MADONNA NEWS - JULY 2003 « July (part I) - News index - August (part I) »

30 July - Gap disc Check here for scans of the Gap disc. 29 July - More info on Gap ad For its new fall ad campaign, the Gap gave Madonna and Missy Elliott a pair of corduroy pants and several tops to customize to their individual styles. Each had a big M embroidered onto the back pocket of her pants. "Lady M" was silkscreened down one of the legs of Madonna's light-blue, low-rise cuffed cords. Elliott decorated her pants with studs, attached a gray hoodie sweat shirt to a corduroy jacket and had an airbrushed portrait of herself added to a plain white T-shirt. Rebecca Weill, director of public relations for the Gap, said the company sought out Madonna and Elliott because they're fashion fans who are willing to take chances. "We knew we wanted the campaign to have an optimistic youthful energy, something that would appeal to our more adventurous customers," she explained. Joe Zee, W magazine's fashion director, styled the print and TV ads. He said it was a coincidence that both women chose the same color pants. "Both Madonna and Missy liked the blue because it had a vintage feel." Elliott brought her own monogrammed jewels to the photo shoot; Madonna wore a borrowed diamond wallet chain by Neil Lane and several diamond bracelets, together valued at $5 million. "The diamond wallet chain is very street, hip and urban, but it's Madonna so we wanted it to be a little more glam," Zee told The Associated Press. A limited edition Madonna and Missy Elliott CD remix will be available at Gap stores and on the company's Web site starting Thursday. (source: Kansas City) 29 July - Download Gap ad You can download the Gap commercial from Madonnica. First you'll see Madonna singing a verse of Hollywood to the beat of Into The Groove. Then the two M's get together in their fancy jeans and sing a catchy Into The Groove remake while doing some groovy dance moves. Madonna looks great as ever. Mad-Eyes already offers you some cool GAP avatars. 27 July - Hear Gap sample Check the Gap website to hear a short sample of the 'Into the Hollywood Groove' remix, used in the upcoming Gap commercial. Please notice that the pop-up appears only once and can't be refreshed. (thanx to Steven Esteves for the link) 27 July - Madonna to produce rock-themed comedy Madonna will executive produce the romantic comedy "She Rocks" for Maverick Films, starring Amanda Peet ("The Whole Nine Yards," "Identity"). The script was penned by filmmaker Amie Steir, who will make her feature directorial debut on the project. "She Rocks" is described as "Working Girl" set in the music industry and concerns a female music journalist (Peet) who writes a career-making story about a rock star. Maverick and Steir are in the process of casting the male lead for a fall start. Steir, who began her filmmaking career while a development executive at MTV Films, wrote and directed the shorts "Zoe Loses It" and "Date Squad," both of which starred Peet and aired on HBO. "Madonna, who not only loved the script but is also very fond of both Amie and Amanda's work, has taken closely to this project that is set in the music industry, a world all too familiar to her," said Caresse Henry, who along with Zachary Feuer will produce for Maverick. Madonna's prior forays into film producing include "Agent Cody Banks" and her 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare. (source: Billboard) 25 July - Hollywood in the charts Australia: new at no. 16 Belgium: still at no. 14 France: down from no. 22 to no. 25 in its second week UK: down from no. 2 to no. 15 in its second week (source: Absolute Madonna, Ultratop) While Hollywood is at no. 6 in the Hot Dance/Club Play chart, it's no. 1 in the Hot Dance Music/Dance Singles Sales, which is a record, says Billboard: "The debut of the remixes of Hollywood (Maverick/Warner Bros.) at No. 1 on Hot Dance Music/Dance Singles Sales gives Madonna her longest stretch of chart-topping titles on this chart. Hollywood is her sixth No. 1 in a row, besting two previous runs of five No. 1 hits. Hollywood is Madonna's second No. 1 of 2003 on this survey. American Life spent one week in pole position in May. This run of six No. 1s in a row began with Music in September 2000 and continued with Don't Tell Me (February 2001), What It Feels Like for a Girl (May 2001) and Die Another Day (November 2002). Madonna's first run of five consecutive No. 1s began in October 1987 with Causing a Commotion and continued with Like a Prayer (April 1989), Express Yourself (July 1989), Keep It Together (April 1990) and Vogue (May 1990). The follow-up to Vogue was Hanky Panky, which peaked at No. 9. Next came Justify My Love, which began a second run of five No. 1s in a row in January 1991. The other four hits were Rescue Me (April 1991), Erotica (December 1992), Deeper and Deeper (January 1993) and Fever/Bad Girl (April 1993). Hollywood is Madonna's 22nd No. 1 hit on the dance singles sales chart, putting her far in front of any other artist. There is a four-way tie for second place for artists with the most No. 1 singles on this tally. Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Prince and the Notorious B.I.G. each have seven. Including the current frame, Madonna has spent 80 weeks at No. 1 on the dance sales chart. Her first 16 chart-toppers racked up a total of 45 weeks, while her most recent six have accumulated 35 weeks so far. On Hot 100 Singles Sales, Hollywood is a new entry at No. 4 but doesn't have enough power to land on the main Hot 100 yet. If this title ultimately fails to chart on the Hot 100, it will be Madonna's first commercial single to miss the survey since her career began with Holiday in 1983. The predecessor to Holiday was Everybody, which did not chart." 25 July - MTV VMA nomination for DADay Madonna [Die Another Day] is in the running for "Best Video From A Film" category in this years MTV Awards. The Queen of Pop is up against Britney Spears/Pharrell [Boys], Eminem [Lose Yourself] and JC Chasez [Blowing Me Up (With Her Love)] for the award. "Each and every year we try to put together the most diverse, most exciting and most unexpected awards show anyone has ever seen," said MTV/MTV2 President Van Toffler. So, will Bond's Anniverary piece win the day? The 20th anniversary edition of the show, hosted by Chris Rock, will be broadcast live from N.Y.C.’s Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 28 at 8 p.m, so you can find out then! (source: CommanderBond) 25 July - Q Magazine special issue Madonna.com can confirm that UK magazine "Q" will release a Madonna special issue in September. This will be a 148-page, full-colour glossy Q special edition completely devoted to Madonna, and on sale from 26 September. The magazine will contain reprinted interviews from the Q archive, including the cover stories from June 1991, December 94 and March 98, reappraisals of her key albums and tours, and a rundown of the Top 20 Madonna Songs Of All Time, as voted by fans and musicians. The magazine will have high production values and offer a comprehensive history of Madonna's work as a recording artist, and follows recent similar Q special editions for Radiohead, Led Zeppelin and Oasis. Expected retail price for this issue is £4.99 (about US $7.50). ~ See our July 22 item for a better picture of the full cover of Harper's Bazaar. 25 July - Next Best Thing director dies at 77 British-born director John Schlesinger, an Oscar winner for the 1969 film "Midnight Cowboy," was removed from life support in a Palm Springs hospital on Thursday. The 77-year-old filmmaker suffered a debilitating stroke in December 2000. In recent weeks, his condition at Desert Regional Medical Center has deteriorated significantly, according to his spokesperson, Ronni Chasen. Schlesinger's most celebrated work was for the groundbreaking film "Midnight Cowboy," which earned seven Academy Award nominations and won for best picture, best direction and best adapted screenplay. He received earlier Oscar nominations for directing 1965's "Darling," which starred Julie Christie and captured the spirit of London's swinging '60s, and 1971's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which pioneered the presentation of homosexual relations onscreen. Schlesinger's last feature was 2000's The Next Best Thing, starring Madonna and Rupert Everett. (source: Reuters) 24 July - Peter Rauhofer remixes Nobody Knows Me Peter [Rauhofer] just finished this much talked about remix for Madonna's Nobody knows Me. We will keep you informed as soon as we know the release date from Maverick Records. On July 30th Peter will spin at Virgin Megastore Union Square/NYC at 6pm to celebrate his brand new "Live @ Roxy 2" CD release. (source: PeterRauhofer.com) ~ Could this mean it will be a future single? Time will tell... 23 July - Madonna in People 200 Icons The following is taken from the People 200 Icons book, which is released in conjunction with VH'1 special 00 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, which airs next week over five nights. Aside from being one of the cover icons, Madonna's image is the first you see when you open the book (the title page). It's a thin vertical shot from the Vogue video), with 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons scrolled across. "She doesn't want to live off-camera, much less talk," declared actor Warren Beatty when he was Madonna's beau. Sure enough, by dint of blonde ambition, a pink bustier and 20 years of gossamer dance tunes, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone became the biggest, nerviest pop star of her generaiton. Never out of the public eye for long, her ascent from Rochester Hills, Michigan, dance stufent to the woman with the most No. 1 hits in history was "as forceful and well-organized as D-Day," TIME once noted. Her early personas- ragamuffin Boy Toy and coolly seductive Material Girl- spawned young copycats: "Madonna wannabes." Meanwhile the videos that showcased her talents invariably launched controversy, pushing sexual, racial and social boundaries with nudity, religious imagery and touches of S&M. Impossible to ignore, unapologetically in control, she had become, said The New York Times, "a secular goddess." despite numerous tries, big-screen success largely eluded the MTV queen, though a 1996 Golden Globe-winning turn as calculating, iron-willed Eva Peron in Evita semed tailor made. (A brief marriage to actor Sean Penn wasn't). After becoming the Maternal Girl in 1997 with the birth of daughter Lourdes (by personal trainer Carlos Leon), Madonna defined working motherhood in her own terms. She released the critical success Ray of Light, then met future husband Guy Ritchie, with whom she now shares son Rocco, 2 (and blame for their movie flop, Swept Away). Still as sure of herself as ever, "I'm not going to get caught up in thinking you have to stay eternally young and perfect," Madonna declared on the eve of her latest album, American Life. "I am what I am." An American original." (source: MIR) 23 July - 'Mr. Peabody's Apples' is second children book *rumour* Fansite MadonnaTribe claims to have following exclusives: "Madonna Tribe has been told by a very reliable source new exciting details about Madonna's forthcoming children book series. Each book in the collection will carry illustrations by a different artist. Madonna Tribe has already exclusively unveiled the name of the mysterious illustrator of the first book: "The English Roses" artwork drawings are by Jeffrey Fulvimari. We can now also exclusively reveal what it's very likely to be the title of the second book in the series and the name of the artist chosen to illustrate it. "Mr. Peabody's Apples", Madonna's second children's fairy tale with art by Loren Long is set to be published worldwide November 2003." 22 July - Madonna on cover of Harper's Bazaar Donatella Versace says she's "daring." Dolce & Gabbana say she's "never scared to take risks." "Even when she rebels against fashion, it becomes fashion," says Jean-Paul Gaultier. The fashion world embraces Madonna's cutting-edge style in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, which features a cover shot of the back-to-blond singer in a less-than-edgy look: Blue cords, white tank top and a cap. The cover was shot in L.A. on June 24, the same day Madonna and Missy Elliott posed for their joint print and TV ads for the Gap. Madonna, 44, is wearing a Gap sleeveless T and Gap low-rise cropped corduroy pants. In the ads, which start appearing next week, both divas sport the initial M engraved on the back pocket of their pants. Even though Madonna's recent movies (Swept Away, The Next Best Thing) have flopped and her new album, American Life, is a commercial disappointment, magazine editors are still celebrating her style after 20 years. The moment the Material Girl broke on the scene in the '80s, young wannabes copied her look with layered skirts, bangles, beads and head scarves. She made fashion statements with conical bras and wore underwear as outerwear during 1990's Blond Ambition tour. With 2001's Drowned World tour came kilts, geisha-gear and cowboy chic. Bazaar includes Madonna among style icons "who've changed the fashion landscape." Those joining her include the late Katharine Hepburn, with her signature menswear look, and Audrey Hepburn, whose "European sophistication and American practicality" are back in vogue again. (source: USA Today) 22 July - First Gap pictures It's a toss-up as to who's more excited for the Madonna Gap ads to bow: the company execs who scored a pop culture coup in securing the uber star -- along with Missy Elliott -- for their new "Customized" campaign, or Michael & Hushi, the East Village design duo who were enlisted to Madonna-fy the basic khakis and cords for the shoot. "It's really exciting to be involved in something that will be so memorable," gushes Michael Sears, who, along with partner Hushi Mortezaie, have been crafting Vegas-style punk gear for the likes of Lil' Kim and Britney Spears for close to a decade now. "We dress fearlessly elegant women," says Sears. Having already dressed The Material Girl -- most recently in some 1940s silk jersey tops and ruched pants for her European tour -- Michael & Hushi were an obvious choice for stylist Arianne Phillips, who needed to customize the basic Gap goods just right. "She's Madonna - she can't just wear anything," says Sears. With that in mind, the two inlayed a thick row of safety pins down the legs, tuxedo-pant style, painted art deco clouds on the top and bottom and studded the garments with rhinestones. "It's all done in an organized way - it's not haphazard. It's kind of like 'You can do this, too, to your basics.'" But, being realistic, there is a chance that their customized creations, in all their studded glory, may end up on the cutting room floor. "Yeah, I know," sighs Sears. "But it's alright, this isn't everything." The television ads, directed by music video guru Paul Hunter, and print ads, shot by fashion photographer Regan Cameron, break July 27. (source: Fashion Wire Daily NY, thanx to MadonnaTribe) 22 July - Europe goes for Hollywood Madonna's new single Hollywood is already a huge success in the whole Europe. The song entered at number 3 of the single sales chart! Also, Hollywood is still number one of the Airplay chart while the American Life album is at #15 of the Album chart this week (+3). (source: Madonna.com) ~ Meanwhile, Hollywood climbs from no. 15 to no. 6 in the Billboard Hot Dance / Club Play - the only American chart in which the single is doing well. 18 July - Madonna's bash 'saved Scots castles from ruin' The boss of the National Trust for Scotland has thanked pop icon Madonna for helping save the charity from financial ruin. Robin Pellew, the chief executive of the NTS, said the charity was raking in fees of £500,000 a year by renting out its castles and stately homes for parties, weddings and corporate events. And he is in no doubt the massive surge in demand for their 128 properties is down to Madonna and Guy Ritchie holding their star-studded wedding at Skibo Castle in Sutherland in December 2000. Although Skibo has nothing to do with the NTS, the star and her husband set a fashion trend. As a result the charity got the vital shot in the arm it needed after the foot and mouth crisis. Mr Pellew said the agricultural crisis, during which the public were urged not to visit the countryside, had led to the NTS suffering losses of £2.5million. But the trust is now well on its way to financial recovery. Mr Pellew said: "When Madonna wed at Skibo Castle she started a new craze for getting married in picturesque Scottish properties. "Now we receive requests, not just for weddings, but for various corporate events as well, bringing in around £500,000 profit each year. "I can only assume that few people thought about it before but she's obviously made it more fashionable." National Trust properties can be rented for around £3000 for the day. This year, the organisation has witnessed a 32% increase on last year's bookings and a staggering 81% rise for last month on June 2002. THE boss of the National Trust for Scotland has thanked pop icon Madonna for helping save the charity from financial ruin. Robin Pellew, the chief executive of the NTS, said the charity was raking in fees of £500,000 a year by renting out its castles and stately homes for parties, weddings and corporate events. And he is in no doubt the massive surge in demand for their 128 properties is down to Madonna and Guy Ritchie holding their star-studded wedding at Skibo Castle in Sutherland in December 2000. Although Skibo has nothing to do with the NTS, the star and her husband set a fashion trend. As a result the charity got the vital shot in the arm it needed after the foot and mouth crisis. Mr Pellew said the agricultural crisis, during which the public were urged not to visit the countryside, had led to the NTS suffering losses of £2.5million. But the trust is now well on its way to financial recovery. Mr Pellew said: "When Madonna wed at Skibo Castle she started a new craze for getting married in picturesque Scottish properties. "Now we receive requests, not just for weddings, but for various corporate events as well, bringing in around £500,000 profit each year. "I can only assume that few people thought about it before but she's obviously made it more fashionable." National Trust properties can be rented for around £ 3000 for the day. This year, the organisation has witnessed a 32% increase on last year's bookings and a staggering 81% rise for last month on June 2002. (source: Evening Times) 17 July - ICON announcement Dear Madonna fans, First of all, we want to thank you for your support and interest in Icon Magazine through the years. As you probably know, Icon's goal has always been to offer Madonna fans some quality news, pictures and scoops about the most famous entertainer to date. As the new editor of Icon Magazine our goal is now to offer you even more and take Icon to another level. The revamped look took several months and we apologize for the delay! Issue #39, first of a long series, will be published in the next few days and will give you a better idea of what you can expect from Icon in the future… More pages, exclusive interviews, never seen before pictures and even more participation from Caresse Henry, Liz Rosenberg and Madonna are some of things you'll discover in the forthcoming issue of Icon, which will be mainly devoted to Madonna's American Life album and also to her new worldwide hit, Hollywood! Talking about Hollywood, Iconers should find a little present from Madonna packed with their new Icon issue… but sorry, it has to be a surprise so no details about it will be announced for now. :} The only fan publication participated by the diva herself is here to stay people! You were waiting for more? We will work hard to offer you the Icon Magazine Madonna's fans deserve! On a more personal note, we would like to thank here 2 of the most incredible women on this earth for their faith in us, devotion and amazing talent… Madonna and Caresse: you are the shit and existing proof that dreams can come true! Happy summer to all of you! Johann – Editor of Icon Magazine (source: Madonna.com) 16 July - Guy Bourdin website makes Hollywood comparison Everybody has been talking about the link between the Hollywood video and the art work of photographer Guy Bourdin. That Madonna and Mondino were inspired by him is beyond any doubt, and Madonna herself has been quoted: "Lately, I've gotten into newer photographers, I'm really into Guy Bourdin right now; I've got a couple of his photographs in my bedroom that I wake up to every morning...". Now the official website of Guy Bourdin has put online a complete page about the comparison; check it out here. 16 July - M is a Gap fan Coming soon to your local Gap: Pointy-coned T-shirts? Rhinestone-studded khakis? Forgive us for trying to imagine the possibilities now that the gap-toothed Madonna has formally fallen into the Gap. An ad campaign starring the Material Merchandiser, with an assist from hip-hopster Missy Elliott, will launch the week of July 27, the Gap confirmed Tuesday. The two pitchwomen will pitch the Gap's fall line (one guess: T-shirts, khakis, jeans and/or slight variations thereof). According to London's Guardian Unlimited, TV spots will be set to the M One's 1985 dance groove, Into the Groove. Word that Madonna was in talks with the retail giant leaked last month. On Tuesday, a Gap spokeswoman declined to discuss specifics of the campaign, including a possible cross-promotion involving Madonna's forthcoming children's title, The English Roses. Negotiations involving the book, due out September 15, are ongoing, company rep Claudia Hawkins said. Madonna has long been hailed as a most-fab fashionista. She's praised Versace, pointed the way for Jean-Paul Gaultier's pointy-coned bustiers and run around London in Juicy Couture Jumpsuits. In lieu of designer duds, she's worn her birthday suit. So, yes, the M One has stripped. But does the M One really do the sort of stripped-down casual wear found at the Gap? Apparently so. Madonna's rep told the Associated Press that the 44-year-old married mother of two does indeed wear Gap clothes. Madonna's such a fan of the Gap that she even allegedly pilfered a poem from a 1993 Gap ad for the track Sky Fits Heaven on her 1998 album, Ray of Light. As for why Madonna would want to do commercials for the Gap, publicist Liz Rosenberg replied, "Why not Gap?" And why not when you're getting paid? Gap wouldn't comment on the size of Madonna's deal, but here's guessing it's worth more than a couple pair of cords. In 1999, Max Factor coughed up about $6 million to vogue for their cosmetics in Europe. Last year, it was speculated she pocketed as much as $14 million for letting Microsoft use her hit Ray of Light in ads for the new Windows XP system. (The figure was based on how much the Rolling Stones had pocketed for letting Microsoft use their hit "Start Me Up" to launch Windows 95.) Famously and infamously, in 1989, Pepsi paid the popster $5 million to sing the praises of its soda. That campaign lasted about the length of a 30-second commercial. The soft-drink giant pulled its ads after Madonna's unrelated video for Like a Prayer, with burning crosses, blood and half-slips, made her appeal go flat with the corporate suits. As she is wont to do, Madonna courted controversy again this year via a video. The clip for the title track to her new album, American Life, depicted the Like a Virgin singer tossing a grenade at President Bush. Not waiting for the inevitable outcry, Madonna pulled the pin on the video herself, saying she didn't want to appear critical of U.S. armed forces as they ramped up for the then-pending Iraq invasion. Labeling Madonna an "anti-American entertainer," the Website for Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood (www.pabaah.com) posted an "action alert" in June, calling on its supporters to ask the Gap to reconsider its endorsement deal with Madonna. On Tuesday, the Gap said it was not aware of a letter-writing campaign. (source: E! Online)

« July (part I) - News index - August (part I) »