Her artistic reputation appeared to take a turn for the worse, however, when the critical drubbing she received for Swept Away was followed by an equally brutal critical reception for her 2003 album American Life. American critics described the album as 'tired', monotonous, and an indication that she was 'in need of a vacation' from the stress of her career.
In yet another move that followed her pattern of creating 'controversy' in the wake of an album's release, she filmed a music video for 'American Life', which included a scene of her tossing a hand grenade into the lap of a President George W. Bush lookalike. Perhaps mindful of the protests and boycotts that had greeted the Dixie Chicks after they made some anti-war comments, the video was revoked, presumably at Madonna's request, on the day it premiered (it was aired for only a few hours) and was later replaced by a more 'neutral' treatment.
Shortly after this incident, the online world was surprised and amused when marketers and promoters of her album attempted to disrupt the Internet file sharing networks by uploading a large number of 'junk' musical files bearing her name. Instead of downloading an actual Madonna song, seekers of online music instead found themselves downloading a file of Madonna saying, 'What the fuck do you think you're doing?'. The Madonna Remix Project took this file and added music to mock Madonna's attempt to 'inspire guilt' in peer-to-peer users. 1
The album was a huge success outside the U.S. where the subsequent singles 'Hollywood' and 'Love Profusion' continued to place Madonna on the charts. Madonna tried to warm up American radio to the collection with a promotional campaign with rapper Missy Elliott sponsored by The GAP retail clothing chain using the tune 'Into The Hollywood Groove'. 'Love Profusion' was also used in commercials by Estée Lauder. Neither promotion however was able to revive the album in the States.
Famous for her appearances at the MTV Video Music Awards, in 2003 Madonna provoked the public once again by portraying a groom and kissing her 'brides' Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on stage. The gender role-reversal and lesbian theme instantly made front page headlines. The three singers performed a medley of her early hit 'Like A Virgin' and her latest release 'Hollywood' with a guest rap by Missy Elliott. The design resembled Madonna's performance of 'Like A Virgin' at the 1984 VMA's: the same wedding cake set, wedding dresses and 'Boy Toy' belt worn by Madonna in 1984 now adorned Aguilera and Spears, who many — not least the pop 'princesses' themselves — believe to be the heirs and beneficiaries of Madonna's pop legacy.