Madonna

It's past midnight. The football game is over. The local news is over. Forrest Sawyer is asking the news junkies who are still awake to watch Nightline: "Has Madonna finally gone too far?" On the big screen, the same screen where secretaries of state and terrorists get to say whether they have gone too far, comes a Madonna I've never seen. Conservative black jacket with a collar up to her chin. Power shoulder pads. Gold buttons. Proper little gold earrings. Sleek hair pulled back.

Thus far, everything we've seen about this year's Madonna - the Pepsi ad, the video "controversy," the poster-sized ads in trade publications - is proof of this woman's shrewd eye for business. Genuine talent is apparent, at least in the creation of the video and song "Like a Prayer," which was a guaranteed hit before it ever reached record stores (score one for the miracle of sponsorship!). But it is her knack for media manipulation that is now winning Madonna the most respect: With the gusto of any marketing ace launching a new product, Madonna has reappeared with bells and whistles after a two-year recording hiatus, carefully spinning the publicity wheel to maximize interest in today's release of her fourth album, Like a Prayer (Sire)

IN CASE you missed "Oprah" yesterday, Madonna talked about her new son, David. In the interview, taped Tuesday via satellite from London, Madonna said David was healthy, despite having overcome malaria and tuberculosis. "David is amazing," she said. "What really surprises me is how great my children are with him and how he's transitioned so easily from living in Africa in an orphanage to living in our house. " Hey, even at 13 months you know the difference between sweltering heat and central air. Meanwhile, back in Malawi, David's father, Yohane Banda, said yesterday on Time magazine's Web site that he will not contest the adoption.

It's May 29, 1985, and my best friend Laura and I - all of 13 and 12 years old - are standing in front of the Spectrum, clutching rainbow-hued Ticketron passes to see Madonna. Not only is this Madonna's first U.S. tour and her first time in Philly, but more important, it's our First Concert Without Parents. Here we are, future women of the world, about to occupy the same space in the universe as our idol, future member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! One of my older sisters drops us off at Broad and Pattison, and we strut around the Spectrum for a bit before taking our seats, leaving frosted-pink lipstick stains on the cigarettes we brazenly smoke out in the concourse.

BEDTIME STORIES Madonna / Maverick Can it be that after years of pushing our buttons, Madonna has finally pushed her own limits? That is the question after her 1992 "Sex" photo book and "Erotica" album were received as more tiresome than titillating. She then seemed to be desperately seeking attention during her infamous guest appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman. " So instead of waking us up with her trademark shock treatment, she tries to sing us to sleep on her latest album, "Bedtime Stories.

Things about Madonna we like: Music. How she licks milk out of a bowl in the "Express Yourself" video. "Frozen. " Desperately Seeking Susan. Her Immaculate Collection retrospective. The back cover of Music, which shows her looking at a guitar as if she has no idea what it is. Things about Madonna that make us roll our eyes: The fake English accent. "American Pie. " Sex. "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina. " Her fling with Vanilla Ice. Every movie she's starred in except Desperately Seeking Susan, not including Truth or Dare, which is a documentary and doesn't count.

After all the hoopla and anticipation, Madonna's entire Spectrum stand is threatened by the nagging sore throat that forced the singer to cancel three concerts in the last three weeks. The pop superstar bowed out of tonight's opener on doctor's orders, and her publicist said last night there was only a "50-50" chance Madonna would rally to make tomorrow's and Sunday's appearances. All three performances were virtually sold out. Originally diagnosed as having a viral infection, the singer was awaiting the results of yesterday's medical tests before deciding if she could perform the other two shows, said the publicist, Liz Rosenberg of Warner Records.

The publicity flacks working on the Madonna "Who's That Girl?" concert tour are being unusually restrained when it comes to spreading news about the Madonna/Level 42 spectacle playing Saturday at Veterans Stadium. "We don't want to give too much away," says Michael Raleigh of Madonna's management office. "You've got to save some surprises. " Raleigh willingly reveals only that the presentation is a "meticulously planned Broadway-style show" featuring 17 numbers, lots of choreography with three backup dancers/singers, 10 musicians, and four costume changes for the star.

During the summer of 1958, three babies were born in the heartland: Madonna in Michigan, Michael Jackson in Indiana, and I in Kansas. Our lives were fairly similar until elementary school, when Michael's singing family began appearing on TV. Madonna and I were just two Midwestern girls carrying our metal lunchboxes to school. I can't speak for the other two, but my family had supper together every night at 6 at the round oak table. The napkin holder said "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together.

FINALLY, A Hollywood feature directed by someone who's performed live at the Super Bowl halftime show. The movie is "W.E.," the director is Madonna, whose gift for marketing is obviously undiminished. On Sunday, she's voguing in the middle of the most-watched American television program ever. On Tuesday, she's announcing her summer tour dates (Aug. 28 in Philadelphia). Today she unveils her first feature, and boy is it . . . well-marketed. Otherwise, it's a demented, wealth-besotted, royal-slurping Cartier commercial that also functions as an airbrushed account of the relationship between Britain's King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy)

FOLLOWING the death of reality-TV star Shain Gandee , MTV has officially canceled "Buckwild. " "After careful consideration, MTV will not be moving forward with season two of 'Buckwild' in West Virginia," MTV said, in a statement. "We love the cast and the show and this was not an easy decision, but given Shain's tragic passing and essential presence on the show, we felt it was not appropriate to continue without him. Instead, we are working on a meaningful way to pay tribute to his memory on our air and privately.

WHO CAN RESIST a woman in uniform? Probably a lot of people when that woman is Madonna and the uniform she's wearing belongs to the Boy Scouts, for whom there is no "Express Yourself" merit badge. Madonna, of course, is trying to change that, so she dressed in a uni and called on the Boy Scouts to lift its ban on gays, while also calling for a "revolution" to prevent discrimination and abuse of the gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual community. Speaking Saturday night at the GLAAD Media Awards, Madonna joked that she wanted to become a part of the Boy Scouts herself, but was turned down, even though she had the qualifications.

The pop music spectacle at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia on Tuesday night began with a group of dancers in hooded medieval garb pulling a rope that made a giant, smoking thurible suspended from the rafters swing back and forth, while a Basque folk trio chanted the name of the show's star. Before the night had ended, Lady Gaga had been dissed, Russian punk activists Pussy Riot had been praised, a striptease had been performed, a fake pistol and an automatic weapon had been waved around, and a fair share of hits such as "Express Yourself," "Vogue," and "Like a Prayer" had been energetically played.

It looks to be a jam packed night in the Philadelphia area - in more ways than one. Three area venues will rock with sports and music at about the same time tonight, meaning the tail-end of rush hour could be significantly impacted. First, the Phillies take on the New York Mets at 7:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park. Though the Phillies ended their 257 consecutive games sellout streak in the beginning of August, attendance is still high at most games, and could hover around 45,000 tonight - give or take a few thousand.

FOLLOWING the absurd Pussy Riot guilty verdict at their trial in Russia (they were sentenced to two years in prison for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" when all they were really guilty of is Vladimir Putin hatred), emboldened hardliners have decided to sue Madonna for more than $10 million. The suit contends that residents of St. Petersburg suffered "moral damage" during Madonna's recent concert there. So says Reuters and Ria Novosti, Russia's state news agency.

Madonna may no longer be relevant to the younger generations, but aging government officials are still liable to blow a gasket over her statements. In the latest, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has penned an offensive tweet ostensibly about Madonna (she's skillfully left unnamed) in the wake of Madge's outspoken words of support for the Russian punk band Pussy Riot . "Every former w. wants to give lectures on morality when she grows old," Rogozin writes.

Not everybody likes Madonna. But one reason the controversial Queen of Pop continues to be popular around the world is her compelling embrace of individual freedom. In Moscow Tuesday, Madonna urged authorities to free the three women in the punk-rock band Pussy Riot, who were arrested for staging a protest in an Orthodox church against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, could face up to three years in prison for storming the altar and belting out a "punk prayer" calling on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin.

SHARON OSBOURNE told the New York Post that she is quitting as a judge on "America's Got Talent" at the end of this season because she is furious at NBC over firing her son, Jack, from the post-Olympics ridiculosity (yes, we made up a word) "Stars Earn Stripes," because he has multiple sclerosis. The producers of "Stars Earn Stripes" not only deny that Jack was fired because of his MS, but they also say he was never hired to appear on the show. In "Stars Earn Stripes," so-called "stars" will team with actual military personnel in military challenges to win money for armed-forces personnel.

Zac Brown up, not down Who's atop the Billboard 200 albums this week? Why, the Zac Brown Band. Its second CD, Uncaged, debuts at uno with a bearded, burly 234,000 units moved. (Amazon MP3 helped, pricing the CD at $3.99 for a week.) Number 2 is Frank Ocean's CD Channel Orange, with 113K sold, mostly via iTunes. Only about 3K were physical CDs. Hip-hopper Frank jarred the hip-hop world recently when he came out as a gay man. Which may have stoked sales. The rest: (3) Believe, by Justin Bieber, 45K; (4)