Then he kissed her

She might come and live in London, she will definitely have more babies, she prepared for her death scene in Evita by reading the Sun. Madonna and child swept into London and, with baby Lourdes Maria safely tucked up in bed, mum gave a press conference.

She was only two hours late, which puts her just under the top division of Hollywood actresses. But her pink lipstick was rather endearingly smudged on her teeth, which showed the rawer, rock artist beneath. A shrewdly calculated amalgam of styles.

It took Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to divert attention with a curt reference to his erstwhile partner, Evita's lyricist, Sir Tim Rice, who was absent: "I don't know where he is today. I just feel it's important to be here to show my endorsement of the very hard work people have done. And I am sorry he is not here."

And very hard work it evidently was. "We endured blistering heat and bone-chilling cold," recalled Madonna. "We witnessed political uprisings and scathing media attacks." Who'd be a movie star?

"I identify with Eva Peron on several levels," she informed us. "The fact that she came from a small town and came from nothing and got to the big city and had the courage to make something incredible out of her life, and people were either incredibly for or against her."

On the subject of big cities, she was tempted to move London. "I think people read more here," was the unexpected reason.

The Independent tried to catch her afterwards for the de rigeur pop- star interview, to garner her views on Europe and the political scene. But she merely proffered a hand to be kissed. I was glad to oblige.