In the Netherlands the Greatest Hits album, Celebration, will also be released on September 25.

The digital version of the single will be available on August 4, 2009.

“I’ve done a lot of work with the producer Paul Oakenfold who is a big buddy of Madonna’s,” he said. “She approached him and asked him what he was working on and if he could send her some material that she could write lyrics to. Myself, Ian Green and Oakenfold had written some stuff for Oakenfold’s new album so he sent her off between 15 and 20 tracks. Of these, she chose two I was working on, Celebration and Broken. Basically me, Ian and Oakenfold arranged the backing track, we worked out the chord structure, put the guitars, keyboards and drums to the track and Madonna wrote on the lyrics and melody.The last six months have been pretty amazing for Joe Echo but writing this track for Madonna has to be the highlight,” he said. “I’m so proud and excited that my name is on this track and I’m quietly confident it will go to number one. After all, it’s Madonna. I’m going over to the Munich gig to meet up with Oakenfold so I’m hoping to be introduced to her then.”

Source: Belfast Telegraph

“I’m so delighted to announce that the next Madonna single titled Celebration was co written by Madonna, Paul Oakenfold, Ian Green and yours truly. As I write this blog I’m still finding it very hard to believe. I’m very Honored to have my name even mentioned in the same sentence as Madonna. As like many people I grew up listening to her many hits, and I have a lot of respect for her as a living legend. I never even thought for one minute that I would get the opportunity to write for Madonna or work with the legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold… but that’s exactly what has happened. So how did a little known singer/songwriter from Castledawson N. Ireland get to co write with one of the biggest stars the music world has ever known? To cut a long story short… I was co-writing with Ian Green and Oakenfold for the new Oakenfold Album when Oakey sent Madonna some of the backing tracks that we had come up with. I never for one minute thought that Madonna would even like the music let alone record two of the tracks that we had written but that’s exactly what has happened. A few Months back, in a New York recording studio Madonna wrote the lyrics for and recorded ‘Celebration’ and a track called ‘Broken’ ‘Celebration’ is the first single off the next Greatest hits album, which is also titled ‘Celebration. I am so happy with this news and I am very excited to see how things unfold over the next few weeks! As always I will keep posting the news on the site. Thank you so much to all for there warm wishes.”

Source: joeecho.com

Grab your glow sticks, bleach your spiky tips and ditch that tank top because Madonna’s new single is here.
The title track from her greatest hits CD, “Celebration,” has hit the ground running, and it’s .. well … super sassy. Madonna and DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold tag-teamed to form, what I think may be, her biggest piece of disco-trance trash.
It reeks of laziness and transcends the walls of boredom. I mean, I love a good diva dance hit as much as the next guy in tight jeans, but come on!
You go from a debut single like “4 Minutes” to this piece of stale-ass licorice? If this is any indication as to the direction of her next “actual” CD — I say that in quotes because a greatest hits album doesn’t count — then I may pop my glow stick back in the freezer and wait for Kylie to hop back in the studio.

Madonna, #13, 2006 is an incredible 48″ x 72″ picture of the W Magazine/Future Lovers session by Steven Klein…

Bidding starts at $5000.00 with an estimated Value of $35,000.00.
The auction ends on August 25.

And the singer’s personal trainer, Tracy Anderson, has also condemned the snaps, insisting the Queen of Pop’s physique is perfectly healthy.
“She’s strong, healthy, and gorgeous. She looks like she’s 18.”

None of the three shows in Spain were sold out, even though, in the end more people have seen Madonna in Spain than in the UK…
Barcelona has sold 45 000 out of 50 000 tickets; 15 000 (out of 55 000) were still available for the show in Madrid; and between 25 000 and 30 000 tickets only were sold for the Zaragoza show…

Madonna gave a sold out concert in Oslo, which started in broad daylight. Madonna’s first performance in Norway gave a huge boost to her albums. Eight of her albums are in the top 100, including Hard Candy (#7), True Blue (#9), Like a Virgin (#12), Like a Prayer (#15), Confessions on a DanceFloor (#32), Erotica (#38) and The First album (#67)…

In Budapest, the show was quickly announced “sold out”, but due to a venue change (Kincsem Park to Puskas Ferenc Stadion) additional tickets are now available, including new seated tickets.

American Dream gets released on October 15, 2009…

Story: It’s vacation time again and all the English Roses have exciting plans. Nicole and Amy are off to attend a creative arts camp in Wales. And Charlotte’s off to her family’s villa in the south of France. And Grace has invited Binah to come to Atlanta and visit her cousins. Binah is so excited for her first holiday overseas, and she can’t wait to meet her friend’s family. But her trip gets off to a bad start, with a terrible bout of motion sickness on the flight across, followed by jet lag and homesickness once she’s on the ground. Can Grace and her brothers save Binah’s vacation?

The final installment, Catch the Bouquet!, to the chapter book series featuring Madonna’s bestselling characters,the English Roses will be available on December 24, 2009…

Story: The English Roses’ number-one teacher, Miss Fluffernutter, is getting married—to Binah’s father! The Roses couldn’t be happier for their beloved teacher, or for Binah, whose own mother died when she was just a baby. And Binah is thrilled at the idea of having a stepmother like Miss F—that is, until she realizes that a new woman in her father’s life means less time for Binah. Binah misses her father terribly. And it doesn’t help that Charlotte is driving everyone nuts trying to plan the perfect wedding. Can the English Roses save this walk down the aisle from going totally awry?
The English Roses’ number-one teacher, Miss Fluffernutter, is getting married—to Binah’s father! The Roses couldn’t be happier for their beloved teacher, or for Binah, whose own mother died when she was just a baby. And Binah is thrilled at the idea of having a stepmother like Miss F—that is, until she realizes that a new woman in her father’s life means less time for Binah. Binah misses her father terribly. And it doesn’t help that Charlotte is driving everyone nuts trying to plan the perfect wedding. Can the English Roses save this walk down the aisle from going totally awry?

Source: Amazon.com

The winner can choose any of the following Sticky & Sweet tour dates:
Prague (August 13, 2009), Warsaw (August 15, 2009), Munich (August 18, 2009), Ljubljana (August 20, 2009), Budapest (August 22, 2009), Belgrade (August 24, 2009), Bucharest (August 26, 2009), Sofia (August 29, 2009), Tel Aviv (September 1 & 2, 2009).

Have a look…

I was born in 1981. When I was 4, my mother was 24. She was totally obsessed with MTV. Then MTV was banished from our city because of a catholic school. The last things that I remember loving were Boy George, Billie Jean, Madonna and Cindi Lauper. I loved the 80’s icons.

Source: splendicity.com

ASIANCE: Who did you love dancing with the most? What about the Madonna tour? Did you freak out when you got cast?
Kevin: I didn’t know I was going to get cast because they already hired the dancers when they brought me in. I figured done deal but then they called me in as an assistant choreographer. I didn’t even know what that meant but I was like, “Sure whatever.” Then when we came in, I ended up assisting the choreographer at that time, Carol Armitage, but she fired Carol and brought in Vince Patterson. So I didn’t know where I was in that space. I thought, “Am I fired?” But I worked with Vince a few months earlier on a commercial so he kept me on. I was very grateful for that. For the Vogue video she ended up firing one of the dancers and then she thought I was a better fit.

ASIANCE: Truth or Dare is one of my all time favorite movies.
Kevin: I almost don’t even recognize myself.

ASIANCE: Anything interesting happen on that tour? Well anything you can say?
Kevin: Well I did mention this before but no one picked it up. I actually broke Madonna’s tooth. I broke it in half accidentally. She was behind me in “Papa Don’t Preach”. We all have the priest outfits on. She comes up behind me singing to us. I didn’t even see her. I turned to go and knocked her mic right into her front tooth.

ASIANCE: That was live on stage?
Kevin: Yes live on stage. I think it was Toronto.

ASIANCE: Was she mad?
Kevin: She gave me the dirtiest look I have ever seen. If she had super powers I would have been burned into a cinder. Later on she told me that she was taking it out of my salary. She got it done so quickly. The next day she had to go to the dentist. Her brother was laughing back stage.

ASIANCE: Her brother? Isn’t that weird how now he’s writing a tell all book?
Kevin: I know! I just saw him the other day. He came to the opening night of The Question.

ASIANCE: There was talk that she was in on the book.
Kevin: I don’t know the whole situation. There was some weirdness in that whole thing. His reference to me in that book was a little odd. He mentioned our lawsuit with Madonna years ago. (Blond Ambition dancers - Oliver Crumes, Kevin Stea, and Gabriel Trupin, filed a lawsuit against Madonna. The suit claimed that the singer had invaded the dancers’ privacy during the filming of Truth or Dare. It also charged her with fraud and deceit, intentional misrepresentation, suppression of fact, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for displaying their private lives in the documentary). He said we knew what was going on. It’s like, Hello? You were there. You know they didn’t put signs up until Houston. They never really told us what it was for. They just said they were going to film. He said, (in his book) “I have no sympathy for them.” But when I saw him the other day, he said, “Oh that was written a long time ago.” The only thing I care about is that people don’t trash talk Gabriel. Since he can’t fight back. He passed away years ago. (Gabriel passed away of AIDS in 1995, at age 26) I protect him. He did it for his reasons and had every reason to.

EL PAÍS:  Madonna moves to the rhythm of Barcelona… The artist pleased a crowd of 45.000 people… She shows incredible – almost dangerous – physical abilities…

EL MUNDO:  Madonna sets Barcelona on fire… She goes for the scepter of Pop Music… She’s a show, herself.

AVUI+: Madonna is a triumph at the Olympic Stadium… God Save the Queen, she remains on top of her game and sitting on her throne.

ABC: At almost 51, she moves like no one with the energy of a 15yo… her spectacular show goes beyond the concert genre itself

I’m still good pals with Madonna, although she hasn’t been to see me during his stint on Broadway.
If I had the choice of being on a desert island with Jordan (former model and Peter Andre’s ex-wife) or Gwyneth Paltrow, I would choose Jordan. With Jordan you get the truth. She’s treated like a quasi-hooker, whereas Gwyneth is seen as the patron saint of good living. Which one has more integrity? I would much rather have Jordan any day.

Michael Jackson was a freak. he looked like a character from Shrek. He was a black to white minstrel. He was crucified by that court case when he was accused of child molestation - that killed him. He personified the pain and anxiety of a black man in a slave country. We all watched as he changed from black to white. He was living performance art. I think it was fortuitous that he died. He was supposed to be doing 50 concerts in London. It wouldn’t have mattered how good or bad he was. He wouldn’t have managed to do all of them and the press would have destroyed him. You cannot divide the music from the person. I think his life - and death - is a great lesson. I think we are going to see the end of celebrity as we know it. Showbusiness is not an honest profession.

We’re living in very strange times. We have Michael Jackson, a black man who has gone white, and we have President Barack Obama, who is a half-white man gone black. It’s absolutely fascinating to watch.

Here are some pics…

I represent Polish portal Madonna fans, operating in Poland for 10 years! Polish fans shocked your statement regarding the Madonna concert. Do not be the spokesman of the Lord of us all and not just Catholics? Poland is a country that is not religious but secular. What you say 75 thousand people who bought a ticket and do not feel offended concert?

He replied…
The concert should be held on August 14 or 16 and it must respect the feelings of others, even if one does not share them.

source: www.madonnawpolsce.pl

She tells the New York Daily News, “She wants to come by my studio, so I guess I will find out then. Maybe she wants me to photograph her, or to work on a video.”

Here’s some pictures…

Simply download the Goom Radio free application and get the 14 Goom Radio stations which offers HD sound, news and various podcasts. Download the application…

“This piece is about our relationship to celebrities,’’ explains William Stover, the exhibit’s curator. “When you see these people onscreen, you understand the influence Madonna has had on them. [Breitz] keeps her own intervention to a minimum and lets the fans be who they are, and that’s liberating for us to watch.’’

“Madonna Erotic Phone Messages” will be among several lots of Material Girl-related arcana up for grabs next week in the Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction. Minimum bid: $25,000 (U.S.). That works out to about $1,470 a minute.
Contained on “two original microcassettes from Jim Albright’s answering machine,” the 17 minutes of messages date from 1992-1993, when Madonna was dating Albright, who was her bodyguard before becoming romantically involved with her.
Another lot contains “a very personal and intimate amateur video taken of Madonna and a few of her castmates from the 1993 film Dangerous Games.” The 15-minute VHS tape bears the titillating label “1 SNAKE EYES WIFE SWAP FOOTAGE.” The minimum bid: $10,000.

Also included in the auction is an “archive of 21 letters faxed by Madonna to boyfriend James Albright spanning the years 1992 to 1994. The faxes are from all over the world … She uses the code name ‘Lola Montez’ (a dancer and actress born in Ireland who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria), and sometimes refers to Albright as ‘Ceasar’ (sic), ‘J,’ ‘James,’ ‘Booty Man’ (calling herself ‘Lil Booty’) and even in one letter writing, ‘Happy Thanksgiving Sambo.’ Estimate: $3,000 to $4,000.”

The Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction will also feature non-Madonna items, including Jimi Hendrix’s first contract – signed by Hendrix and promising him the princely amount of $1 – and Bob Dylan’s original working lyrics for what became “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”

Source : The Star

Madonna travelled to two Marseille hospitals to see three workers who remain in care since the incident on Thursday. The mayor’s special events deputy Maurice Di Nocera said: “Madonna wanted to come and visit those injured and the families of those killed. She wanted something private and discreet.”

The Mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin added “she shows great humanity and we appreciate it. We can only see her great human qualities.”

Madonna was not allowed to visit the Stade Velodrome because an inquiry into the accident has begun.

The final tracklist has not been finalized yet, but some songs apparently didn’t make it. For instance, True Blue has been removed and Nothing Really Matters is still on “to be decided” list…
The cover will contain old images of Madonna but Celebrate might have its own photoshoot.

To be continued…

Fans were let in the festivalpark at 15:30 with Golden Circle wristbands. A Live Nation representative welcomed them and explained that the group will be split in two so they could visit the backstage area. Only condition: no pictures or video allowed.
Secrets were revealed: Three stages are currently being used simultaneously for the Sticky & Sweet Tour – one being used for the night, one being taken down from the last show and one being built for the next show.

They were also able to see the costumes worn by the dancers (not the ones worn by Madonna) and the hair and make-up area, where they could ask some questions.
For the last part of the tour, the winners were guided to the area under the stage, where all the quick costume changes happen during the show and the infamous Madonna Candy Shop throne. Everybody could sit in the throne and take some pictures (the only moment when there were allowed to).
The soundcheck started with Holiday and when Madonna rehearsed Frozen, they let the crowd in.

A rather unique experience.

During ‘Moment of Surrender’ Bono paid special thanks to the magnificent 360 touring crew and added a tribute to those involved in the tragic accident on the Madonna tour in Marseille earlier in the week.

‘This goes out to the Madonna crew….and to the good lady as well.’

If you would like to join in, please check the following details:
- Confirm you are over 18 years old
- You must bring your photo ID to the filming location
- Must have your country of residence (residenza) and tax number (code fiscale) available
- You can be in Milan at around 9pm on Saturday 18th July. We will not reveal the location until just before this time.

If you agree, come and celebrate: Please e-mail lastminutefans@gmail.com with a recent picture attached (No picture, No invite), as well as your full name, mailing address and phone number .
PLEASE NOTE THAT MADONNA WILL NOT BE AT THE FILM SHOOT, WE ARE ONLY SHOOTING EXTRAS THIS DAY.
Please note that we will not be able to pick everybody that replies.”

Source: Madonna.com

Madonna, Paul Oakenfold - O2 Arena - London, U.K. - July 4-5, 2009
$5,873,149
27,464 / 27,464

Madonna, Paul Oakenfold - Manchester Evening News Arena - Manchester, U.K. - July 7, 2009
$2,827,517
13,457 / 13,457

Madonna, Paul Oakenfold - Palais Omnisports Bercy - Paris, France - July 9, 2009
$2,306,551
15,806 / 15,806

Madonna, Paul Oakenfold - Werchter Festival Park - Werchter, Belgium - July 11, 2009
$7,190,295
68,434 / 68,434

No red carpet, no commotion, simply a discreet party between friends held in an intimate atmosphere with only a few select guests. DJ Paul Oakenfold hit the decks first, followed by model Jesus Luz.

What about the party itself? What actually happened behind closed doors?
“While Domenico and I were waiting for Madonna to arrive we were really nervous” explained Gabbana, “I’d taken a homeopathic remedy to relax: at the end of the day we’re Madonna fans too.”

And then?
“As always when we’re with her it’s fantastic, we chatted as if time had stood still, and then we headed on the dance floor. She was pulled into a circle of her dancers; there was a thrilling moment of free style, it really was something amazing to watch.”

Did she also dance?
“Of course! So did I…and Domenico, everyone danced, we all had fun.”

What was the story behind the I LOVE MADONNA t-shirts with Swarovski hearts that were given to guests?
“Domenico and I wanted to create something memorable for the evening.”

And the grey leopard dress?
“She chose the grey leopard dress herself.”

Someone was reportedly filming the evening…?
“No, video cameras and telephones were forbidden last night.”

Source : Swide

“I never imagined when I made it in my little purple room in Glasgow in my flat that it would reach far and wide as it has - it’s always a privilege.”

“I’ve never been a massive fan of Madonna - but I see why she’s as big as she is… she changes with the times which is amazing but I’ve never liked her singing and I don’t think she can sing live. I did meet her, this guy was like, ‘Madonna’s here, do you wanna say hello?’ I was like, ‘Well I’m not a huge fan, I wouldn’t know what to say’ and he was like ‘Oh come on’ so I went over. I was really nervous - whether you like her or not, she’s still Madonna! I just said ‘hello, pleased to meet you’ and she just looked at my hand and said ‘what do you do?’ and I just felt really awkward and thought, ‘Ahh, I’ve been snubbed by Madonna!’… I did think it was a bit rude but you get over it. I would’ve been kind of disappointed if she was really nice though, you know?”

The top 5 in the list of World’s top lesbian icon:
1. Angelina Jolie
2. Madonna
3. Pink
4. Martina Navratilova
5. Ellen DeGeneres

I heard Like A Virgin and it blew me away. Now I live the life of a superstar. Strangers flock to me.
Some people can’t tell the difference between me and the real thing. They don’t even realize I’m a man.

“The new costume is super couture, sensual, Goth, bondage. What I wanted for the opening was to give a very iconic view of Madonna. She’s wearing an outfit that will make history. I wanted to do something even stronger than what he designed for her in the tour’s first leg because she wants to be stronger. I just met her six months ago and I’m completely in love with her. She’s an artist but she let me express myself, which is rare. She knew what she liked from my collection and wanted me to translate that for her on stage. I made a dress for another bit of the show and she said she wanted to do colors. I said why not? So we did fluorescent rosary necklaces over a black dress.”

“It’s a satanic provocation” Walesa said at a press conference. Pointing to the icon of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa that he has been carrying pinned to his lapel for decades, Walesa said: “I carry this portrait on my chest, so it is understandable, that I am not glad about this concert taking place on the day of her feast. I am a man of faith and I would ask for such events not to happen on the day of such an important feast of my religion.”
He added that he would be willing to meet with the pop star to discuss a change of dates for the concert. “I have nothing against her personally, even though she has committed many provocations,” Walesa observed.
The prayer crusade is supposed to start on August 1, and continue every day until the 15th, the scheduled date of the show.

Madonna’s spokeswoman was not immediately available. Live Nation, the tour’s organizer, declined to comment.

Listen and/or download…

Lady GaGa, Rihanna and Robbie Williams are the other music sensations, Cowell is trying to get to perform on the show.
To be continued…

A spokeswoman for the O2 Arena apologized to fans but explained the reason for the delay saying…

“Madonna unfortunately came on stage later than we expected. Madonna requested the arena be a certain temperature – the air conditioning was turned on an hour before Madonna came on stage.”

The Evening Standard gave the show 5 stars…
“Her tribute last night made this spectacular performance even more memorable. […] It was her fearsome pop power and the fantastic dancing transfixed.“
The Manchester evening News for the show in Manchester…
“The singing isn’t great, never has been, but she isn’t a diehard lip syncher like Britney Spears and belt out a few tunes […] Her Madge has earned her regal status in pop music by dint of hard exercise and hard work, if not hard candy.”

The Paris show reviews were less enthusiastic, especially by journalists who hadn’t seen the show!
“Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet Tour is as unmemorable and boring as her Hard Candy album” writes Liberation; or “Madonna has trouble re-inventing herself” according to A nous Paris.

Bad press or not, Bercy was packed last night and the show was simply amazing !