Cardiff and London VIP Packages on sale now

VIP packages to the Sticky and Sweet Tour at Cardiff and London are on sale now.


There are different packages available - visit www.livenationinternational.com/madonna and click on the appropriate venue.

Swiss Press 20 Minutes

Madonna's Paris concert made the front cover of Swiss newspaper 20 Minutes on Wedneday 08 May - along with an article about 'the kiss'.

And today's edition of the newspaper featured this article about Madonna's tour and rumours of a stop in Zurich.

Thanks to Oliver

Malawi set to approve adoption official

Authorities in Malawi are set to grant full adoption rights of an African boy to US pop star Madonna, a high court official indicated Friday, citing a leaked document.


The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the court in Lilongwe would hear a full review on May 15 of an 18-month interim custody order granted in 2006 for Madonna to adopt David Banda.


The court had also received recommendations from the ministry of women and child development to make the adoption permanent.


The document, referring to Madonna's filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie and herself, said: 'Mr and Mrs Ritchie have shown a strong commitment in providing the infant with all essential needs like love, safe home environment, care, protection, material as well as emotional support.'


The document, filed by an official of the ministry identified as Simon Chisale, said David, the son of peasant farmer Yohane Banda, had 'bonded well with the couple and other key members of the household.'


The report said David, plucked from an orphanage in poor health, 'continues to develop into a happy thriving toddler. His survival, growth and development is excellent.'


The celebrity couple were being monitored at their London home whether they were suitable parents for David by Malawian social workers.


The official said Madonna, who is expected to return to Malawi next week to continue her charity work, will not be required during the hearing, which will be held in camera.


'She will have to come to court to sign the full adoption documents later,' the official said.

From AFP Via Yahoo! News

Russian Magazines Starhit

Madonna was on the cover of Russian magazine Starhit (30 April - 06 May issue) - the magazine featured a four-page article on Madonna.

Thanks to Andrej

Give It 2 Me debuts on Billboard Hot 100

Madonna's next single Give It 2 Me produced by Madonna and The Neptunes, is this week's hot shot debut, entering at the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #57.

Thanks to jct7722

Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour: Date Sheet

Dial M for Madonna - Upcoming Art Show

Albert Crudo's "McDonna: Over a Billion Serviced"

The WOW Storefront Gallery at 6650 Hollywood Blvd is having a spectacular opening on Friday, May 23, called "Dial M for Madonna" and it's all about Madonna inspired art. Over forty artists are showing images of her decades long career in the form of paintings, sculptures, photography and videos. Be sure to check out the conical bra made of chocolate.

E! Online's Marc Malkin enthuses over the upcoming "Dial M for Madonna" art show at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery. Watch video here.

StubHub Enlisted in Resale Of Madonna Concert Tickets

Madonna's coming concert tour is to feature what appears to be a first in the concert business: An official ticket reseller that will peddle seats at marked-up prices to fans who couldn't get them through normal channels. In the U.S. and Canada, eBay Inc.'s StubHub will serve as the "official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace." In Europe, the role will be filled by Viagogo Ltd., a ticket reseller that also will sell "VIP packages" -- higher-priced tickets that include amenities like backstage passes and meetings with performers.

The Source: The Wall Street Journal

Sticky and Sweet Tour!

*official tour poster nro.2

After giving her old label Warner Brothers one last going-away present with the number one debut of Hard Candy, Madonna is ready to make good on her ten-year contract with Live Nation by launching her Sticky and Sweet Tour. The trek will kick off in Cardiff, Wales, on August 23rd, spin through Europe and then cross the Atlantic for an October 3rd show in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Material Girl will then play stadiums and arenas throughout the U.S. before venturing down for a South America jaunt. Live Nation will produce the tour, Madonna’s first since her record-breaking Confessions tour raked in $260 million in 2006. Ticket prices will be in the $55-$350 range. Full tour dates to the first Sticky and Sweet leg are after the jump.

August 23 - Cardiff @ Millennium Stadium
August 26 - Nice @ Stade Charles Ehrmann
August 28 - Berlin @ Olympic Stadium
September 2 - Amsterdam @ Arena
September 4 - Dusseldorf @ LTU Arena
September 6 - Rome @ Olympic Stadium
September 9 - Frankfurt @ Commerzbank Arena
September 11 - London @ Wembley Stadium
September 20 - Paris @ Stade de France
October 3 - E. Rutherford @ Izod Center
October 6 - New York City @ Madison Square Garden
October 7 - New York City @ Madison Square Garden
October 15 - Boston @ TD BankNorth Garden
October 18 - Toronto @ Air Canada Centre
October 22 - Montreal @ Bell Centre
October 26 - Chicago @ United Center
October 30 - Vancouver @ BC Place Stadium
November 1 - Oakland @ Oracle Arena
November 4 - San Diego @ Petco Park
November 6 - Los Angeles @ Dodger Stadium
November 8 - Las Vegas @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
November 11 - Denver @ Pepsi Center
November 16 - Houston @ Minute Maid Park
November 19 - Philadelphia @ Wachovia Center
November 22 - Atlantic City @ Boardwalk Hall
November 24 - Atlanta @ Philips Arena
November 26 - Miami @ Dolphin Stadium

Madonna Confirms World Tour Details

Madonna has announced that she will begin a world tour in August. The singer's 'Sticky & Sweet' tour will take in 27 arena and stadium shows across Europe and North America, beginning at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on August 23. Further dates, including stops in Mexico and South America, are to be announced later this year.

Tickets go on sale on May 16, with prices for the UK dates beginning at £55.

Madonna's last concert tour, 2006's 'Confessions Tour', grossed more than $260m, making it the most successful tour by a female artist ever.

Madonna to end tour at Dolphin Stadium

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour is coming to South Florida, promoters announced Thursday. The tour will wrap up Nov. 26, a Wednesday, with a show at Dolphin Stadium. That's nearly two months after the North American leg of the tour kicks off Oct. 3 in East Rutherford, N.J. It is Madonna's first major tour since 2006. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. May 31.

They are priced at $70, $120, $195 and $390.

Tickets are available at www.livenation.com, www.madonna.com and all TicketMaster outlets or charge-by-phone at: Miami-Dade, 305-358-5885; Broward, 954-523-3309; or Palm Beach, 561-966-3309. There will be a six- ticket per person limit for stadium events.

Madonna World Tour Kicks Off in August!

*official tour poster nro.1

Madonna will kick off her "Sticky and Sweet" world tour on Aug. 23 in Cardiff, Wales, the 49-year-old pop star announced Wednesday. The aptly-titled tour follows the release of her latest chart-topping album Hard Candy.

After Cardiff, the tour will continue through Europe, making stops in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as elsewhere in the U.K., including a Sept. 11 performance at London's Wembley Stadium.

The tour's North American leg kicks off Oct. 3 in East Rutherford, N.J., followed by 17 performances in the U.S. and Canada, including N.Y.C.'s Madison Square Garden on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, and L.A.'s Dodger Stadium on Nov. 6. The final U.S. date is on Nov. 26 at Miami's Dolphin Stadium. Additional dates in Mexico and South America will also be added, said the tour organizer.

Exclusive Madonna Interview (AT&T)

Check out AT&T blue room’s exclusive interview with the Madonna about her new album, “Hard Candy": http://www.attblueroom.com/music.

Madonna reveals behind the scenes insights into the making of “Hard Candy,” including what it was like to work with Justin Timberlake and Pharrell, as well as background on some of the album’s top songs. Describing “Hard Candy,” Madonna says, “everybody experiences loss, everybody wants something they can’t have, everybody takes things for granted, everybody wants to have fun…so I think [“Hard Candy” has] very universal themes.”

*Thank you to David Fishman from AT&T!

Madonna Stunned By Sexual Cleansing Ritual

Pop superstar Madonna was left shocked and appalled by a bizarre sex ritual which young widows in Malawi have to go through after their husbands die - because it fuels the spread of Aids in the country. In her new documentary I Am Because We Are, Madonna chronicles the plight of the people in the African nation, where she adopted her son David in 2006, and she admits some local customs left her feeling sick.

In one segment of the harrowing new film, the star reveals a young widow is forced to have sex three times with a stranger from outside her village as part of a cleansing ritual. She says, "When this woman's husband dies of Aids, she is required by the village head tribal chief to go through this sexual cleansing. Until she does, basically the village is, like, at a standstill. And, if she refuses to do it, she will be ostracised by everyone."

Madonna Upset Her French Fans

Pop superstar Madonna upset her fans in France on Tuesday night (06May08) after turning up to a concert more than two hours late. The Holiday hitmaker further disgruntled her followers by only giving a 40-minute performance in the nation's capital, Paris.

Dressed in a black T-shirt, trousers and big boots, she finally took to the stage on a big chair by sipping champagne directly from the bottle. She got up from the chair and kissed one of her female dancers - like she did with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards - before performing Hard Candy.

One fan, Melanie Monnier, told WENN after the show, "She is great, but the wait and the shortness of the show were a bit disappointing. There was a real lack of emotion."

And fan Guy Juliean even doubted Madonna was performing live. He said, "The show was perfect - too perfect with no room for any emotion. Was she singing live? I'm not sure. It was good to see her but I'm a bit disappointed by her lack of charisma tonight on stage."

The singer announced her love of France and spoke of the honour of performing on the same stage as the iconic French chanteuse Edith Piaf, or fellow legends Juliette Greco and Marlene Dietrich. Lenny Kravitz, John Galliano and Kelly Rowland were among the crowd to see her perform four singles from her new album Hard Candy, as well as Hung up and Music.

Robyn Rules Out Working With Madonna

Swedish singer Robyn has ruled out a possible duet with Madonna - because she's more of a "celebrity" than a musician.

Robyn insists she wouldn't work with the Material Girl until she concentrates on her career rather than her status in the media spotlight. The star says, "I don't expect to work with her! Anyway, I don't collaborate with celebs, I work with musicians."

O'Donnell Pushing Madonna To Direct Nip/Tuck Episode

Rosie O'Donnell is hoping to persuade pal Madonna to direct an episode of hit plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck, after playing a recurring role on the show. The actress and U.S. TV personality has played lottery winner Dawn Budge on a handful of episodes of Nip/Tuck, since making a naked debut in 2006 - and now she wants her pal to get on the set.

Show regular Kelly Carlson says, "Madonna's been approached because Rosie is on our show and they're very good friends. I've begged the producers to get her on the show. She has such a great mind for stuff like this that I think she'd be a great director for an episode. I would also love to have Madonna on as a character."

David Banda's Father on Madonna Film

Some 100 miles from Malawi's capital, the dusty village of Lipunga has no movie theaters or video players, let alone electricity. But villager Yohane Banda has at least heard that Madonna's new documentary is meant to draw attention to this southern African country's poverty. It's a subject Banda knows well. Poverty forced him to put his son in an orphanage — and now Madonna is on the verge of adopting his son, David Banda, who turns 3 in September.

Banda said David's mother died when his son was just a month old. He believed that he could not care for him alone and that placing him in an orphanage was his "surest" chance to survive. "After losing two sons, I really wanted David to survive," Banda said in a telephone interview Monday. Two children born earlier had died in childbirth, as did a third baby his second wife bore after David was sent to the orphanage.

Banda, a peasant farmer who ekes out a living growing maize, tomatoes and potatoes, said he used to ride a bicycle to visit his son at the orphanage. When he wasn't able to go, David's grandmother would visit. "It isn't true that we abandoned him," Banda said in Chichewa.

Banda said he had originally planned to bring David home when he was old enough to eat solid food. Instead, the pastor who runs the orphanage came to him some two years ago to say a "rich white woman" was interested in adopting David. "We sat down as a family to consider it. After banging our heads together we thought this was good for David so we readily agreed," Banda said.

Banda said that when he met the singer and her husband in a Lilongwe court in 2006, when a judge gave the celebrity couple temporary custody of David, he was promised he would be seeing his son occasionally. The judge is expected to rule on Madonna's adoption request later this month. Last month, two reports by a Malawian child welfare officer who had visited David in London were released, recounting that David has "bonded well" with Madonna's family, and recommending the adoption be approved.

When "I Am Because We Are," the documentary Madonna produced and narrated, premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival last month, an audience member asked the pop diva about the difficulty of adopting children from Malawi. "It's a new concept, the concept of adoption, consequently it's very, very time-consuming," she said. "I guess if you really want to do it you have to be willing to walk through the fire."

The film shows poverty and disease devastating the lives of Malawi's children, and urges people to volunteer. Madonna provides food, education and shelter for Malawian children through her Raising Malawi organization, and first met David while setting up her charity projects here.

Madonna At The Top

It's a busy week at the top of the The Billboard 200, with Madonna's "Hard Candy" leading the action at No. 1. It is the artist's seventh chart-topper, the second-most among all female artists -- only Barbra Streisand, with eight, has more. The Warner Bros. set moved 280,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. After racing 68-3 last month, the diva's single "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake gave Madonna her 37th top 10 hit -- the most of any artist in the rock era. Until now, she and Elvis Presley were tied with 36 apiece.

Fortissimo Takes Madonna's Docu

Foreign sales company Fortissimo Films has picked up international rights to Madonna's Malawi documentary "I Am Because We Are." Pic preemed at Tribeca and will also screen at Cannes, where it will be presented as part of amFAR's annual Cinema Without Aids fund-raising event. "Because" examines the plight of the African country that has been struck down with the AIDS epidemic. It is predominantly told through the stories of orphaned children, but also includes interviews with Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Dr. Paul Farmer. Directed by first-time helmer Nathan Rissman, pic is produced, written and narrated by Madonna. Hong Kong- and Amsterdam-based Fortissimo handles all rights outside North America, where the pic is repped by CAA.