Happy New Year!

It's been an exciting year! This blog has been visited by more than 4.000 people in past 12 months and I thank everyone for stopping by! I wish everybody happy and prosperous new year, filled joy and love!

There has been a lot of things worth mentioning at the end of 2007 so I extracted some of the posts you could read here.

''Confessions Tour'' DVD/CD
''M by Madonna'' for H&M
''M by Madonna'' campaign photos
Happy 25th anniversary
Madonna visits Malawi
''Hey You''
''Who's that Girl World Tour'' - 20th anniversary
Madonna and Africa
Live Earth
Amsterdam Canal Parade
Annie & Madonna
MTV VMA's most memorable Madonna moments
Madonna with Live Nation
Two years of Madonna's Confessions
Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame

''Filth and Wisdom'' world premiere the Berlinale

Madonna's debut movie as a director will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
''Filth and Wisdom'', which stars Eugene Hutz, Richard E Grant and Stephen Graham, will be shown out of competition, organisers have said.
It is not known whether the 49-year-old singer will go to the German capital to promote the short film.

The event, which runs from 7 to 17 February, is the first of the year's main European film festivals.

Happy Holidays

''I always wished that I could find someone as beautiful as you
But in the process I forgot that I was special too.
I always wished that I could find someone as talented as you
But in the process I forgot that I was just as good as you.''

(Madonna, ''X-Static Process'')

From me to you... Merry Christmas and happy Holidays!

Madonna and Guy - 7th Anniversary

Madonna has married Guy Ritchie at an exclusive ceremony in the Scottish Highlands on this day, 7 years ago. The actress Gwyneth Paltrow was maid of honour and two best-men were nightclub owner Piers Adam and film producer Matthew Vaughn.

Mr Ritchie wore a kilt in the Hunting Mackintosh tartan and his bride’s white Gothic-style dress was adorned with a sash of the same tartan. The bride was given away by her father, Tony Ciccone, and watched by her four-year-old daughter Lourdes.

Happy anniversary!

Most sought out-of-print books

BookFinder.com is an e-commerce search engine for new, used and out-of-print books, and in the fifth annual Top 10 Out-of-Print Books of 2007 Madonna's "Sex" book appears to be the only volume to make the list in both their US and UK rankings.
Madonna's 1992 photography book came in at #3 on the list for the United States, topped by "Once a Runner" by John L. Parker, Jr. - a cult classic distance running novel. "Sex" can also be found at #4 of the most searched for books in the United Kingdom, where "The Forests of England", the 1976 book by Peter J. Neville Havins narrating the history of England's timberland tops the list.

"From 98 to 99 percent of all books ever published are now out-of-print, so they don't show up in traditional bestseller lists," said Anirvan Chatterjee, founder of BookFinder.com. "Without big marketing budgets behind them, these books have been getting buzz the old-fashioned way: reader word of mouth."

Warner Bros. orders removal of "4 Minutes to Save the World" from websites

Following the world premiere of Madonna's new track "4 Minutes To Save The World" by Timbaland at Philadelphia's Jingle Ball concert last night, bootleg recordings quickly appeared on youtube.com and other websites. Since then Madonna's record company Warner Bros. has had those clips removed from youtube.com for copyright infringement.

However majority of fans that heard the track before it was removed are very excited by the track, and cannot wait to hear the full version of the song!

R&B sell out... In your dreams!

OK, I heard ''famous'' 2 minutes clip of unbelievably - poor - recording - quality noise Timbaland performing ''4 Minutes to Save the World'' live. And I wasn't impressed. I don't want to be judgemental critically until I hear some (more quality) clip but I have read some pretty horrific commentaries about the whole ''Madonna doing R&B'' stuff, about Madonna selling out, about Madonna being pathetic and desperate for US audience and huge market there... (like R&B is only popular in the US!).

Most of those critics bashing Madonna now were just babies or not even born when she did ''Bedtime Stories'' album. She had her biggest hit with that album (''Take a Bow'') but that song may not sound like R&B to ''new generation'' because they think that R&B is only Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland. Is Madonna forever banned from revisiting that musical style because it is simply too popular in the US? How unpopular does a musical style have to be in order for her to do it without being accused of "selling out?"

So, ''Confessions on the Dance Floor'' weren't that big in the US. But there are a lot more countries all around the world, like around 245, and Madonna's last album was number one in 41 of them - the same week it was released. That album was an instance of Madonna "selling out" in all countries where dance music is popular? Except the US? Because dance music isn't popular in the US, right?! And yes, her ''Confessions Tour'' was literally sould out around the world - ticket sales wise.

And by the way, why didn't you, all Madonna fans-slash-bashers, buy Madonna's ''non-selling out'' albums like ''Erotica'' or ''American Life'', the two albums she's the most proud of? Oh, yeah, they weren't ''the thing'' at the moment (Sir-Mix-A-Lot and Kirss Kross were hot when ''Erotica'' came out).

Madonna's new album is coming out next April so I would advise all of the critics outhere to wait few more months before they can bash her completely.

Madonna to shoot her new video in January

Final confirmation is that the first single from Madonna's upcoming album will be "4 Minutes To Save The World".

Madonna will film the video for the opening single of her 2008 album in January. The clip will be directed by Jonas Akerlund and both Justin Timberlake and Timbaland are going to be there too.

"4 Minutes To Save The World" is an upbeat hip-hop Madonna/Justin Timberlake duet and is one of the tracks produced by Justin together with Timbaland - a song with an instantly catchy vibe, with percussion layers and hypnotic synthetized strings.

The anticipation is getting higher and higher...

Al Gore: The world can't wait for George Bush

A speech we all need to read! This is an edited extract from Al Gore's speech at the Bali climate change conference.

We, the human species, face a planetary emergency. That phrase still sounds shrill to some ears but it is deadly accurate as a description of the situation that we now confront.
The accumulation of greenhouse gases continues to trap more and more heat from the sun in our atmosphere threatening the stable climate balance that has been an unappreciated but crucial assumption for the development of human civilisation.
Just this week new evidence has been presented. I remember years ago listening to the scientists who specialise in the study of ice and snow express concern that some time towards the end of the 21st century we might even face the possibility of losing the entire north polar ice cap. I remember only three years ago when they revised their estimates to say it could happen halfway through the 21st century, by 2050.
I remember at the beginning of this year when I was shocked to hear them say it could happen in as little as 34 years and now, this week, they tell us it could completely disappear in as little as five to seven years. (...)

(...) If you decide to continue the progress that has already been made here on all of the items other than the targets and timetables for mandatory reductions; on the hope (and with the expectation) that, before this process is concluded in Copenhagen, you will be able to fill in that blank (with the help of a different position from the United States) then you can make great progress here.
For starters that means a plan that fully funds an ambitious adaptation fund, to build an adaptive capacity in the most vulnerable countries to confront the climate crisis. It means creating truly innovative means for technology transfer, to allow for mobilising technology and capital throughout the world.
We need a deforestation prevention plan. Deforestation accounts for 20 percent of global carbon emissions – the equivalent to the total emissions of the US or China. It is difficult to forge such an agreement here.
Believe me if I could snap my fingers and change the position of the United States of America, and change the position of some other countries, and make it instantly much easier to move forward with targets and timetables, I would do so in an instant. But if we look realistically at the situation that confronts us, then wisdom would call for moving forward in spite of that obstacle. (...)

(...) Instead of shaking our heads at the difficulty of this task, and saying "Woe is us, this is impossible, how can we do this?", we ought to feel a sense of joy that we have work that is worth doing that is so important to the future of all humankind. We ought to feel a sense of exhilaration that we are the people alive at a moment in history when we can make all the difference. (...)

Madonna voted into Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame on the first try

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its inductees for 2008. The inductees will be honored at a ceremony on March 10, 2008, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

The performer inductees are: Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, Madonna, John Mellencamp and The Ventures.

Performer inductees were chosen by the The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

Madonna got fast-tracked into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame this year, making the cut for the class of 2008 on her very first try.
An artist must have released their first music twenty-five years earlier to be considered for entry. Madonna issued her first song, "Everybody", in 1982. Madonna's quick entry may irk some who view her more as businesswoman, and self-generating p.r. machine, than musician. But no one giving a serious listen to her long list of hits could doubt their remarkable sonic innovation, and sheer hook appeal. If nothing else, it's sure to generate a new round of controversy, mother's milk to Madonna and a good way to generate extra chatter for the Hall as well.

Madonna on stereotypes for the middle-aged

Madonna has criticised society's long-held stereotypes for the middle-aged, insisting she will never conform to most people's expectations of a 50-year-old woman.

The singer is apprehensive about reaching her landmark 50th birthday in August next year - but adamantly refuses to become a victim of ageism.

She says, "Not only does society suffer from racism and sexism but it also suffers from ageism. "Once you reach a certain age you're not allowed to be adventurous, you're not allowed to be sexual. I mean, is there a rule? Are you supposed to just die?"

Confessions Tour DVD nominated for a Grammy

It was announced that the DVD release of the ''Confessions Tour'' has been nominated for Grammy as Best Long Form Music Video.

The award itself is: For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.

Madonna faces competition from:
Live & Loud At The Fillmore - Dierks Bentley
Trapped In The Closet Chapters 13-22 - R. Kelly
10 Days Out - Blues From The Backroads - Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Various
Liberacion - The Songs Of The New Cuban Underground - Various Artists

The Grammy Award ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on 10 February, 2008.

Give it to Her!

"This next song is called 'Give It To Me' and that’s what I want to call the record," said Madonna at album listening party at Warner Bros. offices.

The first single is still undecided. It will either be "4 Minutes To Save The World" or "Candyshop".

"The Beat Goes On" is on the album, but is completely reworked. It also now features Kanye West.

There is one track that is dance and acustic someway at the same time and it is called "Miles Away". Madonna has a lot of harmonies on it. Her voice sounds great. A gem!

There are 13 tracks on the album, which also includes a re-invention of "The Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You", which was originally wrote by Madonna for a musical and was also originally planned to be performed in the ''Re-Invention Tour''.

The album is still planned to be released in late April - Madonna herself said that her album will be out the last week of April.

Source: Drowned Madonna

World AIDS Day

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007 some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.

Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world. Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment.

The red ribbon started as a "grass roots" effort; as a result there is no one official AIDS ribbon manufacturer, and many people make their own. It's easily done - just use some ordinary red ribbon and a safety pin!

Madonna - I Am Because We Are

There's a tiny update at the official website of I Am Because We Are , the upcoming documentary directed by Nathan Rissman for Semtex Films which gives a look into the lives of Malawi's one million plus orphans in wake of the AIDS pandemic and offers hope and real solutions to the challenges that people face living in extreme poverty.

The official webpage for the project - now described as "Madonna's new film - is still under construction, but there's a new splash page with a previously unseen image of Malawian children and the mention of the movie's 2008 release.
Check it out by clicking the image.