People: Nov. 3, 1986

"Here I am/ Just like I said I would be," sings Cyndi Lauper on True Colors, the recent follow-up to her 1983 debut solo album. And now, just as she hoped, the True Colors title ballad is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart, while the album has reached No. 8. The flamboyant singer, who recently posed for a saucy array of promotional shots, is in Italy working on a new video to keep the record rolling. Good as Lauper is at grabbing the eye on a half shell, her artistic rival Madonna found a way to reach the video generation without shelling out anything. She held a "Make My Video" contest on MTV, and more than 1,000 entries poured in. Last week a black-and-white amateur production set to her song True Blue won a $25,000 cash prize. Madonna immediately challenged the winning team from Florida to try again. "So you think you can make my next video for under $1,000?" asked the Material Girl. "If you can, we have something to talk about."