In case you missed any of these catchy tunes last week, it's not too late to boogie down. Grab your headphones, CD player, iPod, speakers, guitar, cowbell, or whatever you need -- it's time for another rockin' version of the Market Mix Tape.

"Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney and Microsoft investors
When Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer addressed analysts and investors last Thursday to give a company update, many were neither amazed nor tickled. During his talk, Ballmer said he sees many analysts' expectations for the impact from Vista as too aggressive. Ballmer said that while he is enthusiastic about Vista's launch, many of the enterprise agreements in place already have Vista upgrades priced in, so much of the growth will come from the lower-ticket consumer market and the zero-revenue pirate market. Investors responded by sending shares down 2.4% on Friday.

And while Microsoft was struggling through readjusted expectations, those crazy guys over at Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), another company with big hopes for Vista, have continued to shake things up. Since Michael Dell took the reins back from Kevin Rollins at the end of January, there have been some questions over whether Mike is what the doctor ordered for the ailing Dell.

On Thursday of last week, though, Mike continued working toward building his Dell 2.0, hiring Solectron CEO Michael Cannon to take the newly created position of president of global operations. On Friday, the company followed up by announcing the hiring of Motorola's president of mobile devices, Ron Garriques. Although Garriques was not directly responsible for Motorola's recent home run, the Razr phone, he does represent the hope that Dell might try to make computers that are easier on the eyes -- maybe a la Apple and its fashionable MacBook series.

"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Jessica Simpson, MFS, and Deutsche Bank
Major institutional investors like MFS Investment Management and Deutsche Bank may not be walking all over anyone, but they are walking away from REIT shares. Bloomberg reported last week that the two investors were dumping REIT shares just as the bow was being tied on the record-setting $39 billion Blackstone buyout of Equity Office Properties. As a result of the property boom of the past few years and the general run-up in REITs, REIT shares are currently the most expensive they've been in 20 years relative to U.S. Treasury notes.

With MFS, Deutsche, and Sam Zell -- Equity Office's chairman -- all selling, Blackstone decided to join the party. Since the close of the Equity Office transaction, Blackstone has sold off more than $15 billion worth of Equity Office buildings. Transactions last week included a reported 36 buildings to Boston's Beacon Capital Partners, 17 to San Francisco-based Shorenstein, and 23 to L.A.'s Maguire Properties.

Meanwhile, the battle for control of Mills Corp. (NYSE:MLS), a REIT that focuses on malls, came to an end. Mills is not nearly as large as Equity Office, but it has provided some excitement recently as Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) and hedge fund Farallon Capital have been battling Brookfield Asset Management for control of the company. After the market close on Friday, Mills filed a press release saying that it is accepting the $1.64 billion offer from Simon and Farallon. The buyout is going to be completed through an all-cash-tender offer of $25.25, slightly less than Friday's closing price of $25.48.

"I Wanna Love You" by Akon and Snoop Dogg featuring Alcoa and AMR Corp.
Love was in the air with Valentine's Day last week, and Wall Street was aflutter with rumors of big-time buyouts. On Tuesday, reports surfaced that love notes have been passed between Dow component Alcoa (NYSE:AA), mining superpower BHP Billiton, and Rio Tinto. Though management at the respective companies talked down the rumors, Alcoa's stock was up 6.4% Tuesday and finished the week up 5.7%. Alcan, which also had its name tossed around as a potential target, was up 4.9% on Tuesday and 5.7% for the week.

Later in the week, Business Week reported that British Airways (NYSE:BAB) and Goldman Sachs may be preparing a bid for AMR Corp. (NYSE:AMR), the parent of American Airlines. The market pushed AMR's shares up 2.4% on Friday, though most reports have concurred that even if the rumors are true, it's unlikely that the deal would be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. If they are true, this wouldn't be the first time that British Airways has tried to tie the knot with American. And during Valentine's week, it's tough to blame a jilted lover for trying.

More Foolish fun:

Microsoft and Dell are Inside Value picks. Dell is also a Stock Advisor selection. You can check out any of the Fool's newsletters with a 30-day free trial.

Fool contributor Matt Koppenheffer is currently ranked 5,230 out of 22,819 Fools participating in The Motley Fool's CAPS service, and he encourages everyone to get heard. He owns shares of Dell and Goldman Sachs, but no other company mentioned. The Fool's disclosure policy has got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.