Janet Jackson Poses Topless for Vibe
NEW YORK (AP) - Janet Jackson has never been afraid to expose some skin. The 40-year-old singer, newly svelte after losing some 60 pounds, appears on the cover of Vibe magazine wearing a skimpy bikini bottom and a necklace made of large shells. Her right arm covers her breasts.
Will she ever stop posing for sexy photos? "Of course. When I'm 80," she tells Vibe. "That's when I'll call it quits."
Jackson credits her boyfriend, 33-year-old music producer Jermaine Dupri, for giving her self-esteem "a little boost."
"I came to realize that younger men had less of a problem with who I am than older men," she says. "With the younger guys, there was less ego. Things were less competitive. They weren't threatened by who made more and who made less."
She says that with Dupri, she feels as if she's met her match.
"When I look at Jermaine, I see myself," Jackson says. "I feel as if I'm looking in the mirror. The connection I feel with him I have never felt with anybody else."
The pop star recently said she had packed on extra weight for a role in the upcoming movie "Tennessee," which she ultimately had to pass on because of her new record.
When asked if she'd rather have a hit album or win an Oscar, she says: "Win an Oscar. It's just a passion. But can't I have both? Everybody in my family says I'm spoiled anyway. I want both..."
Fans Cheer Madonna at Rome Concert
ROME (AP) - Religious leaders may have snubbed Madonna, but Italian fans cheered the pop star as she staged a mock crucifixion at her concert in Rome.
A crowd of 70,000 attended Sunday night's performance at Olympic Stadium, some two miles from the Vatican. The scene of Madonna on a mirrored cross and wearing a crown of thorns, part of her worldwide "Confessions" tour, had drawn fire from religious leaders, who condemned it as an act of hostility toward the Roman Catholic Church.
"She does it to play, not to offend," said Benedetta Mori, a 31-year-old fan wearing a T-shirt with an image of Madonna on the cross. "If they allowed her to stage the show here they must also play by her rules."
Madonna's representatives have said the performance on the cross, which has been included from the outset of the tour in May, is not disrespectful toward the church.
The 47-year-old singer is known for her theatrical, action-packed shows. Besides her rendition of "Live to Tell" while on the cross, her two-hour performance included two dancers with a Star of David and a Muslim crescent painted on their torsos who embraced and held hands.
A figure wearing a robe and turban did a solo on the shofar, a ram's horn traditionally blown during the Jewish high holidays, then joined Madonna, who is a kabbalist, to perform "Isaac," a song about Yitzhak Luria, a 16th-century Jewish mystic and kabbalah scholar.
"Two miracles have happened," Madonna told the crowd. "Italy won the World Cup and it stopped raining before my show."
Keeping in touch with her Material Girl side, she got the crowd moving with her gyrating dancing and disco-flavored numbers.
"Ciao Roma! Are you ready to ride with me?" said the equestrian-styled singer as she opened a concert that included "Hung Up,""Music,""Like a Virgin" and "La Isla Bonita."
Well, there you have it. The latest concerning two of pop musics all time icons. Ladies, do your thing! To hell with anybody that is, no pun intended Madonna, "hung up" with your antics.
If you would like to check out some of Madonna's latest stuff, go towww.myspace.com/akuasharpe and click on Madonna's picture in my friends list. That will take you to her profile page and music player.
As usual, email me at reggae8@aol.com.
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