Madonna (entertainer)

• A mid-tempo song about complaints lovers have about their partners. It became Madonna's first top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

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• Madonna's most recognizable and popular song. It became her first number-one hit in the U.S., but has been criticized for its sexual subject matter.

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• The second top-ten single from Madonna's album Like a Virgin. The song's title would later earn her the nickname "The Material Girl" in the worldwide press.

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In 1985, Madonna entered mainstream films, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in the film Vision Quest. The soundtrack to the film contained her second number one pop hit, the Grammy-nominated ballad "Crazy for You", as well as the UK hit "Gambler". Later that year she appeared in the commercially and critically successful film Desperately Seeking Susan, with her comedic performance winning her positive reviews. The film introduced the dance song "Into the Groove", which was released as a B-side to her single "Angel", peaking at number five in the US and becoming a major hit internationally, and her first number one in the UK

Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in the U.S. in 1985 titled The Virgin Tour, supported by The Beastie Boys.

In July 1985, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of black and white nude photos of Madonna taken in the late 1970s. The publications caused a swell of publicity and public discussion of Madonna, who at first tried to block them from being published, but later remained unapologetic and defiant. Speaking to a global audience at the outdoor Live Aid charity concert at the height of the controversy, Madonna made a critical reference to the media and stated she would not take her jacket off, despite the heat, because "they might hold it against me ten years from now".<ref>YouTube Video footage of Madonna's comments regarding the controversy surrounding the Playboy and Penthouse pictures during Live Aid.</ref>

[edit] 1986–1991: Artistic development

Image:Truebluem.jpeg Madonna's 1986 album True Blue presented a more musically and thematically mature album than its predecessors, prompting Rolling Stone to declare, 'singing better than ever, Madonna stakes her claim as the pop poet of lower-middle-class America.'<ref>Madonna Village Quoting from Rolling Stone review of True Blue, 1986. Retrieved 5 May, 2006.</ref> The album included the soulful ballad "Live to Tell", which she wrote for the film At Close Range, starring then-husband Sean Penn. The album was also the first to credit her as producer. She collaborated with composer Patrick Leonard, who would become a long-time collaborator and friend. True Blue reached #1 in various countries around the globe and sold over eleven million copies worldwide at its time of release<ref>Madonna.com. Music Section - True Blue (1986). Retrieved 5 May 2006.</ref> and produced five successful singles in "Live To Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart", "True Blue" and Spanish-themed "La Isla Bonita". The first three singles would hit number one in the U.S.

The music videos for the album True Blue displayed Madonna's continued interest in pushing the boundaries of the video medium to a cinematic level, including elaborate art direction, cinematography, and film devices such as character and plot. Though Madonna had already made videos expressing her sexuality, she added religious iconography, gender archetypes, and social issues to her oeuvre, and these concepts would carry through her work for years to come. One notable example was the "Open Your Heart" video, her first collaboration with French photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

In 1987, Madonna starred in the box office failure Who's That Girl?, and contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the film's title track, which became a hit and Madonna's sixth #1 single in the US. "Causing a Commotion" would also become a radio hit.

• A mid-tempo dance song, which features personal lyrics and a Gospel choir. It reached number-one in the UK and U.S., becoming her seventh number one.

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• The second top-ten single from Like A Prayer stirred up opinions about feminism with its subject matter and highly expensive music video.

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• Touches upon minor subject matter. It became the third single release from Like a Prayer and another Top 10 hit worldwide.

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• A tribute to 'The Golden Age of Hollywood', it became Madonna's biggest hit of the 90s, reaching #1 in the UK and the US

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• Featuring whispered and spoken vocals, it became one of Madonna's most controversial singles, due to its sexually explicit lyrics and music video.

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[edit] 1992–1997: Sex controversy and Evita

In 1992, Madonna released the erotic book Sex, photographed by long time collaborator Steven Meisel. Adult in nature, it featured strong sexual content and graphic photographs featuring Madonna depicting simulations of sexual acts and BDSM. The book caused huge publicity at the time of its release, primarily leading to bad press and negative attitudes towards Madonna. Many critics ^{[citation needed]} considered it another calculated controversy timed to boost sales of her new album, which the public linked together because of their generally close release dates and overt sexual content.

Erotica, produced primarily with Shep Pettibone, was disregarded as simply being a "porn" album, with most believing that all the album tracks were about sex; but in truth the album only featured three (out of fourteen) overtly sexual songs: "Erotica" , "Where Life Begins", and "Did You Do It?". The album peaked at number two in the US and produced six singles, with its most successful being its title track "Erotica," which became the highest-debuting (number two) single in the history of the US Hot 100 Airplay chart. The controversial music video that accompanied the song only aired three times on MTV due to its highly charged sexual content.

• A disco-style dance track, which led to controversy due to its lyrics, which told the story of a young man dealing with his feelings of homosexuality.

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• Co-written by Babyface (who also provides backing vocals), the Canto-pop styled ballad became Madonna's first U.S. number one in almost three years and became the number one highest-selling single of 1995.

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• The song was specially written for the film version of Evita and won an Oscar for "Best Original Song in a Film" in 1997.

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After the raunchy sex period, Madonna released her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories, co-produced by Nellee Hooper and Dallas Austin. Madonna at the time was inspired by R&B/rock singer Joi's debut album Pendulum Vibe, and was so in love with it that she recruited producer Dallas Austin to help with her project. The album features Madonna turning to a more R&B-flavoured sound. It was a success in Europe, Australia, and the United States, where it peaked at number three and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Vocal Album category. With its title track partially written by Björk, the album gave a hint of what would come musically a few years later. It produced four singles, including "Take a Bow," co-written and produced with Babyface. The song was a success on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one for seven consecutive weeks, but it was a commercial failure elsewhere in the world, becoming the first Madonna song not to chart in the UK Top 10, charting at number 16. The Michael Haussman Spanish-themed video, meanwhile, would later help her win the lead role in Evita.

On 7 November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her best ballads, which featured three new tracks, including a cover of Marvin Gaye's classic "I Want You", which she recorded with British band Massive Attack, and the top ten hit "You'll See." The album just missed the top five on the U.S. charts; it has since been certified triple platinum.

In 1996, Madonna's most critically successful film, Evita, was released. The film's soundtrack became her twelfth platinum album and produced two hit singles, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "You Must Love Me", the latter of which was written specifically for the film. "You Must Love Me" won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture the following year. Madonna herself also won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy but failed to receive an Academy Award nomination.

[edit] 1998–2002: Return to prominence

Image:Rayoflightm.jpeg Madonna's seventh studio album, 1998's Ray of Light, blended personal and introspective lyrics with Eastern sounds, down-tempo, electronic instrumentation, strings by Craig Armstrong and a strong rave flavor. The album reached number two on the U.S. albums chart and since its release has been certified 4x platinum. It earned Madonna the strongest reviews of her career since Like a Prayer and has been widely considered by critics to be one of her greatest artistic achievements. Amazon.com described the album as "her richest, most accomplished record yet",<ref>Madonna Village Quoting from Amazon.com review of Ray of Light, 1998. Retrieved 5 May, 2006.</ref> while Rolling Stone credited Madonna and her co-producer William Orbit for "creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno," stating that musically Ray of Light is her "most adventurous record" yet.<ref>Madonna Village Quoting from Rolling Stone review of Ray of Light, 1998. Retrieved 5 May, 2006.</ref> Ray of Light produced five singles, including the European number one "Frozen". The album won four awards at the 1999 Grammy Awards and has been ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the top-ten single "Beautiful Stranger," a late 60s psyche-pop song she wrote with William Orbit and recorded for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack (1999).

• A slow tempo dance track featuring Madonna's voice over layers of string arrangements and synthesizers. In the UK, it was seen as a "big comeback," becoming her first song ever to debut at number one and her first since 1990.

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• Featuring acoustic guitars and a techno beat, it became a top-ten hit worldwide.

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[edit] 2003–2006: Backlash and Comeback

Madonna's ninth studio album, American Life, in which her lyrics were themed on the aspects of the American dream, fame, fortune and society, polarized music critics with both extremely positive and extremely negative reviews. Arguably her most daring and musically extreme album, American Life presented a darker and more serious side of the singer. Once again, she teamed up with Mirwais with string arrangement contributed by French musician, Michel Colombier, who had already collaborated on Music, a gospel choir, and prominent acoustic guitars.

The music video for the first single, "American Life", caused controversy in the US, as it contained visceral scenes depicting war, explosions, and blood. The day before the video was to air on European television, Madonna pulled it and released instead an edited and much tamer version, which showed her singing in front of flags from around the world. The song failed to perform well on the US singles charts, peaking at thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.

Having sold just 4 million copies, American Life is the lowest selling album of her career. However, the album did peak at number one on the US albums chart, and became her second consecutive album to do so. American Life produced three more singles, which all failed to chart in the US, although they became moderate hits around the world.

Later that year, Madonna performed a re-mixed version of her song "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliot at the MTV Video Music Awards. The performance caused controversy as Madonna kissed both Spears and Aguilera during the performance, resulting in tabloid press frenzy. That fall, Madonna provided guest vocals on Spears' single "Me Against the Music", which became a dance hit in the US.

In an effort to boost sales of American Life, Madonna released Remixed & Revisited, a remix EP that included remixes and rock versions of songs from American Life, as well as "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased song from the Bedtime Stories sessions. The EP did not perform well on the charts and peaked outside the top 100 on the US albums chart.

During the American Life time period, Madonna worked with fashion photographer Steven Klein in what was to become a photo and video installation entitled X-Static Process that would tour in major art galleries around the world. These images were to be used for her Re-Invention Tour.

• The most successful Bond theme song since A View to a Kill. It remained on the top of U.S. singles sales chart for eleven weeks, longer than any of Madonna's previous singles.

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• A criticism of the American lifestyle, it was largely panned by music critics due to a perceived lack of melody and Madonna's rap section. Its minimal electroclash arrangement with an additional acoustic guitar was also different from most of the music being played on mainstream radios at the time.

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• Widely seen as her "commercial comeback" single, it became Madonna's thirty-sixth top-ten hit (tying her with Elvis Presley for the most US top-ten singles).

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Madonna's tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), was built as a continuous mix of dance songs, with musical elements borrowed from the '70s as well as her own repertoire. Co-produced by Stuart Price, it reached number one in 41 countries and (according to Billboard, July 2006) has sold more than 9 million copies since its November 2005 release (over 1.6 million in the US)[2]. The album received the most positive reviews since 1998's Ray of Light, and was considered a return to form after the negative reception to American Life. It has produced two successful singles: "Hung Up", which featured a sample of the ABBA song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and "Sorry". Worldwide, it surpassed "Music" and "Vogue" as the most successful single of her career. The follow-up single, "Sorry," became Madonna's twelfth number one in the UK. A third single, "Get Together", reached the UK Top 10 and became her thirty-sixth number one dance hit in the U.S. (the most for any artist in Billboard history), but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The fourth, and final single release from Confessions on a Dance Floor was "Jump", and was released in the UK in November 2006, charting at Number 9. "Jump" was also the #1 Billboard Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance/Club Play, as well as in both Billboard's general and dance Single Sales Charts.

In the summer of 2006, Madonna signed on to become the worldwide face of H&M.<ref>Adweek. "H&M Signs Madonna". Retrieved November 27, 2006.</ref> Madonna took part in a photoshoot campaign shot by photographer, Rakin, with her Confessions Tour dancers modeling the clothes that fit their style. Madonna was shot wearing an exclusive tracksuit she helped to design that was sold at each of the clothing stores.<ref>The Sun, "Madonna H&M Photoshoot". Retrieved November 27, 2006.</ref>

Madonna's Confessions Tour kicked off in late May 2006, and the singer had to add additional dates to keep up with demand. The tour grossed a reported $194.8 million and set the record for the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist in history[3]. The previous top-grossing tour was Cher's "Living Proof Farewell Tour," though that tour was extended and renamed; if the added shows are included, Cher's total would remain higher. Madonna's tour also had a global audience of 1.2 million. However, it also sparked controversy when she used religious symbols such as the crucifix and crown of thorns in her performance of "Live to Tell". The tour ended its 60-date run on September 21, 2006, in Tokyo. Madonna won two Billboard Awards for her Confessions Tour, one for top boxscore, and one for her management.

In October 2006, Madonna flew to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which she also funded, as part of the Raising Malawi initiative. While there, began the process to adopt a baby boy, David.

On November 15, 2006, Madonna won the "World's Best Pop Artist" award at 2006 World Music Awards, beating the likes of Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Shakira and Justin Timberlake.

Madonna's official website has confirmed a DVD of "The Confessions Tour Live From London" special will be released on January 22, 2007 internationally and January 23, 2007 in the US. This is the same special that aired on NBC in November 2006. NBC made headlines when it censored the concert and refused to broadcast controversial footage of the pop star hanging from a crucifix during one of her songs. The show placed 78th in the latest Nielsen Media Research rankings, reports E! Online which draw only 4.6 million viewers.

[edit] Acting career

See also: List of Madonna films

Madonna's success in acting has been varied, but mostly heavily panned by critics. She was presented with a special Razzie award in the year 2000 as "Worst Actress of the Century"<ref>IMDb - Razzie Awards: 2000</ref>

In 1979, Madonna starred in A Certain Sacrifice, a low-budget film filmed long before she achieved widespread popularity as a successful recording artist. Its release in 1985 coincided in with the success of her second album Like a Virgin, and did not please Madonna who tried to prevent its release. A representative from Madonna offered to buy the rights of the film for $5,000, which director Stephen Jon Lewicki refused. That same year Madonna appeared in two separate films. She made a cameo as a club singer in the film Vision Quest and garnered commercial and critical success in her first starring role in Susan Seidelman's film, Desperately Seeking Susan, which told the story of a housewife who is fascinated with a woman she only knows about by reading messages to and from her in the personals section of a New York City tabloid. It was a commercial success and grossed $27 million in the United States alone.<ref>Box Office Mojo - Desperately Seeking Susan.</ref> She appeared as Gloria Tatlock in the adventure drama film Shanghai Surprise (1986) with her ex-husband Sean Penn. The film did nothing to further her acting career, was dismissed by moviegoers, and received poor reviews by critics, with many criticizing her acting, calling it wooden and unbelievable. Subsequent films such as Who's That Girl? (1987) and Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), based on short stories by Damon Runyon, failed to attract commercial and critical success.

Image:Evita Screencap1.jpg

In 1990, after a string of unsuccessful films, Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney in the action film Dick Tracy, directed by Warren Beatty based on the popular Chester Gould's comic strip. She sang three Stephen Sondheim songs and played opposite histrionic Al Pacino as well as Beatty. Although she received mostly positive reviews for her role, critics were quick to point out that her best-reviewed roles were ones where Madonna had played someone who is not unlike herself.

In 1991, Woody Allen offered her a small role in Shadows and Fog as a trapeze artist opposite John Malkovich. The film was shot in black and white and was an hommage to German Expressionist cinema, backed by the music of Kurt Weill. The following year, Penny Marshall cast her in A League of Their Own opposite Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O'Donnell. The film, which centered on a women's baseball team during World War II, earned Madonna good reviews from critics for her lightweight and comedic performance.

Following the backlash of her sexual provocative book Sex and its companion album Erotica, Madonna starred in the 1993 erotic-thriller Body of Evidence with Willem Dafoe. The film was overwhelmingly panned by critics and performed poorly at the box office. Later that year she starred in Dangerous Game opposite Harvey Keitel and James Russo. The film revealed her as a more than able actress and was very well received in France, where French newspaper Libération dubbed her the "fucked up Marilyn of the 90's". However, Dangerous Game was considered much too nihilistic and violent, and was released straight to home video in North America. In an attempt to improve her acting credentials, Madonna chose to take roles in independent films, first playing a singing telegram girl (again opposite Harvey Keitel) in Wayne Wang's Blue in the Face (1995) and as a witch in Four Rooms (1995). She also had a cameo as phone sex company owner in Spike Lee's film Girl 6 in 1996.

In 1996, Madonna starred as Eva Perón in the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita. The film marked the first time in America since her appearance in Desperately Seeking Susan that Madonna was critically praised for her acting skills in a starring role, even though some critics compared the film to a long music video, which required no further acting skills of Madonna than what she had already exhibited in her own videos^{[citation needed]}. Madonna had campaigned for the role for nearly ten years and, in December 1994, she wrote a four-page, handwritten letter to director Alan Parker explaining that she would be perfect to play the role. Parker agreed and to prepare for the film Madonna took voice lessons to extend her range and researched the life of her character.<ref>The Making of Evita, Alan Parker with an introduction by Madonna, Boxtree, 1997. ISBN 0-7522-2497-2. Paperback edition. Pp. 13-16.</ref> In January 1997, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, but failed to receive a nomination at the Academy Awards, though the song "You Must Love Me" won the Oscar for Best Song. Both "You Must love Me" and "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" were hit singles.

Madonna's follow-up to Evita was yet another critically panned role as Abbie, a woman who decides to have a baby with her gay best friend, in the film The Next Best Thing (2000) directed by John Schlesinger. Some critics however were kinder: French magazine Telerama pointed out that the script was much too weak, and neither she or the other two male leads, Rupert Everett and Benjamin Bratt could save the film or a director who's been running out of inspiration for some time already.^{[citation needed]}

Swept Away followed in 2002, which was also critically panned. The film, a remake of an Italian film bearing the same name by Lina Wertmüller in 1975, was the first big screen collaboration between Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie. The film was mercilessly dished (it received seven Razzie Award nominations, winning five including Worst Actress for Madonna) and has been considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

In 2002, Madonna made her London West End theatre debut in a version of Australian plawright David Williamsons play Up For Grabs<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1847229.stm</ref>. To accommodate her, the setting was relocated from Sydney to New York, with the object of desire a Jackson Pollock as opposed to a Brett Whiteley painting. Generally criticised for her lack of technical ability, a critic used in his review a line from the play: "If you think a big marketing budget will sell any old junk, you'd be wrong. It's got to be quality junk."<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/20/1021882024116.html</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,721366,00.html</ref><ref>http://www.onlinereviewlondon.com/reviews/grabs.html</ref>. Later that year Madonna had a short role in the James Bond film Die Another Day, and also sang the theme song. In the movie, Madonna played a fencing instructor at a British Academy.

After 2002's James Bond film "Die Another Day" theme song, in late 2004, she provided the voice of Princess Selenia in the animated film Arthur and the Invisibles, set for release in January 2007.<ref>IMDB. "Madonna Lends Her Voice to New Besson Movie," October 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2006.</ref>

In March 2006, Madonna stated in an interview that she had given up acting because she fears her acting reputation will condemn any film she is a part of.<ref>Yahoo! News UK. "Madonna quits acting," March 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2006.</ref> She has also expressed her frustration with the process of filmmaking, with the comment "I've been unlucky with some of my films because it's difficult for me to be a brushstroke in someone else's painting."<ref>Goddess, Inside Madonna by Barbara Victor, 2001, Cliff Street Books, ISBN 0-06-019930-X p 97. </ref>

[edit] Documentaries

In 1991, Madonna released her first documentary, Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside the U.S.). The film, directed by Alek Keshishian, followed Madonna on her Blond Ambition world tour in support of her successful 1989 album Like a Prayer. The film featured black and white backstage scenes and live performances filmed in color. Truth or Dare was released in theatres worldwide, and became a box office hit, grossing more than $15 million in the U.S. alone.<ref>IMDB. "Business Data for Madonna: Truth or Dare". Retrieved May 17, 2006.</ref> Despite of its success, however, one is allowed to question the characterization of this film as "documentary", since most of it obviously is staged and laboriously edited. However, the film does offer a few glimpses of honesty: in a surprisingly frank moment, then-boyfriend Warren Beatty jokes about Madonna's constant need to be in the spotlight, implying a certain amount of disingenuousness and vacuity on her part – and indeed, in the whole exercise of the film. A second scene also sees Madonna admit that ex-husband Sean Penn was the love of her life, a clip that Keshishian had to fight Madonna to include.

Her second documentary, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (2005), followed Madonna and her family on the Re-Invention World Tour in 2004. Directed by long-time collaborator Jonas Åkerlund, it premiered commercial free on MTV in the US on October 21, 2005. Like her previous effort, the film includes behind the scenes footage as well as live performances, and was released on DVD June 20, 2006 with a bonus audio CD.

Madonna is currently editing a documentary she worked on with her husband, Guy Ritchie. The film is based on the orphans and AIDS epidemic in Africa.

[edit] Short films

In 2001, Madonna starred in BMW's short film The Hire: Star from the series The Hire as part of a BMW marketing campaign. The short film, directed by husband Guy Ritchie, featured Madonna as an arrogant rock star. Madonna starred opposite Clive Owen, Michael Beattie, and Toru Tanaka Jr.

[edit] Books

Madonna has authored and co-authored a number of books, beginning in 1992 with Sex (ISBN 0-446-51732-1), which contained sexually explicit photographs of Madonna taken by noted photographer Steven Meisel. More recently, she has published several children's books, including The English Roses (ISBN 0-670-03678-1), Mr. Peabody's Apples (ISBN 0-670-05883-1), Lotsa de Casha (ISBN 0-670-05888-2), The Adventures of Abdi (ISBN 0-670-05889-0), Yakov and the Seven Thieves (ISBN 0-670-05887-4), and The English Roses Too Good To Be True (ISBN 0-670-06147-6).

[edit] Influences

Madonna's background as a Catholic has had great significance in her life and career. She has cited her parents and upbringing as the major influences in her life and career. Her mother's death profoundly affected her, and she later stated that, had her mother lived, she might not have felt such a strong need to prove herself. Madonna's father, Tony, is a strict Italian Catholic who raised his family in an atmosphere of religious observance.

The name "Madonna" is very Catholic as it references The Virgin Mary, who, in Italy and in the Roman Catholic Church, is often referred to as "The Madonna". Given Madonna's rebellion against Catholic-based ideals of womanhood, some have found it ironic that she shares the same name as the ultimate symbol of the Catholic ideal of womanhood. Early in her career, many assumed that "Madonna" was a stage name that the singer had chosen for shock value.

In her music career, Madonna's Catholic background and relationship with her parents has been most strongly reflected in her 1989 album Like a Prayer. In Like a Prayer, Madonna moved away from the dance pop of her previous albums and toward more personal and reflective lyrics, featured songs directly related to her parents and her Catholic upbringing. The video for the title track contained overt Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. "Promise to Try" told of her sadness at the faded memory of her mother and her struggle to recall her, while "Oh Father" told of a strict and distant father who elicited fear in the singer as a child and defiance as she grew older. The video for "Oh Father" depicts Madonna in a confessional and her father kneeling and praying before a picture of his dead wife. The album ends with the track "Act of Contrition", which contains verses from the Catholic prayer of the same name.

Madonna has used the Catholic symbol of the crucifix throughout her career: as a fashion accessory in her early videos, in the church setting of her "Like a Prayer" video, and in the stage design of her "Confessions" tour. The rosary has also often been used in Madonna's career. In the early 1980s, she wore it around her neck as part of her performance costume. Later, in the music video for the song La Isla Bonita Madonna portrays a character who is praying the rosary.

Madonna's Italian heritage has occasionally been referenced in her work. The video to her first number one single, "Like a Virgin," was filmed in Venice, Italy, and features Madonna in iconic Venetian settings. The "Open Your Heart" video ends with Madonna dancing into the sunset with a young boy, while her elderly boss chases after her, yelling at her in Italian. In the "Papa Don't Preach" video, often described as partly autobiographical in content, her father is played by Italian American actor Danny Aiello, and Madonna wears a shirt with the slogan, "Italians Do It Better".<ref>Italians do it better shirt (JPG file)</ref> The video for her Who's That Girl? Tour, titled Ciao Italia: Madonna Live from Italy, was filmed mainly in Turin, Italy.<ref>Madonna - Ciao from Italy (JPG file)</ref> (In the Ciao Italia: Madonna Live from Italy video, Madonna performs the song Papa Don't Preach while a large portrait of the Pope appears on the screen behind her. Coincidentally, "Papa" is the Italian word for "Pope".<ref>Italian language Wikipedia article about the Pope Retrieved June 1, 2006</ref>) In her 2005 documentary I'm Going To Tell You a Secret, she jokingly states that she has "big, fat, Italian thighs." In film, she achieved a rare good review for her portrayal of the Italian American character Mae Mordabato in A League of Their Own.<ref>Madonna Diary By Maurice Gravelle Retrieved June 1, 2006</ref>

While much of her career has seen rebellion against the Roman Catholic Church, Madonna had both of her children baptised in a Roman Catholic Church. As a result, Madonna has often offended many Catholics, including the head of the Catholic Church himself. In 1990, when Madonna toured Italy with the Blond Ambition Tour concert tour, the Pope encouraged citizens not to attend the concert,<ref>BBC: Madonna's giant cross 'offensive' 8th paragraph: "In 1990, the Pope called for a boycott of the Blond Ambition tour, in which Madonna simulated masturbation during Like A Virgin." Retrieved May 28, 2006</ref> and as a result, Madonna was forced to cancel two shows due to poor ticket sales. The Pope accused Madonna of blasphemy against the Catholic Church (a crime in Italy), and attempted to have Madonna banned from stepping foot on Italian soil. In response, in a 1990 press conference in Italy, Madonna declared, "I am Italian American and proud of it." In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Madonna said that the Pope's reaction hurt, "because I'm Italian, you know", but in another Rolling Stone interview the same year stated that she had ceased to practice Catholicism because the Church "completely frowns on sex... except for procreation".<ref>Rolling Stone, August 1991, "True Confessions: The Rolling Stone Interview With Madonna, Part One" by Carrie Fisher. </ref> In the summer of 2006, Madonna drew criticism from Vatican officials when she took her Confessions Tour to Rome. Vatican officials claimed that Madonna's performance while hanging off a cross while wearing a crown of thorns was an open attack on Catholicism and should not be performed in the same city as the pope's residence.<ref>Vatican accuses her of blasphemy and provocation Retrieved August 13, 2006</ref> In the documentary Italians in America - Our Contribution, author Gay Talese relates Madonna's rebellion against the Catholic Church to her Italian ancestry. Talese claims that Madonna's paternal ancestors come from a region of Southern Italy with a long tradition of rebellion against the Catholic Church.<ref>Italians in America - Our Contribution Retrieved June 1, 2006</ref>

In 1988, city officials in the town of Pacentro, Italy,<ref>Italian language Wikipedia article on Pacentro Retrieved June 1, 2006</ref> planned to construct a 13-foot statue of Madonna in a bustier. The statue was intended to commemorate the fact that some of Madonna's ancestors had lived in Pacentro. The mayor of the city and the Pope intervened and prevented the project from coming to fruition, citing concerns that a statue of Madonna in their city would corrupt the morals of their youth.

[edit] Musical influences

In 1985, Madonna commented that the first song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra and that it summed up her take-charge attitude.<ref> Time Magazine - May 27, 1985, Madonna interview, "Madonna, Why She's Hot", by Denise Worrell. </ref> As a young woman, she attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, and during this time became interested in classical music. She noted that her favorite style was baroque, and loved Chopin because she liked his "feminine quality". In an interview with the Observer on October 29 2006, Madonna professed a love for fellow Detroit natives The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, as well as New York band The Jett Set.

[edit] Film stars

During her childhood, Madonna became fascinated by films and film stars, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny...and I saw myself in them...my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence".<ref> Time Magazine - May 27, 1985, Madonna interview, "Madonna, Why She's Hot", by Denise Worrell. </ref> Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she later studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for the Who's That Girl? film. The video for "Express Yourself" placed a femme fatale character alongside an androgynous figure in male attire, which was compared to Marlene Dietrich. The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of Hollywood glamour photographers, in particular Horst P. Horst, and imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Rita Hayworth, while the lyrics referenced many of the stars who had inspired her.<ref>Goddess, Inside Madonna by Barbara and Victor, 2001, Cliff Street Books, ISBN 0-06-019930-X p 23. </ref> Among those mentioned was Bette Davis, described by Madonna in a Rolling Stone interview as an idol, along with Louise Brooks and Dita Parlo.<ref>Rolling Stone, August 1991, "True Confessions: The Rolling Stone Interview With Madonna, Part One" by Carrie Fisher. </ref>

[edit] Personal life

[edit] Relationships/Family

Throughout her career, Madonna's love life has garnered her almost as much (and sometimes more) attention as her music. In late 1970s and early 1980s, Madonna had a relationship with Dan Gilroy, who formed Breakfast Club with her. During the first half of the '80s, she also dated musician Stephen Bray, who later went on to co-produce notable songs such as "Into the Groove" and "Express Yourself", painter and graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, DJ and record producer Mark Kamins, and musician Jellybean Benitez, who produced the singer's debut album.

While filming the music video for "Material Girl" in 1985, Madonna began dating actor Sean Penn. The two were married later that year on Madonna's twenty-seventh birthday; the marriage ended four years later amidst allegations of abuse on Penn's part. Of her marriage to Penn, Madonna told Tatler, "I was completely obsessed with my career and not ready to be generous in any shape or form."<ref>femalefirst.co.uk Madonna: Guy makes me look good femalefirst.co.uk, Madonna interview. 18th May 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2006.</ref>

After the divorce from Penn was made official in 1989, Madonna began a relationship with Warren Beatty while working on the film Dick Tracy. In late 1990, she dated briefly Lenny Kravitz<ref>Kravitz the Biggest Heartbreaker mtve.com</ref> and Tony Ward,<ref name="usatoday">Crazy for Madonna's men usatoday, 2000 "Madonna and model Tony Ward briefly dated in 1990", "Vanilla Ice and Madonna were together for eight months in 1992."</ref> a young model and porn star who had previously starred in her music videos for "Cherish" (1989) and "Justify My Love" (1990). In 1992,<ref name="usatoday"/> Madonna had an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice,<ref name="usatoday"/> who appeared later in her erotic book Sex,<ref name="usatoday"/> and, from 1992-1994<ref name="uscourts">AMRAK PRODUCTIONS, INC.; JAMES ALBRIGHT United States Court of Appeals "From January to July 1992, Albright served as Madonna's bodyguard, during which time he became romantically involved with the artist and remained so until 1994."</ref> Madonna dated actor John Enos<ref>[4]</ref> and her bodyguard James Albright.<ref name="uscourts"/> In 1994, she briefly dated Dennis Rodman for four months.<ref>Madonna & Dennis Rodman usefultrivia.com</ref>

In September 1994, while walking in Central Park, Madonna met Cuban fitness trainer