Letters to the Editor
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Does this headline match the article? (hint: no)
As a pretty hardcore Madonna fan, when I saw this headline I furiously clicked on the story expecting to read a story about why Madonna doesn't matter. But instead I found a story that was sympathetic and kind to Madonna - one of my favorite artists. I guess I didn't need to engage in knee-jerk defensiveness, and I suspect that the writer didn't write the headline.
Interestingly though, this is a long-time favorite Madonna headline of many editors, one that has been in vogue since Madonna first broke on the music scene in the 80's. It's a thinly guised wish that she won't matter and go away. It attracts her rapid fans and rapid detractors - it's a smart headline - just like Madonna. When Entertainment Weekly named Madonna as the number 5 top entertainer of the 20th century (in front of Frank Sinatra) they acknowledged that her star is in constant danger of being extinguished, but so is every celebrity's, so why are we so obsessed with Madonna losing 'it' when she's done nothing if not prove that she has incredible staying power?
Italians do it better. So do Kabbalists. But Madonna does it best.