Absolute Madonna

Department store Macy’s Inc. said a key revenue measure rose in August as back-to-school shoppers flocked to its stores.

Revenue from locations open at least a year rose 4.3 percent during the month. That’s better than the 4 percent gain anticipated by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Revenue from locations open at least a year is a key indicator of a retailer’s health because it excludes stores that open or close during the year.

Total revenue for the month rose 6.2 percent to $1.64 billion, up from $1.54 billion, a year earlier.

Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren said back-to-school business has been strong, thanks in part to robust sales of Madonna’s new clothing line, Material Girl and its private brand, American Rag.

“We are particularly encouraged by the response from our customers to new fall fashion,” he said in a statement.

Based in Cincinnati, Macy’s owns 850 department stores across the U.S. under the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s brands.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9HVPCSO0.htm

She’s already followed in her mother’s footsteps with religion, fashion and music – now Madonna’s daughter Lourdes is following her onto the big screen too.

The 13-year-old – billed as Lola Leon in the film credits – was spotted on the set of her mother’s movie W.E. wearing a school uniform ready for her movie debut.

It’s not known yet exactly what part she’s playing and how big her role will be.

Before she changed into her costume, Lourdes – known as Lola – had joined her mother on the shoot with brothers Rocco and David to see what progress was being made yesterday.

Madonna was shooting in Mayfair yesterday outside hotel Claridges, as well as outside a makeshift Downing Street located in Aldwych.

W.E., her second film as a director, tells the story of Edward VIII’s relationship with Wallis Simpson.

The £18million film, currently being shot in Britain and France and due for release next year, intersperses Edward’s affair with the American divorcee with a love story set in 1998.

The criticism must have stung, as now it’s being reported that the star is now taking too long to shoot scenes.

A source revealed the erstwhile singer took three hours to shoot a 10 second bath scene due to overanalysing small details.

Madonna – who is reportedly financing the picture herself — has been saving cash by bringing her own furniture from her house in New York — to use on the set, according to New York Post gossip column Page Six.

In June, Madonna acknowledged the project’s high cost to Interview magazine.

‘Once I started casting and planning and working with my production designer, I went, “Oh, [bleep], I wrote a script about a bunch of rich people”. That’s going to be great for the budget.’

Lourdes meanwhile has already launched her own Material Girl range of fashion and even dressed as her mother while singing along in her video for single Celebration.

The teenager even appeared on stage at the 2003 MTV Awards, when Madonna had her notorious onstage kiss with Britney Spears and has been regularly seen attending Kabbalah meetings.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1307973/Madonnas-daughter-Lourdes-starring-schoolgirl-mothers-new-film-W-E.html#ixzz0yLIfHewU

Madonna on the set of W.E. in London (August 31 2010)

Madonna on the streets of London during filming.  

Madonna is so hands-on with the production of “W.E.” she’s delivering her own furniture to the set. Madge is directing the film, which tracks a young, married New Yorker (Abbie Cornish) who’s obsessed with the story of King Edward VIII’s abdication. “W.E.” started shooting in London in July, and sources said Madonna — who is reportedly financing the picture herself — saved cash by bringing her own furniture from her house across the pond to use on the set. Her rep wouldn’t confirm the furniture move but said she was involved in “all aspects” of the movie. In June, Madonna acknowledged its high cost to Interview: “Once I started casting and planning and working with my production designer, I went, “Oh, [bleep], I wrote a script about a bunch of rich people. That’s going to be great for the budget.” Filming has now moved to New York, particularly around Sotheby’s, where Cornish’s character works.

Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/material_girl_furnishes_movie_SMZ0OTmY50VX8fNl5evSUK

Today from the Seattlepi.com archives, we share articles from April 1985 telling a little-known fact: Madonna started her debut concert tour at Seattle’s Paramount Theater.

Before the April 10 debut, Madonna had played New York clubs and performced with Prince in Los Angeles. But that first performance on a Wednesday night in Seattle was the start of her major concert dates.

Madonna played three shows in Seattle, April 10, 12 and 13. The Beastie Boys were her opening act, but had each song followed by boos. Their 30-minute set got off to a bad start when one declared himself King of the Paramount, and generally made the pro-Madonna audience feel like a swarm of hillbillies, P-I pop music critic Gene Stout wrote in his review.

The Beastie Boys’ performance was more than a year before “License To Ill” was released.

Some fans waited by the Paramount back entrance to greet Madonna, who arrived in a black limousine.

“Dressed in what looked like a Boy George outfit, she looked reluctant, almost scared, and kept her eyes on the ground as she and her small entourage swept past a modest gathering of fans,” Stout wrote.

Madonna started the show with “Dress You Up,” followed with “Holiday,” and ended with “Material Girl,” according to a Wikipedia page about the tour.

Click here to see the 1985 article: http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/library/1985_madonna__clip_-_300_dpi.pdf

Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/219618.asp?from=blog_last3

*** Photo from the personal collection of Scrapple. And a HUGE Thank You to Scrappy.

Don’t get your hopes up. The Lady Gaga rumors never stop and now Gaga fans can add Madonna tour innuendo to the growing list of Lady Gaga headlines. The latest unconfirmed story surrounding Lady Gaga had it that Madonna desperately wants to tour with Lady Gaga in 2011. “Totally not true,” a Rep from Madonna told the website, Gossip Cop.

We take unconfirmed reports with a grain of salt, especially from News of the World, but the story does have fantasy potential at the very least …

The Lady Gaga story had it that an anonymous source revealed that “Madonna is absolutely obsessed with Gaga… and desperately wants to work with her.” Pushing things even more, the source without a name went on to say, ”Basically Gaga can name her price,” to join Madonna on tour.

Well, anyone can make up a story like that when they won’t put their name on it. After Gossip Cop checked the information, a Madonna representative revealed “totally not true.”

Source: http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/108078/lady_gaga_madonna_tour_news.php

 ***This photo is from Amazing Guy’s personal collection. And a HUGE ‘Thank You’ to AG.

For her work in the Glee episode titled “The Power of Madonna,” Jane Lynch won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-national/2010-emmys-a-really-big-night-for-jane-lynche-of-glee-photos-and-video

there is no truth to a new tour.. or opening artists.. will keep you posted..

6:50 PM Aug 28th via web

Guy Oseary

Source: http://twitter.com/guyoseary