markm
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How Corperate America bought Hillary Clontin for $21 million
Follow the money. That telling phrase, which has come to summarize the Watergate scandal, has been a part of the lexicon since 1976. Its shorthand for political corruption: At what point do contributions become bribes, constituent services turn into quid pro quos and charities become slush funds?
Ronald Reagan was severely criticized in 1989 when, after he left office, he was paid $2 million for a couple of speeches in Japan. The founding fathers would have been stunned that an occupant of the highest office in this land turned it into bucks, sniffed a Columbia professor.
Bill and Hillary Clinton collected more than $48 million in speaking fees in the past few years.Photo: Getty Images
So what would Washington and Jefferson make of Hillary Rodham Clinton? Mandatory financial disclosures released this month show that, in just the two years from April 2013 to March 2015, the former first lady, senator and secretary of state collected $21,667,000 in speaking fees, not to mention the cool $5 mil she corralled as an advance for her 2014 flop book, Hard Choices.
Throw in the additional $26,630,000 her ex-president husband hoovered up in personal-appearance honoraria, and the nation can breathe a collective sigh of relief that the former first couple who, according to Hillary, were dead broke when they left the White House in 2001 with some of the furniture in tow can finally make ends meet.
No wonder Donald Trump calls her crooked Hillary.
A look at Mrs. Clintons speaking venues and the whopping sums shes received since she left State gives us an indication whos desperate for a place at the trough and whom another Clinton administration might favor.
First off, theres Wall Street and the financial-services industry. Democratic champions of the Little Guy are always in bed with the Street they dont call Barack Obama President Goldman Sachs for nothing, but Mrs. Clinton has room for Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice and their 10 best friends. Multiple trips to Goldman Sachs. Morgan Stanley. Deutsche Bank. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. UBS Wealth Management.
As the character of Che Guevara sings in Evita: And the money kept rolling in. And all at the bargain price of $225,000 a pop . . . to say what? We dont know, because Hillary wont release the transcripts.
One has to wonder what corporations are getting for their money when Hillary Clinton shows up to speak.Photo: AP
Big Pharma and health-care companies also make the list; they want to keep on the good side of the woman who tried to force HillaryCare down our throats in 1993 and whos sure to morph ObamaCare into the single-payer socialized-medicine model so beloved of progressives. So say hello to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores ($225,000) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society ($225,500).
The entertainment industry has an enormous effect on the popular culture, so no surprise seeing the A&E Networks on the list. American Jews donate lustily to the Democratic Party, so throw in the Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis and the Jewish United Fund of Chicago.
The United Fresh Produce Association. The National Automobile Dealers Association ponied up $325,000. Even eBay forked over protection money, er, an honorarium. Because taking care of constituents is what the Clintons do as long as the constituents take care of them.
As Clinton Cash, a new documentary based on Peter Schweizers 2015 book, shows in excruciating, irrefutable detail, its always pay to play with the Clintons, whether personally or via their family racket, the Clinton Foundation (which includes the Clinton Global Initiative). Theyve sucked up vast sums of contributions from some of the most unsavory folks on the planet, including Nigerian dictators and Kazakhstani despots.
But its their parlaying of public service by two career civil servants into personal enrichment thats shameless.
Bill Clintons speaking fees skyrocketed just days after Hillarys nomination as secretary of state in 2009. Corporations, such as TD Bank, that had never paid a dime to hear him speak suddenly bellied up to the bar, waving fistfuls of cash. Coincidentally, TD Bank was the largest investor in the Keystone XL pipeline, which needed approval from the new secretary of state. Hillary dodged and weaved and Obama later nixed it but the Clintons kept the cash. It makes sense to make friends with the woman who might just be the next president. But what does that say about what the office has become?
As Obama has shown, theres now essentially no limit on the presidents power: He can dictate overtime wages (via executive decree), the forcible integration of the suburbs (via HUD) and even sexually integrate bathrooms (under Title IX). No wonder private companies want to cozy up to the White House. Your business is now the presidents business, if he or she wants it to be.
But, should Hillary attain the White House, you aint seen nothing yet. For the Clintons, who once rented out the Lincoln Bedroom, too much doesnt even approach being enough.
Heres how much Hillary Clinton was paid for her 2013-2015 speeches:
4/18/2013, Morgan Stanley, Washington, DC: $225,000
4/24/2013, Deutsche Bank, Washington, DC: $225,000
4/24/2013, National Multi Housing Council, Dallas, Texas: $225,000
4/30/2013, Fidelity Investments, Naples, Fla.: $225,000
5/8/2013, Gap Inc., San Francisco, Calif.: $225,000
5/14/2013, Apollo Management Holdings LP, New York, NY: $225,000
5/16/2013, Itau BBA USA Securities, New York, NY: $225,000
5/21/2013, Vexizon Communications Inc., Washington, DC: $225,000
5/29/2013, Sanford C. Bernstein and Co. LLC, New York, NY: $225,000
6/4/2013, The Goldman Sachs Group, Palmetto Bluffs, SC: $225,000
6/6/2013, Spencer Stuart, New York, NY: $225,000
6/16/2013, Society for Human Resource Management, Chicago, Ill.: $285,000
6/17/2013, Economic Club of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Mich.: $225,000
6/20/2013, Boston Consulting Group Inc., Boston, Mass.: $225,000
6/20/2013, Lets Talk Entertainment Inc., Toronto, Canada: $250,000
6/24/2013, American Jewish University, Universal City, Calif.: $225,000
6/24/2013, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Company LP, Palos Verdes, Calif.: $225,000
7/11/2013, UBS Wealth Management, New York, NY: $225,000
8/7/2013, Global Business Travel Association, San Diego, Calif.: $225,000
8/12/2013, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Las Vegas, Nev.: $225,000
9/18/2013, American Society for Clinical Pathology, Chicago, Ill.: $225,000
9/19/2013, American Society of Travel Agents Inc., Miami, Fla.: $225,000
10/4/2013, Long Island Association, Long Island, NY: $225,000
10/15/2013, National Association of Convenience Stores, Atlanta, Ga.: $265,000
10/23/2013, SAP Global Marketing Inc., New York, NY: $225,000
10/24/2013, Accenture, New York, NY: $225,000
10/24/2013, The Goldman Sachs Group, New York, NY: $225,000
10/27/2013, Beth El Synagogue, Minneapolis, Minn.: $225,000
10/28/2013, Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago, Ill.: $400,000
10/29/2013, The Goldman Sachs Group, Tuscon, Ariz.: $225,000
11/4/2013, Mase Productions Inc., Orlando, Fla.: $225,000
11/4/2013, London Drugs Ltd., Mississauga, Canada: $225,000
11/6/2013, Beaumont Health System, Troy, Mich.: $305,000
11/7/2013, Golden Tree Asset Management, New York, NY: $275,000
11/9/2013, National Association of Realtors, San Francisco, Calif.: $225,000
11/13/2013, Mediacorp Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada: $225,000
11/13/2013, Bank of America, Bluffton, SC: $225,000
11/14/2013, CB Richard Ellis Inc., New York, NY: $250,000
11/18/2013, CIIE Group, Naples, Fla.: $225,000
11/18/2013, Press Ganey, Orlando, Fla.: $225,000
11/21/2013, U.S. Green Building Council, Philadelphia, Pa.: $225,000
01/06/2014, GE, Boca Raton, Fla.: $225,500
01/27/2014, National Automobile Dealers Association, New Orleans, La.: $325,500
01/27/2014, Premier Health Alliance, Miami, Fla.: $225,500
02/06/2014, Salesforce.com, Las Vegas, Nev.: $225,500
02/17/2014, Novo Nordisk A/S, Mexico City, Mexico: $125,000
02/26/2014, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Orlando, Fla.: $225,500
02/27/2014, A&E Television Networks, New York, NY: $280,000
03/04/2014, Association of Corporate Counsel Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.: $225,500
03/05/2014, The Vancouver Board of Trade, Vancouver, Canada: $275,500
03/06/2014, tinePublic Inc., Calgary, Canada: $225,500
03/13/2014, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, Orlando, Fla.: $225,500
03/13/2014, Drug Chemical and Associated Technologies, New York, NY: $250,000
03/18/2014, Xerox Corporation, New York, NY: $225,000
03/18/2014, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Montreal, Canada: $275,000
03/24/2014, Academic Partnerships, Dallas, Texas: $225,500
04/08/2014, Market° Inc., San Francisco, Calif.: $225,500
04/08/2014, World Affairs Council, Portland, Ore.: $250,500
04/10/2014, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc., Las Vegas, Nev.: $225,500
04/10/2014, Lees Talk Entertainment, San Jose, Calif.: $265,000
04/11/2014, California Medical Association (via satellite), San Diego, Calif.: $100,000
05/06/2014, National Council for Behavioral Healthcare, Washington, DC: $225,500
06/02/2014, International Deli-Dairy-Bakery Association, Denver, Colo.: $225,500
06/02/2014, Lees Talk Entertainment, Denver, Colo.: $265,000
06/10/2014, United Fresh Produce Association, Chicago, Ill.: $225,000
06/16/2014, tinePublic Inc., Toronto, Canada: $150,000
06/18/2014, tinePublic Inc., Edmonton, Canada: $100,000
06/20/2014, Innovation Arts and Entertainment, Austin, Texas: $150,000
06/25/2014, Biotechnology Industry Organization, San Diego, Calif.: $335,000
06/25/2014, Innovation Arts and Entertainment, San Francisco, Calif.: $150,000
06/26/2014, GTCR, Chicago, Ill.: $280,000
07/22/2014, Knewton Inc., San Francisco, Calif.: $225,500
07/26/2014, Ameriprise, Boston, Mass.: $225,500
07/29/2014, Coming Inc., Coming, NY: $225,500
08/28/2014, Nexenta Systems Inc., San Francisco, Calif.: $300,000
08/28/2014, Cisco, Las Vegas, Nev.: $325,000
09/04/2014, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, San Diego, Calif.: $225,500
09/15/2014, Caridovascular Research Foundation, Washington, DC: $275,000
10/02/2014, Commercial Real Estate Women Network, Miami Beach, Fla.: $225,500
10/06/2014, Canada 2020, Ottawa, Canada: $215,500
10/07/2014, Deutsche Bank AG, New York, NY: $280,000
10/08/2014, Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), Chicago, Ill.: $265,000
10/13/2014, Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, Colorado Springs, Colo.: $225,500
10/14/2014, Salesforce.com, San Francisco, Calif.: $225,500
10/14/2014, Qualcomm Incorporated, San Diego, Calif.: $335,000
12/04/2014, Massachusetts Conference for Women, Boston, Mass.: $205,500
01/21/2015, tinePublic Inc., Winnipeg, Canada: $262,000
01/21/2015, tinePublic Inc., Saskatoon, Canada: $262,500
01/22/2015, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Whistler, Canada: $150,000
02/24/2015, Watermark Silicon Valley Conference for Women, Santa Clara, Calif.: $225,500
03/11/2015, eBay Inc., San Jose, Calif.: $315,000
03/19/2015, American Camping Association, Atlantic City, NJ: $260,000
Total: $21 million
http://nypost.com/2016/05/22/how-corporate-america-bought-hillary-clinton-for-21m/
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Poor Hillary she's been caught lying again. She lies so much she forgets what she has said.
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Hillary Clinton failed to report several hacking attempts, grew afraid of opening emails
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons use of a secret email to conduct official business broke a number of department policies, an inspector general concluded in a report sent to Capitol Hill Wednesday that also suggests she used the account to try to hide her communications from the public.
The 83-page report, obtained by The Washington Times, is devastating in its evaluation of Mrs. Clintons behavior, saying it can find no record of her getting approval from either security or legal staffers for her unique arrangement. The report also undercuts many of her campaigns explanations for her use of the system, dismisses comparisons to her predecessors email use, and points to repeated hacking attempts that she failed to report.
After one of the 2011 hack attempts Mrs. Clintons tech staffer shut the server down for a few minutes, hoping that would solve the situation, but quickly warned top aides not to send Mrs. Clinton anything sensitive after the attempted breach, according to the report, which was obtained by The Washington Times.
After another suspicious attempt Mrs. Clinton said she was scared to open email but failed to report the matter.
Notification is required when a user suspects compromise of, among other things, a personally owned device containing personally identifiable information, the investigators said. However, OIG found no evidence that the Secretary or her staff reported these incidents to computer security personnel or anyone else within the Department.
At one point in 2010, Mrs. Clintons emails were ending up in subordinates spam filters because they were coming from a non-state.govaccount. One of her top aides urged her to sign up for an official account or letting everyone in the department know of her address so she could be added as a verified account, but she refused, saying she didnt want any risk of the personal being accessible.
In 2011, technology staffers proposed giving her an official department Blackberry to replace her personal device, which was malfunctioning but warned it would make her messages subject to open-records requests. Her top personal aide, Huma Abedin, rejected the suggestion, saying it doesnt make a whole lot of sense.
Mrs. Clinton, in a striking move, refused to cooperate with the probe. All of her colleagues did: current Secretary John Kerry and former Secretaries Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright.
Mrs. Clintons staff was also reluctant, the investigators said. Her chief of staff, deputy chiefs of staff and her technology gurus all refused to cooperate with the probe.
The emails have proved damaging to Mrs. Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Her campaign didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning, but she has said her use of the secret email account was not a good choice.
Still, shes insisted she did not break any laws and did not risk secure information.
The new report lays out many of the details of Mrs. Clintons server. The domain name clintonemail.com was registered on Jan. 13, while she was still serving in the Senate and before she was confirmed to be secretary on Jan. 21.
State Department staffers were repeatedly asked to help solve problems with Mrs. Clintons server and her devices, such as her Blackberry particularly in trying to communicate between her secret address and the state.gov accounts used by most of her subordinates.
But the inspector general was unable to discover who gave the final approval for Mrs. Clinton to use the odd arrangement. The departments legal office said it was not asked to review or approve the setup, and was unaware of anyone else approving it though some of them did email Mrs. Clinton on her secret account.
Democrats have pointed to Mr. Powell, who also used a personal email account while at the department, as precedent for Mrs. Clintons actions.
The Inspector General confirmed what we have known all along that Secretary Clinton followed the practice of her predecessor when she used a personal email account, said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. While Secretary Clinton preserved and returned tens of thousands of pages of her emails to the Department for public release, Secretary Powell returned none. Republicans need to stop wasting taxpayer dollars singling out Secretary Clinton just because she is running for President.
But the inspector general said the IT environment was fluid during Mr. Powells time in office, and had firmed up substantially by the time Mrs. Clinton took office.
During her tenure, the department specifically warned employees not to send information deemed sensitive but unclassified outside of the internal network, and said if they needed to do so, they should speak with tech staffers to work out a solution. Mrs. Clinton never.
OIG found no evidence that Secretary Clinton ever contacted IRM to request such a solution, despite the fact that emails exchanged on her personal account regularly contained information marked as SBU, the investigators said.
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/25/hillary-clinton-failed-report-several-hacking-atte/ -
State Dept. watchdog: Clinton violated email rules
The State Department inspector general concluded that Hillary Clinton did not comply with the agencys policies on records, according to a report released to lawmakers on Wednesday that also revealed Clinton expressing reluctance about an official email account and hacking attempts on her private server.
The agency on Wednesday released the long-awaited findings on the email controversy to Capitol Hill, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, providing just the latest turn in the headache-inducing saga that has dogged Clinton's campaign.
Story Continued Below
Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook
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State Dept. Audit Faults Hillary Clinton in emails
State Dept. Audit Faults Hillary Clinton in Emails
By MICHAEL BIESECKER AND BRADLEY KLAPPER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON May 25, 2016, 11:18 AM ET
Email
Star
ABCNews.com
Hillary Clinton disregarded various State Department guidelines for avoiding cybersecurity risks, an internal audit found Wednesday.
The inspector general's 78-page analysis, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, cites "longstanding, systemic weaknesses" related to the agency's communications. These started before Clinton's appointment as secretary of state, but her failures were singled out as more serious.
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If Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, as expected, it will only be because the party insiders make it so. The votes of individual Democratic voters nationwide will not have spoken.
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Does Hillary need Superdelegates more in 2016 than Obama did in 2008?
Hillary Clinton will almost certainly clinch the Democratic nomination with the aid of superdelegates -- and it is not uncommon for a Democratic candidate to do so in a competitive late season primary. Barack Obama also needed a boost from superdelegates in 2008, though Clinton is relying slightly more on superdelegates than Mr. Obama did.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-superdelegates-how-does-2016-compare-to-2008/
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Mother of Benghazi victim fires back at Hillary Clinton she's a liar
Interesting that Hilary never bothered to contact the mother.....
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Parker: Viral video shows years of Hillary’s lyin’ ways
WASHINGTON — You could say that it all depends on how you define “lie.” Or, perhaps, that it’s hell to have a public record.
Either way, Hillary Clinton’s vast resume of, shall we say, inconsistencies, is the dog that caught the car and won’t let go. A viral video collection of her comments on various subjects through the years is bestirring Republican hearts.
To those who’d rather vote for a reality show host than a Clinton, the video merely confirms what they’ve believed all along. For independents and even Democrats, it’s a reminder of how often Clinton has morphed into a fresh incarnation as required by the political moment.
Most of the highlights would be familiar to anyone who follows politics — her varying takes on Bosnia, health care, Wall Street, NAFTA — but the juxtaposition of these ever-shifting views is more jarring than one might expect. Politicians count on Americans’ short attention spans (and memories) as much as they do their own policies and/or charms. This video, inartfully titled “Hillary Clinton lying for 13 minutes straight,” clarifies blurred recollections and recasts them in an order that, among other things, reminds us how long the Clintons have been around.
If you’re looking for a fresh face or an anti-establishment candidate, Hillary Clinton isn’t it. But then, neither are Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, both of whom have been haunting the public square nearly all of their adult lives — one a raging radical, the other a radical rager.
Presumptive nominees Clinton and Trump are equally egregious in their misstatements, if in substantively different ways. Clinton is measured, poised, concentrated and studied when she revises her personal history. Trump just says whatever tiny thought penetrates his prefrontal cortex where inhibitory functioning is obviously kaput, blurting absurdities and bromides the way pirates toss plastic beads from papier-mache ships at Mardi Gras.
Lacking a policy record to defend or reverse, Trump gets to sneer at his female foe. He did reverse himself on his irrelevant position regarding the Iraq War, but the number of real estate developers whose opinions entered into the nation’s military calculus in 2003 was exactly zero. Otherwise, his evil-clown act toward women, minorities, the disabled and others is apparently acceptable to the Republican Party.
Clinton’s record is something else. The woman who would be president promises a continuation of President Obama’s policies, even though she rejected many of them in 2008. The candidate who hates NAFTA almost as much as she now despises Wall Street is captured in several clips praising NAFTA.
A review of her bizarre accounting of landing in Bosnia under sniper fire in 1996 is almost entertaining. Audacious, really. Rather than ducking and dodging across the tarmac where no welcoming committee was present, film footage reminds us that she and daughter Chelsea Clinton calmly walked from the plane, posed for photographs with students there to greet them, and shook hands with a little girl.
No news here, just a rehash of history. One Web author who posted the video — sent to me by several readers — insists that it would be impossible to vote for Clinton after viewing the 13-minute montage. This may or may not be true given the alternative, but a refreshed memory does invite fresh consideration of Clinton’s character.
On questions of honesty and trustworthiness, Clinton consistently polls low, including among Democrats, which partly explains Sanders’ support. His economic plan may be fantastical, but at least he’s honest!
Well, maybe. With Clinton, there’s no maybe, as the 13 minutes make clear. For whatever reason, she simply can’t seem to stick to the truth, which, at times, needs neither embellishment nor denial. Wasn’t it enough to have gone to Bosnia to conduct the nation’s all-important soft diplomacy?
Clinton has been in public life long enough to have made some honest mistakes and even changed her mind a few times, which aren’t sins. But trustworthiness requires honesty, which often begets forgiveness.
After all these decades, Clinton still wants everything every which way, just never straightforward. Her lengthy tenure as a public figure has become her greatest obstacle. This isn’t only because of her lack of forthrightness, but also because, having lived under such intense scrutiny for so long, she seems incapable of allowing herself the ultimate dodge: She’s merely human.
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Hilary lies so much she forgets how many lies she has told. the under sniper fire quote reminds me of
the scene in Wag The Dog
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Clinton regrets 1996 remark on ‘super-predators’ after encounter with activist
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Black Lives Matter protesters confront Clinton at a fundraiser
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/25/politics/hillary-clinton-black-lives-matter-whichhillary/
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Why during her husbands administration didn't Hilary speak out about the HIV travel ban, the defence of marriage act and Don't ask don't tell policy all of which he signed?
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Do you know what Hilary said
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Best era since Confessions and the tour is amazing.
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Don't they have to put up a sign if it's filmed for DVD. GP will have to be told I believe so if anyone has a problem with being filmed?
They did for CT, I was at both shows that were filmed.,
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Madonna says we don't stop till it's over, singer defies SSE Hydro curfew
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Anatomy of a Madonna tour
It will take three Boeing 747s to bring all Madonna's equipment to Australia for her Rebel Heart tour. Photo: Getty Images
Backstage in the bowels of Antwerp's Sportspaleis, Jason Danter cheerfully apologises in advance for all the swearing. He's Rebel Heart's production manager, which, he says, basically translates as, "How the f--- do we get this into this?"
And that takes some doing. So far, Madonna's 81-date Rebel Heart tour has rumbled 27 semitrailers of equipment and 185 staff across North America and Europe; but that's a lot easier than coming to Australia and New Zealand in March, for which three Boeing 747s are needed.
Madonna hasn't visited our shores since 1993's Girlie Show tour, so unsurprisingly the $1999.90 front-row seats in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane were exhausted during presales.
Danter served in the Royal Navy, which comes in handy now. "The military teaches you discipline," he says in his Brummie accent. "You need to make decisions, have plans, work whatever hours are needed to get the job done." He and his crew have been on site in Antwerp since 7am, joined at around 10am by tour director Tres Thomas.
At university, Thomas was more interested in selling tickets for student shows than singing and dancing in them. His qualifications in accounting and law perfectly suit him for the business of touring, which he's done for 35 years. He works for Live Nation, which in 2007 signed Madonna to a 10-year global partnership, the first of its kind.
In a deal rumoured to be worth $120 million, Madonna became a shareholder and funnelled the execution of all her forthcoming merchandise, touring and releases, as well as TV and film projects, rights and sponsorship deals into the new Artist Nation division.
According to both Danter and Thomas her trusted tour lieutenants a show day runs with sparkling efficiency. Madonna or 'M', as Danter calls her flies into a city by private charter jet and will settle in her hotel. She turns up to the venue mid-afternoon with her two assistants and a member of her Maverick Management team in tow.
The four-piece band and backing singers soundcheck first, then Madonna runs through parts of the set for 90 minutes, testing the audio at different spots on the stage. "She's always perfecting her performance," Thomas says.
Madonna likes to plan well in advance of her tours. "Her rehearsal time is long. It's the better part of 16, 17 weeks. We sit down, design the show: we have been working on Rebel Heart since November 2014," Thomas says. But on tour, there are almost always tweaks to be made to the 23-song set.
Choreographer Valeree Young also runs a safety check on the sway poles, the aerial harness and the inflatable bag that one dancer gets shoved onto from a giant spiral staircase.
Backstage, dancers can take advantage of physiotherapists, or they might join in with whoever's throwing a footy around. Previous tours have had a mini-golf set-up; this time around the entertainment is rotated to keep people amused. The hospitality and catering areas will be running at full throttle.
Madonna's dressing-room compound comprises a few rooms where she can work out, relax and have her hair and make-up attended to. It's all decked out by a dedicated "ambience department", which unloads a semitrailer-and-a-half of furniture, pictures and gym gear at each venue.
The only things locally sourced are the ample flowers. "All of the trays, sofa, pictures, everything is picked out by Madonna, trying to replicate a comfortable living room. She likes a homey atmosphere," Thomas says.
Before each show, Madonna holds a huddled prayer service, asking for guidance. The performers then get into position as Danter waits at the back of the stage for Madonna to enter. She's handed over to the stage manager, who sets her up for her opening aerial scene in a steel cage.
"If it works correctly, it isn't manic. There are stage managers, ambience co-ordinators, wardrobe co-ordinators, 12 people that assist during the show with changing all the costumes beneath the stage.
We've had our moments when something is out of whack and has held up Madonna's arrival, but it's a very structured, professional environment, with people who have worked together a long time," Thomas says.
As each of the four acts pan out, performers disappear from view through lifts in the stage. Running beneath the length of the runway is the "coal train", which transports performers and props in a cart on a purpose-built track, so that they can pop up without the audience seeing their journey.
Madonna has an inner-ear and intercom system, so if something's not right in a segment, she'll make a verbal note that will get printed out and delivered to the relevant people for the next soundcheck. After the last encore, she leaves directly from the stage, whisked off by car to her hotel.
"The performers are on a high after a show in front of 15,000 people, so if they're in a city for a few days they might visit clubs or pubs," says Thomas. There are some rules or let's go with his "guidelines" description to help all staff maintain decorum in public.
"If it's a school night, we'll try and hold it down a little bit," says Thomas. "But everyone's human."
http://m.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/anatomy-of-a-madonna-tour-20151217-glmv9b.html
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Apparently they just started playing MJ
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Oh lord it might be best to avoid her Facebook page. A lot of people are complaining...
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There are a lot of complaints on Facebook about the security in the arena mostly about not letting people near the stage
American 2016 Presidential Election thread part three
in Politics and World Events
Posted