Walter Bieri / AP By Rolling Stone The power of Madonna shows little sign of waning, at least at the cashbox. According to Pollstar , the Material Girl was the runaway leader in concert grosses for calendar year 2012, taking in $296.1 million. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the number two spot with $210.2 million. Like Madonna, Springsteen played to more than two million fans this year. Photos: Live at the '12-12-12' Sandy Benefit Concert Also making bank was Roger Waters, who brought in $186.4 million, good for third place. Coldplay , Lady Gaga and Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: The Immortal" tour were the only other acts to gross over $100 million for the year. Overall, the year's top 50 tours grossed about $3 bill! ion combined, down two percent from $3.07 billion last year. Bruce Springsteen Requests Fan Submissions for New Documentary Pollstar's list reflects similarities with Billboard's recently announced list of top ear...

Madonna and Anne Hathaway are reportedly planning to duet at a New Years Eve party tonight. The stars will be welcoming the start of 2013 in Gstaad, an exclusive mountain resort in Switzerland. Designer Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti have invited the pair to their lavish bash at the members-only Eagle Ski Club. According to the New York Post, Madonna and Anne may even team up to treat their fashion icon host to a tune when the clock strikes midnight. Rumours are flying that both Madonna and Anne Hathaway will take turns serenading the legendary designer, and they might even do a duet at midnight, a source told the publication. Anne who has impressed critics with her performance in the new musical movie Les Misrables will be accompanied by her husband Adam Shulman. Madonna is believed to be taking her teenage daughter Lourdes along. The party promises to be an unforgettable experience. Valentino is sparing no expense on the event and has reportedly splashed out 500,000 ...

Former Material Girl Madonna has built 10 primary schools in Malawi during 2012, her charity announced. Two years after abandoning a $US15 million ($A14.52 million) girls academy, the pop diva said on Friday projects in 2012 would educate 4871 children in the tiny southern African country. The projects were carried out by her charity Raising Malawi and the global non-profit buildOn. 'I am overjoyed that my commitment along with buildOn's to help educate the children of Malawi has come to fruition,' Madonna said in a statement issued by her charity. 'In a country where girls have little opportunity for education, it's additionally inspiring to know that more than half the students attending will be young girls. 'The fact that more than 4800 children in Malawi will get to go to school next year is a tremendous step forward for their individual growth and the growth of Malawi,' Madonna added. The schools, which had been scheduled to be built over 18 months, wer...

Madonna was queen of the world in 2012, at least as far as touring pop music performers, delivering the highest-grossing concert tour of the year and raking in nearly $300 million at the box office worldwide, according to Pollstar, the concert-industry tracking magazine. Madonnas MDNA tour visited 67 cities for 88 performances that grossed $296.1 million, an average of $4.4 million a night, Pollstars data shows. Her average ticket price was just over $140, far from the priciest concert tickets of the year. Bruce Springsteen &; the E Street Band came in at No. 2, grossing $210.2 million from 81 shows in 66 cities on the Wrecking Ball tour. Springsteen sold more tickets than Madonna nearly 2.3 million to her 2.1 million but at significantly lower ticket prices. Seats for Springsteens shows averaged just less than $92. Best of 2012: Movies | TV | Pop music | Jazz | Video Games | Art | Theater | Dance | Classical music Third place went to Roger Waters with $186.4 million, making...

Melbourne, Dec. 29 (ANI) Madonna has built 10 primary schools in Malawi during 2012, her charity has announced. Two years after abandoning a 15-million-dollar girls academy, the 54-year-old singer said on Friday that the projects in 2012 will help educate 4871 children in the tiny southern African country, News.com.au reported. The projects were carried out by the pop diva's charity Raising Malawi and the global non-profit buildOn. In a statement released by her charity, the 'Like A Virgin' hit-maker said that she was overjoyed that her commitment along with buildOn's to help educate the children of Malawi had come to fruition. She said that in a country where girls have little opportunity for education, it's additionally inspiring to know that more than half the students attending are going to be young girls. The schools, which had been scheduled to be constructed over 18 months, were completed six months ahead of schedule. The charity said that six of the schools...

Madonna was queen of the world in 2012, at least as far as touring pop music performers, delivering the highest-grossing concert tour of the year and raking in nearly $300 million at the box office worldwide, according to Pollstar, the concert-industry tracking magazine. Madonnas MDNA tour visited 67 cities for 88 performances that grossed $296.1 million, an average of $4.4 million a night, Pollstars data shows. Her average ticket price was just over $140, far from the priciest concert tickets of the year. Bruce Springsteen &; the E Street Band came in at No. 2, grossing $210.2 million from 81 shows in 66 cities on the Wrecking Ball tour. Springsteen sold more tickets than Madonna nearly 2.3 million to her 2.1 million but at significantly lower ticket prices. Seats for Springsteens shows averaged just less than $92. Best of 2012: Movies | TV | Pop music | Jazz | Video Games | Art | Theater | Dance | Classical music Third place went to Roger Waters with $186.4 million, making...

AP / Madonna Despite controversy, Madonna's album is Russia's best-seller Dec. 28, 2012, 5:12 PM EST WENN Madonna may have caused controversy during her trip to Russia this year, but her headline-grabbing antics helped her land the country's best-selling album of 2012. Bing: Madonna MDNA tour gross The pop superstar's latest album, "MDNA," has been named No. 1 in the Russian end-of-year albums chart, ahead of singer Adele and her super-selling hit "21" and Lana Del Rey with "Born to Die," who landed atNo. 4andNo. 5on the countdown respectively, according to Lenta.ru. Madonna took her MDNA tour to Russia in August andwas subsequently hit with a $10.5 million lawsuit by activists who claimed she illegally promoted homosexuality at her show in St. Petersburg by handing out pink wristbands in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed. Madonna also hit headlines in Russia in ...

Picture: Madonna performs live in concert during the last city stop... Madonna has been accused of copying designs for her tour merchandise from the fashion brand set up by famed Sex And The City stylist Patricia Field . Field, who also worked on Tv series Ugly Betty and won an Oscar nomination for the costumes she put together for hit movie The Devil Wears Prada, has set up a self-titled clothing and accessories line and owns a boutique store in New York City. The super-stylist's employees have now accused pop singer Madonna of copying one of her designs for merchandise sold on her recently completed Mdna world tour. A post on Field's official Tumblr.com blog features a picture of black caps emblazoned with the word Vogue which were sold at Madonna's recent Madison Square Garden gigs in New York City, alongside a message alleging the design is similar to one featured in Field's line of hats and T-shirts. The message, titled Madonna Stole Our Vogue Hats, reads, ...

Madonna performs live at The NIA in Birmingham on July 19, 2012. UPI/Paul Treadway License photo Published: Dec. 27, 2012 at 2:56 PM NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Pop star Madonna says her Raising Malawi charity and the nonprofit buildOn have completed construction on 10 primary schools, which will educate 4,871 children. The singer adopted her son David and daughter Mercy from the poverty-stricken African country. The schools she helped build are in rural villages across Malawi and were finished six months ahead of schedule. Six of the schools are already in use and all 10 will be operating in January for the first day of school in the new year. "I am overjoyed that my commitment along with buildOn's to help educate the children of Malawi has come to fruition," Madonna said in a statement Thursday. "In a country where girls have little opportunity for education, it's additionally inspiring to know that more than half the students attending will be young girls. Th...

Madonna threatened to cancel a show after she caught a fan smoking during rehearsal. The 'Girl Gone Wild' singer was angered at someone watching her soundcheck in Santiago, Chile, after she saw them light a cigarette. She said: 'There's people smoking right? No. No smoking. Where are they smoking? 'If you're going to smoke cigarettes i'm not going to do a show.' When the Spanish speaking crowd didn't react, she added: 'You don't care about me. I don't care about you. Alright? Are we going to play that game? I can't sing if you smoke.' 'If you love me then don't smoke. You're looking right at me and smoking cigarettes, like I'm a stupid fing idiot.' Madonna is in South America completing her MDNA World Tour - concluding in Cordoba, Argentina - which has been named the highest grossing of 2012, making $228,406,085 for the 72 shows performed in the year from November 9, 2011, to November 13 2012. The tour has prov...

Madonna Badger poses for a photo on the front porch of P. Allen Smith's home in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, December 2, 2012. Badger's three daughters and parents were killed in a Christmas day fire in her Shippan home last year. Badger has spent much of the last year living in Arkansas, first with her friend Kate Askew, and now in a rented home. Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg / Stamford Advocate | Buy This Photo Madonna Badger poses for a photo on the front porch of P. Allen... Madonna Badger says hello to "Moose," a mule on P. Allen Smith's farm in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, December 2, 2012. Badger's three daughters and parents were killed in a Christmas day fire in her Shippan home last year. Badger has spent much of the last year living in Arkansas, first with her friend Kate Askew, and now in a rented home. Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg / Stamford Advocate | Buy This Photo Madonna Badger says hello to "Moose," a mule on P. Allen Smith...

A Wheeling statue that stands as a "memorial to the pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days" is being restored for the first time since it was erected in1928. The Madonna of the Trail statue, located along National Road near the entrance to Wheeling Park, is undergoing a large-scale restoration, as time has taken a toll on the historic memorial. Employees with Keystone Waterproofing of Greensburg, Pa., have been busy performing detailed work on the statue, including: pressure washing, filling cracks and missing areas on the statue, applying clear water repellent and securing the surrounding retaining wall. Workers said they hope to have the project complete soon, weather permitting. The project was awarded through a bidding process to Allegheny Restoration and Building Corp. of Morgantown and subcontractor Keystone Waterproofing. Article Photos Photo by Scott McCloskey Employees with Keystone Waterproofing of Greensburg, Pa., have been busy performing detailed restoration w...

Like a Surgeon ... General? Madonna threatened to cancel a concert in Chile after second-hand smoke wafted onto the stage during a soundcheck, TMZ reports. Photos: Everybody's posing nude! Check out Rihanna and other stars who've bared all The Queen of Pop flipped out at some fans who were smoking below the stage while she was rehearsing at an open-air theater in Santiago Wednesday, according to TMZ. "If you're gonna smoke cigarettes, I'm not doing a show," she told them. "I'm not kidding. I can't sing if you smoke, entiendes? If you love me then don't smoke. No smoking! You're looking right at me while you're smoking cigarettes, like I'm a stupid f---ing idiot." Best of 2012: Things you forgot happened this year The fans eventually put out their cigarettes and the show went on as scheduled, TMZ reports. Watch video of Madonna's rant below: View original Madonna Threatens to Cancel Concert in Chile Because of Smoking Fan...

WENN/ Madonna Final night of Madonna's MDNA Tour gets off to rough start Dec. 23, 2012, 6:15 PM EST WENN The last stop of Madonna 's hugely-successful MDNA Tour got off to a rough start on Saturday after the power generator broke down in the middle of her set. The Material Girl, who was wrapping up her trek in Cordoba, Argentina, had just launched into a performance of "Open Your Heart" when the device shut down, cutting off electricity to the venue, Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes. Find: Does Madonna smoke? In a bid to entertain the audience of over 50,000 waiting fans, the quick-thinking star broke into an impromptu routine with her back-up dancers and continued singing using a megaphone. After 45 minutes, organizers were able to fix the problem and a relieved Madonna took to the microphone to thank the crowd for waiting it out. She said, "Thank you for your patience, thanks for everything. You have been great." However,Madonna ended the year on a good note ...

Madonna was spotted lighting up a cigarette on stage during her MDNA tour, causing eyebrows to raise as only days ago the Like a Virgin singer went off on others for smoking. During a sound check earlier this week, Madonna went off on a handful of people smoking in the open theater. At the time, Madonna threatened to cancel her show if the handful of people didnt extinguish their cigarettes. If you're going to smoke cigarettes, I'm not doing a show. You don't care about me? I don't care about you. All right? Are we going to play that game? I'm not kidding. I can't sing if you smoke...Entiendes?" she yelled at the time. In a video obtained by Perez Hilton , the 54-year-old singer is dressed in lingerie taking a cigarette from someone in the crowd, walking seductively and climbing on top of a piano. Madonna holds the singer the entire time throughout the song and walks off of the stage, cigarette in hand. Follow us on Twitter ! Follow us on Facebook !

Madonna threatened to cancel her concert because fans were smoking in the audience. The 54-year-old diva was performing a sound check at an outdoor arena in Santiago in Chile when she spotted some people smoking, and told them she would not perform if she had to inhale their second hand smoke. In a video posted on YouTube Madonna told the Spanish-speaking audience: "No fume. If you're going to smoke cigarettes I'm not doing the show. "You don't care about me? I don't care about you. All right? Are we going to play that game? "I'm not kidding. I can't sing if you smoke. Entiendes? There are people smoking right now. No smoking!" Madonna walked off stage, but in the end the gig went ahead as planned. The singer's MDNA world tour has been littered with controversy. She angered France's far-right National Front after showing a video at a Paris concert in July that contained an image of the party's leader with a swastika on her forehea...

Madonna threatened to cancel a show after she caught a fan smoking during rehearsal. The 'Girl Gone Wild' singer was angered at someone watching her soundcheck in Santiago, Chile, after she saw them light a cigarette. She said: 'There's people smoking right? No. No smoking. Where are they smoking? 'If you're going to smoke cigarettes i'm not going to do a show.' When the Spanish speaking crowd didn't react, she added: 'You don't care about me. I don't care about you. Alright? Are we going to play that game? I can't sing if you smoke.' 'If you love me then don't smoke. You're looking right at me and smoking cigarettes, like I'm a stupid fing idiot.' Madonna is in South America completing her MDNA World Tour - concluding in Cordoba, Argentina - which has been named the highest grossing of 2012, making $228,406,085 for the 72 shows performed in the year from November 9, 2011, to November 13 2012. The tour has prov...

MIAMI, FL --(Marketwire - December 22, 2012) - Madonna was caught on video in complete shock while fans smoked in the crowd during a sound check for her Santiago, Chile concert on December 20, 2012. "There are people smoking right now. No smoking!" she said. "If you're going to smoke cigarettes, I'm not doing a show. You don't care about me? I don't care about you. All right? Are we going to play that game? I'm not kidding. I can't sing if you smoke." Her rants seemed to go in one ear, and out the other, while smokers continued to puff. "You're looking right at me and smoking cigarettes, like I'm a stupid idiot," she continued. According to TMZ, Madonna's final plea was enough to get the smokers to put out their cigs and let her continue with her performance. Maybe next time her fans should try bringing a South Beach Smoke electronic cigarette to the show. A South Beach Smoke e-Cig contains no tobacco, smoke, tar or c...

CAPTIONS Madonna Madonna performs in concert at Staples Center on Oct. 11, 2012, in Los Angeles. ( Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times /October 11, 2012) By Reed Johnson December 21, 2012 , 11:02 a.m. Madonna is known for speaking her mind, even if it means tongue-lashing her own fans on occasion. So when the Material Girl spotted a few people smoking during a sound check at Chile's National Stadium on Wednesday, she didn't hesitate to voice her displeasure. "There are people smoking here. No smoking!" Madonna schooled her Santiago followers. "If you're going to smoke cigarettes, I'm not going to do my show." If you love me, don't smoke, Madonna further pleaded. PHOTOS: Madonna's life! in pictures But according to a video and an account in Santiago's El Mercurio newspaper , the encounter escalated as the fans continued puffing away. "You're looking right at me and smoking cigarettes , as if I were a [expletive] idiot,...