Madonna still "The Material Girl!"

Hi Jennifer: As your London correspondent for all things fashionable, I thought all of your readers would find this interesting.

When Madonna identified herself in 1985 hit as a material girl, it turned out to be one of the most ingenious and profitable hooks in the history of entertainment. Even more then Michael Jackson's 'The King of Pop!" self imposed title.

After last year’s box-office receipts had all been added up, it was revealed that the highest-earning pop star on the planet in 2008 was, yet again, Madonna. She grossed more than $280 million, nearly all of it on her Sticky & Sweet world tour — more than twice what Coldplay, the hottest rock band on the road at the time, made from theirs. Surprisingly, the information was largely ignored because, well, it's Madonna and that's what everyone has come to expect.

We seem to have got used to the phenomenon that is Madonna Ciccone, now a 50-year-old mother of three who, defying all pop’s laws of becoming obsolete, is still at the top of the heap after 26 years in the biz. Fans don’t seem to mind paying the breath catching prices that she charges to watch her perform these days either. The average price of tickets for the next leg of her Sticky & Sweet tour, which kicks off in London’s O2 arena in July, now on sale with Seatwave, is around the mark $300, and some can fetch up to $700. Ouch! If the second leg of Sticky & Sweet repeats the success of the first, it will overtake the Rolling Stones’s "Bigger Bang" outings to become the biggest-earning concert tour EVER!

In 1992 Madonna set up Maverick, a record label with video, film and publishing interests, which she jointly owned with Time Warner until 2004.

Since 1989, when she accepted $5 million from Pepsi for a TV commercial (which got pulled after one showing for its presumed blasphemy), she has been involved in ad campaigns for BMW, Max Factor, Versace and Gap. Last year she put her name to a clothing line for the high-street retailer H&M; this year Madonna collaborated with Ed Hardy on a tattoo-inspired range for Christian Audigier.

Then there are the merchandising deals, investments in fine art and property, appearance fees and other income accrued as a result of her being the most famous woman on the planet. Exactly how rich she is is uncertain: valuations of Madonna’s current worth start at the figure quoted in The London Sunday Times Rich List 2008 edition , $450 million, and go up from there.

The recent divorce from British movie director Guy Ritchie, adoption problems and a Sex bio/book haven't tarnished her image one bit. She puts on a fantastic concert and doesn't cheap out on stage productions using 300 people to help her put on each show. Madonna is know for her controlling behavior and temper tantrums though. She can fire and rehire several loyal and long time staff members in the same argument and will never do anything without making a buck or two.

So Jennifer, if you want to splurge and send me $700 to go the Madonna concert in July, I would be happy to go and report back. :)

Clare London, England