Madonna Comes out in Support of Imprisoned Russian Punk Band
HOLMES: Well, they wanted to make their voices heard when they protested against the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.</s>HOLMES: Extraordinary and unexpected scene, a demonstration in a Russian cathedral that landed members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot in jail and on trial. The prosecutor demanding they get a three year prison term for that performance. But the group is receiving some outspoken support for their cause. For more, let's go to Nischelle Turner in Los Angeles. Madonna speaking out in Russia. What did she have to say?</s>NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were hoping that she'd speak out in support of them, and she has. She has been pretty outspoken about this. She was in Moscow on tour, and she was also there to launch her own fitness club. And here's what she had to say. Listen to this.</s>MADONNA, MUSICIAN: I'm against censorship, and, I am, you know, my whole career, I've always promoted freedom of expression, freedom of speech, so obviously I think what's happening to them is unfair, and I hope that -- I hope that they do not have to serve seven years in jail. That would be a tragedy. Through history, historically speaking, art always reflects what's going on socially, so for me it's hard to separate the idea of being an artist and being political.</s>TURNER: And we have definitely seen her, you know, speak out in support of a lot of these things and do a lot of things in her concert that have been a bit controversial. What she says are in the name of art.</s>HOLMES: Yes, and she's not the first musician to speak out about the band, either. They are getting some support in various areas. Who else has come out?</s>TURNER: Yes, there's actually been a lot of big names that have been backing this group. Sting, Peter Gabriel, members of Franz Ferdinand, the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers. All of them have been speaking out in support. Anthony Kiedis from the Peppers actually wore a Pussy Riot t-shirt during a recent Moscow concert. And on a statement on his website, Sting makes the point that he believes dissent is an important part of a democracy. Here's what he had to say in part. He said, "A sense of proportion and a sense of humor is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. Surely the Russian authorities will completely drop these spurious charges and allow these women, these artists, to get back to their lives and to their children." So, yes, there are a lot of people that are stepping up and saying, you know what, art is expression, expression is art. You may not always agree with it, but there is a bit of a method to the madness. That's their view.</s>HOLMES: President Putin known for having a little bit of a thin skin. So it will be interesting to see what happens. Good to see you. Thanks so much, Nischelle Turner there, with the latest on that--</s>TURNER: Absolutely, sure.</s>HOLMES: -- ongoing thing. We'll let you know how the trial turns out. It cost more than $2 billion and traveled more than 350 million miles. That's a heck of a commute. Now NASA's Curiosity spacecraft sending video from Mars. Cool stuff.