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I dare you to name someone in entertainment history more revolutionary and innovative than Madonna. While numerous influential artists have come and gone and still exist today, most are known for one look or one sound. The chameleon that is Madonna has had a far-reaching ripple effect across this entire globe, over and over again.

Photo: Adam Sculler/RANGEFINDERS/GLOBE for People

As Madonna Louise Ciccone celebrates her 50th birthday today, I want to not only celebrate the universal impact this woman has had, but also why I feel she has been instrumental in my own life. Love her or hate her, the Material Girl has an undeniable quality that is simply untouchable.

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From humble beginnings in Bay City, Michigan, the aspiring dancer made her way to New York City in the late 70s where she discovered a love and aptitude for music and singing. Surviving for so long on “nothing but handfuls of popcorn and sundaes,” Madonna finally found her place at NYC nightclub Danceteria and released her first self-titled album in 1983.

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The rest, as they say, is history. Though some critics considered 80s pop rival Cyndi Lauper as the one with staying power, Madonna proved them all wrong and continues to today. Her ability to constantly reinvent herself while staying true to who she is, is what makes Madonna work.

Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty for People

She’s weathered her fair share of wardrobe disasters (Little Bo Peep, anyone?), painful relationships, tabloid scandals and still manages to come out on top with not only dignity but a great deal of respect for herself. There are few, I believe, who truly have that ability.

Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect/Getty for People

I remember, as a young girl, having sleepovers with my friend Kortney and we’d writhe around with flashlights and hairbrushes, performing various Madonna hits for each other.

In high school I gave a report on Madonna during twelfth grade that I’ll never forget. To end the presentation to my class, I wanted to show a clip of 1991’s “Truth or Dare,” a documentary chronicling her Blonde Ambition Tour. Being that those were the days of VCRs and tapes always seemed to rewind a little bit more than you wanted them to, when I hit the play button, we all saw Madonna giving a spit and polish job to a water bottle that my senior class will surely never forget.

Thanks for the lesson in humility, Madge.

Photo: GLOBE for People

And while Madonna’s seemingly straight-forward demeanor, sometimes outrageous antics and out-spoken beliefs - on everything from sex to religion - are what cause some people to disapprove of her, those are what I see as her beauty and strength.

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I believe that her message has always been empowering, educating and freeing. She has shown that it’s okay to fail as long as you’ve tried to succeed. Though she is still a woman and at times vulnerable, it is something that all women (and men too) can connect with and identify in.

Photo: Dave Hogan/Getty for People

For a woman who has come so far in half a century, I find it an honour to be able to celebrate the mother, wife, style icon, musician, singer, songwriter, AIDS advocate, actress and woman that she is.

Here is to 50 more.

Photo: Steven Klein/Warner Bros. Records for People

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Last night, in preparation for this post, I spent over an hour watching her videos on YouTube. While I can’t possibly begin to pick a favourite, below are some of what I believe to be her best MTV work to date. Check them out if you have time to kill and want to take a lil’ trip down memory lane.

I don’t know who Kim Kardashian is. I don’t know why she’s famous. I do, however, admit to indulging in celebrity gossip sites (mainly People and The Superficial), so I see my fair share of paparazzi shots. I also know that, for whatever reason, Kim Kardashian is constantly accused of donning butt padding.

I would like to present photographic evidence in an effort to refute those claims…

June 11, 2008

Photo: Goff/INF for People

August 1, 2008

Photo: Flynet via The Superficial

August 14, 2008

Photo: PRJ/Fame Pictures for People

Yes, I am very, very bored today.

I can’t hold it against the girl though. I love me some ice cream too. A lot, actually.

Thanks for providing me with an outlet with which I can not only make productive use of my time, but also to pimp the pups. Yes!

P.S. Sorry, Amy.

I can’t stop looking at this. Every time I’ve toggled to that page this morning while sitting at my desk, I’ve died a little on the inside.

I hate you, Internet Explorer. Everytime I blog with you, you squish my pictures and make me look schmucky. I should basically just always use my laptop, me thinks. (Translation: click each picture to see it in my Flickr stream, not looking schmucky.) Safari FTW.

Okay, so Lady Phae wanted to treat yours truly to a divine dinner at my absolute favourite spot. The first time I went to Boneta was on my birthday last year and I have been back a handful of times since.

We let the amazing men of Boneta pick wine for us, and so we had some Italian red vino. My friend Toni claims to be Italian red wine but I am not sure he’s as drinkable.

We had cheese. And crustinis. And cheese.

Normally I’m pretty lush-ous when drinking red wine, but for whatever reason I managed to remain pretty sober. The same cannot be said for my hot date. She’s charming.

“Boneta loves you.” It’s written all over their restaurant, literally and figuratively. We were treated like royalty, and at one point, one of the owners actually stabbed at one of the fresh, local strawberries with my fork and fed it to me.

Being that Jack popped my Pimm’s cherry on my birthday at Boneta, I decided Phaedra needed to do the same, so we capped off the evening with a Pimm’s-based cocktail of our own. Needless to say, it was a hit.

Just yesterday, Duane wrote a blog post that touched down on customer service. I agreed with his points in that I feel as though it’s largely a lost art. I am rather adept in the kitchen and know very well how to pick out a good bottle of wine to tote home, so when I go out for dinner, it’s the service and experience I am paying for.

At Boneta, phenomenal food, killer wine and service to knock your stillettos off are all guaranteed, all the time. Why else would my darling and I have gone two times already?

Thanks for a truly stellar date, Phaedra…

Perhaps I’m an anomaly, but I am one of the few who actually embrace getting older. In fact, 30 doesn’t scare me; I look forward to it. You may find this strange of me, but it is, in fact, the truth. My reasoning behind this is simple.

Something I have come to notice about myself in the last year or two is that, as I have grown older, I have grown wiser. That is not, however, to say that I’ve reached any sort of particular milestone, but I firmly believe that worldly wisdom is an important objective to aim for.

What is becoming abundantly clear to me is the reality of human nature. There is beauty there, and there is also ugliness. Sometimes neither is avoidable, and so a perspective grounded in reality is crucial to emotional survival.

In my humble opinion, one of the most unsightly sides to human nature is the way in which people treat each other. Let me preface this by saying that I in no way purport to exclude myself. Mud slinging, talking smack and insults seem, unfortunately, to be a part of almost anyone’s past. The trials and tribulations of adolescence and high school practically dictate the necessity of these tools. It’s something we all learn from a very early age.

Whether it’s to feel as though one is accepted or as a defence mechanism, I believe it all comes down to the self-esteem factor. The beauty in aging, growing older, experiencing life and gaining wisdom should theoretically have a direct impact in this arena.

With age can come cynicism; with experience can come hard lessons in reality. There will always be someone who has what we want, there are people who live on sidewalks, children who go hungry, politicians that lie, family and friends who let us down. What is important to realize is the simple fact that no one is perfect. And with that insight, hopefully we are able to rise above what is ultimately minute, what causes us insecurity and allows us to live lives that are fruitful rather than rotten.

While I could find some comfort in sitting here, lamenting over what tries to tear me down or make me feel less about myself than I should or am entitled to is a wasted effort. I know what is solid and real in my life. I know who Keira-Anne really is (and she’s turning out to be a pretty terrific woman, if I do say so myself), I know why my family is so invaluable, I have unyielding trust in the precious few friendships in my life and for the first time ever, feel as though I have the ability to rise above what is fleeting.

It’s probably been at least a 67 years since I last posted a link fest, so here you go, Tuesday. Here’s a link feast…

Photo: John Bollwitt on Flickr

P.S. I love my MacBook Pro

Since Tony didn’t feel like writing a review of Pineapple Express, I’m taking matters into my own hands. After a sunny-ish Sunday afternoon spent wandering up Robson Street with Jen, we decided to cap the afternoon off with a matinée.

Less than 30 minutes in, my initial thoughts were “awesome…I just spent $12 on a stoner comedy.”

Oh how wrong I was…

Photo: Sony Pictures

The film follows devout stoner, Dale Denton (Seth Rogan), and his dealer, Saul Silver (James Franco). The title of the movie itself reefers (very much intended) to a particular strain of marijuana that Dale and Saul fall head-over-heels for. It’s also what links them back to a murder of which Dale accidentally witnesses in his capacity as a process server. I think that means he’s a butler or something.

What begins under the guise of just another stoner flick, Pineapple Express ends up delivering so much more. It has memorable characters, lines that will certainly go down in pop culture cinematic history, more action than you can begin to expect - truly, and best of all: it’s funny. Really funny. There are more than a handful of instances in which you may not believe that what you just saw is what you really did see.

Photo: Sony Pictures

Truth be told, when Jen and I walked into the theatre, I was convinced that her and I were the only two that didn’t indulge in a smoke before the flick. And in saying that, some of the humour can probably only be truly appreciated by those who do smoke…particularly the lady in the front row who incessantly laughed her head off at all times, funny or not.

Don’t be fooled though. Pineapple Express is not a comedy to be missed. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if soon enough, people will flock to any and all Seth Rogan movies simply because it’s known that the flick will be great. Here’s just hoping he doesn’t crash and burn like Will Ferrell has in recent years.

Check out the film’s official trailer below and the website here.

Allow me to be completely honest with you for a moment. I love meat. I love steaks, I love ribs, sometimes I love chicken and I have a new found love for fish and chips. Proscuitto is fantastic and salami often makes a sandwich. I also love cooking meat. With countless recipes designed to create and tantalize, it’s hard for me to stay out of the kitchen.

Photo: Another Pint Please… on Flickr

Here’s my problem: how do I go cruelty-free? The truth of the matter is that I am not able, nor do I want, to go completely vegetarian. I, personally, take no issue with the consumption of meat as a food source. I do, however, take huge issue with the ways in which animals are treated before being prepared as food. As an animal lover, I am becoming more and more aware of the absolute importance of humane treatment. I also don’t want to become one of those pretentious, selective eaters.

It’s becoming a gray area for me. One can go so far as to say: “well what about leather handbags and shoes?” That’s an extremely valid point. What about them? How is the source of that leather traceable?

I refuse to rely on PETA’s website because I would presume that everything there would have to be read with a fantastically large grain of salt. I’d find it hard to believe their facts and information wouldn’t be largely biased. This is where you, my readers, come in.

I’ll not lie to you though…giving up McDonald’s and Chinese food will be no easy feat for this chica.

Over to you…

In a media realm saturated with celebrity, it’s entirely easy to fall victim to unrealistic expectations. When we’re bombarded with countless images of seemingly flawless figures and faces, questioning our own appearances and bodies seems to follow suit. It’s inescapable.

And then sometimes there is the rare occasion on which someone says something simple enough to bring us back to reality. This morning I read the following quote on IMDb from Anne Hathaway:

“I wanted a nose job, but now, my nose is what lets me change my face a lot. Your face needs to have character…otherwise you’re just a face.”

This strikes a rather positive chord with someone who’s long secretly wished for a nose job. Perhaps I should instead just shut up and be grateful for the character that my face does have. It’s part of what makes me who I am.

I still want bigger boobs.

Trust me.