Because I am such a music junkie, I have updates sent to me from Rollingstone.com to my phone. Usually, it’s the same bullshit: so-and-so broke up, such-and-such fell off a stage, blah blah blah. However, one update really caught my eye: “ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES”.
(Before I go off on a tangent, let me just say this: I refuse to acknowledge the RNRHOF as a legit judge of music until Nirvana gets in. Not too much longer, baby!)
So, anyways, I click on this update, and what it contains nearly made me crap my pants in shock: Madonna got in to the Hall of Fame.
My first though, of course, was HOW? She isn’t REALLY a musician. In a mainstream sense, yeah, she sings, dances, shakes her ass, the whole 9 yards. But when you really analyze it, she lip syncs at concerts, doesn’t write her own music, and has basically built a career out of being a controversial promiscuous woman. So what kind of committee would put her in the same ranking as somebody like Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix? They BOTH wrote AND performed their own music, and they definitely earned their spot in the hall of fame. Did Madonna do any of this? The answer, I believe, is a resounding “HELL NAH!”
Anyways, the other inductees include:
-Abba (are you SERIOUS?)
-Genesis (lolol Phil Collins)
-Leonard Cohen (friggin’ finally.)
-Jeff Beck (don’t care)
-Metallica (I hate them for suing Napster, but other than that, they deserved it.)
This is what I want to be. (P.S. wasn’t Madonna gorgeous as a redhead?)
more about “High, Flying, Adored -Evita (movie) 1996“, posted with vodpod
No, not literally an Instant Queen. Its terrible being an idealized figurehead. Well. For people like me maybe. (not diplomatic enough)
What I’m talking about is to make my mark (or the start of it perhaps) before 30. What is my mark? Perhaps something not everyone desires but I definitely strive for. To one person, I may be an utter failure but to another, I can be a success. Let’s just leave it to personal aspirations, shall we?
Maybe this is laughable, but I don’t believe in this being an impossibility. That’s all I’m really going to reveal, because like Gaga, I understand the importance of having a popopopopoker face popopopoker face. (just wanted an excuse to burst out into song. I love musicals, can you tell? )
Us Weekly magazine is reporting that Madonna spent the weekend of Jan 16 at A-Rod’s house up in Westchester, NY. The ex(?)-couple broke up over a year ago, but have supposedly “stayed in touch”. A-Rod dated actress Kate Hudson during that time, as anyone who watched even a single Yankee game last season can tell you. Supposedly Kate and the Yankee wives got along well. Probably not so much for Madonna.
Here’s an interesting tidbit: In 2009, while dating Kate Hudson, A-Rod hit in the clutch the entire regular season, and then, if you can imagine, he got even hotter in the post season and led the Yankees to their first World Series title since 2000 when they beat that other pathetic excuse for a baseball team that calls New York home. In 2008, while dating Madonna, his numbers were just as good statistcally, but those homers and RBIs invariably came when they couldn’t make less of a difference in the outcome of any one game, and with ducks on the pond, they were more likely to drown than score. Not to mention the photos of him kissing himself in the mirror and all that other crap.
So, not only do I hope he gets back with Kate so that we can win another Series, but I’m wondering if maybe Madonna isn’t a secret card-carrying member of Redsox Nation sent back here to mess with our guy’s head. Maybe we should do something like that to them. Let’s see, who can we get to turn the heads of Kevin Useless and Big Poopy? Maybe Chuck Knoblauch will come out of retirement and take one for the team… Go ask him and let me know what he says.
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In this section, I’m going to speak about Madonna’s style and her capacity to be totally chameleonic through the years. I’ll compare her previous works and fame to the current ones and say how she has managed to be famous and to maintain her fame.
Why have I chosen Madonna? She has always been a controversial and an important character in pop music’s world. She started her career with an air of pioneer, she knew from the very beginning how to make people notice her, she was sure of manipulating what critic Laura Mulvey called the Male Gaze. According to Mulvey’s definition we’re talking about the Male Gaze when the image of a woman is destined to be seen from the perspective of the –heterosexual- male as object and sexual object or ornament rather than as subjects.
On the one hand, I think that Madonna has manage to subvert the male gaze through the years. Just taking a look at one or two of her works, we’re able to see how she manages to catch the complete attention of the viewer. She normally wears suggestive or provocative clothes and she clearly uses her “femininity”, or rather sexuality, to attract the attention of the male gaze.
She does this continuously, willingly and blatantly. However, at the same time she takes advantage of her position. She is not only the object of the male gaze but also the subject because it is her who directs the gaze and she is the one that tells the male where and how to look at her. Moreover, she gets a high benefit from all of this, she gets the sales. Moreover, in her videos, lyrics or even in her images she is not the passive object of desire but she is active and she is clearly the one in command, all the males usually look up to her. She knows that everyone looks at her as an object of desire and sexual pleasure, but in spite of that, she’s the subject and who decides her sexuality.
On the other hand, maybe what she does is a bit dangerous because, in the end, she continuous to appear as sexual object of desire, and she’s just being seen from the male gaze, without having a decision on it. So, it doesn’t matter if she imposes the conditions, she’s still an object, not a subject.
The male gaze hasn’t changed, but the way that people values it, yes.
Nowadays we can see how the media uses the desire of men for women’s sexuality, particularly the TV and the advertisement industry, constantly attract the male gaze by showing women as sexual objects. Women and young girls want to be like the model of woman that the TV shows show, and the male population likes this way to see the woman, they ‘fall in love’ with that prototype because it’s more sensual, suggestive, and hence, beautiful and attractive.
What the media have done, in fact, is not to give power to women but to turn their over sexualized bodies into something very common and ordinary, and we’re using to it because we see everyday in the media how women are being sexualized. In my opinion, Madonna has tried to change this. She may not change the way male look at women but she changes the way women look at men. She manipulates not only the male’s desires but uses also the tools of pop culture. She has reinvented herself through the years to follow the trends of pop culture and to keep selling albums, always satisfying the customer but never losing command.
We could say that she was a pioneer from the very beginning. She looked rebel and suggestive since her first single’s music video “Everybody”, where she dances and in one part, she almost whispers the lyrics and looks sensually to the camera.
Furthermore, she was a pioneer in the musical sense too. She introduced electronic elements in the background of the songs to create a sensation of innovation.
She also looks like an independent and liberated woman because even when she ‘is’ a sexual object, she does whatever she wants. I think that Madonna gives the image of a powerful, famous and decided woman who has conquered the pop’s trends and the music’s world with her strategies.
Sometimes we can see her as a transgressor; she has never taken care of the rules. She invented and adapted herself from the very beginning, she’s chameleon, as we can see in the pictures below.
I can say that she’s chameleon because she has been adapting all the time to what the customer asked of her and wanted, following the trends and changing everything related with her works because of them. She has changed her appearance, her style, and her works’ sound.
This has a positive and a negative side though.
On the positive, I think that we, the women, are more liberated. I mean, nowadays a woman can express her sexual desire without being criticized as a harlot. We’re a little bit freer and so our thoughts are too. Take Shakira as an example of that, because with the song “She Wolf” she’s talking about the woman’s desire liberation and about the liberation of the woman itself as a subject with the rights to feel sexual desire.
On the negative side, obviously they earn more money by the exploitation of their sexuality, but all these changes in the way that the media present the female artists’ works have caused society not to think about it as a bad thing for the women. Male chauvinism still exists, and the women are the victims of it.
I’m going to put here some pictures of her through her career to see the progress that she’s done and how she has adapted herself to the times.
All the images that I’m going to put here have been chosen from random years until nowadays, to make us able to see her changes and how she uses her sexuality to attract the male’s gaze.
First period (1980-1989):
(Madonna in 1983, Photo Series by Deborah Feingold.)
(Madonna Photographed by Francesco Scavullo for Harper’s Bazaar magazine)
I’ve chosen these four images because they project the two principal characteristics of the 80’s Madonna. One year after the first picture above, 1984, Madonna released “Like a Virgin” and reached fame by selling a quantity of 26 millions of albums worldwide. It was one of the best periods of her career. She was 26 at the time.
On one hand, we can see clearly her rebel’s aspect. First, because of her disregarded look and her crosses’ earrings, a Christianity’s symbol. In the first image she looks both innocent and sensual. She is eating a lollipop and wearing the cross on her ears. This is clearly a provocation, because the Christian symbol contrasts with the lollipop as phallic symbol. Her eyes suggest she knows what she is doing but her youth suggests innocence. In the third photo, Madonna looks like a model for a fashion magazine but the low V neck suggests her breasts and the way she pushes her dress up suggest something a bit more sexual than a common advertisement for a fashion magazine. In the last picture, Madonna puts together a clever combination of styles and women’s clichés. First, her dress resembles the dress of Playboy bunny girls but its color, her make up –very small and red lips- and her hair style suggest a much older look, almost imitating the cinema divas of the 20’s. Finally, her leggings and her boots are clearly eighties. The combination looks quite new and challenging.
In 1988’s photos, we can see a feminine Madonna, who doesn’t have a muscular body and who wears a dress that sticks out her body curves. Despite the more feminine appearance, there are always elements which indicate a more masculine or maverick touch, as the black boots indicate. Madonna created a revolution in pop music; it was one of the first times that a woman used her sexuality so obviously in pop music and called the male’s attraction without any kind of disguise.
Second Period (1990-1999):
(Madonna during her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990)
(Left: Photographed by Steven Meisel for Rolling Stone-magazine, in 1991. Right: At the Golden Globe Awards in 1997)
The essential point in this part of her career is the change from adolescence to maturity. In her previous stage, one could thing that Madonna was just playing and not knowing exactly what she did. In this stage, Madonna knows very well what she is doing.
In her Blond Ambition Tour’s photos we can see Madonna wearing Paul Gaultier famous top, specially made for her. The corset, particularly the cup shape part, clearly show women’s lines. Traditionally, the corset was a sign of femininity but also of oppression because women could barely breathe when they wore corsets. However, here we see a Madonna wearing a very tight corset but clearly being a very liberated woman. Oppression is absent.
On the second picture, she has a Marilyn look and, again, she goes back in time to recall an age of sensuality. Her dress and her tights also remind of an older age, the can-can women of Western saloons. Yet, a bit to the left we can see the naked torso of a man, something quite unusual when the woman is the object of the gaze. It is clear that Madonna is giving a message, “Hey girls, let’s be objects of desire if we choose to but look at that man, he is your object of desire.”
Madonna’s make up is also another sigh. Her lips are very marked and a strong red, symbol of female sensuality.
We have to notice the shoes too. She started using shoes with heels, something that always makes a woman look bossier, powerful, more confident but sexier too. It is known that high heels are a fetishistic* and sexual symbol.
I have to emphasize how she’s always challenging and/or suggesting with her sight or her body’s position. In the photo taken by Steven Meisel, Madonna is again looking back in time. Her hair style and her cabaret position suggest the happy 20’s. On the other hand, we can tell that she’s naked behind the chair, and that joint with her expression, converts her in a sexual object, besides, she wants to be the sexual object that the viewer will see. In a way, this picture also remind us of those secret pornographic cards in the time of our great-great parents for this kind of nudity was absolutely censored. She’s a big promoter of herself and posing like this upgrades her sales.
Finally, on the last picture we can still see another change in her look. Here she looks as thousand other actresses or singers at the moment of receiving a prize. She does not look too sexy or too challenging, except for her breast clearly showing above her dress.
In 1998, she released “Ray of Light”, which sold 25 millions of copies worldwide.
Third period (2000-2009):
(Left: Madonna in the Grammy Awards in 2001. Right: American Life promotional photos by Craig McDean in 2003)
(During her Hard Candy promotion tour in French in 2008)
By the 2000s, Madonna has become more masculine, as we can see at the 2001’s photos. She stopped wearing dresses at her performances just to adapt herself to the trend. She adopted a more athlete appearance because of the change in the woman’s canon but also because she wants to give the message that, despite her older age, she is in absolute command and her sales can still go up.
Nowadays, the kind of women that most appear in the advertisement, TV or movies, the most searched image is the image of a thin young girl, usually with soft features but with big breast, thin waist, not too much hips and very long and shapy legs. Madonna does not keep faithful to this image. First, she is not a teenager any more so she has adapted the look. Second, she is thin but very muscular, which she manages by doing a lot of physical exercise. Together with her dancer’s condition, this makes her look more muscled and, hence, masculine. She prefers the muscle rather than the sensuality of the feminine curve. She has not made her breasts or her lips bigger.
Yet, as most of famous actresses and singers nowadays, she has resorted to Botox –as well as the make-up- to look younger and nicer than before. This could be a problem in the future because what Botox does is to doss the muscles of the face to avoid the wrinkles to appear. With time, if she continues using it, her face will lose the expression.
She also has resumed her rebel’s touch; she uses gloves constantly and masculine shoes with heels, converting her in a woman who has the power because the male’s character has always had the power.
Despite that new appearance, she’s still using the male gaze as a selling weapon. She attracts the attention of everyone, men and women, doing controversial sexual things, as we can see in the photo of her Hard Candy promotion tour, where she kissed a background’s dancer. That wasn’t the first time; she also kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in the Video Music Awards in 2003, in a performance that was clearly all about sex and domination, and where Madonna had the dominance all the time.
Summarizing, we can say that at the beginning, Madonna used an appearance adjusted to the trends which searched for a woman that had to be feminine and sexual. Over the years, she has adapted her body to the trends, becoming feminine in a different way –the way that nowadays is-, but she has also become more controversial and sexual in her performances to keep the eyes of everyone on her, keep selling albums and keep being as famous as before.
As the music changes, she adapts her music and style to what the customer wants. This century, music’s sound is more electronic and less natural, with computers, the recording companies changes almost all the voice of the singer and it gets a totally different pitch or sound.
The topics of the lyrics change too. We’re always hearing more sexual or suggestive songs. Madonna uses this. Normally, almost all of her lyrics had a meaning, now she just sings to sell, not to express an idea or an ideal, so her lyrics aren’t interesting. People buy the rhythm.
Let’s see this with an example:
Lucky Star lyrics:
You must be my Lucky Star
‘Cause you make the darkness seem so far
And when I’m lost you’ll be my guide
I just turn around and you’re by my side
[chorus]
Come on shine your heavenly body tonight
‘Cause I know you’re gonna make everything all right
You may be my lucky star
But I’m the luckiest by far
In this song she’s talking about someone important for her. She’s singing about love and how lucky she is for having such an important person in her life. This song is from her first debut album “Madonna” in 1983.
Like a Prayer lyrics:
Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home
When you call my name it’s like a little prayer
I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I’ll take you there
I hear your voice, it’s like an angel sighing
I have no choice, I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes, Oh God I think I’m falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me
I see two readings here. First, I think that she’s talking about someone that’s very important for her, that’s why she says that when he says her name it feels like home, something very charming. I could say that she’s talking about God too, first because at the beginning of the song Madonna names it, and because she also says that she can feel its power.
This song was released in 1989, in her “Like a Prayer”’s album.
Erotica lyrics:
Give it up, do as I say
Give it up and let me have my way
I’ll give you love, I’ll hit you like a truck
I’ll give you love, I’ll teach you how to…
I’d like to put you in a trance, all over
Erotic, erotic, put your hands all over my body [repeat twice]
Erotic, erotic
Erotica, romance
I’d like to put you in a trance
Erotica, romance
Put your hands all over my body
Here, she’s clearly the boss character, where she does whatever she wants and however she wants it. She’s talking about domination and obviously about sex. If we see the video we will see a sexual Madonna in a lot of different sceneries and with different –male or even female- persons. This song was released in her album “Erotica” in 1992.
Now let’s see a current song:
Celebration lyrics:
[…]Put your arms around me
When it gets too hot we can go outside
But for now just come here, let me whisper in your ear
An invitation to the dance tonight
Come join the party, it’s a celebration
Anybody just won’t do
Let’s get this started, no more hesitation
‘Cause everybody wants to party with you
Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?
You look familiar
You wanna’ dance? Yeah.
I guess I just don’t recognize you with your clothes on
What are you waiting for?
This song is talking about a party; it doesn’t have a real meaning. Here we see the sexual context, when she says to the boy that she doesn’t recognize him if he’s not naked. This song is from her “Celebration” album, in 2009.
Her “Confessions on a Dancefloor”’s album sold a total of 15 millions of copies in 2005. Even when she’s more famous than before, the quantity of sold have decrease and I think it’s because the music’s quality is in decadence.
We could say that her fame is based on her sexual image, her provocative songs, her ease to adapt herself to the trends, and her capacity to sell herself.
Madonna’s one of the biggest influences in the pop music’s world. She has contributed a lot of things about appearance, style, and ultimately in business’ world benefits.
One of the things that she has contributed to the feminism world is the fact that, maybe, she gives the image of a woman that can express her sexual desire, and hence, the women that see her videos or hear her songs can too. She also has given the idea of a woman being strong, but with a strength that’s different from men’s. Men have always been the symbol of strength because they are muscular, brave, and who has always done the hardest work. Now, Madonna is suggesting that we can get whatever we want if we use our body’s sensuality. Obviously, that’s not correct, but it’s a kind of power that we could use and, furthermore, as we have seen through her career, it’s very effective.
Friday night’s star-studded “Hope for Haiti” telethon has raised a record-breaking $58 million, with more donations continuing to pour in from around the world, the benefit’s organizers announced Saturday.
The preliminary figure is a record for donations made by the public through a disaster relief telethon, according to a news release from telethon organizers.
Additionally, the “Hope for Haiti Now” album, a compilation of the night’s musical performances made available on Apple’s iTunes, was the No. 1 album in 18 countries Saturday. Sales figures for iTunes are still being calculated, and the preliminary figure of $58 million does not include donations from corporations or large private donors.
People will be able to make donations to “Hope for Haiti” via phone, Web, text messaging and regular mail for the next six months, according to the news release.
A moving performance by Alicia Keys opened Friday night’s telethon, and actor George Clooney, serving as the Los Angeles host for the event, made the first appeal for donations to raise money for relief efforts after last week’s devastating earthquake.
“The Haitian people need our help,” Clooney said. “They need to know they are not alone. They need to know that we still care.”
The show was one of the most widely distributed prime-time televised benefits in history, appearing simultaneously on more than 25 networks — including CNN, where Anderson Cooper reported live from Haiti during the event.
More than 100 actors, musicians and other celebrities answered phones in New York and Los Angeles after professional operators first talked to donors.
“Thank you so much for your donation,” actress Reese Witherspoon told one caller. “You can’t imagine how much love and great, wonderful energy is here today. People are doing everything they can to make a difference in these people’s lives.”
Several other calls were aired live, including with Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Taylor Swift and Stevie Wonder.
Swift and Wonder were among the evening’s musical performers. Others included Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Shakira, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Jennifer Hudson, Madonna, Dave Matthews and Neil Young.
Other celebrities appearing on the telethon included Jon Stewart, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Ben Stiller, Clint Eastwood and Denzel Washington.
Proceeds from the telethon will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the U.N. World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.
Last night, more than 100 celebrities united in New York, Los Angeles and London to lend their support to raising funds for Haiti in a televised hosted by actor George Clooney, Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper. Cooper who spoke to viewers live from Haiti interviews citizens and U.S. helpers in Haiti about the griming situation about the survivors, famine and those who are still struggling for their lives.
As the event was televised globally to more than 30 countries and streaming live on YouTube, CNN and Comedy Central websites, the telethon became the most viewed telethon of all-time. No results of numbers of viewers have been announced yet.
With more than a dozen artists performing live during the telecast, check out these performances by Beyonce, Madonna, Jay-Z, Rihanna, The Edge, Bono and John Legend.
“Halo” by Beyonce (featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay on piano)
“Like A Prayer” by Madonna
“Stranded” by Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono & The Edge (of U2)
Rumour has it, Kanye West has been barred from taking part in George Clooney’s televised telethon – Hope for Haiti: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief, this Friday.
According to PopEater, the rappers outspoken nature is the reason for the snub. During a televised goodwill event for Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005, West ranted that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” and at the 2009 MTV VMAs, the surprisingly stormed the stage to interrupt Taylor Swift as she was accepting an award, reducing the starlet to tears.
A source for the gossip site said: “After what he said on the Katrina telethon and the way he behaved at the MTV Video Music Awards, everyone agrees it’s just best that he does not participate. Kayne has to make everything about himself. He will do anything to steal the spotlight and, well, this night it’s just not about him.”
But a rep for MTV quashed whispers that the Love Lockdown singer is banned from the show: “That’s absolutely not true. We did reach out to Kanye.”
A cavalcade of stars are confirmed to be participating on Friday night’s telethon for Haiti’s earthquake victims, including Madonna, Jay-Z, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Muhammad Ali and Robert Pattinson.
Barred or not, if Kanye was to make an appearance, we imagine it would go a little something like this…”Haiti i’m really happy for you, and i’ma let you finish, but I was the biggest disaster of 2009 of all time.”
OK, I know what you thinking… that meme was a fail. My reply to that #Kanyeshrug
Check out the benefits airing times, channels and ways to donate after the jump…
The telethon airs on a number of networks — including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, COMEDY CENTRAL, Bravo and E! — and online and mobile platforms at 8 PM EST. Performances from the show will be available on iTunes, with proceeds going to charity.
Hope for Haiti Now will begin accepting donations at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT on Friday via the following methods:
Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Phone: 877-99-HAITI
Text: “GIVE” to 50555
Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017
OK, children! It’s Friday and I’m ready for the weekend. Time to slip into some traffic-stopping short shorts and boogie the night away.
Nothing gets me feeling fierce and ready to throw down on the dance floor like my ‘Strut’ playlist. And with Midsumma Carnival coming up this Sunday, I sure hope these tunes get you in the mood too.
This playlist has served me well – from setting the pace for a night out, and even for the walks I take to and from work.
If you see this bitch stomping down St Kilda Road like a supermodel on a runway – now you know what he’s got bumpin’ on his iPod.
With a grande bundle of 299 songs, this is the queen bee of all playlists.
The criteria is simple: it’s gotta have a fierce beat you can ’strut’ to with themes of partying or emancipation. Here are some of my favourites:
Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce – Telephone
“Tonight I’m not takin’ no calls cause I’ll be dancin’!”
Sugababes – Get Sexy
“When I’m walkin’ down the street they say, ‘hey sexy!’…”
Ke$ha – TiK ToK
“The party don’t start ’til I walk in…”
Michelle Williams – We Break The Dawn
“We’re holding time in our hands and it stops when we say…’we ain’t stopping ’til the morning light’!”
Alexandra Burke – All Night Long
“Tonight the admission is free, and now we’re shutting the club down…”
RuPaul – Jealous of My Boogie (RuRu & Rozy Disco Mix)
“I don’t care if people stare. I’d rather boogie than try to fit in…”
Britney Spears feat. Ying Yang Twins – I Got That (Boom Boom)
“I begin to dance just a little bit… to turn you on.”
BoA – Energetic (Radio Edit) “Report to the dance floor…”
Madonna – Heartbeat “For me it’s an escape, ’cause dancing makes you feel beautiful…”
Destiny’s Child – Jumpin’ Jumpin’
“Cause it’s 11:30 and the club is jumpin’ jumpin’…”
Michael Gray – The Weekend
“When the clock strikes six on Friday night, I’m gonna blow it all away…”
Mariah Carey – It’s Like That
“It’s my night. No stress, no fights I’m leaving it all behind…”
Also on the ‘Strut’ playlist:
Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
Beyonce – Freakum Dress
Christina Aguilera – Dirrty
Destiny’s Child – Lose My Breath
Rihanna – Don’t Stop The Music
Little Boots – Remedy
Kelly Rowland feat. Eve – Like This
Cheryl Cole – Stand Up
Kylie Minogue – Heartbeat Rock (Benny Blanco Remix)
The Saturdays – Up
Rachel Stevens – Some Girls
S Club 7 – Don’t Stop Movin’
Cyndi Lauper – Into The Night Life
Lady Gaga – Boys Boys Boys (Manhattan Clique Remix)
Tata Young – Mission Is You
Ashley Tisdale – He Said She Said
Britney Spears – 3 (Wolfgang Gartner Radio Edit)
Infernal – Redefinition
Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend
Janet Jackson – 2Nite
Janet Jackson – Get It Out Me
Jessica Simpson – A Public Affair
Ashlee Simpson – Hot Stuff
Danity Kane – Damaged
Jennifer Lopez – Whatever You Wanna Do
Mary J. Blige – Family Affair
Ricki-Lee – Can’t Touch It
Che’Nelle – Teach Me How To Dance
Kat DeLuna – Whine Up
Christina Milian – So Amazin’
Here’s the complete ad for Dolce & Gabbana Spring Summer 2010 Campaign featuring Madonna as a sexy housewive. For me, the photo shoots don’t tell us much about the collection, but pretty solid ad nonetheless. Madonna and dishes ? Quite the perfect combination.
While preparing for a meeting, I came across a 2009 in Social Media video that reminded me of the United Break Guitars story that really is a classic piece. If you don’t know about it the video really tells the story of what happened, United’s response, and then Taylor Guitars jumped in which I thought was appropriate.
What this shows is the consumer has more voice than ever to try to right a wrong and this is an extreme example of how social media creates an opportunity for a customer’s voice to be heard. I’m sure this incident isn’t going to put a big dent United’s business yet it doesn’t reflect well on the way they handle customer complaints.
As you can see for yourself this is an unusual case however many be this is the beginning of the norm. For now, the group I’m sure is enjoying their time in the spot light and I’m sure they have been compensated in other ways via the publicity. Renting suits, limos, and a van of course cost them money so at some point that repair turned into more of an investment in the bands future.
At least their song’s are catchy.
Taylor Guitars response to the United Break Guitars story.
Twenty years ago, they would have been throwing china at each other. But once-warring Madonna and ex-husband Sean Penn were spotted “laughing and chatting” over dinner at Alain Ducasse’s Adour at the St. Regis Thursday night. The couple, who divorced in 1989 after a four-year marriage so fiery they were dubbed the “Poison Penns,” shared a long meal. A spy told Page Six, “They seemed to be getting on so well, we had to look twice to make sure it really was Sean Penn she was with.” A rep for Madonna told us, “Penn stopped by the table to say hi.” But our spies insisted it was just the two of them with their security for hours. No word on what was making Madge laugh, but at last year’s Oscars, Penn famously gestured at her 23-year-old boy toy, Jesus Luz, and cracked, “Another kid already?”
-”The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.
Madonna gets a touch of the GaGa’s… as she steps out with her face completely covered
By Donna Mcconnell
The world’s most famous pop star clearly was not ready for her close-up as she left the cinema in New York last night.
Dressed to keep out the chill in a black fur Russian style hat, a sensible padded coat and trousers, Madonna, 51, also used her waffle-style mesh scarf to completely hide her face.
With her hat pulled right down almost shielding her eyes, she appeared to have a touch of the Lady GaGa’s as made her way to her waiting car with boyfriend Jesus Luz, 22.
Quite how she could see where she was going was something of a mystery as she strode purposely in front of Jesus.
Madonna has made no secret of the fact that she takes inspiration from other artists.
But more than likely Madonna’s bizarre look was more than likely a wish to hide from the paparazzi.
Madonna was seen leaving the cinema in New York after seeing Avatar with toyboy boyfriend Jesus Luz, 22.
The Brazilian model was carrying what looked like a lunch bag, no doubt containing some flavoursome macrobiotic snacks to munch on during the three-hour long film.
As Madonna would be sure to pass on the popular cinema snack of popcorn topped with ‘butter’ – i.e. oil.
Every time Madonna takes a break from her music duties, the same rumour seems to be floating around: “The Re-Invention Tour DVD is out!”. Is it really? Some fans have been posting at Madonna forums that a “professionally filmed & edited version of the Re-Invention Tour ‘Get Up Lisbon’ is doing rounds among friends”. Someone even uploaded the “American Life” performance in its full length! Check it out!
As you all know, Madonna released her documentary “I’m Going to Tell You a Secret” in 2006 which features some of the performances from her tour. However, as dying-hard Madonna fans we all are, we want the full show on DVD! Let’s hope it will happen at some point and won’t be hidden away like the Lost Arc!
Rumor on the Blok is that Kate Hudson broke OUT on Alex Rodriguez, due to his continued interest in Madonna. Hmmm. Sources say Hudson kept warning A-Rod that if he continued talking to the “Material Girl” she would leave. She kept her promise when A-Rod kept calling and texting the singer. Ouch! “Kate was mad with jealousy,” said a source. “She gave A-Rod three chances to stop contacting Madonna. How would you feel if your new boyfriend kept calling his ex?” The source said it broke Hudson’s heart but she didn’t want to be “the other woman.” “She said that if Madonna is what A-Rod wants then she can have him. G’On Girl!
-”The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.
I was charnel flipping tonight and came across One Hit Wonders–Sex Hour on VH1. Now that’s quality TV! And one of the songs they played was “It’s Raining Men” and I was reminded of just how fabulous it is, so I had to share it (thank you Youtube):
I can’t get over the fact that this was made in 1982! Okay, the production values pretty much scream early 80s, but this video is still shocking for so many reasons. First, the men are objectified–dancing around in bikinis, flexing and posing. Second, to make the objectification clear, the singers ogle the men. It isn’t left to chance; the video makes quite clear that women like to look at male bodies and that doing so arouses them. There’s no soft focus, no romantic looks or restrained embraces. This isn’t a video (or a song) about women finding husbands or even boyfriends. They’re finding one night stands!
Finally, the singers who not only take center stage performing but a sexual beings (lying on a heart-shaped bed, reaching out to grope the male dancers) are emphatically not stick thin, overly made up, traditionally attractive women. Almost always, the only way a woman gains the priviledge of being sexually active is by being stunning looking in a very stereotypical way. Thin women with big breasts and full lips, long hair and perfect makeup can desire a man, since there is no chance any man would find their desires unwelcome. And even those women have to be simultaneously desiring subject and desired object, by dressing in skimpy, and again, stereotypically sexy clothing. For example:
Or
And of course:
Gee…I sure am glad we’ve made all this progress. Clearly, we don’t need feminism any more!
(not diplomatic enough)
New segment! Chic Mix Playlists!
(Madonna in 1983, Photo Series by Deborah Feingold.)
(Madonna Photographed by Francesco Scavullo for Harper’s Bazaar magazine)
(Madonna during her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990)
(Left: Photographed by Steven Meisel for Rolling Stone-magazine, in 1991. Right: At the Golden Globe Awards in 1997)
(Left: Madonna in the Grammy Awards in 2001. Right: American Life promotional photos by Craig McDean in 2003)
(During her Hard Candy promotion tour in French in 2008)
Madonna gets a touch of the GaGa’s… as she steps out with her face completely covered
