Apologies for starting out with a months-old photo of Madonna at the Grammys. Madge only gets papped these days when she’s entering or exiting a gym. She wears the same sweatshirts and often hides her face. I think she’s trying to direct us towards her Instagram stunts. We’re supposed to believe that Madonna really looks like all of the photoshopped images she posts to social media.
Madonna’s been busy working out every day and working on a new song called “Messiah” (she posted the lyrics here), which hopefully will not sound at all like “Yeezus” or “Sheezus” or whatever it is the kids are writing these days. Madge’s new album doesn’t have a title or a release date yet, but she’s working with DJ Diplo. Is that good or bad?
Madge is also upsetting her fellow citizens by receiving special treatment for jury duty in NYC. I want to give her credit for showing up, but she probably tried to get out of it several times. Most people try to get out of jury duty, and the few people who don’t try wish they did once they realize how freaking boring the experience is. I have a law degree and I still get called in periodically. They always let me go home once the attorneys remember that law grads are trouble. It sounds like Madonna is causing all sorts of trouble too, mainly because she’s one of the most famous women on the planet:
The Material Girlfinally showed up for jury duty Monday morning — almost 30 minutes after her already pushed-back reporting time.
Wearing a black suit, black sunglasses and platform sandals, Madonna was whisked up the front steps at 60 Centre St. by two court officers, three policemen, two bodyguards and an assistant.
Madonna waited a few minutes to get through security and, after setting off the magnetometers twice, showed off heavy metal chains around her neck.
A female officer scanned the star’s chest with a handheld detector and waved her through.
Instead of heading upstairs with the hordes ofregular Joes doing their civic duty, the “Vogue” singer was taken to a private office to meet with a head clerk.
There Madonna had a moment of shock when County Clerk Norman Goodmanjoked that he might have to sequester her for a week, sources said.
The 55-year-old pop star is expected to be released from service after the brief appearance, another court source added.
One attorney told The Post she wouldn’t want Madge on her jury anyway.
“She’d be a total distraction,” the attorney said. “I’m sure she’s bright, but her celebrity overrides her intellect. Everyone would be staring at her — I know I would.”
The red carpet treatment had fellow jurors in a huff.A court spokesman explained that allowing Madonna to arrive an hour after hundreds of people reported for duty would cut down on distraction and still allow her to serve.
“We’re happy she’s coming,” David Bookstaver said.
[From Page Six]
Can you imagine being on trial or filing a lawsuit and seeing Madonna giving you the stink eye from the jury box? I don’t know the rules for celebrities in NYC, but Los Angeles courts never let celebrities get out of jury duty. They can reschedule, but they eventually have to do their time in the pool. It’s a good policy. The Page Six article includes complaints from other jurors about Madge’s special treatment, but Madonna is SO famous that she really is a distraction.
Madge Instagrammed this picture to prove she went to jury duty with this caption: “Serving my country! Reporting to jury selection! #itshotinhere”
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN & Madonna on Instagram
Yeah I’m actually ok with this. I know if I was in court and a celebrity was on the jury, I’d be freaking out.
She’s so famous, one of the biggest pop icons of all time, that I think her presence coming in there would be hugely disruptive and not good for the lawyers trying to get a good jury and try their case. I can see why the Court and courthouse personnel tried to keep her presence as low key as possible, handled differently coming in, and I doubt either attorney would want her on the jury. Everybody would be too focused on Madonna, aware of her in the courtroom.
As someone who goes to the courthouse all the time and the zoo it is with all the security now to get through after 9/11 and the lines of people, sometimes hundreds at that time of morning, and the personnel trying to get people to get their electronics, keys, phones in bins, belts off, shoes off in one courthouse, and put everything through the scanner moving belt and also to be scanned yourself, Madonna walking in would cause an uproar and things to hold up even more. I can see why they had her come in later trying to bypass the disruption.
I agree completely and wouldn’t want her on my jury if I was on trial. The only thing that gags me is her bragging about doing her duty as a citizen. Please. I’ve been called 5 times, and I went 5 times, and didn’t go with the intention of getting out of it, so shut it, Madge.
I just served. “Celebrities in jury pools” is the very least of the problems plaguing our justice system. The whole thing is broken and judges are the freakin’ worst. To all Celebitchy readers around the world: NEVER be a victim of a crime in NYC. Nobody really cares about you or your case. A.D.A.s only care about getting “trial experience” in order to fluff up their resumes and appear important to the most incompetent, star-f’ing D.A. in history (who is only doing this because he wants to be mayor). If you’re a victim of a sexual assault, you will likely be victim-blamed and laughed at behind your back. If you are a person of color in general, your case will barely register on their radar. (And if you are accused of a crime–the crime of being of color–you will do time. Guilty or innocent. The time you serve or plead to will be disproportionate to the crime and way more than your color-free counterparts would get.)
The system is broken, broken, broken. One day soon I will write about the judge who was handling the trial and his abuse of power, his superiority complex, his disdain for jurors, and his discrediting of the A.D.A. (and to a lesser extent, the defense counsel) before our very eyes, which inevitably colored everyone’s view of the case. You want a fair trial? FAT CHANCE. Everyone’s got an agenda and they don’t care whom they taint to get it.
But yeah. Madonna should serve. She should arrive early (not late), wait in the central jury room like everyone else, and if she were selected for trial, she should do her time patiently, like a good citizen of this messed-up land. NYers won’t care about her celebrity once she’s inside. That’s a NY Post and Daily News invention–they’re the ones who need to make a federal case about her in order to sell rags.
do you think everyone would be staring at her veiny arms?
Yes
A lot of A-list celebrities don’t do jury duty because the lawyers think it’s too much of a distraction. The escort was a bit much though.
I will be staring at her only to see the tons of work she has done to her face.
A lawyer friend of mine gave me a tutorial on how to avoi duty. I did serve a few times. It’s mindnumbing. Turns out I stumbled into the best, but hardest to use excuse.
The defendent was guilty, but I believed their actions weren’t illegal and were justified. Apparently that’s called something.
I’m all about justice and society, but most people waited until the end of the trial and then pleaded out. So, complete waste of time.
The jurors should be anonymous. I am ok with celebs not being on juries. I got out of jury duty because my dad is a pretty well known attorney in my city. It had nothing to do with me, but my dad.
She showed up as she was supposed to. Nothing is her fault here. She would be far too distracting and hundreds of paps would be waiting for her to exit the building every day, turning the whole thing into a circus. She doesn’t belong in a jury trial.
I agree she shouldn’t be a on a jury because it’d be all about her. And if it wasn’t all the time, she’d step it up so was. But she shouldn’t have received the special treatment before hand. That’s annoying. Serving her country? More like county but thanks for playing.
Sorry it’s so hot in here, did they not receive your rider in advance?
I really wish she would have left her face alone and aged gracefully. Dressing with a bit more class too
She is one of the most famous people in the world and has been for 30 years. She could never serve on a jury, as it would be a huge distraction and bring unwanted attention to Joe or Jane Doe’s case. Showing up is a mere formality she is legally obligated to fulfill; glad she didn’t try to skip out before doing it.
Here in NYC they’ve gotten rather strict about jury duty and actively seek to make everyone serve regardless of social status or profession — I know a couple of people, both lawyers, who recently served too, which is fair.
She showed up. I commend her for that. I must admit I’ve even skipped the call of duty once or twice, and I’m a lowly peasant, so good on her.
DJ Diplo? Yeah, not good.
I was just watching an old video of Vogue-era Madge’s Jonathan Ross interview where she decried ageism. Awesome answers from Madge.
Angry New Yorkers……pfffh as if!
Ok, Bedhead. You are a lawyer but your job is to write about gossip?! You are officially my hero.
*sulks as she sits at her desk staring at her law crap that is much less interesting than gossip*
I was first called when 8 months pregnant and working in the insurance industry-no one even considered putting me on a jury, but I was made to stay the entire 5 days. Glad she could at least show up.
Madge looks like Faye Dunaway’s Mommy Dearest character in these pictures. And you know what? I bet she is just as scary, too. But probably in a different way. Don’t see her getting hung up on wire hangers.