SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT IN YOUR PANTS

I was on the phone with an old friend late last night. His girlfriend was out so he called me to bitch. About her purse.

"I mean, why do they carry around all that shit in their purses?" Evidently, she'd asked him to pull a spare key out of her handbag and, after fifteen minutes of rooting-around, he gave up. "She's got everything in there: four kinds of mints, three flavors of gum, everything imaginable, unimaginable, and all kinds of stuff that I didn't even wanna know about." He was really getting worked up. "She has five different lip things. I mean, how many lip glosses do you need?"

"I have two," I replied, but he wasn't looking for answers.

"She has credit cards from banks that went belly up. And who still carries a Blockbuster card? And a Sharper Image gift card? Really? Plus all kinds of candy. She could survive for a week. And don't get me started on all of those old receipts."

Started? I wanted to go the other way.

"It looked like the insides of a goat's stomach in there."

While he went on and on, I finished the newspaper, skimmed some magazines and then read the bible. When he finally calmed down, I said, "Hey, we need them to carry the stuff we might need. Thanks to them, our pockets aren't stuffed." Then I got curious, so I asked what was in his pocket. For fun, we decided to empty our pockets, shoot off a quick photograph and share. He had $600 in cash and a key. The shot above shows you what I'm working with.

Here's an idea: share with me what you have in your pants, guys.

Seriously. If you're reading this on Facebook, post a comment and maybe a photo. And girls, you can play. Let us know what you- or your guy-is packing, okay?

What's in our pockets says a lot about who we are so show me what you got, please. Now I'm not asking to see what's stuffed in your wallet. Your ID is your business. This isn't Arizona, ya know?

As you can see, I had, like, very little cash, so the Mastercard helps me out. Besides, if I'm hungry, the Hilton card allows me to get my buffet on. After dinner, Walgreen's anise-flavored Shark Mints are popular, with people I'm breathing on. The King of Diamonds is actually a business card designed to help promote a novel of that name. As for the pills, well, they've been in my pocket all week. (Paging Dr. House, Dr. Gregory House).

It's pretty clear that my pockets tell the story of one living a pretty simple life.

Okay, I showed you mine. Your turn.




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HOUSE OF H2o

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MISS USA CONTESTANTS AT CAESARS POOL... NICE

CAESARS PALACE POOL IS BEAUTIFUL

AMERICAN IDOL OFFERS FRANK SINATRA SONGS ARRANGED BY HARRY CONNICK JR. TONIGHT

American Idol finalists take on the music of FRANK SINATRA tonight. The guest mentor is HARRY CONNICK, JR. The talented singer and jazz musician is one of the best arrangers in the business so tonight look for Harry to provide advice on singing- and feeling- the music of the greatest voice of the 20th Century: FRANK SINATRA.



Leave you guitars backstage, kids, tonight's all about singing beautiful lyrics from great composers like Dorothy Fields' Oscar winning 'The Way You Look Tonight.'


H2o predicts that the contestant who sings 'The Way You Look Tonight,' is gonna win it, All The Way.

JON MARRO IS BEAUTIFUL

Jon Marro is beautiful.



It came down to nine words.

A while back, a very nice email came in, in reply to something I'd written. It was from JON MARRO and it changed me. It changes me still.

JON MARRO is the creative force behind Blend Apparel, the T-shirt company run with passion and purpose, one of the leaders in practicing 'sacred commerce,' connecting business with the greatest good for all. Jon's designs are thought provokingly clever while mind blowingly simple, sometimes joking but always evoking higher love.

JON MARRO is really the artist of our generation.

Like many, I'm still learning how to accept a compliment so when Jon's nine words were received, I had to work really hard to be open to them, him.

There are moments, sacred really, when someone says just the right thing at just the right time. In books and on film, characters do it on cue but when it happens in your life, time stops.

Responding to my first novel, Jon wrote:

"THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR ART WITH THE WORLD."


It's a phrase that echoes in my head, a line I've now used to compliment and inspire others. It's a beautiful thought. A gifted young actor, a brilliant comedian, a contemporary poet and a talented singer have all recently received those nine words from me as a way to recognize their past efforts and encourage future creativity.

JON MARRO's nine words tuck you in snug at night but then get you up and inspired the next day.

I wasn't sure how to pay Jon back for his beautiful gift until I stopped thinking and started feeling about it. It was obvious that the present was too big for little me, too thick to jam into my pocket, too loud to keep under the bed. No, the way to go is to share it with the world, one talented person at a time.

Here's hoping they continue sharing.




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BEAUTY & THE BRAIN

I just received a nice email asking:

"Where do you find beauty. In other words, what to you is the most beautiful?"

I'm going to try to provide an answer from the heart because she deserves to hear it straight.


I fancy myself a guy who sees beauty all around me. So much graffiti is so beautiful but I'll admit that at first blush, I usually see vandalism and not like the Visigoths, either. Graffiti strikes me as a bit random and rather senseless until I remember to look closely.

When you are open to it, you will find beauty.

There's all kinds of beauty all around us. And, the idea of physical beauty has changed over the years. A quick look at advertisments from past decades provides a reminder that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


BEAUTY & THE BRAIN

I would imagine that beauty exists inside us, that it's all in the brain. If that's the case, then I can think of nothing more beautiful than art that we carry around with us, beauty that we can experience again-and-again. Music is by far the most beautiful thing ever. God bless the creators of popular songs for you provide a living soundtrack for our lives.

I was driving down the Las Vegas Strip late last night and, passing by what was once the Sands Hotel Casino, I heard FRANK SINATRA singing 'Fly Me To The Moon,' backed by Count Basie, as recorded on 'Sinatra at the Sands.' Oh, I know, the Sands is no more, but I know exactly where the original Copa Room was. I produced its last great show before they blew-up the place to make way for the beautiful new Venetian but the music that was made there reverberates still. Sinatra's heart was full of song and he will sing forever more.

When the moon is shining brightly, JASON MRAZ can be heard confessing his love to his supernatural nightlight, his voice echoing far beyond into the swimming sea of stars. 'Bella Luna' is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and thanks to MRAZ, it glows within all of us who are open to its love.

We may well forget the sun in his jelous sky, but we'll remember EVA CASSIDY always. She lives on, within us, among the 'Fields of Gold.'

I haven't taken a road trip of any significant distance without playing JACKSON BROWNE's 'Running on Empty' throughout the journey. Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels, I see that JB was right about the moon, but wrong about the stars. The entire album is by and of the road and, if we were to calculate an accurate toll, the world would owe JACKSON BROWNE a fortune. And it does. DYLAN and SPRINGSTEEN too.

'All At Sea,' the great pop ballad by JAMIE CULLUM, was playing on the iPod at the pool on the regular until, yesterday, I messed-up and dove-in with the ear buds still in my ears, bud. Yes, the song quickly cut-out but it dried-out and I was all at sea once again.


Good songs can enter us and can live on with us. Good songs can find their own place in your soul.

Do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in.






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'I'M YOURS' IS BEAUTIFUL

The 27th annual Pop Music Awards were held last night. I attended the event back when it was still in its teens. PAUL WILLIAMS was just my favorite songwriter and now, he's ASCAP President. Well, we're all grown up now. Well, some of us are.

The Song of the Year is, say it with me: 'I'm Yours,' and who doesn't feel the beauty of the music of JASON MRAZ?

ASCAP was blown away by the success of 'I'm Yours,' a beautiful song that stayed on the Hot 100 Charts longer than any song, ever! And what's so incredible is that the MRAZ CD is loaded with songs every bit as beautiful as the title tune. From the inspiring 'Make It Mine,' which I wrongly thought would be the hit single, to the dreamy 'Love For A Child' and the clever 'If It Kills Me,' the entire record is great. MRAZ is music.

THE KILLERS were honored with a Pop Music Award as well and Las Vegas is proud, guys.

You know, for a couple of years now, JASON MRAZ has been touring the world, singing 'I'm Yours,' and I think it's time we faced it:

We're HIS!

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