CALL ME ESTHER. Madonna is confused. A Catholic girl who changed her name to be a take off of the Blessed Virgin (if you are Catholic, anyway), she now embraces the Kabbala. That is a mystic Jewish book. In her concert, she announced she is Esther, her Hebrew name. So, you have this Christian\Jewish religious conflict going on.

Then, she plays the song "Imagine", which is John Lennon's ode to atheism. You remember, imagine there is no hell below us, above us only sky, and no religion, too. She played that in Madison Square Garden to a video showing children starving and dying. I guess that is a statement that she blames religion for starvation and death. So now you have a Catholic\Mystic Jewish\Atheist thing going on.

Now, I know musicians often just go for effect and emotion and you cannot expect a message that really makes sense, but this is too contradictory for me. That did not keep reviewers from gushing over the show.

I have to say, though, that, if I liked Madonna enough to go see her and pay for it, I would be bummed out by a video of starving and dying children. Surely people go see her for the skimpy outfits and erotic dancing, and maybe for the singing although I doubt it, and not for dying children.

I could give them dying children pictures much cheaper. But, I won't wear the bustier.