Madonna’s Israel Trip for Eurovision Finale Has Billionaire Backer Aiming to Bolster Country’s Image

The pop icon’s “problematic” new song reportedly proved an obstacle in negotiations over the performance. With a month to the start of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, the addition of the Queen of Pop has raised the stakes.  Following weeks of speculation, Live Nation Israel announced Monday that Madonna will serve as the interval…

Madonna urged to avoid Israeli Eurovision

A group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals has urged Madonna to abandon reported plans to perform at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Madonna has been urged to abandon reported plans to perform at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Israel. A group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals in the West Bank published an open letter…

From the Archives: Outrage over Madonna video

When it first aired 30 years ago, the video for Madonna’s song “Like a Prayer” caused enormous controversy with its edgy mix of sexual and religious imagery. First published in the Sydney Morning Herald on April 9, 1989 Pop-singer Madonna’s hit video is to be investigated by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal to decide whether it is blasphemous.…