NEWS: Associated Press

Madonna defends altered Instagram pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela

Madonna’s cover for the album Rebel Heart is a close-up of her face with black string on it. Her posts show King and Mandela with similar string. 

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Madonna said she was not comparing herself to Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, but acknowledging that they were rebels.

By: Associated Press, Published on Sat Jan 03 2015

NEW YORK—Madonna is defending herself against criticism after she posted Instagram photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela that were altered to look like her own image on her new album.

Madonna’s cover for the album Rebel Heart is a close-up of her face with black string on it. Her social media posts show the faces of King and Mandela doctored to make it appear as though they have similar string on their faces. Some consider the posts offensive.

In a statement released late Friday night, Madonna said she was not comparing herself to them but acknowledging that they were rebels. She also said the images were fan-generated and defended herself against claims of racism, adding she also posted other famous faces who were not black.

Paparazzi...2014

The saying goes time flies when you're having fun. And it seemed the hours passed by unnoticed for Madonna, whose car was spotted being given a parking ticket by a warden as she left the Chiltern Firehouse on Saturday night.  The 55-year-old Grammy Award winning singer was seen leaving the popular London nightspot, with her chic black lace dress and click of bright red lipstick, Madonna ramped up the glamour on a night out in London on Saturday.  But despite leaving the club via a back exit, there was trouble in store for Madge when her driver received a parking ticket.

Earlier in the evening, the pop icon took to Instagram to share an extremely close-up shot of her face.  Referencing a line from her 1990 hit song Vogue, she included the message: 'What are you looking at!'

'Messiah'...is coming!

Madonna is back and jumping on social media to tease her fans with tidbits from her upcoming album.  She has been hard at work in the studio putting together her 13^th album and took to her Instagram account teasing what appears to be a new track, entitled “Messiah,” which we can presumably expect to see find its way onto the album.  In the first of two related posts, Madonna uploaded a pic of a page of sheet music with “Messiah” scrawled across the top. The photo is captioned with “Coming soon……..#promise #keep#sorceress#deep”

Three hours later, Madonna posted a video of an orchestra string section playing in a recording studio. She tagged the post, “Magic makes the people come together yaaaaaaaasssssssssss. #messiah”

With words like sorceress, magic and messiah being thrown around, it’s fair to say that this song is likely to have a mystical aspect to it. The tidbit we’re given of the strings section is very grandiose and evocative, which would fit nicely with the theme. Admittedly this is only one small segment we’ve been given and it hasn’t been mixed yet so who knows what the final sound will be like.

Madonna has some high profile collaborators on the new album. Along with hitting the studio with songwriter MoZella (of Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” fame), she has also been working with Avicii and British popstar Natalia Kills.

I’ve long been a fan of the “Material Girl.” What I have loved about her is her ability to reinvent herself time and time again as well as reinvent her sound and play around with the genre-de-rigueur of the day. I’m really excited to hear what kind of sound will result from her current collaborations and look forward to the release of the album. Here’s also hoping for another world tour.

"#get off of my dick haters!"

In recent years, Madonna‘s ‘controversial nature’ has leaned towards ‘altruistic’ territory- using her star power to defend the likes of Malala Yousafzai and Moscow’s ‘Pussy Riot.’

Unfortunately, in a move that some are already billing an attention-seeking ploy, the ‘Like a Prayer‘ performer has sparked controversy today, by using the ‘n word’ in a comment she left on Instagram minutes ago.

Why the digital community are up in arms this afternoon?  An unfortunate message below…

With a press release denying the icon is a racist and reinforcing her long-running ties to the African-American community imminent, we’re sure this foolish but conveniently timed remark will do very little to dent the icon’s public image.

That being said, there are many who find themselves repulsed by her decision to use ‘that word’, demanding answers we doubt anyone in her camp is currently prepared to answer.

So, let us know…

Madonna posts New Year's resolution

Madonna has shared her New Year's resolution with fans

The singer posted an image to her Instagram account today (January 1), teasing big plans for 2014.

Madonna accompanied the picture - which bore the slogan "Darling just f**king own it" - with the caption: "My New Years resolution! 2014. Is mine! Bring It! #artforfreedom"

"The Revolution of Love is on...Inshallah" -Madonna