Well, not YOU specifically. I just watched last nights episode of Eli Stone and my heart is still fluttering from staring at George Michael, who guest starred as himself. Back in the day, my older sister introduced me to George Michael. (I was too young to know him during his Wham! days.) She was sitting at her typewriter in her bedroom at home, tapping out the lyrics to “I Want Your Sex”. She had one of those cool new (at the time) typewriters that allowed you to type a line of text and preview it on a screen before it actually typed, and I begged to help. She declined my offer, citing the fact that my mother probably wouldn’t want her pre-teen typing our phrases like “Sex is natural, sex is good, not everybody does it, but everybody should.”

A short time later, George Michael’s song “Faith” hit it big, and you couldn’t flip on MTV without seeing him prance around, guitar in hand, sunglasses on…and lordy, did I mention the tight jeans? I was a fan instantly, and I remember my sister making me a copy of the cassette she had.

Later on, when I was in high school, George Michael released his CD Listen Without Prejudice. TO this day, it remains one of my all time favorite CD’s. Most people know the main track, “Freedom 90″, but the rest of the CD is so different - mellow, soulful, and moving.

George Michael, despite his recent foibles in various men rooms, still has it. He’s fantastic artist and he can even act, as he proved on Eli Stone. (Of course, how hard is it to play yourself?) I just read in Entertainment Weekly that he’s released a new CD and will be touring in the US this summer. The last time he toured, 17 years ago, I was only 14 and not the huge fan I am now. I’ve already checked the dates and he’s coming to Tampa on Saturday August 2nd. What a great birthday present that will make! Even better, he’s appearing at the St. Pete Times Forum, which is where Jim has season tickets to see the Tampa Bay Lightning. That means he should be getting a pre-sale offer to buy tickets before they’re offered to the public…