I have actually read this entire thread. What a fun read!

There is one person (can't be bothered to scroll up and find out who) that posted that no matter what a celebrity does, it is never right.

That is the most sensible thing I read on here. Everybody has a right to their own opinion, but I like Madonna's attitude to the world; "I don't give a fuck about what anyone thinks."

I kind of like Madonna for that. Up yours.


And I have an opinion too; what the fuck does it matter where anyone lives? Or what accent she has? As long as someone is happy, let them be.
If you find yourself thinking it does matter, then sit back, relax and get a life.

I actually liked the Vogue pictures I saw; it is her taking the pun out of her 'country-life'. Anyone who takes that serious or who forms opinions about how she decided to give form to her personal life based on those pictures or how she talks is rather unimaginative.

Ellie said:

My experience and the experience of other expats on my end is different I suppose, because we are living in Germany, Italy, Spain, ect, and only visiting London maybe monthly if required. So essentially, in our experience we DO have to speak more slowly than usual, because our hosts are kindly indulgent with us, and when we converse in English, our respective "native " accents from Illinois, New York, Ohio, California, or any Southern state is simply not understood...and actually, I've always found that from the major exposure U.S. high school and college students receive from British Lit (and all those cute English films that it's always been BEYOND easy to understand British accents. In addition, I also find it VERY important to point out that often as an expat one does not consciously seek to CHANGE their dialect, it simply becomes a matter of evolution of your speech pattern from daily use of certain words and ways of pronunciation

HamsterHuey said:

Fam!

j/k

Nice post.

rocknrolldave said:

I agree as far as being happy for Madonna even though I've never been a huge fans of hers. Plus I'm not offended or surprised at all that she considers London her home at this point in her life: she married a Brit; she raises her children there; so yeah, I would imagine that would be her home. The only criticism that I have of Madonna in regard to comparing England to the U.S. is that I've read some other quotes of hers where she states that Americans are stupid, blah, blah, blah:

(from the review “Meet Midlife Madonna, by Barbara Ellen of The Observer/Guardian; http://observer.guardian....55,00.html ):
“Madonna is clear about her affection for Britain - the country that produced
her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, and son, Rocco - sometimes flattering
us quite shamelessly: 'Even the stupidest people in Britain are more
intelligent than Americans.”

Of course, the preceding quote could have been taken out of context. But if accurate, I guess Madonna doesn’t realize that she was born and educated in the U. S. She also had the freedom to pursue her dream and make it into a reality. And whether she cares to admit it, Madonna has made a fortune due to the support American fans and the entertainment industry. In fact, some of us unintelligent folk from here in the good ol’ U.S. of A shelled-out $300.00 or more per ticket to see her Re-invention Tour without realizing that apparently Madonna considers her American audience substandard. I know the U.S. has its faults, but for Madonna to make derogatory, over-generalizations about her own culture is quite arrogant and unfair. It would just be nice if Madonna acknowledged something "good" about the U.S. rather than joining in on the America-bashing that has been prevalent in other countries. Yeah Americans can be stupid sometimes but so can the British and other cultures, too. ALL people have problems;consequently, one country is no "better" than the other.

Finally,there is just a HUGE difference between Britney and Madonna even though I would imagine Britney likes to believe that they are similar: the only comparisons are that they are dancers with have "chemically enhanced" blond hair that have made some money in the music industry. I don't think that Britney even graduated from high school???? Britney is/was more of this "product" her family marketed at a very early age while Madonna started her career after at least attending college. So Madonna was just more mature from the get-go, more equipped to handle the pressure and last but not least extremely intelligent. More importantly, Madonna's family didn't depend on Madonna's success: Madonna made her OWN way. As a result, however painful it is for me to admit, Madonna is an innovative artist while Britney is still a child,struggling to find her way both musically and maybe personally. In spite of all the monetary success, it's a shame that Britney's family seems to have sold her out rather than nurturing her talent and allowing or maybe forcing her to obtain some sort of normalcy or education. Britney didn't ever appear in control of her own destiny because her career became her family's pursuit, not her own. That's the tragedy of Britney's situation.
[Edited 7/24/05 5:31am]

"Like a Prayer" Based on the performance by Madonna
"Dye My Hair" Parody by Kyle B.
An ode to Madonna's ever-changing style...
Fashion's a mystery, nobody looks quite like me
I am so beautiful
And I'm near for-ty

When the era shifts, I like to dye my hair
Got brand new clothes, and piercings everywhere
For about 3 hours, I have got the power
I dye my hair, you know I've got to dare

Goin' with the flow, so I can get record deals
I'm filthy rich, got brand new wheels
Fans are screaming
Take off my shades, oh god! I can't believe it
Somebody bought clothes just like mine
Concert's canceled!

When the era shifts, I like to dye my hair
Got brand new clothes, and piercings everywhere
For about 3 hours, I have got the power
I dye my hair, you know I've got to dare

I'm like a child, I do not know what I want
Decisions suck, don't know what I want
Gotta be stylin'
"It's three-o-clock!" Punk-rock is now not stylin'
No more grunge, no suspenders
No loop earrings!

When the era shifts, I like to dye my hair
Got brand new clothes, and piercings everywhere
For about 3 hours, I have got the power
I dye my hair, you know I've got to dare

Fashion's a mystery, nobody looks quite like me
I am so beautiful
And I'm near for-ty

I dye my hair, got piercings everywhere
Don't fret, you will see; it's really hard for me
I've got to go! That's so 5-min's ago
I dye my hair, no choice, rejoice, I've got to dare

(Choir)

Madonna, she dyes her hair
It's a mystery

(repeat)