Patrick Leonard discusses working with Madonna in the Top 2000 A GOGO
Patrick Leonard discusses working with Madonna and specifically on ‘Like a Prayer’ at the Top 2000 A GOGO HERE
Patrick Leonard discusses working with Madonna and specifically on ‘Like a Prayer’ at the Top 2000 A GOGO HERE
The magazine on Dec. 21 published its writers’ picks for the 10 Best Music Books of 2016. Among the selections was author Alina Simone’s “Madonnaland and Other Detours Into Fame and Fandom.”
“Writing about a figure that already has countless words dedicated to her, singer/writer Alina Simone gives us a fuller, weirder and more interesting overview of Madonna than we may have thought possible,” Jason Diamond wrote. “By exploring Madonna’s hometown of Bay City, Michigan, ‘Madonnaland’ looks at the world that created the performer, the town that she left behind and the people whose lives she has changed. It’s the way Simone presents her story that’s most riveting, whether it’s looking at idiosyncratic figures from the pop star’s home state (Question Mark and the Mysterians; forgotten and collector-beloved band Flying Wedge) or her own journey from pop music fandom to indie rock.”
Other books on the list include Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography “Born to Run,” Phil Collins’ memoir “Not Dead Yet,” and “Trouble Boys,” the biography of seminal Midwestern punk rockers the Replacements.
Madonna, for the uninitiated, was born in Bay City’s Mercy Hospital — now Bradley House, 100 15th St. — on Aug. 16, 1958. A controversy arose in 1987 after a televised interview the pop singer had with Jane Pauley, wherein Madonna described Bay City as “a little, smelly town in northern Michigan.” A couple of sentences later, she clarified “I have great affection for Bay City,” a clause that was apparently forgotten in the public memory.
The 138-page book was published March 1 by the University of Texas Press, which had commissioned Simone to pen a biography of Madonna. As part of her research, the New York-based Simone visited Bay City in February 2014 to attend a Madonna seminar hosted by local music historian Gary Johnson.
From its first sentence, the book is steeped in Bay City lore, with Johnson featured prominently throughout. The city’s history as a boomtown during its 19thCentury logging heyday and the associated infamy with Hell’s Half Mile are recounted. Figures such as state Rep. Charles M. Brunner, local historian Ron Bloomfield, and then-Mayor Christopher Shannon pop up.
BAY CITY, MI — Bay County music historian Gary Johnson recalls making the trip to Cleveland in 2008 to watch Bay City’s most famous daughter inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Though the induction ceremony was conducted in New York City, it was broadcast live at the hall’s Ohio museum. Johnson says it was a thrill…
“My involvement in it was trying to dig up the history of Madonna and her hometown,” Johnson said. “Alina was hoping she could find some people in Bay City who were willing to comment on the record their opinion of Madonna, both pro and con. Nobody was willing to talk on the record about being anti-Madonna, which is kind of surprising. You bring up her name in Bay City and the first thing they bring up is the ‘insult,’ which we know didn’t really happen.”
Faced with the deluge of material already written about Madonna, Simone ended up opting not to write a standard biography and returned her publisher’s advance. Instead of abandoning the project altogether, she crafted a Gonzo-style work, having “set off on a quirky detour through the backroads of celebrity and fandom and the people who love or loathe Madonna,” according to the book’s back cover.
Why does Bay City hate Madonna, journalist asks
Every two years, a journalist, politician or community leader is pushing the city to do something — anything! — to honor and recognize Madonna, the Queen of Pop.
“Once she bagged the (original) idea, I thought that was pretty much the end of it,” Johnson said. “Then she came up with this other angle of writing a book about trying to write a book about Madonna. It’s an interesting take on the whole thing.”
In addition to covering Madonna’s link with Bay City, Simone dedicated large portions of her book to the city’s past with “96 Tears,” the Question Mark & the Mysterians tune recorded on Bay City’s West Side in 1965. The garage rock classic went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.
Mayor Shannon in July 2014 dedicated “96 Tears” as Bay City’s official rock ‘n’ roll song, with the sinuous process for that distinction explored in Simone’s book.
Johnson said he was shocked to log onto Rolling Stone’s website and see the list.
“It was thrill enough just to be mentioned in a published book, but to have it recognized as one of the best of the year by a respected national music publication and to be among music heroes like Bruce Springsteen and the Replacements, not to mention Slim Harpo and Paul Simon, is something I’m still having trouble getting my head around,” he said. “I think my jaw hit my chest.
More at MLIVE
The nadir of Madonna’s divorce from Guy Ritchie hit when gossip sites spat out intimate details of their marriage, including the remarkable morsel that the pop icon slathered her skin in a $800 cream every night before encasing herself in plastic wrap. Whether that was true then is unknown, but it’s likely not true now, given Madonna is shilling her own, slightly more affordable skin-care line. It debuted in Japan several weeks ago and, according to Madonna, will hit U.S. shelves soon.
Called MDNA, the line is composed of six products: a face wash, serum, rose mist, eye mask, eye serum, and a mud mask. MDNA’s promises fall in line with most other skin-care brands: to moisturize, promote skin elasticity, and clear congested pores. Water sourced from Montecatini, a tiny town in northern Italy, is said to add a somewhat mystical “healing component” to the MDNA lineup, and the Chrome Clay Mask, which uses volcanic ash collected from the same Italian town, is amplified when removed with a magnet. The magnetic component is something seen in other masks that have debuted within the past year, where the magnet stimulates negatively charged compounds found on skin to boost circulation and collagen production.
MDNA has yet to release an exact date for its U.S. launch. In the meantime, Madonna is previewing the line on Instagram, and making a hell of a run at beauty blogging, to boot.
More at NYmag
Veronica magazine have published a two page spread on Madonna and Sean Penn, according to Veronica magazine they should hook up as they belong together. The magazine is available at your local supermarket and bookstore, number 50/51).
As the article features a gorgeous shot taken at Madonna’s Tears of a Clown Art Basel event, this has been added to our Tears of a Clown page (Miami gallery tab)
Unfortunately NPO3 confirms that they have decided not to purchase the rights to air Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour on Dutch TV.
Previously they bought the rights to The MDNA Tour and aired it three times, the quality of the broadcast was miles better than that of the released DVD/blu-ray so this is a pity.
Hopefully the Rebel Heart Tour will air on a different channel, we’ll keep you updated.
“Someone just suggested to me a televised ‘freedom concert’ to air at the same time as the inauguration — with huge celebrities like Beyoncé and Jay Z, Madonna, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, and so on,” Reich wrote on Facebook. “Alec Baldwin MC’s the event, playing Trump as he does on SNL.”
Pop culture heavy-hitters performing during the President-elect’s televised swearing-in would certainly give Trump a run for the ratings, something he takes very seriously. Such a star-studded event would also highlight the immense difficulty Trump has faced pinning down performers for his special day, most recently losing Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli after severe online backlash. Even Washington, D.C.’s local marching bands are declining to attend.
Talk of a so-called “freedom concert” has gained traction with Reich’s nearly 1.7 million Facebook followers, with the reach continuing to grow as it is shared across all social media platforms. A Change.org petition launched as well, with nearly 45,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
Full article at Advocate.com
This is the original Warner Bros USA presskit for Madonna’s album ‘Like a Virgin’ from 1984. This presskit contains a bio and original press photo, this has been added to our Like a Virgin album promo page in the memorabilia section.
CANVAS will air Madonna’s original performance of ‘Holiday’ on Top Of The Pops on TV Special: The Collection.
Included performances are
The Specials – ‘Ghost Town’, Duran Duran – ‘Girls On Film‘, Soft Cell – ‘Tainted Love’, The Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’, Public Image Limited – ‘Flowers Of Romance’, Dexy’s Midnight Runners – ‘Come On Eileen’, U2 – ‘New Year’s Day’, Culture Club – ‘Karma Chameleon’, Spandau Ballet – ‘True’, Frankie Goes To Hollywood – ‘Relax’, Madonna – ‘Holiday’ en Wham – ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’.
1 January 2017 01:05 – 02:00 local time (repeated at 04:05 – 05:00)
NBC is celebrating the 90th birthday of American music icon Tony Bennett with a two-hour special, Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come, airing tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Filmed at New York’s Radio City Music Hall last September, the program is hosted by Alec Baldwin, impersonating Bennett rather than Donald Trump. It includes performances by Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Elton John, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Leslie Odom, Jr., Kevin Spacey, Stevie Wonder, Rufus Wainwright and Bennett himself. It also features appearances by Garth Brooks, Steve Buscemi, Robert De Niro, Celine Dion, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Madonna, Wynton Marsalis, Paul McCartney, John McEnroe, Miss Piggy, Regis Philbin, Keith Richards, Don Rickles, Homer Simpson, Carrie Underwood, Bruce Willis, Oprah Winfrey and Trisha Yearwood.
At a program at the Paley Center for Media in New York last week, Danny Bennett, the singer’s son and manager, who executive-produced the special, called it a celebration rather than a tribute: “Tony never looks back, he only looks forward.”
“When I reached out to artists, not one didn’t say yes,” he said, adding, “I didn’t want it to be scripted, I wanted it to be spontaneous…Tony’s music transcends generations.”
Astoria, Queens-born Bennett–who turned 90 last August; has performed for over 60 years and won 19 Grammys; and is also an accomplished painter–told the Paley Center audience that his family had inspired his career when he sang for them as a child, particularly after his father died when he was ten. “I was shocked because I loved him so much. My relatives came over every Sunday to see my family, they said, ‘We love the way you sing, we like the way you paint.’ My relatives told me who I was. There’s not a day that I don’t paint, not a day I don’t think about a song to sing,” he explained.
Bennett–who said the biggest influences on his singing career include Billie Holiday, Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby—revealed that Bob Hope had urged him to Americanize his name from Anthony Dominick Benedetto to Tony Bennett, and later took him on the road to perform.
“Jack Benny and George Burns told me it would take nine years to learn how to perform. They were exactly correct, it took me nine years to learn what to leave out,” he said.
Bennett, who has performed with Lady Gaga since 2011, said she “gave me her audience, and I gave her my audience,” adding that he would also like to perform sometime with Beyonce.
“I love what I do, I love to make people feel good, I don’t want to retire,” he added, describing his 90th birthday concert as “the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life, in my whole career.”
A companion CD to the NBC special, Tony Bennett Celebrates 90, featuring musical performances from the broadcast, was released last week; this includes a booklet featuring appreciation essays by President Bill Clinton, Martin Scorsese, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Mandel, Bill Charlap and Everett Raymond Kinstler. A deluxe 3-CD package, with the companion CD and two additional CDs featuring rare and never before released archival studio and live Tony Bennett recordings, is also available exclusively on Amazon.
More at Forbes
We have added this fab video to our ‘First Album’ album promo page (video section)
We have just added this original invitation flyer for advance screenings of Desperately Seeking Susan to our Desperately Seeking Susan Filmography page.
Rarely seen and original this invite reads:
‘Advance Screenings of Orion Pictures’ Hip hit-to-be Desperately Seeking Susan’
Previews were held on March 26 and 27, while it opened officially on March 29 1985.
This has been added to Desperately Seeking Susan (memorabilia section) in Filmography, stay tuned for many more extremely rare items to be added soon!
Hereby we introduce to you our 10th anniversary film. This film compiles the highlights of everything MadonnaUnderground has done in the past 10 (11) years; various competitions, official release parties, screenings, live events and many exclusives. Maybe you even spot yourself? Enjoy!
MU 10 year anniversary film door madonnaunderground
HMV Japan have listed a new MDNA World Tour DVD release (Japan) on March 8, 2017.
Madonna decided to share images of her ‘boring’ meeting today through her Instagram. A meeting we all would like to have attended privately because what did we spot?
So what’s going on here? Will there be an exhibition? Will Madonna start an online exhibition to showcase her costumes? Only time will tell….not such a boring meeting after all!
This is your chance to see Desperately Seeking Susan on the big screen in movie theater LAB111 in Amsterdam.
They will be showing the film this Wednesday at 19.00, to order your tickets click HERE
Danny Elfman’s exciting, tuneful score for Warren Beatty big-budget filming of comic strip hero Dick Tracy gets the royal 2-CD treatment! Beatty also stars, with support from mega-cast including Madonna, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, many others. Legendary cameraman Vittorio Storaro shoots in bright comic colors, equally famed production designer Richard Sylbert realizes vivid art deco cityscape, Disney’s Buena Vista effects team creates fantastic matte paintings, other visuals. Add incredible makeup for wide array of monstrous villains and Chester Gould’s police detective rises from comic strip to real life on the big screen, earning three Academy Awards in the transition! Danny Elfman anchors with period New York vibe, then creates dynamic, sizzling orchestral action music with aggressive overtones plus gorgeous seductive theme for “Breathless” Mahoney (Madonna). Unusual scoring assignment has Elfman writing his music with numerous ideas designed to play into, out from and circle around many Stephen Sondheim songs (issued at time of movie’s release and not available for this edition) while maintaining thematic structure of its own. Elfman succeeds! Even in brief, cues are dazzling, fully-realized miniatures! Main Dick Tracy theme is martial and righteous, romantic ideas are sumptuous and harmonically fluid. Robust and ravishing from start to finish! 1990 album offered just 35 minutes of score with creative edits and assemblies within each sequence. However, Elfman wrote and recorded over 100 minutes of music, including several alternates plus versions not heard in the film. Some of these alternates boast strikingly different ideas, others are more nuanced. At request of composer, Intrada presents original 1990 score album intact from digital album master, then features unedited cues as scored in picture sequence plus treasure trove of additional material. Elfman fans should be delirious! To prepare all the new material for this lavish 2-CD set, Intrada engaged original scoring engineer Dennis Sands to create brand new 2016 state-of-the-art stereo mixes from Disney’s 32-track digital session masters. Hear stunning array of new details! Fascinating to enjoy Elfman’s original album (a masterful presentation itself) then hear unedited versions of the cues with all-new clarity following their original 1990 mixes. All those additional cues and alternates are even more icing on the cake. Notes by Jeff Bond, rich graphic design by Kay Marshall, Joe Sikoryak with flipper-style cover art enhance this fabulous package. Early-ish Danny Elfman at his rousing, symphonic best! Steve Bartek, Jack Hayes headline orchestrators, Shirley Walker conducts. Intrada Special Collection 2-CD release available while supplies and interest remain!
CD 1 – 1990 Original Score Album Unedited And Additional Original Score Cues |
CD 2 – Unedited And Additional Original Score Cues (Cont.) |
Never before seen images of Madonna will be featured in the upcoming Emmy and the Breakfast Club film by Guy Guido.
Follow the official Instagram account here
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