Madonna

Madonna

Madonna

  • Profession: Singer
  • Place/Date of Birth: Michigan USA
  • Associated with: Guy Ritchie

And she quashed reports that she had taken advice on her adoption bid from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who has two adopted children from Cambodia and Ethiopia.

Father manipulated by media - Madonna - Oct 26 2006

Madonna does not believe claims the father of her adopted African son did not understand what he was doing when he agreed to give her the little boy, she said in an TV interview being aired today.

The star told US chat show host Oprah Winfrey the media had manipulated Yohane Banda into saying he thought she was only looking after his 13-month-old son David temporarily.

Mr Banda, who gave the youngster to an orphanage at five weeks because he was unable to care for him when the baby’s mother died shortly after his birth, has said he never understood that his child was being taken "for good".

But Madonna said in the interview, details of which were released on Oprah’s website: "I do not believe that is true. I sat in that room, I looked into that man’s eyes.

"I believe that the press is manipulating this information out of him."

Madonna also revealed how unwell David was with pneumonia when she first met him at the orphanage in Malawi. He had already survived malaria and tuberculosis.

"When I met him, he was extremely ill," the singer said by satellite link from London.

"I was in a state of panic, because I didn’t want to leave him in the orphanage because I knew they didn’t have medication to take care of him.

"He’s still a little bit ill, not completely free of his pneumonia, but he’s much better than he was when we found him."

Madonna defends adoption on Oprah show - Oct 25 2006

Madonna will speak publicly about her adoption controversy for the first time today during a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The pop superstar will defend her decision to take 13-month-old David Banda from Malawi to become part of her family.

She will explain her decision to adopt him - and answer claims from David’s father, peasant farmer Yohane Banda, who said he never meant to give the little boy up for good.

The pre-recorded interview with Oprah will be broadcast this afternoon in the US.

Madonna has been stung by criticism that she has bypassed Malawi law to "buy" a baby by offering 2 million dollars (£1.1m) to help orphans in the impoverished African country.

The adoption saga took a new twist when David’s father said he only agreed to let Madonna take the little boy on the assurance from government officials that Madonna would be a temporary carer.

Mr Banda, 32, said: "I cannot read and write so I relied on what the (government) officials told me, that the papers said Madonna would look after the child the way the orphanage planned to educate him and then he comes back to me.

"Had they told us that Madonna wanted to adopt my son and make him her own son, we would not have agreed to that."

An audience member on Oprah said Madonna had talked of her surprise at the news that Mr Banda did not realise he was signing away his son permanently.

Madge’s baby clothes mystery - Oct 23 2006

Madonna’s decision to add a baby boy to her brood has raised more than a few eyebrows - but does the material mom have a baby girl on her mind too?

TMZ.com reports that one of Madonna’s assistants called the high end baby boutique Petit Tresor in Los Angeles on Friday and ordered over $7,200 worth of baby clothes - for a boy and a girl.

The order is alleged to have included romper suits, pyjamas and cashmere cardigans for a 12-month-old boy, as well as girly sweater sets, pink shoes with cherries on them, and a pink linen dress.

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Biography

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Michigan USA in 1958., the third of eight children. During her school years she was a cheerleader, excelled in dance and drama classes which gave her the love of performing that she is famous for. Moving to New York in 1977 to pursue her dream, (with a rumoured $35 dollars to her name) Madonna worked as a model and studied dance under notorious choreographer Alvin Ailey. Two years later she formed a band, The Breakfast Club and met boyfriend Steve Bray who recognised her talents immediately and helped her to create the solo dance tracks which saw her signed by Sire Records, releasing her first single, Everybody, with DJ Mark Kamins, in 1982.

The following year Madonna broke away from Kamins and recorded Holiday which went straight in to the American top 20 and was a hit across Europe. She cemented her raunchy image with Like A Virgin, her first US number one, and Material Girl with it’s iconic video. By this time Madonna was becoming one of the most emulated and best loved artists in the world and she became even more popular thanks to her part in Live Aid and a high profile marriage to Sean Penn.

The pop diva followed up her success with several singles from the True Blue album and turned her hand to acting for the first time in the poorly received A Certain Sacrifice and of course, Desperately Seeking Susan. Her first real flop was alongside her husband in the laughable Shanghai Surprise. Her failure’s in the film department didn’t stop David Mamet from casting her in a Broadway production of Speed the Plow - by this time talent or no, Madonna’s was name that guaranteed attention.

1989 saw the singer court controversy with the video for Like A Prayer, featuring a black Jesus, which outraged and shocked the Catholic church and caused Pepsi to cancel a sponsorship deal. But far from ruining her career, this stunt saw her become the icon that we know today. The 1990s were the pinnacle of Madonna’s success, her divorce from Sean Penn pushing her further in to the lime light, beginning with a part in Dick Tracy opposite Warren Beatty and a fantastic soundtrack album alongside featuring hit song Vogue. Documentary film Truth or Dare and her Blonde Ambition tour (with that pointy bra) followed with further controversy.

In 1992 she signed a multi million pound deal with Time Warner guaranteeing the release of music, films and books through her own record label, Maverick. She made the most of the deal with picture book Sex, which caused another controversy but rocketed up the bestsellers charts nonetheless. Erotica was her first album for years though not to generate a US number one. People thought that perhaps Madonna had gone too far with her need to shock, and perhaps she had realised it too as her next album was far mellower and a part in Evita in 1996 made her bankable again.

Later that year she fell pregnant with Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, daughter of her personal trainer. But far from slowing her work, having a child only seemed to spur Madonna on, she released the runaway success, Ray of Light which produced hit after hit and recorded Beautiful Stranger for the second Austin Powers movie. she also starred alongside Rupert Everett in romantic comedy The Next Best Thing.

It was around this time that Madonna met British director Guy Ritchie - the man who would change her life. They had son Rocco in 2000 and they married in 2002 after Madonna moved permanently to England, took to wearing flat caps and drinking tea. The title track of her album Music gave her a transatlantic number one hit. Collaborations with Ritchie, especially their film Swept Away, have generally been unsuccessful but Madonna’s music career continues to go from strength to strength, her latest album American Life has been a worldwide hit and she has even found time to pen a children’s book, The English Roses. Now, an honorary Brit and devout follower of Kaballah, Madonna lives with her family in Marylebone and Wiltshire. She also owns a ?4 million Spanish-style villa in Beverly Hills, a house in Miami and a duplex overlooking Central Park in New York.
(Updated April 04)

November 2007

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