By Sarah Muller
Madonna. Is. My. Hero.

It almost sounds like a cliché nowadays. (What hasn't the lady done? Who hasn't she influenced?) I've truly admired her work since I was way too young to understand her not-so virginal floor grinding back in the early '80s. I distinctly remember asking my mom, "What's a virgin?" soon after. That didn't go over so well — my mother tried to turn off my MTV! However, given my current job, it's pretty clear that didn't do much good. I was hooked for life — cone halters or cowboy hats, Guy Ritchie or no Guy Ritchie.
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MadonnaTwo flamboyant tours stopped in New York City last weekend: Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour and Of Montreal's latest stage show. Both artists share a flair for the dramatic, elevating their concerts to epic theatrical extravaganzas. But there's one major difference: ticket price. The best seats at MSG went for $350, while Of Montreal charged only $23 for general admission at Roseland Ballroom!

So any Madonna fans out there who are strapped for cash, here's why you can — and should! — check out Of Montreal's latest gigs and still get a Madgetastic show for a fraction of the price. Here's a breakdown of which show is better at what:

COSTUME CHANGES!
Madonna: Lots of black. Lots of top hats. Lots of shorts. Also, there's whatever this is.

Of Montreal: Frontman Kevin Barnes dresses like a cardinal! Then, he's a minotaur! He's in a bikini bottom! He's wearing a giant fanny pack! He's covered in fake blood! He's smothered in whipped cream! He's dressed like Prince! Shall I continue?

Advantage: Of Montreal. Half the fun of a Madonna concert is seeing what she's decked out in, but her latest wardrobe is a far cry from the Gaultier-designed Blonde Ambition garb. Stick with Of Montreal's wild and outrageous "WTF ARE THEY WEARING?!?" appeal.
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By Joe DeShano

The last time I saw Madonna, I was in eighth grade and she was gyrating on a bed. Well, when her Sticky & Sweet Tour hit New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, the show was a little tamer — and by little, I mean a lot, but that doesn't mean there weren't a few surprises. Pharrell came out early in the show for "Beat Goes On" — of course, it's supposed to be Kanye West accompanying her for that song, but OK, I'll go with it.

Big stars like Madonna bring out the celebs not only onstage, but in the audience too: And there were Chris Rock and Kelly Ripa, front and center. Kelly seemed to enjoy the show a bit more than Chris, who looked like he was serving some kind of sentence just being there.
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For years, many of us at MTV News headquarters have been lamenting (OK, complaining ad nauseam) that the music community has been way too tame in protesting the sorry state of our world. Sure, acts like Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Green Day, the Dixie Chicks, Nas and Pearl Jam have released protest songs and said things from the stage that have either gotten them censored (Pearl Jam at the 2007 Lollapalooza), or, in the Chicks' case, hounded by their own fans.

But sometimes we wish we'd never said anything and instead just encouraged artists to stick to what they do best — making pretty songs and insisting we not look them in the eye when they pass us backstage. A few cases in point:

Madonna: The pop icon has been railing against Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain and his running mate almost nightly on her current Sticky & Sweet Tour. Read More...

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RobynFROM YOU R HERE: Swedish pop star Robyn is currently on tour in Europe, entertaining fans on Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour. Luckily for us, she's found time in her busy schedule to pick up a camera and show us around backstage and on the road.

Check out Robyn's backstage videos over on MTV's You R Here, and keep coming back for more as the tour rolls on …

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Congrats, Madonna, on making it to the half-century mark!

After all these years, Madge — who celebrates (?) her big 5-0 on Saturday — still knows a thing or two about getting her name in the headlines. In this summer alone, she's been reportedly getting a divorce, reportedly linked with New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and reportedly looking to adopt another baby from Africa.

She has denied all of the above — something she also knows a thing or two about, as MTV News' John Norris found out back in May. After her show in New York, she showed him that just because she's getting older doesn't mean she's not as fiery as ever (even if her memory may be showing a little age).

She very tersely corrected John for not accurately remembering a quote that her good friend Rupert Everett said to her about turning 50 — but after research on our part, it turns out that John was, in fact, correct.

But what's all that in comparison with all the great moments she's given us over the years?

There was the now-infamous 1984 VMA appearance, during which she rolled around on the stage, dressed in a wedding gown singing "Like a Virgin." Or there was the 1995 VMA incident when Madonna, while being interviewed by Kurt Loder, was accosted by Courtney Love, who threw a makeup compact at her to hustle in on the interview.

And then there was 2003, when Madonna kissed the heirs to her throne, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera — and then got the two of them to make out with each other.

For anyone who doesn't think Madonna's still got it, think again. She's proved over and over that there's nothing like the original. So here's to you, Madonna. Happy Birthday!

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· On Wednesday, cameras finally rolled on Britney Spears' video shoot for Madonna's tour. In the clip, Brit, clad in a gray hoodie, walks into an elevator and nervously paces as it begins its ascent. She then kicks and smacks the elevator walls, screams into the camera and pulls down her hood to yell, "It's Britney, bitch."

· Nobody here is trying to tell Amy Winehouse how to live her life. But does it really make sense for the troubled "Rehab" singer to be launching her own club night at London's Camden Monarch on Thursday (July 10)? Love the name, though: "Snakehips at the Monarch."

· Vanessa Hudgens has finally revealed who leaked those nude photos of her last year: "stupid people."

· Here's the rehearsal footage of the Flaming Lips practicing their cover of the Who's "Tommy" in preparation for Saturday's VH1 Rock Honors concert (airing July 17). All we can say is: fish-eye lens, lots of smoke, a strobing gong, alien helium vocals and some kind of silver tassel rah-rah drum stick being waved around by singer Wayne Coyne. Have we mentioned how much we love the Lips?

· After the free Bon Jovi All-Star Concert in Central Park on Saturday, Sheryl Crow, 3 Doors Down and Josh Groban are getting in on the musical action at the All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium on July 15.

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(by Sarah Muller)

Madonna

It's one thing to steal your sister's diary to see all her dirty secrets. It's another to write a tell-all book filled with dirty secrets for the entire world to read.

Madonna's baby brother, Christopher Ciccone, is now writing a juicy memoir about his famous sibling. An imprint of Simon & Schuster plans to release 350,000 copies of "Life With My Sister Madonna" in mid-July. Ciccone has been working alongside Wendy Leigh, who has written celeb bios on Liza Minnelli, Grace Kelly and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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If you happen to catch Madonna's worldwide Sticky & Sweet Tour this summer, pay careful attention to the Material Girl's onstage garb. That's because she may be wearing creations from the collective mind of Heatherette, the New York-based design duo who've helped the likes of Gwen Stefani, Pamela Anderson, Mya, Kelis, Pink and Paris Hilton look their best.

On May 23, at the "Dial 'M' for Madonna" exhibit at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery in Los Angeles, where more than 100 artists from around the globe showed off their Madonna-inspired work, MTV News caught up with Heatherette's Traver Rains and Richie Rich. They told us they've been approached by Madonna's camp about designing the outfits she'll be sporting when her tour kicks off August 23 in Cardiff, Wales. The trek picks up stateside on October 3 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Read More...

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madonnajt.jpgLast night Madonna played an intimate set and followed it up by chatting with our very own John Norris. MTV's Deanna Caligiuri reports on what went into setting up an interview worthy of the inimitable Ms. Ciccone.

Often when you work here, you will find yourself saying one of two things:

1) This is why I love my job.
2) What is this crazy circus that I have elected to be a part of to pay the bills?

Last night, I was saying both. We entered the Roseland Ballroom through the backdoors at around 9:30 p.m. to get set up for the Madonna promo concert — and our exclusive interview with Madonna and Justin Timberlake together.

Lines of fans — some there since Monday — huddled in anticipation around the block. As we beelined for our interview space, the typical frenzy that occurs backstage was in full effect: eccentric dancers stretching and running around half-naked, wardrobe people steaming clothes, makeup artists adding their final layers to talent, groups of socialites and socialite-wannabes gathering in the hallways. The room where we were to hold our interview was a makeshift office for Madonna's production manager. There were holes in the windows, overflowing garbage cans, an inch of dust on the fake plants and horribly mismatched tapestry on the walls.

Was MTV News able to pull the room together before Madonna's grand entrance? (Plus, pictures from the concert!) Read More...

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