The Madonna Academy

Fans who paid hundreds of dollars for Madonna tickets in Houston last night had the additional pleasure of having the singer ask them for money from the stage. Madonna solicited donations for the multimillion dollar school she is building in Malawi. "I would really be grateful if you would get involved and help me in any way that you can, with donations, spreading the word, visiting my Web site, reading about the progress that we've made so far," she said. Notably, Oprah undertook a similar project when she built a $40 million academy for girls in South Africa. A dormitory matron from that school is currently on trial for physically and sexually abusing her students.