They say laughter is the best medicine. And I couldn’t agree more. An apple a day is so passé (and the pesticides could kill you) and exercise just takes up too much time.
Jay Leno at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
So when Lewis Black canceled his concert date at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Jay Leno stepped in at the lastminute. So like any laughter junkie (and Jay Leno fan) I jumped at the chance to transcend the mundane and giggle until my sides hurt.
And I was not disappointed. “I heard that Cosmopolitan Magazine is telling women that they should drop their panties on the dinner table on a date. If you’re married, that won’t work. The man will just yell, ‘That’s my steak, don’t put your rolled up underpants on my steak.’”
That’s the great thing about Jay Leno; he is part comedian and part actor. His jokes make it seem like we’re all living in a supersized world boiled down to its lowest common dominator. He paces the floor just blurting out funny anecdotes and telling stories as if he had a tape recorder firmly implanted in his brain. And, if you watch the Tonight Show you know that Leno’s wit travels at the speed of light. He has the ability to disarm the serious and make mere mortals laugh until our stories (or pain) fades into the woodwork.
Dressed in a dark blue suit with striped tie, Leno looked every bit the part of the Wall Street banker. But unlike the heavy hitting business stiff Leno takes the everyday foibles of the modern man (or woman) and makes them seem pretty hysterical. “When they asked Charlie Sheen about the night he was found in the Plaza Hotel with a naked hooker, he said it was just a bad night. Let me tell you, if the average man was in a suite in the Plaza Hotel with a naked girl, he would say it was a great night.”
If you ask me, any night with Jay Leno is a great night. He’s the reason I stay up until the last stray cat has found dessert and the world has sealed its last shutter. Sure I would love to subscribe to the notion that “early to bed, early to rise makes a man (or woman) healthy, wealthy and wise,” but I can’t seem to end a day without a dose of Leno. Who else is going to make me laugh — the check-out girl at Publix?
“They say obesity may be caused by a virus. Have you seen anyone in Africa with the obesity virus? So, what are you going to do, call in fat? Boss, I’m not coming in today. I’m staying home to eat M&M’s. I caught the obesity virus, someone in the office sneezed on me.”
If you know Leno then you know about his love-hate relationship with cats. “When you’re dating a woman with a cat she will give you the cat speech. ‘Cats are very independent. They think for themselves, they eat when they want, sleep when they want, and disappear for days at a time and then show up as if nothing happened. Everything women hate about men they love in a cat.’”
Cat chatting aside, seeing Jay Leno is about as good as it gets if you want to stimulate your endorphins (and lighten your load of reality). And, in a world torn apart by inane innuendos and critical banter, it’s good to see someone who can uplift our spirits and tickle our funny bones – if just for one night.
Leno will be appearing in Boca February 26th at The Concours d’Elegance Grand Gala at the Boca Raton Resort.