Today in Madonna History: May 29, 1995

May 29, 2022 By in 1995, May Tags: , , , 2 Comments

On May 29 1995, Alek Keshishian filmed Madonna in a Japanese television commercial for Takara, a shochu or Japanese sake manufacturer. The sake, called Jun Legend, was made by blending two types of alcohol distilled from barley and corn and aging them in charred oak barrels for one to five years. Takara’s claim was that the sake tasted similar to whiskey.

Madonna wrote and sang the commercial’s jingle, which featured the lyrics: “How can I be pure, when all the strength I have is breaking me? How can I be sure, where is this road I’ve chosen taking me? I’m pure. Jun Legend.”

 

Today in Madonna History: May 28, 2008

May 29, 2022 By in 2008, May Tags: , , , 1 Comment

1092173-david-banda-madonna-et-sa-fille-950x0-1

On May 28 2008, Madonna learned that she was officially going to be allowed to adopt David Banda.

The High Court in Malawi granted Madonna permanent adoption of 2-year-old David Banda.

Madonna’s lawyer made this statement:

“We are very happy with what the judge has ruled. Finally the court has granted Madonna full adoption rights of the boy…It’s all over, thank God. It is a positive and beautiful judgment that will have an impact on Malawi’s adoption laws.”

Today in Madonna History: May 27, 2015

May 27, 2022 By in 2015, May Tags: , , , 1 Comment

m-forbes-2015

On May 27 2015, Forbes magazine announced that Madonna topped the annual list of top-earning musicians and also claimed the No. 28 spot on their list of America’s richest self-made women.

Here’s what Forbes had to say:

The wealthiest musician on the list, Madonna has an estimated net worth of $520 million, with her main source being from music, clothing, and real estate  One of the top pop divas of all time. Her tours have grossed an estimated $1.2 billion over the years, including $305 million from her 2012 MDNA tour. That helped her earn an estimated $125 million during the ensuing 12-month period during which Forbes calculated celebrity earnings, more than any other musician. Look for another bump when she goes on the road with her latest album, Rebel Heart, in August.

Today in Madonna History: May 26, 1997

May 26, 2022 By in 1997, May Tags: , , 1 Comment

19970526-750-0

On May 26 1997, Madonna appeared on the cover of People magazine as part of the “New Sexy Moms” feature.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Even Madonna, who moved a month before Lourdes’s birth from her Hollywood Hills mansion to a more baby-friendly one-story spread in a quieter neighborhood, is becoming downright strait-laced. “TV is poison,” saying that she would forbid Lourdes to watch it. “To be plopped in front of a television instead of being read to or talked to or encouraged to interact with other human beings is a huge mistake.”

Today in Madonna History: May 25, 1990

May 25, 2022 By in 1990, May Tags: , , , 2 Comments

madonna_throat

On May 25 1990, Madonna had to cancel a third scheduled Blond Ambition concert at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois, due to laryngitis.

Today in Madonna History: May 24, 1998

May 24, 2022 By in 1998, May Tags: , , , 1 Comment

On May 24 1998, the Ray of Light single made its debut on Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart at its peak position of #6. It was present for a total of seventeen weeks on the chart, and was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies of the single.

In ARIA’s year-end singles chart, Ray of Light ranked 57th for best-selling Australian single of 1998.

Today in Madonna History: May 23, 1985

May 23, 2022 By in 1985, May Tags: , , 1 Comment

virgin-toronto-1 virgin-toronto-2 virgin-toronto-3 virgin-toronto-4 virgin-toronto-5

On May 23 1985, Madonna performed her Virgin Tour concert in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,000 fans at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. The show generated $238,264 in ticket sales.

Here’s a great photo of the Beastie Boys hanging outside Maple Leaf Gardens before the show (on Church Street just north of Carlton):

beastie-boys-maple-leaf-gardens

Maple Leaf Gardens was primarily a hockey and concert venue from 1931 until 2001. The building sat dormant until November 2011, when it reopened as a Loblaws grocery store.  To celebrate the history of the building, Loblaws kept centre ice, created art out of some of the seats and commemorated important dates on some of the supporting columns.  Here is one of those columns:

madonna-maple-leaf-gardens

Jay’s note: I’d like to say that I made a special trip to Loblaws just to take this photo, but it’s the long-weekend here in Canada — and I really wanted one of their amazing chocolate dip donuts!