Happy Birthday to...

... Madonna!

Yes, the Material Mom turns the big 5-0 today, and what an amazing half-century it's been for one of the biggest pop icons ever.

Let's not forget that when we first met the feisty Bay City, MI, native, it was 1982. To put that into perspective:

• Cell phones were the size of Cadillacs
• The Soviet Union was at the height of its power
• Michael Jackson's Thriller was just being released
  
• We were taking our fashion cues from Flashdance, Dallas and Dynasty

We could go on and on, but you get the point. Trends have come and gone, but Madonna has managed to hold our fascination for over 25 years, with no end in sight.

Cheers to you, girlfriend!

Happy birthday to ...

Andie MacDowell!

Believe it or not, the down-to-earth South Carolina belle turns the big 5-0 today, and she's never looked lovelier.

Check out a recent interview with Gaiam, where Andie talks about life, motherhood, and her eco-friendly lifestyle.

Happy birthday to...

The Maestro himself, Manolo Blahnik!

"About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are total madness, and the rest are bread-and-butter designs."

(Hat tip: Manolo's Shoe Blog)

Happy birthday to ... the iPod!

This week marks the sixth anniversary of the miniscule marvel that forever changed the way we experience music: the iPod.

On October 23, 2001, Apple shocked the techno world by announcing a different kind of digital audio player, one that used a hard disk for storage and was designed for convenience, power, and ease of use. The first model (codenamed Dulcimer) offered a whopping 5 GB of storage (enough for about 1,000 songs) and was only compatible with Macintosh computers.

In April 2007, Apple announced that the 100 millionth iPod had been sold, and the hot little number now accounts for over 25 percent of the company's earnings.

Why not celebrate your musical mate's birthday by buying it a sassy new outfit—like this sleek faux-croc metallic sleeve from iStyles?

Just the thing for everyone's favorite six-year-old.

(Hat tip: iLounge)

Happy birthday to...

... the timelessly fabulous Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926).

“If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere.”