Madonna The Biography Actress, Height 5' 4" (162 CM) Born August 16, 1958, Bay City, Michigan, Pic of her Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Ritchie, known as Madonna, is a Grammy & Golden Globe award-winning American dance-pop singer songwriter, record & film producer, dancer, actress, author & fashion icon. She is noted for her ambitious music videos & stage performances as well as using political, sexual, & religious themes in her work. In 2000, Guinness World Records listed Madonna as the most successful female recording artist of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of 120 million albums; in 2005, her record company credited her as having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Madonna is the highest earning female singer of all time according to both the 2007 Guinness Book of Records, & Billboard Magazine. Forbes magazine has estimated her net worth at $325 million. In addition, Madonna holds the record for the top-grossing concert tour by a female artist. Madonna Louise Ciccone was born the third of six children born to Silvio "Tony" Ciccone, an Italian-American Chrysler engineer whose parents originated from Pacentro, & Madonna Louise Fortin, who was of Quebecer descent.
She was raised in a Catholic family in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac & Avon Township (now Rochester Hills). Madonna's mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963. Her father later married the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, & they had two children together. Madonna convinced her father to allow her to take ballet classes. Her ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, exposed Madonna to gay discotheques. She attended Rochester Adams High School, where she was a straight-A student & a member of the cheerleading squad. Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. She left at the end of her sophomore year in 1978 & moved to New York City to pursue a dance career. Madonna has said: “ "When I came to New York it was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi-cab, the first time for everything. & I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done." ” She had little money & for some time lived in squalor, working low-paying jobs including a stint at Dunkin' Donuts. She also worked as a nude model. She studied with Martha Graham & Pearl Lang, & later performed with several modern dance companies, including Alvin Ailey & the Walter Nicks dancers. While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna became involved with the musician Dan Gilroy, with whom she later formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club. In it, she sang & played drums & guitar before forming the band Emmy in 1980 with drummer & former boyfriend Stephen Bray. She & Bray wrote & produced dance songs that brought her local attention in New York dance clubs. DJ & record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo recordings, so he brought them to the attention of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein. She says she was bullied at school for a while.
1980–1985: Rise
to fame In 1982, Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records (a new wave label
belonging to Warner Bros. Records) in the United States that paid her $5,000 per
song. Her first release, "Everybody", a self-written song produced by
Mark Kamins, became a hit on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Chart but failed to
make an impact on the Billboard Hot 100. It also gained airplay on U.S. R&B
radio stations, leading many to assume that Madonna was a black artist. The double-sided
12" vinyl single featuring "Burning Up" & "Physical Attraction"
followed in 1983, & was a success on the U.S. dance charts. These results
convinced Sire Records' executives to finance an album. "Borderline"
(1983) The mid-tempo song became Madonna's first top-ten hit on the Billboard
Hot 100 in the U.S. "Like a Virgin" (1984) It became her first number-one
hit in the U.S. & was criticized for its sexual subject matter. "Material
Girl" (1984) The second top-ten single from Madonna's album Like a Virgin.
The song's title would later earn her the nickname "The Material Girl"
in the worldwide press.
Her debut album, Madonna, a collection of dance songs,
was primarily produced by Reggie Lucas, but in the process both realized they
could not work well together. After initial production on the album was completed,
Madonna took the record to her then boyfriend, John "Jellybean" Benitez,
who remixed & rearranged it. It reached number eight on the U.S. albums chart
& contained three successful Hot 100 singles, "Holiday", "Borderline",
& "Lucky Star". At the time of its release, Madonna sold three million
copies worldwide, one million of those in the U.S. It has since been certified
with current sales of thirteen million worldwide.
Madonna's style became popular. Teenage girls were dressing like her. "Like a Virgin" (1984), directed by Mary Lambert, was shot in Venice, Italy & featured Madonna dancing on a gondola & in a wedding dress.Her follow up album, Like a Virgin, was an international success, & became her first number one album on the U.S. albums chart. Buoyed by the success of its title track, which reached number one in the U.S. (with a six week stay at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart) as well as hit singles with "Material Girl" (#2 US, kept out of the number one spot by USA For Africa's "We Are The World" single), "Angel", & "Dress You Up", the album sold twelve million copies at its time of release & currently stands at seventeen million copies worldwide & produced four top-five singles in the U.S. & the UK Her performance of the song at the first MTV Video Music Awards, during which she writhed on the stage (on top of a wedding cake) wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown, lacy stockings, garters, & her then-trademark "Boy Toy" belt, was the first of several public displays that boosted Madonna's fan base as much as they incensed some critics, who felt that her provocative style attempted to disguise an absence of talent. In 1985, Madonna entered mainstream films, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in the film Vision Quest. The soundtrack to the film contained her second number one pop hit, the Grammy-nominated ballad "Crazy for You", as well as the UK hit "Gambler". Later that year she appeared in the commercially & critically successful film Desperately Seeking Susan, with her comedic performance winning her positive reviews. The film introduced the dance song "Into the Groove", which was released as a B-side to her single "Angel", peaking at number five in the US & becoming a major hit internationally, & her first number one in the UK.
Madonna embarked on her 1st concert tour in the U.S. in 1985 titled The Virgin Tour, with opening act The Beastie Boys. In July 1985, Penthouse & Playboy magazines published a number of black & white nude photos of Madonna taken in the late 1970s. The publications caused a swell of public discussion of Madonna, who at 1st tried to block them from being published, but later remained unapologetic & defiant. Speaking to a global audience at the outdoor Live Aid charity concert at the height of the controversy, Madonna made a critical reference to the media & stated she would not take her jacket off, despite heat, because "they might hold it against me 10 years from now". She later appeared on the cover of the NY Post newspaper quoted saying about the photographs "I'm NOT ashamed."
1986–1991: Artistic development her
1986 album True Blue presented a more musically & thematically mature album
than its predecessors, prompting Rolling Stone to declare, "singing better
than ever, Madonna stakes her claim as the pop poet of lower-middle-class America."
The album included the soulful ballad "Live to Tell", which she wrote
for the film At Close Range, starring then-husband Sean Penn. The album was also
the first to credit her as producer. She collaborated with composer Patrick Leonard,
who would become a long-time collaborator & friend. True Blue reached #1 in
various countries & sold over eleven million copies worldwide at its time
of release. It spawned five successful singles: “Live to Tell,” “Papa
Don't Preach,” “Open Your Heart,” “True Blue” & “La
Isla Bonita.” All going top five in the U.S., the first three hitting number
one. The music videos for the album displayed Madonna’s continued interest
in pushing the boundaries of the video medium to a cinematic level, including
elaborate art direction, cinematography, & film devices such as character
& plot. Though Madonna had already made videos expressing her sexuality, she
added religious iconography, gender archetypes, & social issues to her oeuvre,
& these concepts would carry through her work for years to come. One notable
example was the "Open Your Heart" video, her first collaboration with
French photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino. In 1987, Madonna starred in the box
office failure Who's That Girl, & contributed four songs to its soundtrack,
including the film's title track, which became a hit & Madonna's sixth #1
single in the U.S. The albums second single, "Causing a Commotion" also
went top five. In 1987, Madonna embarked on the successful Who's That Girl World
Tour, beginning her long association with backing vocalists & dancers Donna
DeLory & Niki Haris, & moving closer to the more elaborately staged theater-inspired
concert tour. It also marked her first run-in with the Vatican, with the Pope
urging fans not to attend her performances in Italy. The Vatican later expressed
outrage at the unveiling of a racy 13-foot tall statue of Madonna in the Italian
town of Pacentro, from where her father's family hailed. Later that year, Madonna
released a remix album of past hits, You Can Dance, which included one new song,
"Spotlight." The album sold nearly two million copies in the U.S. upon
release. Madonna's fourth album, released in 1989, Like a Prayer, presented more
personal lyrics & a more mature vocal style. Co-written & co-produced
with Patrick Leonard & Stephen Bray, it settled her as a serious pop artist.
She teamed up with Prince on a duet, & he also played guitar on two songs.
Like a Prayer garnered Madonna the strongest reviews of her career & attracted
a more mature audience. All Music Guide described the album as "her best
& most consistent", while Rolling Stone hailed the album as "..as
close to art as pop music gets". Like a Prayer produced five hit singles,
the title track, “Express Yourself,” “Cherish,” “Oh Father,”
& “Keep It Together.” “Like a Prayer,” itself, hit number
one on the Hot 100. In early 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft
drink manufacturer Pepsi, which would debut her new song, “Like a Prayer,”
in a Pepsi commercial that Madonna would also appear in. Madonna would make a
separate music video which Pepsi would have nothing to do with. Although the commercial
itself was not controversial, the video for “Like a Prayer” caused an
uproar. The video premiered on MTV & featured many Catholic symbols, such
as stigmata, & was condemned by the Vatican for its "blasphemous"
mixture of Catholic symbolism & eroticism. The video depicted a black man
who comes to the aid of a white woman being murdered by white men & he is
falsely arrested for the crime. Madonna, who has witnessed the crime, secures
his release. Although the video's intent was to denounce racism, Madonna was criticized
for her use of burning crosses & "making out" with Jesus, even though
it was St. Martín de Porres.[citation needed] Pepsi was bombarded with
complaints & boycotts. Since the commercial & music video were nearly
identical in visual terms, the soft drink manufacturer was unable to convince
the public that their commercial actually had nothing that could be deemed inappropriate.
Pepsi pulled the commercial but Madonna kept her five million dollar fee, as Pepsi
had nullified the contract, not she. The album went to number one on the US album
chart & it sold six million copies worldwide at that time (three million of
those in the US). "Cherish" (1989) Touches upon minor subject matter.
It became the third single release from Like a Prayer & another Top 10 hit
worldwide. "Vogue" (1990) A tribute to 'The Golden Age of Hollywood',
it became Madonna's biggest hit of the 90s, reaching #1 in the UK & the US
"Justify My Love" (1990) Featuring whispered & spoken vocals, it
became one of Madonna's most controversial singles, due to its sexually explicit
lyrics & music video. In 1990, Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney in a
film adaptation of the popular comic book series Dick Tracy. To accompany the
launching of the film, in May 1990 she released I'm Breathless, which included
songs from & inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It featured the #1 house
music anthem "Vogue" (which was an homage to the Hollywood stars), the
Gershwin-esque "Something to Remember", & three songs by Stephen
Sondheim, including "Sooner or Later", which won an Academy Award for
'Best Original Song.' I'm Breathless was a success in Europe, Australia &
the United States, & sold four million copies worldwide (2x platinum in the
US) at its time of release. From April until August 1990, Madonna toured Japan,
North America, & Europe on her highly successful Blond Ambition Tour, which
the singer likened to musical theatre. Featuring religious & sexual themes
& symbolism, the tour drew controversy from Madonna's performance of "Like
a Virgin", during which she allowed two male dancers to caress her body before
she simulated masturbation. Despite the controversy, however, the tour is now
considered to have changed the look & feel of concert tours, & remains
one of the singer's most popular tours amongst her fans. The black & white
music video for "Vogue" (1990) recalled the look of 1930s Hollywood
films.In November 1990, Madonna released her first greatest hits compilation album,
The Immaculate Collection, which included two new songs: “Justify My Love”
& “Rescue Me.” The music video for “Justify My Love,”
again directed by Mondino, showed Madonna at the Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris,
in suggestive scenes with her then-lover, model/actor Tony Ward, as well as scenes
of S&M, bondage with gay & lesbian characters, & brief nudity. It
was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV, & was subsequently banned from the
station. Warner Bros. Records released the video as a video single—the first
of its kind—and it became the highest-selling video single of all time. In
1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (also known
as In Bed with Madonna outside North America), which chronicled her successful
1990 Blond Ambition Tour, as well as her personal life. The following year, she
appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own, & recorded the film's
theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth
#1 single in the United States. 1992–1997: Sex controversy & Evita Erotica,
produced primarily with Shep Pettibone, was disregarded as simply being a "porn"
album, with most believing that all the album tracks were about sex; but in truth
the album only featured three (out of fourteen) overtly sexual songs: "Erotica",
"Where Life Begins", & "Did You Do It?". The album peaked
at number two in the U.S. & produced six singles, with its most successful
being its title track “Erotica,” which became the highest-debuting (number
two) single in the history of the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay chart. The controversial
music video that accompanied the song only aired three times on MTV due to its
highly charged sexual content. "Deeper & Deeper" (1992) A disco-style
dance track. "Take a Bow" (1994) Co-written by Babyface (who also provides
backing vocals), the Canto-pop styled ballad became Madonna's first U.S. number
one in almost three years. "You Must Love Me" (1996) The song was specially
written for the film version of Evita & won an Oscar for "Best Original
Song in a Film" in 1997. The Girlie Show Tour in 1993 was Madonna's most
explicit & controversial concert tour to date & featured Madonna dressed
as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers, including Luca Tommassini
& Carrie Ann Inaba. The controversy caused by the tour followed Madonna when
she caused uproar in Puerto Rico by rubbing the island's flag between her legs
on stage, while Orthodox Jews protested against her first-ever show in Israel.
Madonna would later comment that this 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 & focus on her work. Credited as one of Madonna's most experimental
videos, "Bedtime Story" (1995) directed by Mark Romanek featured images
inspired by paintings by artists Frida Kahlo & Remedios Varo.After the raunchy
sex period, Madonna released her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories, co-produced
by Nellee Hooper & Dallas Austin. Madonna at the time was inspired by R&B/rock
singer Joi's debut album Pendulum Vibe, & was so in love with it that she
recruited producer Dallas Austin to help with her project. The album features
Madonna turning to a more R&B-flavored sound. It was a success in Europe,
Australia, & the United States, where it peaked at number three & was
nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Vocal Album category. With its title track
partially written by Björk, the album gave a hint of what would come musically
a few years later. It produced four singles, including "Take a Bow",
co-written & produced with Babyface. The song was a success on the Billboard
Hot 100, reaching number one for seven consecutive weeks, but became the first
Madonna song not to chart in the UK Top 10, charting at number 16. The Michael
Haussman Spanish-themed video, meanwhile, would later help her win the lead role
in Evita. On 7 November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection
of her best ballads, which featured three new tracks, including a cover of the
Marvin Gaye classic “I Want You,” which she recorded with British band
Massive Attack, & the top ten hit “You'll See.” The album just missed
the top five on the U.S. charts; it has since been certified triple platinum.
In 1996, Madonna’s most critically successful film, Evita, was released.
The film's soundtrack became her twelfth platinum album & produced two hit
singles, “Don't Cry for Me Argentina” & “You Must Love Me,”
the latter of which was written specifically for the film. “You Must Love
Me” won an Academy Award & a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From
a Motion Picture the following year. Madonna herself also won a Golden Globe award
for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy but failed to receive an Academy Award
nomination. 1998–2002: Return to prominence "Ray of Light" (3 March
1998), directed by Jonas Åkerlund, featured a high-speed video, showing
ordinary people performing their daily routines.Madonna's seventh studio album,
1998's Ray of Light, blended personal & introspective lyrics with Eastern
sounds, down-tempo, electronic instrumentation, strings by Craig Armstrong &
a strong rave flavor. The album reached number two on the U.S. albums chart &
since its release has been certified 4x platinum. It earned Madonna the strongest
reviews of her career since Like a Prayer & has been widely considered by
critics to be one of her greatest artistic achievements. Amazon.com described
the album as "her richest, most accomplished record yet", while Rolling
Stone credited Madonna & her co-producer William Orbit for "creating
the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno", stating
that musically Ray of Light is her "most adventurous record" yet.[16]
Ray of Light produced five singles, including the European number one "Frozen".
The album won four awards at the 1999 Grammy Awards & has been ranked #363
on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Madonna followed the
success of Ray of Light with the top-ten single "Beautiful Stranger",
a late 60s psyche-pop song she wrote with William Orbit & recorded for the
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack (1999). "Frozen" (1998)
A slow tempo dance track featuring Madonna's voice over layers of string arrangements
& synthesizers. In the UK, it was seen as a "big comeback", becoming
her first song ever to debut at number one & her first number one since 1990.
"Don't Tell Me" (2000) Featuring acoustic guitars & a techno beat,
it became a top-ten hit worldwide. In 2000, Madonna released her follow-up film
to Evita. The Next Best Thing was a disappointment at the box office & was
panned by critics. Madonna contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack, namely
"Time Stood Still" & European number one "American Pie",
a dance cover version of the 1970s Don McLean single.
Music, her eighth studio album, had her slightly step away from the exploration of spirituality & fame to get back to the "party" spirit of dance, pop, & house music. However, she retained the introspective poignancy of Ray of Light in songs such as "Paradise (Not for Me)" & introduced guitars for more folk-like note, notably in “Don't Tell Me” or ballads such as “Gone.” Music debuted at number one on the U.S. albums chart & became her first number one album release since her 1989 Like a Prayer. Mainly co-written & produced with French house musician Mirwais Ahmadzai, the album produced three singles, including the worldwide number one "Music." The album's third single, “What It Feels Like for a Girl,” featured a controversial music video, directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie, & was banned by MTV & VH1 after just one airing due to its graphic violence. The music video for "Music" featuring Ali G (2000).In 2001, She embarked on the Drowned World Tour, her first tour in eight years. The concert tour was successful, was the subject of a television special in the US, & was released on DVD in November 2001 to coincide with the release of her second greatest hits album, GHV2. Unlike her previous compilation, GHV2 did not include any new songs, although clubs did receive multiple mega-mixes for promotional play only. In 2002, she wrote & performed the theme song to the James Bond film Die Another Day. The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 & was nominated for both a Golden Globe for Best Original Song & a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song.
2003–present: Commercial ups
& downs The original video for American Life (2003) was widely seen as controversial
& was revoked on the day of its release due to its graphic images & antiwar
message.Her ninth studio album, American Life, in which her lyrics were themed
on aspects of the American dream, fame, fortune & society, received mixed
reviews. Arguably her most daring & musically extreme album, American Life
presented a darker & more serious side of the singer. The music video for
the first single, "American Life", caused controversy in the U.S., as
it contained visceral scenes depicting war, explosions, & blood. The day before
the video was to air on European television, Madonna pulled it & released
instead an edited version, which showed her singing in front of flags from around
the world. The song failed to perform well on the U.S. singles chart, peaking
at thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, it rose to number
2. Having sold five million copies, American Life became the lowest selling album
of her career. The album produced three more singles, all failing to chart in
the U.S., but enjoying Top 10 success in various European countries. Later that
year, Madonna performed "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera
& Missy Elliott at the MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna kissed Spears &
Aguilera during the performance, resulting in tabloid press frenzy. That fall,
Madonna provided guest vocals on Spears's single "Me Against the Music".
During the Christmas season of 2003, Madonna released Remixed & Revisited,
a remix EP that included rock versions of songs from American Life, as well as
"Your Honesty", a left-over from 1994's Bedtime Stories album. The collection
failed to chart in the Billboard top 100.
"Die Another Day" (2002)
Madonna's Die Another Day was the most successful James Bond theme tune since
A View to a Kill. It remained on the top of U.S. singles sales chart for eleven
weeks, longer than any of Madonna's previous singles. "American Life"
(2003)
It was panned by music critics. Its electroclash arrangement with an
acoustic guitar was different from most of the music being played on mainstream
radio at the time. "Hung Up" (2005) The single became Madonna's thirty-sixth
Billboard top-ten hit, tying her with Elvis Presley for the most US top-ten singles.
In 2004, she embarked on The Re-Invention Tour, which featured fifty-six
dates in the U.S., Canada, & Europe & became the highest-grossing tour
of 2004, earning $125 million. She made a documentary about the tour named I'm
Going to Tell You a Secret, which debuted on MTV & was directed by Jonas Akerlund.
Also in 2004, Madonna was involved in a brief legal battle with Warner Music Group,
with whom she co-owned record label Maverick. The legal dispute ended with Warner
Music Group buying her shares in the record label. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine
ranked her #36 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song "Imagine" on the televised U.S. aid concert "Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope", which raised money for the tsunami victims in Asia. Madonna's retro inspired "Hung Up" (2005) music video.Madonna's tenth studio album, the Grammy-winning Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) which sold more than 10 million copies, was built as a continuous mix of dance songs, with musical elements borrowed from the '70s, & current dance music. The album received the most positive reviews since 1998's Ray of Light & was considered a return to form after the negative reception to American Life. It has produced four singles: "Hung Up", became one of the most successful singles of all time, reaching number one in a record breaking 41 countries. Madonna opened the 2006 Grammy Awards with "Hung Up", alongside the nominated computer-generated band, Gorillaz. "Sorry" then became Madonna's twelfth number one in the UK. A third single, "Get Together", reached the UK Top 10 & became her thirty-sixth number one dance hit in the U.S. (the most for any artist in Billboard history), but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The fourth & final single was "Jump", charting at number nine in the UK, by the end of 2006, Madonna became the most played international artist in Ibero-America. In the summer of 2006, Madonna signed on to become the worldwide face of H&M. Included in the deal was a specially designed track suit, created by Madonna. The next year M by Madonna, launched in the United States, & internationally. In it's first week, the line took in $15 million dollars. It became so successful that the company has ordered a second & third line for late 2007.
Madonna's Confessions Tour kicked off in late May 2006. The tour grossed a reported $260.1 million & set the record for the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist in history, with a global audience of 1.2 million. The tour sparked controversy when she used religious symbols such as the crucifix & crown of thorns in her performance of "Live to Tell". The tour ended its 60-date run on September 21, 2006, in Tokyo. A CD+DVD of "The Confessions Tour - Live from London" special was released on January 29, 2007 internationally & January 30, 2007 in the US.
In October 2006, Madonna flew to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which she also funded, as part of the Raising Malawi initiative. While there, she adopted a baby boy, named David. In January 2007, Forbes Magazine reported that Madonna was the 4th wealthiest woman with an active career in entertainment with a net worth Forbes conservatively estimated at $325 million. Her "Confessions Tour" in 2006, netted her with a paycheck of $65 million dollars. The tour itself cost $100 million & netted $260 million.
Madonna has started production on her next album, & is expected to be release by November 2007. A box set containing three CDs & two DVDs marking the 25th anniversary, is said to be released sometime in October 2007. Madonna is confirmed to be performing at Live Earth in 2007. Besides recording Madona is, "is indeed going to Africa to continue her work with the Raising Malawi organization," says her rep Liz Rosenberg in April 2007. "She is overseeing the building of a children's health care center. " Madonna has cited her background as a Catholic as the major influence in her life & career. Her mother's death affected her. The name "Madonna" is Catholic & references The Virgin Mary, who in the Roman Catholic Church is often referred to as "The Madonna". In a 1988 interview with Smash Hits magazine, Madonna said that Madonna is, in reality, her real name. She also described the name as being "very Italian", despite the fact that she was named after her French Canadian mother. The name "Madonna" is a combination of the two Italian words "ma" & "donna" which means "my lady." Therefore, no matter the nationality of the person named "Madonna", the name itself is of Italian origin. Madonna's Catholic background & relationship with her parents were reflected in the 1989 album Like a Prayer, which featured songs about her parents & Catholic upbringing. The video for the title track contained Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. "Promise to Try" told of her sadness at the memory of her mother, while "Oh Father" told of a strict father who elicited fear in his child Madonna used the crucifix as a fashion accessory in the church setting of the "Like a Prayer" video, & in the stage design of her "Confessions" tour. In the The Virgin Tour, she wore the rosary around her neck. In the music video for "La Isla Bonita", she prays the rosary. Madonna's Italian heritage has also been referenced in her work. The video for Like a Virgin, filmed in Venice, Italy, features her in Venetian settings. The "Open Your Heart" sees her boss yelling at her in Italian. In the "Papa Don't Preach" video, Madonna wears a shirt with the slogan, "Italians Do It Better". The video release of her Who's That Girl Tour, titled Ciao Italia! - Live From Italy, was filmed mainly in Turin, Italy. In it, Madonna performs the song Papa Don't Preach while a portrait of the Pope appears on the screen behind her. "Papa" is the Italian word for "Pope". ) In her 2005 documentary I'm Going To Tell You a Secret, she jokingly states that she has "big, fat, Italian thighs." In film, she achieved a rare good review for her portrayal of the Italian American character Mae Mordabito in A League of Their Own.
Madonna had both of her biological children baptized in a Roman Catholic Church. Yet, much of her career has seen rebellion against the Roman Catholic Church, In 1990, when Madonna toured Italy with the Blond Ambition Tour, the Pope encouraged citizens not to attend the concert. The Pope accused Madonna of blasphemy against the Catholic Church (a crime in Italy), & attempted to have her banned from stepping foot on Italian soil. In response, in a 1990 press conference in Italy, Madonna declared, "I am Italian American & proud of it." In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Madonna said that the Pope's reaction hurt, "because I'm Italian, you know", but in another interview the same year stated that she had ceased to practice Catholicism because the Church "completely frowns on sex... except for procreation". In the summer of 2006, Madonna drew criticism from Vatican officials when she took her Confessions Tour to Rome. Vatican officials claimed that Madonna's performance while hanging off a cross & wearing a crown of thorns was an open attack on Catholicism & should not be performed in the same city as the pope's residence. In the documentary Italians in America - Our Contribution, author Gay Talese relates Madonna's rebellion against the Catholic Church to her Italian ancestry. Talese claims that Madonna's paternal ancestors come from a region of Southern Italy with a long tradition of rebellion against the Catholic Church. In 1988, city officials in the town of Pacentro, Italy, planned to construct a 13-foot statue of Madonna in a bustier. The statue was intended to commemorate the fact that some of Madonna's ancestors had lived in Pacentro. The mayor of the city & the Pope intervened & prevented the project from coming to fruition, citing concerns that a statue of Madonna in their city would corrupt the morals of their youth. M In 1985, Madonna commented that the first song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra & that it summed up her take-charge attitude. As a young woman, she attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, & music, & during this time became interested in classical music. She noted that her favorite style was baroque, & loved Chopin because she liked his "feminine quality". She has also acknowledged the impact of Debbie Harry & Chrissie Hynde saying they "paved the way" for her. In an interview with the Observer on October 29, 2006, Madonna professed a love for fellow Detroit natives The Raconteurs & The White Stripes, as well as New York band "The Jett Set". Madonna has also commented that she enjoys Frank Sinatra, & especially likes to sing, "My Way" in the shower. Film stars During her childhood, Madonna became fascinated by films & film stars, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard & Judy Holliday & Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny...and I saw myself in them...my girlishness, my knowingness & my innocence". Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she later studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for the Who's That Girl? film. The video for "Express Yourself" placed a femme fatale character alongside an androgynous figure in male attire, compared to Marlene Dietrich & was inspired by Fritz Lang's Metropolis movie. The video for "Vogue" recreated style of Hollywood glamour photographers, in particular Horst P. Horst, & imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard & Rita Hayworth, while lyrics referenced many of the stars who had inspired her. Among those mentioned was Bette Davis, described by Madonna in a Rolling Stone interview as a idol, along with Louise Brooks & Dita Parlo.
Early relationships & marriage In the late
1970s & early 1980s, Madonna dated Dan Gilroy, with whom she formed the band
Breakfast Club. In the early 1980s, she also dated musician Stephen Bray, who
later co-produced songs such as "Into the Groove" & "Express
Yourself", artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, DJ & record producer Mark Kamins,
& musician Jellybean Benitez, who produced tracks & remixed her debut
album Madonna. While filming the music video for "Material Girl" in
1985, Madonna began dating actor Sean Penn. The two were married later that year
on Madonna's twenty-seventh birthday. Their relationship was marred by Penn's
frequent outbursts against the press, leading the couple to be dubbed the “Poison
Penns.” After filing & withdrawing divorce papers in December 1987, Madonna
& Penn separated on New Year's Eve of 1988 after allegations of abuse on Penn's
part, & were officially divorced in September 1989. Of her marriage to Penn,
Madonna later told Tatler, "I was completely obsessed with my career &
not ready to be generous in any shape or form."
Post-divorce relationships,
motherhood, & remarriage During 1988, Madonna had relationship with John F.
Kennedy Jr.. After the divorce from Penn was made official in 1989, Madonna began
a highly-publicized relationship with Warren Beatty while working on the film
Dick Tracy early in 1989. Despite rumors that the two had become engaged in May
1990, the couple's relationship seemed to have ended by the summer. In a 1991
interview with Vanity Fair, Madonna said, "I'd go, 'Warren, did you really
chase that girl for a year?!?' & he’d say, 'Nah, it's all lies.' I should
have known better. I was unrealistic, but then, you always think you're going
to be the one. In late 1990, Madonna dated Tony Ward,[45] a young model &
porn star who starred in her music videos for "Cherish" (1989) &
"Justify My Love" (1990). Their relationship ended by early 1991,[44]
& Madonna later began an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice,
who appeared later in her Sex book. In 1992; Madonna dated actor John Enos, her
bodyguard James Albright, & in 1994 went out with basketball player Dennis
Rodman for four months.
In September 1994, while walking in Central Park, Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon who became her personal trainer & lover. On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to the couple's child, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. The couple ended their relationship in 1997 After Madonna's relationship with Leon ended in mid-1997, she began dating Andy Bird, who sold his story to the newspapers in a tell-all about their 18-month relationship shortly after her marriage to Ritchie.
On August 11, 2000, she gave birth to a son, Rocco John Ritchie, with Guy Ritchie, whom she met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting & his wife, Trudie Styler. On December 22, 2000, Madonna & Ritchie were married in Scotland. As of 2007, Madonna resides in London & her country estate in Wiltshire, with Ritchie & their children. In March, 2007 Crown Publishing canceled a tell-all book deal, thought to be worth 5 million dollars, with Madonna & Ritchie's former nanny Melissa Dumas. The book claims that Madonna & Ritchie have a cold & distant relationship & that they are both fixated on money & restrictive dietary habits. Over the span of her lengthy career, Madonna also has been rumored to be romantically linked to numerous men & women including Sandra Bernhard, Prince & Esai Morales in 1988; Lenny Kravitz in 1990; Michael Jackson in 1991; José Canseco, Ingrid Casares & Big Daddy Kane in 1992; Mark Wahlberg & Anthony Kiedis in 1993; Charles Barkley & Tupac Shakur in 1994; Chris Paciello in 1997; Billy Zane in 1998; David Blaine & Jenny Shimizu in 1999 before her marriage with Ritchie. But most of these affairs are unconfirmed so far. David Banda adoption On October 10, 2006, Madonna filed adoption papers for a Malawian baby boy named David Banda, whom her family renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie, born September 24, 2005, during her trip to an orphanage in Malawi.
After a passport &
visa were issued for the child, Banda was flown out of Malawi on October 16. The
adoption raised public controversy about whether special treatment was given to
Madonna considering the fact that Malawian law normally requires one year of residence
for potential adoptive parents. However, adoption rights groups pointed out that
only three visas were issued in 2005 for adopted children to leave Malawi. Madonna
appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 25, 2006, to refute the allegations.
During the half-hour interview, the singer claimed that there are no written adoption
laws in Malawi that regulate foreign adoption & that she had been planning
to adopt for two years. She also claimed that Banda had been in critical condition
& was suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria & tuberculosis
when she had found him in the orphanage. In addition, Madonna blamed the media
for "doing a great disservice to all the orphans of Africa, period, not just
the orphans of Malawi", by discouraging people from adopting children from
African nations. She stated, "I wanted to go into a Third World country—I
wasn't sure where—and give a life to a child who might not otherwise have
had one." On October 22, 2006, it was reported that Yohane Banda, David Banda's
birth father, did not understand what "adoption" meant & that he
had not realized that he was giving up his son "for good." He had assumed
that this arrangement was more like a fostering agreement. A few days later, after
the Winfrey interview, he said, "These so-called human rights activists are
harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing."
He was also reported to say, "They want me to support their court case, a
thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna & her husband."
On November 1, 2006, Madonna responded to Banda's comments on an Dateline NBC
interview with Meredith Vieira by saying that Yohane Banda had known what he was
doing, having refused to accept her offer to financially support him & the
child without adopting the child. Because of Malawi laws, Madonna & Guy Ritchie
remain David Banda's foster parents for the required eighteen-month period.
Kabbalah
Center Since the late-1990s, Madonna has become a devotee of the Kabbalah Centre
& a disciple of its controversial head Rabbi Philip Berg & his wife Karen.
Madonna & husband Guy Ritchie attend Kabbalah classes & have been reported
to have adopted a number of aspects of the movement associated with Judaism. The
media has reported that Madonna has taken on the Biblical name of Esther &
has donated millions of dollars to Kabbalah Centres in London, New York, &
Los Angeles. She no longer performs on Friday nights because this is the time
when the Jewish Sabbath begins. Madonna wears a red string & has visited Israel
with members of the Kabbalah Centre to celebrate some of the Jewish holidays.
She also studies personally with her own private-tutor, Rabbi Eitan Yardeni, whose
wife Sarah Yardeni runs Madonna's favorite charitable project, "Spirituality
for Kids", a subsidiary of the Kabbalah Centre. Madonna reportedly donated
$21 million towards a new Kabbalah school for children. Controversy erupted again
well before the release of her most recent album Confessions on a Dance Floor.
Many Israeli rabbis condemned Madonna & the forthcoming song "Isaac"
(tenth on its track listing) because they believed the song to be a tribute to
Rabbi Isaac Luria, also known as Yitzhak Luria (1534–1572), one of the greatest
Kabbalists of all time, & claimed that Jewish law forbids using a holy rabbi's
name for profit. In interviews, Madonna had called this song: "The Binding
of Isaac" & rumors spread that it was based on the major episode in the
life of the Hebrew patriarch Isaac. Despite continued accusations that the song
is about Isaac Luria, Madonna has repeatedly denied such accusations, claiming
she could not think of a title for the song & , therefore, named it after
Yitzhak (Isaac) Sinwani. In the song, Madonna sings with Sinwani, an Israeli singer,
who is chanting a Yemenite Jewish song. Said Madonna: "The album isn't even
out, so how could Jewish scholars in Israel know what my song is about? I don't
know enough about Isaac Luria to write a song, though I've learned a bit in my
studies." Madonna has openly defended her Kabbalah studies by stating, for
example: “ I wouldn't say studying Kabbalah for eight years goes under the
category or falls under the category of being a fad or a trend. Now there might
be people who are interested in it because they think it's trendy, but I can assure
you that studying Kabbalah is actually a very challenging thing to do. It requires
a lot of work, a lot of reading, a lot of time, a lot of commitment & a lot
of discipline.” Furthermore, Madonna said in a BBC interview that she believes
Christianity is intolerant of questioning, whereas Kabbalah is not. Madonna has
also defended Kabbalah against detractors who claim it is a cult designed to extort
money from followers Madonna does not support United States President George W.
Bush. She endorsed Wesley Clark's Democratic nomination for the 2004 United States
presidential election in an impassioned letter to her fans, saying at the time
that "the future I wish for my children is at risk." In the autumn of
2006, she expressed her support for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 election Most
recently she stated that she would be behind Al Gore if he decided to run for
the 2008 elections after seeing his documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient
Truth. She also urged her fans to see Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Diet &
exercise Madonna has stated that she doesn't eat dairy & is on a macrobiotic
diet, consisting primarily of whole grains, fish & fresh vegetables. Furthermore,
she has a personal Japanese chef & says that she does yoga & pilates to
stay in shape. Despite her career achievements, Madonna has been the target of
criticism since the beginning of her career. Reviews about her body of work have
generally been mixed & many music critics have put her artistry in doubt,
while some have proclaimed her the "Queen of Pop". A common criticism
against Madonna regards her singing voice & vocal range, which some consider
to be weak, limited & mannered. She has also been criticized for egocentrism,
publicity stunts & a tendency to generate controversy. Joni Mitchell once
declared, "She has knocked the importance of talent out of the arena. She's
manufactured. She's made a lot of money & become the biggest star in the world
by hiring the right people". Other popular entertainers like Janet Jackson,
Whitney Houston, & Mariah Carey have expressed disapproval of her artistic
abilities, disdain, or criticism against her image & work. Moments of her
career in which Madonna has been heavily criticized include her 1989 music video
for "Like a Prayer", the publication of the book Sex & album Erotica
in 1992, her 2006 performance of "Live to Tell" during the Confessions
Tour, & her adoption of Malawian infant David Banda in 2006. Madonna has received
criticism from animal rights groups for wearing fur coats & in the past, was
criticized for renting out her house for hunting parties. Her lyrics have also
been panned as simple or even dull by some. Many critics, however, see her as
a talented vocalist & songwriter. She received good reviews for "Love
Don't Live Here Anymore" cover on which her performance was described as
a "heartfelt vocal". Her vocals on "Live to Tell" considered
her best at the time by some, & song's lyrics have been described as "poignant".
This website written in April 2007. Index
of celebrity women, lots of models Pictures of Madonna, not spelt Madona,
or Maddona, or Maddonna, or Maradona,
Herself Picture
of her in a pose
A Biography of Nina Moric A Biography of 6 foot 1 Supermodel Jodie Kidd A Biography of 6 foot tall in her stockings, Supermodel, Adriana Sklenaríková
A site on 6 foot Lima Priscilla A Biography of 6 foot 2 Dorothy Ford A Biography of Brigitte Nielsen A Biography of 6 foot tall supermodel Sophie Dahl
A Biography of Tom Logan A Biography of Eva Herzigova A Biography of 6 foot tall Supermodel Elle Macpherson
A
Biography of Kate Moss A
Biography of Christy Turlington A
Biography of Karen Mulder A Biography
of Linda Evangelista A Biography
of Tatjana Patitz
A Biography of the 6 foot 1 British Beach Volleyball Player Denise Johns A Biography of 5 foot 11 Sigourney Weaver
A Biography of Martina Hingis A biography of Kelly Sotherton A Biography of the 5 foot 11 Daniela Peštová A Biography of the 5 foot 11 Karolína Kurkova
A Biography of Boudica A Biography of Lucy Lawless Aka Xena A Biography of Lindsay Davenport A Biography of Katie Feenstra
A
Biography of 7 foot tall Women's Baketball Player Uljana Semjonova A
Biography Ekaterina Gamova A
Biography of 6 foot 5 Kalee Carey
A Biography of Lauren Jackson A Biography of 5 foot 11 Tyra Banks A Biography of 5 foot 9 & a half Cameron Diaz A Biography of 5 foot 11 Charlize Theron
A Biography of 6 foot tall Strong Woman, Robin Coleman A Biography of 5 foot 9 Mandy Moore, A Biography of 6 foot tall Actress Brooke Shields
A
Biography of 5 foot 11 Claudia Schiffer A
Biography of 5 foot 9 & a half Naomi Campbell
A Biography of Denise Lewis A Biography of 6 foot 3 amazon, volleyball player Gabrielle Reece
On the Subject of Madonna Poster
My biographies, & statisticts on many very tall women site An Index with links to almost all our sites. from history to sport
