Love & Happiness

Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen,

I'd like to start off by wishing a happy 62nd birthday to the Reverend Al Green, soul & gospel legend. Born the son of a sharecropper in rural Arkansas, he reached his peak of popularity in the mid 70's but is still releasing albums. His #1 record "Let's Stay Together" is by far his most popular hit, but he's also recorded timeless classics like "Love & Happiness", "Can't Get Next To You", "Tired of Being Alone", "Here I Am (Come & Take Me)" and many others. In 1974, a longtime friend & lover of Al's, Mary Woodson allegedly threw a pot of boiling grits on him in the shower, ran into the other room, and committed suicide by shooting herself. Investigation showed that she had committed the act because of a mental breakdown...but the experience made Al ask God for guidance and become closer to the church. He became an ordained pastor in 1976 and his R&B career staggered, so he started to release Gospel records. Through the years, he's collaborated with artists like Annie Lennox & Lyle Lovett and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2004, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. In 2005, $teve started using some of his timeless classics to set the mood in certain situations...with excellent and somewhat surprising results. Thank you Reverend, for all that you do...and happy birthday!!!

Not a whole heck of a lot has happened to me since yesterday. I jogged some more again on this beautiful Sunday. It's like seventy degrees and clear skies here in Slick City, which is a rarity...because that's springtime weather...and we get about a week of that between blistering cold & summer. So I made sure to enjoy it by just walking around the neighborhood too. There's a lot of different birds in the trees in my neighborhood like robins, woodpeckers, magpies, finches, and quails...but the quails are usually on the ground obviously. Talked to Bubbles for a few minutes too. She's really enjoying Vegas, even though today was Laundry Day...and she was surprised that I was working out more. "Why are you doing that?" "You know, I'm just cutting out soda...moving more...just wanna get back in shape so that I can play basketball like I used to." "Oh...okay." I'm already feeling better from it, just need to get some good running shoes. Maybe I'll get those tomorrow before work.

Midday, I watched some basketball including a showdown of two top teams, the L.A. Lakers and THE World Champion San Antonio Spurs. I love watching and analyzing basketball...almost as much as playing it. Maybe I'll have to get those shoes tomorrow and go test them out at the rec center or something...against some 16-year olds...or maybe some guys in their thirties. Whoever's there...but usually not too many people there midday. That sounds like fun. Also watched the action comedy "Bait" starring Jamie Foxx and two of my favorite B-List actors David Morse and Jeffery Donovan. It's about a small time crook (Foxx) who unknowingly knows the location of $42 million in stolen Federal Reserve gold...and in order to catch the thief, the government (headed by Morse) set him up as bait to draw out a dangerous man. It's actually really good...and Jamie Foxx is hilarious as always (well, except when winning Academy Awards) so I'd definitely recommend it...especially if you like action comedies like "Lethal Weapon", "48 Hours", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", and all those. Also, flipped between two of my favorite movies on TV for about an hour - "Fifth Element" and "Any Given Sunday" (more Jamie Foxx & even Charlton Heston) but then I had to go to work. Anyway, here's some news for ya...

I Know a Little Something About Art - About two weeks ago, I blogged about the nude photograph of French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy from her modeling days in 1993 going on sale at auction at Christie's Auction House…and they were expecting a modest $3000-$4000 price tag. Later on, I said that I expected it to be more around $100,000 (I believe comparing her to Jackie O) and I'll be damned if I wasn't really close. A buyer for a Chinese art collector bought the black-and-white image, taken by photographer Michel Comte for $91,000. So apparently, I do know a little something about art…when it's borderline pornography. I guess even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a great while. Wait, I just got a great idea to raise money for autism this month. We sell photographs of first ladies, like governor's wives & senator's wives…in the nude…with all proceeds going to charity. Can you imagine? There are some real hotties out there. Wasn't Fred Thompson's wife really hot? I saw part of debate once…but it could've been somebody else's wife. I don't know, it could work…and it certainly couldn't hurt. I mean, even Maria Shriver could bring in some serious cash for those kids. She's got some of the same genes as Jackie O, right? Anyway, it's just a thought. Obviously too late to worry about raising money now…but maybe for next April.

Next Mayor of Rome? - Italy is an amazing place. There's such a rich culture & history everywhere you go on Europe's Boot. Venice, Florence, Milan, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Como, all the majesty of nature and human history in such a small area. Besides, the women…are absolutely amazing. Great cooks, easy on the eyes, graceful, fun spirited, passionate, sexy accents, and know how to get their freak on. One of the best known Italians for getting their freak on is porn star Milly D'Abbraccio…who is now running for office. Targeting her male fan base, the veteran of Italy's adult entertainment industry has plastered images of her derriere all around the Eternal City in a bid to win a seat in Rome's city hall. If elected, D'Abbraccio wants to create a red light area with strip clubs, erotic discos and sex shops called "Love City" just kilometers away from the Vatican. Apparently, she's not the first adult film star to do this…because Ilona Staller, known as "Cicciolina", sat in parliament in the 1980s and was famous for her impromptu stripteases. My God, why can't our politics be like this? I would proudly boast a "Jameson - Lain in '69" sticker on my bumper…and on my car too. Heck, even a "Jeremy - Li'l Ron" sticker would do. Anyway, Ms. D'Abbraccio acknowledges she is a political novice but she did play a powerful lawmaker in an adult film called "L'Onorevole (The Most Honorable)" and honestly, how different could it really be? Best of luck to ma'am.

Padlock Pants - Indonesia's East Java province recently asked masseuses to wear a padlock on their pants to curb prostitution in the area…and apparently some of the masseuses are offended by it. "It is not the right way to prevent promiscuity. It insults women as if they are the ones in the wrong," says State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meuthia Hatta. She suggests that the best way to curb prostitution in massage parlors is to improve security systems and install closed circuit televisions (or charge extra for the video tape if patrons are interested). Batu is a popular tourist destination in this province for its cool climate, hot springs and mountain scenery. Indonesia has a flourishing sex industry and massage parlors are frequently a front for prostitution…but there has been a vigorous debate over morality in recent years, exposing deep divisions in the Southeast Asian Muslim-majority nation. Last month, Indonesia passed a bill to restrict access to pornographic or violent websites…and are also considering provisions that could jail people for kissing in public and criminalize many forms of art or traditional culture that hinge on sensuality, sparking criticism it could curb freedoms and hurt Indonesia's tolerant traditions. Does anybody else think this is a little bit like a schizoid nation…maybe even more so than the United States? Now, public displays of affection is one thing…but thinking that a padlock on the britches is going to curb prostitution…is pretty much forgetting that there's still a mouth and two hands. Maybe it's just some kind of law to show that they're at least putting up the family-friendly front or something…like Vegas…but this just seems weird to me. Also, looking at these pictures, have you ever seen a massage table with a headboard? I have…in China…and they didn't know what a Shiatsu Massage was when I asked them.

How to Land a Super-Hottie - No, not the book from that Snickers commercial…but this study claims to show why beautiful women marry less attractive men. Women seeking a lifelong mate might do well to choose the guy a notch below them in the looks category. New research reveals couples in which the wife is better looking than her husband are more positive and supportive than other match-ups. Researchers suspect that the reason is that men place great value on beauty, whereas women are more interested in having a supportive husband. Researchers admit that looks are subjective, but studies show there are some universal standards, including large eyes, "baby face" features, symmetric faces, so-called average faces, and specific waist-hip ratios in men versus women. So in short, the best way to find a relationship that'll last is to be supportive of one another. If somebody's going through a rough time, help them out. Don't kill her dream, help her make it come true. When it all seems like to much to handle at once, help them break it down and tackle it one step at a time. It's just like any other life-long relationship. This is very reassuring that I may end up with a superhottie girlfriend/wife one day…because I'm a pretty supportive guy…and I don't mean to toot my own horn…but a little bit of a hottie myself. Anyway, the article's pretty good and you can get the full thing in the February issue of the Journal of Family Psychology. All this time I thought it was just because there are about a dozen beautiful girls for each half-decent guy...but science has proved me wrong yet again. That's right, Adriana. Science has found out why you like Marko Jaric...because he's supportive...but you make yourself look so much better standing next to him.

Well, that should do it for today. Have a great day everyone...and let me know what you think about my idea for raising money for Autism. That's right, Mrs. Shriver. I'm lookin' at you.