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STORY: Madonna, the material girl-turned-director, hit the red carpet in New York on Monday (January 23) night to celebrate the opening of her film "W.E." The outing also marked a rare and brief appearance with her boyfriend, Brahim Zaiba, and daughter Lourdes.
The veteran singer dug deep into history and stepped behind the camera to tell the love story of King Edward VIII's and American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Madonna put a modern day twist on the film by intertwining fictional characters played by Abbie Cornish and Oscar Isaac, whose lives loosely mimic that of the King and Simpson. Actor James D'Arcy said the spin on the history helps make the story relatable.
Madonna's win at the Golden Globes for best original song created a bit a friction with fellow nominee Elton John. After earning the trophy, John's husband, David Furnish, used Facebook to say her win "truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit." Furnish has since retracted his words, while Madonna continues to decline to comment on the controversy.
The making of this film has been a multi-year process for Madonna, as she took her time researching and co-writing before stepping behind the camera. As she prepares for her historic half-time Super Bowl performance, a new CD and a tour, the singer took a sigh of relief over the fact the movie is finally set to open.
"W.E." will theaters across the U.S. on February 3rd.
