madonnalicious

Win tickets to Madonna's O2 concert!

Sky1 is giving away 5 pairs of tickets to see Madonna live on Sunday 05 July at the O2! The contest is open to UK, Isle of Man, Channel Island and ROI residents only.

To enter the competition visit sky1.sky.com/madonna-win

Thanks to Vickster

Madonna tops Forbes list of top-earning acts

Forbes magazine issued its list of the year’s top-earning musicians....their year being June to June, that is.
And it should come as no surprise that Madonna tops the cash heap.
What is (mildly) unexpected is just how much wealthier Madge has become. As Forbes reports, the Material Mom has garnered roughly $40-$50 million annually since 2002. Last year, however, she more than doubled that tally, rising to $110 million.
Céline Dion almost beat her, however. The chest-beating French-Canadian songbird raked in a cool $100 mil herself last year. Beyoncé landed in third, with $87 million.
The list was compiled by assessing earnings from album sales, touring, publising and endorsement deals, with Billboard, Pollstar and Nielsen SoundScan cited as sources.

#1 - Madonna, $110 million
#2 - Céline Dion, $100 million
#3 - Beyoncé, $87 million
#4 - Bruce Springsteen, $70 million
#5 - Kenny Chesney, $65 million

From OCRegister.com

Volunteers wanted for The Madonna Nudes exhibition

Impure Art, the UK’s only erotic art gallery, is bringing the 'Madonna Nudes 1979' exhibition to central London this July and we’re looking for bright, well presented and enthusiastic volunteers to work in our Covent Garden gallery, talking to visitors and playing an active role in this fun and highly publicised event.

The exhibition runs from July 1st - July 19th and would be a great opportunity for anyone who wishes to gain experience and understanding of the art world and the workings of art galleries and exhibitions. Gallery experience not necessary but customer-focused experience essential.

For more information email your CV to nic@impureart.com

Vote: Best Female Singer

Fans can vote for Madonna as the Best Female Singer in The Dome Awards taking place in Köln, Germany on Friday 21 August.

Madonna is currently only on 1% - being beaten by singers such as Vanessa Hudgens! To place your vote (every 24 hours) please visit www.thedome.de

Please note Abstimmen is the button to press to vote.

Thanks to Hamad

The Madonna Nudes - 30th Anniversary Exhibition

To celebrate the arrival of Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour to the Capital, Seven Dials, Covent Garden’s hidden village, is set to play host to the London premiere of The Madonna Nudes - 30th Anniversary exhibition, a collection of intimate photographs taken by Martin H. M. Schreiber, when Madonna was just 20.

Limited edition prints of the photographs are available to buy at £3,400, and also available to buy is a unique piece of never seen before memorabilia – a one off print of the original Madonna Polaroid test shot, which, included with the original model release and the Polaroid, is expected to fetch in excess of £40,000. This would eclipse the previous record of $37,500 recently paid at auction earlier this year for the Lee Friedlander photograph which also featured in the 1985 Playboy.

For those on a budget, but wanting a little snippet of Madonna, exclusive Madonna Nudes memorabilia available includes:

- Postcards of the Prints (these are ONLY available from Impure Art. No one else in the world has these postcards)
- Limited Edition Posters of the Exhibition
- The original 1985 Playboys the image first appeared in
- The Taschen Madonna Nudes Books (1st and 2nd editions) – some are signed by the photographer
- Other memorabilia unique to the exhibition including badges, fridge magnets, mugs and more.

The photographer Martin H M Schreiber will be in town for Saturday 4th July to sign books, posters and the Playboys and meet people.

The exhibition will be co-hosted by Seven Dials and Impure Art (the UK’s only erotic art gallery) who are exclusively handling the sale of the Madonna Nudes 30th Anniversary collection. See www.impureart.com for details.

The Madonna Nudes will showcase at 19 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, WC2 from 2nd to 19th July. The gallery will be open seven days - Monday to Saturday, 12-7pm, and Sunday 12-6pm. For more information please visit www.sevendials.co.uk

New '09 Tour merchandise available now!

Madonna's official merchandiser Fanfire has just released some new tour goodies in preparation for the '09 Tour.

There are a selection of clothing items for men, women and juniors - so why wait in queue at the venue - shop now at Fanfire.

Madonna's adopted daughter leaves Malawi

Madonna's new daughter has flown out of her native Malawi on a private jet headed for London, an airport employee and a person familiar with Madonna's adoption proceedings in this southern African country said Saturday.
The airport employee, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said 3-year-old Chifundo 'Mercy' James left late Friday headed to London, with a stop in neighboring South Africa. The girl, the second child Madonna has adopted from Malawi, was reportedly accompanied on the flight by a nanny, a child nurse and a third aide.
The person familiar with the adoption, who also was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the girl known as Mercy should have reached London on Saturday morning. Madonna has homes in England and in the United States.
Malawi's highest court had granted the adoption June 12, overturning an April lower court ruling that Madonna had not spent enough time in Malawi to be given a child.
The high court said the first judge had imposed too narrow a definition of residency, and lauded Madonna for her work with children in a poor country where half a million have lost a parent to AIDS.

From AP Via Yahoo! News

UK Magazines: Grazia

UK magazine Grazia (22 June issue) featured this article about the adoption - click on the article to enlarge.

UK Magazines: Look

Madonna's adoption of Mercy was featured in the 22 June issue of UK magazine Look - click on the article to enlarge.

Sticky & Sweet Tour team arrive in London

Madonna, her dancers, musicians, and even make-up artist Gina Brooke have all travelled over to London from New York City. The final two weeks of rehearsals now begin ready for the tour to premiere on Saturday 04 July at the O2 Arena.

Official: Sky1 to air the Sticky & Sweet Tour

After rumours in the UK press earlier this week - it is now confirmed that Sky1 will premiere the Sticky & Sweet Tour on Saturday 04 July.

See more, hear more, feel everything....Sky1 presents Madonna in stunning high definition!
On the 4th of July, Sky1 and Sky1HD will play host to a unique, sexy, and incredible event: the exclusive premiere of Madonna: Sticky and Sweet, a very special live concert recorded in December 2008 at the River Plate Stadium in in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Madonna: Sticky and Sweet features the iconic star’s greatest hits and songs from her latest studio album, Hard Candy. The controversial, record-breaking tour features four sections: ‘Pimp,’ ‘Old School,’ ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Rave’ and has won universal praise with The Times remarking, 'In the premiere league of song-and-dance spectaculars, the queen of pop remains unrivalled and undefeated.' Madonna: Sticky and Sweet was directed by Nathan Rissman (Madonna’s 'I Am Because We Are') and is a Live Nation Production.
Stuart Murphy, Director of Programming, Sky1, 2 and 3, commented: 'Spend a fantastic night with one of the world’s biggest music stars live in your living room…in high definition. HD will make audiences feel like they’re literally there with her. It’s fantastic, event television that only Sky1 can offer and the show is sure to set temperatures soaring this summer.'

Check out the official news at: sky1.sky.com/madonna-sticky-and-sweet-in-h-d

Thanks to Ian

German Magazines: Bunte and OK!

The latest editions of German magazines Bunte and OK! (18 June issues) both feature articles on the Mercy adoption story. These are illustrated with two recent pictures of Madonna visiting The Kabbalah Center in New York City.

Thanks to Kirsten

Circus At Matter competition winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win tickets to Jodie Harsh's Circus At Matter club night at the The o2 on Saturday 04 July.

madonnalicious is pleased to announce that Mariska F, from the Netherlands was the lucky winner picked at random!

The answer to the question set (How many double-decker buses could fit into The O2?) was 18,000!

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Bulgarian Advert

madonnalicious reader Valio spotted this huge billboard advertising Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Sticky & Sweet Tour broadcast on UK TV

UK newspaper The Sun are reporting that Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour recorded in Buenos Aires last year (and due for release on DVD....eventually) will be shown by UK digital/satelite broadcaster Sky.

They report that it will be shown on Saturday 04 July - to coincide with Madonna's first show of the 2009 tour - and will include 15 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. The concert will be available on both the Sky 1 and Sky HD channels.

Thanks to Martin

UK Magazines: Now

UK magazine Now (15 June issue) features an article on the charity polo match on Governor's Island in New York that Madonna and family attended last month - click on the article to enlarge.

UK Magazines: heat

The charity polo match on Governor's Island in New York that Madonna and family attended last month is featured in the current edition of UK magazine heat (13-19 June issue) - click on the article to enlarge.

Malawi welcomes Madonna adoption

The decision to grant pop star Madonna the right to adopt a second Malawian child has been warmly received by many in the southern African state.
The singer's victory at Malawi's Supreme Court of Appeal led the news on local radio stations and prompted a positive response on phone-in shows.
But James Kambewa, who is claiming paternity of the four-year-old girl, remains opposed to the adoption.
'I won't give up the fight,' he said, adding that the court disregarded him.
'I wrote to the court challenging the adoption because I am ready and willing to take care of my child,' said Mr Kambewa.
'How can they continue referring to her as an orphan when I told them I am there for her?'
However, Mr Kambewa was a lone voice of opposition, with most Malawians welcoming the court's decision to allow Madonna to adopt Chifundo 'Mercy' James.
'She is taking Mercy out of a life of destitution; she could have lived in the orphanage until she was old enough to start prostitution,' said Michael Jonas, a curio seller in Blantyre, Malawi's second-largest city.
'I am happy for her and the world should ignore the so-called father. We have lots of fathers but very few parents.'
'I am happy for Mercy,' said Martha Banda, a university student in Blantyre.
'Those who are against the adoption are just plain selfish. How can one say she is better off in an orphanage?'
Chifundo's uncle, Peter Baneti, said her family were 'very happy'.
'We, as a family, have been anxiously awaiting this ruling. We are very happy for Chifundo,' he said.
He added that Mr Kembewa could 'jump into Lake Malawi' for all he cared.
'We don't know this James boy. He was not there when my sister was pregnant; he didn't attend her funeral. How can he just come out to claim the baby? Does he want to steal my niece?'
Mercy's teenage mother died of child-birth complications a few days after giving birth.
Mr Kambewa admitted he had denied responsibility for his girlfriend's pregnancy. He met the 14-year-old Mwandida Mwaunde in secondary school, but deserted her when she fell pregnant in 2006.
'I was young then, but now I am old and responsible,' he said.
Yet even those in Malawi initially opposed to the adoption appear to have had a change of heart.
'We are happy today's ruling has clarified issues of inter-country adoptions,' said Maxwell Matewere, Executive director of Eye of the Child - a child rights organisation which previously expressed reservations about the adoption.
Frank Phiri, a resident in Bvumbwe - where the Mercy orphanage is situated - said Malawi has millions of orphans and one orphan less must be viewed as good news.
'I wish other rich people would come here to adopt orphans like Madonna has done,' he said.
'Governments should encourage people to adopt children because living in an orphanage is tough.'
According to the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Development, there are close to 2 million orphans in Malawi, a quarter of whom have lost their parents as a direct result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Madonna, one of the most successful stars in pop history, first met Mercy in October 2006 at Kondanani Children's Village, just outside Blantyre, the same year she began the process of adopting David Banda.

From BBC News By Raphael Tenthani

UK Press: Daily Express and Daily Mirror

The news of Madonna's successful adoption appeal was featured in some UK newspapers today - below are scans from the Daily Express and Daily Mirror.

Madonna's statement on the adoption

Madonna's family has just gotten bigger, now that the pop star has legally won the right to adopt a daughter from Malawi.
'I am extremely grateful for the Supreme Court's ruling on my application to adopt Mercy James. I am ecstatic....My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her,' Madonna said in a statement through her spokesperson Friday.
Preparations are already underway to bring Chifundo 'Mercy' James, 3, from the African country to America private jet, after the singer stayed up throughout the night hoping for a courtroom victory.
'It's the early hours in New York now but my client has been awake all night waiting for this,' Madonna's Malawi lawyer, Alan Chinula, tells PEOPLE. The attorney spoke to his client as soon as the ruling was made official, at around 2 a.m. her time Friday. 'She was ecstatic when I broke the news to her. She said, 'Thank heavens.''

From PEOPLE.com

UK Magazines: Grazia

Madonna's family day out at the charity polo match on Governor's Island in New York was featured in UK magazine Grazia (15 June issue) - click on the article to enlarge.

Madonna's adoption appeal approved

Madonna has won her appeal to adopt a second child from Malawi, the country's highest court has ruled.
The star, who is said to be 'excited' at the news, was appealing against an earlier decision that she could not adopt Chifundo 'Mercy' James, four.
In April, a judge ruled out the adoption saying prospective parents had to be resident in Malawi for 18 months.
But the appeals court said the star's commitment to helping disadvantaged children had not been considered.
The singer has founded a charity, Raising Malawi, which helps feed, educate and provide medical care for some of Malawi's one million-plus orphans.
The 50-year-old singer's lawyer said he had called the singer after the ruling.
'It's the wee hours of morning in New York but she is excited at the news,' Alan Chinula said.
'As her lawyer I am happy that this has settled this contentious issue.'
He said he was arranging a passport for Mercy and was waiting to hear from Madonna about travel plans for the child.
The southern African state's chief justice, Lovemore Munlo, praised Madonna's interest in helping Malawian orphans and said the child would have a better life with the star.
'In our view, Chifundo James is better taken care of by being adopted by foreign parents who will give her love and affection,' he said during the appeal hearing.
She was also financially stable, he added.
'In this global village, a man can have more than one place at which he resides. The matter of residence should be determined at the time of application of the adoption. In this case, Madonna was in Malawi not by chance but by intention.'
Madonna's commitment to Malawian orphans meant she could 'not be described as a sojourner', he added.
In our view, Chifundo James is better taken care of by being adopted by foreign parents who will give her love and affection.
Judge Esmie Chondo ruled out the adoption in April, saying the star had not spent enough time in Malawi.
Those rules were waived in 2006 when Madonna adopted a boy, David, from the southern African state.

From BBC News

Guy Oseary's Sticky & Sweet Photography Book

Following the critical success of Madonna: Confessions, the powerHouse team, Madonna, and Guy Oseary return with a knockout punch: Sticky & Sweet, a dynamic look at Madonna’s celebrated Sticky & Sweet Tour, which broke all previous records and became the number-one highest grossing tour of any solo artist ever - with Madonna playing before 2,350,282 fans and selling over 280 million dollars’ worth of tickets. The tour has been extended through the summer of 2009 and will have passed the mark of 400 million dollars in ticket sales by the time it’s complete.

In over 500 full-color photographs taken on, and backstage, during the course of this historic 58-show tour, Oseary documents the four acts of the rock-driven, pop journey that is the Sticky & Sweet show.

The book is due for release (in the UK) on Thursday 09 July 2009 - other countries may have slightly different release dates.

Thanks to Andy

Madonna Polish Concert Protest Plans

Madonna's upcoming concert in Poland has been thrown into jeopardy after a Catholic group announced plans to protest the show.
A committee is hoping to keep the Material Girl from taking to the stage in Warsaw on 15 August, which coincides with the Assumption of Mary feast - a holy date in the Catholic Church.
A Catholic Society representative maintains the controversial pop star's shows on her Sticky & Sweet tour are anti-Christian and would conflict with the religious celebration.
The group has urged Polish government officials and tour promoters to cancel the show - but if the performance goes ahead, the assembly has promised to 'stifle Madonna' by staging a picket line outside the venue.
The Catholic protesters aren't the first to take issue with Madonna's current tour - last month Russian officials demanded she promise not to blaspheme at her August concert in front of the country's oldest museum.

From contactmusic.com

Events: V.Nus Sticky & Sweet in Montreal