Madonna Says “It’s Hard To Sell Albums”, And Lourdes Is In Trouble

Madonna was exultant over the #1 debut of MDNA, not least because these days “it’s hard to sell albums,” she told interviewer Harry Smith in a new segment for The Today Show. Of course, she’s seen plenty of recent evidence in of that in the album’s historic plunge on the charts after its second week on sale. But she’s got other fires to put out too: her 15-year-old daughter (and business associate in the fashion world) Lourdes was seen smoking a cigarette the other day. How did that happen? As a parent, “I don’t think I’m as tough as I should be. I need to be tougher,” Madge says. Right, because everyone knows Madonna is known for being a big softie.

The pop megastar told Smith that, despite being one of the wealthiest entertainers in the world, she struggles to balance work and her family. “It must be hard because I complain all the time,” she joked. “We all have our challenges. To be a single mother of four and to work as much as I do, since I live my life in a metaphorical fishbowl, it’s pretty challenging. So far I’ve survived with sanity and humor intact.”But she’s not laughing about the fact that her teen-age daughter (who also sang back-up vocals on MDNA track “Superstar”) was seen puffing away. “Cigarette smoking I’m not very fond of, for anyone. I don’t approve of anyone smoking cigarettes, most of all my daughter.”

Madonna herself has lit one or two herself (most recently in the “Girls Gone Wild” video), but only a fool would bring that up to her face. (We dare you, Lourdes!)

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