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Madonna is suing an auction house to block the sale of some of her “highly personal items”– including a love letter to a former boyfriend, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, a pair of underwear and a hairbrush containing her hair.
“I understand that my DNA could be extracted from a piece of my hair. It is outrageous and grossly offensive that my DNA could be auctioned for sale to the general public ,” Madonna says in court papers.
Madonna says auctioneer Gotta Have It! Collectibles should not be allowed to sell the 22 items at a special, rock and roll themed-auction later this month.
“I was shocked to learn of the planned auctioning of the Shakur letter, as I had no idea that the Shakur letter was no longer in my possession,” the Material Girl says in the lawsuit.
The Shakur letter is expected to fetch up to $400,000, according to court papers.
She says a “former friend” and art consultant named Darlene Luz “would have had access to these items on numerous occasions” including as a “frequent overnight guest” in her homes when she was “not in residence.”
Other items on the auction block include personal photographs, unreleased sound recordings and unsent, “intimate love letters” involving other past boyfriends including John Enos and Peter Shue.
“The fact that I have attained celebrity status as a result of success in my career does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items,” Madonna says in the suit.

Malawi Voice Reporter – July 11, 2017

Children are our most precious part of society. We measure our care for any society in our care for children. And that is why we are here. We are here because a loving mother of humanity came to show care for our children. We are here because Ms. Madonna Ciccone pledged her loving spirit for Malawi. Madonna led the idea and the work of constructing the Mercy James Centre and the Intensive Care Unit for pediatric surgery.

Above all, we are here because we value our children. In this country, 50 percent of our population is under 15 years. Half of our population is made up of children. It is therefore important for us to invest in children’s health care because children are the future. If we are to raise our children with a better quality of life, then we must invest in them.

It is pleasing that Raising Malawi has invested their resources, energy and time in search of a better quality of life for Malawian children. Since 2008, Raising Malawi has been working closely with Government to help more Malawian children in need of surgery. Now we can perform up 700 paediatric surgeries per year. These surgeries include Malawi’s most complex cases, such as tumor removals, correcting congenital deformities, treating abdominal conditions and major burns.

Raising Malawi has inspired us towards becoming the first and the best in child health care. And we are set to walk that path.
As a country, we are also proud to note Malawi offers a paediatric surgery training program that cannot be found anywhere in the region. We must now proceed to have a world-class training centre for medical staff in the whole of Southern Africa. Malawi deserves the best. We have the ability to be the best. Above all, children deserve the best.

With the Mercy James Centre, we can now handle large numbers of children in critical condition after undergoing surgery. We can now treat critical cases of malaria which accounts for 40 percent of hospitalization in children under five. In addition, this facility will promote advanced research in malaria, which is taking away most of Malawi’s children. This Centre is our national pride.
It is pleasing that the Mercy James Centre has been constructed with our full participation as a country. Together, we have built an environment where our children will feel loved and cared for, even when they are in pain.

We have shown a global sense of community in putting together our hands and hearts. In a communal spirit, every artist brought a hand to paint the soul uplifting environment seen here. Let every local or international artist know that we are thankful.
I am further encouraged to note that the Mercy James Centre has been built in a communal spirit that has involved more than 20 local and international partners apart from Malawi Government. I thank every one of you on behalf of the people of Malawi.

In our desire to raise the quality of life for our children, we have worked as a true African community. In our African culture, every child belongs to the community. We are all children of our communities. Therefore, we care for every child even we are not their parent. In fact, we are all parents of our community of children.

I am here to tell the world that what Madonna has done is what Africa has always done. Madonna is a symbol of a motherly spirit and an African communal spirit. In Africa, we have always lived by the collective spirit of supporting those in need.

Madonna came and offered to be the mother of four children from Malawi. She came, she saw a need, and she found a cause. Today, she has offered more like a mother for the rest of our children. She has given us a Centre that will provide and care for the rest of our children.

To Madonna, I say – you began by adopting four of our children. And I end by offering to adopt you as a daughter of the land.

And I declare the Mercy James Centre officially opened.

Thank you!

God bless you!
And God bless our country!

Madonna’s record-breaking Rebel Heart Tour comes to Blu-ray on September 15, featuring 24 tracks performed around the world on her 10th global trek. Co-directed by Danny B. Tull and Nathan Rissman, this two hour spectacular is everything (and more) you d expect from The Queen Of Pop. Also included is a 14-track CD with selections from the show.
The tracklist spans Madonna’s entire career, including songs from her chart-topping Rebel Heart album and classic fan favorites. Reimagined versions of some of her biggest hits make this the latest unmissable chapter in a lifetime of breathtaking creative achievements.

The Rebel Heart Tour played arenas in 55 cities on 4 continents over 7 months, totaling 82 shows, plus the special Tears Of A Clown fan club show in Melbourne. The envelope-pushing performances and production drew over a million fans, making Madonna the highest grossing solo touring artist and top female solo artist of all time.

BONUS FEATURES
Extras include An Excerpt from Tears of a Clown and a performance of Like A Prayer .

TRACKLIST

Blu-ray
01. Rebel Heart Tour Intro
02. Iconic
03. Bitch I’m Madonna
04. Burning Up
05. Holy Water / Vogue
06. Devil Pray
07. Messiah (Video Interlude)
08. Body Shop
09. True Blue
10. Deeper and Deeper
11. HeartBreakCity
12. Like A Virgin
13. S.E.X. (Video Interlude)
14. Living For Love
15. La Isla Bonita
16. Dress You Up / Into The Groove
17. Rebel Heart
18. Illuminati (Video Interlude)
19. Music
20. Candy Shop
21. Material Girl
22. La Vie En Rose
23. Unapologetic Bitch
24. Holiday

CD
01. Rebel Heart Tour Intro
02. Iconic
03. Bitch I’m Madonna
04. Burning Up
05. Holy Water / Vogue
06. Devil Pray
07. Deeper and Deeper
08. HeartBreakCity
09. Living For Love
10. La Isla Bonita
11. Rebel Heart
12. Candy Shop
13. Unapologetic Bitch
14. Holiday

More than a decade of charity work in Malawi came full-circle for Madonna on Tuesday (July 11) when, after opening a children’s hospital wing in the impoverished South African country, its president named the pop star “the daughter of this nation.”
And while President Peter Mutharika’s phrasing was meant to reference Madonna’s own adoption of four children from Malawi, the singer has tight enough connections of her own to the country for it to feel like home.

Since founding the nonprofit Raising Malawi in 2006, the charitable star has led a continuous effort to support the nation’s orphaned or otherwise vulnerable children — whether through hosting benefits, producing a documentary and, now, opening the Mercy James Institute of Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, the first of its kind in the country.
The singer’s efforts haven’t come without inevitable road blocks — not to mention a few controversies. But if our roundup of the landmark moments in Madonna’s charity efforts in the African country is any indication, the singer will continue to be a “daughter” of Malawi for years to come.

2006: Madonna makes her first trip to Malawi

Madonna was first spurred to visit the South African nation after a Malawian businesswoman, admiring Madonna’s previous work with the nonprofit Spirituality for Kids, reached out to the pop star in hopes that she’d be willing to offer a hand in Malawi too. Madonna did much more than that — shortly after taking up the invitation, the singer made a second trip to Malawi, where she adopted her son David. It wasn’t long before Madonna would take a bigger step toward aiding the poverty-stricken country with the founding of Raising Malawi.

2008: Raising Malawi holds star-packed fundraiser at United Nations headquarters

Celebrities like Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez and Tom Cruise forked over up to $10,000 each to attend a Madonna-fronted fundraiser at the United Nations’ New York headquarters back in 2008. Though the pop star faced backlash for her choice of event partner — Gucci, which was promoting a new store in the city at the time — the event reportedly raised $3.7 million, which was split between benefiting Raising Malawi and Unicef, the children’s arm of the UN.

2008: Madonna presents I Am Because We Are documentary

That same year, the pop star took her charity work to the big screen with I Am Because We Are, a documentary she wrote and produced for the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by first-timer Nathan Rissman, the film follows Madonna as she journeys through Malawi, introducing viewers to the country’s orphaned children and gleaning insights from interviews with professors, experts and even former President Bill Clinton.

2013: Madonna opens 10 schools in Malawi in partnership with buildOn

In January 2012, international youth-serving nonprofit buildOn announced a partnership with Madonna and her foundation to construct 10 primary schools in rural Malawi within 18 months. In fact, the schools were completed in just 12 months. Raising Malawi provided $300,000 to buildOn for the project, which aimed to serve about 1,000 boys and girls in the nation. The success came after a string of setbacks — earlier in 2011, Madonna’s organization had scrapped plans to build a $15 million girls’ school in the country due to financial mismanagement.

2014: Malawi President Peter Mutharika appoints Madonna the country’s Goodwill ambassador for child welfare

Shortly after Madonna spent Thanksgiving in Malawi with her adopted Malawian children, Mercy James and David Banda, Mutharika added a new title to Madonna’s belt: the nation’s Goodwill ambassador for child welfare. At the time, the singer had also just launched her now-fulfilled goal to open the Mercy James Institute — and was still recovering from the tabloid mess that ensued after her very public falling-out with Malawi’s former president, Joyce Banda.

2016: Madonna flies to Malawi to check in on Mercy James Institute construction

The singer and several Rising Malawi team members took a trip to Malawi last year to ensure that the Mercy James Institute was coming along smoothly. During the trip, they also met with Muthrika to discuss girls’ education and visited the Home of Hope orphanage, where they played soccer with the school’s children. “Children are the future,” Madonna says in a video documenting the trip (below). “Ultimately, my children have been my teachers.”

2016: Madonna’s “Evening of Art, Mischief, and Music” rakes in $7.5 million for Raising Malawi

A benefit held by Madonna in Miami last winter — and held smack in the middle of the city’s annual Art Basel fair — invited 450 guests to bid on art and experiences in a live auction. The event raised $7.5 million toward Raising Malawi’s goal to open the Mercy James Institute. To thank attendees for their donations, the glamorous party closed with a performance by Madonna herself.

2017: Raising Malawi’s Mercy James Institute children’s hospital wing opens its doors

The pediatric surgery and intensive care unit, named after one of Madonna’s adopted Malawian children, finally celebrated its official opening July 11. Located at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in the city of Blantyre, the institute has already completed its first surgery, Madonna said at the ceremony, where she was praised by Mutharika for her service. “You started by adopting four Malawian children,” he explained. “Now we are adopting you as the daughter of this nation.”

Source: Billboard

BLANTYRE, Malawi

Madonna was welcomed in Malawi on Tuesday for the official opening of a hospital children’s wing funded by her charity and named after one of the four children the pop star has adopted from the impoverished southern African nation.

“You started by adopting four Malawian children, now we are adopting you as the daughter of this nation,” President Peter Mutharika declared at the ceremony.

“There are so many things I never imagined I will do. I never imagined one day I will build this kind of a hospital,” said Madonna, who explained that she grew up without a mother and wanted to give the best to Malawian children.

“Never give up on your dreams,” she added.

The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, located at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in the city of Blantyre, was built in collaboration with Malawi’s health ministry. It has already started some activities, and Madonna said last week that the institute had completed its first surgery.

The four children she adopted from Malawi are David Banda, Mercy James, Stelle and Estere. The children’s wing was named after 11-year-old Mercy.

Madonna’s charity, Raising Malawi, was founded in 2006 to address the poverty and hardship endured by the country’s orphans and other vulnerable children. It has built schools and funded the new pediatric unit, which began construction in 2015 and includes three operating rooms dedicated to children’s surgery, a day clinic and a 45-bed ward.

Madonna, 58, visited the site last year.

“When you look into the eyes of children in need, wherever they may be, a human being wants to do anything and everything they can to help, and on my first visit to Malawi, I made a commitment that I would do just that,” Madonna said in a statement to The Associated Press last week.

I’d better break down the cassette before somebody losses their mind. They’re first day versions. So the day we wrote it. They have a lead vocal and some backgrounds. We worked from these versions and they became the records. The titles you recognize are what they say they are. Not produced. Without live players and strings and choirs etc. “Angels” is a song called Angels with dirty faces. It’s complete. And was never released. Good too. LIttle Girl is Promise to Try. Piano vocal like the record but not that version. Out of Time is Till Death do us Part. Boss’s Nova is a Latin feel idea that never got there. No vocal. Just an idea. 20’s jazz, the same, as is Mid Tempo. Sparks that made no fire. It happens. Side two of the tape is blank so #11, 12 and dance don’t exist. I can NOT release or put up snippets. I’d be drawn and quartered. Maybe I’ll try and organize some kind of private listening. It would have to be in space so let’s hit up Elon Musk. Wish I could release it all because I know how happy it would make you all. But, I can not. Respectfully. PL

Body Of Evidence was seen as a Basic Instinct erotic thriller rip off, but many missed the irony and black hunour of the whole piece. Dangerous Game was a rough and raw exercise in the film with a film format, directed by the brilliant Abel Ferrara.

In the former, Madonna put her all into the role of a femme fatale being trialled for murder.

In the latter, Madonna played an actress gaining credibility by appearing in a movie for acclaimed cult director Eddie Israel, played by Harvey Keitel.

She gave what is arguably her finest performance to date.

Years later, Body of Evidence is still widely mocked, while Dangerous Game is largely forgotten.

This book is an appreciation of these two films, which are explored in depth throughout. The links, similarities and contrasts between them are also highlighted, and there is an insightful interview with Ken Kelsch, the cinematographer of Dangerous Game.
100 pages.

 

Click here to buy

 

After two years of hard work and support from partners and donators from around the world, Madonna and Raising Malawi are delighted to announce that The Mercy James Centre for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care will officially open on July 11, 2017!

Thanks to every nurse, doctor, company, construction foreman (the list goes on) who have dedicated time, energy and effort to making this project a success. The facility will be the country’s first and only pediatric surgery and intensive care unit.

To celebrate her birthday back in 2016, Madonna launched a fundraising campaign with Omaze, inviting her fans to help create a “Rebel Heart” playroom in the pediatric facility. The new space is now ready to provide a calm, joyful space for the children to play and learn, which will help improve both their physical and emotional health. Later that year, Madonna hosted a special event at Art Basel Miami to benefit Raising Malawi and the Mercy James Centre. Profits from the evening were used to fill the hospital with equipment, surgeons and medical personnel.

Stay tuned to Raisingmalawi.org and Madonna.com, within the next days for more info and interesting facts about the hospital, its doctors and nurses, and for ways to get involved and to be a part of this historical and fantastic event!

Source: Madonna.com

“Like a Prayer” co-writer & co-producer Patrick Leonard teams up with vocalist Dana Williams for the rework.

Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” got a piano-ballad revamp from one of its original creators, co-writer and co-producer Patrick Leonard. Watch the video, below.

Leonard, along with vocalist Dana Williams, teamed up for a redux of Madonna’s classic No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit from 1989. Williams has a personal link to the song too: Her father, David Williams, played on Madonna’s album of the same name. And bonus fun fact for Madonna devotees: The microphone Williams uses in the video is the same one Madonna herself used to record her “Like a Prayer” vocals.
Back in 2014, Billboard spoke with Leonard about the 25th anniversary of the Like a Prayer album, and we asked if he and Madonna knew they had something special on their hands when they completed the title track.

“I think there was a point when we realized that it was the title track, and the lead track, and it was going to be a powerhouse,” Leonard said. “It became obvious that there was something unique about it. And that somehow we made this thing work: with its stopping and starting, and a minimalistic rhythmic thing, and the verses, and these bombastic choruses, and this giant choir comes in. This is ambitious, you know?!

“Of the songs I’ve worked on in the studio — which is in the thousands — there is something different when you write something and you just have a sense that you can’t break this, you can’t really ruin this. It exists already. And that used to be what made a hitsong.”

Search: Billboard