MIGHTY MADGE
Madonna makes UK chart history as she closes gap on Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley
Madonna has top 10 hits more than The Beatles, Oasis and the Spice Girls combined
MADONNA is celebrating her 64th . . . Top Ten hit, that is.
The superstar, who celebrated her 65th birthday six months ago, last night returned there in the Official Charts for the first time since 2009.
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It is thanks to Popular, her collaboration with The Weeknd, and the song is truly living up to its title.
Not bad for a woman who will be eligible to pick up her state pension later this year.
Popular was originally released in June for the US TV series The Idol but has been slowly building momentum and has now reached a new peak at No10.
The incredible achievement proves that however much people want to write Madonna off, she is still at the top of her game.
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She has the most Top Ten singles for any woman in music and more than The Beatles, Oasis and the Spice Girls combined.
Madonna, who last night was back on stage in Chicago during the US leg of her Celebration Tour, has proved she can still keep up with the kids and continues to be massively popular despite the bores who love to criticise her.
The timing of Madge’s big moment couldn’t be better, because it was exactly 40 years ago this month she entered the Top Ten for the first time with Holiday.
In the years that followed she was hardly off the charts and has now racked up a total of 13 No1 hits.
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In 2009, her single Celebration peaked at No3.
But since then she has struggled to break into the Top Ten, with singles such as 2015’s Living For Love peaking at No26.
But there is clearly still plenty of fight left in Madonna, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she manages to catch up with Sir Cliff Richard’s record of 68 Top Ten hits in the coming years.
None of us could have predicted Madonna and Sophie Ellis-Bextor would be back in the charts this year.
God knows what else is in store over the next ten months.
Top 10 of top tens
- Elvis Presley – 76
- Cliff Richard – 68
- Madonna – 64
- Drake – 45
- Michael Jackson – 44
- Ed Sheeran – 41
- Elton John – 36
- Kylie – 35
- Eminem – 33
- U2 – 33
Kylie's foodie blues
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THERE was no missing Kylie Minogue when she arrived at Variety’s Pre-Grammy Party.
The Spinning Around singer wore a bright blue dress to the event at French restaurant Mes Amis in Hollywood.
Kylie is hoping to win big at tomorrow night’s ceremony, as Padam Padam helped her get her first nomination in 14 years in the Best Pop Dance Recording category.
Kylie will also be heading to London’s O2 Arena on March 2 for a huge performance at the Brits.
I revealed last month she had been booked alongside stars including Dua Lipa and Raye.
Curtain call for Mariah
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MARIAH CAREY’s dress gave us all something to talk about when she arrived at the Recording Academy Honours in Los Angeles.
The We Belong Together singer wore the OTT bronze outfit as she was honoured with the Global Impact Award.
Mariah was handed the gong alongside Lenny Kravitz, who was also given the award at the event held at the Fairmont Century Plaza.
I’m usually a huge fan of Mariah’s style.
But every time I look at this dress, all I can think about is rejigging my tulle curtains.
Raye to trouser cash from designer brand
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RAYE’s year is off to a cracking start with seven Brit Award nominations – and she could soon have a huge payday coming her way too.
She name checks designers Christian Dior, Fendi and Prada on her collaboration with Casso and D-Block Europe, called Prada, and has now revealed one of those brands wants to use the track for a campaign.
Given Prada is the name of the track, I can imagine they are the ones clamouring to use it.
Asked if she had been given any freebies by the brands she sings about, Raye teased: “No, but I think maybe one of them is going to use the song.
“I don’t know, maybe.”
She slipped up with the comment during a chat on Australian radio, then admitted she wasn’t sure if she had signed a non-disclosure agreement to stop her from talking about it. Awkward.
Raye, who will perform at next month’s Brit Awards, added: “It would be nice.
“But when you’re doing good, people send you free stuff.
“So I’m good.”
Feel free to send anything you don’t want our way, Raye.
Anne-Marie's best tat
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ANNE-MARIE’s collection of inkings is growing – courtesy of Michael McIntyre.
The comedian got his hands on a tattoo gun and wrote “simply the best” on her leg as part of a sketch on his Big Show tonight.
Michael said: “We played a game whereby I asked everyone in the audience to suggest something that we could tattoo on her body.
“I told her we had tattoo artists here, backstage.
“So we did it. And I wrote on Anne-Marie, on her leg.
“It was ‘simply the best’ – a suggestion from her grandpa.”
Killers hit rocky road with synth sound
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BRANDON FLOWERS has admitted he felt too old to push forward with The Killers’ synth-inspired album.
The group, who will kick off their UK tour in Manchester on June 18, have now dumped the record and are working on a new sound.
Brandon said: “I did not want to commit to a whole synth-pop record.
“It is complex.
“There is a place in our hearts for this music but we are getting older.
“We thought you could make an album faster on the road, as you are working more with computers, but we did not get the gratification from it.
“We are now making a rock ’n’ roll album.
“We have only been around 20 years and from when we started, rock radio is a different animal as there were fewer and fewer stations.”
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Once they finish the European tour, The Killers will kick off their Hot Fuss residency at Las Vegas’ Colosseum in August.
Brandon said on the Smartless podcast, out next week: “It is 20 years of our first record and we are going to play it front to back, and then we will do eight or nine singles.”
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