by Helen Macrae

This month’s magazine cover star is none other than Queen of Pop herself, Madonna. To coincide with the release of her eleventh studio album “Hard Candy”, European Vibe has bagged an interview with Madge, in which she expounds on work, creativity and life in general. As you’re probably all aware, Madonna hits the big 50 this year. But did you know the following fantastic facts? 

Her full name is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone.

Contrary to the material-girl image she’s cultivated over the years, Madonna was an avid cheerleader who got straight A’s and helped found her high school drama club.

According to the BBC, in the film “Evita” Madonna donned “39 hats, 45 pairs of shoes and 56 pairs of earrings.” She was recognized by Guinness Book of World Records in 2000 for having the most costume changes.

Madonna is good friends with Sting, the lead singer of The Police, and his wife Trudie Styler. She was introduced to her husband, director Guy Ritchie, by Sting and his wife. Sting is currently a godfather to Madonna’s son Rocco.

Madonna owns a chihuahua named Chiquita.

Madonna was listed at #3 in Forbes magazine’s “Celebrity 100 of 2007,” with $72 million in earnings.

In January 2008 it was revealed that Madonna only drinks specially blessed Kabbalah water, and spends $10,000 a month on it, having it shipped to her wherever she is at the time.

At the end of Madonna’s wedding ceremony, she and her new husband Guy Ritchie were given two rolls of toilet paper by Susan Brown, the minister, as it is one of the minister’s traditions. Susan says of her tradition, “Two rolls together reminding them that their marriage should be strong and long.”

Madonna has brontophobia – a fear of thunder.

Madonna has insisted that British tour organizers put a bottle of vodka in her dressing room. The alcohol isn’t to drink, it is used to wash her clothes. She sprays it over perspiration marks and the alcohol apparently kills the bacteria and keeps the stage clothes fresher. She picked up the tip after hearing it was often used by opera singers.

Madonna was paid $5 million by Pepsi to film a commercial that never even aired.

Madonna gave her 8-year old daughter a credit card, to “teach her financial responsibility.” The card has a $10,000 credit line.

Madonna is the only artist who performed at the benefit concerts Live Aid (1985), Live 8 (2005), AND Live Earth (2007).

For more Madonna info check out our interview on page 8 of this month’s magazine!

By Khilen Mehta

Since missing out on the Champions league final due to suspension in 1999, Paul Scholes has been itching to play in another one for 9 years. After his special strike last night, his name has already been guaranteed a spot on United´s team sheet for the final in Moscow. Last night had all the makings of a great Champions League semi-final. Two teams with so much to play for…United hungry for success, Barca trying their utmost to restore pride. In the end the game might not have provided the goals or the thrills but it kept fans on the edge of their seats and sent United on their way to a potential double.

With United missing arguably two of their most important players, many fans could be forgiven for thinking this tie could have been a lot closer than it eventually turned out. But as has belied United all season, in the absence of one superstar, someone else invariably steps upto the plate. Last night was the turn of Wes Brown and Park Ji Sung who propelled United to the first all English champions league final in the history of the competition.

Barcelona, for all their sexy football and poetry in motion, rarely threatened the United goal. They looked menacing, they attacked with flair but were just let down far too often in the final third. Lionel Messi was a joy to behold once again, and if anyone looked like providing a scare it was him. But he was also let down far too often by his teammates and in truth Edwin Van Der Sar had very little to do, much like the previous leg in the Nou Camp. Barcelona, of course, had the talent to make things tense as the game progressed but United looked comfortable and with the much maligned Wes Brown having the game of his life, it was Scholes who grabbed the headlines.

And what a beauty it was that won the game. It may have been a scrappy build up, but the finish was a moment of genius. As he picked up the ball 25 yards out, there was almost a collective shout of encouragement for him to shoot, and boy did he deliver. The ball flew into the top right hand corner, leaving Victor Valdes no chance.

And that was it all it took. It has been a long 9 years for United fans. A time period in which they know they have underachieved in Europe. But now they head to Moscow for the chance to make things right…

By Will Cade

Alright boys and girls, grab your dirtiest looking red shirt, your sickle and hammer, and your ready-made retractible signs: it’s time to make a picket line. May is upon us, and you can almost smell the protests brewing. The communists are gathering, posting flyers around town and posting information on that grand, digitally grafittied wall – the internet.

May 1st seems to be the day of choice in Madrid, coinciding with the Mayday protests in London. A simple Googlesearch will reveal a manifesto’s worth of blogs, message boards, and political organizations providing information for Madrid. My personal favorite (liguistically not politically) is www.kaosenlared.net. In English, Kaos en la Red means Chaos in the System, with a bi-lingual pun written between the languages (la Red – Communism). Kaos en la Red also looks to be the most organized and professional organization of the search results, but my newly acquired Spanish soul quivers when I see that they are based outside of Barcelona. A communist organization from Barcelona organizing protests in Madrid? That sounds like political upheavel in a can, or maybe a blow horn.

The protest is set to happen at noon on May 1st outside Atocha on Calle Jacinto Benavente. YouTube has tons of videos from previous protests. Just type in “Manifestaciones de Mayo en Madrid” (May Protest in Madrid) and get ready to enjoy some soft, Spanish punk music and slow moving crowds. Honestly, the crowds from these videos remind me more of a 4th of July parade in some backwoods U.S. town in the 60’s, minus the capitilism. But still, the lackadaisical sentiment remains the same. The most threatening sights on the videos are a few Mohawks – which are lethal in and of themselves – and that oh so friendly Spanish favorite, the rasta mullet: dreads and a rat tail. I wouldn’t worry about too much about safety during the day, but I hear that things can get messy at night, when the protesters go from taking it to the street to taking it from the stores.

As an a-political prankster, I might take a look at the day protest, out of mere curiousity, but I’ll skip the nightly adventures running a muck through Madrid. I’ll leave that to the adolescents and childish adults.

By Maja Gojkovic

Paganism describes a group of contemporary religions that are based on a reverence to nature. The faiths focus on the traditional religions of indigenous people throughout the world. Paganism is made up of a diverse community of different types of pagans including Wiccans, Druids, Shamans, Sacred Ecologists, Odinists and Heathens.

Some pagan groups concentrate more on specific traditions or practices such as ecology, witchcraft, Celtic traditions or certain gods.

Most Pagans share an ecological vision that derives from the Pagan belief in the organic vitality and spirituality of the natural world.

Pagans have been subjected too much persecution and misrepresentation. Pagans are not sexual deviants, do not worship the devil, are not evil, do not practice ‘black magic’ and their practices do not involve harming people or animals although many people think that this is what Pagans believe in.

 Beltane is a Celtic word which means ‘fires of Bel’ (Bel was a Celtic deity). It is also the fire festival that celebrates of the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year and celebrated by Pagans.

In the past Celtic festivals often tied in with the needs of the community so in spring time at the beginning of May and at the beginning of the farming calendar, everybody would be hoping for a fruitful year for their families and fields.

The Beltane rituals would often include courting where young men and women would go collecting blossoms in the woods and lighting fires in the evening. These rituals would often result in matches being found and marriages, either immediately in the coming summer or autumn.

Other festivities during Beltane involved fire. Pagans believe fire is thought to cleanse, purify and increase fertility. Cattle were often passed between two fires and the properties of the flame and the smoke were seen to ensure the fertility of the herd.

Today’s Pagans believe that at Beltane the God (to whom the Goddess gave birth at the Winter Solstice) achieves the strength and maturity to court and become lover to the Goddess. Although a past tradition such as picking blossoms in the fields has lost its significance for most Pagans today, the creation of fertility is still an important issue.

Fire is still used the most important symbol for most Beltane celebrations with a variety of traditions still associated with it. It is seen to have purifying qualities which cleanse and revitalise. People leap over the Beltane fire to bring good fortune, fertility of mind, body and spirit and happiness through the coming year.

Although Beltane is the most overtly sexual festival celebrated by Pagans, Pagans rarely use sex in their rituals although rituals often imply sex and fertility. The tradition of dancing round the maypole contains sexual imagery and is still very popular with modern Pagans.

The largest Beltane celebrations in the UK are held in Edinburgh. Fires are lit in the evening and festivities carry on until dawn. All around the UK fires are lit and private celebrations are held amongst covens and groves (groups of Pagans) to mark the start of the summer.

These Pagan festivities still continue today, for example on Carlton Hill in Edinburgh on April 30^th. Thousands of people join together for a huge celebration to mark the coming of summer. The festivities include a procession to the top of the hill led by people dressed as the May Queen and the Green Man (ancient God and Goddess figures representing fertility and growth).

The May Queen crowns the Green Man, in a ritual similar to that carried out by Wiccan Pagans (who follow a structured set of rituals). The winter ends when the Green Man’s winter costume is taken from him and he is revealed in his spring costume. A wild dance takes place and the Green Man and the May Queen are married.

The main element of any Beltane celebration is fire. On Carlton Hill torchbearers carry purifying flames and fire arches are used to represent the gateways between the earthly world and the spirit world.

By Maja Gojkovic and Will Cade

Thanks to the traditional Spanish practice of the puente (any day separating a holiday from the weekend becomes part of the party) we are all going to have a good 4 days on our hands this weekend. But what are we going to do with this cultural gem? Whether you started celebrating a week early and just need to rest, or you’ve been so bogged down with uni or work that you just need to let off some steam, Madrid has exactly what you’re looking for. Here’s a list of suggestions from Will Cade and Maja Gojkovic, the European Vibe’s ad hominem experts on the student lifestyle and fun and affordable leisure in Madrid.

Maja’s Favorite’s:

1. Picnic in Retiro

With weather predicted to be nice this puente, why not take a picnic down to Retiro. You have 350 acres of beautiful greenery to choose from, containing formal gardens, many fountains and statues, and a large lake. The park is filled with street musicians, jugglers, clowns, gypsy fortune-tellers, and sidewalk painters.

2. Bar crawl of Malasaña

If you’re stuck for where to go this puente and fancy a change from your regular clubbing hotspots, why not try some trendy bars in the heart of Malasaña. There are hundreds of bars to choose from, all with their own funky style and choice of music.

3. Day trip to Toledo

If you have been in Madrid for a while and have not managed to venture out of the city yet, why not take a day trip to Toledo. The city is only an hour train journey from Madrid, and its mixture of Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures makes it a city well worth seeing.

4. Dramatised tour of Madrid

If history is not one of your favourite things to learn about, how about learning about what happened during the Dos de mayo by watching the theatrical performances with a walk around tour throughout the city of Madrid.

5. Go to a basketball game (Madrid final four)

If your into sports and like basketball, you can watch the highlight from this months sporting calendar the Madrid Final Four which features the best teams from the competition.

Will’s Favorite’s:

6. For you starving artist types, El Museo de Prado is free this Friday, May 2nd, but bear in mind that Spaniards come out in hoardes when freebies are invovled.

7. El Polideportivo Municipal de La Latina has an indoor pool with an outdoor sun deck, so for about 4€, those fair-skinned anglo saxons amongst us can get some cheap sun before the summer hits full-on.

8. If you mainly brought winter clothes for your Erasmus program, El Rastro, one of the biggest flea markets in Europe, will have most everything under the sun this Sunday, from about 8 to 3. But keep a close watch on your belongings: there are almost as many pick-pockets as there are nicknacks.

9. To get your nights started, 6 Goya 6 will host free, nightly street performances May 1st and 2nd, which will interpret the artist’s life and influence through dance, theater, and music.

10. Just grab an ice-cream, any type will do, and walk around in the sun with some friends. Sometime’s it’s the simple things in Madrid that are the best.