NEWS - APRIL 2006 « April (part I) - News index - May (part I) »

29 April - More updates from Bruce's unreleased songs collection Bruce Baron has mailed us about some new updates he did to his Unreleased Madonna Songs collection: "I have recently made extensive updates to the Unreleased Madonna Songs listing at Wikipedia greatly expanding the entries, the links, credit details and descriptions. Featured highlights for your reference in this update are.... 1) The documented evidence of Madonna as being the sole author of Physical Attraction almost two years before Reggie Lucas was unexplainably assigned that claim. 2) Expanded descriptions and partial lyrics to unreleased songs like "We Live In A House", "Warning Signs", "Shame", "Jitterbug" and many others taken from my original year 2000 notes from my visit to the US Copyright office. 3) The full track listing to the Rain album (as titled by the US copyright office) with song titles plus dates and song length (where available) taken from the notes of my visual inspection of the actual copyright tapes submitted by Shep Pettibone. 4) The documented evidence that Everybody was originally a co-write with Stephen Bray. 5) The documented alternate title name for the Wonderland TV Theme which is also the Italian word for "Airy". 6) The Arabic language female voice sampled in Erotica and The Beast Within is not Islamic in nature as most fans believe. Note: This is a "living" master list started by myself about a year ago. It also accepts submissions from the public which are not always correct, detailed or properly documented as requested in the guidelines. Sometimes others catch it up when I fall behind. While there may be occasional errors and vandalism, it is also "self correcting" with time and opens the door to many sources for fan reference. There are several rumored items listed originating from fan discussion forums that need to be documented, eventually removed or sent to the debunk list on the same page. When I see these listed, I use them for research purposes until fact or fiction status can be better determined. Enjoy!" 29 April - Get Together next week on radio? I woke up this morning with Radio Donna playing... Get Together! They were giving previews of new singles and announced that Madonna's new single Get Together would go to radio next week. 29 April - German and Danish shows sold out The Confessions shows in Düsseldorf, Hannover and Horsens, together good for some 200.000 tickets, have now completely sold out. No extra shows were added. All the tour tickets went on sale now. The tour schedule now contains 49 dates, which is likely to be the final number. (the Drowned World tour had 47 dates; the Re-Invention tour 56). 28 April - More Madonna tickets available After a tour of Glendale Arena by organizers of Madonna's Confessions Tour, additional seats in all price ranges have been released for the superstar's two Valley performances. Extra seats to the June 8 and 10 dates became available after the space requirements for Madonna's huge stage were firmed up, according to local promoter Live Nation. The singer's June 8 date was sold out, and the June 10 show was a near-sellout before the additional seats were released. Tickets, priced at $55 to $350, are available at (480) 784-4444 or Ticketmaster.com. Madonna's Valley visit marks her first local appearances since 1985. (source: AZcentral) ~ Additionaly, there are more tickets available for the shows in Amsterdam (currently the last dates of the tour); check Ticketmaster.nl 28 April - Madonna spilling 'Secrets' CD/DVD in June Madonna will release her documentary I'm Going To Tell You a Secret as a CD/DVD package June 13 via Warner Bros. The film, directed by Jonas Akerlund (Ray of Light), chronicles the diva's 2004 Re-Invention Tour. The release will also boast a 14-song CD of music culled from the film and concert, including Holiday, I Love New York, Like a Prayer and a cover of John Lennon's Imagine. The DVD will include never-before-seen footage from the documentary as well as the director's cut of Madonna's controversial music video for 2003's American Life single. The artist canceled the release of the original clip shortly before its U.S. premiere. Before the bow of Secret, Madonna will hit the road with her Confessions Tour, beginning May 21 at the Forum in Los Angeles. First up is her first-ever festival appearance this weekend at Coachella in Indio, Calif. (source: Reuters) 27 April - No Confessions Tour for Japan or Australia It's a confession no Madonna fan will want to hear: the pop star is unlikely to bring her Confessions World Tour down under. When the tour was announced earlier this month, fans were devastated because Australia was not listed on her tour schedule. But because Japan was one of the countries listed, many fans hoped she would simply extend her tour to Australia. However, according to an email received by an Australian fan from the official Confessions Tour website, Madonna has more important things to tend to than visiting Australia. "Due to Madonna's heavy workload as part of her Confessions Tour of America and Europe, plus her wishes to spend as little time away from her family, Madonna has unfortunately decided to cancel the tour to Japan and therefore there will be no tour to Australia," said the email, from confess@confessionstour.com. "She hopes that her fans will understand her making the personal decision," the email said. Frontier Touring, the company which had sought to bring Madonna to Australia, said it still intended to try to convince the songstress to come. "We've been told that Madonna has no immediate plans to tour Australia but Michael Gudinski is still determined to try and convince her to come here," spokeswoman Julz de Jong said. (source: Sydney Morning Herald) 27 April - DVD release info for Secret Fansite DrownedMadonna has posted the release info sheet for the I'm Going To Tell You A Secret DVD. This sheet mentions June 13th as release date. The DVD with the full documentary features never-before-seen footage and the director's cut of the American Life video as bonuses. The release also includes a CD with the following selection of songs, recorded live on her Re-Invention Tour: The Beast Within, Vogue, Nobody Knows Me, American Life, I Love New York, Hollywood (remix), Die Another Day, Lament, Like A Prayer, Mother And Father, Into The Groove, Music, Holiday, Imagine. The audio cd will also be available for digital music download. 27 April - Coachella schedule revealed Madonna is going to perform at the Coachella festival in Indio, California at 8 pm PT on Sunday, April 30th. Her set seems to be 45-50 minutes long (between the DJ's Paul Oakenfold and Mylo). No news about the setlist yet. (more about the festival on Coachella.com) 26 April - Madonna.com on 3rd single Us, at Madonna.com, are happy to confirm that the third single to be taken from Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor album is Get Together!!! The official release date for this new single is to be announced very soon. The maxi-single will includes remixes by Jacques Lu Cont, Danny Howells, Tiefschwarz and James Holden. Keep checking Madonna.com for more related info! 26 April - ICON Presale for German and Danish shows ICON is pleased to offer more pre-sale tickets to all qualifying members who were enrolled prior to Sun, Apr 2nd at 11:59 PM (PST) for the following shows: Tues, August 20th - Dusseldorf, DE Tues, August 22nd - Hannover, DE Thurs, August 24th - Horsens, DK The ICON pre-sales for the above shows will begin on Tues, Apr 25th at 10 AM local time (where the venue is located) and end on Thurs, Apr. 27th at 5 PM local time. Your unique ICON code, valid for 2 tickets for the entire tour (you can purchase 1 ticket for two different shows), is on the 'Tour' page of ICONmadonna.com - please do not share this code. Anyone who activates a one month trial after sun, Apr 2nd at 11:59 PM (PST) will not be able to participate in the pre-sale. Eligible ICON members will have the chance to purchase 2 ticket during the pre-sale for the entire tour. (source: ICON) ~ General sale for these shows will open on April 28 (for German shows) and 29 (for Danish show). 25 April - Billboard confirms Get Together as 3rd single Hello Keith, After the inexplicable disappointment of Madonna's Sorry not being the huge hit in the United States that it's been in Europe, fan sites have been filled with conflicting reports and subsequent debates over what will (or should) be the next single release from Confessions on a Dance Floor. So will the next single be Get Together or Jump? Thanks, Scott English New York Hi Scott, Ready? The third single from Confessions on a Dance Floor will be (drumroll please)... Get Together. I was surprised. Even though I had heard Internet rumblings that Get Together would be the third single, I thought for sure that the very catchy Jump would have been next in line. Interestingly, the third best-selling digital song from Confessions is Get Together, with 20,000 downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Jump stands at 9,000 -- the fourth most downloaded song from the album. (The best-sellers? Hung Up and Sorry, of course.) Confessions on a Dancefloor, which became Madonna's sixth No. 1 album upon its debut last fall, has sold 1.4 million in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's more than double what her last set, American Life has sold to date (665,000). The album's first single, Hung Up, hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. That gave Madonna her 36th top 10 hit, tying her with Elvis Presley as the artists with the most top 10 hits in the rock era. Follow-up single Sorry only managed a No. 58 peak on the Hot 100, but did spend two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart, where Madonna is in the undisputed champ. She's had 35 No. 1s on the Club Play chart, more than any other artist. (Janet Jackson's in a distant second place, with 17.) Madonna's Confessions Tour begins May 21 at the Forum in Los Angeles. It makes its way across the country through the end of July, then she heads to Europe. First up though, Madonna will play the Coachella Valley Music Festival on April 30. (source: Ask Billboard) ~ Amazon is also listing Get Together as next single, with a US release date of June 6. European release date is still believed to be May 29th. 25 April - Madonna makes London's Capital Gold's All-Time Top 500 Albums Chart The Queen Of Pop reigns supreme as the most-successful female solo artist in Capital Gold's All-Time Top 500 Albums Chart as verified by the UK's official chart company. The chart, based on UK chart positions and the numbers of week spent in the UK Top 75 album chart, was played out in full on the UK radio station on Easter Bank Holiday Monday April 17. Scoring a whopping seven entries, Madonna's highest position was number 27 with 1984 album Like A Virgin. To see which of her albums made it into the Top 500 (you may be surprised) and to see the full chart, go to capitalgold.com. (thx to Mario from Capital Gold) 25 April - Audioclips confess Madonna sonic history Madonnafan and expert in unreleased Madonna track info Bruce Baron has sent us some interesting information about certain Madonna tracks and their link with other songs, illustrated with audio clips. Enjoy! (and thx Bruce!) Whitley Setrakin-Hill, a former Madonna roomate at the University of Michigan (pre-New York days) still lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After years of working in successful dance theater, she has formed a local band with her husband called Whit Hill And The Postcards. The song "Maddie" from their 2003 debut album "We Are Here" is about her wild college days with Madonna You can hear a 2 minute clip of "Maddie" by checking out track #13 at towerrecords.com. Vogue was often accused in 1990 of "borrowing" from the 1989 hit "Deep In Vogue" by Malcolm McLaren. Check out the 30 second clip on track #3 at Barnes & Noble. For Vogue however, we should look further back to the 1983 Shep Pettibone remix of "Ooh, I Love It (Love Break)" aka "Chicago Bus Stop" by the SalSoul Orchestra written by the legend Vincent Montana Jr. from an earlier disco 1975 release. In Shep's 1983 club mix you can hear the definite pre-cursors to the bassline, strings and horns of Madonna's Vogue. Check out the 1 minute clips at the link below of Shep's 1983 mix to get an idea of the "striking" similarity at Juno.co.uk Erotica credits include a sample of "Jungle Boogie" by Kool And The Gang. Listen to clip here at track #7 Barnes & Noble. Erotica and the The Beast Within also feature the middle-eastern female vocal by Fairuz (aka Fairouz) from the Coptic Orthodox Good Friday song "Alyoum Olek Ala Khashaba". There are multiple western spellings for the singer and song title which can make it difficult to find. Check out the original as track #6 at tasbeha.org or stern-von-bethlehem.de Human Nature Writing credit contains sample from rap track "What You Need" by Main Source. Listen to a clip at undergroundhiphop.com Sanctuary Writing credit contains a sample from Herbie Hancock's 1973 Watermelon Man. Listen to clip here track #2 Barnes & Noble Drowned World/Substitute For Love Songwriting credits a sample by "Why I Follow The Tigers" by The San Sebastian Strings. The album "For Lovers" is actually from 1969 but you can hear a clip of the 2005 re-issue by checking out track #8 at Barnes & Noble Mer Girl songwriting credits interpolation and certain elements of the song "Space" by Gabor Szabo on the album Ray Of Light. This Szabo song is originally from his 1967 album The Sorcerer. He died in Budapest, Hungary in 1982. You can listen to a 59 second clip of "Space" from the 1997 re-issue by checking out track #5 at Tower Records. 25 April - Madonna Syndrome's miserable girl She might be the queen of reinvention, but the Material Girl's pursuit of perfection means she continues to tread dangerous water - and beware if you too have the symptoms, warns Cate Williams. We all know Madonna is an over-achiever, but while other female celebrities slow down in their 40s, Madonna just keeps going. Despite rumours that her obsession with success is destroying her marriage, she still needs to be the best at everything she does, and needs very public recognition when she does it. And, as usual, Madonna is spearheading a trend. Throughout the country there's an increasing number of us who will recognise the symptoms of Madonna Syndrome. Over-achieving, loving the limelight (but certainly stressed), a Madonna Syndrome woman puts enormous pressure on herself to be the best at everything, whether it's holding down a successful career, or running family life like a CEO, or both. She stays up late to entertain in style, she rises at dawn for a punishing session with her personal trainer, and her laptop is tucked in her handbag to make sure she's first to score that must-have item from e-bay. Like Madonna, she has a Backdrop Husband (he doesn't share centre-stage or cramp her style), an impressive career history, she is toned, groomed, and searches for her spiritual side. And while it might be good for your profile, Madonna Syndrome is not good for the rest of you. "Needing to be competitive and in control all the time carries an emotional cost to your health and relationships," says Susan Firth, a psychologist specialising in stress. "You find fault with your partner or friends because you constantly want them to be better than they are." So how can you spot whether you have Madonna Syndrome? And if you've got it, how can you deal with it? » Continue the story at Cape Argus. 24 April - Madonna plans stunts for world tour Madonna is planning to perform dangerous stunts while on stage during her new world tour. The singer has become interested in Parkour, or "free running", which includes jumping and climbing techniques, and has met up with the sport's founder Sebastien Foucan. "She's only learning the most basic elements so far," a source told the Daily Star. "It's incredibly dangerous. She's learning how to fall properly first. Seb is a great guy and they've really hit it off." (source: Digital Spy) 24 April - Fans set up camp for Madonna tickets Dozens of die-hard Madonna fans [Friday] braved miserable conditions to snap up the first tickets to see the Queen of Pop's Millennium Stadium concert. Fans camped for hours outside the Ticketline office, in Westgate Street, and Cardiff International Arena on chairs and in sleeping bags to make sure they got their ticket to see the superstar. The singer is expected to perform to more than 60,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, July 30 - one of only two venues on the UK leg of her Confessions World Tour. It will be the first time she has ever played in Wales, with tickets for the concert selling for between £55 and £150. Mother-of-two Rhiannadd James, 33, from Trowbridge, had camped outside Ticketline since 8pm [Thursday] to make sure she was first in the queue to snap up a ticket. She said: 'I've been a Madonna fan since I first saw her on Top of the Pops when I was a kid. 'This will be the first time I'll have seen her in concert and I'm very excited. She's just phenomenal.' Zoe Carlyon, 28, of Salisbury Road, Cathays, who joined the queue at midnight, said: 'I've been obsessed with Madonna since I first saw her on Top of the Pops when I was five-years-old. Dafydd Mott, 31, an antiques dealer from Constellation Street, Adamsdown, had been queuing since 2.30am today to get tickets for him and his wife. He said: 'I'm under orders from the wife to get the tickets. Madonna has a talent for reinventing herself and her music has changed with the times.' Meanwhile Mark Collings, 26, from Nantgarw Road, Caerphilly, Sion Thomas, 19, from the Graig, Pontypridd, and Steven Edwards, 19, Llanbradach, arrived at the Cardiff International Arena at 5pm yesterday to make sure they were first in the queue to buy tickets. Mr Collings said: 'Madonna is just amazing. All this rubbish about tickets being too expensive is a nonsense because you know what you're going to get, which is just an amazing event.' (source: icWales) 23 April - Fan art work French Madonna fan Florence has sent us some nice art work of hers, inspired by recent Madonna pictures of Sorry and the Confessions Tour. Another fan Marijan has reworked some of our G.A.Y. pictures. Click to enlarge. And thx to Flo And Marijan to share your art with us! 23 April - No resting allowed To plot what could be the top-grossing trek ever by a female artist, Madonna's Confessions tour strategists had to navigate a global landscape in a narrow window of time. Initial on-sales for Madonna's outing, which starts May 21 in Los Angeles,saw quick sellouts with shows added in the United States and Europe for markets fortunate enough to snag dates. The tour is produced worldwide by Arthur Fogel, president of TNA International, Live Nation's global touring arm. (Madonna will also perform April 30 at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.) Following the model of the $125 million Re-Invention tour in 2004 and the $75 million Drowned World tour in 2001, both also produced by TNA, Confessions will play a limited number of performances - up to 60 - rather than visit 100 global markets a la U2's Vertigo tour. Despite the short schedule, with a gross potential in the $200 million range, Madonna's closest rival in terms of the top gross ever for a female artist would be fellow icon Cher, whose never-ending farewell tour grossed $192.5 million from an endurance-testing 273 shows between June 2002 and April 2005. Put simply, fans often must come to Madonna rather than she to them. And come they will: In the first four days of ticket sales, she sold out four shows in Paris, seven in London, two in Amsterdam and five at New York's Madison Square Garden, as well as doubles in Los Angeles, Montreal, Miami, Chicago and Fresno, Calif. There has apparently been no 'sticker shock' from fans to ticket prices that top out at $385. 'Our rationale was to keep the prices consistent with the last tour,' says Guy Oseary, who co-manages Madonna with Angela Becker. 'I've never heard a complaint that people didn't get their money's worth from a Madonna show.' TNA's track record with Madonna was a major factor in the company nailing down the global promotional rights for the tour. 'There's no question that our prior history with Arthur Fogel and TNA have inspired us to continue the winning team,' Becker says. Fogel and his team began laying out the tour last fall while still deeply entrenched in their role as worldwide producers of U2's massive Vertigo tour. All TNA decisions are made based on parameters set forth by Madonna. 'The 'when' is certainly her call,' Fogel says. 'If you look at the last two tours and this one, the time frame is pretty consistent, late May through early September. That's the time that works for her.' It turns out the values of the once self-described Material Girl may have changed. 'Madonna's family commitments are a priority,' Becker says. 'Her children's school schedules needed to be factored into the tour plans.' Once the commitment for the time period is in place, 'we [submit] ideas of where we might go and go back and forth any number of times while the process of the routing evolves,' Fogel explains. With a limited time frame and workload, the idea is first to maximize draw and revenue, and second to hit markets Madonna may have missed on previous tours. For Confessions, Madonna will play Fresno; Phoenix; Atlantic City, N.J.; and Montreal, but skip East Rutherford, N.J.; Toronto; Worcester, Mass.; and Atlanta. 'We basically traded a few markets we didn't play last time, if ever, for markets we did play last time,' Fogel says. The best an arena manager can do to secure a date is try to stay in the loop and hope for the best. After previously reeling in tour stops for Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and U2, the new Charlotte (N.C.) Arena was on the TNA radar but could not nail down a Madonna date. 'We certainly would love to host her, and we told TNA that, but ultimately in terms of how they route it, that's TNA's call,' arena GM Marty Bechtold says. In Canada, Toronto lost out to Montreal this time around. TNA VP Gerry Barad 'was upfront with me from the beginning,' says Patti-Ann Tarlton, director of event programming at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. 'We did hold dates for a minute, but Madonna goes where Madonna wants to go, and I have to respect that.' Conversely, the SMG-managed Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, with a capacity of 12,800, was able to capture a first-ever Madonna date. 'We took a shot at it, we made the numbers work and it paid off for us,' says Greg Tessone, the venue's assistant GM. 'Being the smallest venue on the tour, I'm thrilled to have it.' In Europe, Madonna will play several stadiums, following a trend of acts like U2 and Bon Jovi of playing arenas in North America and stadiums in Europe. This time, Madonna opts for U.K. venue Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and eschews the Manchester (England) Evening News Arena. Japan's dates in Osaka and Tokyo will follow Europe in mid-September. Madonna says, 'This summer, I'm going to make the world my own private disco.' Becker adds that the tour has a mission statement: 'The soul objective of the Confessions tour is to get the audience up on their feet from the start of the show until the end of the last song,' she says. 'No resting allowed!' (source: Monsters and Critics) 22 April - Dutch info about 3rd video The video for Get Together will be finished by the beginning of May and transported to TV stations. Nothing yet confirmed whatever b-sides Get Together will include, but the track will be submitted to Dutch radio playlists in May (no exact date known yet). (source: Warner Music NL / Madonna Underground) 22 April - I'm Going To Tell You A Secret DVD release confirmed Madonna's official fanclub ICON have confrimed the release of Madonna's tour documentary I'm Going To Tell You A Secret on DVD in June! Amazon.com have the DVD listed for a release date of Tuesday 06 June in the USA. Los Angeles magazine Odyssey also reported that the DVD will come with a live bonus audio CD from the Re-Invention tour - and interestingly Amazon.com are listing an audio CD for I'm Going To Tell You A Secret! Now all fans need is the Re-Invention tour to finally be released on DVD... (thanx to Madonnalicious) 20 April - Why everyone goes Mad for Madonna We make fun of her age, religion, politics, workout ethic and even that mysterious English accent of hers. But when-ever Madonna tickets go on sale, they disappear faster than diet pills at a Lindsay Lohan look-alike contest. On April 10 at 10 a.m., tickets went on sale for two shows at Madison Square Garden in Maddy's upcoming Confessions tour. Ten minutes later, all 40,000 ducats disappeared. That prompted the announcement of two more shows, whose tickets vanished just as briskly. Tomorrow at 10 a.m., tickets to a fifth, and perhaps final, Garden date go on sale (for a show to be given July 18). Whaddya think is going to happen? Which only begs the question: Why do people all keep rushing into the clutches of Madonna's live shows while pretending to be utterly aloof? Of course, it wouldn't be the first time humans have displayed a contradictory tussle between lust and contempt. Here are the more specific reasons for our behavior. WE ACTUALLY LIKE THE MUSIC. (REMEMBER THAT?) Especially for this tour. Conceived as a nonstop ode to club culture, the Confessions tour promises to bring Madonna back to her early dance scene days, reminding us of why we loved her in the first place. While cultural windbags may concentrate on her persona - and pretensions - fans know that Madonna has put out more great dance records than any pop star in the last 20 years. Except, of course, for the Pet Shop Boys. HER TOURS ROCK!!! (EVEN WHEN THEY'RE REALLY SELF-IMPORTANT.) Yes, Madonna's shows always go for some Grand Statements, none of which have quite connected, or achieved coherence, since her peak tour (1990's Blonde Ambition). But despite the riot of information and "messages" she infuses every show with, her core production always looks smashing. And her choreography never descends into the Vegas tackiness of some other female pop stars we won't stoop to mention. (Okay: Janet Jackson). Better, on Madonna's last road show, 2004's Re-Invention Tour, she proved how much stronger her vocals have become over the years. At this point, not only can we dance to her music, she can sing it too. WE WANT TO SEE IF THE OL' GAL CAN STILL DO IT. As she approaches 50 (well, 48), it's a bigger and bigger dare for Madge to do the kind of nose-bleed headstands, body-bisecting leg splits and yoga-inspired pretzel twists we expect from her - and that she ruthlessly demands of herself. Madonna's insistence on keeping such a dizzying level of physical engagement at her shows means she's now defying age in the same way she once did sexual taboos. And that desire has a cultural resonance: As our whole boomer-defined culture grays, we all have a stake in Madonna's mission to hold back the clock. WE'RE FASCINATED BY HER CONTINUED NEED TO WHIP UP SUCH AN INSANE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION AROUND HERSELF. Madonna's greed for recognition has always drawn a crowd. That her need hasn't abated after more than 20 years in the punishing media light only underscores the "me-me-me-ness"of it all. Which speaks to the inner egoist in us all. (source: NY Daily News) 20 April - Madonna performance throws a loop at Coachella Imagine if Elvis had decided to make a pit stop at Woodstock. It's perhaps the best way to put into perspective the hotly anticipated performance by Madonna — perhaps one of the most famous faces on the planet — at this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., a three-day musical extravaganza best known for its lineup of indie-rock bands and dance-oriented DJs. Outside of Madonna, the biggest acts on the bill are Depeche Mode and Tool — though successful, hardly on the superstar pop level of Madonna. Others include the punk rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Orthodox Jewish reggae singer Matisyahu and the electronica dance duo Daft Punk. Certainly Madonna's appeal is universal and organizers are pleased as punch to have there. She brings with her, however, a magnetic megastar effect — some will want to see her simply out of curiosity. "Coachella this year is going to be known as the Madonna festival," joked Tom Smith, lead singer of Editors, an up-and-coming rock foursome hailing from Birmingham, England. '"Good on her' I say." Others are mystified she's there at all. "Madonna's a pretty mainstream artist... I'd expect a bigger alternative kind of artist," said Chris Ross of the emerging rock group Wolfmother. "It's kind of interesting." Coachella's website message board heated up when Madonna announced she would play the festival, prompting some unseemly posts like "I hope Madonna chokes on a crumpet." Some fear a logjam of humanity at the smaller stage where she's set to appear — the Sahara dance tent, catering to an audience and a feel more in line with the her recent works rooted in the same electronica genre. How exactly did The Madonna Factor come into play? Paul Tollette, co-founder of Goldenvoice, the company that puts on Coachella, said he was still looking for a big name for the popular dance tent and they started considering one of the biggest names of them all. "We didn't have anyone for the second night. We got to talking and we said, 'What do you think about Madonna?'" Tollette recalled. A few phone calls and mutual friends later and Madonna was a go for Coachella (Madonna declined to be interviewed for this article). Tollette acknowledged that adding Madonna to the bill has presented some logistical challenges — more people craning their neck to see her. To address that, he's put in place some spatial changes at the Sahara tent to accommodate more people — more than the thousands that usually fit inside. To maintain the integrity of that plan, Tollette chose not to elaborate on those changes, but he's well aware the magnitude of Madonna commands full attention. "There will be some people here specifically for her," Tollette said, adding the caveat "They'll be overwhelmed by Coachella people." (It's worth noting that he drew a distinction between the two camps). There are no main stage acts going on at the same time as Madonna, but there are some acts on smaller stages during her set. Tollette predicts that there will be plenty of people taking in those other acts while Madonna does her thing. Is Madonna the biggest act to ever hit the stage at Coachella? "That depends on your definition of big," Tollette said. "She's probably sold more records than anyone we've had at Coachella." Tollette admits many people can't understand why Madonna — whose summer tour this year is perhaps the most anticipated — would play there. But Tollette added: "She knows a lot of the DJs that have played the Sahara tent, so this isn't anything new for her." World renown DJ Paul Oakenfold plays on the same night as Madonna in the dance tent. They're friends, have toured together, and Oakenfold has done several well-received remixes of Madonna's songs. He said Madonna likely could have requested to play on a big stage at Coachella, but wisely choose to stick with the electronica-themed "Sahara" tent. "That's an incredible boost for the electronic scene," Oakenfold said. "To choose the less is more. It's a smaller situation, but it's going to be unbelievable." "I think this is extremely cutting edge for an artist of that pedigree," he added. "It's going to draw a lot of attention to that tent." (source: USA Today) 19 April - New sales date for Horsens tickets The public onsale of tickets for Madonna's August 24th show in Horsens was delayed to April 29th, Saturday, 9:30 AM. (source: Madonna I Horsens.dk) 19 April - Madonna prays that fans confess Superstar Madonna wants fans to reveal their private thoughts in confessional video booths for her forthcoming world tour. The spiritual Like A Prayer singer is planning to give fans a chance to spill their deepest, darkest secrets as she travels the world on her Confessions tour, which kicks off in Los Angeles next month (May '06). The queen of pop will then choose the best ones and play them out to the crowd during the breaks in the show. A concert insider says, "It will be awesome as you could propose to someone, or dump them, or simply tell Madonna how much you love her." (source: Contactmusic) 19 April - Madonna's Children Design Handbags For Charity Madonna's children Rocco and Lourdes have decorated handbags for fashion house Celine that will be auctioned off for charity next month. The fashion company asked 19 celebrity offspring including the children of Emmanuelle Beart and Audrey Marnay, to customise its canvas Poulbot bag. The proceeds from the sale will go to actress/singer Vanessa Paradis' charity Reves, which helps sick children realise their dreams. Paradis' children with actor Johnny Depp, Jack and Lily-Rose, have also designed bags for the cause. The French fashion house sent the necessary design tools, from felt-tip pens to feathers to the children to help with their projects. Madonna's daughter nine-year-old daughter Lourdes covered her bag with red lips, while her five-year-old son Rocco sketched colourful drawings of small animals on his bag. The bags will be auctioned off at a dinner at the Hotel Bristol in Paris, France, on 30 May (06). (source: Yahoo) 19 April - How Madonna's Banknorth Garden dates grow Middle age and motherhood are treating Madonna awfully well: She's just added a third Boston date to her upcoming Confessions Tour. The additional show is July 10 at the TD Banknorth Garden. Tickets, $55-$350, go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com and 617-931-2000. Her other Boston shows, July 6 and 9, also at the Garden, are sold out. (source: Boston Herald) 18 April - New date for Nevada A second Madonna show has been added to her Confessions Tour stop in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. Added to her May 27 date at the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be a Sunday, May 28 show. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office and all Ticketmaster outlets (Smith's, Tower Records, RobinsonsMay and Ritmo Latino). (source: Review Journal) ~ Currently the tour has 30 North American and 18 European dates. 18 April - Donna Delory officially backing up Madonna It's Official! After weeks of keeping our lips sealed we can officially announce that Donna will be touring with Madonna this summer. With the re-launch of donnadelory.net, Donna would also like to share some exciting news with her fans around the world. Donna is happy to confirm that she will be touring the globe with Madonna on her Confessions World Tour. In between rehearsal time for the Confessions Tour, Donna has been working with Mac Quayle on her next full length studio album. Donna's assistant, Paul Yanez, says "Donna is excited to be touring with Madonna again. It gives her the chance to connect with her fans and Madonna's fans around the world. Donna plans on performing several solo gigs on her days off on the Madonna tour in various venues and yoga centers." (source: DonnaDelory.net) ~ The other background singer is confirmed to be Nicki Richards. 18 April - Two more californian dates added Madonna, who has already sold out two nights at the Forum in Inglewood, will play a third show at the venue on May 24, tour promoter Live Nation announced Monday. Tickets for the show, priced at $57.50-$352.50 plus service charges, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at www.LiveNation.com as well as all Ticketmaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com. They also may be purchased by phone at (714) 740-2000. There is a limit of six tickets per order. Madonna's three concerts in Southern California, May 21, 23 and 24, will launch her Confessions tour, which currently includes 30 U.S. dates, to be followed by at least 18 shows in Europe. Most of those performances have quickly sold out. (source: OCregister.com) ~ A second show for San Jose was added too, for May 31st. Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 21st 10 am via Ticketmaster. 17 April - Madonna adds second Philly concert If you weren't able to get choice tickets for Madonna's Philadelphia concert, it looks like you'll get another shot at the front row. The Wachovia Center's calendar lists a second Madonna concert on July 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale April 24 at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $55, $95, $165 and $350. You can get tickets at the Wachovia Complex Box Office, Ticketmaster.com, or by phone at (215) 336-2000, (856) 338-9000, or (302) 984-2000. The Confessions Tour already had a scheduled stop in the City of Brotherly Love on July 12 and at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on July 16. Other stops include Las Vegas, Phoenix, Chicago, Montreal, New York, Boston and Miami. The Material Girl last performed in Philadelphia for two sold-out nights at the Wachovia Center in 2004 over Independence Day, as part of the Re-Invention Tour, her last tour. This tour will be supporting her 2005 album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. (source: NBC10.com) 17 April - Spoiler about the show entrance Today a newspaper article hinted at the opening of Madonna's upcoming tour entrance. Click here to visit our tour spoilers page.

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