Madonna made a surprise appearance at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards to kick off the event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Following a visual of Madonna arriving in New York City in a yellow taxi, the legendary pop star came out on stage to her in 1990 hit “Vogue” in a full leather getup to commemorate the 40th anniversary of MTV.
“And they said we wouldn’t last, but we are still here, motherfuckers!”
With those words, Madonna opened the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, which along with her iconic 40-year career as the Queen of Pop, is also celebrating the network’s four-decades-long anniversary.
The pop legend nodded to her own arrival in New York City as a 19-year-old with an opening segment. “I told the taxi driver tp take me to the center of it all,” says Madonna in a voice over while riding the cab to Times Square. “I came to New York City with nothing but 35 dollars and a pair of dance shoes. … I was 19 and terrified.”
Celebrating MTV’s birth, Madonna continued: “Forty years ago, another underdog arrived in New York City hoping to create something revolutionary and all music channel premiered in the middle of the night and called itself MTV. We found each other and from from then on changed my life, changed music and created a new art form. That’s why there’s only one place to be tonight.”
Madonna just opened the MTV Awards with the recently recorded video at the center of Times Square and then hit the stage personally..
Long before the likes of Doja Cat, Madonna was a trailblazing pop force both when it came to minting hits and courting scandal. Take for example her one-two punch of “Like a Prayer” and “Justify My Love,” the first of which takes place in and around a church and features shots of burning crosses. “Like a Prayer” unleashed a global debate, and even led Pope John Paul II to call for a boycott of her concerts. Meanwhile, the iconic black-and-white video for “Justify My Love” showcases the pop star getting intimate with a group in a hotel room. MTV banned the video, which Madonna said was hypocritical: “Why is it that people are willing to go and watch a movie about someone getting blown to bits for no reason at all, and nobody wants to see two girls kissing and two men snuggling?”
The “Like a Virgin” singer was in the middle of a post-show interview when Love began hurling items she’d found in her makeup bag her way. Kurt Loder, who was conducting the interview, proceeded to invite the Hole performer to join Madonna for the conversation.
“Courtney Love’s in dire need of attention right now,” Madonna teased.
Full article at US Magazine
No doubt, Madonna was the mother of invention for controversy at the VMAs from the moment she writhed across the floor in a white wedding dress singing “Like a Virgin” at the very first ceremony in 1984. But she was still expressing herself in the most shocking of ways 19 years later when she kissed both Spears and Aguilera in a medley of “Like a Virgin” and “Hollywood.” It was a scandalous smooch that even had former Britney beau Justin Timberlake gagging. And there was definitely a lot more heat happening than when Michael Jackson went mouth to mouth with then-wife Lisa Marie Presley in 1994.
Full article at NYPOST
“Live to Tell” is one of Madonna’s most famous slow songs; however, the version of “Live to Tell” that became a single isn’t the version Madonna wanted on the radio. The Queen of Pop clashed with her record label, Sire Records, over the song. During an interview, Madonna’s regular songwriter revealed she only wrote lyrics for “Live to Tell” as a favor for him.
According to Stereogum, Madonna’s “Live to Tell” was originally supposed to be a song for the soundtrack to the romantic film Fire with Fire. Ultimately, it became a single for the soundtrack to Sean Penn’s movie At Close Range. During an interview with Boy Culture, Madonna’s regular songwriter, Patrick Leonard, discussed how “Live to Tell” became part of the At Close Range soundtrack.
Full article at Showbiz CheatSheet
A total of 17 promotional adverts for The Virgin Tour on video cassette have been added to the brand new ‘Adverts’ section in The Virgin Tour
Stay tuned for more!
1985 (Japan)
The second batch of press articles on The Virgin Tour have just been added to the press section HERE
More coming up!
Rock Show August 1985 (Japan)
Travel back in time to the year 1985 and relive The Virgin Tour! Madonna’s first ever tour was a huge success and we have the press articles to prove it.
A total of 46 images (reviews/articles/posters) have been added to The Virgin Tour in the first batch of original articles from magazines and newspapers. Many rare and interesting clippings available for you to view!
Much more coming up!
Popcorn June 1985 (Germany)
When it all started going wrong, they called George Harrison. The former Beatle’s movie shingle, Handmade Films, was the company behind one of 1986’s biggest cinematic hopes — Shanghai Surprise — an international period caper starring the biggest celebrity in the world and her recently acquired husband, himself a critically-acclaimed actor.
But things weren’t going to plan on the Hong Kong set of the film (celebrating 35 years this week), which is the story of a fortune hunter (Sean Penn) who helps a nurse (Madonna) source some opium in 1938, while being chased by an array of gangsters and other n’er-do-wells.
Paparazzi were invading the production, the notoriously fractious leading couple were, well, being themselves and for mild-mannered British director Jim Goddard, it was all a bit too much.
Full article at YAHOO!News
Check out this very early advert that includes Madonna’s debut album as featured in the September 1st edition of Daily News in 1983.
‘The Heritage Of Black Music Continues…’
This has been added to the adverts section of The First Album
Daily News September 1 1983 (USA)
Madonna has gone back in time … for a sexy video shoot in the middle of Times Square.
The Material Girl looked like a version of her former self on the set of what we’re told is a spot for the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards … featuring a NYC taxi cab right out of the ’80s.
For about a minute, while scrolling through Instagram today, we were sure that Madonna was posting outtakes of her 2009 “Blame It On Rio” cover story shot by Steven Klein for this magazine. In that spread, Madonna famously traipsed around a Brazilian vacation home in a cavalcade of little black dresses, robes, sunglasses, and lingerie amongst a small army of shirtless male models (one of whom she’d go on to date for a bit). This, of course, is not to be confused with her landmark “Justify My Love” video, in which she also makes the most of black lingerie and a hotel room. Though, as it turns out, the mini-photoshoot Madonna uploaded to Instagram today was entirely new material, proving that at 63 there’s still no one better when it comes to stealing the scene with some black silk and white sheets.
Check out this rare article as published in Newsday on April 29 in 1983. This has been added to the press section of The First Album archives.
“She’s really obsessed with the holocaust,” Madonna said of Lang. “We did this great piece called ‘Butterflies,’ based on some children’s drawings found in a concentration camp. It was a really torturous, heart-rencing piece.”
Read full article below
Newsday April 29 1983 (USA)
Madame X Tour broadcast on MTV Nederland (Dutch TV) just confirmed to us. The special will air on October 9 at 21.30 local time!
More goodies for all Desperately Seeking Susan lovers:
Check it all out HERE
Original script 1st draft dated 1983 (USA)
