To her, aging is sweet, not sticky

Sure, Madonna may have scandalized the Vatican and shocked nearly every parent in America at some point during her long and provocative career.

But as the Material Girl hits the half-century mark today, she may be stepping into a role that even she, with all her marketing savvy, might not have dreamed up: poster child for the 50-and-fabulous set.

“I was in high school when she hit it big,” says David Zinczenko, editor in chief of Men’s Health magazine.

“Now that her first young fans are in their 30s, we look at Madonna as sort of a harbinger of the future for us,” he says. “And the future looks pretty good.”

So what does Madonna think of it all?

She’s not talking, but publicist Liz Rosenberg says: “I’m sure she’s happy to be an inspiration to women and men of any age” – though the birthday “is not quite the benchmark for her as it seems to be in the media, who have been talking about her 50th since she turned 40!”

Next up for Madonna: her “Sticky & Sweet” world tour, which kicks off in Wales next Saturday.

Show her some Mercy

Speaking of Madonna, the tabloids are quoting officials in Malawai as confirming that she and hubby Guy Ritchie are planning to adopt a second child from the African nation.

This time, it’s a girl – a 3-year-old orphan named Mercy James. Apparently, the first go-round at adopting her last August was blocked by her uncle.

Just a little babysitting

A woman has come forward to claim she had an affair with the fiance of Britney Spears’ little sister, Jamie Lynn, when she was six months pregnant with his child.

Kelli Dawson, 28, says she and 19-year-old Casey Aldridge still hang out: “I see him all the time, at least once a week.”

Making a semi-clean breast

Turning to the Lohans, both Lindsay Lohan and DJ gal pal Samantha Ronson continue to sidestep reports they’re romantically involved.

“Samantha and my relationship is a private matter,” Lohan tells Harper’s Bazaar.

But she’s outspoken in her denials of rumors that her little sister, Ali, had breast implants, telling two paparazzi who inquired: “Did you really just ask me that? She is a 14-year-old girl, and you are a pedophile!’ ”

No longer hi-o! and dry

It looks like Ed McMahon will still have a roof over his head – thanks to Donald Trump.

The real estate mogul plans to save the former “Tonight Show” sidekick’s Beverly Hills mansion from foreclosure by buying it and then leasing it back to him, according to reports.

In June, the 85-year-old McMahon defaulted on $4.8 million in mortgage loans.

The birthday bunch

Actor Fess Parker is 84. Actor Robert Culp is 78. Sportscaster Frank Gifford is 78. Singer Eydie Gorme is 77. Actress Julie Newmar is 75. Actress Lesley Ann Warren is 62. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 55. Director James Cameron is 54. Actress Angela Bassett is 50. Actress Laura Innes (“ER”) is 49. Actor Timothy Hutton is 48. Actor Steve Carell is 45. Country singer Emily Robison (The Dixie Chicks) is 36. Singer Vanessa Carlton is 28.