Madonna > $1,000 & over

Play the word-association game with anyone sentient in the 1980s and "Madonna" unleashes a torrent of M-words: material girl, media manipulator, multi-talented, marketing genius. And don't forget music, Madonna's foot-in-the-public-consciousness that...more

Play the word-association game with anyone sentient in the 1980s and "Madonna" unleashes a torrent of M-words: material girl, media manipulator, multi-talented, marketing genius. And don't forget music, Madonna's foot-in-the-public-consciousness that launched her from in-the-wings to in-your-face in the space of two quick albums. Although her early music was disdained by some critics as "pop fluff," her ability to sing, dance, act and produce herself into a public figure as intriguing as she is unflappable is nothing short of the American dream at high volume. Limelight is sunlight to this star, and her output varies from Like a Virgin and the more recent Ray of Light to performance art including Desperately Seeking Susan and Swept Away, Evita, a coffee table book suitable only for the most prurient of coffee tables and motherhood. Few people are truly remembered in this world; Madonna claims the fame with just one name....less