One of Madonna‘s many talents include creating a strong public relations buzz. And the singer/actress has done it again with her latest concert.
Only in this case, fans don’t have to spend money to see their favorite singing mom perform on stage. Her London show today can be seen on the Internet in what Microsoft’s MSN says will be the biggest online show in history.
Only a lucky few, 3,500 to be exact, will be attending the concert at London’s Brixton Academy. Even the some of the biggest celebrities are clamoring to get in to see the Queen of Music in the flesh.
Some of the stars who will get in are Mick Jagger, George Michael and actor Ewan McGregor. The event will mostly be attended by celebrities and a few winners of radio contests.
Madonna, 42, is scheduled to sing tracks from her newest album, “Music.”
MSN said it would offer groundbreaking near-DVD quality for superfast connections and audio-only for Internet slowcoaches. Users should log on to the MSN site nearest them — such as MSN.com or MSN.co.uk — for the show, which begins at around 2:30 p.m. EST. However, special player software must be downloaded first.
ODB ARRESTED AT MCDONALD’S: Man can’t live on birdseeds alone. And neither can Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The 31-year-old rapper and member of Wu-Tang Clan was arrested late Monday after he was spotted at a Philadelphia McDonald’s by a police officer.
ODB, whose real name is Russell Jones, escaped Oct. 17 from a Pasadena, Calif., drug rehab center where he had been ordered by a judge to stay after violating his parole.
The fugitive managed to dodge police and shocked hundreds of fans when he appeared with his band at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Nov. 21.
“I can’t stay on stage too long tonight — the cops is after me,” he told the crowd, saying he planned to become “like a bird” living off “birdseeds or whatever … you’ll see.”
Russell’s probation stemmed from 1999 charges of making ”terroristic” threats and wearing a bulletproof vest. A Los Angeles judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest soon after his disappearance from the rehab center.
BABY BOY WEILAND: Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland and his wife have a new baby boy. Noah Mercer Weiland was born Nov. 19 at a Los Angeles hospital.
“It was the most glorious moment in my life. He is healthy, wealthy and wiser than me,” Weiland, 33, said.
It’s the first child for Weiland his wife, Mary. The Stone Temple Pilots recently wrapped up a concert tour and returned to the studio in January to work on a new album. RAPE CHARGES AGAINST SINGER DROPPED: Rape charges against Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall have been dropped, Reuters reports. The 40-year-old singer was arrested and questioned by British police Sunday after a 21-year-old woman said that he had raped her. After investigating the matter further, police decided against pursuing it further.
Hucknall formed his band in 1984 and is best known for songs such as “Holding Back the Years” and “New Flame.”
