THE ALEXTHEARTISTE JAMS OF THE WEEK: MADONNA BIRTHDAY FREE-FOR-ALL: THURSDAY

As much as I love Madonna and all her music, I have a certain soft spot for her earlier work. Perhaps it's because then I was a little girl, dancing crazily to her jams and wanting to dress up like her. Maybe it's because of the infectious beats found in 80s music (which I love). Perhaps it's because there's the perfect mix of the raw gritiness of a newbie and the confidence of someone who always knew she was a star. Either way, I've been a fan ever since. Here is one of my favorite Madonna songs, "Burning Up."



BONUS!!! On a previous post called "Madonna: Where it All Began," I had posted the video of her first performance ever, where she sang the song "Everybody." I just came across the video, which is also her very first. Here it is:

THE ALEXTHEARTISTE JAMS OF THE WEEK: MADONNA BIRTHDAY FREE-FOR-ALL: WEDNESDAY

You're not a true pop superstar unless you've ignited a dance craze. Here is "Vogue" in all it's pose-riffic glory. (I love how Madonna shouts out my favorite old Hollywood stars and channels Marie Antoinette--shows that this diva knows her divas.)



AT THE 1990 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS

THE ALEXTHEARTISTE JAMS OF THE WEEK: MADONNA BIRTHDAY FREE-FOR-ALL: TUESDAY

One of my favorite Madonna videos is "La Isla Bonita"--I remember watching it and wanting to dress up like a Spanish senorita just like she did, loving her entire look--from her hair color to her makeup to her clothing.

MICHAEL "MERMAN" PHELPS TAKES IT ALL

(OK, "Merman" is my nickname for him and it's sticking.) In no big surprise, Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, breaking Mark Spitz's record of most gold medals in a single game and making him arguably the greatest Olympian of all time. That's 14 career gold medals (the most of any athlete ever), 16 medals total and numerous world records broken. And he's only 23. For more information on Phelps' and his amazing career, check out his wikipedia page and his website. Congrats for showing us all what humans (or mermen) are truly capable of.

SEEING DOUBLE: JAYNE MANSFIELD AND ANNA NICOLE SMITH

Two beautiful and glamorous blondes lost way too soon. In this Guess ad, Anna Nicole Smith (pictured with DJ Sky Nellor) recreates the famous photo that depicts a horrified Sophia Loren, stunned by Jayne Mansfield's overt voluptuousness. 

THE ALEXTHEARTISTE JAMS OF THE WEEK: MADONNA BIRTHDAY FREE-FOR-ALL

HAPPY BELATED BDAY, MADONNA!!! Yes, Madge turned 50, on Saturday, and in celebration, I have decided to give you a huge dose of Madonna goodness--a WEEK of Madonna jams. This is the first time I have featured a JAM OF THE WEEK video every day!!!

Here's your Monday Madonna jam, fittingly, "HOLIDAY."
(OMG, I think that's Madonna's tell-all brother dancing next to her!!!)

THE ALEXTHEARTISTE JAM OF THE WEEK: "FASHION"

DAVID BOWIE "FASHION"

With all the fashion events going on in the City and Oakland this Friday, I couldn't help but get one stylish song stuck in my head: "Fashion." David Bowie lived it and sang about it.

SEEING DOUBLE: GIA AND CINDY CRAWFORD

When Cindy Crawford first started modeling, she was dubbed "Baby Gia" due to her striking resemblance to the exotic-looking model Gia Carangi.

FASHION-FILLED FRIDAY

I sometimes find it hard to find a cool fashion event to go to on a Friday, let alone three. Enjoy this fashion-filled Friday (August 15) with a Lady Noir runway show at Apartment 24, an Ed Hardy and Baby Phat bikini show at Suede, and G O O D: A Music and Fashion Community Benefit at Historic Sweet's Ballroom (in Oakland). And seriously, what's a fashion show without the swag (free goodies) ??? The Lady Noir show will have yummy treats and complimentary Snow Queen Vodka drinks until 10:30, and G O O D will also have tasty treats and goodie bags for the first 100 people in attendance. Both of these events will donate a portion of their proceeds to good causes (G O O D 100%), so it promises to be a night of fashion, with some heart.

MICHAEL PHELPS IS A MERMAN.

Dude, Michael Phelps is not human. He's a super fishman or something. It can't be human to swim like that.

See, I have proof right here...

(photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the "Disney Dream Portrait Series")

In all seriousness, congrats on all the gold medals and here's to many more!!!