Name: Billy
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Bio: As a die-hard Madonna fan for over 25 years, Billy Riegelmann is the webmaster of myMDNA.com. Always up for a chat session about Madonna, send him an email at billy@myMDNA.com or subscribe to him on Facebook.
Posts by Billy:
Review : The MDNA Tour Screening (Including Video from the Q & A)
June 19th, 2013Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of attending the MDNA Tour Screening at the Paris Theatre in New York.
The fans were let into the theatre at about 7:30 after many issues with the red carpet delayed entry to the venue. Once inside about twenty fans were given access to the first two rows of seats in the downstairs area. The rest were granted balcony tickets. When we made it to our seats, a representative from EPIX came by and handed out sheets of paper to certain fans with pre-approved questions for the Q & A which would take place after the film.
Between 7:30 and 8:30 the theatre filled up with many crew members, dancers, and random celebrities including Martha Stewart, Debi Mazar, and Anderson Cooper. Madonna posted a photo of herself in Marlene Dietrich inspired clothing and the room erupted in people talking about her photo. Within 10 minutes, Madonna was in the auditorium – greeted by tons of applause. She kissed a few friends and quickly took her seat. The movie began shortly afterwards.
The film starts with a montage of the dancers preparing for the show, getting into hair and makeup, while a graphic overlay of what resembles the moving blocks from Celebration fills the screen. The title MDNA appears and the show begins.
Without giving away too many spoilers, I will say that the film is unlike any Madonna concert DVD that has ever been produced. Fans will be happy to know that the sound mix is incredible. Madonna’s voice is strong, clear, and not overly processed. The sound in the movie theatre was amazing, and the mix has added several details that weren’t exactly noticeable in the live show.
What some fans may not like is that there is a very obvious lack of continuity from shot to shot. Shots of the shiny Party Rock pants in the transgression section are mixed with shots of the normal pants worn on all the other dates of the tour. Faces at the tip of the Triangle change from shot to shot. Clips from the Olympia show are very obvious when there is suddenly a catwalk jutting out. The “Prophecy” section of the show features Madonna’s different variations on her braided leather dress – sleeveless vs. with sleeves. Like a Prayer shows what looks like 30 different fans singing along with her – this however was BEAUTIFULLY done.
There are also some very surprising and unique moments. For the first time since The Virgin Tour, fans get tiny glimpses of what goes on backstage while Madonna and the dancers are changing between certain songs. It’s beautifully done and total treat to see. The Like a Virgin / Love Spent mashup is done completely in black and white and is so amazingly and uniquely edited words simply cannot describe it. Freeze frames and photos from various shows make up a large portion of the segment.
Fans will be very pleased to know that the editing is beautifully cinematic. There are very few of the choppy half second shots that define the Sticky and Sweet Tour DVD. There are stunning closeups, some of which last over 10 seconds. The sweeping cameras are amazing and provide amazing and unique shots. Hung up features footage from what seems to be a ceiling camera, providing angles that the audience never saw of the show. The colors were so brilliant and vibrant and didn’t have that overly saturated look that the previews for Give Me All Your Luvin had.
I could try and pick out highlights but literally every song had a unique and amazing quality to it. One fan was overheard leaving the theatre saying “I only saw the show twice, and this made me love it so much more. I noticed so many more details than I did seeing it live. Songs that I didn’t like I loved seeing in the movie.” I asked another fan later if they noticed the continuity issues and was told “not at all”. Maybe that’s my attention to details after seeing the show so many times.
Fans now only have to wait a few more days before making their own judgements. But overall the response of the film was exceptionally positive.
Once the film ended, a full drum corps came out into the theatre and played a crazy upbeat rhythm while the credits rolled. When they finished Madonna was introduced for the Q&A. She came out pointing at fans she recognized from the Golden Triangle and was very chatty with some. Madonna explained that her outfit was inspired by Marlene Dietrich was was at the ribbon cutting of the Paris Theatre.
She expressed that this premiere marked the end of the MDNA era. The first (pre-scripted) question asked was how she was able to do the tour every night. She said it was the hardest tour she’d ever done. “If you don’t leave a pound of flesh on the stage every night, you didn’t do your job”. She talked about the dancers workshops, working with her kids on the tour, her sense of style, and more. When asked about her workout routine during the tour – “I did the show every fucking night!” After about 10 minutes of questions, the last question – what is your next project – was met with a teaser trailer of the SECRETPROJECT. With that, Madonna was off the stage and gone!
Video courtesy of Boyculture.com
Madonna MDNA Workshop Behind the Scenes Footage
June 16th, 2013In preparation for Madonna’s MDNA Tour’s TV debut on EPIX on Saturday night, the channel has posted an amazing clip of the MDNA Tour workshop, a look into the making of the tour.
40 dancers, 6 days, 18 make it! Leading up to the world premiere of Madonna: The MDNA Tour, we’re bringing you 3 exclusive clips that give you an inside look at the dancer auditions for the tour.
In this first clip, breakdancing meets arcobatics as Madonna and her dancers have some fun learning to slackline.
Check it out below!
Win Tickets to the MDNA Premiere screening from EPIX
June 14th, 2013EPIX is holding a Twitter contest that will give away a pair of tickets to the NYC premiere of the MDNA Tour.
To enter, head over to their Twitter account : https://twitter.com/epixhd and retweet their tweet that says
Follow
@EpixHD & RT this for a chance to win two tickets to the NYC premiere of#Madonna: The#MDNA Tour. RULES: http://epx.ms/14stzg8
This contest is open exclusively to residents of NY, NJ, and CT.
Watch : Girl Gone Wild from the MDNA Tour DVD
June 12th, 2013EPIX has posted its latest teaser! A clip from Girl Gone Wild from the MDNA Tour DVD!
Check it out!
Update: After a slew of negative comments surrounding the editing of the clip, EPIX made this statement on the video’s YouTube page:
Hi all – We love the comments and just want to let you know that this clip is NOT from the final edit. We wanted to give you a sneak peek before the show is completed. We hope you enjoy and don’t forget to join us on 6/22 for the premiere on EPIX!
Audition For A Chance To Work Out With Madonna
June 12th, 2013To celebrate the Broadcast Premiere of the MDNA Tour on June 22, Premium TV network EPIX and Madonna have teamed up to provide an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for dancers, performers and workout enthusiasts to personally dance and train with the queen herself!
Led by Madonna’s personal trainer and fitness experts from the Hard Candy Fitness team, an open call will be held on Wednesday, June 19 at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Anyone can enter; but only 500 will be invited to audition. Hopeful participants can register online at http://www.epixhd.com/MDNAworkout beginning Wednesday, June 12, through Sunday, June 16 at 12noon EDT.
Chosen participants will audition for the Hard Candy Fitness team, who will whittle the group down to the top 50. This group will perform for Nicole Winhoffer for a chance to earn one of the coveted spots in the final group. On Thursday, June 20, the select 30 fitness and dance enthusiasts who remain will learn Madonna’s exclusive dance-inspired “Addicted to Sweat” training routine, that she used to get MDNA ready, and later that day perform it with Madonna!
Ready to sweat? Here you go!
To learn more about Addicted to Sweat and Hard Candy Fitness, please visit
www.hardcandyfitness.com
www.addictedtosweatdvd.com
Madonna posts contest for MDNA Tour NYC Premiere Tickets
June 11th, 2013From Madonna.com:
We’ve all shared unforgettable memories with fellow fan friends while attending Madonna’s MDNA Tour. Why not ask for your friends to help give you a chance to be part of another incredible Madonna event?
Madonna and Epix are happy to give away tickets to the world premiere screening of the MDNA Tour, which will take place in NY on June 18. Wanna be part of it?
- Post a picture of you and your friend(s) to your Facebook, e-mail us a link to it along with your full name, mailing address and phone number at madonnacontests@gmail.com before 6pm EST on June 14 and encourage your Facebook friends to “like” it.
- After 6pm EST on June 14, we will randomly pick winners out of all of the photos that received at least 50 “Likes”, each of them winning a pair of tickets to the premiere.Have fun and get ready for your extra dose of MDNA!
Remember to set your photos to PUBLIC so that Madonna’s team can see your links!
The MDNA Tour NYC Premiere will be on June 18
June 10th, 2013The World Premiere screening of MADONNA: THE MDNA TOUR will be on Tuesday, June 18th at 8pm in NYC, plus a special Q&A with Madonna, the Queen herself immediately following the film.
Enter at z100.com to win tickets!
Thanks to Wendy for the heads up!
Siedah Garrett Dishes on Re-Invention Tour Drama
June 10th, 2013Madonna fans will remember the name Siedah Garrett as the backup singer who replaced Niki Haris on Madonna’s 2004 Re-Invention Tour. While only with Madonna for this one tour, she made a lasting impression appearing in the documentary “I’m Going to Tell You a Secret”, and singing on Like a Prayer.
Siedah has started a kickstarter campaign to support her upcoming one-waman show “Siedah Garret: Behind the Man in the Mirror” and has been posting rehearsal clips on her YouTube Channel. In her most recent clip, Siedah dishes on some of the backstage drama that surrounded her solo in Like a Prayer. Watch the clip below!
You can support Siedah’s kickstarter campaign and earn fun rewards by visiting http://kck.st/11zafKs.
New MDNA Photoshoot + More Outtakes
June 10th, 2013Some great outtakes from Madonna’s most recents photoshoots have started leaking online. Preview them below:
EPIX is letting you be MDNA for a day
June 10th, 2013EPIX has just launched an amazing sweepstakes that lets you be MDNA for a day!
Enter our MDNA For A Day sweepstakes and you could win a trip for 2 to New York City, including airfare & luxury hotel accommodations. Plus, you’ll experience the ultimate MDNA treatment with a private Hard Candy Fitness session, Addicted To Sweat DVD set, an ultra glam makeover and $1,000 to wine, dine and shop your way through the Big Apple.
(3) runners-up will receive a swag bag full of must haves from Madonna’s MDNA World Tour, as well as a 6-month subscription to EPIX.
To enter, visit http://epx.ms/14sfYW0
EPIX has also informed us that they will be posting daily updates of teasers, photos, and other exciting goodies on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
Also, if you haven’t seen our page about how you can watch the MDNA Tour live on EPIX on June 22 using you cable or mobile devices, check out this link —> How can you see the MDNA Tour on June 22?
