The highest-grossing tour of 2012 and the second highest-grossing tour by a female artist, otherwise known as Madonna’s “MDNA Tour,” premiered tonight on Epix. The concert film was filmed mostly in Miami, Florida along with many other locations used for the final edit. This made for a great opportunity to create the best version of the show possible. And while the film, for the most part, lives up to that expectation, there are some inevitable imperfections. Such imperfections include a lack of continuity in some areas. During “Like a Virgin/Love Spent,” there’s a shot where Madonna had a tattoo that said “Eva” on her back, but the rest of the shots show that her tattoo said “Psyche.”
The edit did a great job at capturing the cinematic nature of the show. I was pleased to see the venue was indoors, as it added to the “theater” feel of the show. This was much more of a theatrical production. The show told a story and, at times, felt like you were watching a movie. I was particularly impressed with the visual gun shot effects used during “Gang Bang” as well as seeing “Like a Virgin/Love Spent” in black and white. The audience shots were great, too. One guy was dressed in the same Gaultier bustier that Madonna wore during “Vogue,” and another girl was dressed in a nun’s habit. This tour has earned a reputation as Madonna’s most controversial tour ever. From the violence to the nudity to the swastika, this tour had many memorable moments. It was so important that this film did the tour justice. And, after viewing the special twice, I can say that it definitely meets that challenge!
Archive for June, 2013
The Princess of Pop, Britney Spears, debuted her new song, “Ooh La La,” this morning on Ryan Seacrest’s KISS FM radio show. The track, featured in “The Smurfs 2” film, is a bright, happy, pop tune that resembles Madonna’s song, “Superstar” from her “MDNA” album. The song is a definite hit, filled with infectious melodies and a dub-step breakdown that hints at the sound of Spears’ 2011 album, “Femme Fatale.”
Madonna and Jennifer Lopez were just some of the big starts who came out for the “Chime For Change” benefit concert this weekend. The concert was spreading the importance of female education all around the world. Madonna gave a speech and introduced two brave women who help educate women in places where it is dangerous to do so.
Jennifer Lopez performed her hits “Live It Up,” “On The Floor,” and The Beatles classic “Come Together” with Mary J. Blige. The latter song was a highlight of her 22-minute set. Lopez sounded great, however, it would’ve been nice to hear Blige sing the song the way it was meant to be sung, rather than trying to impress the audience with her vocal ability. Whenever I see Jennifer performing live lately, I’m always pleasantly surprised. I always expect her to lip-sync and have pretty lackluster choreography. It seems to be what inevitably happens to entertainers who have been in the business for a while. However, Lopez defies my expectations every time and blows me away. This woman deserves so much respect for not only dancing her ass off, but singing live at the same time and sounding good doing it! She is one hell of an entertainer.
Pop Cultural Journalism 