peter
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Posts posted by peter
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I am so saddened that she's taking a lot of heat for this, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That Huffington Post piece is very, very nicely done.
It just struck me -- Mercy gave Madonna a reason to do something she hates doing: repeat herself. She's going through all this PR hell (though, not real struggle in comparison to the life of the children in Malawi, as I'm sure Madonna would point out) all over again -- all for Mercy's sake. It's clear that she loves her deeply.
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But I was never sure about the original adoption, that's when the public firmly turned against her, yet it's OK for womb raider Jolie.
Either way, I don't understand why a woman with 2 biological children of both sexes would feel the need to adopt. She could have built an orphanage and ensured his survival in some way. But in the end she did a much greater deed and David will have the best life ever.
LOL @ 'womb raider' ... but I shouldn't criticize either of them. At least they can care for the children, or afford helpful caregiving staff, unlike the mother of 14 dubbed Octomom. I don't want to cast stones, but that situation truly seems irresponsible, unlike Madonna.
I don't know if you are right about Madonna being able to leave David there and still ensure his survival. I thought his health was in a severe state and she intervened to take him out of the country. (I mean, I suppose you could argue that she didn't necessarily have to PERMANENTLY adopt him to positively affect his life, but I do think he just couldn't get the critical health care he needed had he stayed in the country. She was told by people who knew the situation that he would die if she did not help him. When you're faced with that choice, what do you do? She was capable of helping, so she did. And God bless her for it. I know there are complications with David's surviving family, and I'm not sure how to heal all of that. I'm not saying it was a perfect solution -- but I'm saying it was the best solution for David's survival at the time, and hopefully his well-being for the future. It seems Madonna is committed to Malawi and to helping David understand his roots and heritage there. Hopefully she will facilitate contact with his father in the future, too.)
what are u people talking about with those questions for "q cash" and what did russel brand say? i must have missed something.In the last issue of Q that featured Madonna on the cover (for Hard Candy promotion), they had celebrities ask Madonna questions. The celebs did not interact with Madonna directly, they were delivered through a Q magazine interviewer. Michael Stipe, Elvis Costello, Shirley Bassey, and others all contributed. Madonna gave very direct answers and certainly didn't hide her feelings if she did not care for a particular question. But I didn't read any of it as rude. Sure, she could have been a little more gracious to the guy who asked how all the adoption criticism felt, but really -- it is sort of a ridiculous question. Like she's going to say, "It felt great. Thanks for bringing it up." There might have been a more specific question if there was something particular he wanted to know about that particular storm in Madonna's recent history.
And I don't see the issue about Shirley's question... she asked Madonna why she was so committed to being fit, and Madonna said that your voice is part of your body -- so you have to take care of your body. (It makes sense -- lung capacity, diaphragm, etc. I'm sure exercise has positive effects in those areas, and would, in turn, help your singing.) I don't know -- I didn't sense an attitude, necessarily. No more than some celebrities seemed to have when they asked. (To me, she seemed to get a little short with Michael Stipe -- because he had buried multiple questions in his one question, I think... if I recall correctly. But I thought he and M were good friends. I remember an interview with Michael from back in the late 90s -- maybe 1998 or 1999 -- where he was at Donatella Versace's place and he said Madonna was in the background. So hopefully he didn't take any of her comments personally.)
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Some of the Pro shots from Argentina on youtube are somewhat different from other proshots from other cities. At least I noticed her voice was much stronger, more smiling at the audience and even her dancers during beat goes on smile an awful lot at the Buenos Aires show. Just my observation. It makes me almost 100 percent that those were recorded for the DVD. Just like the forced smiles for CT London. Does anyone know the real reason RIT hasn't been released on DVD? It figures that her "greatest hits" type of tour doesn't air on TV or we get a DVD.
Not sure if this is the 'real' reason or not -- but my understanding is that there were legal issues and contract requirements. I recall when the IGTTYAS documentary was being released, Madonna made mention in an interview of the fact that there would have to be a certain period of time between the release of the documentary and the release of a full-concert DVD.
The TV airing supposedly didn't happen because Madonna and CBS couldn't agree on terms (commercial-free vs. with commercials -- and most likely some content issues, too --- hello, American Life).
Hamish Hamilton was to have directed the DVD, and he filmed in Lisbon, Portugal. He also scouted out multiple shows in the U.S. and Europe before actually filming in Lisbon. Later, after it became clear that there was some feet-dragging going on, Hamish Hamilton and his production company sued Madonna for non-payment for the services they'd already provided (scouting out earlier shows, filming the Lisbon shows). Of course, I think the original line from the Madonna camp was that 'no DVD had as of yet been delivered' -- but I don't know if that would have held up legally.
Most of the concert footage in IGTTYAS is from Paris, which was shot by Jonas Akerlund.
So, with the drama with Hamish (who helmed the DWT DVD and the tour DVDs of many other big name artists, like U2, etc.), who knows whether we'll see Lisbon on DVD eventually or if we'll get the Paris show(s). [The corset color in the opening section is the big difference.]
That's what I assume is really holding things up. At one point, Caresse had confirmed there would be a tour DVD -- which, I suppose is still a valid promise; she just failed to mention just how patient we'd all have to be.
At one point, some media company in France even offered downloads of "Burning Up" and "Die Another Day" live videos through a mobile phone promotion or something -- all to hype the forthcoming release, which never eventuated. (Bizarre! Those HQ vids used to be on YouTube and at some fansites, too, if you've never seen them.) All of which doesn't make me 100% confident we'll see the S&S DVD when it's promised. I hate to be a pessimist, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I'll be excited when it's in my hot little hands and playing in my DVD player.
[Also... I've read rumors that Madonna didn't like the way she looked in the filming of RIT, but I don't know if I buy that entirely. How much footage ended up in IGTTYAS and she didn't seem to mind that... and I'm sure it could all be retouched to her satisfaction, anyway.]
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No. Since day one this has been regarded as her final Warner Bros. release, intended to represent her recording career while on the label. That she's capping it off with new tracks pushes things forward, but this is going to rightfully reach way back to the Sire and Maverick recordings (all Warner Bros. subsidiaries.)
"Crazy For You" and "Gambler" on Geffen (not under the Warner umbrella) are the only off-label single release of her career thus far which makes a compilation of this magnitude, legally, a snap to compile. These have previously been licensed many times for Warner releases.
Well, maybe not exactly "day one" -- probably only since she and Warner Bros. announced their business relationship was dissolving. A decade ago, or whenever exactly this contract went into effect, it may not have been envisioned as her FINAL release with them (period), but the last release under that old contract. I would imagine that both parties were optimistic, when negotiating the contract that is about to be completed, that she would continue on with WB by renewing again (assuming, of course, that career was going successfully and profitably, etc.). At that time, they may have envisioned it as a GHV3. But once it became clear that Madonna was leaving for Live Nation, the scope of the project probably changed to be more like you're saying.
I could be wrong, of course. I'm just saying, I would think WB didn't necessarily know at the time that they were entering into their final contract with her and would therefore want to make an all-expansive, career-encompassing compilation.
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ursa, if that wonderful Perez is counting STR,then it will be her fourth.
He erroneously wrote that her last GH was out in 2006. Has he photographed himself wearing that dunce cap yet or what?
And what about "You Can Dance"? If he counts STR, he should really count YCD -- which would make this #5. (But she really only has two proper 'greatest hits' collections. STR and YCD are compilations, but I wouldn't say their intent was to be a 'greatest hits' -- one aimed to collect dance mixes, one aimed to collect ballads.)
But he's ridiculous, saying her most recent was out in 2006.
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I know that having a hit isn't what it's all about, and I'm not necessarily satisfied if something sits atop the charts -- there's a lot of worthless stuff that gets to the top, too. I didn't mention the fact that "4 Minutes" was a hit to defend the album necessarily -- but to answer the question of 'what good did it serve if it alienated the COADF audience and didn't collect the youth audience?' The youth audience maybe didn't bite on the whole album, but they obviously bit on "4 Minutes." And it was being played in marching band half-time shows, it got picked up for the credits of a major summer time movie... It got her some different exposure. Calling it a transition project is probably an apt observation...
And I have to defend "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You," too -- Joe Henry had writing credits on that, too. And he's not exactly a slouch songwriter. It's one of the stronger songs on the album lyrically. It doesn't resort to rhyming 'girl' and 'world' for the umpteenth time in her career. (I say that with all the love in my heart for her and a fondness for ALL the songs in which she does it -- Material Girl, What It Feels Like for a Girl, Dance 2Night, 4 Minutes.)
Hard Candy didn't have as much staying power for me as the usual Madonna album does, but I can still enjoy it for what it is. It's candy. It's sweet, but it eventually dissolves. In the larger picture of her career, it might not be the standout. But in a 25-year career, you'll have high points and you'll have some pet projects, etc. This album came out the year she had a lot of milestones -- turned 50; was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame; mounted her most successful tour yet (and the most successful for a female solo artist, right?), for which this album was the launch pad. I think a lot of those tracks worked well live.
Personally, I think the imagery (the disjointed nature of it, the uncertainty of the album name) didn't help, either. It's not my favorite album cover. There's a couple people I'd never give that album to -- not because I think they wouldn't enjoy the music, but because I'd be embarrassed to give them a CD with that cover photo. I love her always, I support her right to do what she wants and be photographed however she wants... I'm just saying she's gorgeous and sexy and there were better photos than that one.
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I will say that, while I did not read their comment as disrespectful of Madonna on its face, there is an implied knock or two -- as some have picked up on. I don't know that it's intended, but... Think about it. For them to say that Warner 'pushed' her down the r&b road is as much as to say, she has no control over her career or her work. She only does what the label tells her to do. That sort of flies in the face of what we like to believe about Madonna -- whether that's myth or reality. (We all know she has a history sometimes of exerting her will on single releases, etc., and she obviously doesn't always choose the most commercial or accessible. That whole 'artistic integrity' thing she conveniently relies on. I'm not saying it's all an act or anything -- it's just hard to know, always, whether it's all genuine or whether there are other factors influencing her decisions.) So, while on the surface they may not have been meaning to take her down a peg, they may have made an unintended slight by insinuating that Madonna doesn't (or doesn't any longer) call the shots creatively on her career path.
Like it or not... Madonna has two double platinum singles: VOGUE and 4 MINUTES. I'm just sayin'. People can squawk all day about the fact that involved some young thing to hype it up and that she would have been nothing without it, but not all of JT's collabs have been equally successful. So, Madonna's ingredients are an important part of the recipe, as well. (For example, did Duran Duran's "Nite Runner" cause as much of a sensation as "4 Minutes" did? It also featured JT and was produced by Timbaland. I like it -- I'm not knocking the song, I'm just saying there was mutual benefit going on with the record. A symbiotic single.)
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Well, that explains why I love the sound of "Pandemonium" so much.
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I doubt she'd sell her apartment(s) in her building, even if she purchases the townhouse on the ES.
She must really love this place, as she had it for around 20 years and she bought a third apartment there, less than a year ago.
I don't pay close-close attention to the stories about Madonna's homes and real estate, but I vaguely recall what you're talking about. Wasn't there also a story (around that time) that she wanted to buy a fourth on the same floor and it would have given her the whole floor then, but the co-op board was blocking it? That's pretty rude. I mean, if your neighbor was Madonna, I think you'd be happy to keep her happy. It's not like she's a disruptive influence. Although I guess there was that one noise complaint supposedly -- and all the paparazzi that must hang around.
Whatever, I just hope she has a place where she and the kids feel safe and at home. Everybody needs that.
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Hot Revolver -- that pic in your signature is INSANE!!! It's a little scary, actually. But it's a great shot. Reveals just how intense she is during that song.
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And also the "Get Together" sparkly dress was fabulousness of the highest order
:wow:
You know, when I first saw just still photos of it, I thought it was maybe a little too over the top. But after I watched the video of the performance(s), I thought it was beautiful -- the lines were pretty when she moved.
If I remember right, that dress was really heavy, too... I'm not sure if she said that in an interview segment, or if I just read that elsewhere. But I think it was a pretty heavy dress.
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Lorraine Day
Many thanks!
I'm also glad someone 'nominated' a Testino shot. The "Ray of Light" cover came to mind for me, but it just felt a little too recent.
Even the Mondino "Hollywood" shot -- where she's got the very blonde hair and the very red lips -- is very iconic to me, even though that's very recent.
It is harder to judge the more recent years yet. You really do need more than one to properly represent a woman who's explored her image that much. A Meisel, a Ritts, a Mondino, a Testino, a Klein... and maybe a couple other lesser knowns -- like Lorraine Day!
At least, she's lesser known to me, but I'm truly grateful for that beautiful VOGUE portrait, which is the one that comes to my mind first. -
I agree with both of these first two suggestions. The Herb Ritts True Blue cover is very iconic, but so also is that still from the set of "Vogue." (In my mind, she was more popular in 1990 around the time of Vogue than at any other time -- but I could be wrong. The Like a Virgin days -- and even much of the True Blue phase -- was just from a time when I was too young to remember much. So, it could just be that I recall 1990 personally, whereas the mid-80s I do not remember much about music and the entertainment world.)
Does anyone know who took that photo from the "Vogue" video, by the way? I know David Fincher directed, but surely someone else was responsible for the stills from the set.
Madonna's Malawian Adoption: Appeal to The Supreme Court
in ARCHIVE - Madonna
Posted
Not to get into an argument -- and this is of course slightly off-topic -- but Angelina and Brad are not even married. So it would be difficult for them to be divorced or separated. (They could, however, just end their unofficial relationship.)
The news about this today really depressed me. To say that you can help someone 'just as much' by writing a fat check has obviously not been to Malawi or seen the conditions there. Clearly, Mercy will get a better education and more opportunities living elsewhere. That's not to say that she can't stay connected to the culture or visit her surviving family often, but seriously ... the orphanages are so overcrowded. There are 8-year-olds taking care of multiple babies -- to say nothing of the health problems.
*sigh* I realize they don't want children to be victims of trafficking, but with a high profile person like this, it's clear you can't get away with that.