And in this corner, Madonna: 49, married lady, mother of three and still fierce in some glorified undies.

With an album dropping in late April and a documentary about Malawi, I Am Because We Are, due to be released this year, the not-so-material-anymore girl sat down with Interview magazine’s Ingrid Sischy for her final issue, to talk Africa, albums, and freedom. Read on for excerpts!

On working with Justin Timberlake: “I really enjoy writing with Justin…We had psychoanalytic sessions whenever we wrote songs first. We’d sit down and we’d start talking about situations. And then we’d start talking about issues or problems or relationships with people. That was the only way, because you know, writing together with somebody is very intimate…that was fun, because he’s open and he’s got talent. He’s a songwriter. I haven’t worked with a lot of songwriters where I’m instantly connected and start riffing and playing with the rhythm of the words. He’s as interested in the rhythm of the words as the meaning of the words.”

On adopting her son David: “He wouldn’t have lived if I hadn’t taken him. It’s not even a possibility.”

On gaining perspective: “We live very comfortable lives, and unfortunately, we have to have our noses rubbed in other people’s pain and suffering to realize how much we have and how much we have to be grateful for.”

On bringing daughter Lourdes with her to Malawi: “She spent several weeks working in the orphanages, particularly one with newborn children, and most of them were HIV-positive. She so came into her own and was so responsible and stayed for eight hours every day and worked tirelessly. I thought, why am I babying her so much? She’s capable of so much more. We don’t let kids do anything. We think, Oh, they’re kids — they can’t take care of other kids; they can’t do this; they can’t do that. And after you go to Africa, you drop all that silliness.”

On freedom: “Freedom is a funny word because when we think we’re free, we’re not really. I think freedom is quite illusory….When I stop thinking about myself all the time and put other people before me on a regular basis, that’s real freedom. When I can love unconditionally…then that’s real freedom. So it’s something to strive for, but I’m not free.”
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Madonna will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week with a tribute by Iggy Pop and his band, The Stooges.

Iggy & The Stooges are from Detroit like Madonna, and opened for the “Like a Virgin” singer on the Dublin stop of her Reinvention tour in 2004.

Justin Timberlake will present Madonna her award.

The ceremony, on March 10 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, will also feature performances by Damien Rice (for Leonard Cohen), James Cotton (for Little Walter), Patti LaBelle (for Gamble & Huff), John Mellencamp, The Ventures and The Dave Clark Five.

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Madonna has laughed off reports she and husband  Guy Ritchie have invested $5 million in their own London pub.

It was claimed the couple had bought The Punchbowl near their home in London’s Mayfair from their friend Greg Foreman, with Foreman’s former gangster father even confirming the sale.

But the pop superstar’s representative insists she and Ritchie are content to visit the pub as regular customers. Liz Rosenberg tells PageSix.com, “(It’s) pure fiction. I know Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie enjoy their pub visits but they don’t own one.”

Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie have bought a traditional London pub near their home in the British capital. The couple paid $5 million for the 18th Century The Punchbowl in Mayfair, buying it from friend Greg Foreman, the son of notorious former London gangster Freddie Foreman.

A source tells British newspaper People, “She (Madonna) absolutely adores the pub. They pop in regularly to get away from it all. Madonna loves the beer and Guy meets all his pals down there. They have been desperate to own this place for a long time and have been making offers on it for ages. Now it has finally happened.”

“It’s only around the corner from their West End home. She will be the most glamorous landlady alive.” Foreman Sr. confirmed the deal, which was finalized last week: “It’s great news. Madonna and Guy are a lovely couple and I’ve met them a few times at the pub. It’s a gorgeous place.”

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Elton John was said to have been “livid” over Madonna’s decision to throw a last-minute Oscars party, sources say.

Celebrities attending Elton’s party, included B and C-list actors, including Marion Cotillard, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Sharon Stone, Kate Beckinsale, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Seal.

However, Madonna’s bash was nothing but an A-list affair, with celebrities including Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Owen Wilson, and Penelope Cruz all in attendance at her party, which was thrown together in a matter of days.

“Elton despises Madonna and this has made things way worse,” a source said.

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When Madonna gets inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, none other than Justin Timberlake will do the honors of presenting her, InTouch has learned exclusively. The ceremony will take place March 10 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Justin and Madonna collaborated on her forthcoming album and recently shot a video for their song, “4 Minutes To Save The World.”

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Madonna has escaped jury service in Los Angeles after a four-hour court date.

The pop superstar turned up at Beverly Hills Courthouse on Monday morning prepared for her civic duty, but a judge dismissed her just after lunch.

Ever-fashionable, the Material Girl changed outfits during her lunchbreak, from a brown velour tracksuit to a pair of black pants and a black jacket.

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