Enjoy the full concert!
Madonna Information & Fan Community
Madonna Information & Fan Community
Enjoy the full concert!
More than 4,800 children to be enrolled next year in partnership with buildOn.
(NEW YORK, December 27, 2012) — As part of Madonna’s ongoing commitment to support orphans and vulnerable children in poverty stricken Malawi, ten primary schools have been completed that will serve to educate 4,871 children. These schools are located in rural villages across Malawi and are a result of the partnership between Madonna, her charity Raising Malawi and the global nonprofit buildOn. The ten schools, which were scheduled to be built over 18 months, have been completed six months ahead of schedule. Six of the schools are already in use and all ten will be up and running in January 2013 for the first day of school in the New Year.
The project was originally announced early this year as a major initiative of Raising Malawi, which has already provided millions of dollars in support of orphanages, a network of orphan care service providers, health clinics, a scholarship program for girls, and the schools with buildOn.
The location for each school was chosen from a list of communities in need of new infrastructure. The Ministry of Education Office in the Kasungu District was an important partner, providing both the teachers and curriculum after each school was completed.
“I am overjoyed that my commitment along with buildOn’s to help educate the children of Malawi has come to fruition. In a country where girls have little opportunity for education, it’s additionally inspiring to know that more than half the students attending will be young girls. The fact that more than 4,800 children in Malawi will get to go to school next year is a tremendous step forward for their individual growth and the growth of Malawi,” commented Madonna.
Consistently ranked among the world’s 20 least developed countries on the UN’s Human Development Index, Malawi has long been challenged by economic stagnation and a lack of access to education. With support from Madonna and Raising Malawi, buildOn was able double the reach of its school construction program within a year.
“Madonna’s commitment to the children of Malawi is inspiring,” said Jim Ziolkowski, founder and CEO of buildOn. “Through Raising Malawi’s support we were able to build 10 schools that will educate literally generations of children who need it the most.”
Happy Holidays to all of you!
BEST: Madonna
Style icon and fashion chameleon Madonna has reinvented herself yet again this year for her “MDNA” world tour. The iconic singer resurrected her 1980s style and blended it with a modern charm that resulted in a look so chic it has landed her on our best dressed of 2012 list. Her Cleopatra-inspired look at the NFL Super Bowl XLVI game halftime show was especially stellar — designed by Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, the glittering gold and regal couture costume confirmed her Madgesty as the reigning Queen of Pop and a timeless fashion icon.
Madonna threatened to cancel a gig in Chile after she spotted fans smoking at the venue – scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to watch her rant.
The singer, who was scheduled to perform at an open-air theatre in Santiago, admonished crowd members after she witnessed them lighting up and accused them of treating her “like a stupid fucking idiot”.
In the video clip, which was obtained by TMZ, she says: “There are people smoking right now. No smoking! If you’re going to smoke cigarettes, I’m not doing a show.” As the fans reportedly continued to smoke regardless, she added: “You don’t care about me? I don’t care about you. All right? Are we going to play that game? I’m not kidding. I can’t sing if you smoke… Entiendes?”
She then added: You’re looking right at me and smoking cigarettes, like I’m a stupid fucking idiot.
Her rant is just one of a number of controversial incidents to take place on her ‘MDNA’ tour. Other standout moments include her being booed by disgruntled French fans for delivering a short set, brandishing a gun onstage in Denver shortly after the Colorado shootings in July of this year, and angering Russian fans by handing out pink anti-homophobia wristbands – a stunt that saw charges brought against her in a Russian court, although they were later dismissed.
More recently, meanwhile, she also expressed her support for the victims of Superstorm Sandy last month (November 11) by baring her bum onstage and telling the crowd: “Get over my naked ass and give me some money”.
Despite the controversies, however, Madonna’s ‘MDNA’ tour was recently revealed as the highest-grossing tour of 2012, with the singer making an estimated $228 million (£141 million) through live shows in the past 12 months. She made more revenue from performing live than the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Lady Gaga.
One year after pop divas like Britney Spears, Adele and Lady Gaga ruled the 2011 Billboard.com Readers’ Poll, Madonna dominated the competition in the 2012 edition of our year-end fan forum. Once Billboard.com readers weighed in on their favorite artists, songs and albums over the past 12 months, Madonna emerged as the 2012 MVP, and came out on top in four other categories.
Best Of 2012: Year In Music Main | Top 25 Tours of 2012: Madonna Reigns
Check out all of the results below, including the percentage of the votes that each candidate received in each category, and give us your feedback in the comments section.
Madonna’s achievements included earning the most votes for favorite Billboard 200 No. 1 album with her chart-topping “MDNA”; winning the Best Tour crown for her MDNA trek, which grossed more money than any other run this year, according to Billboard Boxscore; nabbing favorite TV performance for her Super Bowl halftime show extravaganza last February; and even winning most memorable feud for her war of words with Lady Gaga. For that incredible year, Madonna was handed the MVP crown from last year’s winner, Britney Spears; in doing so, she topped Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj, who came in second, third and fourth in voting, respectively.
More congratulations are in order for Adele, who won the Favorite Hot 100 No. 1 trophy last year with “Rolling in the Deep” and repeats this year with “Set Fire to the Rain,” topping singles by Gotye, Rihanna and Carly Rae Jepsen. Meanwhile, Lana Del Rey earned a surprising win in the Best Newcomer category despite stiff competition from fun. and One Direction, the latter of whom was named Best Newcomer in our 2012 Mid-Year Awards poll.
Other noteworthy winners included PSY, who earned Best Music Video for his record-setting YouTube clip “Gangnam Style”; No Doubt, who absolutely owned the Best Comeback poll; Rihanna, who edged out Beyonce for the Best Fashion title; and Lady Gaga, whose next album is the most anticipated release of 2013, according to readers.
Best Of 2012: Year In Music Main | Top 25 Tours of 2012: Madonna Reigns
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It’s hard to believe that this song was never officially released as a single at least in the US – it’s the biggest hit that never really was a hit! This is one of her enduring classics and is beloved by both rabid and casual fans alike. Many name it as a top 10 favorite still and it is over 25 years old! Madonna has said that it was written very quickly – like in 15 minutes- as she wanted to hurry up and get it done (I think to meet a boy she was admiring)- did she know then how big it would become? It has been said that songs that come the easiest often end up getting the biggest reaction. This song is certainly a testament to that theory. Lyrically, it explores her love of dance and the artistic freedom and abandon it provides. One of the simplest but greatest lines of this song is “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free” – how often has music and dancing made you feel this same way. I just love it, from the synth chimes to the sexy “Now I know you’re mine” bridge, to the piano break used in the You Can Dance remix and the WTG Tour performance. This song will never get old and I don’t think we will tire of hearing it in any of its incarnations. A pop dance classic in every sense of the phrase.
What do you think of this song?
Billboard’s highest grossing tours of 2012:
1. Madonna ($228 million) 
2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ($199 million)
3. Roger Waters ($186 million)
4. Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil ($147 million)
5. Coldplay ($147 million)
6. Lady Gaga ($124 million)
7. Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw ($96 million)
8. Van Halen ($54 million)
9. Jay-Z & Kanye West ($46 million)
10. Andre Rieu ($46 million)
11. Dave Matthews Band ($41 million)
12. Barbra Streisand ($40 million)
13. Jason Aldean ($39 million)
14. Lady Antebellum ($38 million)
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers ($33 million)
16. Brad Paisley ($33 million)
17. Nickelback ($33 million)
18. Trans-Siberian Orchestra ($33 million)
19. Elton John ($32 million)
20. Justin Bieber ($30 million)
21. Rod Stewart ($30 million)
22. Neil Diamond ($29 million)
23. Pearl Jam ($27 million)
24. Taylor Swift ($26 million)
25. Rascal Flatts ($26 million)
Source: Billboard 
