I am decidedly depressed by the news that Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears are both slated to appear during tonight’s Los Angeles stop on Madonna’s "Sticky & Sweet" tour.
I know, I know…back in March, I blogged about how, for the first time in Madge’s career, I was unexcited about one of her album releases. After all, Madonna’s always been at her best when she’s latched on to a slightly underground trend, co-opted it as her own, and foisted it onto an unsuspecting mainstream audience (think: vogueing, electronica, Mirwais). Madonna’s sudden reliance on Timberlake, Timbaland, and Kanye West to make 2008’s Hard Candy a sales success was tantamount to her nervously carrying her lunch tray into the pop-culture cafeteria and trying to score a seat with the cool kids when, really, she should’ve been sitting down at an empty table and confidently forming her own damn posse. And sure enough, seven months after its release, Hard Candy is barely on my radar, except for those occasions when the admittedly excellent "Beat Goes On" pops up on my cardio playlist.
Which makes tonight’s recruitment of Spears even more distressing. Madonna and Britney’s previous collaborations — the faux-lesbian smooch on MTV, the abhorrent "Me Against the Music" — did little to boost either singer’s fortunes. And (hello!) why would you think that fans shelling out hundreds of bucks for a ticket would be excited to have a notorious lip-syncher added to the bill?
What think you, PopWatchers? Am I crazy for expecting Madge to still be setting trends at this stage of her career? And if she really has reached the "follow the leader" stage of her career, could it be time for her to (blasphemy alert) follow Celine Dion and Cher’s leads, and get herself a residency in Vegas? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
More on Madonna:
Is anyone else unexpectedly unexcited about the new Madonna CD?
EW.com’s "All About Madonna" page
Madonna’s politically charged tour video: Is it any good?
Music Review: Madonna’s ‘Hard Candy’
Madonna’s 10 Most Underrated Songs
Comments (1-30) of 145 Add your comment
Slezak, I could not agree with you more. As a lifelong Madonna fan, this Hard Candy phase has far from impressed me. Other than “She’s not Me” the songs are forgettable.
Now I think Britney may be the one slumming here as Blackout was a far better record than HC.
I agree with everything you said on the Madonna front, but I think to many the real story here to many people may be Britney + Justin = ? They are rumored to duet soon, which I think should be terrible. If Justin’s dynamic voice made Madonna’s sound dead on “4 Minutes,” what is it gonna do to Britney’s?
i wish i was there. i, for one, love hard candy and i dont see her wanting to work with known people and “share the wealth” to be a problem.
Wow, can your disdain for anythin Britney be any more promoted? First of all, if you check out other blogs, many, many, many people are interested in having Britney at the show tonight. I’ll give you a second to check that out…
Ok, and second of all, it’s obvious that Justin+Britney is the big deal here.
Your refusal to admit anything positive to Britney (while HEAPING on unconditional glory to Beyonce, sorry, Sasha Fierce) is getting a little bit grating.
i agree 100%. but, that doesn’t mean i won’t be looking for the youtube video tomorrow morning.
If the sole purpose of this is to get people interested/talking/gossiping about her then mission accomplished – actually since it’s Madonna ‘fait accompli” would be more accurate.
Madonna’s a legend, however, Justin and Britney are the here and now. Madonna’s a smart lady and she knows what she needs to do to keep herself in the spotlight. Love her or hate her, lets face it, anything Britney is a huge deal these days. She had the #1 single just a week or two ago, shes a ratings powerhouse… shes young. It’ll be great to have the Queen of pop along wiht the Prince and Princess on one stage. Just wish they’d air it on tv
I’ve always thought that Hard Candy was just a throwaway album. She wanted to do a very mainstream american album then get on with her career with Live Nation.
I completely disagree and by the way Michael I need you to give your Gay Card back or at least snip off the corners for talking trash about Madge and Brit.
I agree only when you said she went with Timbaland and Timberlake looking for radio success. But we are talking about the queen, the princess (say whatever you want, Blackout sold more copies than Hard Candy with only 1 performance that turned out to be a “failure” and even when she gets trashed she still has success on the charts because of her music, not her persona) and the prince… it’s pop royalty with the same audience, it’s pretty logic to me,
i’m confused: when bjork and MIA collaborate with timbaland or when Gwen works with Pharell its art… when Madonna does its desperate. Yes, agreed: she usually makes producers, producers don’t make her. But when she worked with Stuart Price media asked “why not work with the hitmakers of the US urban market”. Give her a freakin’ break. The album (and the tour) is top notch. She has done more for the music scene than most, she deserves the benefit of the doubt.
I am 31 years old. I have been a fan of Madonna since Like A Virgen days. I have seen all of her concerts around the world, from Blond ambition to Confessions. I have all of her albums and obviously admire the Pop Star. I am a professional dancer and work in the show bus industry. I completely agreet with this story. I am extremely disapointed to know that I will have to watch Britney Spears…??!!! AND Justin Timberlake!!!???!!! WTF? I thought I was going to see Madonna. I have 0 interest in Britney or Justin who are pop starts for little teenager girls and boys…PLEASE I could only wish this is a sad joke. Next time I will def have to think twice before spending my money on Madonna, as much as I admire her, this is not ok. If I knew these two were part of the deal I honestly would have passed this concert. Who will she bring on next? Christina Aguilera or New Kids on the Block…? No perhaps NSync… If she were to bring an artist on for the very least I would expect someone like Bono from U2 or else don’t waste my time.
I just noticed as I scrolled through the popwatch blog on Madonna how many times Michael Slezak and the rest ask the same question: “Does anyone care about Madoona, the director?, Madonna/Warner divorce?, new Madonna album?, Madonna tour video about McCain?
For people who don’t care, you guys really spend a lot o time talking about her.
Madonna does not need the additions because the show stands on its own just fine. Personally I love her trend to hard rock – even heavy metal style. She’s now like a video game heroine in Unreal Tournament.
Yikes.
I’ve loved Madonna since I was a little girl and consider her whole, historic career fascinating. I like ‘Hard Candy’- I consider it a good, fun dance album that she put out before she moved to Live Nation. Believe me, Britney and even Justin in no way compare to M, but I do like a lot of their music. It’s also fun pop. I’ll be seeing ‘Sticky & Sweet’ in Miami, but would kill for a chance to be at this show. I think it will be fun as hell! Just like how Pharrell showed up at the Garden. I think it just adds to the excitement of an already exhilarating Madonna concert. But you are right, M needs to tell Brit she better not lip-synch! She should at least try to keep up with Madonna, lol.
Sorry but why are you posting on something that hasn’t even happened yet? She’s going to perform with those other singers and we don’t even know yet what will happen, etc. Okay, So I agree with what you said about the producer thing, but then again, like someone mentioned before, when Bjork and others collaborate with them it’s considered really cool and art, but when Madonna does it, it’s desperate? It doesn’t make sense. I really like a few songs on her latest album but mostly because of the way she performs it on her sticky and sweet tour. She’s THE performer and only few can match up with her, she may not be the greatest singer (even though that’s because she chooses to dance, put on a theater each time and that eats up her energy for her voice) but she’s THE performer. because of her performances, I really fall in love with her songs, she puts SO MUCH power in them, it’s unbelievable! Britney and Justin will take away some of the energy tho, shes her best at her own!
OK people, start hatin’. It’s just possible Madge did Hard Candy, and this dreadful tour to pay for her divorce. My sources tell me she has been planning this divorce for the last year and a half, starting with the african adoption. She is culling a nest egg with which to ‘buyoff’ Guy, and get her back to NY with sympathy, and her kids! I don’t care about this phase in her musical career, I hope she will grow out of this ‘cougar phase’ and get on with setting up shop in Las Vegas. She needs to disappear for a couple of years, and come back with a killer stage show at either Ceasers’ or MGM Grand, and blow the f&*#ing roof off the place. She’s not too old to be relevant, it’s just that her latest song and dance routine is TIRED!!!!…..and expected
i-logic, you must be a dork or a geek to say that. Please ban him from further arrogance.
Really, people are making a huge deal about having Britney an Justin on the tour, but I saw it in East Rutherford, and it is very low-key. I didn’t even realize that Britney was there until after her part of finished, and the only part which Justin appears is in 4 Minutes, as can be expected since the song IS a duet, ahah. It really is a great show.
I have been a big Madge fan since the 80’s. I’ll be there tonight, right down by the runway. I really don’t care if she rolls out Flava’ Flav doing the hoopty dance, I still can’t wait to see her. Still, I wish I had been able to go to her last tour. I think that’s the Madonna everyone wants to see.
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I think it’s ridick for anybody to think Madonna ‘needed’ britney and timbaland and justin to be on her album. IT IS AN HONOR for them and a boost to their careers that Madonna would ask them to be on her album.
Hard Candy is actually really good.
I think it’s cool
Madonna has borrowed and begged from some of the pooserst and richest people in the business. I used to call madonabbana on her board and she remixed and abba song. I made a play for Stephanie Grimaldi, she went for Ingrid. She’s been hooking herdelf into my e-mails and other and I ant te mony sheowes m for directin and for total disregar tomy right to privacy. Plus an admitace as to how much damage her board did world wise which inluded some very bad languge from her. INDEPENDENCE FOR SCOTLAND. JUSTICE FOR SUSAN AGAINST YOUR STUPID FRIENDS.
I’m really hoping Entertainment Weekly’s anti-Britney train is running out of stops, I simply do not understand PopWatch’s passion for bashing her, especially Michael Slezak. Mariah was supported when she made her successful comeback, did Britney personally offend Slezak by missing an interview years ago or something? It’s quite strange, and getting to be utterly boring. Hopefully Fergie has a new song in the works so he can write something that he’s remotely interested in sometime soon.
I just saw Madonna on Sunday in Oakland. As usual, it was a great show and was very entertaining. However, adding Britney (why, really, what does she have to offer Madonna?) and Justin just takes away from the main attraction: Madonna. “4 minutes” was performed well with big screens of Justin and that was fine; he didn’t need to be there. I didn’t understand why Madonna included the “it’s Britney, b**ch” video as part of her tour, but that’s all the Britney anyone needs to see at a Madonna concert. I hope it’s good for the people shelling out the big bucks to see it, nonetheless.
Slezak, please stop with the “I’m a Madonna fan, but…” pieces. You (and EW) have made more crabby comments about Madonna than I care to count. You make fun of the Hard Candy album even though it was a lot of fun and highly enjoyable. You’re in a tizzy over the concert which is a terrific show (I saw it on Tuesday). Madonna has always collaborated with others; what’s the big deal? Just go back to starhumping Mariah Carey and leave Madonna alone.
Madonna is simply an amazing performer and if she has the chance to add other star performers into her show… all the better! The show is awesome without them, but I think it’s just added fun to include them. Go Madge!! Love the new album.
i have been a loyal EW reader since 1990… and ever since the Erotica era, they have bashed Madonna and not given her the credit she deserved during Ray of Light, Music, Confessions and all her amazing shows…. I just don’t get it but I still read the magazine. I just wish they would either be objective in their coverage of M or stop writing about her altogether.
I love Madonna but I didn’t really like Hard Candy. If she was gonna do more dancey stuff she should have just stuck to the fantastic dance/electronica style she did on Confessions. But she shouldn’t just retire to doing Vegas shows just because she had one mediocre album (especially since many fans considered it to be much better then mediocre). Madonna takes risks and sometimes she suceeds and sometimes she fails! And I’m sure her shows are still fantastic regardless!! And I think cameos from Brit and Justin are a good idea!!