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Topic: American Life (Read 280 times)

Tinkerbell
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American Life
« on: Mar 31^st, 2003, 9:03am »

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MADONNA VIDEO ENDS WITH IMAGE OF PRESIDENT BUSH WITH GRENADE IN HIS LAP

A final shock scene in the video of AOLTIMEWARNER recording artist Madonna's upcoming release -- is that of the singer throwing a grenade in the lap of President Bush!

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"It is not me being anti-Bush, it's me being ironic and tongue in cheek," Madonna explains to NBC's ACCESS HOLLYWOOD this weekend.

"My kind of wish for peace and my desire to sort of turn a weapon of destruction, which is a grenade, into something that is completely innocuous."

Madonna uses a Bush look-alike in the final scene of AMERICAN LIFE. The "president" picks up the lit grenade that Madonna throws -- and lights his cigar with it!

The image is "my wish to find an alternative to violence to war and destruction," the singer says.

Last month the DRUDGE REPORT first revealed how Madonna was hoping to cause maximum controversy with the new video.

AMERICAN LIFE will make its debut late next week.

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Tinkerbell
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Re: American Life
« Reply #1 on: Mar 31^st, 2003, 9:05am »

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Madonna Edits Controversial 'American Life' Video
03.28.2003 7:54 PM EST

Madonna
Photo: MTV News
"Do I have the solutions? No. Do I have the answers? No. I'm just completely freaked out by what's going on there like everybody else." — Madonna

Sometimes art imitates life, and other times art is changed by life.

In light of the war in Iraq, Madonna has made some last-minute edits to her upcoming video for "American Life."

"We have our dream version, but it's not the right time for it," she said Thursday. "We've been planning the video for months and months and months, and we didn't know everything that was going to be happening in the world [when we first did it]."

Director Jonas Akerlund shot the video with Madonna in Los Angeles the first week of February (see "Madonna Defends Her Violent 'American Life' Video"). While the clip was always supposed to feature Madonna and overweight dancers in military fatigues creating chaos at a fashion show, and while Madonna was always supposed to toss a grenade at the end, there were several endings filmed.

"It turned into a [short] film," she said. "The original version was like 10 minutes long. We had lots of stops in the music and lots of car chases and conversations with people, and it kept going on in the end. And we realized we were getting a little carried away. So we had to edit it for time. Then we had to get rid of all the 'F' words."

The biggest challenge for Madonna was reshaping the video in a way that was entertaining, thought provoking and didn't compromise her artistic integrity. Many have interpreted the video to be an angry protest of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but that's not exactly the case. Madonna considers herself a pacifist, but like many Americans she's conflicted about U.S. military action in Iraq.

"Saddam Hussein is a guy we just want to get rid of," she explained. "So there's a part of the video where I'm carving 'Protect me' into the wall, and you could almost feel like I want to go there and kick some ass and protect all those beautiful children and innocent families and people that have been tortured for years. But do I have the solutions? No. Do I have the answers? No. I'm just completely freaked out by what's going on there like everybody else."

There are three points Madonna hopes to make with the video for "American Life." The first and most obvious is that regardless of whether or not she supports Bush, war is a cosmic bummer.

"War is a manifestation of everybody," she said. "We have our personal karma and we have a global karma. So for me, it's about trying to get a message out that if we want peace and love in our life, then we have to make it happen in the world.

"The ending of the video is really important," she continued. "I throw this hand grenade. ... But it gets caught. And the one who catches it takes something that could be violent and destructive and takes the destruction out of it by turning it into something else. That's my hope for an alternative, not only to this war, but all wars. Also, I hope that I've also gotten across [the idea that] the soldiers that have gone over there are flesh and blood. They're real people, and my heart goes out to them, and I want them to all come back in one piece."

The second idea the former Material Girl wanted to express is that materialism is superficial.

"We chose the setting of a fashion show because that's the epitome of superficiality. They're not trying to be anything except 'Let's celebrate the surface.' Fashion is fun, and I respect that, but at the end of the day people take that stuff a little too seriously. So it is easy to poke fun at that, especially when you juxtapose it against the real things that are happening in the world.

"No matter how many distractions we put up for ourselves, whether it's a fashion show or reality TV shows or a hot contest, what's happening in the world is still going on, and the ugliness and the chaos and the pain and the suffering is immense. So it's a statement about our obsession with the world of illusion."

Such commentary may seem absurd coming from someone who was once the biggest icon of pop culture, but Madonna said she's learned some valuable lessons over the course of her career.

"I fought for so many things," she said. "I tried so hard to be number one, stay on top, look good — to be the best. And now I realize that a lot of the things that last and the things that matter are none of those things."

Madonna intentionally chose chubby dancers for "American Life" because she wanted to show that conventional ideas of beauty are flawed and even damaging.

"The girls I used are big, real, voluptuous girls, and they're beautiful," she said. "I wanted to explore that taboo as well, because you don't know people that have fat rolls as attractive. You just don't see that, and that was important to me. There are people going, 'Will you love me more if I'm thin? Should I remodel myself for your approval?' "

"That's so crazy. I have fat rolls. When I first started out, everyone was like, 'Wow, she's chubby. That's cool.' And then I started getting really into working out, and there were a lot of people that were bummed out because I think I was a role model for chubby girls. And now I'm a role model for chubby girls again. I've gone back to my roots."

—Jon Wiederhorn, with additional reporting by Jo

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luci
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Re: American Life
« Reply #2 on: Mar 31^st, 2003, 9:41am »

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Madonna, or whoever you really are! You're an embarrassment to our country, you and others in your field of entertainment. Too bad you couldn't come up with a more unique way of ending you video. You missed the mark, Madonna, the grenade should be in YOUR lap!

SHAME IN YOU, SHAME ON YOU, SHAME ON YOU, NO DOUBT YOU'LL NEVER SEE THIS BUT I SURE WISH YOU WOULD!

PRAY, we are never on the same flight!!! :punch:

« Last Edit: Mar 31^st, 2003, 10:49am by luci »

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Re: American Life
« Reply #3 on: Apr 1^st, 2003, 8:55am »

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Madonna pulls violent anti-war video
Tuesday, April 1, 2003 Posted: 9:37 AM EST (1437 GMT)

LONDON, England (AP) -- Madonna has decided to withdraw the violent, anti-war video for her new single "American Life" out of respect for the troops fighting in Iraq.

In a statement posted on her Web site Monday, the singer said the video was filmed before the war started and was not appropriate to air at this time.

"Due to the volatile state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect to the armed forces, who I support and pray for, I do not want to risk offending anyone who might misinterpret the meaning of this video," Madonna said.

The video for the title track of a new album shows Madonna wearing military garb next to dancers in camouflage on a fashion runway. At one point, a grenade is thrown in the direction of a lookalike of President Bush. Scenes are intercut with images of war.

The video also shows Madonna trapped in a bathroom stall, where she uses a knife to carve "protect me" on the wall.

Warner Bros. Records will be releasing Madonna's new album April 22. The video was scheduled to premiere on VH-1 on Friday. The single "American Life" has just been released to radio.

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david
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Re: American Life
« Reply #4 on: Apr 1^st, 2003, 9:41am »

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I said it before I will say it again people like madonna, dixie chicks, Martin Sheen etc should just shut up! Most of the time thier education is barely High School where the people they blast double if not triple thier education. Before you open your mouth make sure you know what your talking about. The backlash seems to hurt them more than help them anyhow many country stations didnt play Dixie Chick songs shortly after thier very Unamerican statement! The place to make change is not in front of a mic or camera (that most of us dont have access to) it in the voting booth! Our right to vote grants us the abilty to vhange what we dont like! By the way (the above mentioned) 76% of the American public support oput troops and what we are trying to do for the Iragi people!

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MzWings
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Re: American Life
« Reply #5 on: Apr 1^st, 2003, 10:19am »

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I'm recalling an incident from many years ago. My kids were home from school and brought home a couple of friends who brought their new records to listen to. I was busy around the house - doing Mama things.

It dawned on me I was hearing something that was NOT what I wanted my children listening to. "Like a virgin....kissed for the very first time..." I strode in my son's room, demanding to know what was going on. "Mama, it's just a record - it's just Madonna."

Well, it's still "just" Madonna. In the past and today, she and many other entertainers have given their opinions and views politically. This isn't going to go away. BUT, what we can do - John Q Public - is shun them by refusing to hear them or read their statements. It's just as simple as that - change the TV channel, the radio station, don't read their blurbs in the newpapers or rags.

David - they SHOULD shut their mouths but it ain't gonna happen. We'll just have to cut them off with a well-turned cold shoulder.

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david
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Re: American Life
« Reply #6 on: Apr 1^st, 2003, 11:00am »

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That is exactly what I do I have also emailed Tv station etc telling them I will NOT watch or listen to them or buy products advertised there

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