Reuters News
London.
Madonna , who last hit the headlines sharing an open-mouthed kiss with Britney Spears at the MTV Awards, hosts a genteel English tea party Sunday to celebrate the launch of her first children’s book.
The pop superstar is the mother of reinvention who boasts more makeovers than David Bowie in an entertainment industry where fickle fans desert their idols in an instant.
The Material Girl last caused a publishing stir back in 1992 with “Sex,” an erotic coffee-table book with X-rated shots of her with singer Vanilla Ice and model Naomi Campbell.
Now, a decade later, enter mother-of-two “Mamma-Donna” for “champagne, tea and an afternoon of fun-filled entertainment” at the Kensington Roof Gardens in London for “The English Roses,” her children’s book being published in more than 100 countries and 30 languages on Monday.
More than one million copies of the lavishly illustrated tale are hitting bookshops around the globe and Madonna will be criss-crossing the Atlantic to keep the hype at fever pitch.
This is an icon fiercely determined that her star shall not wane after two decades at the summit of pop amassing a $200 million fortune.
She and rapper Missy Elliot are now heading a high-profile marketing campaign for the retailing giant Gap.
But critics really sharpened their knives with the release of her latest album “American Life” and the much-derided movie “Swept Away,” which she made with her film director husband Guy Ritchie. It went straight to video in Britain after bombing in the United States.
London theater critics also dubbed Madonna “Mechanical Girl” for her wooden performance in the play “Up for Grabs,” which was still a runaway box office success.
But the wily chameleon has not lost her touch, pulling stunts that guarantee global coverage.
She stole the show at the MTV Music Video Awards in New York where she joined Spears and Christina Aguilera to sing her great hit “Like A Virgin.” Then the flash bulbs exploded as Madonna and Spears kissed on the lips.
Now, less than a month later, here is the newly minted image of a demure 45-year-old mother penning bedtime reading for kids.
But Madonna is the first to admit she has surprised herself by bursting into print for children.
“While I’ve envisioned myself doing many things in this life, writing children’s books was never one of them,” said the woman once famed for her conical bras and condemned by the Vatican for her raunchy videos.
“However I am a mother of two children now and raising children makes us more responsible and more thoughtful about our own actions and their consequences for those around us.”
Source:Reuters