Happy birthday MADONNA! The Material Girl has hit the big 5-0 and we thought
we'd celebrate by searching through cyberspace, books and articles to find 50
fascinating facts you may or may not know about Mrs. Ritchie.

 From her personal statistics, Italian roots and early successes to her
all-conquering pop landmarks and the crazy things that have been named after
her, feast your eyes on this treasure of trivia:

- MADONNA once drummed for New York pop group the BREAKFAST CLUB. A later
member of the band was AMERICAN IDOL judge RANDY JACKSON. Ex-boyfriends DAN GILROY and STEPHEN BRAY were also members of the Breakfast Club.

- MADONNA beat out acting greats GLENN CLOSE, FRANCES McDORMAND, DEBBIE
REYNOLDS and BARBRA STREISAND to grab a Best Actress Golden Globe Award in 1997 for her role in EVITA.

- MADONNA has acted in 22 films.

- The Recording Industry Association of America has named MADONNA the
best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century. She's also the second
top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified
albums.

- The Guinness World Records list MADONNA as the world's most successful female
recording artist of all time; she has sold over 200 million records worldwide.

- MADONNA is one of six children born to SILVIO CICCONE and MADONNA LOUISE
CICCONE (nee FORTIN). She was named after her mother.

- She also has a stepbrother and stepsister from her father's second marriage
to his former housekeeper JOAN GUSTAFSON.

- Born in Bay City, Michigan, MADONNA's roots stretch back to Pacentro in
Italy, where her grandparents came from. In 1988, town officials in Pacentro
began to construct a 13-foot (4 meter) statue of Madonna.

- MADONNA was a member of the cheerleading team at Rochester Adams High
School.

- MADONNA worked in a New York City Dunkin' Donuts while she was struggling to
make it as a dancer in the Big Apple. She was reportedly fired after squirting
jam in a customer's face.

- MADONNA's first single, EVERYBODY, was released on 24 April, 1982.

- MADONNA's hit album LIKE A VIRGIN is among the Definitive 200 Albums of All
Time, according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted the pop star
earlier this year (08).

- As well as starring alongside SEAN PENN in SHANGHAI SURPRISE, MADONNA also
joined her then-husband onstage in her theatrical debut GOOSE & TOM TOM in
1986.

- MADONNA and SEAN PENN separated on New Year's Eve (31Dec) 1988.

- MADONNA's Confessions Tour is the highest grossing concert tour by a female
artist.

- MADONNA is the most successful female in her adopted U.K.'s pop charts and
has more number one singles than any other female solo artist.

- MADONNA has a new species of tardigrade named after her. The anthropod-type
animals, also known as water bears, are often found living on mosses. They can
survive in extreme conditions that would kill most other living species.

- MADONNA'S father, TONY CICCONE, recently decided to advance his winery
business by releasing Madonna Wine, which is available in five varieties: Pinot
Grigio, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. Prices range
from $25 (GBP12.50) to $40 (GBP20) per bottle.

- Celebrity Cellars also produced a line of collectible wine, called Madonna -
Confessions on a Dance Floor.

- MADONNA made her London West End stage debut in 2002 in Up for Grabs.

- MADONNA'S first children's book, The English Roses, was published in 2003 and
she has since published a total of 10 books.

- MADONNA was among the inaugural UK Music Hall of Fame inductees in 2004.

- MADONNA has released a total of 68 official singles to date, according to the
singer's own website.

- MADONNA was among People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People of 1991' and
'25 Most Intriguing People of 2001'.

- In March 2007, MADONNA created a clothing line for the retailer H&M.

- MADONNA is good friends with STING and his actress wife TRUDIE STYLER, who
introduced her to director GUY RITCHIE. The couple fell in love and are now
husband and wife.

- STING is godfather to MADONNA and GUY RITCHIE's son ROCCO.

- MADONNA is the only artist who performed at the benefit concerts Live Aid
(1985), Live 8 (2005), and Live Earth (2007).

- MADONNA suffers from brontophobia - a fear of thunder.

- MADONNA was considered for the role of CATWOMAN/SELINA KYLE in the 1992 film BATMAN RETURNS. She turned the part down and the role went to MICHELLE
PFEIFFER. She also fought for the role of GINGER in CASINO, but lost out to
SHARON STONE.

- MADONNA turned down leading roles in SHOWGIRLS and THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS.

- MADONNA is 5 feet, 44 inches (1.64 metres) tall. Her measurements are
34C-23-33.

- MADONNA does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was selected
for the honour in 1990 but she showed no interest and the invitation has now
expired. Walk of Fame spokeswoman Ana Martinez-Holler states that, in order to
receive a star, Madonna would have to be "resubmitted for a nomination,"
adding, "since she is not interested, I highly doubt that she will give a
nominator the permission to do so."

- MADONNA was paid $5 million (GBP2.5 million) by Pepsi to film a commercial
that never even aired. Pepsi bosses pulled the controversial ad, which was
related to her Like A Prayer video and full of religious overtones.

- MADONNA has won nine Razzie Awards: Worst Actress for Shanghai Surprise in
1987, Worst Actress for Who's that Girl in 1988, Worst Actress for Body of
Evidence in 1994, Worst Supporting Actress for Four Rooms in 1996, Worst
Actress of the Century in 2000, Worst Actress for The Next Best Thing in 2001,
Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple for Swept Away in 2003, and Worst
Supporting Actress for Die Another Day in 2003.

- GWEN STEFANI, CELINE DION and MARK WAHLBERG are distant relatives of MADONNA, according to a recent ancestry study.

- MADONNA auditioned for the part of KEVIN COSTNER's high-maintenance love
interest in THE BODYGUARD. WHITNEY HOUSTON landed the role.

- MADONNA played a lesbian witch in the 1996 movie FOUR ROOMS.

- MADONNA originally dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer.

- The BEASTIE BOYS supported MADONNA on her very first solo tour.

- MADONNA was ranked Number 1 on VH1's '100 Sexiest Artists' in 2002.

- MADONNA has been nominated for a total of 18 Grammy Awards; she has won
five.

- MADONNA has been a vegetarian since she was 15.

- MADONNA hates the colour orange.

- MADONNA was named one of People magazine's worst-dressed, in 1999.

- MADONNA's controversial SEX book, which featured naked photos of the Material
Girl, was so popular that a re-print had to be ordered within 48 hours.

- MADONNA dedicated her album TRUE BLUE to then-husband SEAN PENN, who she
called "the coolest guy in the universe".

- GWYNETH PALTROW was Maid of Honour at MADONNA's Scottish wedding in 2000.

- FIGHT CLUB director DAVID FINCHER was the man behind the camera on four of
MADONNA's videos.

- MADONNA's WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL and JUSTIFY MY LOVE were banned from MTV.