There are a lot of things that bug me about Madonna, and I’ve made no secret of them here. But I try to give her credit where it’s due, and she does deserve a lot of it. Not necessarily for being a good human being or anything, but she’s whip smart, she’s innovative, she’s driven, and she pushes herself like no one’ s business. Case in point: Madge is planning on running a 151-mile race in April. Because she’s both driven and insaaaaaaaaaane. The report is from Star so it might be bull, and for Madonna’s sake I hope it is. 151 miles is like the equivalent of me walking to my fridge over 100,000 times. Which is about as close to a 151 mile race as I’ll ever get. Here’s Star’s report:

The Material Girl has a new addiction – running! A yoga enthusiast for years, Madonna is training for the Marathon des Sables, a killer six-day, 151-mile race – that’s more than five and a half regular marathons! “She’s always been in great shape, but she is now taking things to a whole other level,” an insider tells Star. And how! The 51-year-old superstar even told her manager not to schedule any concerts or recording for next April, when she’ll be in Morocco competing in the race! “She is serious about doing it,” says the insider.

[From Star, Sep. 7, 2009, print ed.]

Even though it is Star, I can totally believe this. Madge pushes herself like crazy and always needs a new challenge. The problem is no matter what she does, I doubt she’s going to come in first, which means she’s going to be pissed. See, the double-edged of perfectionism.

In related Madge news, she’s just competed work on her new “Celebration” remix video. While the song sounds good and Madge is working it, the same cannot be said for Jesus Luz. That’s right, Madonna decided to make it a family affair and stick her boy toy in the video, acting as a D.J. Unfortunately, Jesus is about as stiff as a board. There’s one moment where he looks over his head, and that’s almost cool and a little sexy because you can’t tell he lacks rhythm. But the rest is just a disaster.

It was only a matter of time before Madonna’s latest toyboy wanted to prove he was more than a pretty face. So we’re not surprised to see Jesus Luz popping up in the promotional trailer for her latest single. The 15-second snippet of Celebration features the 22-year-old Brazilian model DJing to a crowd of dancers.

But despite his bare chest and being kitted out in trendy Balmain designer gear, Jesus looks a little lost in his new role. At one point he stares down at his decks determinedly, twiddling away at a series of knobs and buttons.

The next, he is staring over his shoulder, presumably admiring his handiwork at making people dance. Finally, he’s seen performing some dodgy dance moves, doing ‘pistol fingers’ as he shuffles about behind the decks.

However, Jesus’s dancing is nothing compared to that of Paul Oakenfold, the music producer and trance DJ who also appears in the trailer. Oakenfold, who remixed Celebration for the Queen of Pop, looks like a drunk uncle at a wedding.

[From the Daily Mail]

The whole video hasn’t been released yet but you can watch Jesus’ clip below. Paul Oakenfold looks really bizarre in it. I think the director’s theory was the dance equivalent of placing yourself next to the ugliest girl in a photo so you look better by comparison. Jesus looks bad dancing, but he looks soooooo much better than Paul Oakenfold. The difference in sex appeal is rather jarring when they cut back and forth, so if you didn’t think about it too much you’d probably say, “You know, that Jesus Luz sure can dance.” So be aware, there’s some trickery going on.

You can also see a short clip of Madonna above, who looks like she’s definitely working it. From the way she’s kicking around and such, I’m thinking that 151 mile race will be no biggie for her.