Madonna | featured news

Looks like Lady Gaga is tearing another page out of the Madonna platinum-blond, pop-superstar playbook.

Celebrities have long dabbled in design, but with the growth of TV shows and websites that follow everything celebrities say, wear and do, interest in their clothing lines has risen in recent years. North America revenue from celebrity clothing lines, excluding merchandise linked to athletes, rose 6 percent last year to an historic peak of $7.58 billion in 2011, according to the latest figures available by The Licensing Letter, an industry trade.

Madonna brought Psy onstage during her show last night at Madison Square Garden and then demonstrated that she too can do the “Gangnam Style” pony move. And with that, the “Gangnam Style” craze officially reached its apex and trotted away into the good night with Madonna’s “Lucky Star” phase by its side.

A ritual, a blood bath, slacklining, a partial striptease, drummers in midair, traditional Basque harmonies, a psychedelic train ride — they’re all part of Madonna’s “MDNA” tour, which started its North American itinerary with an arena concert here at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. It comes to Yankee Stadium next Thursday and Sept. 8.

Some Russian activists have sued Madonna for millions of dollars, claiming they were offended by her support for gay rights during a recent concert in St. Petersburg.

Gun-wielding, nipple-baring, swastika-flashing Madonna has a new person to add to her list of detractors. Or rather, an old one: Elton John... During an interview with Australian TV show "Sunday Night," John bristled at the mere mention of Madonna's name, saying, "She's such a nightmare. Her career's over."

France's far right National Front will sue Madonna after she screened footage of party leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika superimposed on her face at a concert in Paris.

Madonna‘s MDNA album debuts at number 1 on the British charts, but it’s a soft landing. According to Billboard, MDNA had sales of 56,000– very low for a number 1 album debut. In contrast, Bruce Springsteen‘s Wrecking Ball hit number 1 two weeks ago with 74,000 copies. Here in the US, Billboard is reporting–just as I did last week–that Lionel Richie is ahead of Madonna in the race for number 1. Those final numbers won’t be in until late Tuesday. But Richie is substantially ahead of Madonna on ITunes and amazon.com, the two chief sellers of music at this point.

This time, the problem with the Super Bowl halftime show was a flip, not a slip. NBC and the NFL have apologized for an obscene gesture and expletive by M.I.A. near the end of the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show starring Madonna.

Clear Channel is giving Madonna all its luvin'. The radio giant announced plans Friday to premiere the 53-year-old pop star's new single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and its music video across Clear Channel radio stations, electronic billboards and online venues. Clear Channel, which owns 850 stations nationwide, estimated the promotional campaign would reach more than 150 million people around the world.