Divasoria

I was about to write a blog entry on Madonna’s half-time performance and then I realized, what is there more to say that I haven’t said before?

Here’s a piece I wrote for the paper on celebrating Madonna and her influence on girls of my generation.

Celebrating Madonna

When I told my mother I was going to celebrate my 30th birthday in New York City to watch Madonna in concert, all she could do was shake her head and say, “Madonna ruined your life and stole your money.”

I remember the very first time I saw the video of Lucky Star, I was so intrigued by Madonna that I took note of all her videos and dance moves from then on.

I also recall my Tito Eli taking my brother and I to a matinee screening of Desperately Seeking Susan in Manhattan. I was completely blown away, not from the movie’s plot but by Madonna. I was young and impressionable. And I was hooked.

Like most girls of my generation, I was mesmerized by Madonna’s unconventional style: the fingerless gloves, the navel-baring shirts, the armful of bracelets, the forbidden cross—and awed by her unabashed defiance of gender roles. She dressed like a tramp and owned it.

Never have I seen a woman who was powerful, sassy and perverse all at the same time. Madonna made me think that even as a five-year-old I could be any kind of woman I wanted to be.

Unlike her contemporary Michael Jackson whose image was of vulnerability, Madonna’s was of pure control. At 19, she walked away from a prestigious dance scholarship at the University of Michigan and hopped on a plane to New York City. Legend has it, she got in a cab, told the driver to bring her to “where the action is” and was taken to Times Square.

Madonna taunted the world by dancing and singing her way, to proclaiming “You can do anything and be anything. You go, girl!” She predated the notion of girl power and girls gone wild.

Does anyone remember that scene in Desperately Seeking Susan where she washed herself in the restroom at Port Authority and dried her hair and armpits with the wall dryer?

That was badass. She was badass. And part of us, even if we don’t admit to it, wanted to be just like her.

Fans and non-fans alike will agree on one thing, Madonna’s talent is not her singing; it is her ability reinvent herself all these years. I have my personal favorites. I loved her Vogue and Ray of Light phases, and I also have my least favored ones. I felt isolated when she moved to England, put on an accent and wrote children’s books.

Was this Madonna’s way of proving you can have it all—the accent, the husband, the children, the plastic surgery? Her life during that time wasn’t exactly the Madonna I fell in love with when I was five. It was difficult to defend her pretentiousness and audacity to strangers, which I successfully did so (I like to think) even through the “Sex book” phase. Even the Malawian baby-saving Madonna was a turn-off.

The seemingly selfless Madonna hardly inspired feminist fire in me.

Not badass at all.

But on one crisp autumn evening in New York City, watching Madonna live on stage and hearing the roar of the faithful brought me back into the fold again — just like the first time I saw her 25 years ago.

She has been called a bitch, slut, dominatrix, tease, cougar, maneater — almost every degrading insult thrown at a woman. But rather than being swallowed by these harsh words, she simply plays the part with much gusto. The more Madonna evolves and the more she defies age, the more she invokes a feeling of protectiveness and unequivocal loyalty.

As other divas folded, flopped and fizzled, there really is nobody else like Madonna out there. There was Britney, there was Christina and yes, there is Lady Gaga. But if anybody saw that SNL You Tube clip of Madonna vs. Lady Gaga, we all knew who won that catfight.

At 51, Madonna is determined to be a sharp businesswoman with an unsettling yearning to provoke and stay on top.

And contrary to what my mom thinks, Madonna put that spunk in me and I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.

original article posted here.

i like strong and intelligent women and that’s why i love barbra streisand, madonna and lady gaga. i know some of my friends hate it that i love these women so much and some even think they’re trash but i really don’t care. hehehe. and this 60-minutes clip proves to me(and i hope to the rest of you naysayers) why they’re on top of their game.

based on that video, all three women controlled everything about their interviews – stage direction, lighting, etc. these girls know that image is everything and controlling every bit of it is a key to their success. that’s why i think performers like christina aguilera and britney spears need to learn a thing or two from gaga, mado and barang. and maybe even the rest of us need to learn as well.

reason #456 for loving miu miu=reason #566798 for loving madonna

madonna secretly directs the F/W 2010/11 campaign for MIUMIU!

MAJOR MAJOR FABULOUS!!

miumiu + madonna + miss universe reference = this maybe the gayest blog post EVAR!

It’s no secret I’m obsessed with Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Does the name ring a bell? Lourdes or Lola, as her mother calls her, is only Madonna’s first- born.

When your mom is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, certain expectations need to be met. Questions like, is she going to go the same route as her mother? Will she be as cool as her mom, or will she turn out like Chastity “Chaz” Bono?

One can only imagine the kind of mother Madonna is. Rumors about not allowing her kids to watch television or making her kids eat macrobiotic food sound ridiculous, even worrisome, because us Madonna fans feel responsible for how the children are raised.

And why not? Madonna is our mother after all. And as Lola grew up before our eyes, doubts about her coolness and upbringing just faded away.

****

for more about lola and her hip style, please check out this link and here is a link to the blog. and for more about Material Girl, the collection of madonna inspired by her daughter’s style, check out tin of MFO’s article in today’s radar.

as you all know, i’ve been such a madonna since i was 5 years old. i’ve always loved her- i was mesmerized by her unconventional style and awed by her unabashed defiance against gender conventions. and i’ve written all about it for this sunday’s philippine star.

for the full story, please read it here.

madonna’s new single celebration. i really can’t get enough of the song and video. and check out jesus luz, he’s the Dj. so YUMMY. i take back all the mean things i said about jesus, he is effin hot. no wonder my grandma(lola!!) is freakin’ nuts over this boy. i would be, too.

and check out madonna’s moves. and clothes. and skin. and body. amazing @ 51. beat that!!!

honestly, i never thought i’d get this affected by michael jackson’s death. i grew up in the 80′s and was weaned on MTV and music. michael jackson and madonna were part of everybody’s childhood in the 80s. i used to wake up on sunday mornings to watch the one video show on tv, video hit parade. it showed all these western music videos – it was the most fascinating thing on tv. visuals to go with the music, how innovative! i remember every single michael jackson video and my very first cassette was thriller. i got it from the record section of unimart.

i used to get really scared whenever the video of thriller was on. very traumatic for a child to see zombies dance. i also hate the part when michael turns to his date and he turns into a werewolf. i used to also watch re-runs of the jackson 5 cartoons on tv. during the summer time spent in the states, my cousins and i would dress and dance like michael and madonna. i also remember begging my mom to watch Captain EO, MJ’s sci-fii 3D movie shown in disney theme parks in the late 80s. michael jackson was part of the cultural fabric of my generation.

while driving to the gym yesterday, i was listening to jackson 5′s “i’ll be there” and i started to cry. it felt like a part of my youth died with michael jackson. it makes you more aware of your mortality and how fleeting life is. i felt not as invincible as i was when i was 6 years old dancing to billie jean.

what makes the feeling sadder is that everybody knew michael was a tortured soul. he was abused physically, emotionally and mentally. but in his death, his musical genius and legacy are remembered. and that’s the most important thing.

and considering this was just michael jackson. i am warning you guys, if and when something happens to madonna, i will be inconsolable for at least a week. somebody needs to check up on me every hour.

here we go again. but i don’t care. according to a reliable source(that’s chuvaness to you and me), madonna, only my most favorite lokaret of all time, is coming to manila to adopt. i’m hyperventilating as i type this.OMG!

my mother madonna is 50 years old and still brings it. wow.

but isn’t jesus a little bit of a “hipon”. i guess that’s what paper bags are for? i’m partial to cute faces and so-so bodies. hahahaha.

more pics from madonna’s w rio shoot here.

i know your eyes are glazing over that hot brazilian model jesus – the new boy toy of the queen herself but i’ve been indifferent about madonna’s personal life since it has become more and more nauseating and well…sad. so that said, i’d like you to focus more on madge’s bag. she’s carrying the sprouse graffiti speedy – ergo, we have the same bag! YAYAYAYAYAYAY! who is the coolness now? hahahaha.

source – nymag’s the cut