Miki

No jabs at M. Most coverages have not taken any cheap shots at her. That’s great. There’s hope yet.

I know Notting Hill / the film was inspired by her. But is this specific relationship that inspired it? I would think so.

Wow, that was a fun read. Thank u. Madonna in a relationship with a quirky Aquarius. 
The things I found interesting aside from Bird’s crazy antics were that he said Madonna was a naturally happy person, and that Guy pushed him when he said something derogatory about Madonna ( cause I always thought Guy never cared). And also her having an abortion because he wasn’t serious enough to be committed. That she had to abort years earlier because the fetus wasn’t healthy. She was nearing 40 and wanted a child and so it must have hurt her in unimaginable ways. And yet she spared him the decision, which I think he is grateful for. I admire and understand her even more now. But the fact that many of us don’t know this human and caring and mature side of her upsets me. And it’s not only that we don’t know but we judge her negatively. She truly is strong. And I wish her all the best. Thank u again. You’ve made my day. 
 

She's a terrible driver and has no sense of direction according to Andy Bird
"We chatted for a bit, and then we got into her car and she drove us to a dinner party she'd been invited to.' Madonna, it appeared, was nervous, too.
She reversed into a wall as she was turning round. She was screaming: "Aah, I hit something!" I think I probably swore - but it was only surface damage,' he adds wryly.
He rented a Dodge pickup and often would meet Madonna and follow her in his car. It was a rapid introduction to one of his new girlfriend's surprising quirks - her terrible sense of direction.
'I'd only been there a short time, but I'd still work out we were going completely the wrong way,' he remembers.
'Following her was a nightmare. You'd be at traffic lights, and out of nowhere she'd edge her way across the lanes and be in the lane for turning left, and there was no way you could follow her.
'It's ironic really: somebody with so much direction in their life not to have a clue where they were going.' While he struggled with her driving"
source 
(there's a lot more there and it's a good read if you have the time. Madonna"s and Andy story famously inspired the movie Notting Hill"

That’s why I think she’s primarily an artist. Her decisions are mostly based on her artistic intent. She is often accused of being calculating. But the evidence shows that she  finds herself defending her work most times. The only time such accusations could bear some truth is when she is forced to recover from a backlash. But even then it’s not calculated in a cynical sense. It’s more from a need to remain a player in the game so she could risk it all yet again. And the cycle continues. The only Queen.

That’s why I think she’s primarily an artist. Her decisions are mostly based on her artistic intent. She is often accused of being calculating. But the evidence shows that she  finds herself defending her work most times. The only time such accusations could bear some truth is when she is forced to recover from a backlash. But even then it’s not calculated in a cynical sense. It’s more from a need to remain a player in the game so she could risk it all yet again. And the cycle continues. The only Queen.

MADONNA PAID FOR BROTHER'S CARE IN FINAL YEARS Despite Complicated Relationship
2/28/2023 1:00 AM PT
Madonna was taking care of her late brother, Anthony Ciccone, before his death -- and despite their complicated history, they were far from estranged ... TMZ has learned.
Family sources tell us Madonna was actually footing the bill for Anthony's stay at a Michigan rehab center before he died this weekend. We're told he'd been there for a while, and that 2 days before he passed ... Anthony himself removed the feeding/breathing tubes doctors had him using.
Our sources say he was in failing health toward the end -- having lost a lot of weight -- and he knew the consequences of removing the equipment, which ultimately resulted in his death. We're told some family members -- including his sister, Paula, and his father -- had been visiting in his final days, with Paula being at his bedside throughout most of it.
Anthony's rehab care wasn't just a last-ditch Hail Mary ... our sources tell us Madonna and other relatives have been actively trying to help Anthony for years, but, by and large, he rejected assistance, as living on the streets and drinking had become a way of life.
But, in the last stretch ... we're told the 66-year-old couldn't fend for himself, and the fam stepped in.
We're told he suffered from alcoholism, which led to homelessness -- and, as a result, his relationship with his famous younger sister had always been challenging. With that said, our sources tell us Madonna never considered herself on the outs with him, per se.
As we reported ... Anthony's passing was announced this weekend by the husband of one of Madonna's sisters, Melanie -- who remembered him in a sweet eulogy on social media.
Despite Anthony himself having gone on record to slam his family -- including Madonna -- our sources say they did, in fact, have his best interests at heart.
https://amp.tmz.com/2023/02/28/madonna-paid-brother-anthony-ciccone-care-before-death/?fbclid=IwAR1GSd7SXiWLWOZHBbZMoUC6EbYlUWLAkx6NDOI6SqyhkoxfBVAPX56Kt9o

The boxing gloves and the way she moves in that bit feels so S&S Tour to me and I'm HAPPY. Also the voguing 

Imagine there isn't any kind of bridges between stages and catwalks:
A) She's carried on her bodyguards shoulders 
B) She's walking over the fans in high heels boots "Girlie Show Vogue" style. 

There's boxing moves (and gloves) Can be reference to Girlie show? Hard Candy? none of that?
There  are vogue moves and high heels catwalks. And with Kevin involved I wouldn't be surprised if they get Jose Xtravaganza too.
And have a whole ballroom moment, I would love that.

Wow' she looks emotional at the beginning of the video. Seems that she saw part of the stage or all the dancers together for the first time! Also she looks strong and fit! 

Intro section:-
shoo bee doo 
shanti ashtangi 
dont stop
part 2:-
incrredible / Spanish lesson mash up
did ya do it
im going bananas (with elements of cry baby)
one more chance 
part 3:- 
gambler
superstar
s.e.x
Part 4 (acoustic):-
revolver (slowed down)
love spent 
hey you
encore:-
stay
love song (prince hologram joins Madonna on stage)
madonna leaves the stage, returns for encore 2:-
x-static process

I love this, this would be hilarious Omg!!!!! 😭 And now that you mention it, she has Rebel Heart and VVV as celebration songs, who knows if they can use elements of it at least. What better chance to use these two retrospective celebrations of her life and career than a Greatest Hits Tour? That would be dope

Video on monitors shows someone scrolling down a list of comments on an article about the tour announcement. "She should open the show with 'Vogue'!" "Ugh, she should obviously start with 'Take a bow', duh!" "#justiceforbadgirl" and the like, the comments go on and on with no end in sight. The person scrolling is then revealed to be Madonna, looking utterly nonplussed with drink in hand. Cut to her lying on a couch at a therapist's office (in full Madame X regalia to make it all the more absurd) during a session.
"I just feel like people are pressuring me to do something, and I never respond well to that" she tells the therapist. "Why should anyone care about the opening song of my show? It's my choice."
"Open your heart", the therapist says dryly.
"I beg your pardon?" Madonna says, exasperated, tilting her head towards him.
"I said," he rolls his eyes, "the only logical choice is 'Open your heart'".
Madonna just stares at him blankly, and the awkward silence continues for a few seconds.
Fast cut to Madonna running in the streets, suddenly seeing her song titles on billboards, traffic signs, storefronts - everywhere. Voices shouting out song titles become louder and louder as she stops and presses her hands to her ears. Just as the voices turn into an incredibly loud cacophony, she shouts "No!" and they instantly disappear. The video zooms into her determined face, looking straight at the audience, as she utters "we're doing this my way".
Screen cuts to black, the whole venue is in complete darkness.
clap clap clap clap
"Madonna"
"Life is so crazy"
"You've been through a lot"
"Tell your story sometimes, you know?"
Spotlight shows up and there she is, all one, in the middle of the stage, in an outfit meant to recall the early NY days.
"Seemed like yesterday, I was a baby on the street..."
(Literally popped into my head before sleep last night, please don't judge it too harshly.)

are they backtracking now?
 
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/great-artists-horrible-albums-prince-madonna-podcast-1234687043/
 
In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, we dive into the first half of Andy Greene’s recent “50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Great Artists” list. Greene joins host Brian Hiatt for the discussion, which pinpoints the synth-soaked mid-1980s as one of the most perilous periods for veteran artists. The episode also raises the possibility that some albums on the list – especially Madonna’s American Life and Prince’s Chaos and Disorder – might not be horrible after all.   "
 

It's interesting how she was totally standing behind the video, ten toes down in that Australian interview. And then very quickly backed down. I understand her children's safety, and "not being a target for a mob mentality". Her words. A lot of people have forgotten how insane post 9/11 America was and how it led to a lot of the b.s. today. The Dixie Chicks got steamrolled. The same people complaining about "cancel culture" are the ones who wanted to rename French Fries, "Freedom Fries"......
But when asked, before mentioning her children, she said "My husband is in the entertainment business"...
Michael Moore was loudly booed at the Oscars that year when he won Best Documentary and condemned the Bush Admin and Iraq war.
I believe Guy R convinced her to pull it. Hollywood and these corporations wanted their war. And those are the same people who are going to work with him/ finance his films. This was also the time when she gagged me by saying in an interview that she looked for his approval/ wouldn't put something out he didn't like (Not a direct quote but something to that effect). And I was like.........
This is also the same woman who had young children when she was "willing to go as far as I have to" with "Secret Project" and taking the amazing stand she did in Russia risking arrest and worse.
Anyway, it may not be as "iconic" as Vogue or Like a Prayer but I always say it's her most important video. It's scary that its still relevant today. It was the perfect video for that song. 
P.S. I don't care for her cover of "Imagine", but LOVE the reason why she did it. The radio here banned it from being played after 9/11. A song about peace. Banned. I love that she did that.

At the end of the day, it's none of our business how she chooses to grieve or express her grievance.  Maybe she's powering through it with work, but then again, those videos could have been taken days or a week ago.  I'm sure this is her re-assuring her fans that the tour is going on as scheduled.   

So true.  I mean; we all saw her for ourselves when she came out on stage. She looked really good.  That image making the rounds is totally doctored to make her look worse than she really looked. 

Chosing a story over a post is a clear indication she does not want to share her grief publicly, posting rehearsals footage with the caption she made is also clear she chose to move forward and is not after sympathy and condolences in her commentaries. In typical Madonna fashion she's chosing work to process the pain. 

Madonna does not owe us - the public - any explanation on a private, complicated family matter that is, frankly, none of our business.
She posted a tribute on Instagram a few hours ago.

Finally "Vogue" done "new way".
I've wanted this for like 20 years lol
Also the boxing...Candy Shop confirmed.

In a previous post i said as i was told by acquaintances i had, who worked on the movie, that half way through shooting Evita she lost interest in it because after meeting a lot of Eva Peron friends and relatives in Argentina she thought that the musical was not doing her justice. I was wondering if in the years following the release of the movie, she publicly talked about it. Well turns out she did and not years after the movie was released but right after shooting and even before seeing a cut of it, in an interview for the LA Times (i had never read before)
“But the more I learned of Peronism and Eva’s life, the more I realized how unfair Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was,” Madonna said. “So here I was, working in a movie I didn’t agree with.” Her voice becomes cold when she refers to Lloyd Webber; she joins a line of theatrical leading ladies who have clashed with him, notably Faye Dunaway, Patti LuPone and Glenn Close.
“Lloyd Webber’s point of view was that of the [Argentine] aristocracy at the time Eva was married to the president,” she continued. “They were against her [and viewed her] as an opportunistic whore.
“I thought it was a male chauvinist point of view--that any woman who’s powerful is a whore or slept her way to the top. There’s that implication right through the [musical] and it’s ludicrous. You can’t sleep your way to the top. Well, in Hollywood, maybe, but she influenced an entire nation.”
Madonna thinks she convinced Parker with her findings, and that he modified the film’s tone: “Alan read a lot about Peronism. He’s intelligent, politically astute, and he understood the musical was one-sided against her. He wanted to be fair too.”
source

I don’t like that he had to contend with people asking him about Madonna. He had a life of his own and his own narrative. He was not primarily Madonna’s brother. He was Anthony. In the article it states that he was a voracious reader and often quoted Twain. That allows me to believe that this man had positive attributes unrelated to Madonna or alcohol. And I wonder the comparisons might have exasperated his insecurities. Whatever the case I refuse to believe he was just a bitter alcoholic who resented his family. He doesn’t have a voice here. So, I’d assume the best about him. For all I know he could have been a great source of joy to someone. RIP