Madonna.com can confirm that Madonna is back in the studio today to record new music. Can't say what it is for just yet, but stay tuned to Madonna.com for more info.
Rolling Stone magazine have just launched their annual Reader's Poll of the year.
You can vote for Madonna in the following categories, Best Female Performer, Best Tour, Best Dressed and you can even add Madonna's name to the Artist Of The Year category.
So what are you waiting for?
Get voting here! Pusher Media has published on their website the Re - Invention video backdrop for Vogue - the video features footage on all four screens featured on the stage and also some footage of a dress rehearsal of the Vogue performance on 10 May 2004.
Miss Jones VFX adds Madonna to it's list of celebrity divas who demand - and get - the best in concert visuals. The 'Reinvention 2004' tour featured work by PUSHER director Stefan Smith and 3D elements from Joe Kosinski of KDLAB.
NPR broadcast a Madonna radio interview this afternoon in the US on Fresh Air With WHYY, you can still listen to the interview
here. After a chart - topping and occasionally controversial music career, she s now turning out children s books publishing four in just over a year. The newest is The Adventures of Abdi. The others are The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples and Yakov and the Seven Thieves. Her fifth, Lotsa de Casha, is due out in April 2005
Selfridges have contacted madonnalicious so that we can give to give our visitors the schedule for tomorrow's (11 November) book - signing event at their Oxford Street store. Here is the following information given to madonnalicious - please remember that all the following plans can be subject to change if Selfridge's marketing/security decide:
Books will be pre - signed by Madonna, and be given out to customers as they come to meet her at the signing table.
Customers will need to pay for the book first, and can join the queue on presentation of a valid receipt; both from 1.00pm only.
No other merchandise will be signed, and photos cannot be taken with Madonna.
A reading for 30 children by Madonna will take place before the personal appearance.
A press photocall will take place at the signing table.
There are, it seems, some gigs so big that even royalty Can't land them. Yesterday afternoon, in an honour not even afforded the Queen's Speech, all five terrestrial TV channels and more than 20 cable and satellite stations simultaneously broadcast the new Band Aid 20 charity single.
Millions of viewers tuned in at 5.55pm to see the video, which mixes footage of the famine in Africa with images of pop stars weeping as they struggle to comprehend the enormity of the situation.
'It is something completely unprecedented,' said a Band Aid spokeswoman. 'I have never known even a royal occasion to be shown on all channels like that.'
'What we have got to make sure is that as many people as possible buy the single and I Can't think of a better way of doing that.'
The video was introduced by Madonna, who performed at the original Band Aid concert but did not take part in the recording of the new song.
Over images of starving children, she said: 'Once again, here we are 20 years later. More people die of hunger in Africa than war and Aids put together. In a world of plenty, it is hard to imagine that most African children will go to bed tonight hungry. Bob Geldof and his friends are here to remind you that we can never forget. Not ever. Feed the world.'
There are reports from various UK news sources that between 14 and 20 million viewers watched the broadcast. To download the single visit
www.bandaid20.com Late Beatle John Lennon has been voted the Greatest Music Star Of All Time by a British music magazine. Lennon beat legends Elvis Presley, Madonna and Bob Marley in the poll by Q Magazine. Photographs of the top 100 stars will be featured in an exhibition at London's Proud Gallery from 3 December 2004.
The top ten are as follows:
1: John Lennon
2: Elvis Presley
3: David Bowie
4: Keith Richards
5: Kurt Cobain
6: Madonna
7: Bono
8: Bob Marley
9: Joe Strummer
10: Bob Dylan
Michael Colombier, the composer who composed the beautiful string arrangements for Madonna on Die Another Day, Don't Tell Me and Easy Ride as well as composing the soundtrack for Swept Away has died:
French composer Michel Colombier died yesterday after a six month battle with cancer. He was 65. Colombier was one of the most prolific and versatile French musicians of his generation. Besides his career as a film composer, scoring over 100 feature, cable and television films since the early 1960's, Colombier was a prolific song writer and arranger who worked with artists such as Madonna, Prince, The Beach Boys, Paul Anka, Barbra Streisand and Earth Wind and Fire.
As a film composer, Michel Colombier scored a lot of French and American films, including The Golden Child, Ruthless People, New Jack City, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and The Money Pit. His background in jazz was evident in the majority of his film scores, and his ability to compose original score music that merged seamlessly with pop songs made him the perfect composer for 1980's films with song - heavy soundtracks, including White Nights, Against All Odds and Purple Rain (which won a Grammy Award as well as an Academy Award for Best Song Score).
Madonna has lent her support to the new version of the Band Aid single Do They Know it's Christmas? by recording an introduction to accompany the video premiere on UK TV.
Although Madonna did not take part in the new recording, it is understood that Sir Bob Geldof telephoned Madonna on Thursday as she made her way to the UK Music Hall of Fame ceremony to ask her to record an introduction to the video, Madonna is said to have agreed immediately.
The video will premiere simultaneously on all five UK TV channels at 5.55pm on Thursday 18 November.
Madonna's full introduction:
'Twenty years ago I performed at Live Aid,' she will tell viewers. 'You saw me and my generation demanding a change.'
'Once again, here we are 20 years later and more people die of hunger in Africa than war and Aids put together.'
'In a world of plenty, it is hard to imagine that there are African children going to bed tonight hungry.'
'Bob Geldof and his friends are here to remind you that none of us can forget. Not ever. Feed the world. I am honoured to introduce Band Aid 20.
Read how Monte Pittman met Madonna and went on to become her tour guitarist!
Madonna graces the cover of the latest issue of the Roland User Group magazine, featuring a great article about the keyboardists who toured with Madonna's Re - Invention last summer.
Tthe article offers an interesting insight into how the music was put together for this tour, and how Micheal McKnight and Marcus Brown worked with Madonna in evolving the sound for the tour.
You can read the article
here - included in the page is also a link to view a short clip of the Nothing Fails soundcheck at Slane Castle.
Check details about Madonna's new book, and how she feels about the election outcome.
Tomorrow night Madonna will be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame as one of the five founding members. The other founding members are Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Marley and U2. Priscilla Presley will accept on behalf of Elvis, and Rita Marley for Bob Marley. Members of U2 will be present to accept their induction.
Madonna will attend the ceremony at the Hackney Empire in London after her personal appearance at Selfridges. The event will be filmed and shown on Channel 4 on Sunday 14 November at 9.00pm.
As Madonna mentioned in her syndicated ABC Radio Network interview today, she had hoped that Elton John could have presented her award to her to show that there are no hard feelings after his lip - synching outburst last month - however Elton is taping an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show that night.
Madonna dishes her opinions about her supposed feud with Elton John, Cameron Diaz, and the War in Iraq! Don't miss this exciting interview!
UK fans can catch a recording of Madonna being inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame on Sunday 14 November at 9.00pm on Channel 4.
Madonna joins such greats as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Marley and U2 as one of the five inaugural members of the hall.
Madonna is due to attend the award ceremony which actually takes place at London's Hackney Empire on Thursday 11 November.
Hundreds of Madonna fans spent the best part of 24 hours queuing outside a central London store in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Queen of Pop as she made a rare public appearance to promote her new children's book.
But only 250 of them who were first in line were lucky enough to bag tickets for the reading and signing of her fourth book The Adventures of Abdi.
Crowds gathered on the streets outside the Selfridges store on London's Oxford Street to see the former Material Girl but she snuck in through an underground car park entrance.
The new tale - like her previous books - is said to be based on the ancient Jewish faith Kabbalah which the millionaire pop star and her film director husband Guy Ritchie both follow.
Madonna, who is regularly photographed by the paparazzi in the red string bracelet worn by Kabbalah devotees, has reportedly come under fire for highlighting the religion in her children's books.
Part of the sales from her book reportedly go to fund Kabbalah centres she attends.
The singer was today giving a 10 - minute reading from the book, which was officially released in the UK at the start of this week, to a group of 30 schoolchildren aged eight to 10 from St Winifred's Catholic Junior School in south London.
She has already penned her fifth book Lotsa de Casha, which will be released next summer and is about how wealth is overrated.
The illustrated yarn features the Italian greyhound Lotsa de Casha who is the richest creature in the world but is desperately unhappy.
Madonna has been inducted into the first UK Music Hall Of Fame - and received a hilarious message from close pals Stella McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Hollywood actress Gwyneth and designer Stella put together a video tribute to the Material Girl by wearing some of her outlandish outfits.
Madge gasped as they appeared on a big screen at London's Hackney Empire - Stella dressing in a 'Material Girl' dress and Gwyneth donning a conical bra and basque.
Madonna, 46, received her honorary award from artists Tracey Emin and Radio One DJ Jo Whiley.
Wearing a Remembrance Day poppy, Madge gushed: 'If someone had told me while I was a little girl growing up in mid - west America that one day I'd be married to a Brit, living in England and inducted into the UK Hall Of Fame, I would have said: 'b******s to that'.'
Madonna appeared on the BBC Radio 2 program The Jeremy Vine Show this lunchtime to promote her new children's book The Adventures of Abdi.
You can listen to the interview again by visiting
www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/vine/ Publishers Callaway have published this press release to celebrate the launch of Madonna's fourth children's book The Adventures of Abdi today:
Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce today's release of The Adventures of Abdi, the fourth in a series of five books for children by Madonna.
Madonna's first children's book, The English Roses, made publishing history with its simultaneous release in 30 languages and over 100 countries on September 15, 2003. It became the biggest and fastest - selling book ever by a first - time children's author, and is now available in 40 languages and more than 110 countries as diverse as England, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, China, Brazil, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
The English Roses was followed in quick succession by Mr. Peabody's Apples, released on November 10, 2003, and Yakov and the Seven Thieves on June 21, 2004.
Not only were Madonna's first three children's books launched within one year, but they also all debuted on The New York Times' best - seller list, and have sold in excess of 1.5 million copies worldwide.
To celebrate Madonna's unprecedented achievement, Callaway is releasing a boxed - set of her first three children's titles, The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples, and Yakov and the Seven Thieves. A .85 value for only .95, this gift item comes just in time for the holiday season!
Madonna will launch her fourth children's title, The Adventures of Abdi, with a series of print, radio, and television interviews in London, followed by a book signing on November 11 at Selfridges.
Madonna's fifth children's book Lotsa De Casha, will be released worldwide in June 2005.
In promotion for her new childrens book The Adventures Of Abdi Madonna is due to make a couple of UK TV appearances.
One interview will be aired on Channel 4's The Richard And Judy show which is broadcast weekdays at 5.00pm - this show is well know for helping to promote new books so will be ideal for promoting The Adventures Of Abdi. The other appearance is scheduled for a children's TV show to be confirmed later.
At the moment we do not have scheduled air dates yet for these interviews (of which some will be pre - recorded) but as soon as the confirmed dates are known we will publish them here.
Today's edition of UK newspaper The Times featuring extracts from Madonna's new book The Adventures of Abdi, a chat with the illustrators Andrej and Olga Dugin and a revealing interview with Madonna by Jane Wheatley, in which Madonna talks about the writing process, and her daily life in London with her family.
Can you tell us something about the inspiration for The Adventures of Abdi?
This book was inspired by a combination of things. I have always loved the backdrop and setting of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and One Thousand and One Arabian Nights so I wanted to write a story in that genre. In this setting I wanted to explain the Kabbalistic principle of 'certainty', the idea that we can overcome all obstacles and challenges in our lives if we perceive them as blessings and not curses; if we accept that they have arrived in our lives to teach us something valuable.
What were your favourite books as a child?
Charlotte's Web, The Giving Tree, The Little Prince, Pippi Longstocking, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Do you read some of those childhood favourites to your own children?
Yes, all of them.
What are Lola's and Rocco's favourite books at the moment?
Lola's are Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park, Wayside School by Louis Sachar and Tom - Tom & Nana by Jacqueline Cohen.
Rocco's are Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and Les Schtroumpfs.
What do your children think of the books you have written?
They love them, but The English Roses is Lola's favourite as she was very involved in its creation.
Is there a bedtime story ritual in your house?
Yes, my children go to the Lyc so they get French and English books read to them. When I read to my son, my French nanny is reading to my daughter, then we switch. Although my daughter is getting to the point where she likes only to read by herself so she reads aloud to me.
What do you feel is the role of stories and books in children's lives?
Stories and books are everything. They were very important to me as a child and were instrumental in developing my imagination. I feel very fortunate that my children love books as much as they do.
Do you think you will continue to write after this series?
Yes, I have already written a sequel to The English Roses.
Have you any thoughts about writing for adults?
Well I have thought about it, but that is a much tougher crowd. Ask me again in a few years.
How does the process of writing books compare with writing song lyrics?
At this point in my life I have written so many songs and they tell only a part of a story. I find the process of writing books much more rewarding, as there is a beginning, middle and an end.
You live mainly in England with your family; can you describe your perfect day out with your children in London?
A perfect day always includes going to Hyde Park riding bikes, feeding the ducks, having a treat at the little restaurant on the lake, and a trip to Bramley's Big Adventure. Lola loves ice skating at Somerset House and Rocco loves the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.
What else would you recommend?
Tate Britain on Sunday afternoon has a children's day to do artwork and they like the Puppet Barge on the Thames.
What is the one best thing you have all enjoyed and why?
Our favourite thing to do together as a family that we all enjoy is going to our country house. My children really come alive there, feeding chickens, taking care of the horse, picking flowers and spending time outside in nature. I realise that this is not "in London" but it is our favourite thing to do.
Where do you shop with them?
The children's sections of Selfridges and Harrods.
Where do you take your children to eat in London?
Guy and I rarely take our children out to dinner as we rarely go out to dinner. But they go to the Blue Kangaroo a lot with their grandfather.
Do you worry about children and safety in London?
Not really. We take the normal precautions. but I would say we feel very safe here.
You also have a home in LA. How child friendly is London by comparison?
Extremely. There is so much to do for children here.
In celebration of the Steven Klein/Madonna X - STaTIC PRO=CeSS exhibition that opened today at the Camerawork gallery in Berlin, numerous articles about Steven Klein's work with Madonna have been featured in German newspapers.
Yesterday's edition of Berlin newspaper the Berliner Morgenpost featured a short interview with Steven Klein about how he works with Madonna, and how she brought her lucky pantyhose along for the photoshoot!
We'd like to talk about the elections in the USA.
Uaah.
How would you photograph Laura Bush?
Just because she is Mrs Bush doesn't mean she is interesting to me as a photographer.
In the Madonna photos there is a perfect hole in her pantyhose. Did you do that?
The evening before the photo shoot we went through everything on the set and then she said that she would like to bring her lucky pantyhose. She had worn it many times. The hole was already in it and I'm very happy with it.
How were the first five minutes with Madonna?
She is very shy and very quiet. And I was incredibly nervous. Usually, when I meet models or movie stars to take their photos I always think, oh they look like regular people after all. But with Madonna it's different, she has an incredibly intense aura and she really is an extremely beautiful woman.
Your photos of movie stars and models do not necessarily portray classical beauty. What is your definition of beauty?
A structured face or body shape. But also a power that lies beneath.
What did Madonna do with your photos?
She put some of them on her wall at home. In the living room.
Madonna's Re - Invention tour has been named as the Top Tour in the inaugural Billboard Backstage Pass Awards. The awards recognize the top performers of the just - completed touring season, and are based on box - office data gathered from Billboard Boxscore reports.
The Re - Invention tour grossed 125 million from 56 performances across North America and Europe this summer. The awards will be presented during the Backstage Pass Conference at New York City's Roosevelt Hotel on Tuesday 09 November.
Madonna's manager Caresse Henry will also be awarded the Top Manager award!
Madonna and Steven Klein's photographic exhibition moves back to Germany this month after a successful showing at the Scout Gallery in London.
The exhibition runs from 06 November 2004 to 08 January 2005 at the Camerawork gallery in Berlin.
Camerawork GmbH
Kantstrae 149
10623 Berlin
Germany
Open: Tuesday - Friday 10.00am - 6.00pm
Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm
For more information visit
www.camerawork.de The Tourism Ministry has produced a 30 - second video in which Madonna says Israel is a safe place to visit. The video, which was taped during the pop singer's recent trip here, will be shown about 10 times on three large screens at the world tourism fair in London, which runs from November 8 - 11. Other attractions at the fair's Israeli site include a beach corner. (
Click here to order Guy Oseary, chief of Maverick Records, will publish a Paperback edition of his book On the Record, in which over 150 of the most creative people in th music business share the secrets of their success. Among them Madonna who is featured on the book's cover as you can see below.
"From artists and songwriters to directors and publicists, On the Record offers an insider's look at the dreams, labor, lucky breaks, and rude awakenings of the industry's top performers. We hear revealing thoughts and advice from Madonna, Sean P. Diddy Combs, Moby, Alicia Keys, and others, throwing light on a broad range of experiences. As they speak candidly of their careers, a portrait emerges of a glamorous and capricious culture, making On the Record an invaluable introduction to those who wonder what it's really like to reach superstardom."
Madonna will attend the ceremony to induct her into the UK Music Hall of Fame as a founding member.
The ceremony will take place at London's Hackney Empire and will be screened on Channel 4 on Sunday 14 November - for more information visit the
official UK Music Hall of Fame website. 
