Madonna was born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone on August 16th, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan and is one of the leading popular entertainment icons of the latter half of the twentieth century. Along with Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey, shes a pole star in the tiny constellation of figures who actually define the popular culture of their time. She has six entries in the Guiness Book of World Records alone, including being listed as the Most Successful Female Recording Artist of All Time and having the most consecutive top 20 debuts in the charts. All told, Madonnas sold 250 million albums worldwide and Billboard magazine says her 2006 Confessions Tour now holds the record for top grossing concert tour by a female artist. Shes also confirmed by Guinness and Billboard to be the highest earning female recording artist in history. Madonnas role as a popular artist and self-admitted provocateur has led her to enthusiastically mix a high energy, raw sexuality with hot button issues like gender bending, racism and religion. Her powerful, over twenty years of inlfuence can only be partially guessed at. Surely the modern version of constant celebrity re-invention began with her, and shes one of the few people who can safely say shes the most similar to the apostle St. Paul and his boss—shes the most prominent travelling promoter and practitioner of a religion primarily associated with her. Her lip syncing, film career flops, marketing savvy, and perceived cold calculations have drawn criticisms from everyone from Elton John to Lenny Kravitz but shes never been slowed down. She is currently married to director Guy Ritchie, and has three children, one recently adopted—of course under much controversy.
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