Get Into The Groove

Birthday greetings go out to Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie! The recording artist, actress, author, fashion icon and everything else that she is turns 49 today. If 50 is the new 30, then I guess that makes her 29.

When Mo first came onto the scene back in the 80's, I was a "bit" skeptical of her. Surely she was a flash in the pants. Guess I was wrong.

In an interview on American Bandstand she told Dick Clark that she was going to "rule the world." While she may not rule the world one could say that she rules the entertainment industry.

I was once questioned by a female boss why I liked Madonna. The question was asked in a "condescending" tone and rather than mock the questioner I used it as an opportunity to educate her.

Beyond her talent, I have always been amazed at her ability to reinvent herself. I once read an interview in which she gave her observation about women in the workplace. Noticing how women sometimes work against each other she decided to place women in some of the top positions within her companies. After I stated that fact, the questioner told me that she didn't know that and now had a new opinion of Madonna...it was a positive opinion.

Yes, she has had some missteps. To put it delicately, her movies haven't been all that great. I do think she was awesome in Evita. And I thought she was perfectly cast in A League Of Our Own. I have repeatedly watched Truth Or Dare.

Sidebar: I saw Madonna perform at Reunion Arena in Dallas. It was her Blonde Ambition Tour and it was by far one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
So what are some of my favorite Madonna songs? I'll give you a few: Holiday; Into The Groove; Express Yourself; Ray Of Light; Vogue; Like A Prayer; Beautiful Stranger; Hung Up; Deeper And Deeper; Material Girl.
Sidebar: My parents had a dog named Freckles (not to be confused with Frex). I remember one time the Material Girl video was on the telly. There's a part of the song where Madonna makes a high-pitched staccato noise and Freckles turned toward the telly and started barking. LOL
Sidebar: When I was living in Richmont Square, across the street was a bar named The Red Door. One year on August 16, I threw a birthday party for Madonna at the bar. She didn't show up. It was a fun time with Patti, Greg, Danny and Jim from Boston and several other partners in crime. A few weeks later I decided to throw myself a birthday party at the bar and the theme was: As Madonna As You Want To Be. The only people who dressed up were John, Emma, Danny, Robert and myself. Guess the other folks didn't want to be Madonna-esque. And no, I will NOT be posting those photos. LOL

Madge, if you're reading this...Happy Birthday! I can't wait until your 50th Birthday Celebration!

In other news...

TS Erin has made landfall around Port Aransas. It is wet here in Houston and no I didn't go running this morning. The Calvinator and I got soaked during our morning walk.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis. On this day in 1977 I was working at Lino's restaurant in Ft. Worth. I was working with JoAnn that afternoon when one of our regular customers came in.

This guy had a pompadour hairstyle. (Can you see where this is going?) He comes in and looks really sad. He tells us that The King is dead. He took a seat at a booth in the back of the restaurant and told JoAnn to just keep bringing him beer. He then proceeded to play all of the Elvis songs on the jukebox...all afternoon.