Madonna Shines in ‘Celebration’ Tour after Near-Fatal Illness

Madonna seen in New York on May 4, 2019, in New York. (AFP)
Madonna seen in New York on May 4, 2019, in New York. (AFP)
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Madonna Shines in ‘Celebration’ Tour after Near-Fatal Illness

Madonna seen in New York on May 4, 2019, in New York. (AFP)
Madonna seen in New York on May 4, 2019, in New York. (AFP)

Madonna kicked off her "Celebration" tour in London on Saturday, with a performance that proved her energy, charisma and appetite for controversy were little dimmed after four decades of pop super-stardom and a brush with death earlier this year.

The 65-year-old's greatest hits show was pushed back from its original July start date after she was hospitalized in intensive care for a serious bacterial infection.

"I'm really damn surprised I made it this far. And I mean that on so many levels," she told fans at the O2 arena.

Wearing the corset and chains that defined her breakthrough, she sang "Into The Groove" before a sound problem forced her to ad-lib about her early struggles in New York.

With the backing track restored, 1983's "Holiday" recreated the hedonistic joy of a New York club before the onslaught of AIDS, marked by a tribute to those who had died.

She performed hits "Like a Prayer", while "Vogue", the hit that powered her into the 1990s, saw one of the stages become a catwalk.

Madonna addressed the situation in the Middle East. "There's a lot of really crazy things happening in the world that are so, so painful to witness," she said. "But even though our hearts are broken, our spirits cannot be broken."

On her health scare, she said: "It was a crazy year for me as well. And I didn't think I was going to make it."

With more than 40 songs in the show, some like "Papa Don't Preach" were dispatched in seconds, but all of her re-inventions, from Catholic Madonna to Country Madonna, featured.

The seven-time Grammy Award winner has rescheduled the tour's North American leg to start in December after her European concerts.



Viola Davis Makes Younger Self Proud as US President in ‘G20’ 

Actor Viola Davis attends the special screening of "G20" at the Regal Times Square on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in New York. (AP)
Actor Viola Davis attends the special screening of "G20" at the Regal Times Square on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in New York. (AP)
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Viola Davis Makes Younger Self Proud as US President in ‘G20’ 

Actor Viola Davis attends the special screening of "G20" at the Regal Times Square on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in New York. (AP)
Actor Viola Davis attends the special screening of "G20" at the Regal Times Square on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in New York. (AP)

For Viola Davis, seeing her first images of a strong Black woman on television when she was growing up became an inspiration for her role as the US president in the thriller film "G20."

The 1974 American crime drama series "Get Christie Love!" starring Teresa Graves as an undercover detective immediately captivated Davis.

"Whenever she would arrest someone, she was like 'You're under arrest, baby!' and I was like 'Oh my God! Oh my goodness!' and she would throw men off balconies," Davis told Reuters.

"When you see it, you can believe it. When you see it, you can see yourself in it and there's something about being seen that forces you to see yourself," she added.

"G20," which arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, is directed by Mexican director Patricia Riggen and follows Davis' character US President Danielle Sutton, who protects her family and other world leaders when a G20 summit in Cape Town, South Africa is infiltrated by terrorists.

The movie also stars Anthony Anderson as Danielle's husband and first gentleman Derek Sutton, "black-ish" actor Marsai Martin as their daughter Serena Sutton, and Christopher Farrar as their son Demetrius Sutton.

Davis specifically requested Anderson to play her movie husband because of their close bond.

"We've always had a great relationship, just in the same network, traveling in the same circles, having the same friends," Anderson said.

However, both Davis and Anderson admitted that their biggest bonding experiences came from collecting free items together at gifting suites.

"I didn't want to mention that. We like the free stuff,” said Davis, triggering a fit of laughter from both of the actors.

Another thing about the movie that amused Davis was thinking about how her younger self would be ecstatic to see her playing the role of Danielle.

"That 6-year-old Viola has been serving me. My job is to make her squeal. My job is to make her really excited about who she's going to become," Viola said.

Davis is known for her EGOT status, which stands for a winner of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, and is one of the highest honors for a performer in Hollywood.