The 1st Annual Northland Hockey Academy 4-Day Skills & Drills FULL DAY CAMP

The Northland Hockey Group presents…

The 1^st Annual Northland Hockey Academy 4-Day Skills & Drills FULL DAY CAMP

June 25-28, 2012 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota.

For boys and girls born from 1995-2005

MAIN INSTRUCTOR: Jeff Carlson and his staff

Director of Storm Hockey School (formerly Top Gun Hockey Camp since 2003, as well as other professional positions as a hockey instructor for summer camps, day camps, skills clinics and training schools since 1990.

Regional Coordinator/Instructor for Northern Edge Elite Hockey Schools since 2005.

President of Stonebriar Ice Hockey Association from 2003-2010, coaching several team from Mites thru Bantams, AA to house league levels. From 1995-2003, Head Coach/Asst Coach of several teams from Midget AA to Mite house league in New York City and Los Angeles metro areas.

GOALIE INSTRUCTOR: Scotty Buchholz

Former North Dakota All State Goalie!!!

The Academy will have a low instructor/player ratio!!!

LOCATION: SANFORD CENTER in BEMIDJI, MN (Home of the D1 Hockey Bemidji State Beavers)

Sanford Center - Bemidji

1111 Event Center Drive

Bemidji, MN 56601

INCLUDES: Many reasons to attend in 2012

12 hours of detailed on ice and 10+ hours of detailed Off-Ice instruction.

Four days of skating in the state of the art Sanford Center in Bemidji

Northland Hockey Academy Jersey

Lunch

Fun Galore

More

FEE: Low Price

Only $295 per player, Goalies are only $195 (Mail your check before June 15^th)

LIMITED: Be sure to register before June 18^th!!!

Each Camp Group is limited to 30 skaters and 4 goalies. We will have many instructors, plus goalie instructor for all On-Ice sessions.

FULL DAY CAMP: (Example only - Group 1)

8:00AM - Drop off

9:00-10:30AM – On-Ice

10:45-11:30PM – Plyometrics & Off-Ice Skills (stick handling, quick fee etc.)

11:30-12:00PM – Lunch (Provided by local vender - INCLUDED)

12:00-12:30PM – Instructional Video & Classroom Hockey Education

1:00- 2:30PM – On-Ice (Individual Skills: Stick Handling, Shooting, Passing, Checking)

2:45- 4:00PM – Plyometrics & Off-Ice Skills (stick handling, quick feet etc.)

4:00PM – Pick up

DORM STAY AVAILABLE: Need to travel we can help you out!!!

Available for only $22 per night or a tad more if you want breakfast and supper included. Lunch is provided by the Northland Hockey Academy.

HOW TO REGISTER: Register at www.northlandhockeygroup.com

HOW TO PAY: Mail a check by June 15^th so we receive it by June 18^th.

Mail to…

Northland Hockey Group

P.O. Box 490324

Blaine, Mn 55449

QUESTIONS?: Let us know.

We are confident that your child will love this camp!!!

Anze Kopitar's game winning goal

Here is the game winning goal in over time by the Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar. Kopitar shows his speed as he gets  behind the New Jersey Devils defense - it was off to the races - not much the goalie New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur could have done there. That was the ninth win on the road for the Los Angeles Kings during the Stanley Cup playoffs - the Kings have yet to lose in nine games that they have played on the road during the playoffs.

Gothberg and Schmaltz make All-USHL First Team

Two UND Fighting Sioux incoming freshman recruits Zane Gothberg and Jordan Schmaltz have made the All-USHL first team.

All-USHL First Team

Zane Gothberg (G), Fargo Force

The goaltender from Thief River Falls, Minnesota posted a 26-16-4 record with USHL best .921 SV%. His 2.22 GAA was the second best mark in the League. Gothberg led the USHL with seven shutouts which shattered the Fargo Force season record held by Mike Lee (2008-09). The 19-year-old put together a nine-game winning streak from December 30th to January 21st, compiling a 1.43 GAA and .947 SV% with two shutouts over that stretch. Gothberg was the co-winner of the USHL Goaltender of the Year. He is a 2010 NHL Draft pick of the Boston Bruins and will play hockey next season at the University of North Dakota.

USHL stats - Zane Gothberg

Jordan Schmaltz (D), Green Bay Gamblers

The 18-year-old from Verona, Wisconsin tied for second in scoring among all USHL defensemen with 41 points (10g, 31a) in 55 regular season games. After starting the season with the Sioux City Musketeers, he was acquired by the Gamblers and put up 35 points (7g, 28a) and a plus-15 rating in 46 games. He added seven points (2g, 5a) and a plus-10 rating in 12 playoff games. Schmaltz is the first player since the 1994-95 season (Scott Swanson, Omaha Lancers) to be named All-USHL First Team in consecutive seasons. A top prospect for the 2012 NHL Draft, the defenseman is committed to the University of North Dakota.

USHL stats - Jordan Schmaltz

NHL wants to take a look at hybrid icing

Original NHL logo, used until 2005. A version of the logo features it in the shape of a hockey puck. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think this is a great idea for the NHL to look at the hybrid icing rule that is currently in use in the NCAA and USHL. If used correctly could prevent unnecessary injuries that are caused by the touch- up- icing.

New York --- Hybrid icing is the standard at the NCAA level and in the United States Hockey League. For next season, the NHL is expected to ask the AHL to use hybrid icing, which involves a linesman determining the winner of a race to the closest faceoff circle instead of who touches the puck first on plays in which the puck is sent the length of the ice from the defending team's side of the center-ice red line.

"We like it. We want to make sure we're not moving too quick," Detroit GM Ken Holland said. "We'd like to move it to the American League. We'd like to get it to the best league in the world below the National Hockey League and evaluate it with those players. Obviously it's in college and some other players [use it], but those players aren't nearly as good as the ones we're dealing with. I think there was one player injured this year on an icing. Obviously, we'd like zero, but it is one -- it is not 10, it is not 20."

The GMs remain divided on the issue, so observing the results in the AHL could provide better clarity before making a final decision on it for NHL games.

Related articles

• NHL to re-look at their obstruction fouls in off-season

  ---

• Retro Rangers: The NHL's First European Player

  ---

• Backes, Bergeron and Datsyuk up for the Selke

  ---

• Cox: NHL players, league prepare to lock horns again

  ---

Madonna MDNA Tour Costumes

Madonna is set to vogue her way around the world on her MDNA concert tour, which kicks off Thursday in Tel Aviv and she’s enlisted a cadre of fashion designers to create an array of showstopping looks for the stage.







Madonna's parade of costume changes includes outfits from longtime collaborators Jean Paul Gaultier and Jeremy Scott, shoes from Prada and Miu Miu and pieces from Alexander Wang. Dolce & Gabbana made suits for the band and background vocalists, Fausto Puglisi created menacing bandolier vests and rams head masks for the backup dancers and even J Brand whipped up custom-made jeans.

Bras and panties , including one heart-shaped style from Madonna’s new intimates line "Truth or Dare", are incorporated into some numbers, as are shoes from the new "Truth or Dare" footwear line, at retail this fall. A somber, elegiac version of the usually peppy "Like a Virgin" will be sung by Madonna in an Agent Provocateur bra.




"It’s a real journey from the first act to the fourth, and the way she constructs her shows is like a theater piece," stated costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, who oversaw the entire wardrobe design for Madonna, her backup singers, musicians and 22 backup dancers. Scott, for his part, has been camped out in Tel Aviv this week, working till the last minute on some costumes.

The original Gaultier design is worn during the "Vogue" number and includes a white shirt, black tie, opera-length black gloves and a rigid skeleton corset. The getup references the iconic pink bustier-with-pin-striped suit look the designer created for Madonna’s 1990 "Blond Ambition" world tour, widely considered a pinnacle of both of their careers.




"We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now like a cage," explained Gaultier. "What I have done this time is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It’s all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012."

The designer and Phillips also re-created some archival Gaultier pieces for Madonna’s dancers, as an homage to his long relationship with the iconic singer. Gaultier was also responsible for the kinky equestrian and "Saturday Night Fever"-inspired looks of Madonna’s 2006 "Confessions" tour, and she once walked his runway with her nipples exposed.

"I love Madonna. She is the only woman I have asked to marry me. She refused, of course," added Gaultier. "But when she asked me to do a costume for her for this tour, I couldn’t refuse."




Prada created high-heeled shoes for the male dancers in the gender-bending "Vogue" performance, which includes imagery of the Vogue magazine logo on massive video screens , similar to "Madonna’s Super Bowl" performance of the song, which was viewed by 117 million people.

"This show is epic and bigger than anything she’s done before. There are many more costume changes. We’re taking 700 shoes on the road. Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer," quoted as saying Phillips of the production, which includes multiple appearances on stage by two of Madonna’s children, Lourdes and Rocco, in supporting roles.

Prada has supplied custom-made shoes for many of Madonna’s previous tours, noted Phillips. "They have been generous for so many years. Her relationship with them is really special. Everything is specially made and they made some incredible high-heeled boots for the boys," she added.





Phillips, who has done the costumes for Madonna’s four previous tours, designed a number of looks herself, delivering a wide range for her famously chameleonlike boss. The lineup veers from a forbidding Joan of Arc-inspired outfit fashioned from metal mesh and Swarovski Elements to a vernal, miniskirted majorette getup for Madonna.

"It’s inspired by a 1940s majorette and I was looking for something playful and fun," explained Phillips.

Masks are a big component to many outfits, with dancers hiding their faces behind gargoyle and bunny guises. "The show explores the idea of stripping away layers of identity and discovering the layers of who you are," claimed Phillips. There’s a menacing streak to some looks, with themes of violence explored in certain segments, which are accessorized with swords, guns, armor and holsters.

One designer missing from the MDNA tour roster is Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, who designed the showboating Cleopatra-on-Mars outfit Madonna donned for her "Super Bowl" performance. Phillips attributed Tisci’s absence from the collaborator list to scheduling conflicts.

Madonna herself was closely involved with the show’s costume design, stated Phillips, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work on Madonna’s film "W.E." earlier this year. "This is her brainchild and her concept. We have a 15-year relationship and there’s a rhythm to how we collaborate. She’s very open-minded but she expects a lot," she explained. "She’s always challenging herself and pushing herself constantly to learn new things and she pushes me further than I would myself. When you’re on the world stage with her, you really have to bring your A game."

As for the media dustup this week when Madonna supposedly lobbed a grenade at Lady Gaga by mashing up her own "Express Yourself" with Lady Gaga’s allegedly reductive "Born This Way" in rehearsals, it wasn’t just a ploy for attention and it’s part of the permanent show. At the end of the song, Madonna throws in the line "She’s Not Me," from her recent song of the same name.

"Whether it’s an homage or a smack in the face or just being funny, I don’t know," stated Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s spokeswoman. "People can decide what it means. Madonna isn’t one to explain herself."



 
What do you think of Madonna's "MDNA Tour" costumes?

Source: allaboutmadonna.com

Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!

Madonna MDNA Tour Costumes

Madonna is set to vogue her way around the world on her MDNA concert tour, which kicks off Thursday in Tel Aviv and she’s enlisted a cadre of fashion designers to create an array of showstopping looks for the stage.







Madonna's parade of costume changes includes outfits from longtime collaborators Jean Paul Gaultier and Jeremy Scott, shoes from Prada and Miu Miu and pieces from Alexander Wang. Dolce & Gabbana made suits for the band and background vocalists, Fausto Puglisi created menacing bandolier vests and rams head masks for the backup dancers and even J Brand whipped up custom-made jeans.

Bras and panties , including one heart-shaped style from Madonna’s new intimates line "Truth or Dare", are incorporated into some numbers, as are shoes from the new "Truth or Dare" footwear line, at retail this fall. A somber, elegiac version of the usually peppy "Like a Virgin" will be sung by Madonna in an Agent Provocateur bra.




"It’s a real journey from the first act to the fourth, and the way she constructs her shows is like a theater piece," stated costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, who oversaw the entire wardrobe design for Madonna, her backup singers, musicians and 22 backup dancers. Scott, for his part, has been camped out in Tel Aviv this week, working till the last minute on some costumes.

The original Gaultier design is worn during the "Vogue" number and includes a white shirt, black tie, opera-length black gloves and a rigid skeleton corset. The getup references the iconic pink bustier-with-pin-striped suit look the designer created for Madonna’s 1990 "Blond Ambition" world tour, widely considered a pinnacle of both of their careers.




"We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now like a cage," explained Gaultier. "What I have done this time is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It’s all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012."

The designer and Phillips also re-created some archival Gaultier pieces for Madonna’s dancers, as an homage to his long relationship with the iconic singer. Gaultier was also responsible for the kinky equestrian and "Saturday Night Fever"-inspired looks of Madonna’s 2006 "Confessions" tour, and she once walked his runway with her nipples exposed.

"I love Madonna. She is the only woman I have asked to marry me. She refused, of course," added Gaultier. "But when she asked me to do a costume for her for this tour, I couldn’t refuse."




Prada created high-heeled shoes for the male dancers in the gender-bending "Vogue" performance, which includes imagery of the Vogue magazine logo on massive video screens , similar to "Madonna’s Super Bowl" performance of the song, which was viewed by 117 million people.

"This show is epic and bigger than anything she’s done before. There are many more costume changes. We’re taking 700 shoes on the road. Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer," quoted as saying Phillips of the production, which includes multiple appearances on stage by two of Madonna’s children, Lourdes and Rocco, in supporting roles.

Prada has supplied custom-made shoes for many of Madonna’s previous tours, noted Phillips. "They have been generous for so many years. Her relationship with them is really special. Everything is specially made and they made some incredible high-heeled boots for the boys," she added.





Phillips, who has done the costumes for Madonna’s four previous tours, designed a number of looks herself, delivering a wide range for her famously chameleonlike boss. The lineup veers from a forbidding Joan of Arc-inspired outfit fashioned from metal mesh and Swarovski Elements to a vernal, miniskirted majorette getup for Madonna.

"It’s inspired by a 1940s majorette and I was looking for something playful and fun," explained Phillips.

Masks are a big component to many outfits, with dancers hiding their faces behind gargoyle and bunny guises. "The show explores the idea of stripping away layers of identity and discovering the layers of who you are," claimed Phillips. There’s a menacing streak to some looks, with themes of violence explored in certain segments, which are accessorized with swords, guns, armor and holsters.

One designer missing from the MDNA tour roster is Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, who designed the showboating Cleopatra-on-Mars outfit Madonna donned for her "Super Bowl" performance. Phillips attributed Tisci’s absence from the collaborator list to scheduling conflicts.

Madonna herself was closely involved with the show’s costume design, stated Phillips, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work on Madonna’s film "W.E." earlier this year. "This is her brainchild and her concept. We have a 15-year relationship and there’s a rhythm to how we collaborate. She’s very open-minded but she expects a lot," she explained. "She’s always challenging herself and pushing herself constantly to learn new things and she pushes me further than I would myself. When you’re on the world stage with her, you really have to bring your A game."

As for the media dustup this week when Madonna supposedly lobbed a grenade at Lady Gaga by mashing up her own "Express Yourself" with Lady Gaga’s allegedly reductive "Born This Way" in rehearsals, it wasn’t just a ploy for attention and it’s part of the permanent show. At the end of the song, Madonna throws in the line "She’s Not Me," from her recent song of the same name.

"Whether it’s an homage or a smack in the face or just being funny, I don’t know," stated Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s spokeswoman. "People can decide what it means. Madonna isn’t one to explain herself."



 
What do you think of Madonna's "MDNA Tour" costumes?

Source: allaboutmadonna.com

Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!

Madonna MDNA Tour Costumes

Madonna is set to vogue her way around the world on her MDNA concert tour, which kicks off Thursday in Tel Aviv and she’s enlisted a cadre of fashion designers to create an array of showstopping looks for the stage.







Madonna's parade of costume changes includes outfits from longtime collaborators Jean Paul Gaultier and Jeremy Scott, shoes from Prada and Miu Miu and pieces from Alexander Wang. Dolce & Gabbana made suits for the band and background vocalists, Fausto Puglisi created menacing bandolier vests and rams head masks for the backup dancers and even J Brand whipped up custom-made jeans.

Bras and panties , including one heart-shaped style from Madonna’s new intimates line "Truth or Dare", are incorporated into some numbers, as are shoes from the new "Truth or Dare" footwear line, at retail this fall. A somber, elegiac version of the usually peppy "Like a Virgin" will be sung by Madonna in an Agent Provocateur bra.




"It’s a real journey from the first act to the fourth, and the way she constructs her shows is like a theater piece," stated costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, who oversaw the entire wardrobe design for Madonna, her backup singers, musicians and 22 backup dancers. Scott, for his part, has been camped out in Tel Aviv this week, working till the last minute on some costumes.

The original Gaultier design is worn during the "Vogue" number and includes a white shirt, black tie, opera-length black gloves and a rigid skeleton corset. The getup references the iconic pink bustier-with-pin-striped suit look the designer created for Madonna’s 1990 "Blond Ambition" world tour, widely considered a pinnacle of both of their careers.




"We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now like a cage," explained Gaultier. "What I have done this time is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It’s all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012."

The designer and Phillips also re-created some archival Gaultier pieces for Madonna’s dancers, as an homage to his long relationship with the iconic singer. Gaultier was also responsible for the kinky equestrian and "Saturday Night Fever"-inspired looks of Madonna’s 2006 "Confessions" tour, and she once walked his runway with her nipples exposed.

"I love Madonna. She is the only woman I have asked to marry me. She refused, of course," added Gaultier. "But when she asked me to do a costume for her for this tour, I couldn’t refuse."




Prada created high-heeled shoes for the male dancers in the gender-bending "Vogue" performance, which includes imagery of the Vogue magazine logo on massive video screens , similar to "Madonna’s Super Bowl" performance of the song, which was viewed by 117 million people.

"This show is epic and bigger than anything she’s done before. There are many more costume changes. We’re taking 700 shoes on the road. Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer," quoted as saying Phillips of the production, which includes multiple appearances on stage by two of Madonna’s children, Lourdes and Rocco, in supporting roles.

Prada has supplied custom-made shoes for many of Madonna’s previous tours, noted Phillips. "They have been generous for so many years. Her relationship with them is really special. Everything is specially made and they made some incredible high-heeled boots for the boys," she added.





Phillips, who has done the costumes for Madonna’s four previous tours, designed a number of looks herself, delivering a wide range for her famously chameleonlike boss. The lineup veers from a forbidding Joan of Arc-inspired outfit fashioned from metal mesh and Swarovski Elements to a vernal, miniskirted majorette getup for Madonna.

"It’s inspired by a 1940s majorette and I was looking for something playful and fun," explained Phillips.

Masks are a big component to many outfits, with dancers hiding their faces behind gargoyle and bunny guises. "The show explores the idea of stripping away layers of identity and discovering the layers of who you are," claimed Phillips. There’s a menacing streak to some looks, with themes of violence explored in certain segments, which are accessorized with swords, guns, armor and holsters.

One designer missing from the MDNA tour roster is Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, who designed the showboating Cleopatra-on-Mars outfit Madonna donned for her "Super Bowl" performance. Phillips attributed Tisci’s absence from the collaborator list to scheduling conflicts.

Madonna herself was closely involved with the show’s costume design, stated Phillips, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work on Madonna’s film "W.E." earlier this year. "This is her brainchild and her concept. We have a 15-year relationship and there’s a rhythm to how we collaborate. She’s very open-minded but she expects a lot," she explained. "She’s always challenging herself and pushing herself constantly to learn new things and she pushes me further than I would myself. When you’re on the world stage with her, you really have to bring your A game."

As for the media dustup this week when Madonna supposedly lobbed a grenade at Lady Gaga by mashing up her own "Express Yourself" with Lady Gaga’s allegedly reductive "Born This Way" in rehearsals, it wasn’t just a ploy for attention and it’s part of the permanent show. At the end of the song, Madonna throws in the line "She’s Not Me," from her recent song of the same name.

"Whether it’s an homage or a smack in the face or just being funny, I don’t know," stated Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s spokeswoman. "People can decide what it means. Madonna isn’t one to explain herself."



 
What do you think of Madonna's "MDNA Tour" costumes?

Source: allaboutmadonna.com

Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!

Madonna MDNA Tour Costumes

Madonna is set to vogue her way around the world on her MDNA concert tour, which kicks off Thursday in Tel Aviv and she’s enlisted a cadre of fashion designers to create an array of showstopping looks for the stage.







Madonna's parade of costume changes includes outfits from longtime collaborators Jean Paul Gaultier and Jeremy Scott, shoes from Prada and Miu Miu and pieces from Alexander Wang. Dolce & Gabbana made suits for the band and background vocalists, Fausto Puglisi created menacing bandolier vests and rams head masks for the backup dancers and even J Brand whipped up custom-made jeans.

Bras and panties , including one heart-shaped style from Madonna’s new intimates line "Truth or Dare", are incorporated into some numbers, as are shoes from the new "Truth or Dare" footwear line, at retail this fall. A somber, elegiac version of the usually peppy "Like a Virgin" will be sung by Madonna in an Agent Provocateur bra.




"It’s a real journey from the first act to the fourth, and the way she constructs her shows is like a theater piece," stated costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, who oversaw the entire wardrobe design for Madonna, her backup singers, musicians and 22 backup dancers. Scott, for his part, has been camped out in Tel Aviv this week, working till the last minute on some costumes.

The original Gaultier design is worn during the "Vogue" number and includes a white shirt, black tie, opera-length black gloves and a rigid skeleton corset. The getup references the iconic pink bustier-with-pin-striped suit look the designer created for Madonna’s 1990 "Blond Ambition" world tour, widely considered a pinnacle of both of their careers.




"We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now like a cage," explained Gaultier. "What I have done this time is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It’s all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012."

The designer and Phillips also re-created some archival Gaultier pieces for Madonna’s dancers, as an homage to his long relationship with the iconic singer. Gaultier was also responsible for the kinky equestrian and "Saturday Night Fever"-inspired looks of Madonna’s 2006 "Confessions" tour, and she once walked his runway with her nipples exposed.

"I love Madonna. She is the only woman I have asked to marry me. She refused, of course," added Gaultier. "But when she asked me to do a costume for her for this tour, I couldn’t refuse."




Prada created high-heeled shoes for the male dancers in the gender-bending "Vogue" performance, which includes imagery of the Vogue magazine logo on massive video screens , similar to "Madonna’s Super Bowl" performance of the song, which was viewed by 117 million people.

"This show is epic and bigger than anything she’s done before. There are many more costume changes. We’re taking 700 shoes on the road. Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer," quoted as saying Phillips of the production, which includes multiple appearances on stage by two of Madonna’s children, Lourdes and Rocco, in supporting roles.

Prada has supplied custom-made shoes for many of Madonna’s previous tours, noted Phillips. "They have been generous for so many years. Her relationship with them is really special. Everything is specially made and they made some incredible high-heeled boots for the boys," she added.





Phillips, who has done the costumes for Madonna’s four previous tours, designed a number of looks herself, delivering a wide range for her famously chameleonlike boss. The lineup veers from a forbidding Joan of Arc-inspired outfit fashioned from metal mesh and Swarovski Elements to a vernal, miniskirted majorette getup for Madonna.

"It’s inspired by a 1940s majorette and I was looking for something playful and fun," explained Phillips.

Masks are a big component to many outfits, with dancers hiding their faces behind gargoyle and bunny guises. "The show explores the idea of stripping away layers of identity and discovering the layers of who you are," claimed Phillips. There’s a menacing streak to some looks, with themes of violence explored in certain segments, which are accessorized with swords, guns, armor and holsters.

One designer missing from the MDNA tour roster is Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, who designed the showboating Cleopatra-on-Mars outfit Madonna donned for her "Super Bowl" performance. Phillips attributed Tisci’s absence from the collaborator list to scheduling conflicts.

Madonna herself was closely involved with the show’s costume design, stated Phillips, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work on Madonna’s film "W.E." earlier this year. "This is her brainchild and her concept. We have a 15-year relationship and there’s a rhythm to how we collaborate. She’s very open-minded but she expects a lot," she explained. "She’s always challenging herself and pushing herself constantly to learn new things and she pushes me further than I would myself. When you’re on the world stage with her, you really have to bring your A game."

As for the media dustup this week when Madonna supposedly lobbed a grenade at Lady Gaga by mashing up her own "Express Yourself" with Lady Gaga’s allegedly reductive "Born This Way" in rehearsals, it wasn’t just a ploy for attention and it’s part of the permanent show. At the end of the song, Madonna throws in the line "She’s Not Me," from her recent song of the same name.

"Whether it’s an homage or a smack in the face or just being funny, I don’t know," stated Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s spokeswoman. "People can decide what it means. Madonna isn’t one to explain herself."



 
What do you think of Madonna's "MDNA Tour" costumes?

Source: allaboutmadonna.com

Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!

Madonna Donates 600 Tickets To Israeli And Palestinian Peace Activists !

Madonna has donated 600 tickets to her concert in Israel to Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

It has to be noted that 30,000 fans are expected to attend what Madonna is calling a "concert for peace" on Thursday at Ramat Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv. The performance is launching the Queen of Pop's MDNA World Tour.

It has to be mentioned that on Wednesday Madonna met with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, according to Haaretz. Madonna claimed she would talk about peace during the show.

In March, Madonna had announced her show as a peace concert and declared she would invite activists, saying in a statement: "Music is so universal, and if there’s any chance that through my performance I can bring further attention and enlightenment to honor the peace efforts in the Middle East and help people come together, it would be an honor for me. It is my way of thanking those who are making so much effort toward bringing peace to the Middle East."

It has to be added that Madonna twice has performed sold-out shows in Israel, including the last performance of her "Sticky and Sweet" tour in 2009. She also has visited Israel with her children as part of her devotion to the study of kabbalah; they are with her now. 

Source: JTA.org

Madonna Donates 600 Tickets To Israeli And Palestinian Peace Activists !

Madonna has donated 600 tickets to her concert in Israel to Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

It has to be noted that 30,000 fans are expected to attend what Madonna is calling a "concert for peace" on Thursday at Ramat Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv. The performance is launching the Queen of Pop's MDNA World Tour.

It has to be mentioned that on Wednesday Madonna met with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, according to Haaretz. Madonna claimed she would talk about peace during the show.

In March, Madonna had announced her show as a peace concert and declared she would invite activists, saying in a statement: "Music is so universal, and if there’s any chance that through my performance I can bring further attention and enlightenment to honor the peace efforts in the Middle East and help people come together, it would be an honor for me. It is my way of thanking those who are making so much effort toward bringing peace to the Middle East."

It has to be added that Madonna twice has performed sold-out shows in Israel, including the last performance of her "Sticky and Sweet" tour in 2009. She also has visited Israel with her children as part of her devotion to the study of kabbalah; they are with her now. 

Source: JTA.org