Russian official targets Madonna with crude tweet

A senior ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin used an obscene Twitter post to attack Madonna after the pop star called for the release of three women who face prison over an irreverent performance in Moscow's main cathedral.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, a nationalist politician and former envoy to NATO, posted the tweet on Friday after Madonna told a Moscow concert audience the jailed members of punk band Pussy Riot were "courageous" and deserved to be free.

"Every ex-wh*re tends to lecture everybody with age. Especially during world tours and concerts," Rogozin, who now leads Russia's drive to upgrade the army and defence industry, wrote in a tweet in English.

The microblog posting was a crudely worded echo of frequent warnings by Russian officials that Moscow will not accept Western "preaching" on human rights and democracy, a message Putin has repeatedly delivered during 12 years in power.

Madonna, who is American, donned a balaclava like those worn by Pussy Riot performers during her concert in Moscow on Tuesday night and was cheered loudly when she offered her support.

Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, stormed the altar of Russia's main cathedral on February 21 and sang a "punk prayer" calling on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin, who was then campaigning to return to the presidency after four years as prime minister.

Prosecutors want a judge to sentence them to three years in prison for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

They have been in jail since shortly after their performance, which offended many in mostly Orthodox Christian Russia, and Kremlin critics see their trial as part of a crackdown on dissent as Putin starts a new six-year term.

The women have said the performance was meant as criticism of close ties between Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church and the clear if informal support its leader, Patriarch Kirill, gave Putin during his successful election campaign.

Excessive reaction?

Western governments and rights groups have said the govermnent's reaction to the "punk prayer" was excessive and are watching the trial closely. The judge is to give a verdict on August 17.

Rogozin, who some analysts view as a potential presidential candidate in the next election in 2018, did not mention Madonna by name in the English tweet on Friday or a Russian one on Wednesday.

But few Internet users had any doubt that he was referring to Madonna, who also spoke out in support of gay rights at a concert in St. Petersburg, Putin's home town, on Thursday night.

"She spoke about freedom, it is the state bureaucrats who are lecturing us every day on all the state channels," a Twitter user called Alexander Oleinik wrote in response to Rogozin's posting in Russian.

"Either take off the cross or put on your panties," Rogozin replied. His spokeswoman confirmed the messages were genuine.

Rogozin, former leader of the nationalist political party Rodina (Motherland), also wrote ironic messages about Pussy Riot, likening their supporters to a religious sect.

Rogozin was appointed deputy prime minister late last year as part of then prime minister Putin's drive to appeal to moderate nationalists.

He is known for his sharply worded criticism of the West and in particular of US and NATO plans for a European missile shield that Moscow calls a threat to its security.

On Friday, a group of Russian Orthodox hardliners burned Madonna's picture outside Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral, where Pussy Riot staged its punk protest. Source:http://tvnz.co.nz

Madonna airs 1944 Warsaw Uprising clip amid concert row

WARSAW: US pop star Madonna aired a World War II-era newsreel on the 1944 anti-Nazi Warsaw Uprising at the top of her Wednesday gig in the city marking the day 68 years ago when the bloody insurrection was launched.

Thousands of fans applauded the two-and-a-half minute long film which ran as the concert got underway with nearly an hour's delay, the Polish PAP news agency reported.

Warsaw city hall requested the singer air the clip in the wake of an online petition against her concert by a group of young Catholics furious it would coincide with the Polish capital's annual World War II commemoration of the doomed uprising against the city's Nazi's occupiers.

As of Wednesday, the petition had gathered 54,000 supporters for the "Material Girl's" concert to be called off out of respect for the estimated 200,000 people who died in the 63-day uprising by Polish partisans.

Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler ordered the deportation of the half-a-million residents who survived before his forces systematically bombarded the city leaving it as little more than a smouldering heap of rubble.

"August 1 is a day of remembrance in Poland. We pay our respects to those who survived and those who perished in the uprising. We won't allow the desecration of our hallowed symbols," reads the Internet petition launched by a group calling itself the Youth Crusade.

Warsaw ground to a halt Wednesday at 5 pm (1500 GMT) and sirens wailed as residents stood still to observe the annual minute's silence across the capital remembering the loss of life in the largest single rebellion against Nazi Germany during WWII.

The Youth Crusade also slammed the 53-year-old Queen of Pop's on-stage antics as "attacking the Catholic faith... offending Jesus Christ by burning crosses and wearing a crown of thorns" as well as promoting homosexuality and pornography.

Warsaw Archbishop Henryk Hoser urged residents to pray against what he termed Madonna's "blasphemous concert". Poland remains one of Europe's most devoutly Roman Catholic countries.

Madonna's ongoing "MDNA" world tour has been been marked with her trademark brand of controversy.

The pop diva outraged fans in France who had paid more than 250 euros (300 dollars) per ticket by quitting the stage in Paris after barely 45 minutes on July 26.

France's far right National Front has taken legal action against her for screening a video showing its leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead during an earlier concert in Paris.

The video was also shown at a Tel Aviv gig in May kicking off the tour, covering about 30 countries and wrapping up in Australia in 2013. (AFP)

Blood, guts and guns as Madonna kicks off world tour

TEL AVIV: Dark Catholic imagery was spliced with blood, guts and guns as Madonna burst onto the stage at Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan stadium late on Thursday to kick off her hotly-anticipated MDNA world tour of some 30 countries.

The portentous tolling of a church bell opens the first set with bare-chested monks in burgundy robes swinging a giant golden censer in front of a giant red cross.

A plainchant melody turns into a Hebrew prayer as monks rise out of the floor, mixing Jewish and Catholic imagery as the Material Girl rises in silhoutte, shattering the backscreen as she launches into "Girl Gone Wild."

Guns feature heavily in the next two numbers, "Revolver" and "Gang Bang" with the Queen of Pop and her dancers repeatedly 'firing' into the audience with a variety of guns, as huge images of empty bullet casings fall to the ground.

"Bang bang, shot you dead, shot my lover in the head," she sings as brains splat onto the back screen behind her in a number which ends with her shooting down one of the dancers and flinging the gun onto the floor.

This time, it appears as a cage-like bustier over a white shirt complete with black tie and trousers: office-wear -- Madonna style.

In between sets, she addresses the audience, urging Israelis to end the conflict and seek peace.

"I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason," she said, to wild applause and cheering.

"You can't be a fan of mine and not want peace in the world," she said. "We all bleed the same colour."

"If we can all rise above our egos and our titles and the names of our countries and our religions, and treat everyone around us with dignity and respect, then we are on the road to peace.

"If there is peace here in the Middle East, there can be peace in the whole world."

Excited fans were already pouring through the gates when they opened some four hours before the 9:45 pm (1845 GMT) start, with all 32,000 tickets sold out.

Turning heads at one of the main entrances was 41-year-old Cocoa Chandelier. Six-feet tall -- "without the heels" -- and with a bouffant easily adding another foot, she said she had never missed a single of Madonna's concerts.

"It's quite appropriate that it's starting here in Israel. She has adopted this culture and religion," Chandelier told AFP, dressed in copious quantities of fluorescent plastic beads and earrings to match.

"That's why we've come all the way from Hawaii -- to support her."

Israeli fan Carmit Zindani, 32, beamed: "There is simply nothing bigger than Madonna starting her world tour here in the Holy Land. She is one of us."

"She's a real queen, this is very exciting," said Roma Ryabchikov, a 26-year-old lawyer who flew in specially from Moscow.

The eye-popping extravaganza marked the start of the 53-year-old Queen of Pop's ninth world tour and her first since her "Sticky and Sweet" outing in 2008/2009.

From Israel, she is to move on to Abu Dhabi and then to Europe and the Americas before ending in early 2013 in Australia, where she has not performed in more than 20 years.

Kicking off her latest tour in Israel was a natural choice for the Catholic-born singer, who over the past decade has become deeply involved in the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah.

Since then, she has been back to the Jewish state several times, on both public and private visits, last performing here in 2009.

Officials said her two older children -- 15-year-old Lourdes, and 12-year-old Rocco -- would also take part in the show.

"This show is epic and bigger than anything she's done before. There are many more costume changes. We're taking 700 shoes on the road," her costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips told the WWD website.

"Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer," she said.

Although all 32,000 tickets were completely sold out, a day ahead of the performance, the diminutive diva briefly met with members of the Palestinian Israeli Peace NGO Forum and handed them 600 tickets.

Since she arrived in Israel late on Friday on an El Al flight from New York, Madonna has reportedly spent much of time rehearsing, praying or attending Kabbalah events.

Her partner Brahim Zaibat, a French-Algerian model in his 20s, also flew in with her, as did her four children, Lourdes, Rocco, David and Mercy, with pictures of them enjoying the beach splashed across the newspapers.

More than 4,000 fans have flown into Israel to attend the concert, with each paying from $62 (50 euros) for a ticket up to $620 for a VIP package.

The Tel Aviv show is reported to have cost $3.9 million (3.1 million euros).

As for the outfits, Madonna has signed up a list of designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, Fausto Puglisi and J Brand.

She was also due to wear Prada and Miu Miu shoes, as well as footwear and lingerie from her Truth or Dare line. (AFP)