Thứ Ba, 15 tháng 11, 2016

Here’s Madonna As You’ve Never Seen Her Before

The star is featured in a new documentary about filmmaker Howard Brookner.


A brunette Madonna shimmies in this exclusive clip from “Uncle Howard,” the new documentary about the life of avant-garde New York filmmaker Howard Brookner.
The Queen of Pop was at the peak of her fame when she starred alongside Matt Dillon, Randy Quaid and Jennifer Grey in 1989’s Jazz Age-themed comedy, “Bloodhounds of Broadway.” Despite the presence of such Hollywood heavyweights, the film is widely considered a flop and rarely broadcast.
As “Uncle Howard” recalls, however, “Bloodhounds of Broadway” was very special for Brookner, who was battling AIDS at the time of its production. The filmmaker had only worked on documentary films beforehand, including the acclaimed “Burroughs: The Movie,” about beat generation author William S. Burroughs. “Bloodhounds of Broadway” was intended to be Brookner’s big screen breakthrough, but the director died just months before its release. 
While Brookner didn’t leave as big of a mark on Hollywood as he’d hoped for, it was enough to entice his nephew, Aaron, into directing a film about his uncle’s legacy. Never-before-seen footage capturing the New York of the 1970s and ‘80s, as well as Brookner’s relationships with Burroughs, Madonna and Allen Ginsberg, is among the highlights.   
Aaron Brookner told The Huffington Post that, above all, he’d like the documentary to give viewers new insight as to why his uncle was such a pioneering figure in the New York arts scene. 
“Howard took inspiration from the likes of Burroughs and Ginsberg, who were pioneering in their writing about homosexuality.  Howard’s own work championed theirs and he took it further, putting open homosexuality on screen, and living his own life openly as a queer man,” he said. “It is painfully clear that had those in power not had prejudice against the LGBTQ community, we might not be mourning so many people and great artists today. This should be remembered now more than ever.”
Ultimately, he hopes audiences come away from the film knowing “what you do and who you influence in this life really does matter.”
“If Howard never picked up a camera and never had such an impact on me and those around him,” he said, “few people would even know he ever existed, let alone been so inspired by him.”

More games: friv

Thứ Ba, 27 tháng 9, 2016

Madonna defends Rosie O'Donnell following Donald Trump debate comments

Don’t mess with Madonna’s friends.
Following Monday night’s presidential debate, where Donald Trump made yet another derogatory remark about Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna defended the comedian via social media. The singer uploaded a screen grab of herself and O’Donnell from A League of Their Own with the caption, “Mess with my girl Rosie and you’re messing with me!!! Cruelty never made anyone a winner.
O’Donnell also tweeted about Trump on Monday night, referring to him as an “orange anus” and sharing the video in which their infamous feud was born.

Thứ Ba, 30 tháng 8, 2016

Madonna Celebrates Michael Jackson’s 58th Birthday With Amazing Throwback Photos

The Queen of Pop is missing her King. Madonna took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late friend and fellow superstar Michael Jackson on Monday, August 29, what would have been his 58th birthday.
Her Madgesty, who herself just turned 58 two weeks ago, posted four feels-inducing throwback pics of the pair from the ’80s and ’90s, including a snap from their iconic red carpet appearance at the 1991 Academy Awards.
“Happy Birthday to this wonderful and glorious creature!!” the “Vogue” singer captioned the collage. “ The King! Gone too soon! ❤️ ❣❤️❣❤️❣❤️❣❤️❣❤️❣.”
Jackson tragically passed away in June 2009 from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. The “Thriller” crooner — who is survived by his three children Prince, 19, Paris, 18, and Blanket, 14 — was 50 years old at the time of his death.
That same year, Madonna honored her pal and his chart-topping career during a heartrending speech at the MTV Video Music Awards.
“In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory, I went on the internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage, and I thought, ‘My God, he was so unique, so original, so rare. And there will never be anyone like him again.’ He was a king,” she told the star-studded audience in 2009. “But he was also a human being, and, alas, we are all human beings, and sometimes we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them.”
During an October 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, the Material Girl revealed that while she and Jackson made a failed attempt to work together, they ended up spending the entirety of their friendship having fun. “So that’s what we were doing: watching movies, having dinner, hanging out, going to the Oscars, being silly, seeing if we could work,” she told the magazine. “He got relaxed. He took off his sunglasses, had a glass of wine, I got him to laugh.”
As it happens, the late Prince — a close acquaintance of Madonna and the Jackson 5 alum — would have celebrated his 58th birthday back in June. As previously reported, the “Purple Rain” songwriter died of an opioid overdose at age 57 on April 21, in an elevator of his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Jackson’s firstborn son, Prince, also shared sweet sentiments for his deceased father on his special day. He uploaded an image of a sonnet dedicated to his legendary dad, tweeting, “Today we celebrate the birthday of a legend, but don’t forget to celebrate the Man. Here is a sonnet written for him.”
“Happy birthday to the Man who was more than a legend,” the teen added. “I love you.”

Thứ Ba, 19 tháng 7, 2016

Who is 'the Black Madonna' and why is she so important?

.- Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the “Black Madonna,” will be one of Pope Francis' primary stops during his visit to Poland at the end of this month for the global World Youth Day gathering.
The image, which has been crowned the “Queen of Poland” and is highly venerated throughout Europe, is almost a given stop for any Pope who visits the country.
Located in southern Poland, Czestochowa was the location of the 1991 global WYD gathering – the first major world event after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and which also marked the first time youth from Eastern European countries were able to set foot in the Western half.
In comments made to CNA in March, Cardinal Stanisalw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, noted how the WYD celebration this year falls on the 25th anniversary of the 1991 WYD at the Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine, which was a key year for the end of Cold War tensions.
“For the first time in history, young people coming from the Eastern countries, from beyond the Iron Curtain, took part in World Youth Day. It was the first time World Youth Day was a really a worldwide event,” Cardinal Dziwisz said.
Now, 25 years later, Pope Francis will follow in his predecessors' footsteps, and will go to venerate the image during his July 27-31 visit to Poland.
He is set to visit the monastery of Jasna Gora, which houses the image, July 28, where he will offer Mass for the 1,050 anniversary of the baptism of Poland.
But while the image holds significant meaning for Europe and for Poles in particular, what is the story behind the Black Madonna?
Legend has it the image dates back to the time of the Twelve Apostles, and was painted by the hand of St. Luke the Evangelist, who is believed to have used a tabletop from a table built by Jesus during his time as a carpenter.
According to the legend, it was while Luke was painting Mary that she recounted to him the events in the life of Jesus that would eventually be used in his Gospel.
The same legend states that when St. Helen came to Jerusalem in 326 AD to look for the true Cross, she also happened to find this image of Our Lady. She then gave it as a gift to her son Constantine, who built a shrine to venerate it.
In a major battle with the Saracens, the image was displayed from the walls of Constantinople and the Saracen army was subsequently defeated, leading many to credit the portrait with saving the city.
The image eventually fell to the care of Charlemagne, who presented it to Price Leo of Ruthenia (northwest Hungary). It was placed in the Ruthenian palace where it remained until an invasion in the 11th century.
Fearful for the fate of his city, the king prayed to Our Lady to assist his small army. The result, according to legend, was that a darkness overshadowed enemy troops, leading them to attack one another.
In the 14th century the image was transferred to Jasna Gora in Poland as an answer to a request made in a dream of Prince Ladislaus of Opola. The history of the image is better documented in while in his care.
In 1382 Tartars invaded the Prince’s fortress at Belz, and during the attack one of the Tartar arrows struck the painting and lodged in the neck of the Madonna. The prince, fearful that the image would fall into the enemy’s hands, fled during the night and stopped in the town of Czestochowa.
The painting was placed inside a small church, and the prince later had a Pauline monastery and church built at the location to ensure the painting’s safety.
However, in 1430 the Hussites overran the monastery, attempting to take the image. In the process one of the looters took the painting and put it into a wagon and tried to drive away. But when the horses refused to move, he struck the painting twice with his sword. As he raised his hand to strike it again, he suddenly fell over writhing in pain and died.
Despite previous attempts to repair the scars from the arrow and the blows from the sword, restorers had trouble in covering them up since the painting was done with tempera infused with diluted wax. The marks remain visible to this day.
Later, in 1655 when Poland was almost entirely overrun by King Charles X of Sweden, only the area surrounding the monastery remained unconquered. Miraculously, the monks who lived there were somehow able to defend the portrait throughout a 40 day siege, and Poland was eventually able to drive out the invaders.
After the miraculous event, King John II Casimir Vasa crowned the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa as Queen of Poland, placing the entire country under her care and protection.
More recent stories surrounding the image involve the Russian invasion of Poland in 1920, holding that when the Russian army was gathering on the banks of the Vistula River and threatening Warsaw, they saw an image of Our Lady in the clouds over the city, prompting them to withdraw.
The image of Our Lady of Czestochowa gets its nickname “Black Madonna” from the soot residue which discolors the painting as a result of centuries of votive lights and candles burned in front of it.
Since the fall of communism in Poland, pilgrimages to the image have significantly increased.
As many as 2.5 million pilgrims expected to gather in Krakow for this year’s WYD event. While not all of them will join Pope Francis in Czestochowa, his visit will surely attract more pilgrims to the spot.
In his comments to CNA, Cardinal Dziwisz said that given the history of WYD and the Czestochowa image, this year’s gathering is particularly significant for European countries, such as Ukraine, who are facing dramatic conflicts.
“We mustn’t forget that the World Youth Day which took place in Czestochowa 25 years ago was the first with youth who came from the countries of the east. There were around 200,000, coming from Ukraine, from Russia and Belarus,” he noted.
“For the first time, that event was truly global. We must help youth from the Eastern countries to come…above all from Belarus and Ukraine,” he said, adding that while the Ukraine conflict makes travel in the region difficult, “we don’t exclude anyone.”

Thứ Ba, 14 tháng 6, 2016

Madonna got into the wrong groove on Instagram and Twitter by posting photos of herself in condolence missives to the victims of the Orlando mass shooting.
Madonna keeps on pushing her tweets over the borderline.
The pop diva fomented outrage on social media after tweeting out condolences to the victims of the Orlando massacre that included photos of herself.
The memes — one of which features her famous kiss with Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV VMAs and the slogan, "Gay or Straight, no hate" -- were slammed by detractors who felt the singer was hung up on herself during a time of mourning in the gay community.
"@Madonna are you serious right now? This isn't about you and your fake ass kiss for publicity," fumed one commentator. "I would think you'd know better."
Another Twitter user replied, "Really? 50 people died and you want to make this about you?!"
In the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, 49 patrons were shot dead and more than 50 others were wounded early Sunday morning during a rampage inside Orlando's Pulse, a popular gay club.
Police shot and killed the gunman — identified as Omar Mateen — after storming the club after a three-hour hostage standoff.
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37, grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to Vero Beach by himself. "Wilson-Leon had been together with Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35, and another fatality in the Pulse nightclub shooting, for about eight years," the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Madonna has had her struggles with a reputation for using social media for blatant self-promotion.
In early 2015, critics slammed The Material Girl for posting altered photos ofdeceased civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley to hawk her album, "Rebel Heart."

Chủ Nhật, 8 tháng 5, 2016

Madonna's naked flesh has taught me a lesson I'll never forget


Bare bum cheeks, taped-up nipples, leather... when it comes to Madonna, we’ve seen it all before. So when the singer arrived at the Met Gala, this week, wearing scraps of lace and PVC patched together to make a gown - one with her bum and boobs on show - I barely batted an eyelid.
Her outfit looked like it was designed to shock and be as revolutionary as her conical bra in the 80s. But to my Millennial eyes, it all just looked tired and, dare I say it, unfashionable. Compared to red carpet pros Alexa Chung and Lea Seydoux, Madonna looked like a hippie mum gone mad .
The critics agreed. Headlines called it a “fashion fail,” while commentators said she was “truly undignified”, “utterly classless” and plain “desperate.”
But Madonna has had the last word. In an Instagram post that can only be described as a massive ‘f*** you’, she explained that her dress was “a political statement as well as a fashion statement.”
“When it comes to women’s rights, we are still in the dark ages,” she wrote. “The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an age-ist and sexist society.
“I have never thought in a limited way and I’m not going to start.”
In other words – all the haters sitting at home and wondering why she couldn’t just put on a structured Balmain gown and look chic - are ‘limited’. While Madonna most certainly is not.
If that wasn’t painful enough to hear from the original Queen of Pop, she continued to spell it out: “If you have a problem with the way I dress, it is simply a reflection of your prejudice.”
I’ve officially been schooled by Madonna.
Because she’s right. As much as we critics pretended we were against her outfit - rather than the woman inside it - it’s not the truth. If Madonna had worn the exact same garb in the 80s, when she was in her early 20s, would we have been so judgmental?
It hurts to admit it, but if Madonna had worn her lace get-up in a scene from Desperately Seeking Susan, I'd probably have thought it was an admirable statement, and wished I were her (as much I do during every other scene in that film).
But because she was wearing it a few decades on, I found it embarrassing. I'm  guilty of the very ageism and sexism that Madonna describes.
Of course, I am not the only one. As a society we’ve created a world where people over the age of 40 are only ‘cool’ if they fit certain models. Nonagenarian Iris Apfel rocks because she has amazing fashion sense and statement glasses; Mary Beard has her #greyhairdontcare; Mary Berry wears bomber jackets.
Yet when an older woman makes a choice we don’t understand, like Madonna’s matador outfit and this recent bum-flashing number, we react with disgust so strong that they feel the need to call us out.
Sarah Jessica Parker schools a fan
Sarah Jessica Parker schools a fan
Sarah Jessica Parker did the same thing. After her Met ball outfit was slammed this week, she replied to a critic on Instagram: “Perhaps you didn’t like what I wore which is completely fine but you can’t accuse me not paying close attention and adhering to the theme [Manus x Machina].”
Both SJP and Madge have responded in the best way possible. They’ve used social media to get their voices heard and provide context for their outfits, in a thought-provoking way. They’ve changed people’s minds - including my own.
But they shouldn’t have had to.
We, the public, shouldn't have judged them so harshly based on their appearances alone. We’ve started to recognise that when an actress is on the red carpet we should #AskHerMore than which designer her dress is by. So why do we keep shoving women into ‘best dressed’ and ‘worst dressed’ galleries every time they walk out of the house?
As Madonna said in her post: “We cannot effect change unless we are willing to take risks, by being fearless and by taking the road less travelled by. That’s how we change history.”

Thứ Sáu, 25 tháng 3, 2016

Madonna continues her reign as Queen of Pop and highest-grossing solo touring artist


Madonna continues her reign as Queen of Pop and highest-grossing solo touring artist

AFTER wrapping up her Rebel Heart Tour earlier this week, figures have confirmed that Madonna still holds the record as the highest-grossing solo touring artist, taking in a total of $1.31 billion reports Billboard.

According to Billboard's Boxscore figures, which go back to 1990, the star's recent Rebel Heart Tour earned $170 million and sold more than 1 million tickets, earning her the title of the highest-grossing solo touring artist in Billboard Boxscore history, a position she had lost to Bruce Springsteen between 2012 and 2014.

Overall, the singer now ranks third on the all-time top-grossing Billboard Boxscore list, behind only the Rolling Stones ($1.84 billion) and U2 ($1.67 billion).

She is also one of only six artists who have surpassed the $1 billion mark since 1990, and is the only woman to do so, with Elton John raking in $1.05 billion and Bon Jovi $1.03 billion, all as of March 23, 2016.
Madonna became the highest-grossing female touring artist in 2004, a record she has held continuously for the past 12 years.