I'll get to my point in a little while.

First, the rumor was going around a few months ago that Sly Stone, he of rock and roll immortality with Sly and the Family Stone, was homeless and living in his car.

Sly and the Family Stone had plenty of rock hits in the 1960s and made lots of money. Sly had a bad drug habit and when I heard the rumor that he was spending his sunset years in Chateau Chevrolet, well, I figured it was due to his habit.

I'm getting closer to my point.

I'm not here to castigate ol' Sly if the rumor is true. As a matter of fact, I'm here to kind of defend Mr. Funk.

It was Sly and the Family Stone who had a hit with the song "Everybody is a Star," which, as you can tell, sprang right out of that 1960s idealism that gave us "Hair," the "Age of Aquarius" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Of course, those of us in our prime back then have now lived long enough to lose our hair, experience the "Age of Gridlock" and see Jesus become a major political mover and shaker.

I'm sneaking up on my point.

All I'm saying is, I hope ol' Sly still feels like a star. I hope we all do. I can't see a problem with a little self-delusion.

After all, we've been told about WMDs that didn't exist, went crazy for a while over Milli Vanilli and have signed off on the Pentagon running 200 golf courses around the world, down from 300.

The fact that 50 billionaires received farm subsidies based on taxpayer money over the past couple of decades makes me believe anything is possible.

I'm getting ready to make that point.

Robert Di Niro gained over 60 pounds for the classic movie "Raging Bull." George Clooney gained 35 pounds for "Syriana" in 2005 and won the Oscar! Vincent D'Onofrio gained over 70 pounds for the movie "Full Metal Jacket." Russell Crowe gained over 60 pounds for "Body of Lies" in 2008. Hollywood stars win awards for getting fat. They receive acclaim.

I gain a few pounds and it's like my only options are to join a gym, starve myself, or join the rest of the neighborhood in donning Spandex and walking around the block.

Well, I'm choosing the Sly Stone philosophy of weight management.

First, I am a star as in everybody-is-a-star.

Second, as my weight edges up I choose to think of myself as preparing for a role. And if I have to eat an entire box of Krispy Kreme to win my "Oscar," so be it with thanks to Sly Stone.

That is the point.

Bob Morgan is a retired, award-winning journalist and an author.