Lady Gaga wanted to walk down the red carpet with a lion at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) last night (13.09.09).

The eccentric pop star demanded a bizarre array of items for her performance at the ceremony - including the dangerous big cat - in an attempt to "upstage" every other pop star attending.

Madonna is to run a 151-mile, six-day race. The "4 Minutes" singer is in training for the grueling Marathon des Sables in Morocco, which is due to take place next April.

A source told Star magazine: "She's always been in great shape, but she is now taking things to a whole other level. She is serious about doing it."

Madonna made her model boyfriend cry when she refused to wear jewelry he bought her for birthday. Brazilian hunk Jesus Luz, 22, gave the singer a set of South American good-luck bracelets, made of thin ribbons which are said to grant the wearer three wishes when they break, at her 51st birthday party on Sunday.

Madonna - whose ex-husband is British film director Guy Ritchie - smiled when she opened the present, but was quick to tell Jesus she couldn't wear it, leaving him in tears.

Lady GaGa is toning down her image for her trip to Israel. The "Poker Face" singer - famed for her provocative outfits and routines - has vowed to be respectful while she is in the Jewish country and can't wait to see "sacred and holy" Jerusalem.

She added her visit to the holy city will be "an emotional and spiritual experience."

Madonna says Jesus Luz is "the love of her life." The "4 Minutes" singer praised the 22-year-old Brazilian model in a speech at her 51st birthday party in Portofino, Italy, on Sunday before running across the room to passionately kiss him.

As friends looked on, Madonna gushed: "He's the love of my life. He has been so strong around me. I can't thank him enough."

Madonna celebrated her birthday with her Polish fans. The "4 Minutes" singer was performing in Warsaw on Saturday night when the huge audience launched into a rendition of traditional Polish birthday song "Sto Lat" ahead of her turning 51 on Sunday.

Lyrics include: "Good luck, good cheer, may you live a hundred years."