Finally! After weeks of teasing, it’s here: The Madonna ABC News interview with Cynthia McFadden!
The first installment came with last night’s Nightline. The Queen looked ravishing and regal of course, seated in the fancy-schmancy royal suite at the Waldorf-Astoria (with a decorative pug pillow resting in the background–truly iconic) as she fielded questions from the ABC News anchor.
Aside from discussing her new film W.E., the bulk of the conversation was focused around the Queen’s personal life: Her boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, her proclivity toward younger men in general, her life as a mother (I do always love a good Lourdes tale!), etc. Don’t get me wrong–I love hearing the juicy details and all–but I’d much prefer hearing about the recording process behind M.D.N.A. than how often Brahim rubs her feet.
In the last few moments however, McFadden finally probed about her next move musically: The Superbowl performance in February. “What’s more frightening: Having your movie open or performing live at the Superbowl?” “The Superbowl, for sure,” Madonna responded. And while Madge didn’t reveal any solid details about the performance (did anyone actually think she would?), she did deliver a goosebumps-inducing little quote:
I have 8 minutes to set up my stage, 12 minutes to put on the greatest show on Earth.
She also joked about the ideas that wouldn’t work, including dropping 100 drummers from the ceiling. Clearly, she’s thinking big.
And there you have it! God, it’s so refreshing to hear her speaking again. So well-spoken, poised and honest. The final two installments will be featured on Good Morning America and 20/20 later today. (This post will be updated as those parts air!)
EDIT: The Good Morning America segment just aired! Mostly a rehash of last night’s interview, plus sneak peeks at tonight’s 20/20 segment, including…yes, The Gaga Question.
EDIT: The 20/20 segment aired last night, which you can now view below. Again, it’s mostly a rehash–except for The Gaga Question. The Queen answered with measured poise, noting that Gaga does “reference me a lot in her work,” but that she doesn’t feel that Gaga is ripping her off (“She’s she and I’m me”)–though not without a little bit of (deserved) sass when it comes to “Born This Way,” resulting in one of the most legendary shady moments yet:
It feels…reductive.
Plus, there’s an extended sequence of Madonna in the studio with M.I.A. recording a slap-happy song about being happy and shouting “Happy Birthday!” at the end. Doesn’t sound the most thrilling or genre-breaking, but watching her reduce M.I.A. into a bucket of giggles and boss her around is actually quite major.
All hail the Queen.
