Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Madonna's Trump Card?



The Material Girl's taking exception to one of her direct quotes in a script for a biopic about her reminds me of some other big New York City personality who was a lot more fun in the 1980s ...
[Elyse] Holland’s script had Madonna telling Dick Clark, “I was born in Detroit, and I’m a famed high school dropout.” 
In her [Instagram] caption, Madonna called out Hollander for the line, writing, “I was born in Bay City Not Detroit. And i did not drop out of high school in fact I went to University Of.Michigan. Why would Universal Studios want to make a movie about me based on a script that is all lies??” The caption goes on to say: "The Writer Elyse Hollander should write for the Tabloids. Anyone who supports this film is supporting lies and exploitation. Lies have no legs!!” 
Madonna was, of course, born in Bay City, Michigan, and she didn’t drop out of high school. In fact, according to Biography.com, she graduated a semester early and was a straight-A student. The only thing is, Hollander’s script borrows from that 1984 “American Bandstand” appearance, where the queen of pop definitely told Clark she was born in Detroit and was a high school dropout, even though those things aren’t true. It’s pretty much word-for-word what she said. 
And how do we know this? Well, the internet is a wonderful place filled with old clips, like this one:

I feel like most of Madonna's problems could be avoided if she'd just stay off social media. (Please tell me she isn't on Snapchat!)  I'm certain this film's commission would have been a one-day story if she'd not erroneously complained about it -- now she's coming across as humorless and thin-skinned. (She sure knew how to poke fun at herself with Dick Clark.) I get that she feels vulnerable right now, but hasn't 35 years in the spotlight prepared her for anything? Or is her real fear that nobody will give two shits about this movie -- as opposed to "Coal Miner's Daughter," "What's Love Got to Do With It?," "8 Mile," "I'm Not There" and "Straight Outta Compton," which were widely embraced -- and that its potentially bombing would somehow reflect poorly on her? (How the public reacts to biopics has very little to do with the subject, in my opinion.) 


UPDATE: It looks like even she had the good sense to delete the rant. But then she followed it up with an equally puerile post that also reeks of the Cheeto in chief, attacking the very people she is tacitly admitting quoted her correctly. Sad!!!

8 comments:

Ray said...

You would think someone who built so much of her career on the clever, even brilliant use of music videos would recall that once you say something on camera, you look like big lying loser if you try to deny it.

Matthew said...

She clearly forgot what she said. I think she said "Detroit" because it made sense over "Bay City" for a nat'l audience, and "high school" instead of "college" is an easy enough scared-on-live-TV comment. It was silly of her to specifically call that out but not so surprisingly she doesn't remember what she said. I don't think she should campaign so publicly against a movie that may never be made, but on the other hand, NOBODY would be cool with someone making a movie about their lives without their participation. Plus, the script is very dull, very Lifetime, and yes, filled with intentional inaccuracies clearly made for drama's sake. Also, Brett Ratner — whom Madonna knows and worked with! — is listed as the producer, so she's probably double-pissed. I don't blame her for being pissed off at the idea. It steps on her toes and takes away from her ability to decide to do one herself (or a jukebox musical, or or or).

Guy said...

Did she steal that meme from Mercy?

Sandy said...

Have you ever had a parent or grandparent whose car keys you had to take away?

Unknown said...

Bravo. You can't fault her for not having total recall of something she said 30 years ago. Sure, she is flipping out and is wrong on this point, but we all know Madonna doesn't like to not be in control of a situation and how much control she has had over her own image. This is a violation to her. Plus she is Madonna, so at fault or not, La M gets a pass from me on most things.

Anonymous said...

Years ago, there was a popular series of books entitled "Whatever Happened To?" that covered the later lives of popular movie, stage and radio stars (some early TV stars, too, I think). Because back then, people did used to disappear after their career peaks. And you'd get nostalgic wondering about them.

Madonna really does need to "go away". I realize this movie (which sounds dumb and crummy) is not her project, but sometimes I really do wish she would fade away for about five - ten years. And just when we all begin to think "Hey, whatever happened to Madonna?" back she would burst with a spectacular single and a great comeback act! We can dream...

Kenneth M. Walsh said...

No one in his right mind would expect Madonna to remember everything she's ever said. But if you were going to get all bent out of shape about something -- and make a separate post citing the inaccuracy -- wouldn't you bother to be sure you're right first? (Everyone from the suburbs of Detroit says they're "from Detroit" for shorthand -- why would she be so sure SHE had never said that???) P.S. She has just as much access to YouTube as the rest of the world does.

mrbeaubien said...

She has had many many tv bi-ops made about her over the years... though not a major studio movie production.. I don't recall any complaints all those times from good old Madge. I have always thought she will go to her grave without doing a bio... It would take much of the mystery and inagination away from her legend. With her not in the same artistic producing mode of the past. It is like currently she has too much time on her hands. This subject of her h.s. years brought new info that she graduated a semester early. Also, a google search said her mother could not start cancer treatment due to carrying her younger sister, how sad. Bay City friends say the Zip Lock bag factory was across the street from the Bay City home (the danger realized and the factory was moved to Mexico 5 years later) and the mom being a radiologist and the custom back then of not wearing a lead apron.
Michigan has quite a history of chemicals, new technologies and diseases etc.