To count the many faces of Madonna would be futile. But, hey, since she’s reinventing herself again on her latest “Re-Invention Tour” it’s worth a go.

Let’s start with that sexy mole above the right side of her upper lip in the 1980s. When it disappeared, a growing gap between her front teeth took its place as her prominent facial feature. And it’s just as sexy.

Then there’s the blond hair, and the brown, and blond, and brown. She seems to dye her hair with the moon’s cycles. Sometimes she changes it up with platinum and black. Then she’s back to blond. No, brown. OK, blond. Who cares? It’s sexy.

Madonna will be reinventing herself tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday at the HP Pavillion in San Jose.

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The bejeweled Madonna of the’80s wore layers of rosaries and crosses around her neck and thick bracelets up her arms.
The Madonna of late has moved to a simple gold chain around her neck with her name scripted at the base of her throat. Around her wrist is now a red ribbon to ward off the evil eye, a symbol of her study of the mystical Jewish principles of the kabbala.

And while we’re on the purely physical aspects of Madonna’s reinventions during the years, let’s thank her for the following: white lace, cone bras, corsets, fingerless gloves and lingerie.

Sometimes she didn’t need clothes at all. In 1992, when her “Sex” book scandalized the world, Entertainment Weekly published on its cover the famed photo of Madonna hitchhiking nude with a cigarette in her mouth, a purse in her hand and a huge question mark covering the X-rated portions of her body.

The same year, Vogue put her on its cover in brown pants, a striped shirt and purple cap for the fall fashion issue, titling it “Madonna Gets Dressed!”

Perhaps this began her reinvention as a clothed fashionista. Now we can thank her for geisha kimonos, cowgirl hats and military fatigues.

The diva that is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, born Aug. 16, 1958, in Bay City, Mich., has been a step ahead of pop culture ever since she proclaimed herself the “Material Girl” on her second album, 1984’s “Like a Virgin“.

Since that time, she has had sexually explicit music videos banned from MTV and found her feminine side after giving birth to her first child, Lourdes.

She’s been married twice: once to American actor Sean Penn from August 1985 to September 1989, and again to British director Guy Ritchie, from December 2000 to the present.

And there have been plenty of other famous relationships, consummated and not, in between: Prince, Michael Jackson, Dennis Rodman, Warren Beatty and Sandra Bernhard. (You can’t forget the ladies.)

Her most recent famous tryst was with baby divas Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the MTV Music Video Awards in August 2003, where Madonna again donned the top hat of the bisexual dominatrix and French kissed her two like-a-virgin brides.

Madonna’s two children are products of two of her most long-term relationships. Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, born Oct 14, 1996, was fathered by Madonna’s personal trainer and late’90s boyfriend Carlos Leon. Rocco Ritchie was born to Madonna and Ritchie on Aug. 11, 2000. Madonna has left her Hollywood life behind and become a British maven.

Despite this superficial biography, what marks Madonna‘s many reinventions of herself is her music, for, after all, she is foremost a musician.

Madonna literally popped out in 1983, dancing and singing about lucky stars and holidays. Already placing herself at the borderline, she told us in 1984 that she was our material girl and warned that even though she was going to get raunchy, she would always be like a virgin to us.

In 1986, she gave us a glimpse into the rebellion of her Catholic upbringing by singing “Papa Don’t Preach“.
Then she took us to “La Isla Bonita” and helped us all find the party. And the party continued through 1987 with Madonna, who wanted everyone to know they can dance.

Then a reinvention. In 1989, Madonna woke up after the long party and went to church, proclaiming love was like a prayer, we should cherish it, learn to express ourselves, and reconcile with our overbearing fathers.

Not wanting to leave the dance party behind forever, or let us forget she was a sex icon, Madonna vogued her way through 1990 and told us how she would justify her love. And, of course, she played hanky panky with us as Dick Tracy’s seductress Breathless Mahoney.

The sex was back! In 1992, Madonna released her erotica, giving us fever, going deeper and deeper, showing us where all life begins, and revealing her secret garden. And, like a good afterglow, she told us bedtime stories in 1994, giving us the rules of human nature and forbidden love.

And just before sending us off to start her next reinvention she gave us something to remember in 1995, reminding us of what used to be her playground and finally taking her bow.

Since then, she took on Argentina in “Evita” (1996), showed us her new motherly glow in “Ray of Light” (1998), reminded us it was all about “Music” (2000) and now has re-evaluated her “American Life” (2003). She has also written children’s books.

As she continues her “Re-Invention Tour” this year, Madonna dons military garb, shows footage of war and carnage on screens, and transforms her former lust for sex and parties to a deeper desire for faith, love and peace. And, like always, she takes us along on her journey.

Article by Jennifer Baldwin, Alameda Time Star