Today in Madonna History: April 12, 2008

On April 12 2008, Madonna’s 4 Minutes spent the first of nine (non-consecutive) weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100 Singles chart.

Today In Madonna History: April 3, 2008

On April 3 2008, the music video for 4 Minutes – the debut single from Madonna’s 11th studio album for Warner Bros. Records, Hard Candy – made its world premiere as a video single available to purchase through iTunes. The digital retailer held exclusive rights to the video for a period of 48 hours, after which it was made available for streaming and broadcast through digital and traditional channels.

The video was filmed in London in February, 2008 and was directed by French duo, Jonas & François. At the time of the video’s launch, the audio download of 4 Minutes was already holding the #1 position on iTunes. When asked about the “4 Minute Fever Phenomenon,” Madonna commented, “Goody goody gum drops.”

Today in Madonna History: April 1, 2008

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On April 1 2008, Madonna was featured on the cover of Elle magazine to promote her Hard Candy album. Madonna explained to Elle how she stays at the top of her game and revealed how she keeps in such incredible shape:

‘There are no short cuts to being Madonna. It’s all about hard work. There is no easy way. If you want to know how I look like I do, it’s diet and exercise and constantly being careful.’ She also swears by oxygen facials and never goes in the sun, drinks rarely and works out for three hours a day.

When asked if she has a weakness, she revealed:

‘One of the worst things about Britain is that it has such fabulous candy. I love Cadbury Fruit and Nut, Crunchies and Maltesers. But my absolute favourite is a Cadbury Creme Egg. I bite straight in to it and suck all that good stuff right out!’

Today in Madonna History: March 14, 2008

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On March 14 2008, the cover for Madonna’s Hard Candy album was revealed on People.com.  The photo was taken by longtime collaborator Steven Klein.

Today in Madonna History: September 25, 2008

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On September 25 2008, Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour was performed at Jaz Beach, Budva, Montenegro.

Here are some photos of the stage being built on-site:

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Today in Madonna History: August 2, 2008

On August 2 2008, Madonna appeared on the cover of Woman & Home magazine.

Here’s a snippet of Madonna talking about her work in Malawi and giving back to the world:

I first became involved with Malawi as I got to know someone who lived in the Ivory Coast. He was friends with Victoria Keelan, who had come to his rescue because there had been a water shortage in the Ivory Coast. She asked if he had an idea of someone who could help with the situation with the orphans in Malawi. He had something to do with the distribution of my children’s books in the Ivory Coast. On the back of the book it says that all the proceeds are donated to a children’s charity. So he thought, “Madonna’s interested in children”. He got in touch with me and that’s how the whole ball got rolling.

I think the criticism that celebrities face when they are tackling humanitarian issues is down to the cynicism of the public. People like to criticise. It’s human nature. But I believe that if you have one iota of compassion, you can’t ignore what’s going on. You have to figure out ways to be a part of the solution.

Everything that’s going on in the world is pretty scary. And people know we are living on borrowed time – whether it’s global warming, the 36 wars that are going on at any given time or terrorism. A lot of people in privileged positions are waking up and thinking it’s a little bit absurd to be thinking about what their next film is going to be. There is a lot of social consciousness going on and that can only be a good thing.

I certainly hope that people realise there’s a lot more to being Madonna than taking off my clothes. I hope that the SEX book [which came out in 1992] is not the only thing that I’m identified with. I have done and plan to do many other things.

Today in Madonna History: May 13, 2008

On May 13 2008 Madonna scored her seventh Billboard 200 #1 album in the USA with Hard Candy. The achievement broke a tie with Janet Jackson and Mariah to give Madonna sole ownership of the #2 spot of all-time among female artists. Only Barbra Streisand, with eight #1 albums had more.