madonnalicious

A party thrown by Madonna - that's got to be magic!

Nicole Kidman was manning the door and helping to take guests' coats and shawls.
Sharon Stone was chowing down on onion bhajis, while Cameron Diaz was mopping up the vegetarian curry with naan bread.
There was a definite Slumdog Millionaire theme at the late-night, post-Oscar party Madonna threw with Demi Moore at the mansion owned by Madge's manager, Guy Oseary.
Spread out in the kitchen were traditional Indian dishes including chicken tikka masala and various biriyanis.
There were other goodies, too. One guest even jokingly (I hope) asked for a deep-fried Mars bar. I gather he had once spent a drunken night in Glasgow and claimed to have tasted the Scottish delicacy.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs was the DJ and MC. When best supporting actress Oscar winner Penelope Cruz sashayed in, he announced: 'Penel-o-p-e Cruuuz is in the house!'
Most people party-hopped from the Vanity Fair bash and Elton John's charity event to end up at Madge's, where the tennis courts had been covered over and topped with a marquee. Sofas and chairs were provided for the weary to rest themselves on.
And there were plenty of mints in little bowls, for those who didn't want early morning curry breath.

From the Baz Bamigboye / Daily Mail

Testino kicked Madonna into touch

Famed photographer Mario Testino got physical to create the iconic image of Madonna on her Ray Of Light record cover - he kicked her into position.
The celebrity snapper worked with the Material Girl star to come up with an image for her now famous 1998 album cover sleeve.
But the photo shoot wasn't an easy one - with Testino having to physically tackle the notoriously tough singer to convince her to keep posing.
He says, 'At 2pm she (Madonna) said, 'OK, I'm tired. We're done.' And I said, 'But I don't have the pictures yet.' She said, 'You're working for me and I say we're done.' I said, 'No, we carry on.'
'The picture she used on the cover came after that. She didn't intimidate me, you see. I thought, I have to push my luck here, so I started kicking her like this, with my foot. She was like, 'Hey, what are you doing?' And I was, like, move here, move here,' and suddenly this created an intimacy. When these people come across someone who treats them as an equal, it puts them at ease.'

From contactmusic.com

German Press: Bild

German newspaper Bild published this picture of Madonna and Gwen Stefani at the Vanity Fair party in Los Angeles on Sunday night - click to enlarge.

Thanks to Kirsten

Arianne Phillips refreshing looks for the tour

Madonna's stylist Arianne Phillips is interviewed by W magazine about the Blame It On Rio portfolio and what she has planned for this year:

The black zippered dress is so prominent in the story. What made you choose it and what did its designer (Victoria Beckham) have to do with it, if anything?
I initially chose this dress for the classic 50s-60s slim silhouette, which was what I was after for our story. I was also intrigued since it is from Beckham's debut collection - I liked the 'story' of one pop star to another. And I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the dress. The fabrication, details and fit are very well thought out.

What's up next for you?
I designed the costumes for Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, which is forthcoming this fall. Right now I'm helping refurbish and create some new looks for Madonna's summer tour extension and I'm getting ready to attend the women's collections in Paris.

To read the full interview visit www.wmagazine.com/editorsblog

Madonna donates clothes to orphanage

Madonna has put to good use, clothes outgrown by her adopted son David Banda.
The three-year-old's hand-me-downs have been sent to his former orphanage in Malawi, People magazine reports.
A package arrived at the centre labelled 'from David Ritchie to friends at Home of Hope - Malawi'.
The 50-year-old singer adopted David from the orphanage in 2006. The child had been suffering from pneumonia having survived malaria and tuberculosis when she met him.
Since then, young David has gone through a series of top-end outfits brought by his millionaire parents.
And the clothes have now been donated to the orphanage, according to People.
A source close to the orphanage told the magazine that included in the package were toys and children's books including signed copies of Madonna's English Roses.

From Press Association Via Yahoo! News

Vanity Fair Academy Award Party

Madonna worked the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Academy Award post-party in Hollywood last night. Madonna accessorised her sheer gown with a 500-carat, black-and-white diamond bead Neil Lane necklace.

Pictures from AP / Reuters Via Yahoo! News

Sticky & Sweet Tour: A Second Italian Venue

Madonna will play a second Italian venue on Thursday 16 July when the tour stops at the Stadio Friuli in Udine.

A Live Nation mailout states that a dedicated ICON fanclub pre-sale will start on Tuesday 24 February - times to be confirmed by www.madonna.com

The general public sale for the tickets will start on Friday 27 February from midnight online at www.ticketone.it and at authorized ticket points at Azalea Promotion, BoxOffice and TicketOne from 09:00am.

Thanks to Rinaldo

MTV Australia Awards

Madonna and Justin Timberlake's 4 Minutes has been nominated in the Best Moves category at the MTV Australia Awards.

Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up
Chris Brown - Forever
Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
Britney Spears - Circus

Thanks to ALISTAIR

Events: More from Simply Madonna

Here are some more pictures from the Simply Madonna exhibition press viewing - including Billboard and MTV awards, her personal diary, a signed cigar, tour tshirts, magazine covers and other items of clothing.

The exhibition runs from Saturday 21 February until Sunday 22 March at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London and tickets can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Events: Simply Madonna

madonnalicious attended the press viewing of the Simply Madonna exhibition yesterday afternoon and brings you these exclusive shots from the event.

The exhibition runs from Saturday 21 February until Sunday 22 March at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London and tickets can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.co.uk

The exhibition features items from investment company Marquee Capital and mega-fan James Harknett and covers Madonna's 25 year career.

It is a strange experience viewing this collection of items, it seems to lack the life and 'wow' factor you would expect from Madonna. The costumes, which are meant to be the highlight of the collection, are mostly grouped together on two large stages which tends to diminish impact of what should be a great display.
With the clothes being on identical mannequins, with identical facial expressions it reminds you of a 'Stepford Wives' scene and was a bit of a distraction from the outfits.
madonnalicious guesses that these costumes feel so lifeless, is because as a big fan we are used to seeing Madonna in them and without her energy and movement it feels lacklustre.

However there are really interesting items on display for fans to see, including the divorce agreement signed by Madonna and Sean Penn and an American Express credit card used by Madonna in the 1980's. There are some MTV Awards given to Madonna and her personal datebook/diary all displayed with lots of memorabilia in large glass cabinets.

James Harknett's collection is where the heart of this exhibition is - they show the passion of a fan's collection. It is great to see such a huge collection of memorabilia that has been collected with love and devotion and really makes this event.

St. Petersberg for the Sticky & Sweet Tour?

The scandalously famous Madonna will give a concert in Russia's second city of St. Petersburg, concert organizers said on Thursday.
St. Petersburg is one of 16 European cities where Madonna will perform during her Sticky & Sweet tour that is due to begin in London on July 4.
'Right now the last details are being agreed with Madonna's management in regard to the St. Petersburg concert date,' a press release by Planet Plus, PMI Corporation said.
A source close to the concert organizers, however, told RIA Novosti that the concert in St. Petersburg is planned for August 2 in the city's central square, Dvortsovaya Ploshchad (Palace Square).

From RIA Novosti

UK Magazines: Grazia

The 23 February issue of UK fashion magazine Grazia features this full-page advert for the Red Nose Day 09 charity tshirts designed by Stella McCartney.

British actress Keira Knightly is pictured in the advert for the Madonna tshirt - which has proved popular it was sold out online before the advert even hit the press! It may still be available in some stores - but it is a very popular item!

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Madrid, Tallinn, Belgrade and Bucharest

Here are the ticket details just released for four more Sticky & Sweet Tour shows in Europe:

Thursday 23 July - Madrid - Vicente Calderon
Fan club pre sale: Monday 02 March 2nd at 10:00am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members
Public Onsale: Thursday 05 March 5rd at 8:00am (Local Time)

Tuesday 04 August - Tallinn - Song Festival Ground
Fan club pre sale: Wednesday 25 February 25th at 10:00am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members
Public Onsale: Thursday 05 March 5th at 9:00am (Local Time)

Monday 24 August - Belgrade - USCE Park
Fan club pre sale: Monday 23 February 23th at 10:00am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members
Public Onsale: Friday 27 February 27th at 10:00am (Local Time)

Wednesday 26 August - Bucharest - Parc Izvor
Fan club pre sale: Monday 23 February 23th at 10:00am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members
Public Onsale: Tuesday 03 March 3rd at 10:00am (Local Time)

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Spanish Dates Poster

This poster advertising Madonna's tour dates in Barcelona and Madrid was published last week in ADN, a free newspaper available in Madrid.

Thanks to Emilio

Ticket scramble for Madonna's Bulgarian concert begins

The sale of tickets for what is believed by many to be Bulgaria's single greatest music performance of all time - Madonna's concern in Sofia on August 29, 2009 - began at 9 am on Thursday.
The organizers from Sofia Music Enterprises believe that a record number of people will try to get tickets for the concert scheduled to take place on Bulgaria's National Stadium 'Vasil Levski'.
The tickets for Madonna's Bulgarian concert are the cheapest in Europe - they start at BGN 100 and reach as much as BGN 300 for the VIP tickets. Tickets are sold at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, as well as in the cities of Burgas, Plovdiv, Sliven, and Veliko Turnovo.
The organizers announced Wednesday that kids as tall as 1,20 meters would be allowed at the concert free of charge.
Madonna's concert in Bulgaria is part of her Sticky & Sweet Tour. She is going to arrive to Bulgaria with a team of 250 persons.
Reports claim that Madonna will get about USD 5-7 M for her concert in Sofia, the BGNES news agency announced adding that even if these figures were not correct, Madonna will still get the largest sum ever for a musical performance in Bulgaria.

From novinite.com

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Second Oslo Show Announced

A second show at Oslo's Valle Hovin Stadium was just added to the Sticky & Sweet Tour schedule and will take place on Wednesday 29 July.

A devoted ICON fan club pre sale will start on Thursday 19 February at 10:am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members.

The general ticket sale will start on Monday 23 February at 9:00am (Local Time).

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Buenos Aires Fan Pictures - Part 8

The fourth and final Buenos Aires concert took place on Monday 08 December and these pictures from madonnalicious reader Heber now complete the Buenos Aires section of the tour gallery.

Madonna won't appear in New Moon but may provide songs

Widespread Internet chatter that Madonna may participate in some capacity in the Twilight sequel, New Moon, may be only partly true, a source close to the production tells EW.
Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the movie series, has no plans to cast the pop star and sometime actor in New Moon.
However, because Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary, is a producer on the project, there is some talk of her providing songs for the sequel.
Still, no deals have been made yet, and the plans haven't progressed beyond the 'that'd be cool' stage.

From EW.com

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Buenos Aires Fan Pictures - Part 7

The third Buenos Aires concert took place on Sunday 07 December and these pictures from the show were taken by madonnalicious reader Martin.

US TV: The Big Weekend

Highlights from last years Radio 1's The Big Weekend will air on HD cable channel Palladia in the US on Tuesday 17 February at 10:00pm, EST.

Madonna's full performances of Give It 2 Me and 4 Minutes will be shown.

Thanks to Rob

Venezuelan Magazines: Exclusiva

Exclusiva magazine from Venezuela celebrates its fourth anniversary by featuring Madonna on the front cover for the first time in a special limited-edition issue hologram-effect. The magazine is in high quality glossy paper and the cover is cardboard with the hologram-effect Madonna picture.

Thanks to José

Madonna in bid to star in film as Wallis Simpson

UK Magazines: Hello!

Another UK magazine has featured the new pictures of Madonna and Jesus in New York City. This article is from Hello! magazine (17 February issue 1059).

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Ljubljana Ticket Details

Slovenian Madonna fans, the Sticky & Sweet Tour will stop at Ljubljana's Hippodrome on Thursday 20 August.

An ICON fan club devoted pre sale will start on Tuesday 17 February at 10:00am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members.

The general public ticket sale will start on Monday 23 February.

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Warsaw Ticket Details

Madonna will perform at Warsaw's Bemowo Airport on Saturday 15 August.

A devoted ICON fan club presale will start on Tuesday 17 February at 10:00am (Local Time) for Legacy members and at Noon (Local Time) for newer members.

Please note that the online public ticket sale for this show will start on Friday 20 February and on Friday 27 February for classic outlets.