Madonna
- Profession: Singer
- Place/Date of Birth: Michigan USA
- Associated with: Guy Ritchie
Meanwhile, the 47-year-old has unveiled yet another new look. The star - who is renowned for reinventing herself - was spotted at a New York party sporting the ’Farrah Fawcett’ look, with flicked curls tumbling over her shoulders. The new image coincides with the release of her latest single, ’Hung Up’, which is expected to top the charts.
Madonna to make a public apology - Oct 05
Madonna is to make a public apology to London Kabbalah followers after she "sinned" against the mystic Jewish faith on her forthcoming album.
The star, who will reportedly face "punishment from the heavens" for dedicating new song ’Isaac’ to a Kabbalist scholar. Rabbi Rafael Cohen - head of an Israeli seminary named after 16th century rabbi and scholar Yitzhak Luria - says to profit from his name is strictly forbidden.
He told Israel’s Maariv newspaper: "Jewish law forbids the use of the name of the holy rabbi for profit. Her act is just simply unacceptable and I can only sympathize for her because of the punishment she is going to receive from the heavens."
Rabbi Israel Deri is demanding Madonna - who converted to Kabbalah after being raised a Catholic - be expelled from the faith for desecrating the late scholar’s name. He said: "Such a woman brings great sin on Kabbalah.
"I hope that we will have the strength to prevent her from bringing sin upon the holiness of the rabbi Luria."
Madonna will face "punishment from the heavens" - Oct 05
Madonna will face "punishment from the heavens" for dedicating a song to a Kabbalist scholar, according to Jewish rabbis.
On forthcoming new album, ’Confessions on a Dance Floor’, the stunning singer has penned a track called ’Isaac’ about Yitzhak Luria, a 16th century Jewish mystic, rabbi and scholar.
News of the song has infuriated rabbis who claim the tribute is a shameless effort by Madonna to profit from Luria’s name - an act that is forbidden in the Jewish faith from which the Kabbalah originates from. Rabbi Rafael Cohen - head of a seminary named after Luria in the northern town of Safed, in Israel - has condemned the sexy star over her actions and insists she will face divine punishment for her sacrilegious behaviour.
Cohen told Israel’s Maariv newspaper: "Jewish law forbids the use of the name of the holy rabbi for profit. Her act is just simply unacceptable and I can only sympathize for her because of the punishment that she is going to receive from the heavens." Rabbi Israel Deri is demanding Madonna - who converted to the Kabbalah after being raised a Catholic - be thrown out of the mystical faith for desecrating the late scholar’s name. He said: "Such a woman brings great sin on Kabbalah."I hope that we will have the strength to prevent her from bringing sin upon the holiness of the rabbi Luria."
Madonna’s car parking fines - Sept 29, 2020
Madonna has racked up a staggering ?2,500 in car parking fines - because she makes her driver park illegally while she’s in the gym. The pop diva is chauffeured to her plush London fitness centre twice a week, and allegedly makes her driver wait on a single yellow line while she works out.
Traffic wardens first noticed the singer’s car waiting for her in august last year - and since then they have caught the driver parked outside more than 50 times. He reportedly told wardens he wasn’t able to move on, but would keep the star’s car - which varies between a BMW, a Mercedes and an Audi - moving backwards and forwards at all times so he isn’t technically parked.
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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)
December 2007