Madonna Lines Up New Movie, And Watch J.K. Rowling's Awesome Harvard Speech On Failure & Imagination

30 years ago on July 27th, 1983, Madonna released her debut eponymous album, and the rest is history. More than 300 million albums later, and with a net worth of more than $1 billion, Madonna has not only become the most famous woman on Earth, she has also changed the course of popular culture and women’s liberation forever. Her life story and contribution to women’s rights in the 1980s and beyond, was made crystal clear recently in the fascinating 3-part PBS documentary MAKERS: Women Who Make America narrated by Meryl Streep (you absolutely must watch part three by CLICKING HERE).

Having conquered the music industry unlike anyone else, Madonna has chosen not to take the easy road as a creative individual. Over the past several years she has ventured into the turbulent and challenging world of directing with two feature films: Filth & Wisdom (2008) and W.E. (2011). And although critical praise for these films was lower than Madonna might have liked, she hasn’t let these bumps prevent her from picking herself up and moving forward with her next passion project. The Playlist reports that two weeks ago, as she was on the eve of her debut album’s 30th anniversary, Madonna made a phone call to author Andrew Sean Greer to talk about her love for his book The Impossible Lives Of Greta Wells (Amazon), and let him know personally that she and her team would be securing the option rights for his book. Although it isn’t known whether Madonna will be directing or producing the film adaptation (or both), she is most certainly head over heels for the work. The following is the synopsis of The Impossible Lives Of Greta Wells:

From the critically acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller ‘The Confessions of Max Tivoli’ comes ‘The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells’, a rapturously romantic story of a woman who finds herself transported to the other lives she might have lived. After the death of her beloved twin brother and the abandonment of her long-time lover, Greta Wells undergoes electroshock therapy. Over the course of the treatment, Greta finds herself repeatedly sent to 1918, 1941, and back to the present. Whisked from the gas-lit streets and horse-drawn carriages of the West Village to a martini-fueled lunch at the Oak Room, in these other worlds, Greta finds her brother alive and well — though fearfully masking his true personality. And her former lover is now her devoted husband — but will he be unfaithful to her in this life as well? Greta Wells is fascinated by her alter egos: in 1941, she is a devoted mother; in 1918, she is a bohemian adulteress. In this spellbinding novel by Andrew Sean Greer, each reality has its own losses, its own rewards; each extracts a different price. Which life will she choose as she wrestles with the unpredictability of love and the consequences of even her most carefully considered choices?

As details of Madonna’s film adaptation of the book emerge, I will definitely keep you posted. Another woman who knows a great deal about the merits of perseverance and working hard is author J.K. Rowling. On June 5, 2008, Rowling gave the Harvard University commencement address, where she chose to speak about the benefits of failure and the crucial importance of imagination. It’s an extraordinary speech and you can watch it in full below. And in honor of Madonna’s historic 30-year career you can watch her very first performance of her first dance hit “Everybody” from her debut album in her first gay club appearance ever. Yes — EVER.