Madonna has come under fire for comparing US Presidential candidate John McCain to Adolf Hitler.
An image of McCain flashed on screen alongside images of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe at the first night of her 'Sticky and Sweet' world tour in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Wales, on Saturday (23.08.08).
The images were shown as Madonna performed her song 'Get Stupid'.
Tucker Bounds, an outraged spokesperson for McCain's campaign, used the opportunity to take a swipe at McCain's Presidential rival Barack Obama.
He said: "The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time.
"It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits."
While McCain - the Republican party candidate for the November US election - was shown opposite despots, his rival, Democratic candidate Barack Obama was juxtaposed with pictures of peace activist Mahatma Ghandi and late Beatles singer John Lennon in the same song.
Meanwhile, Madonna has reportedly been forced out of her own gym by noisy construction workers.
The 50-year-old singer spent £12 million converting the Georgian house next door to her London home into a state-of- the-art workout room.
But after several months of noisy drilling, leering and suggestive whistling from nearby workers, she has switched to another gym.
A friend close to the star said: "Madonna felt as if she has been living in a siege situation. The noise of the drilling meant she was forced to listen to her iPod at full volume, potentially damaging her ears."
Madonna has since moved to her personal trainer's gym.
Her 'Sticky and Sweet' world tour continues in Nice, France, tonight (26.08.08) before moving on to Germany and Switzerland.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Madonna's Hitler storm
Friday, May 2, 2008
Madonna's Justin party
Madonna has revealed she and Justin Timberlake drank tequila and vodka after her New York show.
The '4 Minutes' singer - who stunned crowds at the free Manhattan concert when she welcomed Justin on stage - revealed she was feeling slightly hung-over after partying on Wednesday night (30.04.08).
She said: "We had to celebrate. We decided we both work too hard and have to have fun. I had a shot of tequila. I may have had a lemon drop, too! We 'tied one on', as they say."
The 49-year-old singer and her 27-year-old collaborator went to New York's exclusive nightclub The Box where they danced and drank with friends including Josh Duhamel, fashion designer Alexander McQueen and R.E.M frontman Michael Stipe.
Madonna also revealed she thinks Justin is the perfect pop star, adding to US radio show host Ryan Seacrest: "He's ambitious but not in an offensive way. He's incredibly responsible and he's good at what he does and I think he has a long future in front of him. He understands the insanity of being a pop star."
Meanwhile, mother-of-three Madonna said despite leaving her "brat" side behind her, she still likes displaying her "cheeky side" in her music.
She told US TV show 'Entertainment Tonight': "I think I'm many things. I think I'm a lady, I think I'm a brat, I think I'm a nerd, I think I'm a pimp, I think I'm a mother, I think I'm a kid. I can't be a brat forever! But that was fun, it was fun being a brat. I've still got my cheeky side."
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Madonna's Mercy adoption
Madonna is set to adopt a girl from Malawi.
The 'Hung Up' singer, who currently in the process of adopting 23-month-old Malawi boy David Banda, will be able to take home 13-month-old Mercy next April.
A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Madonna is ecstatic she has been told she can take Mercy. She didn't want another complicated adoption. Mercy is a beautiful baby girl. She is so joyful and happy and giggles every time she is picked up. Madonna just loves the way she claps her hands and laughs constantly. She has huge eyes. Madonna calls her her smiling angel."
Madonna - who also has a 10-year-old daughter, Lourdes, and seven-year-old son, Rocco - decided to adopt another child from the African nation for David, "to redress the balance" in her family.
Malawi officials asked Madonna and her husband Guy Richie to meet 10 girls before a final decision was made.
The 49-year-old singer bonded with Mercy and three other girls, Jessica, Fanizio and Grace at the Kondanani Orphan Care Centre last October.
Madonna reportedly had her heart set on Grace, but the child's extended family objected.
Mercy has an aunt and other family members, but they are too poor to look after her, so they were forced to send her to an orphanage.
Madonna will file adoption papers in February and has told her lawyer in Malawi, Alan Chinula, to "cover all legal bases" to ensure the adoption goes smoothly.
Her adoption of David sparked controversy after it was revealed the boy's father, Yohane Banda, was still alive. Some critics of her adoption claimed Madonna's case was fast tracked because of her celebrity status.
The star will be visited by a Malawi court-appointed official next month to assess whether she and Guy are suitable parents for David.
Malawi official Penstone Kilembe - who had previously been refused permission to travel to Britain - announced on Monday (27.08.07):
"There has been a change of mind by my government minister and she has allowed me to leave for the UK on September 4 and I am expected to spend two weeks."
Madonna's spokeswoman declined to comment about her client's latest adoption.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Madonna inspection cancelled
Madonna's permanent adoption of David Banda has hit problems after Malawian officials cancelled their visit to Britain.Malawi's Minister of Women and Child Development, Kate Kainja, has reportedly banned Penstone Kilembe from visiting the pop superstar and her husband Guy Ritchie to assess their suitability to adopt the two-year-old.
Kainja has accused Kilembe of asking Madonna to give him money and pay for his flight to London without government approval, according to a weekly Malawian newspaper.
Kilembe denied he obtained money from the star and claims cancelling the visit could threaten Madonna's chances of keeping David, saying: "What this means is that the whole adoption process may crumble and David could be sent back to his village."
Kilembe was due to visit Madonna and her family at her London home twice this year.
The Malawi high court was relying on his testimony to make a decision on whether Madonna's adoption should be formalised in a hearing next year.
Malawian officials claim they have selected another representative to conduct the assessment.
A minister said: "We have already contacted Madonna to inform her that someone else and not Kilembe will come to asses her, because we feel Mr. Kilembe personalised the whole issue."
However, as Kilembe was appointed by the high court, some sources believe he is the only one who can report his findings to the hearing.
Justin Dzonzi, a lawyer who led a 65-member human rights group in challenging Madonna's adoption, said: "Kate Kainja cannot change what the court set by having another person do the assessment. The court will not listen to anyone else apart from the one it appointed."
David has been living with Madonna since he left Malawi last October.
Madonna and Guy were preparing to be quizzed on a series of "sensitive questions" during the official's five-day stay planned for this month.
The couple's parenting skills with their seven-year-old son Rocco and Madonna's 10-year-old daughter Lourdes from a previous relationship were also set to be assessed.
