Australian actor Hugh Jackman has come out in support of pop queen Madonna after her bid to adopt an African girl failed.

The 40-year-old star, who himself has two adopted kids Oscar, eight, and three-year-old Ava, said he is sickened by cynics who favoured an African judges decision to reject Madges bid to adopt four-year-old baby girl Mercy James earlier this month.

“I challenge anyone who thinks you adopt a kid for a publicity stunt,” the Sun quoted Jackman as saying.
“Anyone parent knows that would have to be the most intensive publicity stunt in the world. I am sure she is coming from a good place,” he added.

The X-men star admits that he can understand the Material Girls desire to adopt as he and wife Deborra-Lees wish to adopt a child from Asia or Africa was crushed under stringent Aussie rules.
The adoption laws in Australia are too restrictive. Of course, checks need to be made. But they had a very negative approach, Jackman said.

It was like they were trying to discourage you.

There are 130million orphans in the world who is looking after them? If you are a citizen of the world, on some level they are all our responsibility.

And if you have got parents who want to adopt and there are children who need a home, it seems like a no-brainer. There are not that many children in Australia who need adopting, so we looked internationally and that is what is difficult, he added.

Jackman and wife Deborra-Lee kids adopted their kids from America.

Source: ANI

The new photoshoot for Louis Vuitton is taking place today! The news was reported by manager Guy Oseary on his Twitter site.

Madonna will be the face of Louis Vuitton Autumn / Winter 2009 collection. It is also said that the cover art of up-coming greatest hits collection will be shot during this shoot. Photographer is once again amazing fashion photographer and Madonna’s close friend, Steven Meisel.

Madonna is said to be taking Flamenco dance lessons as part of the rehearsals for the 2009 leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour…

Source: Madonna.com

* please keep in mind that this info was posted on a part of the official Madonna's site that is dedicated to speculations, rumours, but also true facts

Madonna will once again be the face of the upcoming Louis Vuitton campaign for their Autumn/Winter 2009 collection.
Following the extraordinary success of the Spring/Summer 2009 ad campaign, Louis Vuitton, its creative director Marc Jacobs, and Madonna, are proud to announce they will be collaborating for a second consecutive season.
The iconic pop star will be photographed by Steven Meisel in New York City, under the art direction of Marc Jacobs.
The first images of the campaign should appear in August issues of fashion magazines.

Source: Madonna.com

Adam&Co. is an award winning creative studio located in Boston, specialized in branding, packaging and brand identities. Their recent work captured the eye of Rachel Dunagan at thedieline.com website, who posted a blog entry about the work Adam&Co submitted when they were asked to present concepts for Madonna's forthcoming Greatest Hits compilation, due out September, a project they simply name as "Hits".

"The project evolved in a different direction but we thought this packaging deserved to see the light of day in some form or fashion!", the die line writes. Check this cool post and Adam&Co's fascinating work by clicking the screen cap below.

  

Source: The Dieline

With earnings of $110 million in 2008, Madonna topped Forbes’ list of Hollywood’s hardest working mothers, followed by actresses Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The pop singer and mother of three, who was recently turned down in her bid to adopt a second child from Malawi, grossed $105 million on her tour and sold nearly a million albums in the United States. Madonna also signed several lucrative endorsement deals last year, according to Forbes.com.

“She had an incredible year in 2008,” said Lauren Streib who helped to compile the list that was released on Friday.

“She had the top tour of any musician…The tour sold out around the world. So it wasn’t surprising as much as it is a commentary on how successful her year was,” she said.

Source: Reuters

Madonna is back in the studio today with producer Paul Oakenfold and she has something to say about it via Guy Oseary's Twitter page:

"Paul Oakenfold is running around the studio naked.. because I won't put the air on.. it's hot in here.. but the music is hotter!!!! M."

Paul himself replied to a fan and told him to "come early to the show and let's start the party early..."
"Really looking forward to seeing yall... and I take requests" Oakenfold also wrote.

And then Guy looked quite pleased by their working session and said "Finally listening to the track!!!.. been waiting and waiting for the right mix.. another great DANCE track.."

“Had a good day with Madonna in the studio yesterday. She worked on an amazing dance track with Paul Oakenfold producing - no title yet but will keep you posted. She also started a second one, so we are hoping to have two tracks done this week.
Next week she is working with another producer on one more track. Two of these tracks from these sessions will be on the Greatest Hits album.
I will try and get her to go on Twitter this week....wish me luck.”

Source: Guy Oseary, Madonna.com

Guy Oseary goes live on Twitter again tonight and lets friends and followers know that he is back in the studio with Madonna.
"I was hoping to get Madonna to tweet from the studio" - Guy also wrote - "but she's been busy writing lyrics."
Earlier yesterday (or today, US time) Guy posted an update at Icon talking about the recording sessions currently going on, mentioning the name of the producer of what he calls "an amazing dance track", more tracks in the making, and asking Iconer to wish him luck as he was going to try to get M on Twitter this week.

Source: Madonna Tribe

 

Today is the sixth anniversary of the release of Madonna’s ninth studio album – American Life. The album might not be one of her better selling albums, but for many fans it is the most personal and all in all a favourite M’s studio release. The album provided seven top-ten hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

Singles: Die Another Day, American Life, Hollywood, Nothing Fails and Love Profusion.
Promotional singles: Nobody Knows Me, Mother and Father.

According to Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary, the Queen of Pop is back in the studio, working on her forthcoming hits collection.

Gus has posted a message on his Twitter site, saying: "in the studio with Madonna right now... music sounds goooooood...".

Later he also explained that she is working on a new track for the greatest hits collection and that the sound of the track is dance.

The Malawi Supreme Court will next month hear an appeal by US pop diva Madonna over the star's failed bid to adopt a second child, a court official said on Monday.
High court registrar Joseph Chigona said three judges in Blantyre will hear the appeal filed earlier this month after a court turned down Madonna's request to adopt a three-year-old girl.
"The hearing is set for May 4," he said.
Madonna's Malawian lawyer Alan Chinula said he had filed several grounds for appeal, including that Madonna, who already adopted a Malawian toddler David Banda three years ago, would have given Chifundo Mercy James a "good life".
Lilongwe high court Judge Esmie Chombo threw out the application, saying allowing the adoption to go ahead could inadvertently expose Malawian children to the threat of human traffickers.
Foreigners seeking to adopt in Malawi must be resident in the southern African nation for at least 18 months -- a requirement the judge said was a "bedrock" of adoption petitions.
This requirement was waived by another judge when Madonna, 50, adopted David leading to accusations that she had used her fame and wealth to fast-track the process.

Source: Agence France Presse

U.S. singer and actress Madonna was thrown from a horse and suffered minor injuries on Saturday after the animal was startled by photographers on New York's Long Island, her spokeswoman said.

The 50-year-old entertainer was later released from a hospital with minor injuries and bruises, spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said in a statement.

"The accident occurred when the horse Madonna was riding was startled by paparazzi who jumped out of the bushes to photograph the singer who was visiting friends on Eastern Long Island over the weekend," the statement said.

It added she would be having further tests and remained under observation by doctors.

Source: Reuters

Madonna took a nasty spill while horseback riding in the Hamptons this afternoon.
The 50-year-old pop icon, decked out in full riding gear and helmet, was doing jumps at famed photographer Steven Klein's horse farm in Bridgehampton when she fell around 4:20 p.m. After the fall, about 10 people, including 22-year-old boy toy Jesus Luz, nervously gathered around her before emergency workers arrived.
She was carried into an ambulance on a backboard and rushed to Southampton Hospital with Klein by her side.
A police source said the injuries did not appear serious and she was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. The Material Mom's day began when she and her sons Rocco, 8, and David, 3, took a helicopter from Manhattan and landed at East Hampton airport around 2p.m.
She then went straight to Klein's compound for what should have been a relaxing day in the sun. Some of her luggage was taken to actress and good friend's Gwyneth Paltrow nearby home. This isn't the Pop Queen's first riding mishap.
In 2005, she broke several bones -- including three cracked ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken hand -- when she lost her balance riding on her London complex on her 47th birthday. Last fall, when her divorce to Guy Ritchie was announced, reports speculated her marriage ended after he coldly reacted to that slip.
"If you can pinpoint an exact event or incident which spelled the death knell for them as a couple, Madonna's horse-riding accident was it," a close family friend told London's Sun.
The accident comes as she's preparing a summer tour in Europe, which kicks off July 4th in London.

Source: NY Post

Here is the latest message on Twitter by Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary, on the accident:

Madonna’s accident today was caused by the paparazzi.. they spooked the horse she was riding.. these guys don't know when to stop!!

Steven Meisel could be involved in the making of Madonna's upcoming 'GHV3'. It seems that Meisel was hired to create the photoshoot to be used for the album's cover artwork and inside booklet. Madonna and Meisel's latest collaboration was for the 2008 Vanity Fair photoshoot.

Some sources say that Madonna is to add a reworked version of her 1987 hit ‘Who’s That Girl’ to this summer’s ‘Sticky & Sweet’ setlist. While ‘The Look Of Love’ was considered as another option, ‘Who’s That Girl’, which she has not performed live since her 1987 world tour, may have won the game. Let’s wait and see!

Source: Madonna.com

"Maybe there was some drama, but I didn’t buy into it. We were sisters for years. At the end of the day, really she is a gem and I’m so grateful. She threw my baby shower for me!"

Longtime backing singer Niki Haris, spilling the beans about the much rumoured fallout with the Queen of Pop.

Sources: MadonnaTribe, Bay Windows

The Material Girl will once flex her pilate-sculpted body for the Louis Vuitton 2009/10 Fall campaign.

Looks like Marc Jacobs may have had Madonna in mind for the fall collection: who else but Madge can do Chic Coquine & Bourgeoise so well?
The campaign will be shot by Steven Meisel in about 2 weeks at the end of April.

Source: Style Rumour

This image has been released today of Madonna holding the child whom she hopes to adopt. The undated publicity photo taken in Malawi was released to Reuters April 13, 2009. 

Source: MadonnaTribe

Madonna opens up about her failed attempt to adopt 3-year-old Mercy James in a new interview.

“I want to provide Mercy with a home, a loving family environment and the best education and healthcare possible,” she e-mailed Malawi’s Nation newspaper in response to its questions. “And it’s my hope that she, like David, will one day return to Malawi and help the people of their country.”

Madonna, 50, continued: “Though I have been advised that I cannot publicly discuss the pending appeal regarding my desire to adopt Mercy, I do want to say how much I appreciate the level of support that I have received from the people of Malawi and my friends around the world.”

Judge Esimie Chombo turned down the singer’s adoption application because she didn’t meet the country’s 18 to 24 month residency requirement.

Her lawyer Alan Chinula confirmed to Us earlier this month she filed an appeal.

Madonna adopted David Banda, 3, from Malawi in 2006 amongst outrage by human rights organizations who charged she was using her celebrity to bend local laws.

Source : us weekly

Gwyneth Paltrow was interviewed in UK magazine Look (30 March issue) and of course is asked questions about her friend Madonna:

Your best friend Madonna and you both use the same trainer - and Madonna's got some muscles! Does that spur you on?
Oh God, yeah. She's so dedicated, and she looks great on it. She's so damn good at it, you sort of want to be like her. And she's a task master - there's no slacking, no finishing early. In fact, she always makes me do that extra half hour!

You guys are so different, and yet you're such good friends....
I know what you mean. She has the drive and strength I'll never have. But there is a side to her that's very soft and lovely and that's the side we connect more. In private we're more similar than you'd think, but yes, definitely out in the world we're very different from one another.

Come on then, shed some light on the secret world of Madge and Gwyneth....
For starters, I'm such a typical Libra, it's not funny. I can't make a decision about anything - like where to eat, then what to eat, what film to watch. But the worse is what to wear! It drives a certain someone mad!

Sources: Look, Madonnalicious

The former Spice Girls star admires the ‘4 Minutes’ singer’s failed attempt to open her home to four-year-old Malawian girl Mercy James.

She said: “It’s easy for critics to knock celebrities who choose to adopt, but it’s a good thing that Madonna’s doing. Not only is she highlighting the plight of orphans in Africa, she’s also giving this little girl the chance of a better life.”

Source: List.co.uk

When a devastating earthquake struck the Abruzzo region of Italy on Monday, the mayor of the hamlet of Pacentro made an appeal for help to the granddaughter of two former townspeople. The following morning, that granddaughter responded in a big way.
Madonna, whose paternal grandparents lived in Pacentro until 1919, made a "substantial donation" for the relief effort following the 6.3 magnitude quake that left more than 200 dead, says her publicist Liz Rosenberg. The rep wouldn't give the amount, but a source says it's about $500,000.

“I am happy to lend a helping hand to the town that my ancestors are from,” Madge told press. “My heart goes out to the families that have lost loved ones or their homes.”

Sources: People Magazine, Gossip Girls

Madonna and her friend, Stella McCartney were photographed yesterday going to the Cecconi Restaurant in London.

                 

Thanks to Tibreton from News-Of-Madonna.com! Additional photos from All About Madonna

In the May issue of magazine Woman-Garden & Home, famous actress Glenn Close talks on her music taste:

"I have such a wide variety of music tastes, I love Pearl Jam, the Doors, Dolly Parton, Rolling Stones, the album that I have probably played to death though is Madonna Confessions on a dance floor, its just such a joyful album for me all the way through you know…genius, I love it and I think she is a....remarkable person, a strong woman and that's empowering"

Source: Madonna Fanzine

Madonna left Malawi on her private jet Sunday after being rebuffed in an attempt to adopt a second child from the poor African nation, air traffic control officials said.

Police roadblocks prevented reporters from approaching the airport but one police officer said Madonna carried David, her adopted Malawian son, up the steps of the Gulfstream jet.

It was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, air traffic officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.

The singer's lawyer has said that she will appeal against a court ruling that she is not eligible to adopt a three year old orphan girl, Chifundo "Mercy" James, because she hasn't lived in Malawi.

Source: The Associated Press.

Madonna’s former husband, Guy Ritchie, has expressed his sadness over her failed adoption of a child from Malawi and praised her as a “great mum”.

A judge at Malawi’s High Court in Lilongwe rejected the singer’s application to adopt Mercy James, a four-year-old girl, ruling that the child should remain in her home country.
In a statement, Ritchie said: “Madonna is a fantastic and loving mother who cares deeply about her own children, and children who may need additional help and support.

“I fully supported Madonna in her decision to apply for this adoption, and I am saddened that her application has been rejected. She is motivated only by being a caring parent who seeks to share some of the advantages and opportunities that her life has given her. This time it did not work out, but there will be other opportunities and I wish her well in them. She is a great mum.”

Source: Telegraph

Manchester, July 8th 2008 (MEN Arena) – CANCELLED!

Due to the recent addition of the July 9th show in Paris, the previously scheduled performance for July 8th in Manchester has been cancelled. Refunds can be made at the point of purchase.
There is no change to the July 7th show at Manchester’s MEN Arena show.

Hamburg, July 28th 2008 (Trab-Arena Hamburg Bahrenfeld - CANCELLED!

As a result of the Oslo date change, the Sticky & Sweet tour will miss out on Hamburg this year. Madonna fans in Germany will still have the opportunity to see their superstar at the only German concert on August 18th at Munich Olympic Stadium. Tickets purchased for the July 28th concert previously scheduled for Bahrenfeld Horse Racing Trace will be fully refunded at the relevant box offices.

Source: Madonna.com

U.S. pop star Madonna will not be allowed adopt a second child in Malawi, the southern African country's High Court ruled on Friday.
Rights groups have accused Malawian authorities of giving her special treatment. Malawi's government, which came under fire after Madonna adopted a 13-month-old Malawian boy, said on Thursday it would support a second adoption.
Court registrar Ken Manda told reporters Madonna's bid to adopt a 4-year-old girl, Mercy James, had been rejected because the singer was not a resident of Malawi.
It was not clear whether Madonna would try to appeal against the ruling. Her lawyer was not immediately available for comment and neither was her London spokeswoman.

Source: Reuters

Madonna's official website just published the following news - which starts with "Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' Summer Tour Reigns Supreme" headline but rather hints at some no-so-great-news for fans as the second concert in Manchester and the date in Hamburg have been cancelled:

With record breaking sell outs in London, Brussels, Oslo, Tallinn, Helsinki and Gothenburg, Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet Tour' - 2009- reaffirms Madonna's status as one of the most successful touring artists of all time. Due to unprecedented demand by fans and some logistical scheduling issues, new dates and a few changes have been made in the "Sticky & Sweet" itinerary, it was announced today by Live Nation, the International tour promoter for the entire tour.

Following a 70,000 seat sell-out in Werchter, Belgium, a 76,000 seat sell-out in Helsinki Finland on August 6th (the largest show ever in Finland by one artist), 40,000 tickets sell-out for the July show in Oslo, Norway, two sellouts in Gothenburg, Sweden and 72,000 tickets sold out in one day in Tallinn Estonia, the passion of Madonna's fans shows no signs of slowing down for 'Sticky & Sweet 2009.' The Material Girl will be making first time ever stops in Belgium, Udine, Marseille, Oslo, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Slovenia, Budapest, Belgrade, Romania and Bulgaria and is returning to Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Zaragoza, Gothenburg, London, Manchester and Munich.
"If those who took in Madonna's world tour have seen anything as slick, innovative and energetic then please point it out. The choreography, visuals and live talent were world class and mind-blowingly well executed, intelligent and witty," raved England's Independent Newspaper. "
In the premiere league of song-and-dance spectaculars, the queen of pop remains unrivalled and undefeated" glowed The Times
Madonna's 58 'Sticky & Sweet' shows in 2008 played before 2,350,282 fans and sold over 280 million dollars in tickets. Madonna's multi Grammy-nominated CD "Hard Candy" debuted at Number One in over 37 countries.

The updated Sticky & Sweet 2009 Tour schedule with special guest Paul Oakenfold is as follows:
04-July London, United Kingdom, The 02 London
05-July London, United Kingdom, The 02 London
07-July Manchester, UK, MEN Arena
09-July Paris, France, Bercy
11-July Werchter, Belgium, Festivalpark
14-July Milan, Italy, San Siro
16-July Udine, Italy, Udine Stadio Friuli
19-July Marseille, France, Stade Velodrome
21-July Barcelona, Spain, Olympic Stadium
23-July Madrid, Spain, Estadio Vicente Calderon
25-July Zaragoza, Spain, Recinto De La Feria De Zaragoza
29-July Oslo, Norway, Vallehovin
30-July Oslo, Norway, Vallehovin
02-Aug St. Petersburg, Russia, Palace Square
04-Aug Tallinn, Estonia, Tallinn Song Festival Ground
06-Aug Helsinki, Finland, West Harbour
08-Aug Gothenburg, Sweden, Ullevi
09-Aug Gothenburg, Sweden, Ullevi
11-Aug Copenhagen, Denmark, Parken
13-Aug Prague, Czech Republic, Chodov Natural Amphitheatre
15-Aug Warsaw, Poland, Bemowo Airport
18-Aug Munich, Germany, Olympic Stadium
20-Aug Ljubljana, Slovenia, Hippodrome
22-Aug Budapest, Hungary, Kincsem Park
24-Aug Belgrade, Serbia, USCE Park
26-Aug Bucharest, Romania, Park Izvor
29-Aug Sofia, Bulgaria, Vasil Levski Stadium

Sources: Madonna.com, MadonnaTribe

Malawi’s child welfare minister has backed Madonna’s bid to adopt a second child from the impoverished southern African country.
The high-level endorsement came the day before a judge is due to rule on the pop star’s request to adopt Chifundo “Mercy” James.
Women and Child Welfare Development Minister Anna Kachikho said Malawi has nearly two million orphans, and if people like Madonna adopt even one “it’s one mouth less” for Malawi.
Ms Kachikho’s ministry processes all adoptions in Malawi.
The minister added that the singer’s helping more than 25,000 Malawian children.
A coalition of non-governmental organisations in Malawi said Madonna’s plans have been fast-tracked because of her money and status.
The minister said such critics are ungrateful.

"I am grateful to the author, Kristen Ashburn, for her remarkable ability to capture the truth." Madonna.

Through breathtaking images and the poignant voices of its subjects, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE provides an intimate look at the AIDS pandemic in Africa. The book introduces its readers to seven Malawian children orphaned by AIDS. These seven children are just a handful of the 1 million AIDS orphans in Malawi, a country of only 13 million people.

“I AM BECAUSE WE ARE is a book that touches the heart. In photographing the grieving, devastated, still beautiful, children of Malawi, victims of the AIDS epidemic that has murdered their parents, Kristen Ashburn gives everyone on the planet the opportunity to come to the aid of those most bereaved and helpless in this world,” said Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple. “It is a rare gift she gives: for we know in our deepest emotions that without the world coming to the defense and care of these children, the least of these, there will be no world peace.”

The book is a companion to the documentary film of the same name, produced and written by Madonna and directed by Nathan Rissman. The film features interviews with President Bill Clinton, Bishop Desmond Tutu, economist Jeffrey Sachs and many others, and was called, “a shocking and incredibly moving film” by the London Times, and “too valuable to ignore” by Time Out New York, among other rave reviews.

Both the book and film share the stories and images of children living with the effects of HIV/AIDS. Joyce, a 12-year-old, is forced to care for her younger siblings while her parents die of AIDS; Fanzio, an orphan at 14, declares that he will rise above his own difficulties and ultimately finds help to do so; Sinode, an HIV-positive 6-year old, is carried for hours by bicycle to get the care he needs.

Each child’s story is accompanied by a series of powerful photographs by photojournalist Kristen Ashburn, images that – in the words of Madonna – capture “the paradox of beauty and tragedy that exists today in Malawi and many other countries in Africa.” Ashburn has photographed the impact of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa for almost a decade and brings her passion for the issue to bear on every image.

I AM BECAUSE WE ARE takes its title from the traditional African philosophy of ubuntu which speaks to the interconnectedness of humanity, reminding us that the fate of AIDS orphans in Malawi is inextricably tied into our own, that we all rise or fall together.

Across Africa, more than 12 million children have faced the same uncertain fate as these Malawian orphans. With the authors’ proceeds from the book going to Raising Malawi, a non-profit organization working to help give orphans a better life in that country, the book also provides a ready opportunity for each of us to help make a difference.

“Kristen Ashburn has the rare gift of finding dignity in the midst of suffering, and strength in what ought to be despair,” noted Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliners. “I Am Because We Are should not be hopeful. But it is.”

Book launch / Raising Malawi Fundraiser

On April 2nd 2009 from 6pm to 9pm, a book launch and fundraising event will be held at the PowerHouse Arena in Dumbo, Brooklyn by invitation only. The evening will feature a lightbox installation of images from the book and an online auction to raise funds for The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. Exhibition is open to the public from March 25th onward.

The Academy provides the means for impoverished girls to realize the full range of their intellectual and creative potentials. It will be staffed primarily by Malawian nationals and guided by a Malawian headmistress who will be fully involved in all aspects of the school’s development.

Every year, the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls will admit 66 students, selected from each of the 33 districts in the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Malawi. To qualify as a candidate, applicants will undergo a formal entrance evaluation where young women will be chosen for both academic ability and propensity for leadership. Applicants will also be chosen based on need, and candidates will be selected only from households below a designated income level.

For more information visit www.iambecausewearebook.com

Pop star Madonna is not receiving any special treatment to help speed the process of adopting a young girl in Malawi, her spokeswoman has said.
Liz Rosenberg said the star was 'not skirting any legal issues' in trying to adopt four-year-old Mercy James.
A Malawian judge held a closed-door hearing on Monday on the star's adoption application but delayed ruling until Friday.
'The adoption process for Mercy began over a year ago when Madonna met her on one of her visits to Malawi. The connection was instant and profound,' Rosenberg told Reuters.
'Madonna's desire to adopt Mercy is totally heartfelt. She is not skirting any legal issues in her application to adopt this child and is looking to provide a loving family environment and the best education and health care possible,' she added.
Mercy has been living in an orphanage since her 18-year-old mother died shortly after giving birth, according to the child's uncle, John Ngalande.
Her father is believed to be alive but has little contact with his daughter, he said.
The Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) has criticised Madonna's adoption attempts, saying that adoption should be the last resort and that children need to be taken care of by their own family.
'Mercy James is a child who has her extended close family members alive and we urge Madonna to assist the child from right here,' it said in a statement.
Earlier this week, the chairman of the HRCC said the star had 'the money and the status to use her profile to manipulate, to fast-track the process'.
But others have said that the adoption would give enormous opportunities to the child that she would be unable to achieve in the impoverished country.

Source: BBC News

Madonna fans, we are happy to confirm that Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' Tour will stop at Zaragoza's Recinto De La Feria De Zaragoza on July 25th.
While the public ticket sale will start on April 3rd at 10am local time, please note that a devoted fan club pre sale will start on April 1st at 5pm LOCAL TIME.

 

Madonna, Lourdes and the girl that Madonna wants to adopt, Mercy James visiting the orphanage in Lilongwe (Malawi) on Match 31st.

Source: Madonna Serbia

Two days ago, at the visit of a school that Madonna finances (50km from Malawi’s capital Lilongwe, Madonna wore a Christian Audigier’s T-Shirt with “Malawi Love – Madonna” written on the front side. Is this one of the pieces of a new Madonna’s fashion line, that was first mentioned in March?

Source: Madonna Serbia

Defiant Madonna has told friends she will not be put off by the barrage of criticism over her attempt to adopt a second child from Malawi.

The singer knew her trip to find a sister for three-year-old David Banda would stir up a hornets’ nest – and sent friend Ben Fellows an email that predicted: “Let the storm commence.”

British film-maker Ben, who was himself adopted, said Madonna was determined to face the flak head-on. He added: “Once Madonna has put her mind to something, she achieves it – and this adoption is no different. “She told me she thought it was very important that David had a sister, she had unconditional love to give another child and was going to jump through hoops to get her.

“She knew exactly what she was walking into. She was well aware that people would start sniping about it. She sent me an email just before she left for Malawi and signed it off ‘Let the storm commence!’”

Ben, who became friends with Madonna two years ago when he was making a film about his search for his birth mother, insisted she will be a great mum to Mercy James, the three-year-old girl she wants to adopt.

He said: “Despite her reputation, Madonna is a warm, loving woman. She speaks from the heart.” London-based Ben, 34, said Madonna was angry when she was criticised for adopting David in November 2006.

He added: “She couldn’t understand it. She was hurt. Surely it shows how loved Mercy James is going to be that Madonna is prepared to go through all of this again in order to adopt her?” Madonna, 50, yesterday took David back to the orphanage in Malawi where he used to live.

She apologised to staff there after the toddler seemed not to understand when the children there spoke to him in the Chichewa language.

Madonna, also accompanied by daughter Lourdes, 12, and son Rocco, seven, said she had hired a tutor to ensure David would be able to speak to the orphans on future visits. She then handed out David and Rocco’s old clothes to youngsters.

David was taken to see the room where he used to sleep and was reunited with the nurse who used to look after him. One staff member said: “David can’t remember his time here because he was only a baby when he left.”

Mercy James was not with Madonna. She is being looked after by a nanny at a lodge where the family is staying. A judge will rule on Madonna’s adoption attempt this week. She has been accused of using her fame to sidestep rules.

Source: Mirror