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Madonna Surprise Appearance ... Marking 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots
Showing posts with label Madonna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madonna. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Madonna Surprise Appearance ... Marking 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Madonna Tries, Mostly Fails to Defend Aretha Franklin Tribute at the VMAs
The Material Girl went ahead on Monday night and earned herself a new nickname:
The Narcissistic, Disrespectful, Rambling Woman Who Managed to Screw Up a Tribute to Arguably the Greatest Singer of All-Time.
It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it does sum up what transpired yesterday evening at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
Prior to presenting the award for Video of the Year (which went to Camila Cabello), the 60-year old singer was asked to talk about Aretha Franklin, who died last Thursday at the age of 73.
But instead of saying nice things about this iconic artist, Madonna told a rambling story about, well… herself.
You see, a long time ago, Madonna was struggling to make it as a dancer, so she went to a musical theater audition with a group of French producers.
“Why not?” she thought at the time, telling this long story on stage in front of a consued crowd and adding:
“The worst that can happen is I can go back to getting robbed, held at gunpoint, and being mistaken for a prostitute in my third-floor walk-up that was also a crack house.”
Okay, sure. Yeah. Tell us more, Madge…
It turned out that Madonna nailed the dance portion of the audition yet she panicked when those in charge asked her to produce sheet music and sing.
She wasn’t prepared for such a request!
“I had to think fast. My next meal was on the line,” she said, finally bringing this winding tale back to the late subject at suppose hand:
“Fortunately, one of my favorite albums was Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin. I blurted out, ‘You Make Me Feel!’ Silent. ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman!’”
So… Madonna sang this famous song, the producers loved it, but she actually didn’t get the gig.
She did get a job in Paris as a result of the audition, though, and… SIGH.
You really need to just watch clips from this convoluted, self-serving speech below:
How did an Aretha Franklin tribute end up being a story all about Madonna’s early years as an entertainer?
Simple, Madonna explained in a follow-up Instagram post: This was never supposed to be a tribute!
“I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin!” wrote Madonna as a caption to a photo (below) of her and Cabello.
Continued Madonna in her own defense:
“I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way. I did not intend to do a tribute to her!
“That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment.”
Madonna did conclude her speech at the VMAs by stating:
None of this would have happened, could have happened without our Lady of Soul. She led me to where I am today.
And I know she influenced so many people in this house tonight. I want to thank you, Aretha, for empowering all of us. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Not very apologetic in her Instagram post, Madonna slammed her critics and reiterated her affection for Franklin, closing her statement as follows:
“Unfortunately most people have short attention spans, and are so quick to judge. I love Aretha! R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
“I Love Camilla! Congrats! I LOVE my dress! AND. I love-L O V E!! and there is nothing anyone can say or do that will change that.”
Well… okay then!
We guess that settles that.
Madonna loves Aretha. And Cabello. And her own fashion taste. And love in general.
And, let’s not forget what Madonna also loves most of all, even in the wake of maybe the most influential artist in history passing away.
HERSELF.
Madonna Gets DESTROYED for Bizarre, Self-Serving Aretha Franklin Tribute
The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards proved that both Jennifer Lopez and Madonna pretty much never age or change.
The former was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony and also put on an incredible performance that showed off her dance moves and her ridiculous body.
The latter, meanwhile, stood on stage and was tasked with paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, the truly legendary singer who passed away last week from cancer.
But most viewers think she made this tribute all about herself.
Following a video of Franklin’s “I Say a Little Prayer” on a big screen, members of the audience – including Lopez and Camila Cabello – were reduced to tears as they remembered the iconic artist.
Madonna then spent her segment in front of the crowed rambling on about the impact Franklin had on her career.
This maybe, possibly could have worked.
Madonna could maybe, possibly have brought everything back around and used her tale as a way to depict the enormous impact Aretha had on the entire music industry.
Instead, though, she barely even mentioned Franklin by name.
At one point, for example, Madonna shared her experience at an audition where she sang Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” in a last-minute decision after she had failed to bring sheet music or prepare another song.
Okay…
She explained that she ended up belting out this track “by heart,” acapella.
And then said that the two men for whom she was auditioning didn’t believe “some skinny-ass white girl” was going to “[sing] a song by one of the greatest soul singers that ever lived.”
No one watching had any idea what this had to do with Franklin herself. It just sounded like Madonna giving herself a great deal of props.
Social media was quick to erupt with criticism for the strange, self-serving way in which The Material Girl essentially ignored the entire point of this Franklin tribute.
Madonna did end up saying at least a few nice words about Franklin.
She concluded her rambling speech as follows:
“I want to thank you, Aretha, for empowering all of us. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Long live the queen.”
But the damage had already been done.
Some folks are even calling for an apology to be issued, as explained by these two individuals on Twitter:
I hope the vmas plan to issue a public apology for allowing Madonna to disrespect Aretha Franklin’s legacy like that #VMAs.
“I’m so lost. I thought Madonna was supposed to be paying homage to Aretha but I all heard was her paying homage to herself.
Come on, you are probably thinking.
Could this have been all THAT bad?
Welp, we’ve posted snippets of Madonna’s speech below. Go ahead and find out for yourself!
Monday, April 23, 2018
Madonna Loses Lawsuit Over Tupac Letter Auction
Madonna won’t be able to put the brakes on the sale of an old jailhouse letter from Tupac that’s being auctioned off because of a release she signed almost 15 years ago … TMZ has learned. A judge has thrown out Madonna’s lawsuit…
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Madonna Dances to Her Song "Everybody" at Catch NYC
Madonna let the music take control and found herself in a dance-off … but she had the upper hand because she was grooving to her own hit track. Madge hit the dance floor at Catch NYC late Thursday night while celebrating the birthday of her lead…
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian Nail Madonna, Michael Jackson Halloween Costumes
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian took the cake for costumes Saturday night in Bel Air. Kim got Madonna on the nose, and Kourtney did an impressive Michael Jackson. They were headed to a party in the fanciest of areas of L.A. when photogs got the…
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Madonna Admits There"s No Evidence Friend Stole Her Panties!!!
Madonna withered under oath recently as she was grilled over her allegation that a former close friend and art consultant stole her panties, a letter from Tupac and other stuff. TMZ has obtained a transcript of Madonna’s deposition in the case…
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Madonna -- Good Genes or Good Docs?
Madonna’s good looks didn’t require a prayer! Here’s a 27-year-old version of the Material Girl at the American Music Awards back in 1985 (left) and 32 years later … the 59-year-old Queen of Pop and mother of six — at a party in…
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Madonna Unveils All 6 Children at 59th Birthday Bash
This is the first pic we’ve ever seen of Madonna with her 6 kids. The photo was taken in celebration of the singer’s 59th, gypsy-themed birthday party in Italy. Check out Rocco, 17, David, 11 Lourdes, 20, Mercy James 11, and 4-year-old twins Estere…
Friday, August 18, 2017
Madonna Doesn"t Want Deposition in Tupac Letter Case Videotaped, Ex-Pal and Auction Site Fights Back
Madonna’s being a real diva about her deposition … according to her ex-pal and the auction site she’s suing to keep them from selling her jailhouse letter from Tupac. Madonna’s set to be deposed in the case next week, and according to new legal…
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Madonna Files Emergency Order to Stop Tupac Shakur Letter Auction
Madonna isn’t gonna sit back and watch her jailhouse letter from Tupac get sold in an auction … because she says it was jacked from her home. Madge filed an emergency court order Tuesday in NYC to block the website…
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Tupac Shakur Letter to Madonna: I Broke Up With You Because ...
We’ve heard Tupac’s last words, but a jailhouse letter that Tupac wrote to Madonna is shedding new light on the one-time power couple’s former relationship and their breakup.
Tupac lost his life after he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in 1996, but his music and his legend have endured in a very powerful way.
Included in the letter is Tupac plainly stating the exact reason for which he broke up with Madonna.
This is hardly the first time that Tupac’s memory has been “celebrated” in a controversial manner.
We all remember the Tupac hologram that played at Coachella back in 2012.
Auctioning the very personal letters of a dead man is a complicated thing.
On the one hand, it doesn’t get much more private than a “this is why I can’t be with you” letter, right?
On the other hand, though, Tupac had zero legal expectation of privacy.
(Prison letters aren’t private, folks)
And glimpses into the life of a man taken before his time can be profoundly meaningful to fans.
The letter itself would have to be amazingly valuable to a collector, since the bidding is starting at $ 100,000.
(Tupac’s last letter sold for more than $ 170,000)
But its value to fans and collectors might be very different from what it meant to Madonna.
Because Tupac broke up with Madonna because she was white, and he explains his exact reasoning:
“For you to be seen with a black man wouldn’t in any way jeopardize your career, if anything it would make you seem that much more open and exciting.”
He is, perhaps, showing a more optimistic view of the world than the world deserves.
Racists exist even in the most ostensibly accepting groups, and that includes among the fans of musicians.
(Remember that some white porn actresses are hesitant to film scenes with black men because some studios will use that as an excuse to pay them less. The world is gross.)
And while there are for sure some people who’d really give bonus points (especially back then) to a white woman who’s dating a black man, there’d be others who are “fine in theory” with black men but don’t like interracial dating.
(Because they’re racist)
“But for me at least in my previous perception I felt due to my ‘image’ I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was.”
That is so complicated, but it’s kind of true.
You know how racism and sexism are both terrible? Well, those two issues intersect for black women, who are impacted by both, which causes society to devalue them in the grossest ways.
In response to some black men who sing the praises of dating white women (these days, it’s guys who “want to find themselves a Kylie Jenner”), there are some black women who are resentful when famous black men have white wives.
People in real life just fall in and out of love and either do or do not date, but it’s easy to see how a pattern like that could look like men like Tupac think that they’re “trading up.”
Like we said … it’s all very complicated.
Tupac must have worried that many of his fans who were black women would see his dating Madonna as a betrayal.
But clearly Tupac was aware of the effect of choosing his fans over Madonna.
“I never meant to hurt you.”
Madonna has spoken about Tupac before, so some would see this letter as another opportunity for Tupac’s own voice to be heard.
The rest of the letter is all directed at Madonna, though we can’t see all of it.
We guess that blurring some parts of it makes sense.
It’s going to be auctioned — seeing the full text would lower its value for prospective buyers, you know?
But we do see Tupac talk about how Madonna had hurt his feelings after their breakup.
He also cautions her that not everyone is as nice as they seem, which is pretty good advice for anyone.
And it is a prison letter, so he invites her to visit him so that they can talk face-to-face.
The auction starts in a couple of weeks.
Most people, obviously, can’t spend a small house to buy a letter, no matter who wrote it.
Those of us who hope to know the letter’s full contents will just hope that Martin Shkreli doesn’t buy it to keep it all for himself.
Tupac Confesses in Prison Letter He Dumped Madonna Because She Was White
Tupac broke off his sexual relationship with Madonna because she was white. The rapper poured out his heart to the singer in an extremely revealing letter he wrote in jail. Tupac writes, “For you to be seen with a black man…
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Diddy"s Screening of "Can"t Stop, Won"t Stop" Draws Madonna, Snoop and Vin
A slew of celebs showed up at Diddy’s L.A. mansion for a screening of his new flick, ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,’ and to say the least they were inspired. Madonna, Snoop, Vin Diesel, Lana Del Rey, Ray J, French Montana and Lil Yachty were just some of…
Monday, February 13, 2017
Madonna Adoption Could Have Been Derailed Over Rocco Custody Fight
Madonna had multiple good reasons to end her custody war over Rocco … if she didn’t, her bid to adopt two kids from Malawi would have come to a grinding halt. The judge who green lit Madonna’s adoption last week spent a long time…
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Madonna Scored Adoption in Just 2 Weeks, Normally Takes Several Months
Madonna’s third time adopting was a charm because what usually takes 3 to 7 months was accomplished in just 2 weeks … according to Malawi court officials. Madonna first applied to adopt Esther and Stella on January 25, which is when the story…
Madonna & More: 20 Stars Who Have Adopted Kids
Which celebrities have adopted children from around the world?
Find out now and send them your best wishes!
1. Madonna
Madonna adopted David Banda from Malawi in 2008 and then Mercy from the same country a year later. In 2017, she added twin girls from the same country to the mix.
2. Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett and her husband adopted a baby girl in March of 2015. No further details were provided at that time. The baby joins a family that includes Dashiell, 13, Roman, 10, and Ignatius, 6.
3. Mary-Louise Parker
Three years after giving birth to her son, Will, the Weeds star adopted Caroline “Ash” Aberash from Africa.
4. Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness have adopted kids named Oscar and Ava. They specifically asked for mixed-race babies.
5. Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart was 36 and single when she adopted baby Liam. She was also in the room when the tyke was born, later saying: “It’s the best thing that I have done in my life and it really changes who you are.”
6. Meg Ryan
“I just saw that face and I knew we were just related. It taught me a lot about any expectations you have in life. Just toss them away. Throw them out,” she says of her experience adopting a child from China.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Madonna Shares Sweet Photo: Look at My Adopted Kids!
Madonna may have received some heat a few weeks ago when she said she had thought about blowing up the White House.
But we expect the singer will receive nothing but praise and well wishes for the following piece of major news:
She has adopted twin four-year olds from Malawi.
Although the legendary artist denied rumors that an adoption was pending last month, multiple outlets reported earlier today that the High Court from Malawi granted the 58-year-old the ability to adopt these girls from the country on Tuesday.
Madonna then appeared in court with her attorney alongside the twins’ father and uncle, who both witnessed the adoption.
And then she went ahead and confirmed the life-altering decision herself on Instagram this afternoon.
“I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family,” Madonna captioned an photograph of herself walking hand-in-hand with the toddler, both of whom were wearing matching blue-and-white polka dot patterned dresses.
Continued The Material Girl:
“I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible, and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transitional time.
“Thank you also to my friends, family and my very large team for all your support and Love!”
Malawi’s judiciary spokesperson told People Magazine that the girls’ mother died in August 2012, a week after giving birth to the twins.
“After their mother died, the children were looked after by their grandmother, who could not fully provide for them, so they were taken into an orphanage,” this spokesperson explained.
Of course, the adoption process in Malawi is not anything new to Madonna.
She is the birth mother of Lourdes Leon, 20, and Rocco Ritchie, 16; and she adopted 11-year-old son David Banda and daughter Mercy James from the country in 2008 and 2009.
Some folks there may also be unaware that Madonna actually founded the Raising Malawi organization more than a decade ago.
Its mission is to fight against poverty among the nation’s orphaned children by constructing schools, strengthening hospitals and providing resources for orphans and impoverished children.
Pretty awesome, huh?
This charity work played a big role in the singer’s latest adoption, according to the aforementioned judiciary spokesperson.
“Madonna has been very close to Malawi,” she continued telling People. “She has been involved in so many projects and is currently helping to expand the children’s ward at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
“So Madonna has been coming to Malawi frequently. So it is not unusual to people in Malawi at all. They know Madonna very well in terms of the high-profile work she has done for the community.”
We send Madonna and her two new kids nothing but our very best wishes.
Click through the above photo gallery for a look at other celebrities who have adopted children.
Madonna Finally Cops to Adopting Malawi Twins (PHOTO)
Madonna now admits she adopted 4-year-old twin girls from Malawi — something she flatly denied 2 weeks ago when she was in the African nation. Madonna posted a pic with the girls, Esther and Stella, to announce she’d officially “completed the…
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Madonna Approached to Record "Enough is Enough" as Anti-Trump Anthem
Madonna has not responded to Donald Trump calling her “disgusting” for saying she thought about blowing up the White House, but she has the option of making the next move by recording what could become the rallying cry against the prez. Sources tell…
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