On February 12 1984, Madonna was featured on The Dance Show, a syndicated American television variety show.
She appeared in a segment from New York performing Holiday and Borderline, followed by a brief interview in which she introduced her brother and backup dancer, Christopher. Borderline was also included in a second episode that aired a few months later on April 25th, as the single was climbing the charts.
Despite an extensive list of promotional appearances for her first album, this was Madonna’s only known television studio performance of Borderline until she revisited the song during a 2016 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
On June 21 1993, Madonna attended the New York premiere of Sleepless In Seattle. She was joined by her friends Jenny Shimizu, Rosie O’Donnell and her brother Christopher Ciccone.
On October 6 2024, Madonna posted this heartfelt message to her social channels:
My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long Its hard to explain our bond But it grew out of an understanding that we were different and society was going to give us a hard time for not following the status quo. We took each other‘s hands and we danced through the madness of our childhood In fact dance was a kind of superglue that held us together. Discovering Dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too My ballet Teacher, also named Christopher- created a safe space for my brother to be Gay. a word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived. When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a Dancer. My brother followed. And again we took each other’s hands, and we danced through the madness of New York City! We devoured Art and Music And Film like hungry animals we were in the epicenter of all of these things exploding. We danced through the madness of the AIDS epidemic. We went to funerals and we cried, and we went dancing. We danced together on stage in the beginning of my career and eventually, he became the Creative Director, of many tours. When it came to good taste, my brother was the Pope, and you had to kiss the ring to get his blessing. We defied the Roman Catholic Church, The Police, the Moral Majority and all Authority figures that got in the way of Artistic freedom! My brother was right by my side. He was a painter a poet and a visionary. I admired him. He had impeccable taste. And a sharp tongue, Which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him. We soared the highest heights together And floundered in the lowest lows. Somehow, we always found each other again and We held hands and we kept dancing. The last few years have not been easy We did not speak for sometime but When my brother got sick. We found our way back to each other. I did my best to keep him alive as long as possible. He was in so much pain towards the end Once again, we held hands We closed our eyes and we danced.Together. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.💔
Christopher Ciccone died October 4 2024 at 63 of cancer.
On September 25 1993, Madonna’s The Girlie Show tour opened with 2 sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Over 144,000 fans attended the two shows in London.
The Girlie Show was launched in support of Madonna’s 1992 album, Erotica. The show had the central visual theme of a “sex circus”. Described as “a mixture of a rock concert, a fashion show, a carnival performance, a cabaret act and a burlesque show”, the show had a more complex stage than those from Madonna’s previous tours: it had a runway that led from the centre of the main stage to a minor stage, a revolving elevated platform in the middle of the main stage, balconies in the rear of the stage, and a giant illuminated Girlie Show sign above stage, among other features. The tour was directed by Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone; costumes for the tour were designed by Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.
On June 12 2008, Simon & Schuster announced that Madonna’s younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, would be writing a memoir about his famous sister.
“Ciccone’s extraordinary memoir is based on his life and 47 years of growing up with and working with his sister-the most famous woman in the world,” the company said in a press release.
The publishing house ordered a first printing of 350,000 copies of Life With My Sister, to be released on July 15, 2008.
When asked, Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said there would be no comment “at this time.”
Have you read Christopher’s book on Madonna? What did you think?
On December 6 1992, Madonna bought a 1920’s mansion on Mulholland Drive overlooking Hollywood for $5 million. The nine-story, 8,000 square foot home with nine bedrooms and six baths was previously owned and used as a gambling den by Bugsy Siegel, the original owner of the Flamingo Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
Soon after buying the mansion, called Castillo del Lago, Madonna had it painted with pink and yellow stripes, making it both hated by neighbours and easy to locate by both fans and stalkers. Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s brother and former interior designer, says the stripes were inspired by a church in Portofino.
The home gave Madonna a 300-degree view of Los Angeles and the ocean. Designed by John De Lario, it was completed in 1926.
On August 17 1995, Madonna attended a private party at the Delano Hotel in Miami, Florida in celebration of her 37th birthday.
South Florida daily newspaper the Sun-Sentinel covered the bash:
Last Thursday night one of the most famous women in the world had a glittering birthday party in what is probably by now one of the most famous hotels in the world. Madonna, uber pop singing sensation, strolled into the lobby of Miami Beach’s Delano Hotel for her big bash in a tight long pink Versace dress with a big smile on her face and a new beau on her arm.
Among the guests waiting inside were Gloria and Emilio Estefan, actor Andy Garcia, Cuban musician Cachao, Donatella Versace and Estefan protegee Albita, who sang a rousing Latino version of Happy Birthday. Ms Ciccone uncharacteristically stopped and chatted with the press, who had all been alerted about the private party, causing crowds to close down the surrounding streets.
Among her revelations were the favorite gift so far (a diamond-and-gold name bracelet from her beau, Carlito); and the pleasure she was getting from having her birthday party in her very own restaurant, the Blue Door, located in the rear lobby of the Delano. News of the party, with the chic new hotel as a stunning backdrop, was seen on every national entertainment and tabloid show in America, and perhaps the world.
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