Never cared much for her work..I found her appearances cheap and trashy but she played that vibe into a lot of money for herself. If money is all that matters then she had a very successful business going.

I turned 30 in 1984, and remember Madonna’s influence with fondness. I don’t love her, mind you. But as a celebrity, she was fun, talented and interesting to watch. The fact that she’s endured all these years is an accomplishment of sorts, and we all could take a page out of her book when it comes to continually developing ourselves while holding onto our essence. I know so many who are the same woman — same hair, same clothes, same interests, same attitudes — they were at 20, and it seems like such a waste of a lifetime.

Me? I love Madonna. I lived in a smallish town in Mississippi without much of a radio station and pre-MTV. I heard “Holiday” late, late one Friday night on some radio station in Chicago that I mysteriously picked up. I was hooked. I think my high school was gripped by “Alabama,” “Oak Ridge Boys,” and “Gap Band” Fever. Madonna was new. I went to the mall and found one copy of her album and I loved it. I played it everyday. I went to the hardware store to find rubber rings to wear as bracelets. I got sent home from school for wearing the first 80’s miniskirt. Madonna was different, a free spirit, her own person - not exactly virtues in a small private school. She made me feel not so weird for not like in country music and not being “preppy.” I haven’t bought all of her albums or seen her in concert, but i still love her. She is strong and sexy - and I wanted to be that too. I don’t know what my favorite Madonna period is. I loved her 40’s movie star glamour in Express Yourself and her stripped down earthiness in Ray of Light, but I gleaned something from them all… I love Blues and Jazz and well…. there’s not much mucis i don’t like with the exception of pop country. I don’t think that Madonna is neccessarily about the music as much as being a woman with power and smarts and savvy…. Happy Birthday to her.

Madonna’s Holiday was one of my favorite songs that she did. The reason being that it was happy, spunky, rythmic and very danceable. Her ray of light album posted her most talented release. I don’t see Madonna as an artist that is truly gifted with voice but rather an amazing talent in marketing adaptability. Her innovativeness to reinvention sets her apart from most all others. The ability to change with the times and remain “Fashionable”inspite of her ageing amidst an industry that is magnitized by youth. She is to be complemented. Happy Birthday Madge!

I liked her acting, in Dick Tracy and Evita, but mostly I like her songwriting. She is always coming up with something new, like the videos that were little five minute operas, or her children’s books, or her concerts. I do not know where she gets the energy!

While Madonna is a fantastic money maker and excellent publicist, she’s also a remarkable mother. Just recently I read a story about her daughter Lourdes spending time with her father. The girl and her dad obviously have a good relationship regardless of her parents’ separate lives.