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| Madonna | |
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Madonna at the premiere of I Am Because We Are
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Madonna Louise Ciccone |
| Also known as | Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Ritchie, Madonna |
| Born | August 16, 1958 Bay City, Michigan, United States |
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genre(s) | Pop, dance-pop, electronica |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer, film producer, film director, fashion designer, dancer, author, actress |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, percussion |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Label(s) | Live Nation Artists (2008) Warner Bros. (1982–2008) Maverick (1992–2004) Sire (1982–1994) |
| Website | www.madonna.com |
Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known artistically as Madonna, is an American pop singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, actress and author. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City to pursue a career in ballet. After performing as a member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983. Madonna has since been regarded as "one of the greatest pop acts of all time", dubbed the "Queen of Pop" by the media.[1][2][3]
Madonna rose to success producing three consecutive number one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s. Though she faced negative critical publicity and modest sales on subsequent albums, she garnered critical acclaim with the release of Ray of Light and made four more consecutive number one albums. Besides her music career, Madonna has acted in 22 films. Although she has been in a number of criticially and commercially unsuccessful movies,[4] her role in Evita (1996) earned her a Golden Globe award.
Madonna is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the "Best Selling Female Rock Artist of the Twentieth Century" and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified albums.[5][6] Guinness World Records lists her as the "World’s most successful female recording artist of all time" and the top earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide.[7][8][9] On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[10]
Madonna was born Madonna Louise Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was of French-Canadian descent, and her father, Silvio "Tony" P. Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian-American who worked as Chrysler/General Motors design engineer and whose parents originated from Pacentro.[11][12] Madonna is the third of six children; her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula Mae, Christopher, and Melanie.[13]
Madonna was raised in a Catholic family in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills). Madonna's mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963. Her father married the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and they had two children, Jennifer and Mario. "I didn't accept my stepmother when I was growing up," Madonna said, "in retrospect I think I was really hard on her."[14] Madonna convinced her father to allow her to take ballet classes. Madonna attended St. Frederick's Elementary School and St. Andrew's Elementary School (present day Holy Family Regional) and West Middle School. She attended Rochester Adams High School, becoming a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan after graduating from high school.[15]
Madonna's ballet teacher persuaded her to pursue a dance career, so she left the University of Michigan at the end of 1977 and moved to New York City.[16] Madonna had little money and for some time lived in squalor, working at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes.[17] Speaking of her move to New York, Madonna said "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done."[18] While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour,[19] Madonna became romantically involved with the musician Dan Gilroy, with whom she later formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club in New York.[20] In it, she sang and played drums and guitar before forming the band Emmy in 1980 with drummer and former boyfriend Stephen Bray.[21] She and Bray wrote and produced dance songs that brought her local attention in New York dance clubs. Disc jockey and record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo recordings, so he brought her to the attention of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.[22]
In 1982, Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records, a label belonging to Warner Bros. Records.[23] Her first release was "Everybody" on April 24, 1982.[24] "Burning Up" followed in March 1983. On May 5, 1983 a promotional single for "Physical Attraction" was released to U.S. radio. Her debut album, Madonna was primarily produced by Reggie Lucas. Madonna's then-boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez remixed and rearranged them. He also added a song ("Holiday").
Madonna's look and manner of dress, performances and music videos, became influential among young girls and women. Defined by lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the Christian cross, and bleached hair, it became a female fashion trend in the 1980s.[25] Her follow up album, Like a Virgin, became her first number one album on the U.S. albums chart,[26] buoyed by the success of its title track, "Like a Virgin", which reached number one in the U.S. with a six week stay at the top.[19] The album sold 8 million copies in the U.S. and a further 4 million outside the U.S.[27] She performed the title song at the first MTV Video Music Awards, wearing her then-trademark "Boy Toy" belt.[28] Like a Virgin was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.[29][30]
In 1985, Madonna entered mainstream films, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in the film Vision Quest. The soundtrack to the film contained her second U.S. #1 single "Crazy for You",[31] as well as the UK song "Gambler". Later that year, she appeared in Desperately Seeking Susan. The film introduced the song "Into the Groove", which was released with "Angel", and became her first number one in the UK.[32] Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in the U.S. in 1985 titled The Virgin Tour, with The Beastie Boys.[33] In July that year, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of black and white nude photos of Madonna taken in the late 1970s. Madonna took legal action to try and block them from being published, but when that failed she became unapologetic and defiant. At the outdoor Live Aid charity concert at the height of the controversy, Madonna made a critical reference to the media and stated she would not take her jacket off because "they might hold it against me ten years from now".[34]
Madonna's 1986 album True Blue prompted Rolling Stone to say that "it sounds as if it comes from the heart."[35] The album included the ballad "Live to Tell", which she wrote for the film At Close Range, starring her then-husband Sean Penn. In September 1986, True Blue had 8 million shipments in the United States, making it her third best-selling recording there.[36] It produced four Top 5 singles on the Billboard charts: "Live to Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart" and "True Blue".[37] In 1986, Madonna starred in the motion picture Shanghai Surprise and made her theatrical debut in a production of David Rabe's Goose and Tom-Tom, both co-starring Sean Penn.[38]
In 1987, Madonna starred in Who's That Girl, and contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the title track. Its second single, "Causing a Commotion", peaked in the U.S. at #2.[39] The same year, Madonna embarked on the Who's That Girl World Tour. It also marked her first conflict with the Vatican, as Pope John Paul II urging fans not to attend her performances in Italy.[40] Later that year, Madonna released a remix album of past hits, You Can Dance, which included one new song, "Spotlight". In 1988, city officials in the town of Pacentro planned to construct a 13-foot (4 m) statue of Madonna in a bustier.[41] The statue commemorates the fact that her ancestors had lived in Pacentro.[42] In 1988, Madonna starred as Karen in a play by David Mamet called Speed-the-Plow.[43]
In early 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. She debuted her new song, "Like a Prayer", in a Pepsi commercial and also made a music video for it. The video, which featured many Catholic symbols, such as stigmata and burning crosses, was condemned by the Vatican.[44] Since the commercial and music video were nearly identical, Pepsi was unable to convince the public that their commercial actually had nothing that could be deemed inappropriate. They revoked the commercial and allowed Madonna to keep her $5 million dollar, as the contract was nullified.[45]
Madonna's fourth album, Like a Prayer, released in 1989, was co-written and co-produced with Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray.[46] Rolling Stone hailed it as "...as close to art as pop music gets".[47] Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the U.S. album chart and sold 7 million copies worldwide, with 4 million copies alone sold in the U.S.[48] The album produced three Top 5-charting singles: the title track (her seventh #1 in the U.S.), "Express Yourself" and "Cherish". [37]
In 1990, Madonna starred as "Breathless" Mahoney in a film adaptation of the comic book series Dick Tracy.[49] To accompany the launching of the film, in May 1990 she released I'm Breathless, which included songs inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It featured her eighth U.S. #1 song "Vogue",[50] the Gershwin-esque "Something to Remember", and three songs by Stephen Sondheim including her Academy Award-winning song "Sooner or Later".[51] The second single released from "I'm Breathless" was "Hanky Panky" which peaked in the U.S. at #9.[52] In April 1990, Madonna began her Blond Ambition World Tour. Featuring religious and sexual themes and symbolism, the tour drew controversy from Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" during which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation.[53] The Pope encouraged Italians not to attend the tour.[54] A private association of Catholics, called Famiglia Domani, also boycotted it for the sexual innuendos and eroticism.[55] In response, Madonna declared, "I am Italian American and proud of it." Madonna said that the Pope's reaction hurt, "because I'm Italian, you know", but in another interview the same year stated that she had ceased to practice Catholicism because the Church "completely frowns on sex... except for procreation".[56]
In November 1990, Madonna released her first greatest hits compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, which included two new songs: "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me".[57] "Rescue Me" became the highest-debuting single by a female artist in U.S. chart history, entering at #15 and peaking at #9.[19] The music video for "Justify My Love", showed Madonna in suggestive scenes with her then-lover Tony Ward, as well as scenes of sadism and masochism, bondage,[58] same-sex kissing and brief nudity.[59] It was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and banned from the station.[58] Warner Bros Records released the video as a video single—the first of its kind. In 1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (In Bed with Madonna outside North America), which chronicled her Blond Ambition Tour, as well as her personal life. The following year, she appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own with a portrayal of Italian American Mae Mordabito, and recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground".
In 1992, Madonna founded her own entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and also music publishing, television, merchandising and book-publishing divisions. It was a joint venture with Time Warner as part of a $60 million recording and business deal. The deal gave her a 20% royalty, equal at the time to Michael Jackson's.[24] The first release from the venture was Madonna's first publication SEX, a book consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images photographed by Steven Meisel. It caused media controversy but sold 500,000 copies in the U.S..[60] At the same time she released her fifth studio album Erotica, featuring three sexual songs—"Erotica", "Where Life Begins", and "Did You Do It?". The album peaked at number two in the U.S., becoming one of her least successful records.[60][61] Its title track peaked at #3 in the U.S. Hot 100.[37] The album also produced five further songs; "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", "Fever", "Rain" and "Bye Bye Baby".[62]
During 1993, she starred in two films. First was the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. The film contained S&M and bondage and was poorly received by critics.[63][64] The second was the first production for Maverick Films, Dangerous Game. It was released straight-to-video in North America but received some good reviews for Madonna's performance. The New York Times described that "She submits impressively to the emotions raging furiously around her."[65] Madonna was publicly unhappy with the end result saying that "Even though it's a shit movie and I hate it, I am good in it." She also expressed her disappointment regarding the final cut of the film, claiming that the director had cut many of her key scenes and completely changed the ending.[66] Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show Tour at the end of 1993. It featured her dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers.[67] The controversy continued in Puerto Rico when she rubbed its flag between her legs on stage, while Orthodox Jews protested against her first ever show in Israel.[68]
In the spring of 1994, Madonna released the single "I'll Remember" which she recorded for Alek Keshishian's film With Honors. That year, she also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, using abusive words and taking off her underwear.[69] Later that year, she released her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. It produced four singles—the lead off single "Secret", "Take a Bow", "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature".
In November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her ballads, which featured three new tracks, including a cover of the Marvin Gaye song "I Want You", which she recorded with the British band Massive Attack, and the top ten song "You'll See". In 1996, Madonna’s most critically successful film, Evita, was released.[70] She portrayed the main part of Eva Perón, a role first played by Elaine Paige in the West End.[71] The film's soundtrack produced two successful singles, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "You Must Love Me". "You Must Love Me" won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture the following year. Madonna also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.[72]
Madonna's 1998 studio album Ray of Light debuted at #2 on the U.S. albums chart.[73] E! praised its lyrical depth.[74] All Music Guide called it her "most adventurous record."[75]The album produced five singles; "Frozen", "Ray of Light", "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", "The Power of Good-Bye" and "Nothing Really Matters". In 1999, Ray of Light won three Grammy Awards for "Best Dance Recording," "Best Pop Album," and "Best Recording Package,"[76] and was nominated for Record and Album of The Year. the album's title track won a Grammy for "Best Short Form Music Video."[77] "Frozen" was adjudicated to be a plagiarism of Belgian songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva's 1993 song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp".[78] The album has been ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[79] Microsoft used the Ray of Light title track in its advertising campaign Yes you can, to introduce Windows XP.[80] In 1998, Madonna was signed to play the role of violin teacher Roberta Guaspari Demetras in the film Music of the Heart and studied for many months to play the violin but left the project before filming began, citing "creative differences" with director Wes Craven.[81] Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the single "Beautiful Stranger",[82] recorded for the 1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. Although no physical single was released in the U.S., it managed to reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 with airplay alone.[83]
In 2000, Madonna starred in The Next Best Thing. She contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack, "Time Stood Still" and the international hit "American Pie", a cover version of the 1970s Don McLean single.[84] Madonna's eighth studio album, Music, was released in 2000 and debuted at #1 on the U.S. album charts.[85] It produced three hit singles; "Music", "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for a Girl".[86] The latter having a video which depicts crime, was banned by MTV and VH1.[87]
In 2001, Madonna began her first world tour since 1993, the Drowned World Tour, visiting cities in North America and Europe. The tour was a success as one of the highest grossing of the year.[88] It grossed $75 million from 47 sold-out shows.[89] She also released her second greatest hits collection, GHV2 to coincide with the home video release of the tour.
In 2002, Madonna starred in the film Swept Away directed by her husband Guy Ritchie. The film was a commercial and critical failure and released straight-to-video in the UK.[90] Later that year, she released the title song "Die Another Day" to the 20th James Bond film, in which she had a cameo role. It reached number eight in the U.S. Hot 100 and was nominated for both a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song.[37][91][92] In 2002, Madonna starred in a play by David Williamson entitled Up For Grabs.[93]
Madonna released her ninth studio album, American Life, in April 2003. The lyrics were themed on American society. The record received mixed reviews.[94] The song peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100.[95] Having sold 4 million copies,[96] American Life became the lowest selling album of her career.[97] Later that year, Madonna performed the song "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott at the MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna kissed Spears and Aguilera during the performance, resulting in tabloid press frenzy.[98] That fall, Madonna provided guest vocals on Spears's single "Me Against the Music".[99] During the Christmas season of 2003, Madonna released Remixed & Revisited, a remix EP that included rock versions of songs from American Life, and "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the Bedtime Stories recording sessions.[100]
In March 2004 Madonna and Maverick sued Warner Music Group and its former parent company, Time Warner, claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. In return, WMG filed a countersuit, alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own.[101][102] On June 14, 2004, the dispute was resolved when Maverick shares owned by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev were purchased. The company was now a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music. but Madonna is still signed to Warner under a separate recording contract.[101] Later that year, Madonna embarked on the Re-Invention World Tour in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning $125 million.[103] She made a documentary about the tour named I'm Going to Tell You a Secret.[104] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked her #36 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[105]
In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song "Imagine" on the televised U.S. aid concert "Tsunami Aid", which raised money for the tsunami victims in Asia.[106] In July 2005, Madonna performed at the Live 8 benefit concert in London, run in support of the aims of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty.[107] Her performances of "Like a Prayer", "Ray of Light" and "Music" were included in the Live 8 DVD.[108]
Madonna's tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) sold more than 8 million copies.[109] The album received positive reviews.[110] It produced four singles including "Hung Up" which reached #1 in a record breaking 45 countries.[111] Madonna opened the 2006 Grammy Awards with "Hung Up", alongside the nominated computer-generated band, Gorillaz. "Sorry" then became Madonna's twelfth number one in the UK,[112] making her the female artist with the most #1 singles in the UK charts.[113] "Sorry" peaked at #58 in the U.S.[citation needed] The third single, "Get Together", became her thirty-sixth number one dance hit in the U.S.[95] The fourth single, "Jump", charted at number nine in the UK.[114]
In mid-2006, Madonna became the worldwide model for H&M.[115] Included in the deal was a specially designed track suit, created by Madonna. The next year, the clothing line M by Madonna was launched internationally.[116] Madonna's Confessions Tour began in late May 2006 and ended in September 2006. It had a global audience of 1.2 million people and, with reported gross sales of $260.1 million.[117] The use of religious symbols such as the crucifix and crown of thorns in the performance of "Live to Tell" caused controversy. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia urged all members to boycott her concert.[118] Prosecutors in Dusseldorf threatened to sue her and a Protestant Bishop said, "the only way an aging superstar can attract attention is to offend people's religious sentiments."[119] Vatican officials claimed that Madonna's performance while hanging off a cross and wearing a crown of thorns was an open attack on Catholicism and should not be performed in the same city as the Pope's residence,[120] to which Madonna responded: "My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole."[121]
In December 2006, PETA criticised Madonna for wearing a real chinchilla fur coat in a London restaurant.[122][123]
On May 16, 2007, Madonna released the download-only song "Hey You", in anticipation of Live Earth, which was free for its first week.[124] Madonna performed "Hey You" among other songs at the London concert of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium on July 7, 2007.[125]
In October, 2007 Madonna announced her departure from record company Warner Bros. and a new $120 million, ten year contract with pop concert promoters Live Nation. She will be the founding recording artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists (formerly Artist Nation), and the deal will consist of albums, tours, merchandise and promotion.[126] The Warner Bros. deal will be completed with her 2008 Hard Candy studio album and a compilation album due at the end of 2008 or early 2009.[127]
In November 2007, The New York Post claimed animal enthusiasts were "horrified" by Madonna dyeing her sheep for a photograph, and "vilified" for organising pheasant-hunting parties at her estate.[128] In December 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Madonna as one of the five inductees of 2008.[129] The ceremony, which also included fellow inductees John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures, and the Dave Clark Five, took place on March 10, 2008.[130] Madonna was inducted into the Hall by Justin Timberlake. Madonna also directed her first film, Filth and Wisdom and produced and wrote I Am Because We Are, a documentary on the problems faced by Malawians directed by her former gardener Nathan Rissman.[131][132] Filth and Wisdom received mixed reviews. The Times Online said she has "done herself proud"[133] while The Telegraph described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort [but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job."[134] I Am Because We Are was lauded by critics. The Guardian review said that Madonna "came, saw and conquered the world's biggest film festival yesterday."[132]
In 2008, Madonna promoted her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, with the Hard Candy Promo Tour. The 3-date tour was lauded by Rolling Stone, mentioning that it was an "Impressive taste of her upcoming tour".[135] The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, where Madonna has achieved ten number one albums.[136] Hard Candy sold 100,000 copies in the United States upon its first day of release.[137] It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with over 280,000 copies sold.[138] It received favorable reviews by critics.[139] The album was criticized for being "an attempt to harness the urban market",[140] Its lead single "4 Minutes" reached number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[37] Future promotion of the album will include the Sticky & Sweet Tour due to begin in August 2008.[141]
Madonna's Catholic background and relationship with her parents were reflected in the album Like a Prayer.[142] Her video for the title track contains Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. Madonna used the crucifix as a religious accessory in the setting of the video, she also included in the stage design of her Confessions Tour. During The Virgin Tour, she wore a rosary and prayed with it in the music video for "La Isla Bonita".[143]
Madonna has also referred to her Italian heritage in her work. The video for "Like a Virgin", filmed in Venice, Italy, features her in Venetian settings.[144] The "Open Your Heart" video sees her boss yelling at her in Italian. In the 1988 video release of her Who's That Girl Tour, titled Ciao, Italia! - Live From Italy, Madonna performs the song "Papa Don't Preach" while a portrait of the Pope appears behind her. "Papa" is the Italian word for "Pope."[145]
In 1985, Madonna commented that the first song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra and that it summed up her take-charge attitude.[146] As a young woman, she attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, and during this time became interested in classical music. She noted that her favorite style was baroque, and loved Mozart and Chopin because she liked their "feminine quality".[147] In 1999, Madonna identified musical influences that impacted her such as Karen Carpenter, the Supremes and Led Zeppelin, and dancers like Martha Graham, Rudolph Nureyev.[148] In an interview with the Observer, Madonna professed her inspirations—Detroit natives The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, as well as New York band "The Jett Set".[149]
During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny...and I saw myself in them...my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence".[146] Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she later studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for her film Who's That Girl. The video for "Express Yourself" (1989) was inspired by Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis. The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of Hollywood glamour photographers, in particular Horst P. Horst, and imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Rita Hayworth, while the lyrics referenced many of the stars who had inspired her.[150] Among them was Bette Davis, described by Madonna as an idol, along with Louise Brooks and Dita Parlo.[151]
Madonna has been influenced by the art world, most notably by Frida Kahlo.[152] Her 1995 music video to "Bedtime Story" featured images inspired by the paintings of Kahlo and Remedios Varo.[153] Her 2003 video to "Hollywood" was a homage to the work of photographer Guy Bourdin which led to a lawsuit by Bourdin's son due to the use of his father's work without permission.[154]
Billboard reported that Madonna's Confessions Tour is the highest grossing concert tour by a female artist.[155] In the United Kingdom, she is the most successful female in the singles chart history and has more UK number one singles than any other female solo artist.[156] In 2008, she surpassed Elvis Presley as the artist with most top ten hits in the history of Billboard Hot 100.[157] In 2007, Madonna was listed by VH1 as eighth in the Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.[158] On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[159]
Madonna has been lauded as a talented artist by numerous music critics,[160] although others have described her lyrics as simple, or even dull.[161] There has been public intrigue and scrutiny concerning her alleged sexual relationships with women, including speculations that she has had affairs with Naomi Campbell and Sandra Bernhardt. The book Sex depicts her in several sexual situations with both men and women, and she has been credited for contributing to the social liberation of bisexuality in the United States in the 1990s.[162] Madonna has been criticized by the Roman Catholic Church, particularly during her "Who's That Girl", "Blond Ambition" and "Confessions" tours. New York Times journalist and author Gay Talese relates this to her Italian ancestry – people from Pacentro have been in a long tradition of rebellion against Catholics.[163] Madonna continued her rebellion by having her son Rocco baptized in a Presbyterian Church.[164]
Madonna's persona and star figure have generated academic interest. Interdisciplinary research and publications on topics relating to Madonna include her relationship to and place within commodity culture, the mass-media spectacles she creates, and the iconography relating to minority groups such as gays, lesbians and Latin Americans, which she uses in videos such as Vogue, Like a Prayer, La Isla Bonita and Borderline. These publications were so extensive that in the 1990s, academics would refer to "Madonna Studies" as a sub-field of Media Studies.[165]
In 2006 a new water bear species (Latin:Tardigrada), Echiniscus madonnae[166] was named after Madonna. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1-36). The authors' justification for the name of the new species was: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.[167]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Madonna dated Dan Gilroy, with whom she formed the band Breakfast Club.[168] In the early 1980s, she also dated her collaborator Stephen Bray,[169] artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,[170][171] DJ and record producer Mark Kamins,[172] and musician Jellybean Benitez.[169] While filming the music video for "Material Girl" in 1985, Madonna began dating actor Sean Penn and married him later that year. After filing and withdrawing divorce papers in December 1987, they separated on New Year's Eve of 1988 and officially divorced in September 1989.[173] Of her marriage to Penn, Madonna said, "I was completely obsessed with my career and not ready to be generous in any shape or form."[174] Madonna began a relationship with Warren Beatty while working on the film Dick Tracy early in 1989. In a 1991 interview with Vanity Fair, Madonna said, "I'd go, 'Warren, did you really chase that girl for a year?!?' And he’d say, 'Nah, it's all lies.' I should have known better. I was unrealistic, but then, you always think you're going to be the one."[175]
In late 1990, Madonna dated Tony Ward,[176] a young bisexual model and porn star who starred in her music videos for "Cherish" (1989) and "Justify My Love" (1990). Their relationship ended by early 1991,[175] and Madonna later began an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice, who appeared later in her Sex book.[176] Madonna dated basketball player Dennis Rodman in the mid 1990s.[176] In September 1994, while walking in Central Park, Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon who became her personal trainer and lover.[177] On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon in Los Angeles, California.[178] Madonna then began dating Andy Bird, who sold his story to the newspapers in a tell-all about their eighteen-month relationship in late 2000/early 2001.[179] On August 11, 2000, Madonna gave birth to a son, Rocco John Ritchie in Los Angeles, California, with Guy Ritchie, whom she had met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler.[180] On December 22, 2000, Madonna and Ritchie were married in Scotland.[181] As of 2008, Madonna resides in Marylebone, London and her country estate in Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, with Ritchie and their three children.[182]
In October 2006, Madonna flew to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which she also funded as part of the Raising Malawi initiative.[183] On October 10, 2006, she filed adoption papers for a boy named David Banda Mwale, born on September 24, 2005 and renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie.[184][185] Banda was flown out of Malawi on October 16.[186] The adoption raised public controversy due to the fact that Malawian law requires one year of residence for potential adoptive parents.[187] The effort was highly publicised and culminated into legal disputes.[188]
Madonna refuted the allegations on The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 25, 2006. She said that there are no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulate foreign adoption and that Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when she met him.[189] Madonna blamed the media for "doing a great disservice to all the orphans of Africa", by discouraging people from adopting African children. She stated that she wanted to "give a life to a child who might not otherwise have had one."[190] Singer and humanitarian activist, Bono, defended her by commenting, "Madonna should be applauded for helping to take a child out of the worst poverty imaginable and giving him a better chance in life."[191] Her friend Gwyneth Paltrow also credited her as a inspiration for future adoption plans.[192]
Also, it was reported that Banda's biological father Yohane did not understand what adoption meant and had assumed that this arrangement was fostering. He said, "These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing." He also said, "They want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband."[193] Madonna responded that Yohane Banda had known what he was doing, having refused to accept her offer to financially support him without adoption.[194] the adoption was finalized on May 28, 2008[195] Yohane Banda said he was glad it was successful but said, "I might challenge some aspects of the order that has been granted."[196]
Since the late 1990s, Madonna has been a devotee of the Kabbalah Centre and a disciple of its head Rabbi Philip Berg and his wife Karen. She also studies personally with her own private-tutor, Rabbi Eitan Yardeni, whose wife Sarah Yardeni runs Madonna's favorite charitable project, "Spirituality for Kids", a subsidiary of the Kabbalah Centre.[197] Madonna donated $21 million towards a new Kabbalah school for children.[198]
Controversy erupted again before the release of Confessions on a Dance Floor. Many Israeli rabbis condemned its song "Isaac" because they believed the song to be a tribute to Rabbi Isaac Luria and claimed that Jewish law forbids using a rabbi's name for profit. In interviews, Madonna had called this song "The Binding of Isaac" and rumors spread that it was based on the life of the Hebrew patriarch Isaac. Madonna has repeatedly denied such accusations, claiming she could not think of a title for the song and, therefore, named it after Yitzhak (Isaac) Sinwani, an Israeli singer. In the song, Sinwani is chanting a Yemenite Jewish song. Madonna Said: "The album isn't even out, so how could Jewish scholars in Israel know what my song is about?"[199]
Madonna has openly defended her Kabbalah studies by stating it "would be less controversial if I joined the Nazi Party." Madonna said the Kabbalah was "not hurting anybody." "If Scientology makes Tom Cruise happy," she said, "I don't care if he prays to turtles."[200]
Madonna opposes United States President George W. Bush. In her Confessions Tour, she sings the 2005 song "I Love New York". Instead of the original lyrics "just go to Texas, isn't that where they golf?" she sings "just go to Texas and suck George Bush's dick!".[201] She endorsed Wesley Clark's Democratic nomination for the 2004 United States presidential election in an impassioned letter to her fans, saying at the time that "the future I wish for my children is at risk."[202] In the autumn of 2006, she expressed her support for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 election.[203] Most recently, she stated that she would be behind Al Gore if he decided to run for the 2008 elections after seeing his documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth.[204] She also urged her fans to see Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.[205]
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Madonna |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ciccone, Madonna Louise |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | musician, singer, songwriter, actress, author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 16, 1958 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bay City, Michigan, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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