VOGUE/I'M BREATHLESS/BLOND AMBITION TOUR: 20th Anniversary Thread

March 7, 2010

They went a little far with the degree in Madonna shyt she doesn't even have one herself and I don't think she has quite the genius level IQ that is claimed.

But there is no doubt of the layered complexity of the likes of the "Open Your Heart" and "Vogue" videos. Camille Paglia wrote about them

You're wrong. She is a subtle genius. The best kind. She's all kinds of brilliant amazingness.

March 7, 2010

I want this:

neutrocks · March 7, 2010

Now this thread is all about being a fan. I thank for the some of you who took me back. I remember this song being huge back in 1990. It spawned off a short lived dance craze and thanks to Madonna "vogueing" will always be another nostalgic dance from the past like many other dance crazes.

Mattress · March 7, 2010

Mattress · March 9, 2010

vogue /voʊg/

–noun

1. Popular acceptance or favour; popularity:

Vogue is, amongst many, many things, the sound of a woman on top of the world. But there’s no sense of arrival, no self-congratulatory platitudes; in fact, not one “I” in the entire song. No, what makes Vogue her crowning glory is that it is entirely empowering - both her most refined, universal “express yourself” call to her audience, and a true tribute to her predecessors, yesterday’s icons. Yet even without a single mention of Madonna herself, it’s still very much about her - for the true measure of her achievements in seven years of fame is that no one else could have convincingly written, sung or performed Vogue whilst coming off as even more of an icon than the Hollywood giants mentioned.

The embodiment of “pop” in every sense of the word, Vogue is also a celebration of the entire concept of popular culture and its power to move people, both literally and figuratively. For what is the greater art - an epic that touches a few people profoundly, or a brief, fleeting moment that reaches the entire world? Madonna would answer with disregard - having proven over and over that complex artistic statements and zeitgeist -level popularity can go hand in hand.

“Look around, everywhere you turn is heartache

It’s everywhere that you go

You try everything you can to escape

The pain of life that you know…”

The cultural backdrop upon which Vogue (both song and dance) was built was not an especially happy time. The late ’80s was particularly devastating for many of Madonna’s most dedicated fans in the gay community, and the deaths of close friends, especially her dance teacher Christopher Flynn and artist Keith Haring, made AIDS a very personal tragedy. Her response was to include safe sex educational inserts with the Like a Prayer album, and to dedicate the first Blond Ambition date in New York to Haring’s memory, donating all proceeds to AIDS charities. But the most anyone could do to help would never have been enough.

“When all else fails and you long to be

Something better than you are today

I know a place where you can get away

It’s called a dance floor

And here’s what it’s for, so…”

Her artistic response, however, varied - though Spanish Eyes was a poignant, sympathetic prayer for the suffering, Vogue urges the listener not to dwell on it. LGBT magazine Advocate may have deemed “Madonna’s dance tracks… a necessary escape that was nearly transcendental during an era when our community was seeing more than its share of heartbreak and horror”, but while the archetypal modern depiction of dance may be that of clubbing in various levels of inebriation, dance to Madonna has never merely been about escapism. Stemming from her classical training, it represents first and foremost a form of self-improvement and artistic expression - confessions on a dance floor, not hedonistic partying. Madonna offers an empathy through dance, an emotional resolve that goes beyond mere escapist entertainment - leave that to other pop tarts. Great art exists to reflect upon, to empower the person experiencing it - and hence, Vogue cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering and hardships in life. If anything, they make the best of times even more glorious in contrast. Forget about the bad times?… but look around - don’t ignore them.

The utter perfection of Vogue’s title becomes even more apparent when considering its musical applications - though hardly the first house-influenced song to hit the mainstream, Shep Pettibone’s beats breathed new life into the drum machine after its omnipresence during the ’80s. Though that sound, itself a product of the trends of its time, imprinted itself irremovably the pop of the next few years - heard everywhere from Saint Etienne to C + C Music Factory - the rest of Vogue is inimitably unique. Such minute-long, breathlessly anticipatory intros are virtually outlawed in pop - and with the out-of-nowhere rap and soaring final chorus, the song is peak after peak of the pure elation Madonna so consistently delivered in the ’80s. Vogue ushered in the ’90s with an unshakeable confidence that’s odd in hindsight, considering the fallout from the Erotica period that followed. But perhaps Madonna knew she’d by then taken dance-pop joy and her popularity to the limit. With her one musical consistency, the desire to never repeat herself, maybe it was best to close the first chapter of her career with a bang, and move on, whatever the cost.

2. Something in fashion, as at a particular time:

Having been originally written as a mere b-side to Keep It Together (but universally recognised by Warner executives as deserving more), Vogue is often cited as being out of place amongst Madonna’s Dick Tracy contributions on I’m Breathless. But as far removed as its house beats are from the authentically jazzy period pieces, their overall aims of glorifying pre-rock ‘n’roll-era imagery are similar. In fact, Dick Tracy is a film utterly obsessed with such style (perhaps to the detriment of its plot) - its unique visual presentation remains loyal to the original comics whilst at the same time being unlike anything else seen in cinema. Vogue aims for the same kind of retro; a tribute to the fashions of yesterday through a modern lens (courtesy of technological advances), with one major difference - Vogue doesn’t just imitate the 1930s. Revivalism without reinterpretation is inevitably inferior to the original - and Vogue was utterly current, a cultural high point of how retro should be done; not a recreation, but a celebration of the past.

“Greta Garbo, and Monroe

Dietrich and DiMaggio

Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean

On the cover of a magazine

Grace Kelly; Harlow, Jean

Picture of a beauty queen

Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire

Ginger Rogers, dance on air

They had style, they had grace

Rita Hayworth gave good face

Lauren, Katherine, Lana too

Bette Davis, we love you

Ladies with an attitude

Fellas that were in the mood

Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it

Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it

Vogue”

It’s populist. Superficial. Style over substance. A passing fad. Talentless. Artless. It promotes sexual promiscuity and moral deviance amongst today’s easily influenced youth.

Those are all criticisms that’ve at one point been made of Madonna, pop music in general and many of the above stars. In such a context of cultural superiority complexes, Vogue becomes a statement of defiance, a defence of the mainstream as a delivery for the farthest-reaching, most broadly affecting of art. The rap effectively canonises the greats of Hollywood’s golden age; proof in hindsight that fame justified by talent sticks, and gross critical underestimations do not. Only (ironically) the most superficial could fail to draw parallels - for who else had the stardom, the cultural influence to have such a generous tribute serve as their own coronation? Such names hardly towered over Madonna as early as 1990, let alone twenty years later. On the other hand, Madonna is still too divisive a figure to (perhaps ever) be viewed so fondly by all of popular culture, but it’s just possible that - with Lauren Bacall sadly the only one still living - she has surpassed their fame. But that’s beside the point - with the immeasurable contributions of so many greats to the cultural iconography, everyone wins.

“I think that at the end of the day, people remember authenticity. They remember what’s true, and the rest falls by the wayside. They’ll remember what comes from someone’s heart.”
- Madonna, Rolling Stone (2009)

“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness”

- John Keats, from Endymion (1818)

To have incredible style is to have substance. For that and much more, Vogue suggests that they will be remembered.

–verb

To dance by striking a series of rigid, stylized poses, evocative of fashion models during photograph shoots.

Though Madonna had well and truly mastered the art of storytelling in the music video by Like a Prayer’s release, Vogue is just as compelling without one. Watch it 20 times and you’ll still notice new details, facial expressions, shots that last only a handful of frames - watch it 50 times and you still won’t be able to recreate the choreography. The visual performance is, of course, where the dance truly comes to life - and Madonna is as generous with the video as with the song, allowing her future Blond Ambition dancers much of the screentime. Vogue is as much a showcase for their incredible talent as for the complex art of voguing itself; not just a dance, but a lifestyle for practitioners of ball culture, where the dance originated.

Best known via its depiction in the 1991 documentary Paris Is Burning, ball culture was practised by a scene populated by the marginalised - largely poor, black/Latino and gay. The ballroom competitions themselves involved “walking”, model-style and usually in drag, as a kind of performance art - with the aim to be as convincing as possible. Their status as social outcasts, survivors banded together as “houses” or “families” (often due to rejection by their actual, homophobic parents) led to voguing as a form of aspiration. Though a tribute to fashion and models, the most popular of figures, it aims to elevate the performer via those poses to something better than they are. Madonna’s video does exactly that - she, the very definition of popularity, puts complete unknowns performing a fundamentally weird-looking underground dance in the mainstream spotlight. Yet, dressed impeccably in timeless suits, their radiant star quality nearly approaches hers. Though as much as it fits the everyone-is-a-star theme of the song, it was their talent that got them there. Yet as (mostly) gay dancers performing a gay dance, their place in Vogue is also the heart of Madonna’s enduring gay appeal:

“At a time when other artists tried to distance themselves from the very audience that helped their stars to rise, Madonna only turned the light back on her gay fans and made it burn all the brighter… As long as she delivered what we came to expect—a soundtrack that gave us hope and allowed us, in our more somber moments, to believe that there was a place where we could be better than we were today—we continued our devotion.”
- Steve Gdula, of Advocate

Naturally, the other side to Vogue’s black and white is Madonna’s own presence. Whilst the dance was current, many of Madonna’s shots pay tribute to classic images - such as the Dietrich-esque close-ups, or her portrayal of Horst P Horst’s Mainbocher Corset, bringing the still photo to life. Significantly, the one section where she doesn’t share screentime is during the rap, which consists solely of close-ups of her embodying utterly total confidence, even as she invokes her predecessors’ names. It’s as if she dares you to think any less of her, with the monochrome ensuring a level playing field - viewed in the same way they once were, with the same sense of awe.

Madonna’s return to the MTV Video Music Awards in 1990 was perhaps her single greatest television performance. The incredibly complex choreography - done in authentic French period dress - is as far removed from the writhing Like a Virgin as humanly possible. It’s her equivalent to the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, or Michael Jackson at Motown 25 - a expression of such pure, unique talent it renders even the lipsyncing (as with MJ) irrelevant. But there may just be a message in there, too - her drawing of parallels to Marie Antoinette shows that Vogue is truly universal.

And yet the final word must be that in relation to Madonna’s overall career, Vogue is a single pose in a lifetime of choreography. It may be her legacy, but it cannot summarise her more than any other song; the only thing it represents is the extent of the highs a true cultural icon can scale. “Fame” and “celebrity” aren’t worth much anymore, but Madonna, arguably the most famous woman in the world, has truly earned hers.

(from http://iconography.tumblr.com/)

March 9, 2010

I too did my dissertation on Madonna and Gender in Sociology last year so that Madonna Connextions book was really useful! Vogue does bring back some incredible memories of being a 7 year old and so in love with M! I was definately a minority as other kids my age were into the tuttles and crap lol Can't believe this was 20 years ago, always sounds fab on her tours!

Mattress · March 9, 2010

My parents let me subscribe to then-new Entertainment Weekly in 1990. Words fail to express my excitement over the first issue received...

The global force of Madonna

For Madonna, “image” isn’t a noun, it’s a verb — a very active verb. Over the past seven years, since her first album, Madonna has been unavoidable. We’ve seen her almost constantly, for reasons both trivial (her hair color) and serious (her troubled marriage). She’s one of the most recognizable entertainers working today. And that’s curious, because we seldom see the same Madonna twice. Her chameleon-like approach isn’t common; most stars want to ensure their recognition. But changeability actually lies at the core of Madonna’s appeal. “The great thing is that she’s always evolving,” says Francesco Scavullo, the high-fashion photographer who has been shooting Madonna since 1983.

What she has done in the past is nothing, however, compared with what she is about to do. Even veteran Madonna watchers — who have observed her through countless image changes as singer, performer, actress, and star — cannot be prepared for the coming juggernaut. It’s. . .Madonna 1990! Bigger, better, more profound than ever! Higher notes! Deeper cleavage! Real acting! Over the next few months you won’t be able to miss her! Don’t even try!

On stage: On May 4 in Houston, Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour will be launched in the U.S. after a three-week run in Japan. Between now and late June it will be seen in 12 cities. This is more than an 18-song, 90-minute concert. It’s a richly detailed retrospective of one of the most successful recording careers of the last decade. “I really put a lot of myself into it,” Madonna told MTV. “It’s much more theatrical than anything I’ve ever done.”

On record: The single “Vogue” rocketed into the top 10 after only four weeks. The album I’m Breathless: Songs From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy, due out May 22, combines her own material with tunes written by Broadway’s peerless Stephen Sondheim.

On video: The elegant black-and-white treatment of “Vogue” is all over MTV, which has already devoted two weekends of promotion to her and is sponsoring a contest for home-video voguers.

On film: Dick Tracy, the movie in which Madonna costars with her director and is-he-still-or-isn’t-he? real-life romantic lead, Warren Beatty, is set for a June 15 release. She plays a nightclub singer who’s trying to seduce the famous Crimestopper.

How can one mere mortal do all this? Easy: Madonna is no mere mortal.

At the age of 31, the multiplatinum singer clearly wants to accomplish greater things on the current tour. From the use of the high-powered French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier to the complex staging of the numbers, she has taken the production far beyond that of the average rock show. Why? In part, because this is the first time she has toured since 1987, and she’s promoting both her last album, Like a Prayer, and her upcoming I’m Breathless. But there seems to be more here than simple commerce. The show, with its retrospective quality, puts all of her work — fun and serious — in a different perspective. For a woman who has such popularity, all of this effort seems like a grab for respect. As a title, concept, and pun, Blond Ambition says it all.

The show draws from each phase of her musical career and is meant to be a recasting of her video work on the stage. “This is Madonna’s every fantasy come true,” says Vincent Patterson, the tour choreographer and codirector. “It’s one hallucination after another.”

Blond Ambition is “a combination of rock & roll, theater, and Broadway. It’s a real mixed animal,” Patterson says. “Madonna told me to break every rule I could think of, and then when I was done to make up some new ones and break them.” The show moves smoothly through a wide variety of dance styles, including classical ballet and hip-hop. But Madonna’s trademark combination of athleticism and sensuality shines in every move she makes. She’s accompanied by nine dancers (two of whom also sing backup), who become at times her version of a West Side Story street gang. In a sense they’re performing a dance marathon; the show doesn’t even pause for applause.

Or for the set changes. The evening begins and ends with a bare stage, but it’s dressed at all other times. The three major sets were designed by painter and interior decorator Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s brother. One is an industrial, machine-like environment inspired by the “Express Yourself” video. Another depicts a Greek temple that has been converted into a Catholic church. The third is a make-believe ballroom right out of a ’30s musical. Each set becomes the backdrop for a group of songs. Overall, the current show “has more meat on its bones,” says Ciccone, who worked in a lesser capacity on Madonna’s two previous tours. “It’s 100 steps beyond the last two shows.”

The costumes are typically Madonna, only more so. Gaultier, who has a Madonna-like obsession with bustiers and body-hugging sexuality, designed nearly all of what she wears onstage. During the “Express Yourself” number, Madonna wears a dark, pin-stripe suit with slits in front, through which poke the exaggerated cone-shaped cups of her golden bra. For each of the show’s 16 songs and two encores, Madonna adopts a different look, although she leaves the stage only four times for complete costume changes. At other times she varies her appearance by taking something off, as is her custom; only occasionally does she put something on.

Like the tour, the new album is, well, ambitious. I’m Breathless: Songs From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy includes six songs cowritten by Madonna, two written by other pop-rock composers, and three written for the movie by Sondheim. It’s not a typical Madonna recording. Except for “Vogue,” all of the songs attempt to fit the late-’30s period of the movie. Even the material written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard — the team that brought us “Like a Prayer” and “Cherish” — has more in common with the Broadway theater than a dance club. On “Cry Baby,” a comic novelty song, Madonna affects a Betty Boopish voice. “Now I’m Following You,” a duet by Madonna and a foggy-voiced Warren Beatty, is straight off the Great White Way.

So are the Sondheim tunes. Madonna deftly handles the character aspects of these songs. As Breathless Mahoney, who never has enough money, she oozes with greed on “More” when she sings, “I’m no mathematician/All I know is addition.” But on a duet with Mandy Patinkin, “What Can You Lose,” her voice can’t quite match his for power and delicacy.

By focusing her album on the Breathless Mahoney character she plays in Dick Tracy, Madonna has, in effect, hyped her movie career. It’s the one area in which she has failed to break through. With the exception of her Madonna-ish character in Desperately Seeking Susan, she hasn’t made bad movies; she has made terrible movies. Despite the riveting screen presence she has demonstrated in her music videos, Hollywood won’t give her chances forever.

Out of the gallery of characters Madonna will offer us this summer, including the fashionable poseur from the “Vogue” video, it is probably Breathless Mahoney who will dominate. As this torch-singing gun moll, Madonna is a golden blond with slinky, skin-tight dresses. She is a siren, trying to lure Tracy, through song, away from his girlfriend, Tess Trueheart. Madonna may seem born to play Breathless, but she had to audition for the role (and, in the process, she landed the director as well as the movie, not to mention an enormous amount of pre-release publicity).

Publicity — and its frequent companion, controversy — has often been used by Madonna in a daring way. Her combination of sexual and religious imagery is strong enough to alienate some churchgoers, but not her fans. Her relationship with Sandra Bernhard, teasingly promoted on David Letterman’s late-night show as more than just friendship, pushed the envelope. But, as Madonna recently told MTV, “I think that I offend certain groups (but) I think that people who understand what I’m doing aren’t offended by it.”

Madonna’s obsession with sex and the way she exploits her own body seem to be at odds with the artistic ambitions that permeate her more recent videos and the current tour. She clearly has a mind-body problem: No matter what serious message she wants to convey, she can’t stop flashing her physical gifts. Love me for my brain, she seems to say, but don’t stop there. Madonna is a sex object — by her own choice. She is also, however, a strong, independent woman with a multimillion-dollar business. “I think the public is tired of trying to figure out whether I’m a feminist or not,” Madonna has said. “I don’t think of what I’m doing as gender specific. I am what I am, and I do what I do.”

And what she does better than anyone else is to keep her act new, but not too new. The Blond Ambition choreography is a good example. Karole Armitage, the choreographer for the “Express Yourself” video, originally was supposed to create the dances for the tour but quit when she found out that Madonna simply wanted her videos translated into stage form. “She knows what her audience wants,” says Armitage, who is still on good terms with the singer. “The concert is for the fan, who gets a slightly different version of the songs.” But not so different that the fans are disappointed.

As sharp as Madonna’s instincts are, they can be wrong. Last fall when she tossed off the song “Vogue” with co-composer Shep Pettibone, it was meant to be an obscure flip side to one of the singles from Like a Prayer. “We were just after a fun club record,” Pettibone recalls. “But when the record company bigwigs heard it, they said, ‘This is a No. 1 smash record. Let’s not put it on a B-side and lose it.”‘ The music executives, as the charts now prove, heard something that Madonna missed.

If Madonna’s record is any indicator, she’ll learn from the experience. Few performers have shown her capacity for self-improvement. Compare her singing voice on her debut, Madonna, and Like a Prayer: The difference is astonishing. In 1983, she sounded thin and squeaky, remarkably like the very young Michael Jackson. Six years later, after extensive training, she has depth and range. It’s still not one of the great voices of our time, but Madonna has made it remarkably better.

Her diligence has been duly rewarded. But even with success, Madonna refuses to let up. During the rehearsals for the Blond Ambition tour, she ran five or so miles a day, worked out with a trainer for an hour or two, rehearsed the concert routines for eight hours, and took hour-long singing lessons. “She has more strength and endurance than anyone I know,” Christopher Ciccone says.

Attitude and ambition. These are what mark Madonna, no matter the changes in her hair, makeup, clothing, music, and acting. During the greedy ’80s, the calculating quality of her needs — for wealth, for power, for acclaim, for love — made her the perfect singer for the decade. Her challenge is to sustain her appeal into the ’90s. If the current incarnations of Madonna don’t work, you can be sure she’ll try something else. And something else. And something else. She’ll keep on trying until she gets it right.

Madonna’s discography

Albums

Madonna (1983, Sire) “Lucky Star,” “Borderline,” “Burning Up,” “I Know It,” “Holiday,” “Think of Me,” “Physical Attraction,” “Everybody”

A thin voice and even thinner arrangements: Madonna Lite. Only for dance fans. C-

Like a Virgin (1984, Sire) “Material Girl,” “Angel,” “Like a Virgin,” “Over and Over,” “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” “Dress You Up,” “Shoo-Bee-Doo,” “Pretender,” “Stay”

Is she learning how to sing, or are the backing tracks that much better? Still, only worth it for the hits. B-

True Blue (1986, Sire) “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Open Your Heart,” “White Heat,” “Live to Tell,” “Where’s the Party,” “True Blue,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Jimmy Jimmy,” “Love Makes the World Go Round”

As much a pop record as a dance record. She’s thinking some serious thoughts and singing some serious songs. Good when it’s good and not that bad when it’s bad. B+

You Can Dance (1987, Sire) “Spotlight,” “Holiday,” “Everybody,” “Physical Attraction,” “Spotlight (Dub Version),” “Holiday (Dub Version),” “Over and Over,” “Into the Groove,” “Where’s the Party,” “Over and Over (Dub Version),” “Into the Groove (Dub Version)”

One new song, “Spotlight,” and dance remixes of her hits. Includes an extended version of “Into the Groove,” released as the B-side of “Angel” and not on any other album. Vocal tracks: A. Dub tracks (instrumental versions without Madonna’s vocals): D

Like a Prayer (1989, Sire) “Like a Prayer,” “Express Yourself,” “Love Song,” “Till Death Do Us Part,” “Promise to Try,” “Cherish,” “Dear Jessie,” “Oh Father,” “Keep It Together,” “Spanish Eyes,” “Act of Contrition”

Her most personal album yet, with songs about an abusive husband, a lost mother, and a distant father. But she remains true to her core audience as well, with songs you can dance to. A mature and accomplished effort. A-

I’m Breathless: Music From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy (1990, Sire) “He’s a Man,” “Sooner or Later,” “Hanky Panky,” “I’m Going Bananas,” “Cry Baby,” “Something to Remember,” “Back in Business,” “More,” “What Can You Lose,” “Now I’m Following You (Part I),” “Now I’m Following You (Part II),” “Vogue”

Singles (not on Madonna albums)

“Crazy for You” (1985, Geffen) From the movie Vision Quest.

“Who’s That Girl” (1987, Sire) “Causing a Commotion” (1987, Sire) Both from the movie Who’s That Girl.

Music Videos

Madonna (1984, WEA, $16.98) You’d think the Queen of Music Vid would have a major collection available, wouldn’t you? But all we have is this paltry sampler — “Burning Up,” “Borderline,” and “Lucky Star” from the first album, and “Like a Virgin” from the second. B

Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour (1985, WEA, $19.98) Live from Detroit, her hometown. A lot of flat notes. Not much dancing. Maybe you had to be there. C-

Madonna Ciao Italia: Live From Italy (1988, WEA, $19.98) She has lost weight. She’s hitting most of the notes. She’s showing some good moves in the dance routines. Hey, she’s back in the old country! B+

Movies

A Certain Sacrifice (1980, Commtron, $49.95, R) Is this rape-revenge film art or exploitation? You be the judge.

Vision Quest (1985, Warner, $19.98, R) A high-school-jock movie. Madonna is seen only briefly as a singer in a bar band.

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985, HBO, $19.99, PG-13) In this sly comedy of confused identities, a New Jersey housewife trades places with a shiftless Manhattan tart. Madonna plays the latter with a self-absorption that matches her own.

Shanghai Surprise (1986, Vestron, $79.98, PG-13) It’s just as bad as you’ve heard, and maybe even worse. Madonna is a missionary in ’30s China and Sean Penn is the ne’er-do-well who helps her out. This “mystery-suspense-romance” succeeds on none of its many levels. Madonna’s performance is awkward and forced. Penn, then her husband, is equally bad.

Who’s That Girl (1987, Warner, $19.98, PG) A screw-up of a screwball comedy. Madonna is an ex-con with a score to settle. Griffin Dunne is the stuffed-shirt lawyer who’s mixed up in her shenanigans. Madonna isn’t the worst thing in it, but that’s not saying much.

Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989, RCA/Columbia, $89.95, PG) Did you miss this one about romance during the Roaring Twenties? So did everybody else.

Dick Tracy (1990, Walt Disney Pictures) The comic strip comes to life, costarring Madonna and Warren Beatty. Due June 15.

Theater

Speed-the-Plow (1988) Very respectable Broadway debut. Frank Rich of The New York Times praised her “intelligent, scrupulously disciplined comic acting.”

Commercial

Like a Prayer (Pepsi, 1989) A rich little valentine to childhood dreams. Seen only once, during The Cosby Show, before controversy over the music video for “Like a Prayer” caused Pepsi to fizz over and pull the ad.

Flip The Switch · March 10, 2010

pose

loomer · March 10, 2010

Oh Mattress! :bow: :clap:

magom · March 10, 2010

A great era for her and for us. I actually became a big fan after I see Truth or Dare in teathers. BAT-VOGUE was everything. It was all I wanted to do back then, dancing like Madonna.

An interesting fact that I recall...

Truth or Dare movie became the all-time # 1 "Documentary" and "Music Concert" in US.

And is still todate among top 10 in both categories:

MUSIC CONCERT

1984-Present

TOTAL GROSSES | OPENING WEEKENDS

Rank Title (click to view) Studio Lifetime Gross / Theaters Opening / Theaters Date

1 Michael Jackson's This Is It Sony $72,091,016 3,481 $23,234,394 3,481 10/28/09

2 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour BV $65,281,781 687 $31,117,834 683 2/1/08

3 Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience BV $19,162,740 1,276 $12,510,374 1,271 2/27/09

4 Madonna: Truth or Dare Mira. $15,012,935 652 $543,250 51 5/10/91

5 U2 3D NGE $10,249,771 686 $964,315 61 1/23/08

6 U2: Rattle and Hum Par. $8,600,823 1,391 $3,821,351 1,391 11/4/88

7 Shine a Light

(Rolling Stones) ParV $5,505,267 277 $1,488,081 276 4/4/08

8 Stop Making Sense

(Talking Heads) Cinc $5,095,592 41 $41,666 7 10/19/84

9 Sign O' the Times

(Prince) Cinpx $3,000,073 234 $950,116 234 11/20/87

10 Neil Young: Heart of Gold ParC $1,904,606 65 $53,908 4 2/10/06

DOCUMENTARY

1982-Present

TOTAL GROSSES | OPENING WEEKENDS

Rows: #1-100, #101-200, #201-300, #301-400, #401-500, #501-600, #601-664Rank Title (click to view) Studio Lifetime Gross / Theaters Opening / Theaters Date

1 Fahrenheit 9/11 Lions $119,194,771 2,011 $23,920,637 868 6/23/04

2 March of the Penguins WIP $77,437,223 2,506 $137,492 4 6/24/05

3 Earth (2009) BV $32,011,576 1,804 $8,825,760 1,804 4/22/09

4 Sicko LGF $24,540,079 1,117 $68,969 1 6/22/07

5 An Inconvenient Truth ParC $24,146,161 587 $281,330 4 5/24/06

6 Bowling for Columbine UA $21,576,018 248 $209,148 8 10/11/02

7 Madonna: Truth or Dare Mira. $15,012,935 652 $543,250 51 5/10/91

8 Capitalism: A Love Story Over. $14,363,397 995 $231,964 4 9/23/09

9 Religulous LGF $13,011,160 568 $3,409,643 502 10/1/08

10 Winged Migration SPC $11,689,053 202 $33,128 1 4/18/0

acko · March 10, 2010

I know it's not in the proper spirit of the thread but i love it & it's Vogue.. :wow:

more 2 come.. :wow:

acko · March 10, 2010

magom · March 11, 2010

^ WOW to all of them. Her body was a killer. Her best fit condition ever.

March 11, 2010

Anybody else think Nikki looked like a very old (waaaaaaaay older than M) body builder on TGS?

Mattress · March 11, 2010

Vogue 1993 was great!

March 11, 2010

Madonna looks flawless there!!! ^ I think I will Vogue tonight.

BabyDietrich · March 11, 2010

I really like the Girlie Show Vogue pictures :vogue:

Littlebastard · March 12, 2010

As my 1990th post fitting im posting it in this thread. Obviously Vogue will be *the* Madonna everyone remembers when she's gone. Love the 1993 pics. Anymore?

March 12, 2010

Just put on your Vogue outfits.

loomer · March 12, 2010

You're wrong. She is a subtle genius. The best kind. She's all kinds of brilliant amazingness.

I'm right and rarely wrong. As a genius myself I would recognise one. You know what they say, genius recognizes genius. :queenbitch:

Madonna's genius lies in her absorption of popular culture - she's like a SPONGE. Then there's her look and concepts and melodies. The occasional brilliant lyric. Academically and using the strictest definition (a "subtle" genius? :blink: she's hardly Camille Paglia is she?), I would not say she is exactly a genius. :fag:

March 13, 2010

That costume from the Girlie Show is my most favorite from that tour. She looked amazing with that headdress.

GregVsMatt · March 14, 2010

These are some of my Australian promo posters for the era

Mattress · March 14, 2010

These are some of my Australian promo posters for the era...

I love these... especially the first two! The last one was also included with the "Vogue" 12" single in some countries.

MORE!

March 14, 2010

These are some of my Australian promo posters for the era

Oh cool! Thank you for sharing these! very nice.

And mattress to you a BIG thank you!

This truly is one of the best threads, EVAH!

Crystal Coffin · March 15, 2010

That iconic EY still is wonderfully associated with the whole "Vogue" project.

Flip The Switch · March 15, 2010

That was delicious tiger.

Thnx for sharing.

March 15, 2010

I'm right and rarely wrong. As a genius myself I would recognise one. You know what they say, genius recognizes genius.

Madonna's genius lies in her absorption of popular culture - she's like a SPONGE. Then there's her look and concepts and melodies. The occasional brilliant lyric. Academically and using the strictest definition (a "subtle" genius? she's hardly Camille Paglia is she?), I would not say she is exactly a genius.

I suggest your put on your Vogue outfits. We'll be performing in a Blizzard in no time. THANK THE HEAVENS ABOVE SHE IS NOT A PAGLIA. Madonna is absolutely amazing and she has a rather large element of mystery that makes her fantastic. She knows a lot, but she doesn't give it all away. She has a lot to prove and a lot to be happy about. She has attitude and funk, but sincerity and intelligence. It's the perfect blend of human being and any Genius would recognise it. Just look at me.

Mattress · March 16, 2010

And mattress to you a BIG thank you!

This truly is one of the best threads, EVAH!

It's been my pleasure... I'm stoked so many are participating!

March 16, 2010

These are some of my Australian promo posters for the era

Oooh, I wish this one was mine.

Mattress · March 16, 2010

That iconic EY still is wonderfully associated with the whole "Vogue" project.

:clap: Which brings us to...

Hair history.

1989 began with an earthy, brunette Madonna ready to unleash the Like A Prayer project...

Before the album was even out she was prepping for her role as Breathless Mahoney, first dabbling with a blonde streak through the front of her hair. The Pepsi commercial was filmed with this look and Vogue magazine removed it from a cover photo via airbrushing...

By the time Like A Prayer was released in March, she had morphed into Breathless Mahoney, a look further immortalized in the simultaniously filmed "Express Yourself" video...

Once filming wrapped on Dick Tracy, she began sporting a short, ash blonde cut as seen in the "Cherish" video... and then just sort of let it go grow for the rest of the year. Mesmerize yourself by watching its progress via the 1989 MTV VMA performance of "Express Yourself", the roots reaching their critical peak in the video for "Oh Father"...

Then she went dark and slick for a look captured in photo shoots used by Cosmopolitan and Interview magazines, on the "Keep It Together" single sleeve, in the Blond Ambition tour book and, most famously, all up and through The Immaculate Collection...

In early 1990, it was time to promote Dick Tracy and what better image to do so with than a match of her appearance in the film? Unfortunately, the poor dear initially had trouble achieving platinum. This brassy look was masked by the black and white film used for the "Vogue" video, but was featured in full living color as a Vanity Fair cover shoot.

Fret not, she was back to platinum in time for the launch of the Blond Ambition Tour...

Warner Bros. likely used a still from "Express Yourself" for the "Vogue" single cover because it was a photo they had ownership of with Madonna sporting the Breathless Mahoney look. I'm assuming Jeri Heiden was given multiple images to work with when designing the sleeve and suspect she had a bit of inspiration guiding her final selection...

"She's got half of my name... and she got the second half"

If Jeri Heiden didn't have this Paris VOGUE magazine cover from November 1970 in mind when designing the "Vogue" single sleeve, it is indeed a great coincidence:

The cover girl is Donna Jordan.

And, finally, yet another "Donna", a cover version of "Vogue" was released in Italy and Japan that went so far as to rip off Madonna's sleeve design.

Nice. :confused:

VOGUE/I'M BREATHLESS/BLOND AMBITION TOUR: 20th Anniversary Thread

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