madonna broke her own record

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Madonna smashed her own record for top-grossing tour by a solo artist, but the "Material Girl" had to play more shows in bigger venues, according to data released by concert promoter Live Nation Inc on Wednesday.

The pop singer's yearlong "Sticky & Sweet" world tour, which wrapped in Israel on Wednesday, pulled in $408 million after playing to more than 3.5 million fans at 85 shows.

It broke the record set in 2006 by her previous outing, the "Confessions" tour, which grossed $194 million from 1.2 million fans at 60 shows. A Live Nation spokesman said the previous trek featured many arena stops, while the latest one was centered on bigger stadiums.

On September 28, Madonna will release "Celebration" CD and video compilations, which will draw the curtain on her 27-year relationship with Warner Music Group Corp. In 2007, she signed a pioneering, 10-year, $120 million "360" deal with Live Nation covering recording, merchandising and touring.

The top-grossing tour overall is the Rolling Stones' $558 million "Bigger Bang" trek of 2005-2007, which drew 4.7 million people to 144 shows.

madonna adopt another malawian child

LILONGWE (Reuters) - Madonna's bid to adopt a second Malawian child, a baby girl called Mercy James, will be examined by a court in the southern African country next week, officials said on Friday.

The 4-year-old would be a sister for David, whose adoption by the U.S. pop star aroused controversy, and comes from the same orphanage.

"Her name is Mercy James from Mchinji Home of Hope orphanage. She has no father and mother, they both died...We finished the assessment yesterday in readiness for the courts next week," an official at the ministry of Gender and Child Development told Reuters.

Court clerks confirmed the name of the child and said that Madonna or her associates were expected to appear in court next Monday for the adoption proceedings. She is expected to arrive in Malawi over the weekend, officials said.

Some Malawians opposed David's adoption, accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has been badly hit by an AIDS epidemic.

The local Nation newspaper this month quoted Madonna, 50, as saying that Malawian friends had told her David needed a brother or sister and that she would consider adopting another child, but only with the support of the Malawian people.

David's life with the global pop star is worlds away from his village of Lipunga, where his relatives eat staple food like maize meal and meals are cooked on open fires. His father, Yohane Banda, told Reuters that he may see his son next week.

Madonna, who was divorced last year from British film director Guy Ritchie, is one of the most successful singers of all time, with album sales of more than 200 million.

(Editing by Gugulakhe Lourie and Mark Trevelyan)

Madonna's brother to publish book on life with her

Thursday, Jun 12, 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone has written a memoir called "Life With My Sister Madonna," to be published next month by Simon and Schuster.

"Ciccone's extraordinary memoir is based on his life and 47 years of growing up with and working with his sister -- the most famous woman in the world," Simon and Schuster imprint Simon Spotlight Entertainment said.

Ciccone, one of Madonna's five siblings, wrote the book with Wendy Leigh. She has also written biographies of John F. Kennedy Jr, Prince Edward, Liza Minelli and ghost-written Zsa Zsa Gabor's autobiography.

Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg had no comment.

Madonna, whose original name was Madonna Louise Ciccone, made her debut in 1982. Her first album, "Madonna," which included hits such as "Holiday," "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," helped her become one of the best-selling pop artists, with more than 200 million albums sold worldwide.

The book will be published on July 15, a month before Madonna celebrates her 50th birthday.

Reuters/Nielsen

Madonna's "private concert"

This article was sent from http://reuters.com

Madonna auctions "private concert"

Friday, May 23, 2008 By Mike Collett-White

MOUGINS, France (Reuters) - Madonna auctioned a "private concert" late on Thursday at a star-studded dinner, raising 350,000 euros (278,000 pounds) for AIDS charity amfAR.

The biggest lot on a night of conspicuous spending was a restored 1976 Porsche 911, which went for 500,000 euros after rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs stopped bidding at 450,000 euros.

A diamond-encrusted Christian Dior mobile phone also fetched 120,000 euros.

The annual Cinema Against AIDS gala, hosted by Sharon Stone, is one of the hottest tickets at the Cannes film festival each year, with hundreds of guests travelling to nearby Mougins for an auction dinner held in a giant marquee.

The rich and famous lined a packed red carpet on Thursday, including Madonna, Combs and Stone, actor Dennis Hopper, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and actress Natalie Portman.

"I hope we all leave a little poorer," said amfAR chairman Kenneth Cole in his opening speech.

He need not have worried, with the cheapest seats going for around $4,000 each, rising to $15,000 for seats nearer the stage. The overall tally for the night was over $10 million.

Stone, who having just turned 50 called it her "birthday amfAR", showed clips of her travels around the world raising funds for the charity, while Madonna, 49, was in Cannes to promote her documentary about Malawi children orphaned by AIDS.

In what the Cannes media dubbed the "battle of the blondes", the two stars shared the stage and engaged in friendly banter.

"I don't say this about many people, but you're a hard act to follow," Madonna said. She described co-host Weinstein as "possibly one of the most, I won't say irritating, but unstoppable human beings I know."

"DON'T HUMILIATE ME"

Madonna offered to sing two songs backstage during her upcoming tour to two "very lucky people".

"People have offered me millions to play at their Bar Mitzvahs," Madonna joked after making the offer. When the bidding stalled at 300,000 euros, she added "Don't humiliate me," before leaving the stage.

Combs auctioned 24 hours in his company, promising: "I will fulfil your wildest dreams for amfAR and the children," and "I will wake up with you." The winning bid was 200,000 euros.

Weinstein could not resist lobbying at least two Cannes jury members in the audience to vote for Steven Soderbergh's competition entry "Che" as the festival headed towards its final awards ceremony on Sunday.

"If you haven't seen 'Che Guevara' you haven't seen a masterpiece. If that hasn't worked there will be cash on the way out."

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare)

Madonna's adoption in Malawi

Madonna expected in Malawi

Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008

LILONGWE (Reuters) - American pop star Madonna is due back in Malawi next week for what is expected to be a final court ruling on whether she can adopt a child from the southern African country, airport officials said on Tuesday.

A senior official at Lilongwe International Airport told Reuters her jet was cleared for landing from April 8 and she was expected around that time.

In February, Malawian Information Minister Patricia Kaliati praised Madonna's efforts to rally support for orphans in the impoverished country and said it would be wrong for the government to deny the pop star's adoption of a child there.

Madonna is in the process of adopting a Malawian boy, David Banda.

She began adoption proceedings in 2006 after meeting the boy in a local orphanage. The toddler is living with Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in London.

The adoption has been controversial, with critics accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has been badly hit by the AIDS epidemic and is one of the poorest in the world.

There are an estimated 1 million orphans in the country, many of whom are infected with the HIV virus. Malawi's government is amending its adoption laws.

(Reporting by Mabvuto Banda, editing by Myra MacDonald)