An email which claims Madonna has caught the killer swine flu is a hoax sent by spammers to spread a computer virus, it has been revealed.
The spam message is headlined 'Madonna caught swine flu', while another targets Mexican actress Salma Hayek, saying she has the bug.
When the emails are opened, the computer virus is activated to cause damage to PCs.
According to anti-virus software company McAfee, inboxes around the world have been flooded with the mail and has warned against opening the emails.
A spokesperson from McAfee said: "We see attackers all the time trying to trick us into infecting ourselves through the use of current affairs and popular topics…and here's a big celebrity who people want to follow the gossip from."
Via metro.co.uk
'Madonna in Swine Flu' hoax
jueves, 30 de abril de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 12:39 | Etiquetas: MadonnaDon't cry, Madonna, says Guy Ritchie
jueves, 9 de abril de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 10:27 | Etiquetas: Guy Ritchie, Madonna
Thesun.co.uk reports that the two had got divorced in January and the singer cited his "unreasonable behaviour" behind their break up. But the two have been able to talk again when she broke down while talking to her son Rocco on the phone.
"Civil conversations between them have been few and far between in the past year. But over the last week things have improved. Guy had Rocco over for a visit when Em (Madonna) called to see if he was okay, as she always does when she is away from the kids. Rocco was speaking to her and suddenly turned to Guy and said, 'Daddy, daddy. mummy is crying'. He then handed Guy the phone," said a source close to them.
"It's unusual for Em to turn on the waterworks, but this has really upset her. Explaining to Rocco why Mercy wasn't coming home has been difficult. Guy was incredibly sympathetic, calmed her down and told her to be happy with the family she had," added the source.
Via indiatimes.com
Madonna's adoption hopes boost
martes, 7 de abril de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 9:48 | Etiquetas: Madonna
Mercy's uncle Peter Baneti said he would fight custody attempts by James Kambewa, 24, who claims to be the three-year-old's dad, reported thesun.com.
Peter said: "This man didn't care about his girlfriend, Mercy's mother, when she needed him most. He didn't even come to see his baby."
High court Judge Esimie Chombo had rejected Madonna's adoption plea as under the law prospective parents must be residents of Malawi for 18 to 24 months before adoption.
Via indiatimes.com
Malawi court rejects Madonna adoption request
viernes, 3 de abril de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 15:51 | Etiquetas: MadonnaIn a surprise move, a judge on Friday rejected Madonna's request to adopt a second child from Malawi and said it would set a dangerous precedent to bend rules requiring that prospective parents live here for some period.
The country's child welfare minister had come out Thursday in support of the pop superstar's application to adopt 3-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James.
But in a lengthy ruling Friday, Judge Esme Chombo sided with critics who have said exceptions should not be made for the star who has set up a major development project for this impoverished, AIDS-stricken southern African country.
Madonna can appeal Friday's decision to Malawi's Supreme Court. There was no immediate comment from Madonna or her spokeswoman in New York.
Chombo said other foreigners had adopted children from Malawi, but the only case in which residency rules had been waived was to allow Madonna to take David Banda out of the country in 2006 before that adoption was finalized in 2008.
"It is necessary that we look beyond the petitioner ... and consider the consequences of opening the doors too wide," the judge said. "By removing the very safeguard that is supposed to protect our children, the courts ... could actually facilitate trafficking of children by some unscrupulous individuals."
The judge made clear she was not questioning Madonna's intentions, and even praised the "noble" work Madonna's charity has done to feed, educate and provide medical care for some of the more than 1 million orphans in this impoverished, AIDS-stricken country.
The judge said it was "my prayer" that the girl whom Madonna wants to adopt would benefit from such programs but said Mercy was now receiving "suitable" care in an orphanage.
Chombo said that contrasted with David's situation in 2006, when an orphanage was preparing to return the boy to his father, who had said he was struggling to care for him.
Madonna's efforts to adopt had drawn criticism from some activists, who said the little girl would be best off with relatives. Other residents credited her with giving the girl opportunities not widely available in the impoverished nation.
In court papers made public Friday, Madonna said Chifundo's grandmother was unable to care for her.
"I am able and willing to securely provide for Chifundo James and make her a permanent and established member of my family," Madonna said in the affidavit. "To deny Chifundo James the opportunity to be adopted by me could expose her to hardship and emotional trauma which is otherwise avoidable."
The girl's mother, according to the affidavit, died at age 14 not long after her baby was born Jan. 22, 2006. There was no mention of the father in the affidavit. The mother's brother is listed as having consented to the adoption.
Malawi's child welfare minister had endorsed Madonna's adoption application.
"We have close to 2 million orphans in Malawi who need help," Women and Child Welfare Development Minister Anna Kachikho told The Associated Press. "We can't look after all of them as a country. If people like Madonna adopt even one such orphan, it's one mouth less we have to feed."
Orphans usually are taken in by their extended families in Africa, but AIDS and other diseases have taken a toll on those who might have traditionally provided support. In villages across the continent, frail elderly grandmothers do their best to care for children, but many end up in orphanages or on the streets.
Malawi, with a population of 12 million, is among the poorest countries in the world, with rampant disease and hunger, aggravated by periodic droughts and crop failure.
The U.N. says 1 million Malawian children have lost one or both parents, about half of them to AIDS, and estimates 18 million African children will have lost a parent to AIDS by 2010.
But critics accused Madonna of using her fame and money to fast-track the adoption process, but the singer said she had followed standard procedures. She faced similar allegations in 2006 when she brought home David, who is now 3.
A coalition of non-governmental organizations called the Human Rights Consultative Committee had criticized Madonna's adoption attempts, saying that adoption should be the last resort and that children need to be taken care of by their own family.
"Mercy James is a child who has her extended close family members alive and we urge Madonna to assist the child from right here," the coalition said earlier this week.
Madonna first traveled to Malawi in 2006 while filming a documentary on the devastating poverty and AIDS crisis. On this trip, she has been accompanied by her three children: 3-year-old David, 12-year-old daughter Lourdes and 8-year-old son Rocco.
The four have visited an orphanage where David once lived and David also saw his biological father for the first time since he left Malawi in 2006.
Madonna and Lourdes also visited a village in Malawi this week and looked over plans to build a new school there. The singer has several charity projects in Malawi.
Via associatedpress
Malawi backs Madonna adoption bid
jueves, 2 de abril de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 12:08 | Etiquetas: Madonna
An official of the Malawian government has backed Madonna's bid to adopt a second child from the African country.
The singer is due to return to court on Friday to learn if she can adopt four-year-old Chifundo James.
"Madonna has been good to us," Information Minister Patricia Kaliati told news agency Reuters.
"Very few rich and famous people can take time to fly all the way to Malawi to support our children. We support her adoption process."
"[Madonna] is supporting over 25,000 orphans in this country and she has proved that she can take care of David," she added.
Madonna has said it is "amazing" to be back in the country where she adopted David Banda in 2006.
'Family environment'
Chifundo, the girl at the centre of the case, whose name translates into English as Mercy, is in the same orphanage that was previously home to David, who is now three years old.
She has been living in an orphanage since her 18-year-old mother died shortly after giving birth.
Earlier this week, Madonna attended an hour-long hearing in Lilongwe to ask for permission to take Chifundo out of the country. She is seeking an 18-month interim adoption order.
Via bbc.co.uk
Madonna Malawi adoption ruling on Friday
martes, 31 de marzo de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 11:38 | Etiquetas: MadonnaMadonna is set to find out on Friday if she will be given permission to adopt a second Malawian child. According to 'The New York Times', the adoption is opposed by some human rights groups who believe Malawian authorities have given Madonna special treatment in allowing a non-resident to adopt a child.
According to the Queen of Pop's lawyers, she is asking for an interim adoption of 18 months to prove her suitability as a mother. One local newspaper also said that she wants another child as a sister for her previous Malawian adoptee, David Banda.
Via bild.de
Madonna in court to win baby Mercy
lunes, 30 de marzo de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 11:09 | Etiquetas: Madonna
Madonna will have to wait until Friday to hear if she can adopt a second Malawian orphan after her case was adjourned, it has emerged.
Earlier, dressed in a black skirt, black high heels and holding her hat, the superstar entered the court house in Lilongwe through a back door.
She was flanked by a security guard as she walked the short distance to the building.
She was making her case to adopt four-year-old girl Mercy and take her to a new life in New York.
Her arrival came after the 50-year-old filed adoption papers last week before arriving in Africa over the weekend.
After the appearance she was driven away at high speed in her Range Rover-style vehicle which has blacked out windows.
The one adoption case on the court docket lists only the child's name - Chifundo James. But officials said a decision would not be made until Friday.
Her attempts at a second adoption have met with opposition.
Charity Save the Children urged her to think twice about the girl, whose father is thought to be alive, though other relatives were said to be behind the plan.
'International adoption can actually exacerbate the problem,' said charity spokesman Dominic Nutt.
The very existence of orphanages encourages poor parents to abandon children in the hope that they will have a better life.'
Madonna already has an adopted son, three-year-old David Banda, who she took home from the impoverished African country in 2006.
At the time, claims emerged her and then-husband Guy Ritchie's used their status to fast-track their application.
But her quest to find a sister for David initially drew anger from Mercy's family.
'It is stealing. I won't let her go,' the child's 61-year-old grandmother, Lucy Chekechiwa, told a newspaper.
But Madonna and Mercy's uncle are expected to sign the adoption papers today.
Austin Msowoya from Malawi's Law Commission played down worries.
He said the best interests of the child had to be taken into account – whether they were 'getting an education' with Madonna or staying in an orphanage.
'When you look at these two options, perhaps it becomes best to allow the adoption if the parents and the guardians consent to it,' he added.
Madonna has ties with Malawi, one of the world's poorest nations, setting up Raising Malawi to try to publicise the plight of its orphans.
She has brought daughter Lourdes, 12, on this trip.
Via metro.co.uk
Madonna must stick to Malawi law in second adoption: activists
viernes, 27 de marzo de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 13:46 | Etiquetas: Madonna
A human rights group in Malawi, where US popstar Madonna is trying to adopt a sibling for her three-year-old adoptive son David Banda, has warned the government to grant her no special favours.
The 50-year-old star, whose 2006 adoption of Banda from an orphanage in Malawi was dogged by controversy, is expected to return to the country on Saturday with her family, Undule Mwaksungula, spokesman for Malawi's Human Rights Consultative Committee, said.
Madonna has already lodged an application through her local lawyer to adopt a second child, government has confirmed.
British tabloid The Sun claimed Friday that Madonna's heart was set on a four-year-old girl called Mercy James, whom she met in an orphanage in 2007.
"We believe if she (is) going to adopt a second child we must make sure Madonna follows the laws of Malawi, although the (adoption) laws are weak," Mwaksungula said.
While the HRCC had nothing against Madonna, the committee felt she was "using her money, actually, to influence the process and to manipulate the weak laws in the country," he added.
The Malawian government in October 2006 bypassed its own laws banning adoptions by non-residents in granting Madonna and her then- husband Guy Richie custody of David.
Banda, then 13 months, was given up for adoption by his father on the death of the boy's mother.
The adoption was confirmed by Malawi's courts last year.
The number of orphans in Malawi is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, in a population of 11 million. Many have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS and have themselves contracted the virus through mother-to-child transmission.
Half of all citizens of the landlocked country live below the poverty line, leading some parents like Banda to feel their children are better off in an orphanage.
Via efluxmedia.com
Madge's fling may doom her adoption plans
martes, 24 de marzo de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 16:22 | Etiquetas: Madonna
Madge, 50, who wants to adopt 3-year-old Mercy James, has come under the scrutiny of Malawi's adoption officials, and they have very strict rules when it comes to adopting.
“Our official policy is that we do not encourage our children to be sent into broken homes,” the New York Daily News quoted a senior official from Malawi's Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Development, as saying.
“(Madonna's) relationships may negatively affect the adoption of Mercy. “The news she is linked to another woman's husband and a young man less than half her age makes us question her morals,” the official said.
When Madge was seen flaunting her relationship with Luz in a recent racy W Magazine spread it did not sit well with the officials, and Simon Chisale, Malawi's child welfare chief, said morality plays a big part in the adoption process.
“We do not only look at the material issues, but also the moral standing of prospective adoptive parents, because we do not want our children''s morals to be corrupted,” Chisale said. “We do not apply the law retroactively,” he added.
Via indiatimes.com
Madonna upset with beau
viernes, 20 de marzo de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 12:19 | Etiquetas: Madonna
The 50-year-old 'Queen of Pop' reportedly had a fight with her Brazilian model boyfriend as she found him chatting on his mobile phone in her presence.
"'And she just turned on him. She told him it was rude for him to take a phone call in front of her," the Daily Mail quoted a source as saying.
Luz, who is 28 years junior to Madonna reportedly shot back saying the singer was being unreasonable.
"He stood up for himself and they had quite a heated argument. Madonna agreed to let him answer the mobile when she's around, but only in emergencies," the source added.
But Jesus is reportedly upset with Madonna's controlling nature as he feels cut-off from his family in Brazil.
"If her phone rings and she wants to take the call, she'll do it. This is not a relationship of equals," the source said.
"His family claims they always know when he's with her because they can't get him on the phone," the source said. "And it's true. He'll see his phone ringing and he just has to let it go."
Via indiatimes.com
Madonna Jesus relationship a publicity stunt?
lunes, 16 de febrero de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 9:52 | Etiquetas: Jesus Luz, Madonna
Sources say that the 50-year-old singer is using one of her typical publicity tricks to drum up interest in her tour.
"It's a classic Madge publicity stunt but suits both parties well,” the New Daily News quoted a source, as saying. "Despite her advancing years, she looks like she's still got what it takes to pull a 22-year-old. And Jesus is getting a boost of publicity as well. Everyone's a winner," the source added.
The Material Girl hit maker also took him to the Kabbalah centre in New York at the weekend with children Lourdes and David Banda. "Guy saw the pictures of her and Jesus together and laughed out loud. He sees it as another publicity exercise,” the source said.
"Taking Jesus to Kaballah is a masterstroke as she always historically introduces her lovers to the religion. It's just Madonna for you. She loves being the centre of attention. You would have thought she'd grown tired of it by now," the source added.
Via indiatimes.com
Madonna’s Expensive Photos
viernes, 13 de febrero de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 10:33 | Etiquetas: MadonnaEverything about Madonna is expensive! Let us not mention the movies and albums, but a simple photo. According to the Associated Press, a nude, full-frontal photo of Madonna was sold at auction for $37,500 yesterday in New York.
The explicit black and white picture was taken in 1979 when the star was a dancer struggling to make her way into the music business. She was 20-years-old and known then as Madonna Louise Ciccone when she met photographer Liz Friedlander by responding to a classified ad seeking a nude model. She was taken many pictures but apparently only six of them were featured in a 1985 issue of Playboy.
This photograph of the future Material Girl became the highest-priced ever sold at auction, beating out the top bid of $15,000 for the Herb Ritts-shot cover of “True Blue.”
According to Christie’s auction house an anonymous European was the one who paid all that amount of money for the picture which had been expected to fetch $15,000 (£10,365).
There was another photograph of Madonna sold on Thursday at Christie’s but it was not that expensive. Perhaps it cost less, only $18,750, because the diva was not showed completely naked but wearing lingerie, with a man kneeling beside her.
On Thursday’s bid there were sold around 150 photos featuring many other different celebrities, as part of the Leon and Michaela Constantiner collection. Madonna’s images were only two of them.
As for the other five photos left from the singer’s shoot 30 years ago were also sold, but back in 2003 for $7,170.
Via efluxmedia.com
Madonna's new sexy kissing photos
martes, 10 de febrero de 2009 Publicado por Shujel en 9:21 | Etiquetas: Jesus Luz, Madonna
They are the pictures Guy Ritchie would hate to see - his ex wife snogging another man.
But that's exactly what has happened. Madonna been photographed romping with a new lover in a photo shoot.
The singer rolls around in a hotel bedroom with naked 22-year-old Brazilian model Jesus Luz, said to be her new boyfriend in the 46 page spread for W magazine.
Kissing her brooding lover in a pair of sunglasses, the singer adds to her controversy by styling herself as a nun and wearing a religious cross.
The singer can be seen locking the bedroom door before rolling around the bedroom with Jesus Luz - who has his full name branded in a tattoo across his back.
Other pictures show Madge, 50, recovering in her knickers after the pair's sex session in the bedroom.
They posed in a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro before Christmas to be shot by photographer Steven Klein.
So thrilled with her modelling partner, Madge reportedly asked him to join her for the remainder of the South America leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.
The images are released just days after Madonna and Jesus were spotted dining together in New York.
A spy said: 'During their brunch here, Madonna and Jesus held hands across the table. At one point, Jesus had his hand on her bottom.'
Their date reportedly came just hours after Guy Ritchie put on a brave face to join his ex-wife and children at one of the star's Kabbalah meetings.
Ritchie is in New York filming scenes for his upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie, is already said to be unhappy by Madonna's latest fling.
'Guy doesn't think highly of Jesus since he is convinced this is a casual fling and is not thrilled this is happening so soon after the divorce,' a friend is quoted as saying.
'He's definitely got reservations about the fact Jesus has already met the children.'
Via metro.co.uk
Madonna And Guy Ritchie Unite Over Kabbalah
domingo, 28 de diciembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 16:34 | Etiquetas: Guy Ritchie, MadonnaMadonna and Guy Ritchie put their differences aside and made a fractured family visit to London's Kabbalah Center with Lourdes, Rocco and David yesterday. Ritchie has been staying with the whole family in the mansion for the holidays.
A source reports that Madonna and Guy took separate cars - with Madonna in one with Lourdes and Guy with the boys.
Madge doesn't like to dress up for church, huh? This is one of the first times they've been photographed together in the same vicinity since their tabloid wonder of a divorce. Guy previously denounced Kabbalah as not actually being a religion but he appears to have changed his tune. Either that, or Madge said bitch isn't getting the reported $76 million unless he keeps lapping up the Jewish mysticism water.
Via celebuzz.com
Britney Spears Hiring Madonna's Choreographer for 'Circus' Tour
sábado, 27 de diciembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 15:40 | Etiquetas: Britney Spears, Madonna
Britney Spears has appointed Jamie King, a choreographer who worked with Madonna on "Sweet & Sticky Tour", for her upcoming "Circus Starring Britney Spears" tour. Jamie will replace her two previous choreographers Wade Robson and Andre Fuentes, who both quit earlier this month.
Publicist for Jamie at the MSA Agency has posted a statement on its website, congratulating him for the new job. "Britney's back and going on tour to promote her new album Circus! Congratulations to Jamie King who will be the tour's director," so the statement read. "Simon Ellis will be the Musical Director for the tour."
In related news, Jamie King has, according to BreatheHeavy, practiced dance moves with several dancers at Britney Spears' old stomping grounds Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood. Their rehearsal is reportedly a preparation for her roadshow.
Madonna's new affair
lunes, 22 de diciembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 10:48 | Etiquetas: Jesus Luz, Madonna
Madonna is reportedly having a fling with a Brazilian male model. The ‘4 Minutes’ singer met Jesus Luz in Rio de Janeiro while on a shoot for American magazine W, and the pair became so close she invited him to join her on the Sao Paolo leg of her ‘Sticky and Sweet’ world tour.
A source told the New York Post newspaper: “She was very interested in him. He's there with her now and photographer Steven Klein is helping him get along with everyone.”
Madonna and Jesus reportedly struggled to keep their hands off each other when they met, and did little to hide their fledgling relationship from onlookers.
Another source said: “Everyone knows they are ficando - which is a Portuguese expression that means they are kissing and doing other things but without any obligation of being faithful or getting into a relationship afterwards.”
Meanwhile, Madonna is said to be “thrilled” at reports her estranged husband Guy Ritchie is dating Jemima Khan. Guy and Jemima - who was previously married to Pakistan cricket legend Imran Khan and dated Hugh Grant - attended a dinner party together earlier this month.
The pair also went to a star-studded Christmas bash over the weekend, where other guests included Stella and Mary McCartney, Lily Allen, Sir Mick Jagger and Kevin Spacey.
A friend of Madonna said: “It's not like she's asking him for details, but she's thrilled at the prospect of him moving on. It makes things easier for everybody.”
Via welt.de
Madonna, Guy to spend Christmas together
domingo, 14 de diciembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 9:23 | Etiquetas: Guy Ritchie, MadonnaPop queen Madonna and former husband Guy Ritchie have reportedly decided to celebrate Christmas together for the sake of their children.
The couple, who divorced recently, have struck a deal to share a traditional family celebration at Guy's Ashcombe House estate with their children.
The 50-year-old singer, who is in South America, will arrive in Britain on December 23 with their sons 8-year-old son Rocco, three-year-old David and her daughter Lourdes, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
The couple, who were granted their decree nisi last month, are still fighting for better custody rights over their two sons. Currently, they have equal custody rights.
Madonna, who has left London and returned to US, wants the children to live with her in New York while Ritchie is keen for his son Rocco to be educated in London.
But despite their differences, the couple have reached an amicable agreement over how to spend the Christmas time.
"Madonna and Guy want the best for the kids and so she has decided to come over to the UK so they can be with their father.
"The plan is for them to be together on Christmas Day at Ashcombe House. Madonna arrives in England on December 23 and is planning to stay for Christmas," a source said.
Ritchie, who is working on his new movie 'Sherlock Holmes', spends most of the week in his new London home.
"Because of what the kids have been through this year he wants to treat them to a really special Christmas with stockings of presents and a big tree," the source added.
Via ptinews.com
Madonna, Ritchie granted preliminary divorce
viernes, 21 de noviembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 10:01 | Etiquetas: Guy Ritchie, Madonna
The show-business marriage that began in a Scottish castle came to an end in a drab London courtroom Friday as Madonna and Guy Ritchie were granted a preliminary decree of divorce.
Papers released by the court said Madonna petitioned for divorce on the basis of Ritchie's "unreasonable behavior," but did not elaborate.
Judge Phillip Waller ruled that he did not need to apply family law in the case — meaning that he accepted an agreement reached by the couple over their assets and children.
Neither appeared at the brief court session, in which "Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S" was one of 17 cases given a preliminary decree. The divorce can become final after six weeks and a day,.
British news media reported, without identifying the sources of their information, that the couple had reached a settlement that would see the pop superstar keep the majority of her estimated 300 million pound ($445 million) fortune and share custody with Ritchie of their two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted from Malawi in 2006.
Madonna has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon.
Requests for comment from representatives for the couple were not returned.
An agreement on terms would avert an expensive courtroom battle like the one between former Beatle Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills. Mills has said the media coverage of the rancorous divorce had pushed her to the brink of suicide; McCartney compared the process to going through hell.
Madonna and Ritchie, director of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," married in December 2000 at Skibo Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
Madonna and Ritchie announced last month they were divorcing. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre (480 hectare) retreat in England.
Via associatedpress
She’s a heavy, says estranged brother
miércoles, 19 de noviembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 14:43 | Etiquetas: Madonna
Christopher Ciccone has little in common with his sister, ultra fit and apparently ageless pop star Madonna.
The 47-year-old Ciccone is so reserved he comes across almost as shy. He’s wrapped in an oversized hooded sweatshirt, and the wrinkles show around his eyes, making him look personable.
Despite the cool autumn weather, he prefers to sit on the terrace of a New York hotel for an interview about the book he has written about his famous sister. Perhaps it’s so that he can tamp down a touch of nerves with a cigarette.
He likes to refer to himself and Madonna as “we”, although he has fallen out badly with her since Life With My Sister Madonna was published in English this summer. The book has recently been published in German.
In a family of eight in Rochester, Michigan, Christopher Ciccone was 27 months younger and closest in age to Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone.
Together, they managed to break out of the tightly knit family, and in the early 1980s they lived together in a derelict apartment in New York City. Their lives revolved around the Manhattan dance club scene, and they mingled with film stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore and Sean Penn.
Ciccone witnessed his sister’s rise from their modest home to her current status as a legend of the music industry – the queen of pop.
He was her personal assistant, a backup dancer in her act, her decorator, her art and concert tour director. He helped her change clothes between numbers and wiped the sweat from her body. Madonna is known for her lack of inhibition, but Ciccone has written that in private she is too shy and prudish to appear naked in front of a stranger.
But his tales get far more scandalous, and the book has even been cited in recent reports about Madonna’s split from Guy Ritchie, which had been rumoured for months, and was recently announced by the couple.
However, genuine secrets aren’t to be found within the pages of the book. Her reputation as a control freak, leaving nothing in her career to chance, is already well documented.
Madonna acknowledged Ciccone’s loyal services poorly, her brother wro te . For example, she outed him as gay in an interview with a British newspaper in 1991 without consulting him about it first, and she failed to compensate him financially for his work in helping her sell millions of albums.
Ciccone writes that she committed a sacrilege in the 1991 documentary film In Bed With Madonna, when she frolicked on their mother’s grave.
He said there’s nothing sacred to Madonna, not even the memory of their mother, who died when Madonna was five years old .
Ciccone has described Madonna as self-centred.
“The focus of her world is her. You don’t get to where she is and stay there for 20 years by focusing on other people,” he said.
His comments don’t sound bitter. Ciccone said he didn’t want to hurt anyone by writing the book, just rediscover himself.
Somewhere between all the partying with famous people, the screaming fans and his dedication to his sister’s career, he lost his own identity.
“I have no regrets about our life together. It’s been a bumpy road, and it has been very high and very low, but it is a life I have gotten used to. It makes me what I am,” Ciccone said.
He recognises that for the rest of his life he will be the brother of Madonna. After years of therapy and the publication of the book, he’s come to terms with it.
He’s also convinced that one day he’ll reconcile with his sister, but this time he has a condition.
“The first requirement I have is: She has to read the book. She needs to know my perspective.”
Via dispatch.co.za
Madonna Warns Britney Spears Off Marriage
lunes, 17 de noviembre de 2008 Publicado por Shujel en 9:39 | Etiquetas: Britney Spears, Madonna
Madonna has reportedly been dishing out advice on men and marriage to her biggest fan Britney Spears.
The pop princess - whose relationship history makes Jennifer Aniston's love life look successful - was apparently eager to hear Madonna's thoughts on the subject.
A source tells AbsoluteNow.com, "Britney asked Madonna if she will ever marry again after her split from Guy.
"Madonna not only said she wouldn't but told Britney to forget about marriage. She said it just doesn't work for girls like them.
"Madonna clearly sees a lot of herself in Britney because she seems very eager to help her."
Mmm, we're not sure whether soon-to-be divorced Madge is best person to be taking relationship advice from right now.
Via entertainmentwise.com