Madonna Biography

Biography of Madonna. Detailed Madonna profile and review.

Madonna Louise Ciccone (born in Bay City, Michigan, August 16, 1958), simply known by the stage name Madonna, also occasionally referred to as Madonna Ciccone Ritchie, is an American singer frequently referred to as the Queen of Pop music. Also an actress, author, activist, diva, pop cultural and fashion icon, many consider Madonna to be one of the most iconic and influential figures of the late 20th century.

She was raised in a large, devout Catholic family in the Detroit suburb of Rochester. Madonna's parents were Italian American Chrysler engineer Sylvio Ciccone and French Canadian Madonna Fortin. Madonna's mother died of breast cancer when Madonna was five years old. After her mother's death her father married Joan Gustafson. At her childhood Madonna attended several Catholic schools including Academie Du Sacre Coeur, Saint Andrews and Saint Fredericks. She also took classes in piano and ballet, and was an active participant in a variety of artistic activities at school. After graduating from Rochester Adams High School in 1976 she received a dance scholarship and attended the University of Michigan for two years but quit and moved to the Corona, Queens district of New York in 1978 to pursue dance and acting professionally. During this period she danced with several minor modern dance companies, including Ailey II and the Walter Nicks dancers. She appeared in a short film called A Certain Sacrifice and joined several punk-pop bands including Breakfast Club and Emmy. She eventually penned a number of songs that brought her local fame in gay dance clubs such as Danceteria.

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Madonna scored her first recording deal in 1982 while sitting on the corner of the bed of an ailing Sire Records music executive. Her demo song, "Ain't No Big Deal", was written by frequent Madonna collaborator Stephen Bray, and was shelved for several years since it had just been recorded and released by the Epic Records group Barracuda. Five years later, Madonna's version finally surfaced on the B-side of the "True Blue" single, though it has never appeared on any of her albums. During the sessions for her first album, she also recorded a song called "Sidewalk Talk." However, upon listening to the finished product, Madonna and her producers decided that its sound was too dated. They shelved the track, and replaced it with a more current song called "Holiday." That fateful decision would prove a good one, as "Holiday" quickly became a hit upon release, and stands today as an iconic 80's dance song. Like "Ain't No Big Deal," "Sidewalk Talk" was included years later as a B-side.

Her first single "Everybody" produced by Mark Kamins was released without her photo on the jacket. This led many listeners to believe that she was, in fact, black. Thanks to the advent of MTV, however, her label was able to aggressively market Madonna's image. A playful and sexy combination of punk and pop culture, Madonna became a quick fixture on the network. Her bleached blonde hair (with black roots), sexy lace gloves, lingerie on the outside and "Boy Toy" belt buckle were soon all the rage in malls and schoolyards across America.

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In 1983 her self-titled debut album Madonna was released, and the first hit "Holiday" topped the charts around the world. Other hit singles included "Borderline" and "Lucky Star". The album was a smash hit, and catapulted Madonna into instant stardom. Former boyfriend/producer and remixer DJ John 'Jellybean' Benitez was instrumental at this time of her career. The hit club track "Burning Up" was remixed for release in the UK by DJ Rusty Egan (formerly of the new romantic group Visage).

In 1984 she followed her debut with Like a Virgin. The album's provocative subject matter (especially the title track) was praised by reviewers and fans. She aroused further controversy when she appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards singing "Like A Virgin" in a combination wedding dress/bustier, writhing on the floor and revealing her underwear. The track topped the US charts for six weeks. The album also spawned three Top 5 hits: "Angel" (#5), "Dress You Up" (#5), and her signature song, "Material Girl" (#2). (The "Material Girl" moniker would stay with her for good.) "Like a Virgin" also stands as the first evidence of Madonna's most brilliant career strategy: constant change. Where "Madonna" was all synthesizers and dance beats, featuring a hard-edged, "street urchin" version of the singer, "Like a Virgin" was all lace and sensuality, with Madonna portrayed with Lolita-like sexual decadence. The album's sound, owing mainly to producer Nile Rodgers, had a distinctive soul and funk flavor with hard, loud drums and plenty of bass guitar. It was still Madonna, but the sound was different, and the image was different. This constant metamorphosis would prove to be, over the years, Madonna's secret weapon for success.

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Madonna's rapid ascent into the firmament of pop stardom paved the way for her transition to Hollywood. In 1985 she made a brief appearance in the film Vision Quest playing a club singer. The title song of the movie, "Crazy For You" became her second number one hit and earned her first Grammy nomination. She also played a supporting role alongside Rosanna Arquette in the hit film Desperately Seeking Susan, for which she received good reviews. Her acting generally received negative reviews for the following seven years.

The 'Material Girl' era also spawned an unlikely social trend: the "Madonna Wannabe". Across America, teenage girls went to great lengths to emulate their idol, dressing in spandex and mini-skirts, lacy bras and belly-shirts, teasing their hair and tying it up with a bow. Madonna has remarked in interviews that it was startling to see girls dressing like her all over the country, because her "look" was based mainly on recycled streetwear during her lean years, using old hosiery for hairties and cutting up old shirts. Perhaps most importantly, this era marked Madonna's first venture into full-scale live performance. Her 1985 "Virgin Tour" was an unstoppable hit, selling out in every city. The opening night performance, in Seattle, sold out in just 33 minutes.

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On her 27th birthday (August 16, 1985) Madonna married actor Sean Penn. She appeared with him in the 1986 flop Shanghai Surprise, which was unanimously panned by critics. The couple soon earned a reputation for hostility towards the media, thanks to Penn's frequently violent outbursts against the paparazzi. Later in the year Madonna released her third hit album, True Blue. She co-produced the album with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard. This included the hits "Open Your Heart" (accompanied by a video in which she played a stripper who befriends a young boy), "True Blue" (which was the song chosen for an MTV amateur video-making contest), "Live To Tell", "La Isla Bonita" (accompanied by a video in which she played a Spanish woman, the first introduction to the public of her apparent fetish for Latino culture) and "Papa Don't Preach", an anthem about keeping a baby conceived out of wedlock. The song "Each Time You Break My Heart" which was written during the recording sessions for this album was donated to actor/model Nick Kamen to record on his debut record. It does not appear on True Blue. Once again, for "True Blue", Madonna changed her sound and her look. "True Blue" has been described by Rolling Stone as her "blue collar album," wherein the work was imbued with a certain simplicity of sentiment--open your heart to me, where's the party, my love is true blue--and a throwback, albeit a subtle one, to the bygone 1950's era. Her look, with short, bleached hair, leather jackets, and tapered pants, completed the picture, as did the imagery in her videos of the period.

Around this time, a number of black and white nude photos of Madonna surfaced. They were published in both Penthouse and Playboy magazines. The photos were taken during the early 1980s when she posed for art photographers as a way to make money. Although the photos were potentially devastating to her career, she shrugged them off (her unfazed response — "So what?" — was immortalized on a Ciccone Youth record sleeve) and they only served to fuel her popularity.

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At this point Madonna transformed her image, something that would become a trademark for years to come. She began to pale her face and highlight her beauty spot, replacing her punky bleached blonde hair with a glamorous platinum blonde look reminiscent of her hero Marilyn Monroe. This coincided with her performance in the film Who's That Girl, which was also a flop in the U.S. and a minor success in the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the soundtrack spawned three hits: the title track, "Causing A Commotion", and "The Look Of Love".

In 1987 Madonna embarked on the "Who's That Girl World Tour" and began her longtime association with backing vocalists and dancers Donna DeLory and Niki Haris. The "Who's That Girl World Tour" would also mark her first run-in with the Vatican, which urged fans to not attend her performances in Italy. The fans were not fazed however, and the tour went on as scheduled. That year she also released an album of dance remixes of some of her earlier material entitled You Can Dance. It failed to sell as well as her previous efforts. She also appeared as Hortense in a film called Bloodhounds of Broadway, which was harshly dismissed by many reviewers. Critics began to peg Madonna as a thing of the past; her career seemed to be fading fast.

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Then, in 1989, Madonna once again changed her image. She traded in her closely shorn platinum coif for long, curly black hair and an almost wholesome look for her album Like a Prayer, viewed as a turning point in her career because of its frank subject matter and exploration of Madonna's private, emotional feelings and experiences, rather than simple "bubble gum" pop hooks and dance beats. Indeed, "Like a Prayer" is often cited by critics as the best album of her career, and was recently named one of the Top 10 Albums of All Time by an influential British music magazine. Returning once more to provocative religious imagery, the title track compared the experience of lovemaking to praying. The video for the song featured Madonna portraying an apparent streetwalker who witnesses a violent rape and murder. A black man (played by Leon) is falsely accused of the crime and is jailed. She goes into a church where a statue of St. Martin de Porres comes to life and passionately kisses her. This experience motivates her to identify the real perpetrator, and the falsely accused black man, who resembles the statue, is released. The video, which also featured burning crosses, was denounced by the Vatican for its "blasphemous" mixture of eroticism and Catholic symbolism, and sparked such controversy that Pepsi, who had paid Madonna 5 million dollars for a commercial endorsement, pulled out of their contract, though Madonna kept her fee. As the single soared to number one around the world, Madonna thanked them for the publicity.

The album produced three further American top ten hits — "Express Yourself", "Cherish", and "Keep It Together" — although "Oh Father" only made the top twenty. A single and animated music video for the track "Dear Jessie" was released in Europe and became another top ten hit. The video for "Express Yourself" was the first of several to be directed by then-unknown film director David Fincher (Fight Club, Panic Room). It also featured a duet with singer Prince entitled "Love Song". Madonna wrote the song "Possesive Love" with Patrick Leonard during this period, and it was later recorded by Marilyn Martin on her debut album. Martin sang backing vocals on the Madonna song "Cherish". The album was critically well-received and even earned Madonna some credibility as a rock musician: "Till Death Do Us Part" and "Act of Contrition" both featured confessional lyrics and guitar played by Madonna herself, a budding guitarist.

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In 1990 she starred as Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy alongside Warren Beatty, whom she also briefly dated. She earned some good reviews for the role though critics pointed out that it continued her tradition of performing well when portraying characters quite similar to herself (in this case, a demanding and powerful vamp). I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired By The Film 'Dick Tracy' spawned the huge #1 hit "Vogue", which popularized a dance trend in which people in gay clubs struck poses like fashion models in magazines (such as Vogue, hence the term 'voguing'). Widely considered one of her best songs, its video, directed by then-unknown film director David Fincher (Fight Club, Panic Room), was named the #2 video of all time by MTV, second only to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." There has been a misconception that "Vogue" was written, recorded for, and used in the movie, when in fact it was not (it was originally intended as a B-side, but was put on the album at the last minute because the song fit the album's concept). Curiously, the song was used in a television trailer promoting the film, which spawned this misconception. Another top ten single inspired by, but not used in, the film was "Hanky Panky". The album, however, did contain four songs that actually were in the film: "Sooner Or Later" (which won an Oscar for Best Original Song), "What Can You Lose?", "More" (the song that's actually heard at the end of the movie), and "Now I'm Following You" (a duet with co-star Warren Beatty but in a version different from what was heard in the film). "I'm Breathless" is one of actually three original soundtracks that were released around the time of the film.

She also released her first greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection towards the end of 1990. The album was dedicated to the Pope, her "divine inspiration". She included fifteen of her biggest hits and two new songs, both top ten hits, "Rescue Me" which stalled at #9 and "Justify My Love" which had an extended stay at #1 for a month. The latter was co-written by Lenny Kravitz. The sexual content of the song, coupled with an erotically charged music video, caused MTV, who had been so instrumental in Madonna's early success, to ban it. In response, the video was sold stand-alone on videotape, the first "video single" ever released. In spite of the controversy and the video's still-standing American TV ban, the "Justify My Love" CD single went on to sell over a million copies (platinum) and the video single has sold over 400,000 copies, qualifying it as quadruple platinum.

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Additional controversy developed when Prince protégé Ingrid Chavez claimed partial songwriting credit for the lyrics of "Justify My Love". The track sampled the Public Enemy instrumental "Security Of The First World". Madonna claimed that she was unaware of any deliberate copying and Chavez was later granted a percentage of the song's royalties. The rap community was less forgiving and responded by releasing three "answer records" to Madonna in defense of Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee. "To My Donna" by Young Black Teenagers, "Al Will Justify Your Love" by Al B. Sure! and "Justify Satisfy" by D-Melo. The tracks failed to generate much public interest.

In 1991 Madonna starred in a hit documentary film, Truth or Dare, which chronicled her "Blonde Ambition Tour". In it her personality and private life were explored in intimate detail: the star came across as extremely ambitious, demanding, forthright, sexy and smart. It also showed her softer side as she confronted family members and visited the grave of her mother. The hit documentary grossed 15 million in the states and another 20 million over seas. The film only cost a million dollars to make. Truth or Dare was retitled In Bed with Madonna for its UK release. These titles were parodied by the UK TV show In Bed With Medinner and the American TV spoof Medusa: Dare To Be Truthful, which starred former MTV personality Julie Brown.

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In 1992 Madonna appeared in the Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own which revolved around a women's baseball team. Her performance was heralded by critics as an impressive return to the form she'd hinted at in Desperately Seeking Susan, though her character, "All-The-Way Mae", a libidinous vamp, again seemed to play directly off Madonna's real life. She wrote and performed the movie's theme song, the #1 hit "This Used To Be My Playground". Its music video featured movie clips, and the song became a huge AC hit and Madonna's tenth Hot 100 number one single.

1992 also saw the release of her erotic book, Sex. Adult in nature, it featured Madonna as the centerpiece of photographs depicting various sexual fantasies and acts (including lesbianism, anal sex and sadomasochism). The book was bound in sheet metal and mylar, and came with a CD single of the song "Erotic" (a remix of her new single "Erotica" with different lyrics), which was packaged to look like a giant condom.

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She released her next album, Erotica, in the same year. She co-wrote and produced this record mostly with the legendary Shep Pettibone. Almost a companion piece to the book, it featured bold sexual anthems that made no attempt to disguise their star's appetite for erotic fantasy and role-playing. The album spawned a number of top ten hits, including "Erotica" (which became the highest-debuting (#3) single in the history of the Hot 100 Airplay Chart) and "Deeper And Deeper" which stalled at #7. Outside of America "Fever" and "Bye Bye Baby" were also hits, while domestically "Rain" stalled at #14 and "Bad Girl" went on to achieve modest chart success hitting the top 40.

The music videos from Erotica were groundbreaking in a number of ways. Two different treatments of the title video were released: an "uncut" European version which featured graphic nudity and overt depiction of sexual acts, and a censored American version, which contained more suggestive, rapidly changing images, edited in such a way that the most risqué scenes were obscured or omitted. Despite this, even the expurgated version of the video was deemed too raunchy for America in 1992. Though the song was a huge hit, the video only aired a total of three times on MTV, always after midnight, and always preceded by a warning (issued by Kurt Loder) that viewers should change the channel if SandM and homosexuality were not to their taste.

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At present, the censored version of the "Erotica" video has been unbanned by MTV and VH1, and has been aired in its entirety several times on VH1 and MTV2 within the past 5 or 6 years, not always late at night or early in the morning. Indeed, since 2000, MTV2 has broadcast the video several times in the middle of the afternoon, during Madonna-related special programming, as occurred around the time of the 2003 release of her American Life album.

The "Rain" video, one of the first directed by Mark Romanek, was notable for its frame-by-frame colorization of black and white stock, a painstaking process which lent it a highly stylized appearance. The "Fever" video, one of Stephane Sednaoui's first, was also well-received, and the video for "Bad Girl", which featured Christopher Walken as an angel, told a disturbing tale of a woman whose lifestyle leads to her murder. Reviews of the book and album were, for the most part, unsympathetic, with many critics lambasting the "aging" provocatrice for her "tasteless" use of sexuality to "shift units". Nevertheless, despite the press brickbats, the book became an instant bestseller and the album went on to sell more than five million copies worldwide (less than previous albums, but still a huge hit by anyone else's standards).

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The Madonna "industry" appeared to go into overdrive in 1993 when she appeared in a number of film roles. Body of Evidence was regarded by many commentators as an exercise in soft hard-core pornography, with Madonna portraying a woman accused of killing her lover by means of sexual intercourse (what a way to go). The film was R-rated and contained copious nudity and graphic sex scenes. Dangerous Game was similar in plot and content. Madonna would later comment that this entire period of her life was designed to give the world every single morsel of what they seemed to be demanding in their invasion of her private life. She hoped that once it was all out in the open, people could settle down and focus on her work.

1993 also saw the release of the obscure single "Get Over" by actor/model Nick Scotti, which was written by Madonna and Stephen Bray, and used in the 1992 sountrack for the film Nothing But Trouble. It was a minor US dance hit and was produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. She also made a prominent appearance on the backing vocals.

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In 1994 Madonna released Bedtime Stories. The album, which took her back to her RandB roots, found her in sultry voice as she tackled a number of topics which extended far beyond the subject matter of her early songs. The top five hit "Secret" told the story of a heterosexual man in love with a transsexual, while "Human Nature" — which included lines such as: "I'm not sorry / I'm not your bitch" and "Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex" — appeared to be directed at the media and critics who had questioned her decisions in recent years. Other top ten hits included "Bedtime Story", penned by singer Björk, and "Take a Bow", penned by singer Babyface, who also sang vocals. "Take a Bow" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 7 consecutive weeks, breaking her previous record of 6 weeks with "Like a Virgin". The album was nominated for a Grammy in the same year, and Madonna sang "Take a Bow" at the American Music Awards. The success of the album belied its uncertain origins. It spawned several Unreleased Madonna Songs co-written with Shep Pettibone in 1994 that were shelved as Madonna changed creative gears. One throwaway song entitled "Love Won't Wait" was later sent to Gary Barlow to record. He took his version of the song to #1 in the UK in 1997, earning Madonna yet another co-writing credit on a number one hit.

At the time it was made in 1995, "Bedtime Story", which cost over $2 million, was the most expensive music video in history. Madonna only held this record for a few months, however, as Michael Jackson's "Scream" video — which cost $7 million and still holds the record to this day — broke it later that year. Despite the maturity of Bedtime Stories, Madonna seemed in no rush to put her reputation for controversy behind her. In March 1994 she made an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman in which she repeatedly uttered profanities, saying the word "fuck" 13 times.

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In an attempt to improve her acting credentials, Madonna opted over the next few years to take small roles in independent films. She appeared as a singing telegram girl in Blue in the Face (1995) and as a witch in Four Rooms (1995). She also appeared as a phone sex company owner in Spike Lee's flop Girl 6 in 1996. In this period the world also saw her very public falling out with former DJ pal and remixer/producer Junior Vasquez due to the release of his huge club hit "If Madonna Calls". She did not approve.

In a further attempt to soften her image, Madonna released a second greatest hits album in 1996, this time collecting a number of ballads under the title Something to Remember. She began to wear fashionable designer dresses and softened her (by now medium length) hair to honey blonde. This may have helped her to secure the coveted role of Eva Perón in the 1996 film Evita. The film marked the first time Madonna was heralded as an actress in a leading role. She delivered a Golden Globe winning performance and was critically praised; nevertheless, her detractors still managed to point out the similarities between the character (a former actress and fame-hungry politician's wife) and Madonna's own life.

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The Evita soundtrack would go on to become Madonna's twelfth platinum album, thanks to the singles "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "You Must Love Me", the latter receiving an Oscar nomination for best original song in a movie. While "You Must Love Me" was a moderate hit on radio and MTV, it was actually a dance remix of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" that cemented the soundtrack's mainstream pop success. The remix became a worldwide top ten hit in early 1997, and helped "Argentina" to peak at #8 on the Hot 100. The 3rd single "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" became a European top ten hit. The announced 4th single "Buenos Aires" was only released as a promo.

In 1998 Madonna reinvented herself yet again. During 1996 and 1998 she began studying mystical Judaism and The Kabbalah. She took Yoga lessons and pursued a vigorous exercise regime that brought her body to a peak of toned fitness. She became pregnant by her then lover, personal trainer Carlos Leon, and gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, on October 14, 1996. In 1998 she released Ray of Light, an album co-produced by European techno music performer William Orbit, and co-written by Orbit, Patrick Leonard and Rick Nowels. Her first critically-acclaimed recording since "Like a Prayer", the album became her biggest hit in nearly ten years, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. It spawned the top ten singles "Frozen", "Ray of Light", "Drowned World / Substitute For Love", "Nothing Really Matters" (accompanied by a video in which she portrayed a cross between a clubber and a geisha girl), and "The Power of Goodbye".

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Her vocals were notably stronger, likely an after effect of the vocal training she received for "Evita". The lyrics were some of Madonna's most introspective. "Mer Girl" dealt with motherhood from the perspective of a woman who had lost her own mother as a child; "Little Star" was a paean to the wise choices her own daughter would make in the future; "Swim" addressed the topic of violence in popular culture. Still, critics were quick to note that Madonna was doing only what she knew best: taking things from the cultures around her (in this case, techno, Eastern mysticism and alternative rock) and refining them for mass consumption. Madonna received three Grammy awards for Ray of Light. Her one and only previous Grammy was for "The Blonde Ambition Tour", which won the Best Longform video award in 1992.

After endlessly promoting Ray of Light, Madonna contributed the top ten hit "Beautiful Stranger" to the soundtrack of the Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me film in 1999. In 2000, Madonna focused next on her pet project, a film called The Next Best Thing. Co-starring her friend, the openly gay actor Rupert Everett, the film told the story of a heterosexual woman and her gay best friend. After a drunken night of sex they discover that she is pregnant, and decide to raise the child together, but outside romances intervene to cause conflict and estrangement. Critics and audiences alike panned the film, which marked yet another disappointment in Madonna's ill-fated movie resumé. The soundtrack spawned the worldwide (excluding the US) number one hit "American Pie", a dance cover version of the Don McLean classic. The film itself was a flop everywhere.

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In 2000 Madonna released the album Music. A bona fide commercial and critical hit, it saw Madonna abandon her earlier sexual and religious themes for throwaway lyrics and the "party" spirit of dance, pop and techno. Music was produced partly by Orbit and partly by French techno musician Mirwais Ahmadzai. It spawned her 12th number one single "Music", plus the hits "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like For A Girl". In late 2001, "Impressive Instant" also became a huge club hit although it was never released commercially, to the disappointment of many fans. Madonna was pregnant with her second child Rocco during the shooting of the "Music" video which saw parts of it containing animation. The "What It Feels Like For a Girl" video was directed by Madonna's husband, film director Guy Ritchie. In it Madonna robs an Automatic Teller Machine, runs over several innocent bystanders, blows up a gas station and eventually commits suicide by driving into a lamppost. The video was meant to showcase the fact that when men in film commit violent acts it is accepted, but when women do it just as mercilessly, it is shunned. Her point was arguably confirmed when the video was banned by MTV and VH1 after both networks did a simultaneous broadcast of the video once. Music was notable for another revamping of Madonna's image, this time as a cross between a disco-loving party girl and a rustic cowgirl. It started yet another fashion trend, with pink cowboy hats adorned by tiaras cropping up on high streets and catwalks around the world.

On 22 December 2000 Madonna married director Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle in Scotland. She released her second Greatest Hits album, GHV2, in 2001; unlike her previous greatest hits compilation, GHV2 featured a selection of her hits from the 1992–2001 period, but did not contain any new songs. Without a single to promote the album, Madonna decided to release a promotional-only single and video entitled the "Thunderpuss GHV2 Megamix". While the medley earned relatively subdued radio coverage, the video was a modest success on MTV, MTV2, and VH1. In June 2001, she appeared in Star, a short film directed for BMW by Guy Ritchie, and then began working on a remake of the classic film Swept Away, the story of a wealthy socialite who, after a shipwreck, is trapped on a deserted island with a poor male servant. The film, released in 2002, was critically panned and went on to become yet another in a string of acting flops.

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In 2002 Madonna performed the theme song to the James Bond film Die Another Day. She also had the opportunity to have a cameo in the film as a fencing instructor named Verity. The theme song was released to mixed reviews. In one case the song was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, however it was also nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song (2002). Since the soundtrack album was released on Warner Bros. Records (Madonna's label), it counts as a Madonna album and part of her discography (although a majority of the album contains selections from David Arnold's original score). While Madonna was apparently content with her second marriage, her career continued to keep her in the limelight.

Her artistic reputation appeared to take a turn for the worse, however, when the critical drubbing she received for Swept Away was followed by an equally brutal critical reception for her 2003 album American Life. American critics described the album as "tired", monotonous, and an indication that she was "in need of a vacation" from the stress of her career. In yet another move that followed her pattern of creating "controversy" in the wake of an album's release, she filmed a music video for "American Life", which included a scene of her tossing a hand grenade into the lap of a President George W. Bush lookalike. Perhaps mindful of the protests and boycotts that had greeted the Dixie Chicks after they made some anti-war comments, the video was revoked, presumably at Madonna's request, on the day it premiered (it was aired for only a few hours); it was later replaced by a more "neutral" treatment, a video simply featuring Madonna performing the song in military garb in front of changing flags of the world.

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Shortly after this incident, the online world was surprised and amused when marketers and promoters of her album attempted to disrupt the Internet file sharing networks by uploading a large number of "junk" musical files bearing her name. Instead of downloading an actual Madonna song, seekers of online music instead found themselves downloading a file of Madonna saying, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?". The Madonna Remix Project took this file and added music to mock Madonna's attempt to "inspire guilt" in peer-to-peer users. The album was a success outside the U.S. where the subsequent singles "Hollywood" and "Love Profusion" continued to place Madonna on the charts. Madonna tried to warm up American radio to the collection with a promotional campaign with rapper Missy Elliott sponsored by The Gap retail clothing chain using the tune "Into The Hollywood Groove". "Love Profusion" was also used in commercials by Estée Lauder. Neither promotion however was able to revive the album in the States.

Famous for her appearances at the MTV Video Music Awards, in 2003 Madonna provoked the public once again by portraying a groom and kissing her "brides" Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on stage. The gender role-reversal and lesbian theme instantly made front page headlines. The three singers performed a medley of her early hit "Like A Virgin" and her then latest release "Hollywood" with a guest rap by Missy Elliott. The design resembled Madonna's performance of "Like A Virgin" at the 1984 VMA's: the same wedding cake set, wedding dresses and "Boy Toy" belt worn by Madonna in 1984 now adorned Aguilera and Spears, who many — not least the pop "princesses" themselves — believe to be the heirs and beneficiaries of Madonna's pop legacy.

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Madonna currently resides primarily in England - with a $6.8 million home in Marylebone and a $13 million mansion (Ashcombe) in Wiltshire. Despite spending markedly less time within the United States, Madonna publicly endorsed Wesley Clark for the United States Democratic Party 2004 presidential nomination in December 2003. In 2004, Madonna embarked on her "Re-Invention World Tour", during which she played 56 dates across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The tour explored social, political and religious themes, and included images of yoga, sacred geometry, tarot cards and astrology, as well as Judeo-Christian iconography such as the tree of life. "Re-Invention" became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning 125 million dollars according to Billboard, and once again confirmed the longevity of Madonna's popularity. The tour ended with the Palestinian and Israeli flags side by side. Many believe that Madonna's next passion is protecting the children of Israel and Palestine from continuous fighting. Her musical horizons also expanded as she added a cover version of the John Lennon favorite "Imagine" to her live repertoire. Madonna met Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker Michael Moore backstage for a photo opportunity during the tour and openly embraced political commentary in her act, which included a scathing indictment of George W. Bush and the 2003 Iraq war. Also, in 2004 Madonna became one of the five founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame, joining Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Marley, and U2 as automatic inductees.

After a brief battle with Warner Brothers Music (with whom she shared her record label Maverick at a percentage of 40/60 respectively), Madonna sold her shares in the label and announced that she is no longer involved in its dealings. In the same month, Madonna announced that she had adopted the name Esther, a tribute to the legendary Jewish Queen of ancient Persia. In an interview with ABC, she said: "This is in no way a negation of who my mother is. In a metaphysical world, I wanted to attach myself to a different name."

This decision and much of the artistic imagery used in her recent work have been driven by Madonna's intense study of Kabbalah at the controversial Kabbalah Centre in London, and her abandonment of Catholicism. The faith is popular among a number of other celebrities, some of whom were introduced to it by Madonna herself. Devotees include Elizabeth Taylor, Britney Spears, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Winona Ryder, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Hall, Jeff Goldblum, Courtney Love and Paris Hilton.

In recent years, Madonna has become a very successful author. On September 15, 2003, she released her first (of five) children's books, The English Roses, and it instantly became the biggest and fastest selling book ever by a first-time children's author. The book debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List for children's picture books, and also received the widest launch in publication history as it was released in over 100 counties on the same day; it also debuted in 30 languages. It is now available in 40 languages and in more than 110 countries world wide. Her series of books may very well mark the existence for the first time of kabbalist children's books. All of the books strive to teach lessons the author has learned in her study of this branch of Jewish mysticism. For example, in The English Roses, her lead character's name, Binah (who is loosely modelled on her daughter), comes from the word Kabbalists use for "Understanding".

Madonna's subsequent releases, Mr. Peabody's Apples and Yakov and the Seven Thieves, were both released within a year of The English Roses and also debuted at #1 on the New York Times list and became international best sellers. Combined, Madonna's first three children's books have sold over 1.5 million copies world wide. Callaway Arts and Entertainment is currently releasing Madonna's next book, The Adventures of Abdi, and her latest book, Lotsa de Casha, is scheduled for release on June 7, 2005. In addition, a big screen adaptation of her book The English Roses is scheduled for release in 2006.

In December 26, 2004 after a tsunami wave hit India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia among other countries, NBC organized an aid concert called Tsunami Aid: A Concert Of Hope, where big celebrities such as Madonna, Diana Ross, Maroon 5, and Elton John among others donated their voices for this effort. It was televised on January 15, 2005, and Madonna sang a cover of John Lennon's song "Imagine". In February, writers and producers of the song "Holiday" sued singer Mary J. Blige, Eve and producer/singer Dr. Dre citing copyright infringment. They alleged that the song "Not Today", which appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Barbershop 2, closely resembles Madonna's 1983 classic hit "Holiday". Madonna did not sue, as it is widely thought. The case was launched by the producers and writers of the song. During Thanksgiving 2004, Madonna held a photoshot with Mario Testino for her forthcoming (2005) Versace campaign. To date, six pictures of the shoot have graced various fashion magazines around the world, and the campaign still goes on.

Madonna will be participating in the LIVE 8 concert which will be held in multiple cities across the world, she will be singing live from London, July 2, 2005. She will sing in the Live 8 concert her hit songs Like A Prayer and Ray Of Light, and a third song which will remain a secret until it is sung in the concert. Some projects eagerly anticipated by fans over the next monts include the Re-Invention Tour documentary entitled Madonna: I'm Going To Tell You A Secret, the Re-Invention Tour on DVD, and a new album for early Octover or early November of 2005 with the working title Defying Gravity. Madonna will launch a perfume with the name "Madonna" which will hit stores the same day her album does, in late October or early November. Madonna is also lending her voice to the big budget (approximately $80 million) 2006 animated film Arthur and the Minimoys, in which she plays Princess Selenia which will hit theaters December 2006. A bio-pic of the 1920's nightclub hostess Texas Guinan, entitled Hello Suckers, is also in the works.

Her confirmation name was Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. Brother Christopher Ciccone is an interior designer to the stars. He was also heavily involved in the staging of Madonna's 1990 ("Blond Ambition") and 1993 ("The Girlie Show") world tours and appears in the "Blond Ambition" tour documentary Truth or Dare. She dedicated her first greatest hits collection The Immaculate Collection to "the Pope, my divine inspiration". This was a reference to her brother, whose nickname is also "Pope". He designed the furniture in former President Bill Clinton's Harlem office. Madonna is distantly related to Canadian superstar Céline Dion. Her own record label, Maverick Records, was responsible for the success of such stars as Alanis Morissette, Deftones, Me'shell Ndegeocello and Michelle Branch. Madonna performed with the Alvin Ailey dance troupe. She has been condemned by the Puerto Rican House of Representatives for pulling a Puerto Rican flag between her legs. Madonna was offered Meryl Streep's role in Music of the Heart, Michelle Pfeiffer's roles in The Fabulous Baker Boys and Batman Returns, Ingrid Chavez's role in Graffiti Bridge, Salma Hayek's role in Frida, Gina Gershon's role in Showgirls, and Sharon Stone's role in Casino but turned them down; they were all nominated for Oscars for these roles except for Gina Gershon's part in Showgirls. Designer Stella McCartney, daughter of Paul and Linda, was Matron of Honor at Madonna's second wedding. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow was apparently the first choice but decided against it. She had revealed that Sean Penn was the greatest love of her life in the documentary Truth or Dare. Her father, Silvio (aka Tony), operates the award-winning Ciccone Vineyard and Winery in Suttons Bay, Michigan, her native state. On MTV's hit show Celebrity Deathmatch Madonna fought (and defeated) Michael Jackson in a battle royale between the "King and Queen of Pop". The full list of celebrities mentioned in her song "Vogue": Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Joe DiMaggio, Marlon Brando, Lana Turner, James Dean, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Grace Kelly, Jean Harlow, Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, and Lauren Bacall.


Madonna is the richest female artist in the world with an estimated net worth of over $448 million (£235 million)(according to Sunday Times Rich List of 2005). Madonna has sold over 250 million records - 75 million singles and 175 million albums (According to Warner Bros. Records 2004). Madonna's sales in US were 60 million albums and 15 million singles (second only to Barbra Streisand) among female artists). Madonna has sold over 14.6 million singles in the UK, more than any other female artist. Madonna's The Immaculate Collection is the highest selling greatest hits album ever by a female artist with estimated worldwide sales of over 23 million copies. Maverick Records is the most successful "vanity label" in music history. While under Madonna's control it generated well over $1.2 billion for Warner Bros. Records, more money than any other recording artist's record label. In the US, Madonna, Britney Spears, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Shania Twain, and the Dixie Chicks are the only female artists with multiple Diamond (shipped over 10 million copies) albums. Madonna certification achievements (RIAA) with 24 Gold,4 Platinum,and 1 Multi-Platinum singles. Madonna has 12 No. 1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart, the same number as Diana Ross and The Supremes and behind only Mariah Carey's 16 among female artists. Madonna has 6 No. 2 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart, the most for a female artist, tying her with Elvis Presley for the record. She has the most Top 5 singles by a female artist on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart (27). She has 5 No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart, the same amount as Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and behind only Barbra Streisand's 8 among female artists. Madonna has 5 No. 2 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart, behind only The Beatles' 6 and Frank Sinatra's 7, and 15 Top 10 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart, behind only Barbra Streisand's 26 among female artists. Every album Madonna has released has gone Top 10 in the US except for her two remix albums, You Can Dance and Remixed and Revisited. Madonna has 33 #1 singles on Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart, more than twice the number of her nearest rival Janet Jackson. Madonna also has 25 #1 singles on Billboard's Hot Dance Single Sales Chart, more than three times the number of her nearest rivals Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Prince, and Notorious B.I.G. In the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart, Madonna is the only singer in history to achieve 7 Top 10 hits from one album. In this case is the American Life album with Die Another Day #1, American Life #1, Hollywood #1, Nobody Knows Me #2, Nothing Fails #1, Love Profusion #1, and Mother And Father #9. (This information is according to Billboard magazine, which it was published in the QandA section). Madonna has 10 No. 1 singles on the UK singles chart, more than any other female artist, and has spent a total of 21 weeks at #1 on the UK singles chart, more than any other female artist. From "Luckystar" in 1984 to "Cherish" 1989 Madonna has the all time record of 16 consecutive Top 5 hits on the Hot 100 Billboard Airplay Chart. "Like A Virgin" in 1984 to "Secret" in 1994, Madonna had an all-time record 34 consecutive Top 10 hits on the UK singles chart. Every single Madonna has released in the UK has gone Top 20, and all but five of them have gone Top 10. Madonna has 8 No. 1 albums on the UK albums chart, more than any other female artist. From the Evita Soundtrack in 1996 to Music in 2000 Madonna had 3 consecutive #1 albums on the UK albums chart, an all time record for a female artist. Every album Madonna has released has gone Top 10 in the UK and her self-titled debut is the only one to miss the Top 5. (Her 2003 EP Remixed and Revisited was not allowed to appear on the UK album chart as it was too short to qualify as an album.) In the UK, Madonna's The Immaculate Collection is the highest selling album ever by a female artist at 12x Platinum for shipments of over 3.6 million copies. Overall it is the 7th highest selling album ever in the UK. In the UK, Madonna and Kylie Minogue are the only artists ever to have a No. 1 album and No. 1 single in three different decades. Madonna has had more music videos played more often on MTV than any other artist. She was voted by MTV viewers as the greatest music video icon ever on the network's 25 Greatest Video Stars. Madonna was named the sexiest recording artist ever on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists. In 1986, Madonna received the Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards honoring her for outstanding achievements in the realm of music video. Madonna is the most successful act in the history of MTV's Video Music Awards with an all time record 67 VMA nominations and 19 VMA wins. In 2004 Madonna became one of the five founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame, joining Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Marley, and U2 as automatic inductees.

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