When it comes to being one of the most famous celebrities in the world, Madonna has long ruled the roost. At the age of 47, she continues to be a trendsetter, a master in marketing, and a powerful force on stage. Following in the footsteps of this Material Girl is none other than Gwen Stefani, who, like Madonna, exudes a playful combination of pop and punk culture. However, besides their blond hair, buff bodies, and British beaus, these women have a lot more in common than what meets the eye. Yep, they are part-Italian and proud of it! In fact, the two could even be related. Stefani has been quoted in saying that she and Madonna share a common Italian relative. So how else do these two top entertainers match up? Well, keep on reading and you'll see!

Pix of Madonna		Pix of Gwen Stefani
Madonna Ciccone Vital Statistics:    Hometown: Bay City, MI    Birthdate: 8-16-1958    Height: 5'4"		Gwen Stefani Vital Statistics:    Hometown: Anaheim, CA    Birthdate: 10-3-1969    Height: 5'6"
Love Life: She was married to Sean Penn, had a child with fitness instructor Carlos Leon, and is currently married to director Guy Ritchie.		Love Life: She dated her No Doubt band mate Tony Kanal for eight years, and is currently married to musician Gavin Rossdale.
Kids: 9-year-old Lourdes and 5-year-old Rocco.		Kids: She and Gavin are expecting their first child in June.
Trademarks: Perfectly toned body, blond hair (most of the time), and let's not forget that red Kabbalah bracelet! She's also considered a fashion icon due to her constant image change.		Trademarks: It's hard to overlook those red lips and platinum blond hair. Despite her days of pink hair, she too is considered a fashion icon with her unique outfits and style.
Hot Stuff: In 2000, she was voted #35 on Playboy's "100 Sexiest Women" of the 20th Century. She was also ranked #8 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll.		Hot Stuff: In 2004, she was voted one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. She was also ranked #22 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World."
Food Services: She once worked at a Dunkin Donuts and a Burger King.		Food Services: Her first job was scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen.
Early Career: She played in two New York bands before going solo. After a few mediocre singles, she released her self-titled debut album, which peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top 200. It sold nearly two million copies in the U.S. at the time of release and currently stands at 5x platinum. She also used the music video medium to create a new brand of image-conscious multimedia star.		Early Career: She first experienced mainstream success with the release of No Doubt's 1995 album "Tragic Kingdom." Stefani became highly popular and recognizable, which caused some tension in the band. Outside of No Doubt, Stefani collaborated with Moby and Eve for the singles "Southside" and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," respectively.
Extra, Extra: Motherhood has inspired her to write a number of critically-acclaimed children's books: "The Adventures of Abdi", "The English Roses", "Lotsa de Casha", "Mr. Peabody's Apples," and "Yakov and the Seven Thieves."		Extra, Extra: Stefani has created a successful fashion line, named L.A.M.B. She launched a second fashion line, Harajuku Lovers, inspired by the street fashions of the Harajuku area of Tokyo, Japan.
Controversy: Um, where do we start? The video for "Like a Prayer" caused international controversy with images of burning crosses, murder, and racism. She went on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in 1993 and said the "f" word 13 times. She was unanimously condemned by the Puerto Rican House of Representatives for pulling a Puerto Rican flag between her legs in a 1993 concert. She sent people into an uproar after French kissing Britney Spears at MTV's Video Music Awards.		Controversy: This laidback California girl has pretty much stayed out of trouble. The only controversy she recently encountered was about her dancers, called the four Harajuku Girls. Stefani's adoption of this component of Japanese culture drew criticism from certain Asians and others who feel that Stefani has stripped Japanese street fashion of its authenticity and created another example of the submissive Asian female stereotype. Hey, can't we all just get along?
Music: After having released 18 albums, she is the highest selling female artist of all time. Her albums include "Madonna," "Like A Virgin," "You Can Dance," "Like A Prayer," "Erotica," "Bedtime Stories," "Ray of Light," "Music," "American Life," and "Confessions of a Dance Floor."		Music: In 2004, she wrote and recorded her first solo album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." with the help of The Neptunes, singer-songwriter Linda Perry and OutKast frontman André 3000. The third single, "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital single to exceed sales of one million.
Movies: "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Who's That Girl?," "Dick Tracy," "A League of Their Own," and "Evita."		Movies: "The Aviator." Ok, so acting is not her thing. Madonna just hasn't gotten the memo yet.
Accolades: Apart from achieving twelve #1 hits and 36 top 10 hits on the U.S Billboard Magazine Hot 100, she has been nominated for a Grammy Award 13 times and has won five out of those 13. Madonna ranks number four on the list of the 150 highest-selling artists ever. She has a total of 275 million records (albums and singles) sold worldwide from 1984 to late 2005.		Accolades: She received a total of nine Grammy nominations with No Doubt in which they ended up winning two out of the nine. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind." In 2005, she was nominated for "What You Waiting For?" This year her debut album received five nominations.
Quotable Quotes: "I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name. How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this." "I can be arrogant sometimes, but I never mean it intentionally. I can be really snotty to people but that's not anything.		Quotable Quotes: "I think I've been able to fool a lot of people because I know I'm a dork. I'm a geek." "I think everyone has gifts and everyone has talents. If you are successful at it, it feels really good but it never really penetrates completely. There are moments where I think that we made an amazing record and I'm so proud of it, but I don't wake up and go, "Wow, I'm amazing."
Current Activities: Madonna announced she would tour the world this summer. She is currently lending her voice for the animated movie "Arthur and the Minimoys" along with Snoop Dogg and David Bowie.		Current Activities: Pharrell said he is still tweaking new tracks for Stefani's second solo album, which is scheduled for a late 2006 release. She says she plans on recording with No Doubt this year, although recording may be halted due to her pregnancy.