Madonna Celebrates 40 Years of MTV for VMAs Opening

Courtesy of MTV

From Variety.com:

“And they said we wouldn’t last, but we are still here, motherfuckers!”

With those words, Madonna opened the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, which along with her iconic 40-year career as the Queen of Pop, is also celebrating the network’s four-decades-long anniversary.

The pop legend nodded to her own arrival in New York City as a 19-year-old with an opening segment. “I told the taxi driver tp take me to the center of it all,” says Madonna in a voice over while riding the cab to Times Square. “I came to New York City with nothing but 35 dollars and a pair of dance shoes. … I was 19 and terrified.”

Celebrating MTV’s birth, Madonna continued: “Forty years ago, another underdog arrived in New York City hoping to create something revolutionary and all music channel premiered in the middle of the night and called itself MTV. We found each other and from from then on changed my life, changed music and created a new art form. That’s why there’s only one place to be tonight.”

Dressed in a classic Burberry trench coat and Louboutin’s, Madonna took over Times Square with dozens of LED billboards playing her most-loved music videos – including Like a Prayer and Vogue – in tribute to both her own success and that of MTV, which helped her pave the way to becoming the best-selling female artist of all time.

For her onstage appearance, Madonna was wearing an Atsuko kudo crop jacket, latex bra and latex corset; a Moschino leather apron; Christian louboutin pumps; Handsome Stockholm leather gloves and rings by Neil Lane.

Madonna also unveiled a trailer for her upcoming concert film, Madame X, which will be available to stream on Paramount Plus on Oct. 8, shortly after her appearance.

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