Madonna's Only Charity Case Is Jesus Luz
Madonna dropped $32.5 million on a townhouse on the Upper East Side a few months ago. But don't expect to see her giving out spare change to panhandlers in the neighborhood. Despite the fact she made about a gazillion dollars last year (give or take), Madge only gave away $459,000 to charity and almost all of it went to the Kabbalah Centre, which means she didn't give any money to charity at all, really.
(Unlike the IRS, we're not so sure giving money to a cash-obsessed cult so it can spread its message around the world should really count as a tax write-off.)
But you'll be happy to hear that her stinginess hasn't had an impact on the impressive awards and commendations she regularly receives. She was honored at AmFar's Cinema Against AIDS event at Cannes last year even though she didn't donate a dime to AmFar (or any other AIDS-related cause for that matter). But perhaps Madonna's just under the assumption that merely showing up to an event is an enormous act of generosity in her part and is worth far more than simply writing a check? For the sake of her Kabbalistic soul, let's hope so!
Madonna: Made Over $100 Mil, Gave Only $500K to Charity [Showbiz 411]