Latest Artist News

[Luciano]

#1: Her biggest fear
Fear of bad reviews, fear of getting old, fear of slipping a disc on stage - these we could understand. What really gives Madonna the willies, however, is "brontophobia" - not a fear of the mighty brontosaurus, but a morbid fear of thunder.

#2: Record-breaking rudeness
During her 1994 appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, Madonna said "f**k" 13 times, asked Letterman to smell her underwear, accused him of being a "sick f**k" wearing a wig and refused to leave the set when her time was up. Behave!

#3: The celebrity relatives
Distant relatives of Madonna include Gwen Stefani (a far-removed cousin), Celine Dion (they share a French-Canadian ancestor) and Mark Wahlberg (who is intermittently rumoured to have brawled/had a fling with her).

#4: The cola catastrophe
In 1989 Madonna was paid $5 million to promote Pepsi cola. After her single Like A Prayer caused a storm of international controversy, the ad was pulled from circulation. It was only aired once.

#5: A certifiable genius?
Madonna is reported to have an IQ of 140. Whether this was measured by one of those dodgy Internet self-assessment quizzes or under the stern gaze of Mensa officials, we're yet to confirm.

#6: The siblings
Madonna has seven siblings: Martin (a struggling alcoholic and failed rapper; "MC Ciccone"), Anthony (a TV production assistant), Christopher (an interior designer and artist), Paula (a go-go dancer and singer), Melanie (a publicist for Brian Eno's Opal Records), Mario (Director Of Merchandising at Maverick Records) and Jennifer (a half-sister whose fate remains unknown). There have been various reports of Madonna cutting ties with her siblings over their refusal to follow the teachings of Kabbalah.

#7: Ice Ice baby
In 1992 Madonna and coiffed rapper Vanilla Ice enjoyed an eight month relationship, during which time she reportedly would phone him in the middle of the night and demand to know if he was with another woman.

#8: The film flops
Madonna's 1986 film, Shanghai Surprise, in which she starred alongside her then husband Sean Penn, cost $17 million to make but grossed a meagre $2 million. She is the only person to have received the Razzie Awards for Worst Actress (Swept Away), Worst Supporting Actress (Die Another Day) and Worst Screen Couple (Swept Away) in the same year.

#9: Dedication's what you need
Hung Up was a number one single in Iraq. And Lithuania. And Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Macedonia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and, needless to say, the United Kingdom. All of which earned it a place in the Guiness Book Of World Records.

#10: Read 'em and weep
Most people know all about Madonna's aspirations as a children's author, but who's actually read one of her books? Exactly. Skip the boring bits - here's all you need to know: The Adventures Of Abdi (moral: everything happens for a reason), The English Roses (moral: jealousy is bad), Lotsa De Casha (moral: money won't buy you happiness), Mr. Peabody's Apples (moral: gossip is evil) and Yakov And The Seven Thieves (moral: bad people can do good stuff).

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