It’s a busy week at the top of the The Billboard 200, with Madonna’s “Hard Candy” leading the action at No. 1. It is her seventh chart-topper, the second-most among all female artists — only Barbra Streisand, with eight, has more. The Warner Bros. set moved 280,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. After racing 68-3 last month, the Madonna’s single “4 Minutes” gave her her 37th top 10 hit — the most of any artist in the rock era. Until now, she and Elvis Presley were tied with 36 apiece.

As a consequence, Mariah Carey’s “E=MC2″ (Island Def Jam) is dethroned to No. 2 after two weeks on top.

Source: billboard

Promotional life-size cardboard cut-outs of Madonna have sparked a thieving spree across Hong Kong by fans of the star, according to reports.

The 1.6 metre-high two dimensional replicas of the singer advertising her 11th studio album ‘Hard Candy’, which was released last week, have gone missing from record stores in the country.

Ten of the 30 displays in Hong Kong have been stolen over the past week, but Madonna’s record company Warner insists it will not raise the matter with local police.

Kevin Wong, vice president of Warner Music Asia says: “We have had people ripping off posters before, but stealing cut-outs certainly takes some guts.”

Source: iol

Madonna topped both the British singles and album charts out Sunday, the fourth time in her career she has stood atop both lists.

“Four Minutes”, has now topped the singles charts for three weeks running. It was joined this week by “Hard Candy”.

Madonna has had 13 British chart-topping singles: nearly double that of her nearest rival among female solo artists, Kylie Minogue, who has seven.

In the singles charts, Madonna was followed by Sam Sparro’s “Black And Gold” at number two, and Wiley’s “Wearing My Rolex” at number three.

Source: afp

Madonna is set to stage a massive one-off concert in Scotland.

She has reportedly been in secret talks to perform at Hampden Park this summer in front of 50,000 fans.

It will be her first gig in Scotland and is almost certain to sell out within hours.

It will be part of a string of worldwide gigs to promote Hard Candy.

Last night, a music insider said: “Madonna is aiming to play at Hampden and it is going to be an amazing show.

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Madonna’s career may span more than 25 years, but during an exclusive performance on Wednesday to celebrate the release of her 11th studio album the U.S. superstar told fans it still feels “like the first time.”

The athletic 49-year-old performed six songs for around 2,000 people at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom, including four from “Hard Candy,” her final album for long-term label Warner Bros. released internationally this week.

“Even though I have made what seems like 100 records, every time I put one out it’s like the first time and the best time,” said Madonna, dressed in knee-high black boots, black satin sweatpants with glittery side stripes and a corset.

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Madonna fans in the UK and 13 other countries will be able to watch her perform live in in New York - on their mobile phone.

Streamed live from the Roseland Ballroom, exclusively outside the US to Vodafone customers, the concert celebrates the release of the pop queen’s new album, Hard Candy.

Wednesday’s performance will be the first time Madonna plays live songs from her new album.

Vodafone customers in Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain and the UK will have access to the show via their mobile phones on Vodafone live! and streamed via their PCs at www.vodafone.com/music.

They will also be able to interact with other online show-goers and select camera angles to move around the stage to get the best view.

“Offering millions of fans around the world live, interactive access to a unique, intimate Madonna show is a powerful way to showcase a new album,” said John Reid of Warner Music Europe.

Madonna’s latest hit, 4 Minutes, featuring Justin Timberlake, stayed at the top spot in The Official UK Charts Company’s singles chart this week.

Source: UKPress

Madonna would never trade the pressures of fame for a life outside superstardom’s harsh limelight - because she loves being a celebrity.

The pop superstar appeared on U.S. TV’s ‘The Today Show’ on Friday to discuss her film ‘I Am Because We Are’, a documentary following the struggles of children orphaned by AIDS in Malawi - the birthplace of the star’s adopted son David Banda.

When asked if she hoped she would one day fade out of the limelight, the Holiday hitmaker told host Ann Curry: “Yeah I have moments of it. But I don’t want to wish that I’m not me. I don’t wish I was someone else.”
She added, “My reinventions are part of my evolution and my growth as a person. There are aspects of it that are frivolous and aspects of it that are real”.

But she hopes “that my soul reached its full potential and that I did everything that I was put on this earth to do”.

‘I Am Because We Are’ premiered at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday

Source: iol

Madonna looked earthy and pretty at last night’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere of the documentary she produced on Malawi, I Am Because We Are. She was joined by her longtime friend Rosie O’Donnell, but as usual these days there was no Guy by her side. After her big night, Madonna has only a few short days until the highly anticipated release of Hard Candy on Tuesday (can’t wait!). If you’re as antsy as we are to hear the whole thing, you can check it out all weekend on her MySpace page. Between these two projects it’s quite the week for the queen of pop - not that anything could wear Madonna out.

Source: Popsugar

Madonna wrote and produced a documentary about orphans in Malawi, entitled “I Am Because We Are,” which is one of the favorites at Tribeca Film Festival.

The title refers to a word describing an African worldview – ubuntu – which translates “I am because you are” and symbolizes the fact that individuals need other people to be fulfilled and they need to be around others to enjoy being themselves. The phrase comes from the Bantu languages spoken in southern Africa and it refers to a Zulu concept, “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,” which means that a person is only a person through their relationship to others.

Madonna made the discovery when she went to Malawi, the place where her adopted son was born. She tries to show the beautiful part of the African tradition, but also the negative events which happen in a world almost forgotten.

Source: enews