These are new photos of Madonna performing during her MDNA concert last night in London. I’m so tired of covering photos of Madonna on stage with this prop gun! Using a “prop gun” during your show and waving it around, pointing it at the audience – God, that’s so lame. And she’s still using crucifix images too – how avant-garde! Anyway, there are a bunch of Madge stories this week, so let’s just do some highlights:
*Madonna has taken in $50 million in the first three weeks of her MDNA tour. She has 70 more shows left (internationally), which means she could stand to make $450 million once the tour is done. A concert promoter source tells HuffPo, “This is one of the biggest tours we have seen … ever. She is playing some of the biggest venues around the world and selling them out … It’s putting other summer tours, including J.Lo’s first tour, to shame. What is so impressive about these numbers is she’s playing far fewer shows than previous tours by the Rolling Stones, Cher and Lady Gaga, and grossing more.” You know why that is, right? Because Madonna is charging hundreds of dollars per ticket. It’s price-gauging.
*Meanwhile, there are rumors that Madge is going to cancel the Australian leg of her tour for “reasons unspecified”. While Madonna claimed that there would be an Aussie leg, the dates haven’t been announced and the tickets haven’t gone on sale. Sources claim that Madonna will probably wait until after the Olympics to announce whether she’ll be going Down Under.
*And finally, the political story that I wanted to avoid discussing, but here I go. First, let me just say – I know very little about French politics. Don’t yell at me for simply going with whatever Time Magazine says about French politics, okay? So, in France, there’s a political party called the National Front, and they’re seen as very conservative, ultra-right wing, very anti-Islam and pro-xenophobia. Their leader is a woman called Marine Le Pen, who Time claims is trying to bring her party into the mainstream, and as such, she’s having problems with her (far, far) right flank. During Madonna’s stage show, there’s a video morph that includes a photo of Marine Le Pen with a swastika superimposed on the image. The image then morphs into a photo of Adolf Hitler. The video morphing thing also includes images of Pope Benedict, Sarah Palin, and Hu Jintao. Le Pen threatened Madonna with a lawsuit after Madge did the video morph thing during her Tel Aviv show, and Le Pen said that if Madge did it during her French show, Le Pen would sue. Madonna did the same thing during her Paris show. So now Le Pen is going to sue. And my guess is that Le Pen might have a pretty decent case considering the hate crime laws in France.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
What’s with the last picture? Slugging down Jim beam while her feet hold down that boys arms. Couldn’t she just go away and live a happy, quiet life out of the spotlight?
LOL. No way she would go quietly.
Don’t forget to mention the strategically placed microphone on the cross and the image it incites…as always, very classy Madge!
read this, realized I don’t care, and now I want my minute back..
^ this!
I am with Madonna .Marine Lepen is only a pretty image of Jean Marie Lepen a racist negationist
+1
Didn’t they come in 2nd/3rd in the last general election?
I definitely don’t agree with a lot of Le Pen’s politics, but Madonna needs to keep her nose out of these kind of matters.
@ Amelia
How eles would Madonna stir up controversy for attention.
“seen as”? they ARE ultra conservative, right-wing anti-islam xenophobes. Marine Le Pen is even worse than her father.
Still, showing her face with a swastika on it during a music show is a bit, you know, extreme. I doubt Madonna knows anything about Le Pen or the Front National. She’s just doing this to get more press. If I were Le Pen, I would just dismiss it and say: ‘Well, madonna obviously doesn’t know what she’s talking about.’ I bet it would blow over immediately.
Yes it is extreme, but it’s Madonna!
Sarah Palin, Hu Jintao and the Pope are ignoring her.
??? . . . France was occupied by the Nazis during WWII.
That was an incredibly crass, insensitive, and stupid thing of her to do.
Pope Benedict? Come on…Madonna doesn’t know anything about politics. I bet she’s a Che Guevara supporter just because it’s “cool”. She’s the first to jump on the bandwagon!
Does she even know he’s dead?
Love the third photo-made my morning!
I have no idea how anybody still cares enough about her to pay to see her shows
I thought the same thing. I wouldn’t see it if I was given a free ticket. Probably flog it on eBay instead…
Me too, guys. I was thinking that even if I had a friend with an extra free ticket, I would STILL have to seriously consider whether I wanted to go.
Who is her fan base? It can’t be young people can it?
i got tickets. i think shes amazing. <3 always will. no matter what anyone says.
Lame.
And these pictures are not pretty. She needs to watch her facial expressions — scowls are not kind to your skin and bones when you get older.
Also, her boobs look like they are trying to slap her in the face. I don’t blame them.
That is all.
If she pushes those tits up any higher, they’ll be on her shoulders.
Le Pen should run full page ads in the newspaper with pictures of Madonna with garbage cans, or anti wrinkle cream superimposed on her face.
Ha-ha-ha! Second lawsuit in a week. I can’t think of a more deserving defendant/respondent.
On the other hand, I fell slightly conflicted as I am not a fan of right wing xenophobes. However, I think Madonna approaches these situations as if she is some sort of public spokesperson/intellectual, which she’s not. Also, France must be like England-very tough libel laws. Surely she knows that and would litigate if she were in a similar situation-perhaps there will be a cross claim of defamation in the up and coming copyright suit over “Vogue”
Yet she did the Wallice film – about a known Nazi sympathiser?
Well thought through as always.
Also – 2nd picture is a definite fart-face
This!
Like Amelia said a little further up in the comments, I don’t agree with Le Pen’s politics in the least, but I also think it’s libelous to associate Le Pen with Adolf Hitler. Le Pen hasn’t murdered six million Jews.
That being said I do feel Madonna’s trying way, way too hard to stir up controversy the same way she did as a 30-something. She isn’t aging gracefully and it shows the most in her performances and attitude. Marlene Dietrich she is not.
I agree with everything you said. I think Marine Le Pen’s political ideas are despicable, but she’s a politician who represents millions of voters. She’s entitled to her opinions, and to express them. That’s how democracy works. Calling her a nazi is terribly offensive and, also, just dumb.
Le Pen can seriously sue her? For defamation? That is ridiculous.
From what I’ve read in the past (and please Frenchies feel free to correct me) Le Pen opposes the “Islamification” (what a dumb word) of France because she feels that it violates separation of church and state. But then I’ve also heard that she’s a big proponent of increasing the French birthrate while cracking down on immigration. Sounds like she just doesn’t want “brown” people infecting her precious white citizens if you ask me.
kitten, you’re right and even is a lot more than that. These are the ideas of the National Front:
-“Zero Tolerance” about law and order policies
-Critizing the muslim immigration and defending the idea of “clash of civilizations” between the Western and Islamic civilization.
-Fear of the “Islamization” of France and Europe, calling it the “Birth of Eurabia”
-Euroscepticism
-Issues of revisionism. Even their values of work, family and nation are similar to Vichy France
-Rejection of homoparental families
-Before Marine Le Pen came to power, Jean-Marie Le Pen was against Veil Law -Law around the abortion and contraconception-
-Defense of the traditional family
-Harsh punishment against illegal immigration
Also the ties with Phillippe de Villiers, leader of the Movement of France -Another far right party- is common knowledge.
But she’s right in one point. The defense of the secular state against the church. Maybe i’m speaking as a Latin American, but the involvement of the church in the public life and the state came with a lot of trouble. Right now, my country is suffering another controversy about that
On Saturday NPR posed a great question, “When is the right time for musicians to retire?” I think Madonna really needs to get off the music stage and do something a little less public. She is a shrewed business woman and a cultural icon, but I don’t think we would miss her all that much if she stopped touring, stopped putting out crappy, overdubbed albums, and stopped trying to be “controversial” in the public eye. Madonna is my generation’s Norma Desmond.
Yeah I agree but as you know, celebs like Madonna will NEVER walk gracefully into the sunset. She’s addicted to the attention and the spotlight. It’s sad because she’s a shadow of her former self. Her schtick has become repetitive and tired and frankly, at her age, it’s kind of embarassing.
She has all the money and resources to really affect change or even to pursue creative endeavors OUT of the spotlight. She really should have taken a queue from Seinfeld and left before she overstayed her welcome. Always better to leave on a high note than to become an uninspired version of your former self.
Speaking of which, doesn’t she have a kid besides Lourdes? How does she have time to care for him?
Actually, Kitten —
She has three. But hey! Isn’t that what nannies are for? And aren’t children accessories made to make you look better?
As was stated above, the fact that Madonna’s bashing someone because of their racist beliefs is ironic. Of course, Madge refuses to acknowledge the outright support WE gave to the Nazis — because their story is ‘so romantic’ (and she liked Willis’ taste in fashion).
She’s so gross.
I enjoy her newer music more than her older stuff actually. i dont think someone should stop doing what they love just because they get older. oh. and look at those tits. thats one reason not to stop right there.
It’s one thing to diss something about her you don’t like. But all these comments that she needs to retire, blah, blah, go away, slay me. This is going to be one of the highest grossing concerts of all time. She’s playing to stadiums, for the most part. She just played to almost 80,000 people in a stadium in France. This show is spectacular and, obviously, many still think so. She doesn’t scrimp on putting on a show or the energy she puts into it. Yet the mouths on here that don’t go see her to know her show and never will or maybe it’s not their thing carrying on saying she should retire, go away. Can’t they think of something more original?
And I love the comments on here about her kids. Men are never reduced to such comments. She tours once about every four years. She brings the kids with her, for God’s sake. It’s a great experience for her children. Her son dances a few songs of the show and looks like he’s having a ball. Her daughter works in the costume department The two little ones have lots of playtime. They sightsee at most of the countries they hit.
But I guess the little woman should stay home.
@jayna —
Once upon a time, I was a huge Madonna fan. I found her inspiring in many ways. She’s since become a parody of what she used to represent.
I don’t discount the woman’s dedication or hard work, but her ways of getting attention now are not groundbreaking, they’re embarrassing.
And the fact that lots of people still like her means nothing to me. Kim Kardashian and Charlie Sheen have millions of fans. There’s no accounting for taste.
And please drop the whole, “If it was a man” thing. I happily bash anyone I think is scum — their genitals have nothing to do with it.
I have a lot of family in France and I come from a North African background. Surprisingly to many of you, a lot of my 1st generation and 2nd generation French family members support Marine Le Pen. She is not anti-Islam, she is anti-religion in the french public domain as France takes its culture and secularism very seriously. And unless you really have experienced living in or around a conservative Muslim society, you really cannot understand the personal freedoms you take for granted as a woman in Europe and the US. Two years ago my cousin Nadia was harassed in Paris by 2 busboys in a cafe for not wearing a hijab and dressing like a “kuffar (infidel) whore” just for wearing a sleeveless dress once they heard us speaking Arabic. When we complained to management, of course the guys denied it but we never returned there. There are huge demographic and cultural changes coming to France and just ignoring the problems created by those changes is a political move just to be elected. Marine Le Pen is simply giving a louder voice to a huge issue complained about in France which is why she was moderately successful in the last election. Unsustainable legal and illegal immigration in France without more efforts towards integration will always cause problems.
and Madonna needs to retire. I am le tired of her antics.
Very well stated. And lest we forget, Madonna painted Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in a very positive way in that POS movie she directed, she completely white-washed (no pun intended) their Nazi sympathizing and well documented travels to Germany prior to WWII.
Madonna thinks she’s intelligent enough to make grandiose political statements like this but it actually shows her stupidity and highlights her obsessive need to attract attention to herself.
@ Jesse Walt-Oh, I’m aware of the issues you discuss. My mother is from France, emmigrated to the US when she was 22 and half my family lives out there. I don’t follow French politics as closely as American politics but I’m aware of the secular attitude and the large focus on separation of church and state (and frankly, I admire France’s approach to this issue). Question: does this mean that students aren’t allowed to wear crosses around their necks while attending public schools?
That’s exactly that! As a student in à public school, you cannot express your religious beliefs. You’re allowed to wear a small cross but not a big one, nor a scarf il you’re muslim or a ”kippa” (sorry I can’t remember the name of what Jewish men put on their hair)
Most of the time we Know others’ religions but we mustn’t have any objects refering to religion.
And as a teacher you mustn’t express any religious or political opinion. You must stay neutral.
My husband was at this gig last night, despite not being a Madonna fan. His review was as follows:
1) He was standing next to Kylie and Groege Michael, and Kylie is about three feet tall.
2) Madonna is in incredible shape, but she should cover up her arms.
Maybe they are nazi-ish, but that is VERY MUCH slander. I would sue too, and she will probably win. It’s totally unacceptable to do that. Obviously we all have the right to talk about people in the public eye, but to do something like THAT and dance around stage with a gun… that’s a bit excessive!
I don’t mind when people are called to account for their actions. She doesn’t get a pass because she’s Madoona trying to stir something up.
If France will go after Bridget Bardot for hating what Immigrant Islam was doing to her country speech and .. Madge is in for No Mercy!
Disgusting piece of trash is all she is. Retire already you ridiculous imbecile.
So, a talentless, pretentious woman responds to her perception of hatred with…hatred. Riiiiight. Time for this self-indulgent, lip-synching diva to pack it in!
Mom jeans!!!
Yes, she’s an idiot who needs to retire, and the way she made her statement was silly. BUT Le Pen has a history that has warranted such criticism. Her party’s roots are in the Vichy regime which cooperated with the Nazis, established policies on Jewish deportation in 1940 and handed over thousands of Jews to the Nazis. Only in the 90s did President Chiraq apologize for the camps and the French involvement (Sarah’s Key is a heartbreaking movie touching on this history). Also, minutes after Le Pen’s dad handed over the party leadership to her, he made anti-semitic comments. Here’s one article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8262856/Le-Pen-signs-off-with-an-anti-Semitic-slur.html
So, the criticism is legitimate, it’s just that Madonna is a dumbass and not exactly the right person to ‘enlighten’ the masses on this.
Thank you,
you nailed it without ‘white washing’ this dangerous party.
Yasmina, two thumbs up!!! 100% Agree.
Marine Le Pen isn’t exactly a likely politician and full of controversy but Madonna’s criticism is just dumb
Good points all and yes kasia and sapphire anyone that has read a little CHe knows that if he were in control this greedy 1 per center would have her wealth expropriated and if she resisted, she’d be sent to a labor camp or shot. But she lives in a fantasy world.
More to the point, i’m old enough to remember when the great bands just played their music and didn’t need stunts because the MUSIC stood on its own.
This trick resorts to this stuff because her “music” left to its own is crappy awful drivel.
Eww, another reason to not swear when you have had botox. Really Madonna! you look B-A-D!
Uhhh I see nobody despite me knows anything about French politics. Marine Le Pen is a modern politician, who wants cultural assimilation and she is NOT racist. She even said National Socialism is outrageous. Calling somebody a “Nazi” is not comme il faut, we call them today National Socialists. Madonna is really stupid and she needs to shut up about things she does not know. But I am not a Le Pen sympathizer, I just understand her argumentation about French autonomy, which are logical but still crazy.
Miss Detroit desperately trying to remain relevant and failing.