On July 12 2013, Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie reunited to celebrate son Rocco’s bar mitzvah, and according to “sources” it was a joyful occasion for all. The bar mitzvah took place at the Kabbalah Centre in New York City.
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Today in Madonna History: July 11, 1987
On July 11 1987, Madonna’s True Blue album was certified 5x platinum (5 million units) in the USA. The album went on to sell an estimated 19 million units worldwide.
Today in Madonna History: July 10, 1985
On July 10 1985, The Playboy magazine issue of nude Madonna photos was released.
Today in Madonna History: July 9, 1987
On July 9 1987, Madonna performed her Who’s That Girl World Tour to a sold out crowd of approximately 60,000 fans at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Today in Madonna History: July 5, 1987
On July 5 1987, Madonna was interviewed by Jane Pauley on NBC-TV’s Today and caused a controversy when she referred to her hometown of Bay City, Michigan as “a smelly little town” – a comment that enraged the citizens of Bay City.
Today in Madonna History: July 4, 2001
On July 4 2001, Madonna performed the first of 6 sold-out concerts at Earl’s Court in London, England.
Today in Madonna History: July 2, 1990
On July 2 1990, Roman Catholic groups condemned Madonna’s Blond Ambition concert as blasphemous due to her controversial show’s sex and religious themes and planned to cancel her concerts in Rome and Turin.
Madonna made this speech in response to the threats:
I am an ltalian-American, and I am proud of it.
Proud of being an American because it is the country I grew up in, the country that gave me the opportunities to be who I am today and a country that believes in freedom of speech and artistic expression.
My show is not a conventional rock show but a theatrical presentation of my music.
And, like theatre it asks questions, provokes thought and takes you on an emotional journey.
Portraying good and bad, light and dark, joy and sorrow, redemption and salvation.
I do not endorse a way of life but describe one, and the audience is left to make its own decisions and judgments.
This is what I consider freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of thought.
Every night, before I go onstage, I say a prayer not only that my show will go well but that the audience will watch with an open heart and an open mind and see it as a celebration of love, life and humanity.
*This is an edited transcript of the speech. The full speech is included in the video posted above.
Today In Madonna History 