Madonna's pre-show prep: Free weights

Madonna's people are talking. And what they have to say gives a visual of one high-energy 50-year-old woman whose 51-date Sticky and Sweet tour has her working hard and feeling great.

"The harder Madonna works the happier she is," says a longtime friend. "Because she was a dancer, that's why. It's practice, practice, practice."

Besides ensuring her shows are perfect and her family is happy, Madonna is all about taking care of herself. A massage helps prep her for performing. So does a facial. And of course: Free weights, to maintain that rock-hard and strong body.

I like how Madonna operates. Work, family, a little pampering, and a nearly-perfect physique -- not to mention truckloads of money. Seems to me it doesn't get much better than that.