Last night in New York City, Madonna received the inaugural Dave Houge Award for artistic courage and outstanding dedication to the LAByrinth Theater company at a Celebrity Charades benefit gala.

Here is an exclusive report from Madonnalicious visitor Maria who attended the event:
Madonna looked stunning. Nothing fancy but she has been looking great lately. Very calm, relaxed and so maternal looking. She appeared and spoke for less than 10 mins. She received an award for donating money to the Labryinth Company (theater group). She was very humble and didn't even think she should get an award for helping. She just leaves you speechless....

From Yahoo!/Reuters:
Pop star Madonna, who built her fame with catchy songs, sexy outfits, steamy videos and a raunchy persona, said on Monday that producing her new children's book was a 'liberating' experience.
Madonna said writing 'The English Roses,' was 'tremendously liberating. I never felt the pressure of having to impress anybody,' she said at a book signing in midtown Manhattan.
Nevertheless, Madonna's magic touch, and media magnetism, is at work again as the book is expected to enter The New York Times children's books best seller list in the No. 1 position on Sunday, her U.S. publisher Callaway said last week.
The first of a planned series of five unrelated books, 'The English Roses,' a tale about envy and jealousy, was launched in 30 languages in more than 100 countries earlier this month.
'In the first book, the lesson is about how destructive feelings of envy and jealousy are. And everybody feels it, not just little girls,' said Madonna.
Madonna, who in 1992 created a publishing stir with 'Sex,' a coffee table book comprised of erotic photographs, said people should not be surprised that she has tackled children's books as a project.
'I have children and I read to them every night, so it's a perfect extension of who I am,' said the 45-year-old pop diva, who has two children. 'I think children need to read inspiring books.'
Madonna read her 48-page book to a group of small children and then handed out signed copies to the 250 winners of a lottery held by the book store.
Outside, a crowd of lottery losers crowded near the front door hoping to catch a glimpse of Madonna.

From the New York Times:
Dana Spera says she has no interest in children's books. But yesterday at noon she was outside the Barnes & Noble store on 48th Street and Fifth Avenue, begging to be let in for a glimpse her favorite author.
'I can't breathe!' she shouted. 'I just can't! I want to meet her!'
The author's name — Madonna — was written across Ms. Spera's headband, her earrings, a ring, and a bracelet. It was also tattooed onto her leg, with a dreamy image of the pop star's face and her birthdate: August 16, 1958.
Ms. Spera, 27, had shown up along with several hundred other fans, hoping to watch Madonna hand out signed copies of her new children's book, 'The English Roses,' which was released last week to a juggernaut of publicity in more than 100 countries and in 30 languages.
But only 250 people were chosen by lottery to receive signed copies at yesterday's event, and Ms. Spera was left standing out in the intermittent rain with hundreds of other disappointed fans and curious onlookers.
Most of the lottery winners, who were allowed to wait inside, appeared to be in their 30's and 40's — closer to Madonna's current maternal incarnation than her earlier, wilder phases — and many had children with them.
Few of them seemed troubled by the difference between her first book, 'Sex,' which included photographs of Madonna wearing only black leather gloves and a bunny tail, and the new effort to refashion herself as a children's author.
'I was a huge Madonna fan back in the 80's,' said Kristine Woodward, 37, who came with her 5-year-old daughter, Julia. Now, she said, she and her daughter 'bop to the same music together.'
Like most of those in the line, Ms. Woodward had not read the book. 'I hear it's a beautiful piece of artistry,' she said dreamily.
A few passers-by were more skeptical.
'We shouldn't judge her by her insane past,' said Denise Fuhrer. 'Maybe she has a normal streak. But I wouldn't let any granddaughter of mine read that book.'
A few of the fans lining the block had read the story, which describes four young English girls and their jealousy of another, more beautiful girl named Binah who lives down the block.
But most people seemed far more interested in Madonna than in her book. Michael Zorek had brought his 18-month-old son, Jeremy, to add another photograph of the baby with a celebrity. He already has dozens, including Puff Daddy, Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the stars of 'Law and Order.'
'I figure this will be better than the normal pictures of the baby on the rug or the baby with Grandma,' Mr. Zorek said.
Inside the bookstore, scores of young women pretended to browse books while waiting for the star to make her appearance. Finally, about 4 o'clock, loud shouts went up as Madonna appeared on a second-floor gallery at the back of the store.
But Madonna, dressed in a brown skirt and tan sweater vest, soon disappeared to the back of the store, sequestered with the lottery winners by security guards and a velvet rope line. Reporters were not allowed in. After the signing was over, a stream of deliriously happy fans began to emerge with their signed books.
'She read the first two pages of the book, and asked the girls what characters they identified with,' said Michelle Rose, who had come with her two young daughters. 'It was such a great experience, because she keeps reinventing herself, and now I can identify with her as a working mom.'
Standing nearby, Irene Vornik, a visitor from St. Petersburg, Russia, watched the crowd with a mix of wonder and horror.
'It's so stupid!' she said. 'But it's interesting.'

From the NY Daily News:
Madonna might consider herself a style innovator, but a lawsuit is slamming the pop star as an imitator.
The Material Girl's new music video, 'Hollywood,' is Exhibit A in a copyright-infringement case accusing her of swiping images from the erotically charged work of the late French fashion photographer Guy Bourdin.
'This is more than inspiration,' said attorney John Koegel, who filed the lawsuit yesterday in Manhattan Federal Court seeking unspecified damages on behalf of Bourdin's son, Samuel.
'An overwhelming number of all of the scenes in the 'Hollywood' video are overtly and substantially derived from the Bourdin works,' the lawsuit says.
At least 11 images, including one of Madonna with her legs spread atop a TV set, were copied from Bourdin fashion shoots in the late 1970s and '80s, the suit charges.
'Factors such as composition, background, wardrobe, lighting, narrative, camera angle, decor and objects depicted are strikingly similar,' the lawsuit says. 'There are very few scenes or sequences in the 'Hollywood' video that are not directly derived from the Bourdin works.'
The video's director, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and Madonna's record company, Warner Bros., also are named in the lawsuit.
Neither Madonna nor her representatives could be reached yesterday for comment.
Koegel said Madonna and Mondino, who is from France, are 'very familiar with Bourdin's work.'
A week before she filmed the 'Hollywood' video, Madonna toured a Bourdin exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the show's curator Charlotte Cotton told the Dallas Morning News.
Earlier this year, Madonna was quoted in a British newspaper describing Bourdin, who died in 1991, as 'so sick and interesting.'

Madonna has been nominated for two MTV Europe Music Awards. She is up for Best Female against Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue and Pink.

Madonna's official website www.madonna.com is up for The Web Award against www.goldfrapp.co.uk, www.juniorsenior.com, www.marilynmanson.com and www.qotsa.com

The awards will be held in Edinburgh on 06 November.

From the Sunday Mirror:
Britney Spears and Madonna can't seem to keep their hands off each other.
The sizzling pair are teaming up again to shoot a video which will be directed by Madge's husband Guy Ritchie.
There will be plenty of girlie action but this time the 21-year-old singer and the 45-year-old mum-of-two will be keeping their tongues to themselves. The video will promote Britney's new single Me Against The Music. It will be set in a nightclub and will feature lots of semi-naked women.
Madonna will play the matriarch of the club and has a private room where she lures Britney.
The Queen of Pop will also have a set of girls on leashes.
Not one for the kids then....

UK GAP Kid stores are now selling and promoting The English Roses, and anyone who spends over £50 in GAP Kids can get a free The English Roses limited edition tote bag. This offer runs until 09 October - or while stocks last.

Here is the window display featured at GAP's flagship store on London's Oxford Street.

Madonna recently arrived in New York and was photographed last night at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan for a private Rosh Hashanah gathering to usher in the Jewish New Year.

Thanks to Jamie for the scan.

From the New York Daily News - with thanks to Alex:
Madonna will usher in the Jewish New Year at an exclusive kabbala retreat in the city this weekend. The Material Girl will be getting spiritual at a private Rosh Hashanah gathering at the Marriott Hotel.
But on Tuesday it's back to business - we hear she'll play a dominatrix in Britney Spears' new video, 'Me Against the Music.' It's a return to the bad old days for the scandalicious diva, who recently double-teamed with Britney for a Sapphic spit-swap at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Madge is also set to appear at the Rockefeller Center Barnes & Noble on Monday to promote her children's book, 'The English Roses,' which has rocketed to the top of international best-seller lists.
But don't count on getting too close: 'Madonna is being very, very difficult with this signing,' says one source. 'She's pre-signed all the books and will simply hand them to fans, with no personalizing. She has also said she will not pose for pictures. ...(Those who) bring cameras will have them taken away.'

UK music magazine Q has published it's Madonna 20th Anniversary Collectors Edition today.

The magazine also contains The 20 Best Madonna Songs Ever - voted for by the fans, although it looks like Q magazine have just published The 20 Best Madonna Singles Ever!

20 - True Blue
19 - Who's That Girl
18 - Cherish
17 - Drowned World (Substitute For Love)
16 - Borderline
15 - Material Girl
14 - Vogue
13 - Don't Tell Me
12 - Justify My Love
11- Crazy For You
10 - Frozen
09 - Papa Don't Preach
08 - Dress You Up
07 - Live To Tell
06 - Holiday
05 - Like A Virgin
04 - Ray Of Light
03 - Into The Groove
02 - Music
01 - Like A Prayer

Overseas fans can order a copy of the magazine by clicking here.

   

From Ananova:
Madonna's literary debut The English Roses has become the fastest-selling children's picture book of all time.
It sold more than 10,000 copies in the UK in its first week alone, according to figures from the publishers, Puffin.
And in the children's best-seller list it is second only to the fifth Harry Potter - selling just 220 copies less than JK Rowling's book in its first seven days.
The English Roses was released simultaneously in 100 countries on September 15 and translated into 30 languages. The illustrated book is the first of five tales Madonna has written for children.
A spokesman for Waterstone's said: 'The English Roses is performing beyond all expectations. It is selling incredibly well.'

Here's more about the video for Me Against The Music from Ted Casablancas of E! Online:

'Oy. Wash my puss out with soap and Diet Mountain Dew! 'Cause word from stimulating music vampers par excellence is that Britney Spears and Mrs. Madonna Ritchie will be coming together. Again. On film. For all to see.
As has been announced, B. 'n' M. are doing a video (to be filmed in New York or London) for Britney's new album, Get in the Zone - specifically for the single 'Me Against the Music.' Fun? Yeah, bay-bee!
'But they won't be kissing,' pooped a mucho, mucho, mucho inside source working with the dynamic duo. 'Direct order.' From whose camp? 'Both.'
Sound-wise, Brit's new appeal is techno-ethnic-funky-studio-reverb. Hmmm. Wonder where the perky performer learned to bump-hip herself up like that? While you're trying to figure that one out, here's what else I've discovered is being ordered and written, as we cyber-speak, for the ultimate voyeur's video:
- Loads of semi-clothed girls will be used in a club-like environment.
- Madonna will have her own room for some scenes, 'somewhere off, where she can watch the other girls,' blabbed my golden gabber. 'Madonna is the club's sexy ruler, who lures Britney deeper.' Yum for the taut bum!
- Ms. M. will also have her own set of 'girls on leashes.'
- Young women, say connected snoops, will be kissing - but not the previously tonguing cuties themselves, as discussed. Too risky.
- 'It'll have an air of perversity, but not be perverse,' pooped the musical pooper.
Oh, that's right. Forgot. Britney still needs to sell in the Midwest. Even so, can't wait! Sounds like too much fun.
Always wanted Ms. S. to show us her version of what it feels like for a galvanized girl!'

Here are a couple of snippets from Neil Sean's The Green Room gossip column published in the Metro newspaper:

Madonna is so afraid of heights she won't even go on the London Eye. Husband Guy Ritchie said: 'I had planned it for a treat but Madge said 'no way'. She would just watch me and the kids do it.'

Madonna claims she has no TV sets in her London home. So how come husband Guy Ritchie said: 'I became hooked on the Tricky Dicky thing in Coronation Street (a popular UK soap opera). It was really well acted.'

Today's New York Times ran a full page advert to promote Madonna's in store appearance at Barnes and Noble at 600 Fifth Avenue at 48th Street Rockefeller Center in New York on Monday 29 September at 3.30pm.

Customers will be admitted to this event by lottery.
Please call (212) 352-3800 for details.
This event will be a receiving line to meet Madonna.
One pre-signed copy of The English Roses per ticketed customer.

Click on the advert to enlarge and read all the details.
Thanks to Madonnasmatrix for the scan.

On Sept 29th 2003 in New York City, Madonna will receive the inaugural Dave Houge Award for artistic courage and outstanding dedication to the LAByrinth Theater company at a Celebrity Charades benefit gala.
The award will be presented to Madonna by LAByrinth Theatre Artistic Director's Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz.
Ticket information can be found here.

The official website for BMG Brazil has published the lyrics to Britney Spears latest single, Me Against The Music which also features Madonna.

Click here to read the lyrics.

During during an interview to the Italian press, musician Joe Henry had this to say:

'We are working just now on a pair of songs for a musical comedy in which she will take the lead role. I think it will be shot next year.
Is she ill-tempered? I've known her since I was 15 years old, and therefore I do not pay attention to all the gossip and news they write about her'.

Thanks to Gugarko at dotmusic.

The latest issue of UK magazine Hello! (issue 784 - September 30, 2003) has three pages devoted to Madonna's book launch for The English Roses.
These pictures are included in the feature - the first three are from Paris, the last one is from London. Large versions will be available in the next gallery update.

   

   

Madonna's official fanclub have sent this email about the latest issue of ICON magazine.

The next issue of ICON, Madonna's fan club magazine, will be shipping within the next two weeks. ICON 39 has articles on American Life, Will & Grace, Herb Ritts, and loads more. If you are already a member, you will get yours soon.
If you are not a member yet, click here to find out how to join. ICON 40 will be shipping before the end of the year and will include a special pull out poster.

The email also advertises the official 2004 Madonna calendar:

Madonna's new 2004 calendar will be shipping this Friday, Sept 26th. If you want to be included in the initial shipment, make sure you pre-order your calendar today.

From the Daily Mirror's 3am Gossip Column:
It's no secret Madonna always gets what she wants - and in her quest for eternal youth the Material Girl has decided she's had enough of pricks. Literally.
But before anyone chokes on their cereal or her hubby Guy Ritchie goes into meltdown, we mean in the surgical sense.
Although the Mockney mother of two has a good 20 years before she gets her OAP bus pass, it appears she's preparing for the standard photo-booth shot with a new 'miracle facelift'.
It's been rumoured Madge is a fan of Botox and was filmed having authentic-looking poison injections for her video Hollywood - but in the fickle world of showbiz the 45-year-old queen of pop has now turned to Beautytox.
Friends say she's been splashing out £350 a time on the treatment, which fills out lines and wrinkles but is not as harsh as celebrity face-freeze filler Botox.
'Madonna's never openly admitted to using Botox,' one insider tells us. 'And she probably won't admit to having this done, but she's got nothing to be ashamed of. Her looks are mainly down to good genes, dancing, exercising, running around after the family and a healthy diet.'
At the launch of her children's book The English Roses this month, Madonna, who was with daughter Lourdes, six, and son Rocco, three, looked sensational.
Naturally, we checked for signs of little scars around the hairline, chin and ears but couldn't find any evidence of a facelift.
Her forehead was amazingly line-free and plumped-out, but her eyebrows still bobbed up and down as she spoke - something that doesn't happen after £200-a-time paralysing Botox treatments.
A pal let slip that the star's soft features are courtesy of just two sessions of Beautytox at a salon in Hampstead, North West London.
'It actually works by shooting a muscle-relaxing serum into the skin with an oxygen jet,' whispers an insider. 'It's needle-free, painless, and it lasts for six months. Madonna's only been twice but she's thrilled with the results and has left a £50 tip each time.'

Access Hollywood states that Madonna will feature in the video for Me Against The Music - her forthcoming collaboration with Britney Spears.

This video is due to be premiered in the USA on 13 October on MTV's 'Making Of The Video'.

Thanks to Madonnatastic!

You can now read the full transcript of Madonna's appearence on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Click here to read the transcript - thanks to Mark.

From SFGate.com:
Singer, actress, business woman and now author Madonna is launching yet another career - as a film screenwriter.
However the superstar, who is married to film director Guy Ritchie and released her debut children's book 'The English Roses' on Monday, has found the process to be a laborious one.
She admits, 'I've been working on a screenplay for more than a year, and it's driving me mad.'

Here are some more pictures of Madonna on a walking tour of Paris on Tuesday 16 September.

From Market Wire:
With all the hoopla surrounding the release of Madonna's new children's book, 'The English Roses,' it was no surprise that her hardcover went from #1360 when Amazon.com first started taking pre-orders a few weeks ago to #8 on Amazon.com's Best-Selling Books List by Monday, September 15, when it had its international launch. But after her Tuesday appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Madonna's book quickly shot up to the #2 spot on Amazon.com's Best Seller charts.
So, what kept Madonna from reaching Amazon.com's #1 sales ranking?
It was another Oprah sensation, none other than Dr. Phil. The self-help TV guru who made a name for himself on Oprah is holding steady at Amazon.com's #1 slot with his latest book, 'The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution.'

A survey of 6000 people by drinks company Babysham has revealed the Top 50 Film Goddesses of the last half century.

Madonna makes the list at number 26!

To read more about the survey and find out who else made the Top 50 click here.

From Publishers Weekly:
In what is billed as the biggest simultaneous multi-language release of any book ever, Madonna's picture book, The English Roses, was published worldwide yesterday, with illustrations by artist and designer Jeffrey Fulvimari. In the story, four English schoolgirl friends exclude a fifth girl, because she is beautiful and they are jealous of her; by the book's end, they learn not to judge people by their appearances.
Nicholas Callaway, publisher of Callaway Editions, licensed rights through agent Andrew Wylie, and orchestrated a massive publication strategy, covering 100 countries and more than 30 languages. Callaway Editions published the U.S. edition, which is being distributed by the Penguin Group (Penguin has the rest of the English-language rights). The U.S. print run now stands at 900,000 copies, and the worldwide figure is 1.4 million copies. The English Roses was #6 on Amazon's bestseller list, as of press time.
Events surrounding the launch included a tea party in London on Sunday and a press conference in Paris on Monday, which included representatives from all 33 of the book's publishers. Today Madonna discussed her book in an appearance on Oprah - only the second children's book that Oprah has ever featured.
Reached just off the plane from Paris, Callaway called the worldwide response to The English Roses 'very gratifying. I felt from the beginning that the world would underestimate the project, but what we are seeing now is a response to the quality of the books.'

To read the rest of the article click here.

Here is a look at the limited edition The English Roses tote bag, that is given to customers at GAP Kids when they make a purchase of $75 (including the book).

For more details, visit GAP's website here.

The bag will also be available at the end of September to customers in the UK who purchase £50 of merchandise in GAP Kids.

From heat magazine:
Madonna's 'Up For Grabs' co-star Sian Thomas has finally spoken out about what it was like treading the boards with the Queen Of Pop. 'Sometimes I'd give her notes on her performance. She had a very low boredom threshold and liked to change her lines a lot. She tried that with me during one performance. As soon as we got offstage, I pulled her aside and told her not to fuck about in my scenes and she never did again.'

The cover of the long awaited Q magazine Madonna special has been revealed by Madonna.com

Q magazine celebrates the 20th anniversary of Madonna's first album with a 148-page, full-colour, luxury special collector's edition, containing....
- Classic Madonna interviews from 1983-2003
- Rare and unseen photographs
- Madonna Revealed! What is she really like?
- From The Virgin Tour to Drowned World: Madonna Live!
- The Top 20 Madonna Songs - as voted by fans everywhere

The magazine is released in the UK on 26 September, and it can also be ordered online here.

The website for US bookstore Barnes and Noble has already got the second of Madonna's books - Mr Peabody's Apples - on pre-order.
The site features a small thumbnail of the book's cover. For more information click here.

Here is a review of The English Roses by 11 year old Elizabeth Yentumi - from BBC News:
Madonna's first children's book, The English Roses, is a charming tale for girls of all ages.
When celebrities write books, they attract lots of readers. Not all the books are good but, I can assure you, this one is.
Madonna's story is about four best friends aged 11 - Amy, Charlotte, Grace and Nicole.
All of them are 'green with envy' about another girl in their neighbourhood, Binah, whose life seems perfect.
Later the girls discover from a dynamic, kind-hearted fairy godmother that all is not as it seems, and that the popular, stuck-up Binah, is in fact a lonely heart-broken girl seeking friendship.
The English Roses is an enlightening tale exploring relationships and the complexity of emotions.
It is aimed at children of all ages. I found it appealing as the girls in the story are my age. My parents thoroughly enjoyed it too.
The illustrations help to make the book more thrilling. The sequence of the pictures enables younger readers to follow the story. I liked the colourful images.
I enjoyed The English Roses because the plot was addictive, some parts were humorous and the lively illustrations added to your understanding of the story.
It would have been exciting to know more about their surroundings but I could easily relate to their emotions. I liked the happy ending and the educating moral.

Here are some more pictures of Madonna in Paris yesterday.

The official Oprah Winfrey website is offering the chance to view a video clip of Madonna meeting her old school teacher, Mrs Fellows and read some excerpts from the interview which aired in the USA yesterday.
To view this site click here.

Due to excessive bandwidth usage this month - in 16 days I have used up a months worth of bandwidth - Madonnalicious will be operating on a reduced service.
You will still be able to view the news page, but all other areas of the site will not be working, some avatar users may find their avatars are not working, but they will be back online soon.
I have taken the decision to temporarily close other parts of this site in order to preserve the news service.

Thanks for your patience
Clare
Webmistress of Madonnalicious

UK newspaper The Times is offering UK children aged between 7 and 11 the chance to write a short story and win a very special prize....Madonna visiting their school!

Would you like Madonna to visit your school to read from her new children's book?
We are inviting children aged from 7 to 11 to submit their own short stories of up to 1,000 words to be judged by a panel chaired by Erica Wagner, The Times Literary Editor.
The author of the most appealing tale will win the school visit, together with a signed copy of The English Roses, and his or her story will be published in The Times later this year.
Two runners-up will also win signed copies of The English Roses.

For more information, please visit here.

Here are some screen captures from Madonna's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show today in the USA.

For more screen captures, please visit Madonnatastic!

You can also do a Madonna Quiz at www.oprah.com.

From The Guardian:
In the reading corner at Islington's Hugh Myddleton primary school, year four stopped maths to hear a new book. The eight- and nine-year-olds were not sure if they would have been that excited about a new book if it had not been written by the pop icon Madonna.
'Didn't she kiss a girl, or was that Britney Spears?' wondered one boy, who knew her 'from the newspapers'.
The English Roses, published yesterday, had the biggest simultaneous world launch in publishing history in 30 languages and 100 countries. A story of four well-dressed and unwittingly bitchy girls, it purports to be a morality tale drawn from the Kabbalah, the school of Jewish mysticism which Madonna has studied for some years. When the four girls realise their beautiful, but ostracised, classmate has no mother and does all the cleaning at home, they relent and let her come on their picnics.
After the pop, the Hollywood films, the nudity and the foray on to the West End stage, Madonna, 45, aims to resuscitate her serious side with five children's morality tales by 2004. But like her London theatre debut, the book has had a mixed reception. First impressions have ranged from 'a fabulous, affirmative ending' to suggestions that with 'no characterisation, no story and a flat tone' it would never have been published if not for the name on the spine.
In year four, at least 10 pupils said their mothers had Madonna's albums. But Madonna was best known to the children 'for those new adverts for trousers for the Gap'. The global branding message aimed at the pop star's target audience of six- to nine-year-olds had clearly been achieved. The clothing chain, Gap, is stocking Madonna's book as part of its advertising deal.
Whether children can afford to buy the English Roses is a different issue. 'Twelve pounds, ninety-nine pence? No way, it's more than Harry Potter,' said Wasif. 'Can I get it out of the library?'
It struck a painful chord with the children who had been bullied.
'It teaches you that instead of leaving people out because you are different to them, you should let them join in,' said Alexis. Amy, who identified with the bullied Binah, said: 'It teaches you should be nice to people who are new to your school.' 'It makes me feel like I did when it happened to me,' said Jago. 'It teaches you bullying is wrong.' She admitted that other stories, poems and school lessons taught her bullying was wrong. Madonna's book, which was 'like Cinderella', was not new.
But the pop star's finger-wagging narratorial style sometimes hit a blank wall. 'Now stop interrupting me,' says the narrator as if from nowhere. Year four, who had sat silent, patiently listening, looked faintly startled.
The bright, supermodel-style illustrations by the fashion artist Jeffrey Fulvimari were well received. 'That's Barbie' and 'that's Kylie' came the cries from the floor. 'It looks like it was done on the internet,' said Wasif, impressed.
Meanwhile Madonna appeared at the book's Paris launch last night, recovering from her announcement that she did not know who Enid Blyton was. Asked in London if she aimed to be the next Blyton, the American-born star looked blank and asked: 'Who is that? Is she good?'

Click here to read The Guardian's review of the book.

From MTV.com:
Britney Spears is hooking up with Madonna once again — this time for the first single from her forthcoming album, now titled Get in the Zone.
Though Spears was coy about what the first single would be when MTV News talked to her following her NFL Kickoff Live performance, it turns out that the song she previewed that night, Me Against the Music, will indeed be her first released track, featuring Madonna.
The duo, of course, most recently caused controversy when they locked lips at the MTV Video Music Awards. The single — co-written by Spears and produced by RedZone — ships to radio on September 30, with a video set to premiere on MTV on October 13.

From Ananova.com:
Madonna's German fans will have to wait to get their hands on her children's book The English Roses after pre-orders delayed delivery.
A spokesman for publisher Hanser Verlag said there has been such a huge demand for the book, that delivery has had to be put back to Friday.
The book about the friendship shared by four girls, was released on Monday and was set to hit bookshelves in 30 languages in 100 countries.
The publisher's spokesman Carl Hanser said the huge amount of pre-orders meant the initial print run had to be increased to 80,000 copies.
Madonna is planning to release four more books over the next year and the next one, Mr. Peabody's Apples, is due out in November.

Here is a look at the UK press pack for journalists reviewing The English Roses - the cover of the pack is entitled Expect the unexpected - Puffin Presents Madonna.

You can read a Q and A with Madonna about the book and her thoughts behind it, she also reveals the forthcoming themes for her next four books.

In The English Roses (which went onsale worldwide yesterday) there is even a little in-joke to Madonna's pop career - when the four girls featured in the book are said to love dancing, the page features all different kinds of dancing including....Vogue!

     

You can now download a small video clip of Madonna reading from her book The English Roses at the book launch in London yesterday.
Also she is asked about her favourite children's books and ends up having to tell off her publisher Nicholas Callaway when he interupts her answer!
The clip is from the children's BBC TV program Newsround - to download the clip, right click here and save target as.

Madonna attended a press conference at The Ritz Hotel in Paris to promote her book The English Roses today. Here are some more pictures of Madonna arriving at the hotel.

At the press conference Madonna said that she would be filming another movie next year and also wanted to write books for adults.

Here is the first picture of Madonna arriving this afternoon for the Paris book launch for The English Roses.

Madonna's book launch for The English Roses filled the UK tabloid newspapers today - and the biggest story for the tabloids was Madonna's answer to the question: Do you want to be the next Enid Blyton? - to which she replied Who's that? Is she good?

     

   

....and the princess was called Madonna. Not only was she a singer, but also an actress and a mother. Then, one day, she decided to write a children's book, The English Roses.
We asked eight celebrity mothers, and their children, to review the former Material Girl's literary effort.

UK newspaper The Times has got some celebrity mothers to review The English Roses - click on the images to read the review.

Tomorrow the newspaper is launching a competition for children to write short-story with the winner having Madonna come and visit their school and read from her book.

     

You can download a low-quality video clip of Madonna arriving at the tea-party and being interviewed about the book.
Hopefully a better quality version will be available soon - and as it is collection of clips put together, there may be some repetition.

To download the clip right click here and 'save target as'.

Thanks to Jamesy for the screen grabs of the interview.

From Reuters:
Madonna cast aside her raunchy pop image Sunday to throw a tea party for the launch of her first children's book.
The pop icon, who has had more style makeovers than David Bowie, played the demure 45-year-old mother of two to publicize 'The English Roses,' her first dip into the highly lucrative world of children's publishing.
About 100 children sat eagerly at her feet in a London roof garden as she read from her illustrated tale which, with Harry Potter-style hype, is being launched Monday in 30 languages and more than 100 countries.
Madonna, flanked by her son, Rocco, and her daughter, Lourdes, sat on a garden swing chair reading in her best bedtime story voice.
Forget the steamy pop videos, conical bras and foul-mouthed outbursts. Here was 'Mamma-Donna,' elegantly attired in a floral cream dress and sporting spectacles that would not have looked out of place on a prim schoolteacher's nose.
Before launching into her brief reading, the icon who is hounded by paparazzi and tabloids around the world confessed to the children: 'I like little kids better than big people because they don't have any bad habits yet.'
'I think I am being upstaged by my children,' she said as Rocco fidgeted in the seat beside her and Lourdes beamed with pride.
Madonna got the biggest cheer from the children when she showed them one of the illustrations - a picture of kids who were literally colored green with envy.
Madonna's latest album 'American Life' was panned by some critics and her latest movie 'Swept Away,' made by her film director husband Guy Ritchie, went straight to video in Britain after being slated in the United States.
But she launched into her latest literary career with panache, answering questions from a string of showbusiness reporters who queued up to grill her.
Madonna was the first to hail her children as both her inspiration and harshest critics.
She told Reuters TV: 'I tried out all the stories on my children and whenever they got bored and started fidgeting, or complaining, or looking for other things to do, I knew I had to fix that part of the story or get rid of it.'
She concluded with a poignant confession. Madonna, whose own mother died when she was five, said: 'The only thing that I put in of myself is that Binah, the main character, is growing up without a mother. Her mother died when she was young so that was the similarity.'

From BBC News:
A host of celebrities and their children were invited to a tea party in London to launch Madonna's first children's book.
The US singer is publishing the first of her children's books, The English Roses, on Monday, translated into 30 languages and for sale in 100 countries.
To mark the launch Madonna threw a party in Kensington, west London, inviting friends and celebrities.
The guests were invited to walk up a pink, sparkly carpet, surrounded by barriers adorned with butterflies and roses.
Madonna arrived at the event fashionably late, stopping to wave to the hundreds of waiting fans and chatting about her book to the assembled world's media.
Her son Rocco, three, had already arrived at the party with husband Guy Ritchie.
Other guests at the tea party included TV interior designers Linda Barker and Laurence Llewelyn and Linda Barker, along with their respective offspring, and former EastEnders actresses Patsy Palmer and Michelle Collins.
Also attending was the newly-wed Stella McCartney. Madonna was recently a guest at her wedding on the remote Scottish island of Bute.
Inside the party, Madonna read extracts of the book to the young audience, but had to silence a few boisterous boys who were interrupting the reading.
Madonna has been heavily promoting her book, which is one of five aimed at children over six.
But she raised a few eyebrows when at a recent MTV awards ceremony she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during a racy stage performance.
But speaking at the launch, she defended accusations she was not a good role model for young children, saying it had only been "the kind of kiss you would give your sister".
She said one of the reasons for writing the book was that she 'had some stories to tell and I wanted to do something for my children'.
Each book is based on Hebrew texts from the Kabbalah religion and each will feature the work of a different, celebrated illustrator.
More than a million copies are expected to go on sale on Monday.

Madonna had to content with some very young hecklers at her tea party this afternoon. Madonna read out her book The English Roses to a group of children at the party at the Kensington Roof Gardens.
One of the young children who attended the party was interviewed by BBC News 24, here is what he had to say: When we went in we did some art, and then Madonna read some the book to us, but three boys at the back kept interupting and Madonna had to say 'Stop interupting, be quiet!'
How were they interupting her?
They were laughing, chucking balloons up in the air and catching them when they came down.'
Did Madonna look mad?
She looked a little bit angry, but not really.

BBC News 24 has shown a small clip of Madonna arriving this afternoon at the book launch at the Kensington Roof Gardens in London.
Here is a screen capture from that clip - more to follow later.

The Mail On Sunday has published a review on The English Roses (although it is a review based on the small extracts published in The Times yesterday, see here), the reviewer Melanie McDonagh gives the book 2/5 stars and quite a negative review:

When Madonna set out to write her five children's books, she and her American publisher wanted them to be heirloom volumes - beautifully produced and illustrated stories which would be cherished for years. The text would be simple, the moral clear - based on the teachings of the Kabbalah, the esoteric Jewish sect that Madonna follows - and the pictures captivating.
Her inspiration came from the classics of the genre: Eloise, Barbar The Elephant and the Madeline stories.
I wish I hadn't known all this. If I hadn't, I might have approached the first extracts of The English Roses, published in a British broadsheet yesterday, with modest expectations, which the story fufills.
But although girls will probably love the first book of the quintet, it just isn't in the league of any of those mentioned above. Because the thing about simplicity is that it looks eacy until you try it. The Little Prince is exquisitely simple, but it takes a master of prose to pull it off and a childlike imagination to think it up. Madonna has neither.
She did however, chose well with her illustrator, Jeffrey Fulvimari, whose almond-eyed heroines, attention to girly detail, bright colours and chic child fashion will reward close scrutiny.
And the story is perfectly sweet. It's about four girls called The English Roses, who are very good except for their jealous approach to their beautiful classmate, Binah. 'She was an excellent student and very good at sport. She was always kind to people. She was special.' Small wonder, then, that Amy, Charlotte, Grace and Nicole have it in for her.
Until, that is, a feisty fairy godmother causes them to see Binah's unenviable Cinderella-ish homelife. 'To cut to the chase, they think better about their catty ways after that.'
But what about Kabbalah? Madonna's take on it is that 'we are all one', so the lesson that envy is bad and beastly to loners is a no-no seems on the right track.
Except it's the kind of unremarkable moral that a member of the Church of England could have just as easily have produced.
Just in case you didn't get the message about global oneness, Grace is black, Charlotte looks oriental, and Nicole is white, but wears specs.
It should go down a treat with little girls, but it aspires to be a story 'for children of all ages (even grown-up ones)'. Count this grown-up one out.
The English Roses is charming in its way, but pedestrian with it - and certainly no classic.

UK viewers can catch Madonna on UK TV this weekend, in a cameo role in the film Blue in the Face and kissing Britney and Christina on the MTV VMA's.

Blue in the Face - BBC2 - Tonight (13 September) 1.30am-2.50am

MTV Video Music Awards 2003 - Channel 4 - Tomorrow (14 September) 12.30pm-2.05pm

You can now read the article by Ginny Dougary in today's edition of UK newspaper The Saturday Times.

Also included in the article are exclusive extracts from The English Roses which are now available to view.

To view the article click here.

The official website for Madonna's forthcoming book The English Roses, is reporting that there will be an in-store appearance by Madonna at Barnes and Noble's Rockefeller Center store in New York, which is scheduled for the last week of September.

80 pictures have been uploaded to the Galleries - you can view these latest uploads here.

You can now visit the official website promoting The English Roses here.

Included on the website is an authors statement by Madonna:
Most people think that I’ve made a career out of doing the unexpected, and to a certain extent, they’re right. While I’ve envisioned myself doing many things in this life, writing children's books was never one of them. So how did it happen?
The idea first came about through my Kabbalah teacher, who suggested that I share the spiritual wisdom I’ve learned studying the Kabbalah by writing children’s stories.
And then there’s my own children. Raising kids makes most people, including myself, grow up at least a little. It also makes us more responsible and more thoughtful about our own actions and their consequences for those around us.
Reading to my kids at night seemed like the ideal time to teach them a thing or two about life, love and the pursuit of happiness.
The world’s seal of approval could never mean as much to me as my daughter’s. If she fidgeted, fell asleep or reached for another book while I read my “works in progress” to her, I knew I was not finished with my work.
The English Roses is the first of five stories I have written. It deals with envy and jealousy—and how these emotions cause so much unnecessary suffering in our lives. I only wish I had read about some of these subjects when I was a little kid.
I hope these children’s books inspire kids of all ages—even grown-up ones.
—MADONNA

UK newspaper The Times will be publishing a Madonna cover-feature magazine tomorrow.
The magazine features a new interview with Madonna by Ginny Dougary and features exclusive extracts from The English Roses.

Madonnalicious has been in contact with GAP UK about The English Roses - they are not involved with the London book launch on Sunday but they will be promoting the book instore later this month.

Stores will be selling the book later this month and there will be a special gift with any purchase over £50 in GapKids - a girl's bag that been designed to hold the book, with illustrations on it similar to those that are in the book.

From USA Today:
Madonna will appear on Oprah Winfrey's show Tuesday to promote her first children's book, The English Roses. The episode was taped Monday.
Madonna tries yet another career with the publication of The English Roses.
Roses 'was inspired by my daughter (Lourdes). She's almost 7, and she's basically my co-editor,' Madonna, 45, tells Winfrey.
Madonna hits the stage, bumping and grinding with Oprah. And no, there's no Madonna-Oprah lip-lock. But the star does discuss her kiss with Britney Spears.
Madonna is brought to tears on the show when the family of a girl who died of cancer comes on stage. Madonna had befriended Canadian teen Kerri Yascheshyn through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She died in February at 17. Madonna's fifth-grade teacher also makes a surprise appearance.
Madonna is launching Roses with media events in London on Sunday and in Paris on Monday. Roses hits bookstores Monday in more than 100 countries and in 30 languages.

From the Evening Standard:
Madonna and film director husband Guy Ritchie celebrated his 35th birthday last night at one of London's leading clubs.
They were joined at Drones in Mayfair by celebrity friends, including Stella McCartney and footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones.

The VMA kiss is still getting magazine covers in Europe. In Holland the latest issue of Aktueel (10-17 September) features the Madonna and Britney kiss, and has more VMA's pictures inside.

Thanks to Jeremy for the scan.

From Reuters:
Harry Potter taught kids around the world the joy of reading. Now Madonna is going global in the thriving kids' book business with a publishing first.
The pop superstar's first children's book - 'The English Roses' - is being published simultaneously next Monday in more than 100 countries and 30 languages.
State-of-the-art technology has sent language barriers tumbling so printing plants around the world can spring into action in every tongue from French to Faroese.
'This is a publishing first with regard to numbers of languages and territories,' said Nicholas Callaway, President of the New York-based Callaway Editions, the originating publisher, who has co-ordinated the global release.
'We have languages as varied as Chinese and Czech, Thai and Turkish, Hebrew and Hungarian,' he told Reuters.
Internet advances have shrunk the globe. 'This would not have been technically possible 18 months ago. We send so many digital files through the Internet,' Callaway added.
More than one million copies are hitting bookstores around the world next week, backed by a marketing blitz that takes Madonna from London to Paris and then on to the Oprah Winfrey talk show in the United States.
Critics may carp at the spotlight focusing on Madonna, a genius at both spotting and setting pop and fashion trends.
Helen Fraser, managing director of Penguin Books who will be publishing the book in Britain, concedes that cynics will grumble about hype as the 45-year-old mother of two bursts into print after years as a raunchy pop star.
'Whenever somebody as famous as Madonna does something, cynics will use the 'H' (Hype) word,' she told Reuters.
In the now-standard children's blockbuster tradition, details of the plot have been kept strictly secret.
But Fraser insists that the book - the first of five written by Madonna for kids - will appeal to people from eight to 80 which is the ideal range for publishers.'

From the Herald Sun:
Britney Spears has denied her onstage kiss with Madonna at the MTV Music Awards was a publicity stunt.
'We just did what felt right,' Spears said yesterday in an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun.
'I'm surprised by the fuss it's made, but then it's Madonna.'
'I'm not used to kissing girls, so it was a little weird. I was a little shy in rehearsals, but when we got on stage it was cool.'

Madonnalicious wishes Guy Ritchie a Happy 35th Birthday today!

From Liz Smith's column in the New York Post:
Oprah Winfrey gave Madonna an hour on her show, airing next Tuesday (16 September). The star was in Chicago to talk with Oprah about her coming children's book, 'The English Roses,' and its sequels.
The gasping over M's MTV kiss with Britney Spears is just beginning to die down, but mercury is stable compared to Madonna's public image these days. With Oprah she was charming, decorum itself, and at one point burst into sentimental tears when her influential fifth-grade teacher made a surprise appearance, along with the family of a cancer-stricken little girl whom Madonna had befriended.
So which is the real Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone - the vixen of MTV or the well-spoken, emotional author of books for kids? Both. Nothing is ever black and white, especially not with Madonna.

Madonna taped the show in Chicago on Monday 08 September and flew back straight away to London. The taping of Madonna's show was delayed by two hours due to the previous taping with Beyonce Knowles over running!

Madonna wore a gray wool suit, with fishnet stockings and knee-length black leather boots. She did not perform any songs on the show.

Previews for the show were played during the Oprah Winfrey Show today in the USA.

Madonna has been nominated alongside Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams for a Latin American Video Music Award as Best International Pop Artist.
The ceremony will be held at the Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami Beach, October 23th 2003.
For more information on the awards visit www.mtvla.com

Fansite Madonnatastic! is reporting the news of a possible DVD release of the American Life video.

An anomynous source at Critics Choice Video has informed us that the 'American Life' DVD single has been on back-order for almost a month now and is expected to be released on September 30th.
At present, there is nothing listed at the Critics Choice website: www.ccvideo.com.
However, we called Critics Choice Video's toll-free number (1-800-367-7765 - U.S. only) and were able to PRE-ORDER it.
The catalogue number for the DVD single is WEA093858 and the price is $9.99.

Go and show your support for Madonna now by voting in the UK music magazine Q Awards.

To vote click here.

Madonna will be attending The English Roses book launch at the Kensington Roof Gardens at 99 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5ED - on Sunday 14 September.

The one and a half acre gardens feature spectacular tropical plants and flamingos which blend with traditional stone and wrought iron to create a haven from the noise of the streets below.
You can view more information about the Roof Gardens at www.roofgardens.com

From the Evening Standard:
Madonna has bought mountain bikes for her 24-hour security team.
The star has taken delivery of four more bicycles to add to the four she has already bought for her team of security guards, who now live permanently in a guardhouse adjacent to her home.
Madonna - who is worth £227 million - employs four guards in all. The team works in shifts. when she is out of the country the guards take turns patrolling the block around her £6 million home on bikes, and occasionally on foot.
When the 45-year-old star is in residence and riding her own £700 mountain bike near her own, and occasionally in Hyde Park, one guard follows her a few yards behind on his bike and another circles the streets directly ahead.
On days when fans camping outside her home have become a particular problem, she has been known to have four guards riding in formation around her - two out in front and two behind.
Although she is frequently pictured apparently cycling alone, this is never the case. Even when she and husband Guy Ritchie go out cycling, they always have at least one guard in their wake.
Madonna is said to be tired of seeing the city from behind the toughened glass of her new black BMW 760, and plans to spend more time out on her bike.

From the National Enquirer:
Hot Sinatra sound-a-like Michael Buble, 26, was dying to meet Madonna, 45, at the August 19 L.A birthday bash for Kabbalah Centre founder Rabbi Yehuda Berg, at which both sang.
Madonna actually introduced herself - like Buble didn't wouldn't know who she was.
'She is SO sexy - and SO happily married!' blurted Buble later.
Buble made his first album, the self-titled Micheal Buble , for Warner Records.

The 30 second Estee Lauder advert featuring Love Profusion got it's premiere airing in the UK tonight.

Madonnalicious brings the MTV VMA's news cycle to a close with a special site update.

64 pictures from the performance and backstage at the VMA's have been uploaded to the Galleries - you can view these latest uploads here.

There are also 28 animated avatars from the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. You can view them here.

And finally there are six high quality wallpapers from the show for you to download here.

Viewers who can get MTV UK should tune in at 11am tomorrow (Saturday 06 September) to see a true Madonna shrine.

The fan featured has a stunning Madonna collection, and contacted the show after seeing a news item here at Madonnalicious calling for super-fans.

From the Daily Mail:
No, it wasn't fancy dress. And even Compo might have smartened himself up to dine out in Mayfair.
But somehow Madonna gave a certain elegance to the Last of the Summer Wine look as she stepped out with husband Guy Ritchie.
In a ludicrously undersized jacket belted at the ribcage and tweed trilby, the girl who sang Vogue might just have put tramp chic back on to the fashion pages.
The couple were photographed leaving a London restaurant in outfits onlookers suggested might be better suited to a country walk.
'They were both wearing very countrified clothes which were a bit out of place in Mayfair,' said one fellow diner. 'It was a mixture of Compo with a tiny bit of Chas 'n' Dave thrown in.'
The high belt, which highlighted Madonna's waistline, had some observers speculating whether an announcement may be imminent.
It is well known that the couple are trying for a baby to add to their three-year-old son Rocco and Madonna's daughter Lourdes, six, from her relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon.
A spokesman for the star said last night she was not pregnant 'as far as I know'.

     

From the Rate The Music:
Madonna, who prides herself on a healthy lifestyle and sticks to a strict macrobiotic diet, took the opportunity when working together with Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards to try and warn her younger protege to kick her smoking habit - or risk losing her voice.
The Material Girl's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg explained, 'Madonna was telling her she shouldn't smoke. It was a really funny exchange, but Britney said she liked the way cigarettes made her voice sound.'

From the New York Post:
Britney Spears tells Billy Bush on tonight's 'Access Hollywood' that it was Madonna's idea to swap spit in their much-talked-about lip-lock on last week's 'Video Music Awards.'
'Well, of course it was Madonna's idea....but she threw it around a couple of times in rehearsals, but she just kind of said, 'You know, do what you feel, you know, in the performance....just go with it and see what happens,' Spears tells Bush. 'And that's what happened.'
'We didn't know what was gonna go on so I kinda knew a little bit, but I didn't know to that extent that it was gonna be that long and stuff,' Spears tells Bush, who interviewed her at the NFL Kickoff concert in Washington.
Bush then asks Spears how her mother felt about 'the kiss.'
'Well, my mom liked it actually,' she says. 'I was really kind of nervous! I was like, 'Oh my god, my mom, she's gonna see this....' but no, she liked it. And my dad, weirdly enough he thought it was fine, too.'
'I mean, come on, it's Madonna,' Spears says. 'If you can kiss any girl in the world, that has to be her....'

The latest issue of USA published magazine Us Weekly features Madonna and Britney on the cover.

The magazine also brings the gossip from the show, including when Eminem bowed down to Madonna backstage and Madge snapped at him 'Get up boy. We're from the same town.'

The latest issue of UK magazine OK! features a six-page article on the Video Music Awards - four of these pages feature pictures of Madonna.

     

There is also another new picture of Madonna arriving at Stella McCartney's wedding.

You can hear an exclusive 41-second sound-clip of Madonna promoting her forthcoming children's book The English Roses at Amazon.com.

Note: Amazon's news items are on rotation on the main page, if you don't see the Madonna story first time, try refreshing/reloading the page.

UK magazines, Closer, heat, and Sneak all feature articles about the MTV VMA's.

All give positive reviews, except Closer magazine which is very negative.

   

   

This weeks issue of Hello! magazine features an article on the MTV VMA's with a large picture of Madonna, Britney and Christina (see Madonnalicious' Picture Of The Week for a large version).
There are also new pictures of Madonna cycling in Los Angeles - complete with Kabbalah water, and arriving in Scotland for Stella McCartney's wedding.

   

From People News:
The MTV Music Awards was not the first time that Madge and Aggers have kissed. Oh no. Madonna, the tireless perfectionist she is, insisted on rehearsing the kiss over and over again. 'I've kissed her numerous times because at every rehearsal she wanted to do it right on every time' explained the Dirrty singer. Britney, however, was not quite as keen to kiss a woman old enough to be her mum, reports Aggers, 'Madonna kept having to go, 'Britney kiss me, kiss me!'

Madonna, Britney and Christina kissing at the VMA's is the main cover story on UK tabloid magazine New! and features a very positive two-page article inside.

Hopefully, you've seen it on TV by now: the best awards show we've ever witnessed.
Who's that in the punky wedding dress, veiled pulled over her face, singing 'Like A Virgin'? It's the most famous virgin of the decade, Britney Spears! And who's that singing along, in the matching dress? It's the most famous no-I'm-not-a-virgin of the decade, Christing Aguilera! An the two ex-rivals are writhing around on the floor together. Yay!
Now there's Queen Madge herself, popping out of a huge wedding cake, the groom to her two protege brides in some kind of dominatrix outfit. The only woman who can make us look forward to being 45 joins in with 'Hollywood'. No other three singers could pull this off - it's perfect.
We read all the time about their private lives, but sometimes we forget that they can sing. But they don't forget our appetite for gossip, so they all have a snog, up on the stage, tongues and everything!
Justin Timberlake watches from the audience, stony-faced. Who knows what he is thinking at this point.
And then they're joined by a perfect pageboy: Missy Elliott, in a cute Adidas suit and sparkly B-boy cap. Mr Madonna, Guy Ritchie, leads the standing ovation.

   

From New! magazine - Neil Sean's Gossip Column:
My spies reveal that Madonna has bought the screen rights to her last successful acting job, the West End play 'Up For Grabs'.
Madonna has beaten off the likes of Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts for the rights - a brave moveas, while the play was a major sell-out success, it was not welcomed by the fierce London critics.
Madonna, however, sees this as a breakthrough movie and would like hubby Guy to step in as director.
I can also reveal that a very secret video version of the play does exist, but Madonna is not keen to release it as she wants to broaden out the story of a cut-throat art dealer who eventually loses everything.
And having seen Madonna in the West End, I think at last she could have a hit movie....

Tonight's Evening Standard newspaper features an interview with Katie Grand, the editor of Pop magazine who famously got Madonna to pose nearly-naked in bondage cords on the cover last February - well she got Stella McCartney to telephone Madonna to arrange the shoot!
And that is all she can say - Katie had to sign a nine-page legal document before the Madonna shoot, ensuring that the backstage details remained confidential!