‘ICONIC’ Rebel Heart Tour backdrop video snippets
Read moreLarge article on ‘Strike A Pose’ in Dutch newspaper ‘de Volkskrant’
There’s a large spread in Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant today on Strike A Pose, including an interview with Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan.
Click HERE to read the article (in Dutch)
New in our Filmography: Madonna in Shadows And Fog (press pictures, memorabilia, video & more)
Now that the Rebel Heart Tour has wrapped up we can finally focus on continuing the Filmography.
While we are busy working on other things relating to MadonnaUnderground which might explain the lack of news lately, we have the following addition for you to enjoy:
Madonna starred as Marie in Shadows and Fog, directed by Woody Allen..a film quite unknown to many. It was only a cameo for Madonna so didn’t have a lot of screen time. The movie met mixed reviews but was never considered a success.
We have compiled a Shadows & Fog page for you in our Filmography including:
- Facts
- Press Pictures (do not share please)
- Memorabilia
- Trailer
- Movie scene
- Buy the movie
Direct link HERE, ENJOY
MADONNA’S BLOND AMBITION DANCER JOSE: ‘PEOPLE STILL TELL ME THAT DOCUMENTARY SAVED THEIR LIVES’
It’s been 25 years since Madonna released her documentary film In Bed With Madonna, which profiled the star on and off stage during her legendary Blond Ambition Tour of 1990. The film also shone a spotlight on her troupe of mostly gay dancers, whose presence in her life and on her stage preached a powerful message of acceptance to her huge mainstream fan base.
Now, a quarter of a century later, their stories are being revisited through a new documentaryStrike A Pose, by film makers Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, and Attitude has taken the opportunity to catch up with five of them.
We’ve already caught up with Slam, Kevin, Carlton and Oliver, and in this fifth and final interview with Jose, he says people still contact him to praise the original film, and that he’s currently working on the eagerly-anticipated Baz Luhrman Netflix series…
You were one of the youngest dancers on the Blonde Ambition Tour weren’t you?
I was 18, and I celebrated my 19th birthday on tour. Imagine that, right? I felt like it was not only the opportunity of a lifetime that was given to a lot of us, but it was such a huge job to be so young. Dancers work for all of their lives, and it takes years to try and achieve enough credibility to be even considered for a job like that.
You are one of the most prominent faces in the ‘Vogue’ video, and you already knew the dance style at that point?
Yes, yes. It was very big in the ballroom and underground club scene here in New York, in the Harlem balls, you know? Because of the fact that I was trained professionally – I studied ballet and stuff like that – I was able to incorporate, and make it really more of a form of dance. It wasn’t originally as creative as it has evolved to be throughout the years. I did a lot of the dancing for the ‘Vogue’ video, and the choreography. I also brought it to the ‘Like A Virgin’ number on the tour.
That was the famously raunchy moment where you were wearing a big gold bra, and she was masturbating.
Yeah, it was! We were like, censored, and we were gonna get arrested. I remember. But everybody loved it, you know? Everybody is still like, “That’s one of the best scenes on the tour!” So, you know, I’m very proud of wearing those cones!
‘Vogue’ is so iconic. How does it feel to still see it after all these years?
Yeah, it’s so great even still, because its timeless, you know? David Fincher shot it and he’s amazing. All of the stars aligned, and we put out some great visual movement, and the wardrobe, the costumes, everything just gelled you know? That’s all what makes the video so timeless.
As well as ‘Vogue’, you were the gimp in the ‘Justify my Love’ video too.
Yes, I continued to work with her after the Blond Ambition Tour. It was great. We also released a couple of club tracks, and stuff like that.
In a way, that was just the start of your career. What have you been doing since then?
I’ve done so much! I’ve continued to teach. I’ve been teaching at The Door, which is an organisation funded by the board of education for minorities – urban minorities, and gay youth. It is so they can go somewhere to practice art and dance. I’ve also just finished working with Baz Luhrman on a Netflix project (The Get Down) that’s coming out soon, as an assistant choreographer, and I’m also in it so it’s been really good.
How does it feel when you consider the lasting impression of the Blond Ambition Tour, and the documentary In Bed With Madonna?
I can’t believe that after so many years, people are still like, “You saved my life – watching that movie and seeing you” and you forget that! Because you don’t set out to touch people that way, and here were are 25 years later and people are still moved by it, words can’t express like really. I was crying through out the whole premiere! It just felt so good to be appreciated like that still.
As you say, a lot of people took inspiration from seeing you guys on screen, just living your lives as gay men. Did you know at the time that Madonna was putting you on screen for that purpose?
No and I think she was also very unaware. We didn’t set out to show us at a gay pride parade, or kissing, it was all just free, like whatever happens happens. I don’t think she set out to really move everyone the way everyone was moved. It wasn’t part of the plan.
When you guys all get together again, after all these years, is there a strong sense of camaraderie?
Yeah, it’s crazy because it’s like we never left. It’s like brothers when they grow up, you know? You grow attached because you’re young and learning about relationships and friendships and stuff like that, and I think that it was like we were going through our puberty together or whatever.
What have you thought of Madonnas career in the years since then?
I think she’s still being creative of course. From a dancer’s point of view, I went to a couple of shows since the Blond Ambition Tour, but I think that her latest stuff got repetitive, you know? A little bit. As far as having 30 something dancers, and trapeze artists and big LCD screens. When we did it it was just 7 of us, and 2 singers, and that was it, and so everything else was creativity from within. It was more theatre, I think, and the dancers had more importance in the actual show. And I guess that’s why we’re still remembered.
Strike A Pose receives its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 15. For more information visit tribecafilm.com.
More at Attitude
Madonna’s All-Black Airport Style Is Proof That Travel Attire Can Be Chic
It’s no secret Madonna’s a total trendsetter when it comes to fashion. Since the early ‘80s, the Queen of Pop’s punk style has influenced entire generations of women. Today, in London’s Heathrow Airport, she proved her on-point fashion sense doesn’t stop when she steps off stage.
Wearing what appears to be a polka-dot jumpsuit under an embroidered black pea coat with fishnets, clunky shoes, and opaque sunnies, the Rebel Heart Tourfrontwoman’s outfit looked to be equal parts comfy and chic. Clearly a pro at choosing travel attire, Madonna carried a large leather bag with her for toting travel essentials.
AKM-GSI
RELATED: Lourdes Leon Is the Spitting Image of Mom Madonna in This New Photo
It’s no wonder Madonna’s so good at pulling together pro-status airport looks. She did, after all, just wrap a 6-month-long world tour at the end of March and, since then, the singer’s kept up her busy schedule. In her most recent Instagram, the “Material Girl” songstress hinted at “good things” ahead. Given her go-big-or-go-home attitude, we can only guess what the performer’s got up her sleeve.
RELATED: Lourdes Leon Looks Just Like Mom Madonna in Stella McCartney’s Fragrance Campaign
More at InStyle
MADONNA’S BLOND AMBITION DANCER OLIVER: ‘THE TOUR TAUGHT ME TO APPRECIATE GAY PEOPLE’
It’s been 25 years since Madonna released her documentary film In Bed With Madonna, which profiled the star on and off stage during her legendary Blond Ambition Tour of 1990. The film also shone a spotlight on her troupe of mostly gay dancers, whose presence in her life and on her stage preached a powerful message of acceptance to her huge mainstream fan base.
Now, a quarter of a century later, their stories are being revisited through a new documentaryStrike A Pose, by film makers Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, and Attitude has taken the opportunity to catch up with five of them. We’ve already caught up with Slam and Kevin andCarlton this week, and in this interview with Oliver, he discusses what it was like being the only straight dancer on the tour, and how he changed his views on gay people after being taken under the wing of the other dancers.
What was it like for see this new documentary Strike A Pose for the first time?
It was incredible. It was good to see us altogether on the screen again. I found out some things that I didn’t know about some of the dancers, which was shocking and enlightening. I wish I could have known all that a long time ago… but it is what it is.
Where were you, in terms of your career and experience, when you joined the Blond Ambition Tour?
I did a tour before, and a music video. I was choreographing and teaching at the time. I was actually the first teacher to teach hip hop in L.A. in 1988, and then in 1990 I heard about the audition through some students. So I had a bit of experience before.
When you joined the tour, did you have any idea of how big it would be, and the cultural impact it would have?
I had no idea. None of us had any idea of what we were getting ourselves into, and I mean that in a good way. When I got the tour, the first thing we did was the ‘Vogue’ video, and we heard it for the first time. I didn’t know what vogue was, when she told us about it, but I loved house dancing. So when I heard it, I thought, yes! And to get my own section in the video, and to get to choreograph it, at the age of 19. To put my hip hop dancing in the video was just the icing on the cake.
That’s the ‘get up on the dance floor’ bit where you pop out from behind her, which is one of the most iconic moments in music video history now.
Yeah it is! It’s so cool. It’s so cool to know that I got the opportunity to do that.
What was your best memory of the tour?
The one thing that stands out to me is when we performed at Wembley Stadium in front of 70,000 people, and it was daylight. When we came up on to the stage for ‘Express Yourself’, we all just paused because of the sea of people, it was incredible. We couldn’t believe what we saw.
When In Bed With Madonna first came out, you guys were featured quite heavily in it, and you were highlighted particularly. What was that like for you?
Well, first of all, I didn’t expect to be in it! A lot of people said to me that I was in it as much as she was! Looking back after 25 years, I think In Bed With Madonna just showed the side of being on tour, which is about the experience you make a family. And we still are a family. But the movie really shows you what the artist goes through, what the dancers go through, the ups and downs. It had a big impact on a lot of people.
You were the only straight dancer on the tour, and that was much discussed in the film. I wonder what you learned about gay people and about yourself, both through being on the tour, and through watching the documentary afterwards?
I have to thank the gay community for not throwing me under the bus. When the movie came out, a lot of gay and lesbian people could have treated me like shit, because I was very homophobic, and I was very ignorant. Basically, the guys took me under their wing, and Kevin and Gabriel just took me so under their wing, and I learned so much about the guys. I learned about how they realised they were gay, and what they went through. And then I had a different perception of the community. Carlton was like a big brother, and he was like that with everyone. Even though in the movie you can see Jose, Slam and Lewis giving me a hard time, it was all out of love. And to be honest, I would not change anything.
What have you thought of Madonna’s career since then?
I’ll tell you, after the tour when she did ‘Justify My Love’, I wasn’t too fond of that. I thought it was too much. I thought she didn’t need to do that because she was Madonna. But I have to say this: the dopest thing that she has done, from 1990 to now, was when she did ‘Vogue’ at the Superbowl. Oh my god. I got up and I applauded. She was incredible. And I actually don’t think an artist should ever change the choreography of something that iconic, but the way she did that. I thought it was the most incredible thing. It was as good as the ‘Vogue’ video.
Strike A Pose receives its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 15. For more information visit tribecafilm.com.
More at Attitude.co.uk
Madonna flies to London to reunite with son Rocco
Madonna arriving at Heathrow Airport CREDIT: DAVID DYSON
Madonna returned to the UK this morning with the hope of being reunited with her eldest son Rocco.
Following a bitter four-month custody battle with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie over the 15-year-old, she touched down in London’s Heathrow Airport, dressed all in black.
The 57-year-old mother-of-four reportedly made the plans to visit the UK in order to get Rocco back in school, following his holiday in the Maldives with his father and step-mother.
Rocco has been living in London with his filmmaker father and Guy’s new wife Jacqui, along with their three young children, ever since reportedly leaving his mother before Christmas.
He is alleged to prefer his “normal family life” in the British capital.
Last month, a High Court judge in London urged Madonna and Ritchie to try to settle the four-month battle over their son and focus on enjoying what is left of Rocco’s “precious” childhood.
Mr Justice MacDonald said it would be a “very great tragedy” if more of the “fast receding” days of Rocco’s youth were taken up by litigation.
The judge warned the pair that “summer does not last forever” – and said their child would “very quickly” become an adult.
He pleaded with them to resolve their differences in a ruling on the latest stage of litigation following a hearing in the Family Division.
Mr Justice MacDonald ruled that Madonna could halt legal action in England – and allow a judge in New York to make decisions.
Madonna’s arrival in the UK signals the end of Rebel Heart global tour, which made her the most successful solo touring artist of all time.
She has completed 82 shows and earned over £120 million from the tour.
Read more at The Telegraph
Madonna promises ‘good things are coming’ amid custody battle as she returns to London
Madonna indicated her long-running custody battle over son Rocco could be coming to an end as she returned to the UK.
The Queen of Pop flew back to London – where son Rocco has been living with his dad Guy Ritchie – after drawing her worldwide Rebel Heart tour to a close.
And Madge seemed hopeful of being reunited with her estranged son, 15, as she wrote on Twitter: “YES! Good things are coming!”
Rocco chose to stay with his father in the UK after a visit in December and defied calls for him to return to his mother in the US.
www.splashnews.com
Getty Images
Madonna looked ready to face the music as she left New York’s JFK airport on a flight to the UK today.
The mum was dressed in a polka dot jumpsuit, a black blazer and fishnet tights.
She hid her eyes behind a large pair of black sunglasses but did flash a small smile.
The Like a Prayer singer lamented her custody battle on stage during her tour.
www.splashnews.com
www.splashnews.com
According to TMZ, she told the audience in Auckland, New Zealand: “There is no love stronger than a mother for her son. But if I talk about him too much I might cry.”
Last month a High Court judge urged Madonna and her ex husband Guy to find a reasonable solution in the custody battle over their 15-year-old son.
Mr Justice MacDonald said the parents should make the most of “the precious and fast receding days” of Rocco’s childhood.
FameFlynet
Twitter
He said: “It would be a very great tragedy for Rocco if any more of the precious and fast receding days of his childhood were to be taken up by this dispute.”
Read more: Madonna hopes David Blaine’s magic can heal rift with son Rocco amid custody battle with Guy Ritchie
He added Rocco was a “credit” to both parents, saying: “Far better for each of his parents to spend that time enjoying, in turn, the company of the mature, articulate and reflective young man who is their son and who is a very great credit to them both.”
A judge in New York made similar pleas.
More at Mirror.co.uk
Ronaldo Designer Jewelry for Madonna
Musical celebs who perform at the KFC Yum! Center really get the red carpet treatment.
Many of the top artists who make a stop at the venue receive a gift of a customized, locally handcrafted piece of Ronaldo Designer Jewelry.
The KFC Yum! Center presented Blake Shelton,Madonna and Carrie Underwood with a custom bracelets prior to their individual concerts.
More at Courier-Journal.com
Life after Madonna – star’s Blond Ambition dancers reveal all with Josh Sabarra
Three of Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour backing dancers have opened up about their time with the pop superstar.
Speaking with GT columnist Josh Sabarra on his new podcast series Porn Again, dancers Luis Camacho, Kevin Stea, and Carlton Wilborn revealed some interesting details about the Material Girl.
When asked about their thoughts on the tour documentary Truth Or Dare, where Madonna called her dancers “emotionally crippled,” the men confess that they were “hurt” by the comments.
Kevin said: “I didn’t feel betrayed about it, but what I did realise when I heard those words is that we were generalisations, we were tools in a story – very stereotyped across the board to make a point.
“It made me feel sad that we weren’t given the opportunity to be individuals and to be ourselves and to really be shown as people rather than just like broken, gay dancers.”
All three dancers were given the opportunity to spend time with the icon, and naturally talk turned to what she’s really like behind closed doors.
Carlton said: “I spent time in her apartment with her. I did a play for the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York and stayed with her — waking up and having coffee and chilling out at the end of the day.
“The thing that’s always been amazing to me about her is how really normal she is in her personal life. She’s very normal hanging out with; she’s not extreme.”
Despite the apparent closeness with her dancers presented in the 1991 documentary, they assured that they were aware of their temporary role.
Carlton continued: “In regards to how close she felt… she definitely felt close but I was also aware of what she was and what we were there to do. And I was really clear, early in the game, not to get it twisted.”
So what do they think of Madonna in 2016?
“I hope she’s happy,” Kevin said, “I see her with this new family and these kids; I know how much she wanted it when we were with her and how much we were that for her.”
More at GayTimes
Madonna Is Already Carrying Gucci’s Next It Bag
Photo: Splash News
It was just a few months ago that we spied Gucci’s latest It bag, the Dionysus, on the arms of some of Hollywood’s chicest women: Beyoncé, Dakota Johnson, andSienna Miller among them. Now it appears that the Italian house has done it again with its reinterpretation of the ’80s-influenced shopper bag. Fresh from the Fall 2016 runway, the XL leather tote bag features an artistic touch, courtesy of musician and snowboarder Trevor Andrew (also known as GucciGhost), who has since gone on to work for the brand’s creative director, Alessandro Michele. And the first A-lister seen sporting the new bag was none other than Madonna, spotted in New York earlier this week.
The singer has long been muse to designers from Jean Paul Gaultier to Marc Jacobs, and here she marries a militaristic influence—note the button placket on her jacket—with a streetwear vibe. Gucci’s tote adds a polished yet lo-fi effect, which is further reinforced by a Louis Vuitton logo scarf. And while we will likely have to wait until fall for more sightings of Michele’s latest creations, leave it to music’s original fashion chameleon to lead the pack with this edgy, luxurious look.
More at Vogue
The Boys of Madonna’s Blond Ambition Star in a New Documentary
If you can still recite every line of Madonna’s “Vogue,” you probably remember the sexy men who could strike a pose or two alongside the pop queen in the video. They gave off gay sex appeal to Madge’s already pretty gay career.
Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour in 1990 was originally immortalized 25 years ago in her documentary, In Bed With Madonna. Now, we get a chance to catch up with Slam and Kevin, the boys of Blond Ambition in Strike a Pose, a documentary about the lives of Madonna’s friends and dancers by filmmakers Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan.
This week, Attitude is catching up with the Blond Ambition boys ahead of the film’s release. Yesterday, they spoke with Slam, whose gay kiss was captured in In Bed With Madonna:
“I still get letters about that! Now everyone is kissing, but at the time people didn’t think it was cool. We were just being ourselves. But it inspired a lot of people just to be yourself, and express yourself. But we did it all without knowing what an impact it would have throughout the world.”
In their interview today with Kevin, he revealed how he almost turned down the job of a lifetime:
“I’d never really followed Madonna, I was more alternative rock. So I didn’t realise how famous or popular she was. I almost turned her down! I had other commitments. She negotiated my contract with me in person on the set of the ‘Vogue’ video, in between takes. She was like, ‘So you wanna go on tour with me?’ and I was like ‘Maybe, I’ll have to get back to you.’ She was shocked! She said ‘What! What have you got?’ and I said, ‘Well I’m doing something with a woman I really like, called Marguerite’, and she was like ‘Fuck Marguerite!’”
In the end, it was Madonna who helped him realize that he was gay:
“For me, I wasn’t out. I didn’t really know what it was to be gay at that time. So when she started promoting (In Bed With Madonna) as ‘Madonna and her gay dancers,’ I was thinking, ‘Well maybe I am gay.’ It kind of took all the guess work out of it for me.”
Strike a Pose premieres on April 15 at Tribeca Film Festival.
More at OUT.com
Official Madonna merchandise discounted in official store
A lot of merchandise has been discounted in Madonna’s official store, be sure to make a visit!
MADONNA: THE MUSIC AND THE MOVIES (2016) double book by Chris Wade
Chris Wade has written two books on Madonna: On Screen and The Music Of, we were happy to review both of them.
He has now bundled both books into one big book with new artwork. To purchase please follow this LINK
Thanks to Chris Wade
Madonna at her Ghetto times – new retro sweatshirt
Purchase this fabulous retro Madonna sweatshirt now for $59.84 at RageOn now
Rebel Heart Tour Europe 2015 – Live fan report by Hans Schaft
Hans sat down for a write up on his experiences of the recent Rebel Heart Tour in Europe, he talks about what he thought attending 12 stops of this tour.
This live report has been added to our Live Experiences section as well as the Rebel Heart Tour page, or visit the direct links here
