From Liz Smith:

AT AmFAR's fund-raiser at the Chelsea Pier honoring the gay community for its energetic anti-AIDs fight, the rousing auction produced a bid for ,000 for a bit part in TV's Queer as Folk and another ,000 for four rare VIP tickets to Madonna's coming N.Y.C. concert.

Madonnamusic has another new Drowned World Tour item - -the Whisper Sleeveless T-shirt. .95. Very chic!

Check it out!

Following Madonna's spectacular opening in Barcelona, the technical stage figurations have now been determined. The sightlines for the Drowned World Tour now mean that a limited number of excellent seats have become available for all six London shows at Earls Court July 4, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12.

Tickets are available from 9am Friday June 22nd on the following numbers:

0870 169 6880

0870 730 7306

Ticketmaster:www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Critics have been unanimous in their praise of the Madonna Drowned World Tour:

*Nothing can diminish her powers The Times

*Madonna Back On Song: Lock, Stock and One Rocking Super Heroine- Express

*The musical event of the year The Sun

*Madge puts on the mother of all shows. Like her astonishing career, she just keeps walking forward and never looks back Sunday Express

*They had better strengthen the roof at Earls Court before Madonna rolls into London next month or she'll blow it sky high. Sunday Mirror

*It would take a heart of iron not to be completely consumed by this glorious exhibition of pop magic. Madonna is still so without rival it's painful.

*Bow down and worship her. - NME

FOR A WHILE it seemed we'd been cut off from our Madonna-like dark roots. We couldn't discover a thing to report about the newlywed dynamo. But here's some hot skinny.

When Madonna appeared in her extraordinary Drowned World tour at Milan's Fila Forum for 10,000 rabid fans, including her pal Donatella Versace, she said, I dedicate this song "Gone" to my friend Gianni Versace.

After her Barcelona opening, Madonna had an intimate celebration in her dressing room, where she personally thanked her 10 gorgeous dancers, her dynamite band and her brainy, good-looking manager Caresse Henry for their hard work. While others drank champagne, Madonna chomped on asparagus and other unrecognizable vegetables. She was happy greeting friends, including AOL Time Warner honchos Dick Parsons and Roger Ames.

Reviewing her opening night, the Daily Mirror reported: They had better strengthen the roof at Earl's Court before Madonna rolls into London in a few weeks or she'll blow it sky high. Whether she is painted into her D Squared mud jeans and diamond-studded chaps, or stunningly sleek in a lean Jean Paul Gaultier Spanish pin-stripe backless dress, or wearing Arianne Phillips futuristic kimono with the 51-foot wing span, or flying through the air in her Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon homage, There's little doubt Mrs. Guy Ritchie has no intention of becoming a full-time housewife. Reports have her singing and dancing better than ever. And now she is also playing one heck of an uber guitar. (She has taken lessons for the past eight months.)

The tour is sold out but reaches Philadelphia on July 21. Thank heaven and HBO (aren't they one and the same?) because they'll air Madonna's show on Sunday night, Aug. 26. And though a concert ticket is like gold, TV is better than no Madonna.

Source: Billboard

Madonna dominated the stage in Barcelona, Spain, over the weekend as she kicked off her first live tour in eight years. Nearly 18,000 fans sang along with the superstar at the Palau St. Jordi on Saturday and again Sunday before she moved on to Milan, Italy, as part of her Drowned World Tour. The 42 year-old Material Mom emerged onto the stage front wearing a short kilt with a slit on each side over long leather pants. During the show, she appeared as a geisha, a cowgirl, and a modern dancer. Always emphasizing sensuality, Madonna's dizzying movements and provocative swaying triggered screams of pleasure from fans. Besides performing songs from her recent Ray of Light and Music albums, Madonna also sang a Spanish version of the track What it Feels Like for a Girl, and older favorites such as La Isla Bonita and Holiday, the hit that propelled her to stardom almost 20 years ago. The artist will conclude the European leg of her tour July 12 with the last of six concerts in London. A sold-out three-month U.S. tour begins with two shows July 21 and 22 in Philadelphia.

Madonna kicks off her Drowned World Tour tomorrow, but you can get buy some of the Exclusvie tour merchandise online today!

Available only at the shows, or right here on Madonnamusic...

Drowned World Tour Whisper Trio T-Shirt
Be the first to have it and wear the shirt to the show! Red Whisper Trio T-shirt from Madonna's current Drowned World Tour.

Drowned World Tour Leaning T-Shirt
You've got to have this! This t-shirt is from Madonna's current Drowned World Tour and features Madonna in a leaning pose. Fabulous! White, 100% cotton.

Drowned World Tour Europe Itinerary T-Shirt
Be the first of your friends to own it...This black t-shirt is direct from Madonna's European Drowned World Tour. European tour dates featured on the back. 100% cotton.

Buy Them Now!

The BBC is to celebrate Madonna's forthcoming run of UK dates with a documentary called There's ONLY ONE MADONNA that will be screened on July 4. This coincides with Madonna's first UK gig on her Drowned World Tour, at London's Earl's Court Arena. A BBC spokesperson says the show, will chart her influence on style as well as her impact on girl power and her involvement with gender politics.

You can see Madonna *Star* in the Guy Ritchie directed BMW short film at www.bmwfilms.com.

Synopsis:
The Driver faces perhaps his most perplexing challenge: coming face-to-face with a hugely talented and successful rock star. But beneath her beauty lies a problem * she always gets what she wants. In the short, Madonna plays the role of a superstar diva on her way to a film premier. She is late, so she moans at him to drive faster. He steps on it and begins driving at such high speed that Madonna is thrown around all over the place in the back of the car. Guy Ritchie directs Clive Owen and Madonna in a battle of power against power.