance and sing. Everybody, get up, do your thing." The song introduced classic Madonna themes like individuality, dancing and singing as forms of self-expression, as well as the optimism that dominated the first five years of her career. She has performed "Everybody" during The Virgin Tour, The Girlie Show Tour and the promotional tour for the album Confessions on a Dance Floor. The line, "Dance and sing, get up and do your thing" was sampled during the opening bars of "Express Yourself" for The Blond Ambition Tour. Musical elements from the song were incorporated to the version of "Erotica" performed on the Confessions Tour, as an homage to the original set list in which the song was due to be performed after "Erotica". Everybody, however, did appear on the set list of the Hung Up Promo Tour, and was the only song on the set list of that promo tour that did not appear on Confessions.

COVER OF THE SINGLE
The cover of the single features a colourful collage of the Lower East Side/East Village of New York City drawn by Lou Beach. Since Madonna did not appear on the cover, many believed that she was a black disco singer. In the U.K. the single artwork was radically different from the U.S. The UK 12" and 7" vinyl releases feature plain covers and a popular misconception among fans and collectors is that it was issued in a generic WEA black and white sleeve; this however is not the case - all copies were originally issued with an orange and yellow "Sire" branded sleeve which became worn, torn and scuffed over time as they went from one collector to another after Madonna's fame. In order to make it more attractive to collectors the original sleeve has frequently been replaced by the generic WEA sleeve which was manufactured in its millions and is easy to find as a replacement. As time went by it entered popular belief that the generic black & white sleeve was the norm. Still, these issues are important as the recorded versions are all unique, being mixed by Visage's Rusty Egan. The 7" features a unique mix on the A-side and a unique dub on the B. The 12" features a longer unique mix on the A-side, and a longer unique dub on the B-side. The UK releases are very rare and have become must-have items for Madonna record collectors, selling for £150 (7") and £100 (12").

MUSIC VIDEO
The music video, directed by Ed Steinberg, shows Madonna and a few dancers at Paradise Garage, the New York club where Madonna was a regular and where the song's demo was first played. Her brother Christopher did the choreography for the video and is featured as a dancer along with Madonna's friend Erica Bell. The budget for the video was only $1500. The video, however, did help to clear up any misunderstanding of what Madonna looked like; the covers for the "Everybody" single led many to assume that she was actually black, since she was not pictured.
* Director: Ed Steinberg
* Producer: Ed Steinberg
* Director of Photography: Ed Steinberg
* Editor: John Zieman
* Production Company: Rockamerica Inc.

CHART PERFORMANCE
"Everybody" failed to break into the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. but did peak at number 7 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Chart which keeps track of singles that are close to breaking into the Top 100. The song spent 8 weeks on the Bubbling Under chart. "Everybody" was Madonna's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart, peaking at number 3 and starting her long string of Top 5 hits on the chart. The song remained on the dance charts for 16 weeks. Since its release the single has sold around 250,000 copies. Although it was released in Europe, it failed to break on to any of the charts.

CREDITS
* Written by Madonna
* Produced by Mark Kamins
* Engineered by Butch Jones
* Synthesizers by Dean Gant, Fred Zarr and Ed Walsh
* Electric and acoustic pianos by Dean Gant and Fred Zarr
* Guitars by Reggie Lucas and Ira Siegal
* Drum programming by Reggie Lucas and Leslie Ming
* Tenor saxophone by Bobby Malach
* Background vocals by Gwen Guthrie, Norma Jean Wright, Madonna, Brenda White and Chrissy Faith
for You Can Dance:
* Additional production and remix by Bruce Forest and Frank Heller
* Keyboards by David Cole

Source: en.wikipedia.org

For anyone who managed to squeeze into Gogol Bordello's legendary set at Toronto's Drake Hotel in early 2006, seeing frontman Eugene Hutz and violinist Sergey Ryabtsev on London, England's Wembley Stadium stage with Madonna for the Live Earth concert was surreal, to say the least. It turns out that Madonna is a pretty big fan of the group, so much so that she invited Hutz to star in her directorial debut - a film called Filth And Wisdom.

Unrelated, you did a short film with Madonna?
Yeah! We just finished.

Did you do it in New York, or was it in London?
No, it was in London.

How did you get hooked up with that? What's it all about?
We just had some mutual friends. And I've heard for a while that she was a big fan of Gogol Bordello and of my acting efforts. At one point we were talking, she just called me, and we're talking more and more and eventually arriving to an idea that she was arriving to her perfectly super-fun offer to do a lead role in her directing debut. It was really fun.
It was very much of a collaboration, and eventually the whole band was in the movie - playing Gogol Bordello playing itself. And when she asked me, 'So how do you feel about dressing up as a woman?' I knew it was going to be fun. Still, I didn't know it was going to be that much fun.

How was she as a director?
You know, I think she's really good. For directors, you can always tell. You can always define the power of a director by how specific they get. And she was incredibly specific. Not necessarily with me, because I basically operate by doing my own thing. By inviting me, it's pretty much....

You get what you pay for. Yeah and, I mean, of course there was things that she needed from me as a director. We just had a perfect communication about that. And I think it's going to be a pretty fun - a pretty fucking fun bonanza - when you see it.

It's like a 30-minute thing, and it'll be out at the end of next year.
Yeah, I think it's going to be much sooner than that. She's a real, real dynamo. It was amazing to see how she works. She is actually that girl that makes it all go around.

You know what I mean? So as much of her worldwide-known show business enterprise that goes along with her name, you know, the person who's actually in the centre of it all, that's making it all happening, is her. I was super-impressed with that.

Source: ChartAttack.com

OCTOBER 5, 2007

Madonna's former Maverick CEO Guy Oseary will release a book of original photographs of the singer in 2008.

Madonna 'Confessions' will be available in Hard Back from June, 2008.
Oseary started working for Madonna when he was 17 years old. Together they founded Maverick Records.

He is the godfather of her son Rocco. He is also an executive producer of 'Last Call With Carson Daly'.

'Confessions' is not the first book from Oseary. The Israeli-American businessman is also the author of 'Jews Who Rock' and 'On The Record', a book about people in the music industry.

Guy O as he is known also produced the movies 'House of 1000 Corpses' and 'The Devil's Rejects' with Rob Zombie.

Madonna 'Confessions' will sell for $24.95. It will be published by Flying Dolphin Press on June 10, 2008.

This title will be released on June 10, 2008 and you Pre-order now on Amazon.com

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Flying Dolphin Press (June 10, 2008)
Language: English

Source: Amazon.com

OCTOBER 4, 2007

Madonna leaving a film studio in Soho, London together with Dan Cadan, who worked with her co-directing the H&M commercial and writing and assisting her on the set of her new film, Filth and Wisdom.

Source: Madonna.com

OCTOBER 1, 2007

Source: Q Magazine

SEPTEMBER 28, 2007

Five acts will make it into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Madonna and the Beastie Boys are on the ballot on their first year of eligibility; this year’s nominees had to release their first single no later than 1982, the year that Madonna’s “Everybody” and the Beasties’ punk EP Polly Wog Stew came out. The other first-time nominees are Cohen, Bambaataa, Summer and the Ventures.

Doors opened wide for Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1982, after five years as a singer and dancer on New York City’s competitive club circuit. She signed with Sire Records (her label for the next 14 years) where her idiosyncratic persona exploded onto turntables, dance floors and airwaves and captured the imagination of the first generation of MTV viewers. She went on to become the top female star of the 1980s with seven #1 hits, three #1 albums and seventeen top ten hits in that decade. In addition to molding her public image, Madonna is a meticulous studio craftsperson and completely uninhibited stage performer. From her first #1, 1984’s “Like A Virgin” (produced by Nile Rogers of Chic) to her most recent two year Confessions campaign, Madonna remains one of the most ferociously original artists in music today.

Five new members will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The five inductees will be announced in January, 2008, and the induction ceremony will take place on March 10, 2008. All inductees are ultimately represented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

Source: Madonna.com

GO SEE "Desperately Seeking Susan" in London

Show Times

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Matinee	-	-	-	-	5:00	3:00	-
Evening	8:00	8:00	8:00	8:00	8:30	8:00	-

The official press release for the musical based on Madonna's 1985 "Desperately Seeking Susan" coming to the Novello Theatre in London's West End has been released:

Desperately Seeking Susan will open in London at the Novello Theatre on 12 October, with a press night on Thursday 15 November. This quirky love story is set in New York City's vibrant Lower East Side and driven by the pulsating energy of classic Blondie songs. Based on the smash hit 1980's movie, this new musical is a whirlwind fairytale of mistaken identity, magic shows and rock 'n' roll.

Featuring all the best-loved Blondie tracks, including "Call Me", "Heart of Glass", "Rapture", "One Way or Another", "Sunday Girl", "Atomic", "The Tide is High", "Dreaming" and "Hanging on the Telephone", the production will also introduce "Moment of Truth", a new song by Deborah Harry and Chris Stein, written especially for this feel-good romantic comedy musical.

Roberta Glass, a suburban New Jersey housewife, escapes her humdrum life by reading the personal ads placed by Susan, a street-smart New York City drifter, and her freewheeling boyfriend Jay. Through a quirky twist of fate, Roberta and Susan unexpectedly swap lives and are plunged into a madcap world of jewel heists, magic shows and rock 'n' roll. The collision of their identities takes them on a wild ride of transformation and discovery until they realise that just when you think you know where your life is headed, something magical happens and turns it all around...

Before there was Madonna and Gwen Stefani, Debbie Harry was rock's reigning blonde pin-up icon, and both are quick to acknowledge her inspiration, as are countless female (and male) rockers since. The ultimate pop-rock diva, Deborah Harry became an icon of the new wave scene and a queen of New York, incorporating the influence of culture pioneers like Andy Warhol, Giorgio Moroder and Fab Five Freddy into her fashion, look and, particularly, sound. With Blondie, she and Chris Stein brought the worlds of disco and rock together with Heart of Glass and Call Me and broke ground by combining hip-hop and pop on Rapture.

Desperately Seeking Susan will star Kelly Price as "Roberta" and Emma Williams as "Susan".

Kelly Price has starred in the title role of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Watermill Theatre and as "Sarah Brown" in Michael Grandage’s production of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre and has also appeared in Mamma Mia. Emma's most recent theatre credits include "Johanna" in Sweeney Todd at the Royal Festival Hall', "Fran Kubelik" in Promises, Promises at the Sheffield Crucible and "Truly Scrumptious" in the original production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium. She has also starred with Steve Coogan in the British film The Parole Officer.

The show also stars Leanne Best, Mark McGee, Alec Newman and Jonathan Wrather and the cast includes Lucy Banfield, Matthew Boulton, Chloe Campbell, Matt Flint, Alex Gaumond, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Kaisa Hammarlund, Paul Hazel, Christine Holman, Steven Houghton, Toussaint Meghie, Twinnie-Lee Moore, Steven Serlin, Chris Piper, Laura Scott, Lincoln Stone and Gemma Whitelam.

The musical is written and conceived by American writer, director and actor Peter Michael Marino, whose other writing projects include Hollywood Nurses, an homage to lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s, which had a sold out run off-Broadway and is currently in development with The Drama Department in NYC for a 2008 opening. Peter wrote, produced and performed the title role in the critically acclaimed cabaret spoof Lance Jonathan: All About Me!, and its sequel More About Me!, which were met with critical acclaim, were nominated for several Mac Awards and received the Bsckstage Bistro Award for Outstanding Achievement. He has also directed and produced a dozen NYC premieres. As an actor, Peter provided the comic relief for four years in the Off-Broadway smash Stomp.

The musical is directed by Angus Jackson, an Associate Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, and choreographed by American Andy Blankenbuehler.

Set and costume designs are by Tim Hatley, with lighting design by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Bobby Aitken and Brian Beasley and orchestrations by Martin Koch.

The show is produced in London by Susan Q Gallin, Ron Kastner, Mark Rubinstein, Joseph Smith for Old Vic Productions with Peter Kane, Nordby/Rawley Productions, Mary Lu Roffe in association with MGM On Stage, Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber and by special arrangement with Deborah Harry.

Creators:
Music & Lyrics by Blondie
Additional song by Debbie Harry
Book an concept by Peter Michael Marino
Directed by Angus Jackson
Choregraphy by Andy Blankenbuehler
Set and Costume design by Tim Hatley
Lighting design by Hugh Vanstone
Sound Designers Bobby Aitken and Brian Beasley
Orchestrations by Martin Koch
Casting Director Jill Green

The English Roses will be released on Sep 13, 2007. You can Order them at Amazon.com

Source: Amazon.com

The amazing Annie Lennox is back! Her PR machine clicked into high gear today and it was formally announced that the singer's new album is titled "Song Of Mass Destruction" and will be out in stores on October 2.
Click on the image above to get a better view of the very theatrical and slightly eerie cover art for the new album.

In addition to being an incredibly successful artist, Annie is a celebrated activist and humanitarian. The new album features the soaring and powerful feminist anthem 'Sing', born out of Annie's involvement with Nelson Mandela's 46664 and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) - organizations fighting for human rights, education and health care for those affected by the HIV AIDS virus.

The track 'Sing' features 23 of the most recognized and successful female solo artists in the world, invited by Annie, to raise awareness and finances for TAC initiatives. Included among the group are superstars such as Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Fergie, Faith Hill, Pink, Dido, Gladys Knight, kd Lang, Angelique Kidjo, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Melissa Etheridge, Anastasia, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall and many others, as well as TAC activist members own vocal group known as 'The Genetics', whose CD of music inspired Annie to make 'Sing' a reality.

Source: Amazon.com

LIVE EARTH 7.7.07 - LONDON - MADONNA

HEY YOU

RAY OF LIGHT

LA ISLA BONITA + Lela Pala Tute with Eugene Hutz and Sergey Ryabstev from Gogol Bordello

HUNG UP

Photos: AFP/AP/Reuters Via Yahoo! News

I'm proud of what I've accomplished.
I'm blesses and grateful that I have family I have.
I have an incredible life.

Madonna

Out of respect to Madonna and her hard work on her upcoming album we are not going to report any leaked info on her new album. We are going to wait for the
REAL THING

!!! FILTH and WISDOM "I am happy to confirm I am working hard on a new project, directing my first short movie. While I cannot tell you more about it for now, I am happy to officially reveal its title: Filth and Wisdom. I will finish this in time to go back to the recording studio in July. I hate to be such a tease, but you know how I am." !!!