Madonna News
On 12 June 2009, the BBC reported that Madonna had won her appeal to adopt a second child from Malawi.
On 3 April 2009, it was reported that a Malawian court had ruled that Madonna would not be allowed to adopt a second child from the country.
On 21 November 2008, Madonna and Guy Ritchie were granted a divorce (decree nisi) at the High Court in London.
On 15 October 2008, Madonna and Guy Ritchie confirmed they were going to divorce. They had been married for nearly eight years.
In May 2008, Madonna and Guy Ritchie were given final approval by a court in Malawi to adopt David Banda.
In May 2008, Madonna's album Hard Candy went straight to number one in the UK. Her song 4 Minutes, featuring Justin Timberlake, simultaneously topped the singles chart.
Hard Candy was Madonna's 10th number one album in the UK.
In April 2008, the documentary, I Am Because We Are, which features Madonna exploring the lives of children who have been orphaned by AIDS in Malawi, premiered in New York.
In March 2008, Madonna was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
In February 2008, Madonna made her film directorial debut with Filth and Wisdom, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. The BBC collected various critics' assessments of Filth and Wisdom.
In January 2008, the BBC reported that Madonna had topped Forbes's list of the richest female musicians, with estimated earnings of $72m (£36m) between June 2006 and June 2007.
In October 2007, Madonna signed a joint recording and touring contract with concert promoter Live Nation.
In a deal, reported to be worth $120m over 10 years, according to the BBC article, Madonna signs radical record deal, Madonna is the first major star to choose an all-in-one agreement with a tour company over a traditional record deal.
May 2007: Madonna has written a new track, 'Hey You', that she will perform at London's Live Earth concert in July.
Hey You is available for download from Microsoft's Live Earth website.
In October 2006 much attention was drawn to Madonna and Guy Ritchie's plans to adopt 13-month-old David Banda. Here is Madonna's statement:
"My husband and I began the adoption process many months prior to our trip to Malawi.
"I did not wish to disclose my intentions to the world prior to the adoption happening as this is a private family matter.
"After learning that there were over one million orphans in Malawi, it was my wish to open up our home and help one child escape an extreme life of hardship, poverty and in many cases death, as well as expand our family.
"Nevertheless, we have gone about the adoption procedure according to the law like anyone else who adopts a child.
"Reports to the contrary are totally inaccurate.
"The procedure includes an 18-month evaluation period after which time we hope to make this adoption permanent. This was not a decision or commitment that my family or I take lightly.
"I am overwhelmed and inspired by my trip to Malawi and hope that it helps bring attention to how much more the world needs to do to help the children of Africa.
"My heartfelt thanks for all the good wishes I have received and I hope the press will allow my family some room for us to experience the joy we feel to have David home."
In September 2006, the BBC reported that Madonna had been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the highest paid female singer, toppling Britney Spears from the top spot.
Madonna's tour tops the charts. Meanwhile there are reports of a split with manager Caresse Henry
According to Billboard Madonna's Re-Invention tour was streets ahead when it came to revenue generated by tours in 2004.
Re-invention netted $125 million in total box office gross - the nearest challenger was Prince's Musicology tour with just over $90.2 million
According to Billboard Boxscore, Madonna sold out 55 of 56 performances worldwide.
Meanwhile it appears that Madonna has fallen out with long-time manager, Caresse Henry.
Madonna exuding positive vibes
One of the problems with updating news on Madonna is that there are so many bits and bobs that get reported, that it's difficult to judge what's worth including here. Normally I try to post something if I have a particular spin on it, but inspiration was failing me. And then along came a web article from ABC reporting a Madonna radio interview that seemed to cover a variety of issues.
Firstly, Madonna on Bush and Iraq:
"In terms of the elections, I don't agree with so many things and the decisions that George Bush has made and I'm not happy with the situation in Iraq ...I do believe that the American public has been manipulated to a great degree."
But then Madonna goes on to say:
"In the end, we have to say, 'OK, we didn't win, but there's other ways to fix the problems, so now what else can I do to help?'"
Similarly with Elton John's lip-syncing charge, Madonna says:
"There was never a hatchet for me in the first place," she said. "I always thought of him as a friend. I think he was just having a bad day when he said those things and I never really took it personally."
And then she is capable of having a chuckle at the comments on her music by those who have read her children's stories:
"Oh, I got tons of letters like, 'I never liked her records but I like her books.' I'm like, 'Thanks a lot,".
Madonna's new short story, 'The Adventures of Abdi' is reportedly about 'the power of positive energy'. It seems that this message is one that prevails at the heart of Madonna at present: So Bush got elected, let's move on ... So Elton said that about me, let's move on ...So they didn't like my records, let's move on.
But then again, are things so different today? Hasn't Madonna's great skill always been an ability to move on?
According to The Jerusalem Post of 14 September 2004:
" ... megastar singer Madonna is finally scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday ... Madonna, who is participating in the international congress of the Kabbalah Center, will be accompanied by members of her family, and will be surrounded by some 2,000 participants from 22 countries...
" ... Madonna is due to visit Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, where a left-wing women's group will hold a vigil opposing her presence in "occupied territory."
" ... Madonna's PR agency, Arad Communications, has requested that journalists covering events with Madonna wear white and not bring writing utensils or cameras to the press conference.
" ...Catholic-born Madonna was last in Israel in 1993 for a concert appearance... The Tel Aviv branch of the Kabbalah Center has put Hebrew translations of her books on prominent display. Madonna, who reportedly now also answers to the Jewish name Esther, refrains from eating some nonkosher foods, won't perform on Friday night, and has been a student at the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center for six years.
"Other American celebrities rumored to be coming for the congress include Marla Trump, wife of business tycoon Donald Trump, actress Demi Moore, and fashion designer Donna Karan...."
According to The Scotsman on 6 September 2004:
"Pop star Madonna drew massive applause from a sold-out crowd in Paris when she dedicated her version of John Lennon’s peace ode Imagine to the Russian hostage crisis."
Madonna spoke about the tragedy at a Russian school that left at least 350 dead. As images of war and children were broadcast behind her on giant screens, Madonna urged her fans at Paris's Bercy stadium to think about what happened in Russia and to think about Lennon's lyrics.
From The Daily Telegraph article 'Lady of the Manor Takes on the World' dated 12/08/2004:
"...since the US leg of her tour wound up in Miami last month, Madonna has been spotted out and about in London, jogging in Hyde Park and, in cloth cap and tweeds, visiting The Punchbowl pub in Mayfair with British husband, Guy Ritchie.
As Madonna's typically idiosyncratic take on English fashion suggests, the Michigan girl has embraced a quaint, Hollywood version of England, mixing working-class, salt-of-the-earth aesthetics with aristocratic pretensions, as if Bertie Wooster had become landlord of the Queen Vic.
When not supping pints down her local, Madonna retreats to her stately pile on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, where she has recently been engaged in the time-honoured country house pursuit of trying to ban ramblers. Yet, for all her newly acquired aura of stately decorum and domestic harmony, one can never entirely shake the suspicion she might be entirely naked beneath her Barbour jacket..."
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