Eminem, Madonna: Brits's Best

By Stephen M. Silverman

05/11/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Eminem and Madonna may not have gotten top Grammys, but on Monday in London they did get top Brits, the British equivalent of the American music industry's Grammys. At the ceremony, the Detroit rapper, who once again sang a duet with Elton John, was named best international male artist. Dressed in his trademark blue jean overalls and ice-hockey mask and carrying a chainsaw, Eminem, 28, received a standing ovation from the 5,000-strong crowd when he delivered "The Real Slim Shady." Receiving his award, Eminem joked from the stage, "And the winner is . . . Steely Dan," a reference to the veteran band to whom Eminem lost the album of the year Grammy last week. Meanwhile, Madonna, who is something of a Grammy orphan, was named best international female artist. The star herself was not at the ceremony, but her new husband, British film director Guy Ritchie, was shown on video thanking the audience while his Material Missus dusted off a picture of Queen Elizabeth II in the background.