I have a really hard time imagining Madonna as a loving, passionate creature. I know she’s built her whole reputation on sex, but in her case that’s very different from love. She just strikes me as so hard and cold. I always get so confused when I listen to “The Power of Goodbye,” which is such a great song and verbalizes the ending of a relationship in a really profound way – and then I think “But this is Madonna. She can’t feel vulnerability.” But in case I needed further proof that I’m wrong, a bunch of her old love letters and recordings are hitting the auction block, further proving that she can be quite the romantic.

A STOCKPILE of previously unreleased video and audio recordings and love letters Madonna (pictured, opposite page) sent to an ex-boyfriend are set to hit the market — and provide insight into the Material Girl’s romantic side.

The personal artifacts, which can be bid on in the online Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction, include two microcassette tapes of answering machine messages Madonna left her long-ago ex-boyfriend James Albright, a former security guard at defunct Manhattan nightclub Limelight who later became Madonna’s bodyguard, and 21 love letters she faxed Albright from various hotels around the world. The seller’s identity is unknown.

Also for sale is a 15-minute, extended-footage VHS tape of her from Abel Ferrara’s 1993 film, “Dangerous Game,” co-starring Harvey Keitel and James Russo. In the tape, a portion of which appears as a movie-within-the-movie, Madonna appears to snort cocaine, inhale nitrous oxide and expose her breasts while allowing Russo to snort cocaine off her body.

In the letters to Albright, Madonna frequently refers to herself as “Lil’ Booty” and “Lola Montez” — in honor of a famous mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Her nicknames for Albright include “Booty,” “Ceasar” (sic) and “Sambo.” In one fax, she writes to Albright, “Just watched the HBO special. It was OK. My booty looked good and you should see how good it looks in person. It looks Bootyful!”

Bidding on the microcassettes starts at $25,000. The letters can be had for $3,000 while the VHS tape starts at $10,000. Neither the audiotapes nor the video come with copyright, meaning a new owner won’t be able to resell the tapes.

Madonna’s rep had no comment and Albright could not be reached.

[From Page Six]

Really the only truly shameful part is that “Bootyful” pun. Okay maybe not the “only” shameful part, but certainly the most. That’s so cutesy. Can you imagine Madonna being cutesy with someone? I can’t even imagine her being that way with a baby or a kitten. NME says that the answering machine tapes are expected to go for around $40,000.

I find the nicknames especially curious – especially the one that’s generally considered a racial slur. But the context makes it sound like she said it affectionately… so I don’t know what to do with that. It’s also strange that she referred to herself as “Lola Montez” – a famous mistress – since her nickname for her daughter Lourdes is also Lola. All sorts of unusual bits of Madge information.

The memorabilia doesn’t come with a copyright, so it can’t be resold. But can it be displayed or viewed without transferring ownership? It’s be sorta fascinating to actually see some of this stuff. Tangible proof that Madonna does indeed have a heart.

Here’s Madonna and Jesus Luz visiting the Prado Museum in Madrid yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.com .