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Posts Tagged ‘madonna’

Joined by daughter Lourdes Leon and son David Banda, dogooding pop queen Madonna visited The Home of Hope Mchinji Orphange in Malawi today (April 7).

Chants of “welcome home, David!” and “we love you, David!” could be heard from inside the Home Of Hope as the four-year-old and his mother arrived.

Madonna sparked controversy when she adopted David Banda from the orphange in 2006 –what could she be doing there now? She apparently did not want to break David’s “emotional attachment” to the home.

Says Lucy Chipeta, the head of the orphanage: “David spent most of his first days on earth here. We are delighted to have him back.” She adds: “We have preserved his room including his crib.”

David’s biological father, Yohane Banda, was nowhere to be seen.

Joined by daughters Mercy James and Lourdes Leon, pop queen Madonna attended the first brick laying of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi today (April 6).

Holding a brick with the inscription “DARE TO DREAM” on it, the 51-year-old superstar said it has long been her dream to build a girls’ school.

The $15 million Raising Malawi Academy for Girls is scheduled to open in 2011, and will assist 500 orphaned children.

Madge arrived in Malawi on Monday for a weeklong charity tour to inspect projects she established since her first visit in 2006.

Meanwhile, Madonna has been named the most played artist of the past decade — nudging The Beatles into second spot.

The Erotica singer, who has been clocking up hits since 1984, topped a list of artists who have received most airplay and public performances of their recordings from 2000 to 2009.

The figures were compiled by royalties body PPL for a Radio 2 countdown which was broadcast on Monday.

Just picture it: Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres at the same family reunion.

It appears the Queen of Pop and the latest American Idol judge are related — they’re eleventh cousins, according to researchers at Ancestry.com.

Their lineage was traced by family history experts and they found a common 10th great-grandfather — a Frenchman named Martin Aucoin.

Geneology experts say that in the early 1600s, Aucoin’s daughters Jeanne and Michele left their native country of France to settle in Nova Scotia, which spawned the families that would trickle down to produce both of the pair of A-list celebrities.

In a new interview with the Associated Press, Madonna opens up about teaming up with her 13-year-old daughter Lourdes to create Material Girl, an affordable juniors’ clothing line that debuts at Macy’s this fall, and a whole lot more!

The Material Girl collection includes jeans, shoes, fingerless gloves, necklaces and other accessories. Many of the pieces are inspired by Madonna and her daughter’s dance roots.

Some highlights:

Madonna on what Lola has taught her about fashion: “I am boring, basically. She reminds me of me when I was younger. She just goes for it and tries different things. It doesn’t look like she thought too much about it. That is how I used to be, but after years and years of everybody commenting on the way I look and dress and being photographed, one starts to become self-conscious and starts to plan things more. You end up judging yourself more, what looks good and what doesn’t.”

Madonna on what it’s like working with her daughter: “It is good because she does have good taste in fashion. I respect her taste and I rarely disagree with her.”

Madonna on whether she was hesitant about thrusting Lola into the spotlight with her latest venture: “That is why I am here talking about the line and she is not. Eventually, I will let her. I feel like she needs to get into high school and focus on her studies, her lessons. She got into the high school of the performing arts. She has a lot of work to do. I don’t want her to be distracted. She will eventually be able to talk about it. I am going to be happy when she does because she can speak much more clearly in and in a more informed way than I can about a line she is ultimately designing. I just stand in the background and go, “That’s cool. That’s not cool.”

Madonna on whether she ever looks back and has any What-was-I-thinking? moments: “Yeah. I would rather not point them out. I think I had a lot of bad hair moments. In the early ’80s, just sometimes I wore purple lipstick or green lipstick. Clothing-wise, I am happy about the way I dressed.”

Madonna on Lola’s fashion influences: “Lola spent most of her childhood growing up in England. According to her, she thinks people have more style in London, especially the boys. French boys in particular have very good style, according to Lola. I think she has been very influenced by European fashion. She is very influenced by the music she listens to, different bands she is into. She has favorite models. She takes all kinds of dance classes. She is inspired by different items people wear as dancers, whether it is a hip-hop class or a jazz class or ballet class. … Of course, she is inspired by my closet. My Christian Dior shoes will go missing and then some fabulous bag I won’t be able to find or my skinny jeans, the only pair that fit me are gone.”

Madonna on whether working on the clothing line with her daughter has bonded them in a different way: “I see her more as a creative person, as an artist and less as my daughter as we are working, and then every once and a while I remembered she is my daughter.”

Despite endless break-up rumours, Madonna and her Brazilian boy toy Jesus Luz appear to be moving steadily in their relationship.

Joined by pal Jessica Seinfeld, the May-December duo were seen leaving the Fela! play at Eugene Oneill Theatre in New York City last night (March 18).

After watching the musical about Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti, Madge and Jesus headed to Morimoto in the Meatpacking District for a night cap courtesy of none other than the Iron Chef himself.

Meanwhile, it appears Madonna’s affinity for younger men truly knows no boundaries as she reportedly gave a young man a lap dance during a recent night out.

The 51-year-old pop diva was seen getting up close and personal with male model Adam Senn during the Moët & Chandon celebrity photographer Tom Munro private viewing in LA on March 6.

“She arrived with Adam from the back and sat in the VIP area,” an onlooker tells In Touch Weekly. “At one point, she got up and started dancing, and he was grabbing her waist and touching her butt. She turned around and gave him a lap dance and he looked like the happiest guy in the world.”

But don’t expect to see any photos of Madonna in action. The source adds: “She made sure no photos were taken.”

Madonna took her brood of children, minus young lover Jesus Luz, to the Kabbalah Center in New York City last night (February 27).

Joined by sons Rocco Ritchie and David Banda as well as daughter Mercy James, the 51-year-old pop queen spent her evening pondering life’s deeper questions with the help of her private guru.

As for Jesus’ whereabouts? Brazil, baby! The hunky model has been enjoying an extended holiday with some friends on the beaches in Ipanema, south area of Rio de Janeiro.

Meanwhile, Madonna has reportedly signed newly single actress Abbie Cornish for her new movie.

The Aussie actress has apparently agreed to appear in W.E., Madge’s second film as a director, which centrers on the relationship between Britain’s King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.

Madonna has previously directed Filth And Wisdom and served as a writer on the documentary I Am Because We Are.

W.E is currently in pre-production and is slated for release sometime in 2011.

Madonna may currently be in Rio de Janeiro enjoying Carnival but work is never far from her mind.

The 51-year-old pop queen is reportedly in negotiatons to launch a contemporary women’s collection that would be sold exclusively at Macy’s.

Madge’s merch would include clothes, accessories, lingerie and footwear.

As for the label names being considered? Material Girl for the apparel and Truth or Dare for the undies.

Madonna and Macy have yet to confirm the news.

Madonna was welcomed by Jose Serra, Governador of Sao Paulo state, at Bandeirantes Palace in Sao Paulo, Brazil today (February 11) to talk about social projects.

Sitting down for a lengthy chat, the pair discussed the Success for Kids (SFK) program, an NGO supported by the 51-year-old American pop singer to help children in need.

Madge reportedly impressed the Brazilian politician after she announced that she wants to help young children in the country.

However, Serra admitted that he had also been surprised by her appearance, explaining: “She seems very young. Much less than her [age].”

So much for those break-up rumours!

Madonna and her boytoy Jesus Luz were seen leaving the Fasano Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last night (February 9) to have a romantic dinner for two.

The 51-year-old pop star is in Rio for Carnival, while Brazilian model will travel to Bahia to perform as a DJ this weekend.

Meanwhile, Madonna’s manager Guy Oseary is leading the line to replace Simon Cowell as a judge on next season’s American Idol.

“Guy has been in the music business since Madonna discovered him when he was 17, and he has a lot of the same experience as Simon,” a source has been quoted as saying. “His competition just can’t live up to his level of experience and the people behind the show are slowly starting to realize it. He was thrilled to hear Fox is considering him. He thinks it would be great for his image. And it’s great exposure to boot.”

Organizers for the all-star “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon say the event raised $57 million — and counting.

“The public has set a new standard of giving for a relief telethon with ‘Hope for Haiti now,’ and the donations continue to come in,” Lisa Paulsen, president and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, said in a statement released Saturday. the group is helping to oversee the funds gathered from the event.

The two-hour telethon aired Friday night on the major networks and dozens of other channels, including MTV, Bravo, and PBS, and was also streamed live online. Stars like Brad Pitt, Beyonce, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and more used their presence to encourage donations for Haiti, following a Jan. 12 earthquake that killedan estimated 200,000 people.

The total released Saturday includes money raised by phone, text and the Web. it does not include donations by corporations or via iTunes, where people are able to buy performances of the event for 99 cents each, or the entire album for $7.99. Those funds also go to Haiti relief.

The “Hope for Haiti Now” CD is the biggest one-day pre-order in the site’s history and the new song “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)” by Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and the Edge, debuted during the telethon, is the No. 1 single on iTunes.

People can donate via text, phone or through the “Hope for Haiti” Web site for the next six months. Among the organizations who will receive funds from the telethon include Oxfam America, UNICEF, and the Clinton-Bush Haiti Foundation.

Copyright 2009 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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