Unfair attacks on Madonna

[groovyguy 63,856]

LIZ SMITH: Sorry, Haters

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/guest-diary/2016/liz-smith-sorry-haters

Madonna is Unhappy and Exhausted.  But She is NOT Falling Apart.  Sorry, Haters — and Very Weird "Fans." 

"IF you could do it differently, would you? At least to save yourself some of the media excess?

"Oh, I don't know. Would I have my husband and children now? Would I still be living only for myself? Nobody put a gun to my head to do a lot of things I did, and I don't regret those things either. It was stuff I was working out. It's a little late to second guess my choices. In fact, it's too late two minutes after making the choice."

 

THAT was part of a little interview I had with Madonna back in 2006, when she was ostensibly still happily married to Guy Ritchie, and had recently adopted a child, David, a boy from the impoverished African country of Malawi. (She would subsequently adopt a girl, whom she would call Mercy,from the same country, bringing her family to a total of four children, including her first, daughter Lourdes Leon, and son Rocco Ritchie.)

 

Madonna was touring at the time, and although I had heard rumors that all was not happy on the homefront, Madonna seemed serene at that point. I had also not forgotten how much she supported her husband's movie "Revolver." Not only did she ask me to attend several versions of the film, as Ritchie edited it, she also arranged for me to interview Guy, whom I had met, but spoken to only briefly. He was handsome and seemed charming. He was, however, totally caught up in the "meaning" of his film, and I have to admit after a while I began to lose track, although his metaphysical approach was fascinating. He talked a lot. 

 

A few nights after that, I attended the premiere of "Revolver." As I approached Madonna at the buffet table, she smiled slightly and said, "I think now you know, I rarely get a word in edgewise at home." (From several other offhand remarks she'd made to me, I got the feeling Madonna didn't think she was getting enough affectionate/sympathetic attention from Guy. But as I hardly imagined marriage to The Big M was eternal smooth sailing, I didn't think too much of it.)

 

That night she wore high-heels that resembled revolvers, and the couple seemed affectionate. Two years later, they would separate. It was not friendly. He took a lot of money.

Now Madonna, who will end her "Rebel Heart" tour in a few days, in Sydney, Australia, is embroiled in a terrible custody battle over her and Ritchie's son,Rocco. Madonna is strict, Guy is not. That, apparently, is Rocco's problem. He's 15. Madonna adores her son. She loves all of her children. She's not a perfect person and would be the first to admit it, but she has been a good parent. (She would also admit that like all parents, she has things to learn and accept in that area, too.)

 

AS miserable as this custody issue has made her, the very last thing that she would do is self-destruct. I know there's a contingent out there that wants this super-controlled, phenomenally successful woman to lose it, and become a tragic figure. Just like all the others — Judy and Marilyn and Amy and Billieand Jim Morrison and Janis, etc. Some of these people even claim to befans! They think she needs to be "humbled." Not. Going. To. Happen.

 

Apparently her emotions got the better of her in Australia a few nights ago. Her show was a bit wobbly and she asked one of her staff to bring her a drink onstage. This led to gleeful assumptions that the "big fall" so many have anticipated, waited for, counted on was happening. I don't think so. As vulnerable as she actually is, under the brass of her image, she would never lose herself to her anger, bitterness or misery. 

Madonna is only human — really! — and I'd venture that aside from her mother's death, when she was six, and perhaps her split from Sean Penn, this business with Rocco is likely the worst personal crisis of her life. And totally unexpected, too. Prior to Rocco's hankering for London and "more freedom," Madonna and her son seemed very close, and he was eager to be near her and part of her tours.

 

IF I were in a position to advise Madonna — I'm not, actually, I simply like her a lot! — I'd say go to bed for a week after this exhausting tour is over. Then get up, sit down, and write your son an old-fashioned letter. Not an e-mail and not a public display of words or deeds — no video tributes during performances, no Instagram, no Twitter. But I realize she feels frantic and helpless, as any parent would who thinks their child might be taken away or negatively influenced or turned against them. So, the measured letter routine probably won't do, for Madonna.

 

I think it all will work out, but sorry haters — or you people out there who just love a good celebrity tragedy — she's not heading down the road to perdition and/or messy decline. She hasn't worked this hard and this long to allow that to happen. She certainly doesn't want to give Guy Ritchie the satisfaction or ammunition. 

How well I remember sitting with Madonna at the old Morton's restaurant in Hollywood shortly after she and Guy first began dating. (She had just performed at the MTV Awards.) "He's sooo nice!" I whispered. Madonna laughed, "Yeah, I wonder if he's too nice. I'm going against type. I usually like bad boys." 

As Madonna learned, first impressions can be misleading, and bad boys are sometimes nicer than "nice" guys.

[groovyguy 63,856]

WHY MADONNA IS NOT ONLY RELEVANT, BUT NECESSARY

Published on:

 

16 March 2016

ADRIANO BULLA

 

http://us.blastingnews.com/opinion/2016/03/why-madonna-is-not-only-relevant-but-necessary-00830659.html

 

The real agenda behind the most recent tabloid attack on the Queen of Pop

 

Yet again, the tabloids, the usual suspects, here in particular TMZ and Radar Online, lash out at Madonna. This time, the attack seems to be coordinated. Leaving aside for a moment the right wing ideological agenda behind these attacks, these writers invent a story out of nothing. Anyone who has taken the time to watch one of the many videos of Madonna’s shows understands that she is not and cannot possibly be drunk on stage. I would like to see anyone defying gravity in her dance routines when drunk… I bet they would fly off into the crowd of fans, even if they were sober.

 

But these so-called journalists, who are paid to research and write, seem to be so busy that they do not have the time to watch a clip online. Maybe they would need a dictionary, so they can look up the meaning of the word “performanceâ€.

 

As to those who believe these papers, I feel sorry for them. If their concept of reality is what the tabloids say, and they confuse a performance with real life, I wonder what they thought when they watched Star Wars. What annoys me, though, is that they fill the comments with sexist and ageist comments, but they too, the 'readers' fail to read some of the articles and certainly do not look at the evidence.

 

This attack is symptomatic of a huge problem with the mainstream media; the tabloids, being the most ‘transparent’ of all the media, act as a veil between the reality and what people perceive; they distort and fabricate stories for their agenda, and people who do not take the time to go to the source nor bother to check the evidence buy into this agenda.

 

Many of the comments are by fake avatars, of course, I would not put it past tabloids that have been implicated in some of the most shameful misinformation in recent history, yet some may be real. This is the new level of opinion twisting. In the meantime, the real agenda is hidden from view. This creates a situation whereby our energies are wasted on correcting the facts of the attacks, rather than pointing out what the real reasons for the attacks are.

 

Now that the crime of being 57 is starting to look ridiculous, they have moved the battlefield to another invented crime: allegedly, Madonna had a whole minuscule sip from a cocktail on stage, enough to get a mosquito lightly tipsy. Hold on, though, aren’t these the very same papers that keep reminding us that she is no longer under age? I could not care less if it was water, orange juice or alcoholic; it was a small sip, and while men can drink and be machos, women over 18 (and this is the only age that matters) don’t. If you don’t call this sexism, I wonder what it is.

 

What liberal, open minded people need to do now is stop playing on the defensive and look at the real agenda: the problem is not the sip from the cocktail; the problem is that Madonna has been fighting for Human Rights for more than 30 years. This is what the tabloids cannot swallow (pun intended). They are attacking her because she is an icon of freedom and equality, and one that just will not shut up. As to her ‘relevance’ which is often used, confusing relevance with its exact opposite, I would say that not only is she relevant, but necessary. Is it not relevant to show the ignorance of ageist and sexist people? Their very comments make her relevant. Had she not brought the huge problem our society has with the age of women to the front covers of the magazines, would we be talking about it now? Just look back a couple of years, and the virtual absence of this word in the papers will give you the answer.

 

Yet again, Madonna sets the agenda against a form of discrimination that such comments prove has become acceptable. If this is not being relevant, please suggest what is, yet another break-up song?

[Breathless 5,286]

Very good article!!

[groovyguy 63,856]

Charlamagne Tha God Disgusts with Misogyny Towards Madonna

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kyle-mcmahon/charlamagne-tha-god-disgu_b_9473462.html

I could have sworn that just a few months ago I had written a piece on Madonna, ageism and sexism in the industry today. Well, here we go again. I just heard a YouTube airing of the Donkey of the Day segment of popular radio show The Breakfast Club. The donkey of the day award was given to none other than the top selling solo artist of all time, Madonna. If you’re unfamiliar, Charlemagne Da God, born Lenard McKelvey, is a radio DJ, former felon, failed rapper and fired Wendy Williams co-host that was banished to the nether regions of reality shows on MTV2. Apparently, he also spells his name like that on purpose.

 

Charlemagne Da God recently went on a 6 minute tirade against Madonna throwing every name at her from the agiest and sexist playbook. You would think one would get educated about what they’re talking about before they go on national radio to try and disparage someone - particularly the most famous woman in the world. He gave the ridiuclous award based on an in-character comment Madonna made on stage. Madonna hasn’t stopped for a tour date in Australia in 23 years. She had just given a free show in the city for fans as a way to thank them for waiting over two decades to see her live. At her first proper Australian date, Madonna gave a lengthy, conversational speech to her Australian fans. She used an exaggerated American accent, stating that she was “having a Lenny Bruce moment†before saying “I haven’t been to Australia in 23 years. F*ck me, right? F*ck me.â€

 

Jokingly she went on but turned the self criticism into a sexual joke, “Please somebody, f*ck me.†Clearly, Madonna doesn’t need to beg for sex. Charlamagnes disgusting words about her, go to show the continued misogyny and age discrimination that still occurs in entertainment today. It also shows his lack of education in comedy, as Lenny Bruce was an infamously famous comedian and satirist with a knack for self depreciation and vulgar language. The audio that was played on the radio, however, was edited together to take the context out and make two superset statements seem as if they were linked together. What horrible “reportingâ€.

While he calls her the “legendary, superstar, pop icon Madonna†he then goes into a complete misogynistic, ageist tirade against her. I’d like to point out a few of the disgusting lines along with my comments.

 

“Madonna isn’t in a criminal situation, ladies and gentlemen. Madonna is just...oldâ€.

 

I won’t get into the constructs of at what age is old in this piece, but we all are aging every single day. That doesn’t prevent us from continuing to live our life in the way that we choose. Also, being “old†says nothing about her and everything about you.

 

“It’s sad when she’s...still out there selling sex, but we don’t want that from you anymore, Grandmaâ€.

 

Her sold out Rebel Heart Tour will be the highest grossing tour of the year, as every one of her tours always is. She holds the #1 & #2 spot for the top grossing solo tours in history (and two other spots in the Top 10). In fact, Madonna recently hit $1 billion (with a b) in ticket sale grosses from her tours. The very show she made these comments at, was a multiple date sell out show of 25,000+ fans per night. Her last album, Rebel Heart, despite it’s months early leak, went on to be hugely successful and spawned three more #1’s - giving her more #1’s than anyone in Billboard chart history. So it seems, Lenard, that people do in fact want a sexy, grown independent woman to continue to speak her mind and choose what to do with her body.

 

It certainly wasn’t the Australian press who thinks “we don’t want that from you anymore†as they lavished her in praise. ABC Australia stated, “But as she proved during her Melbourne Rebel Heart’s show: “You don’t mess with the Queen.†From the opening number, Iconic, Madonna commanded the stage. Even after all these years in the spotlight her sheer force and determination astounds.†News Australia says â€œreviews for Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour have been glowing, with fans agreeing it’s been worth the 23-year wait to have the Queen of Pop back on our shores.†The entire 82 show tour sold out immediately worldwide with multiple dates being added. So who is it exactly that you’re speaking for Lenard?

 

“...she was inebriated.â€

 

Obviously you have an issue with performance art, of which Madonna was doing a character with a highly exaggerated American accent. Her comment, as part of her act was, “If I’ve learned one thing in my life it is just go with it. If you relax it doesn’t hurt as much. Am I right ladies? F*ck me. Please someone, f*ck me. I’m just kidding. I don’t have to ask for thatâ€. The crowd roared with laughter as Madonna laughed along with the ridiculousness of her joke in her “Lenny Bruce momentâ€.

 

“Give her some penis so she can sit her ass down somewhereâ€.

 

Oh I’m sorry Lenard, at what age are women supposed to sit their ass down somewhere? Are you jealous that a woman 20 years older then you continues to make more money today then you’ve ever dreamed of? Are you jealous that your album didn’t chart while Madonna continues to release #1 albums around the globe nearly 35 years into her career?

 

“In Madonna’s case, go away. Age gracefully. Pop up at an award show every now and then. And then grow so old that when you die people like ‘Damn, I thought she been dead?’.â€

 

Again, could you point the world to this manual that you are using to determine when someone should “go awayâ€? Clearly, her #1 chart hits, #1 albums and sold out stadium tours around the world aren’t showing that she should go away. I would say that continuing to do what you love to do, looking good doing it and having a gigantic audience to eat it up while you do it, is the very definition of aging gracefully. Living life on your own terms, while ignoring haters (like yourself) and continuing to outsell and outdo artists half your age is the very best way to age gracefully. 

Fortunately for you, a woman of 57 years old, doesn’t have to be relegated to an old folks home to wither away, be forgotten about and die, as it seems you hope.

 

Madonna has been “over†in the press for 35 years, all while changing the face of music, fashion, touring, business and everything in-between multiple times over. Thousands of forgotten pop stars tried and failed to have a career like Madonna’s. Tens of thousands of artists would die to have the career she has still going on today. In fact, Lady Gaga’s last tour played nearly the same amount of dates and grossed about $50 million less then this Madonna tour. Beyonce’s last solo tour failed to sell out at numerous venues on the tour. Neither of these is a problem Madonna has ever had.

 

The very fact that we’re having this conversation proves that Madonna isn’t ‘over’ until she decides to hang it up. Disagree with her choices in movie roles, dislike a new album or anything else you don’t care for - but to think it is okay to think that someone running circles around - and outselling - 30 year olds should wither away and die is disgusting. Charlemagne Tha God - Lenard - you should do better.

 

Listen to Charlemagne Tha God’s Sexist, Ageist Tirade on Madonna

 

And the infamous video of Madonna and her speech. The comments in question come in around 2:40 minutes in.

 

Kyle McMahon, the recording artist known as K.Mac, is a millennial who has appeared on a series of 

, writes about self improvement for millennials and gives speeches on fatherless sons. Check out the Kyle McMahon website to join on the journey to ‘transform your life’.

[James19709 351]

Charlamagne Tha God Disgusts with Misogyny Towards Madonna

 

“In Madonna’s case, go away. Age gracefully. Pop up at an award show every now and then. And then grow so old that when you die people like ‘Damn, I thought she been dead?’.â€

 

This is exactly the opposite of what Madonna should do, lol. Unless she wanted to obviously, but just... no.

[NowRadiate 3,331]

Who the hell is Charlemagne?

[groovyguy 63,856]

Who the hell is Charlemagne?

Radio & TV personality.  He is a co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy & Angela Yee. Charlamagne hosts the MTV2 show Uncommon Sense.

[groovyguy 63,856]

On Madonna Mania—Not The Good Kind

http://www.boyculture.com/boy_culture/2016/03/madonna-drunk-pills-rebel-heart-tour-expose-breast-australia.html

The media needs to get off Madonna's click.

 

Tabloid journalists have been going the extra mile to try to paint Madonna in the most negative possible light during her Rebel Heart Tour. For a woman they've been calling “irrelevant†for years, it's remarkable that every time Madonna took the stage late, it spawned major international headlines and served as reliable clickbait.

 

On top of her tardiness, Madonna has been called out for being drunk or even on pills (or both), totally new fronts in the decades-long assault on her integrity as an artist and on her character. Already slurring her as a problem drinker, it wasn't a very big leap for the press to begin using the coded descriptor â€œbizarre†for Madonna's onstage behavior. Calling her bizarre, coupled with impugning her sobriety, is just a new way to make Madonna seem unworthy of her fame and success and of the support she receives from admirers—and becomes another argument for why the only woman to ever earn a billion dollars touring(helped along by $100+ on her latest tour) needs to retire already.

 

At age 57.

 

The latest scandal, hyped up to seem as vile as possible for outraged consumption by people planted in front of their computers: Madonna â€œhumiliatingly†exposed an underage girl live onstage during her final concert in Brisbane, Australia. Except it turns out all that happened was an unintentional wardrobe malfunction (the fan was in a corset with nipple rings attached) that the 17-year-old fan described as “the best moment of my life.â€

 

The fan went on to state:

Only I get to decide if I’m humiliated or not—why would people assume I am humiliated by my own breast, nipple or body? I didn’t realize my boob was such a big deal—it was nothing to me.

 

Making something out of nothing has been the goal of the tabloid press during Madonna's globe-trotting Rebel Heart Tour. In spite of (almost) universally glowing reviews for Madonna's actual performances, she's been pilloried again and again, over and over, demonized as callous, as anti-status quo snobbish (“I'd rather die than work in Vegas,â€sniffed the woman who refuses to become an oldies act) and, when that failed to dent her reputation sufficiently, mocked as past it, perhaps even addled.

 

Madonna hasn't exactly discouraged the narrative. There's no good reason even an elaborate tour such as hers can't get it together to avoid hours-long delays, and she should just apologize rather than making light of it (“It’s you people that get here early that’s the problem. Just come late and I won’t have to come early.â€). Once the media circulated stories that she was tipsy, she didn't really need to drink from a flask, even if only a moron would miss the theatricality of what she was doing. Only Madonna could give a totally free show in which she sings many songs she'd never before sung live and have the resulting press focus on her drinking a single Cosmo.

I think Madonna, anything but self-destructive, has always exhibited an element of self-sabotage, which is different.  It's all there in my book, Encyclopedia Madonnica 20, which playfully gathers minutiae about Madonna but which also, in gathering countless quotes and narratives about her from over the years, documents the media's strategy in attempting to take her down and Madonna's reaction to it: Accused of being a whore, she shows her ass all the more. Embroiled in a custody battle that might make some moms scared to do anything offbeat in public, she projects images of her son on a screen behind her and openly pines for his company. Accused of behaving bizarrely, she dresses as a clown. Accused of being drunk, it's perhaps not surprising that she would pretend to be smashed during a brief monologue ... all the while flawlessly executing an exhausting two-hour concert filled with intricate staging and precision dance moves. (Outrageously, more than one outlet recently offered/profited from a video of her “Like a Virgin†choreography, a combination of stagger and swagger, terming it a â€œstumbling†performance.)

 

But the press shouldn't be lazy just because Madonna is defiant and does not beg for mercy and make excuses. There should be a conscience there, a desire to get it right even while capitalizing on a performer's notoriety. If Madonna does something newsworthy, good or bad, report it—but don't make it up. And do not, as a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly recently did, go on an entertainment show claiming people are legitimately “concerned†about Madonna's behavior, right before terming it “crazy.â€

An objective observer should be able to report that outside of the distressingly late start times in some venues — perhaps to be expected from the girl who, pre-record deal, appeared at Studio 54 at 2 a.m. even though she knew Robert De Niro and other big shots had been waiting all night — Madonna has been a trouper on her Rebel Heart Tourand continues to put on a spectacular show, the likes of which no other performer is currently willing or able to offer. She is historically fit and energized; compare her to other famous women when they were her age and, outside of some Broadway hoofers, you'd be hard-pressed to find any who extended the physical qualities of their acts this long, this successfully.

 

https://www.facebook.com/MadonnaAustralia/photos/a.238369929585292.58547.238364149585870/975607582528186/?type=3&theater

STATEMENT: Madonna Australia has been inundated with media requests from around Australia and the world in the past 24 hours. We have been offered financial rewards for information on the identity of fans and people associated with the tour. We will not be assisting with these requests. We are aware that members of the Australian media are selling information to the international media who are seeking to continue to post dishonest and malicious media stories about Madonna and the Rebel Heart Tour. This conduct is abhorrent and we will never assist or indirectly participate in these stories. We are very selective with who we assist with media stories and we assist members of the media with integrity which is unfortunately but unsurprisingly rare. Madonna’s Australian shows have been incredible and we look forward to the final shows of the Rebel Heart Tour in Sydney this weekend. We are Madonna Australia and selling out is not our thing - Nicole & Matt

This is why I shouldn't have given an interview to the noxious New York Post. 

 

Sadly, Madonna's wildly entertaining Rebel Heart Tour has only two more shows to go, both of which will be filmed. On the other hand, it can't end soon enough for her the sake of her reputation, which the press has been trying to diminish forever, and which they've certainly dinged this go 'round.

 

Madonna is not perfect and is not above being criticized, but just because she is not a passive sex object, insists on approaching society's rules with true rebelliousness and is not simply in this for the cash (if she were, her set list would be 100% Top 10 hits), fans should still recognize that she is one singular sensation who should be enjoyed and appreciated until the day she decides it's not worth all the hassle.

[James19709 351]

Who the hell is Charlemagne?

 

I guess he requires a Google search to be known, I had to look him up aswell LOL

[James19709 351]

"Her fans are older, and have grown up with her since her 1982 debut."

 

 

Im tired of this misconception tbh. Yes some 80s fans stuck with her but so did fans who became fans in the 90s, and in the 00s. 

 

People still say this. It's really irritating, I was born in 1997 and the first album I ever heard was Ray of Light (grateful for this tbh). You can still grow up with all 80s Madonna, then all the 90s material and visuals, then 00s and continue as she goes on. As a child, all I remember is only listening to and watching all Madonna things, and nothing current of the time. Age is so irrelevant when it comes to Madonna's fanbase. Maybe it's a subtle way of trying to diminish her endlessly growing amount of fans because we all still grew up with her really, some of us just didn't have to wait inbetween many albums/album eras

[NowRadiate 3,331]

I guess he requires a Google search to be known, I had to look him up aswell LOL

 

and THAT might be the only truth behind all of his blabber... he seems to need more clicks.

pretty much a forgettable guy to me...

[James19709 351]

and THAT might the only truth behind all of his blabber... he seems to need more clicks.

pretty much a forgettable guy to me...

 

Same, I won't remember him in a week.

[Stevo 6,436]

I've honestly forgotten the name. What was is it Champagne? Chameleon? Something like that anyway lol.

[James19709 351]

I've honestly forgotten the name. What was is it Champagne? Chameleon? Something like that anyway lol.

 

"I'm a huge fan!" said no one

[MXRXNCHX 1,124]

I only know who is Charlamagne because he was the ''guest star'' on MTV's Catfish once. Excuse my potty mouth, but he knows fucking shit about anything at all. Even for insulting and shaming, you need to have some knowledge, and this guy clearly has none.

 

I bet he's mad because he didn't have the chance to at least release a 10 sec. snippet of one of his songs

[LikeAMelody 728]

I am not sure if this is the right thread for this observation or wondering on my part..but I am watching Swept Away right now and wonder if we have been taught to believe Madonna is not a good actress. Whenever I see Madonna in a movie that "script" pops up and then I watch it a bit and I wonder what I would think of her performance if she was an unknown actress. The media for the last 30 some years have gone to great lengths to paint a picture of Madonna. Have we as fans unfairly judged her acting based on her phenomenonal success in music? Watching her today I was struck by how much her charactor didn't remind me of Nikki Finn. I would have never thought they were the same actress if I didn't know Madonna. Shanghai Surprise is coming on now.

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna’s not breaking down – she’s facing predictable sexism and ageism

https://www.the-pool.com/news-views/opinion/2016/12/madonna-s-not-breaking-down-she-s-facing-predictable-sexism-and-ageism?utm_source=today&utm_campaign=7ed12af34b-Today_in_3_March_233_22_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0522b4f78a-7ed12af34b-68972169&mc_cid=7ed12af34b&mc_eid=abeb306761

White middle-aged men don’t understand Madonna because she’s not performing for them, says Sali Hughes. That’s why they label her “tragicâ€

By Sali Hughes 

on 23.03.16

 

Last week, when 17-year-old model Josephine Georgiou joined Madonna on stage in Brisbane, the pop star pulled down the girl’s top, apparently not realising she was bra-less beneath – and immediately apologised. Despite Georgiou later describing this as the best moment of her life (and Madonna flying the girl and her mother back, as VIPs, to her Sydney show), showbiz reporters and columnists leapt on it, speculating that the 57-year-old star is in the throes of some humiliating emotional breakdown and should probably step down and take stock. Further evidence of Madonna’s fragile mental state is as follows: in Melbourne, she kept fans waiting for hours before performing an entirely free secret gig. On the same night, she sipped a cosmopolitan – her first alcoholic drink in six months – in front of a delighted audience (I’m not speculating – my close friend was there and described a wonderful atmosphere throughout). This is truly the stuff of Bedlam and a suitable case for lobotomy.

 

The trigger for this madness, they say, is a custody battle with ex-husband Guy Ritchie, over where their 15-year-old son Rocco should live. There are no accusations that Madonna is a bad parent, only a stricter one, but the ongoing family woes have clearly hit her hard. She’s spoken of her pain at some of the concerts, posted emotional tributes on Instagram, even dedicated songs to Rocco in his absence.

 

It would be easier to swallow the relentless criticism of Madonna if it weren’t so shamelessly drenched in sexism, ageism and the barely-veiled belief that a 57 year-old woman has no business performing at all. Question Madonna’s artistic choices, performances and music all you want (this tour has been hailed by fans and reviewers as a major return to form), but if your criticism comes sandwiched between phrases like “withered old hagâ€, “act your age†and “time to give up†– as they typically did – then they are rendered null and void by any right-thinking person. She’s seen to be inflicting her big mouth and aged body on millions of people when she should be content to settle into a backward-looking retirement of polonecks and comfy shoes. As with almost everything Madonna does, the press and public reaction is as culturally insightful as the art itself. Double standards are rife. When Kanye tweets millions about his back passage and porn stash, he’s having “a momentâ€. When Madonna talks about her family onstage, she’s mid breakdown and should be sent to pasture.

 

There’s also a rather grotesque glee seeping through the pursed lips of cultural commentators. We love to see prominent women in strife. When a female star is beset by ill-health, bereavement, addiction or family trauma, then all is right with the world. If home life is suffering seemingly as a consequence of a woman’s career focus, then all the better. But a mother pushing 60, selling out arenas and clearly getting laid, who seems broadly happy with her life? Inconvenient. Critics would like a humbler and weaker Madonna, one with less energy and more decorum. They’re more comfortable with a tragic heroine in the grips of a media-manufactured nervous breakdown than with a near-pensioner striving ahead with zero fucks given for a bigoted, misogynistic view of appropriateness.

 

Critics are more comfortable with a tragic heroine in the grips of a media-manufactured nervous breakdown than with a near-pensioner striving ahead with zero fucks given for a misogynistic view of appropriateness

 

The media’s problem with Madonna, though, is that she’s not tragic and never has been. And she’s intentionally polarising, never a people-pleaser. Madonna isn’t meant to impress the likes of Piers Morgan (who called Madonna a dirty old woman, just a week after he told Kim Kardashian to put some clothes on - while simultaneously approving her “great bodyâ€, of course). Truly, there is no popstar in history so demonstrably uninterested in the approbation of straight white men who despite their inherent privilege, manage to command less power and cultural significance than she. “Madonna’s irrelevant in 2016,†said one commenter last week, which is, of course, why she’s dominated celebrity news pages for months, her every action forensically picked over with sharpened tweezers. Whatever she contributes through music and performance, Madonna will always be relevant in a world so frequently aghast merely at her continued existence.

 

I can barely remember a time in my life when people haven’t wanted Madonna to shut up and behave. And during almost four decades in the business, she’s never looked even close to obeying orders. We were overdue a moment of patriarchal mouth-frothing over Madonna, and here she is, back in “Sex book modeâ€, as skittish as when she snogged an African-American Jesus and enraged Pepsi, as unshakeable as when she shed that sabotaging cape and climbed back onstage to nail the rest of her BRITs routine in significant pain. She is as defiant as when, a fortnight after the terrorist attacks on The Bataclan, when other major artists like U2 and Foo Fighters had understandably cancelled their French concerts in fear, she stood before a screaming audience in Paris, dressed as a Harlem flappergirl, strumming “La Marseillaise†on her crotch. Then, as now, she is powering through, poking fun at the haters, joyfully pushing buttons with a jackhammer.

 

Do Madonna fans think she needs to be less tardy about show start times? This one does. A seasoned pro should know better. Do we universally agree that it’s a good idea to project images of Rocco on stage, while his mother tearfully sings torch songs? I wish she hadn’t done it, not least because it fuelled irresponsible headlines that may jeopardise her case in court. But I accept that her sometimes questionable decisions are just what happens when someone is so steeped in the principle of “the show must go onâ€, even during the hardest of times globally and personally. It’s what defines Madonna as a person, and what still, for me, makes her an artist without peer.

[groovyguy 63,856]

We live in such a hypocritical society. we should be ashamed. #Madonna

 

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna SouthAfrica â€@MadonnaAfrica  7h7 hours ago

Now the headline reads "@Madonna's son " she was branded a "bad mother" a few months ago why not call him " Guy Ritchie's son"

 

[kesiak 3,036]

Teenager smoking weed - OMG stop the press!!!

[rebelheart29 329]

he never acted this way when he was in Madonna's custody. Guy lets him get away with whatever he wants.

[blondboi559 221]

They (the press) will never say anything like *since being with Guy he has gone off the rails etc* it will always be Madonna's fault in some way, Her name will always get the attention etc so they will continue to slam her yet barely mention Guy

[LikeAMelody 728]

I have only one snipe and it's my opinion so please don't execute me ;)First it's obvious that Madonna is not irrelevant. In regards to ageism, Madonna is a little ageist herself. To me she says yes you can still be relevant at 56 but you have to look 35. It would be more provocative if she dressed and behaved the same but let dome lines come through. I truly believe that considering her lifestyle she would not have that many lines. But it would be great to see her natural. Remember IMO 😘

Should women in their twenties stop wearing make up, stop shaving, stop dyeing their hair...? A lot of women and men were doing that in the late sixties early seventies but I don't see that much anymore. A lot of people today feel the need to "correct" something in themselves no matter what age they are but only (mostly) older women get criticized.

 

A good majority of people I think fear getting older, that is why ageist remarks are so accepted. Even the ones that know on the surface it's wrong, they still have that fear.

 

Someone mentioned who Madonna works with. How many of Madonna's age group accepts their now niche and doesn't put themselves front and center? I think Madonna thinks in terms of what is happening now. I don't think she thinks of beginnings or endings. Most people do. I think she knows she is just passing through. Our bodies do not define the person inside. I think she is attracted to who wants to be involved. To keep going. Who doesn't want to retire..

[NowRadiate 3,331]

Madonna released a statement to The Associated Press Wednesday calling the September arrest 'a family matter.'

She said: 'I love my son very much. I will do whatever I can to give him the support that he needs, and I ask that you respect our privacy at this time.'

 

From Associated Press

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna Is the Unsung Heroine of Ageism in Hollywood

http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1132029/madonna-topless-vogue-cover

 

Hating Madonna's body only makes her show off more of it

 

By this point in time, no one is really surprised to see Madonna flashing her nipples on a magazine cover, like she did on the current issue of Vogue Italia.

 

58-year-old Madonna won't be fully appreciated until she's gone. The simple fact that she's old enough to be a grandmother and still baring her nips on magazine covers proves that she's anything but all talk when it comes to combating ageism in the music industry. It's something Madonna has been speaking out against for literally decades.

 

"I’ve always felt oppressed. I know a lot of people would go, ‘Oh, that’s ridiculous for you to say that. You’re a successful white, wealthy pop star,’ but I’ve had the shit kicked out of me for my entire career, and a large part of that is because I’m female and also because I refuse to live a conventional life," she told Harper's Bazaar earlier this year. "I’ve created a very unconventional family. I have lovers who are three decades younger than me. This makes people very uncomfortable. I feel like everything I do makes people feel really uncomfortable."

 

And when she's not fighting ageism, she's spreading a message of body positivity. Madonna has been the subject of an absolutely unreal amount of body shaming throughout her career. The woman's been hated on for every single part she possesses, but she's still proud of her bod (which obviously looks amazing) and showing it off on her own terms.