Birthday lurve goes out today to the AMAZING Madonna … musical pop icon of our time … as she turns an incredible 50 years old today. Now, I don’t usually make a habit of announcing the ages of ladies who are older than me on the blog but I have to make an exception in this case … Madonna is a Queen, y’all … and she’s now half a century old:

Sure, Madonna may have scandalized the Vatican and shocked nearly every parent in America at some point during her long and provocative career full of shrewd image transformations. But as the Material Girl hits the half-century mark this weekend, she may be stepping into a role that even she, with all her marketing savvy, might not have dreamed up: poster child for the 50-and-fabulous set. Who cares about those recent tabloid headlines linking her to the Yankees’ A-Rod, or that tell-all book by her brother? Many women of a certain age look at Madonna and see a wonderfully fit, stylish, vigorous woman who’s made a fortune based on smarts, talent and ambition — no “Blond Ambition” puns, please — and just keeps on going. Her latest world tour, “Sticky & Sweet,” kicks off in Wales a week after her Aug. 16 birthday. Talk about your New 50 … Madonna’s milestone should inspire men as well as women, says David Zinczenko, editor in chief of Men’s Health magazine. “I was in high school when she hit it big,” says Zinczenko, who’s in his late 30s. “Now that her first young fans are in their 30s, we look at Madonna as sort of a harbinger of the future for us. And the future looks pretty good.”

Oh yeah, Maddy is showing no signs that she plans to slow down by any means … which is a good thing for all of us. Here is a pic of Madonna and her hubby Guy Ritchie steppin’ on on the town together last night for a little pre-birthday churchin’ at The Kabbalah Centre in London … the key is that they were together:

It’s pretty remarkable to be talking about Madonna, the Like a Virgin Material Girl from the 80’s, being 50 years old but here we are. Again, we all know that Madonna still has many years of fierceness ahead … I can’t wait to see what the next 50 years will be like.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

It was close … verrrrrry close … but Michael Phelps managed to eke out a win in the Men’s 100-meter Butterfly event at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing last night (today in China). Phelps did not set a World Record with this win, his 7th Gold Medal of these Summer Games, but he did manage to set an Olympic Record … and managed to foil his closest competitor Milorad Cavic of Serbia by one-hundredth of a second:

His Olympics looking lost, Michael Phelps decided to flap those gangly arms one more time. Milorad Cavic, inches from spoiling it all, glided along just under the surface, convinced he had won gold. But it didn’t matter who was fastest. Just first. Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish Saturday, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal by the narrowest of margins in the 100-meter butterfly. One-hundredth of a second, the time it takes lightning to strike the ground. Whew! “Dream as big as you can dream and anything is possible,” Phelps said. “I am sort of in a dream world. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it is real.” Call it the Great Haul of China — and it’s not done yet. Phelps has one more race on Sunday, which will likely complete his coronation as the greatest Olympian ever. Spitz already ceded the title. “It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he’s maybe the greatest athlete of all time,” said the icon of the 1972 Munich Games. “He’s the greatest racer who ever walked the planet.” The finish was so close the Serbian delegation filed a protest and swimming’s governing body had to review the tape down to the 10-thousandth of a second. Phelps thought he lost — until he saw the “1″ beside his name on the scoreboard. “When I did chop the last stroke, I thought that had cost me the race,” he said. “But it was actually the opposite. If I had glided, I would have been way too long. I took short, faster strokes to try to get my hand on the wall. I ended up making the right decision.” Phelps’ time was 50.58 seconds, the only time in these Olympics that he won an event without breaking the world record. Not to worry. The 23-year-old from Baltimore has now pulled even with the greatest of Olympic records. “One word: epic,” Spitz told The Associated Press from Detroit. “I’m so proud of what he’s been able to do. I did what I did and it was in my day in those set of circumstances. For 36 years it stood as a benchmark. I’m just pleased that somebody was inspired by what I had done. He’s entitled to every second of what’s occurring to him now. “I feel a tremendous load off my back.” Phelps will return on Sunday to swim in his final event of these games, taking the butterfly leg of the 400 medley relay. The Americans will be heavily favored to give him his eighth gold, leaving Spitz behind. Phelps slapped his hands on the water and let out a scream after the astonishing finish. The crowd at the Water Cube gasped — it looked as though Cavic had won — then roared when the “1″ popped up beside the American’s name. Cavic’s time was 50.59. The Serbian delegation filed a protest, but conceded that Phelps won after reviewing the tape provided by FINA, swimming’s governing body. USA Swimming spokeswoman Jamie Olsen said the tape was slowed to one frame every 10-thousandth of a second to make sure Phelps actually touched first. It was impossible to tell on regular-speed replays. “We filed the protest but it is already over,” said Branislav Jevtic, Serbia’s chief of mission for all sports. “They examined the video and I think the case is closed. The video says (Phelps) finished first. “In my opinion, it’s not right, but we must follow the rules. Everybody saw what happened.” FINA referee Ben Ekumbo of Kenya said there was no doubt who won after a review of the super-slow replay. “It was very clear that the Serbian swimmer touched second after Michael Phelps,” he said. “One was stroking and one was gliding.” Cavic still wasn’t sure he actually lost, but said he would accept FINA’s ruling.

To be totally honest, my ass would’ve lodged a complaint if I were Cavic, too. That was a close finish and if it weren’t for the digital photo finish technology, I don’t know that I’d have been satisfied losing to Phelps this time. But, the proof is, as they say, in the pudding and Phelps won his 7th Gold Medal of these Olympic Games and his 13th (!!!!!) overall. Click HERE to see Sports Illustrated’s frame-by-frame photos that show Phelps the winner. It was just too damn close this time. Again, much congrats goes out to our dear Phelpsie. He’s got one more event tonight (tomorrow in China) that may bring him one more Gold Medal. At this point, I’d be shocked if he doesn’t win. This is his time, I can feel it. Go, Phelpsie, Go!

[Source, Source]