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Elton Feels Love for Madge
http://launch.yahoo.com/read/news/12177667
10/28/2004 7:35 PM, E! Online
Charlie Amter

Can you feel the love tonight?

It looks like Elton John is finally ready to apologize to Madonna after recently calling out the Material Girl for lip-synching.

"I don't want to escalate it because I like Madonna," the 57-year-old singer-songwriter tells the Nov. 6 issue of Entertainment Weekly. "She's been to my house for dinner. It was something that was said in the heat of the moment, and probably should not have been said."

John's barbed comments, made Oct. 4 at a London music awards show, sparked headlines around the world--causing many to wonder if John had a feud with Madonna.

However, John feels that uproar over his comments were overblown by the media.

"The reaction to it was so hysterical," he says. "It was like I said, 'I think all gays should be killed or I think Hitler was right.' I just said someone was lip-synching. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I'm not going to mellow with age. I get more enraged about things as I get older because you see that these injustices go on."

Elton further explained the incident recently on a New Zealand television show. On the show, the Brit confessed he made his remarks because "I have a bee in my bonnet about live shows."

"It was in the context of a very drunken lunch. Sometimes when you say something and then it's written down on paper, it looks totally different," he offered up in his defense.

Still, the "Candle in the Wind" singer apparently wishes to set the record straight with his pal, sometimes known as Esther.

"Would I apologize to her if I saw her?" says John in EW. "Yeah, because I don't want to hurt any artist's feelings. It was my fault. I instigated the whole thing. But it applies to all those bloody teenage singers."

Only John could manage to offend more singers with an apology to one. By "bloody teenage singers," we can only assume John's is referring to recent lip-synching champion Ashlee Simpson --who was just busted big time on Saturday Night Live for using vocal tracks. (The latest development: a 60 Minutes camera crew happened to be backstage during the SNL meltdown and captured the reaction; the segment will air on this week's installment.) Or perhaps he means Britney Spears . Regardless, John's new statements prove the "Bitch Is Back" singer can still bitch with the best of 'em.

For her part, Madonna is apparently not losing much sleep over the comments, or the forthcoming mea culpa.

Shortly after John's dissing, Madonna's spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, released a statement saying the pop queen "does not lip-synch nor does she spend her time trashing other artists."

However, Rosenberg revealed that Madonna doesn't hold a grudge against comments made by a loose-lipped John.

"Elton John remains on her Christmas card list whether he is nice...or naughty," Rosenberg said.

John certainly didn't feel the need to hold back on his opinions of the Taiwanese media last month. He caused an arguably much bigger uproar Sept. 23 when he called Taiwanese paparazzi "rude, vile pigs."

John apologized to the Taiwanese people for his comments at his concert the next night in Taipei--but the singer did not withdraw the comments directed towards the shutterbugs.

John's new release, Peachtree Road, drops Nov. 9.