Yes, Journey frontman and Fresyes favorite Steve Perry turned the big "43" on Sunday, and he has posted this message to fans:

First of all, I must get one thing out of the way; because of so many recent inquiries, I want to make very clear: "I am not on MYSPACE.COM nor have I ever been." and that's that!! Please don't be deceived. Where were we.....Oh yea....."43" .........{again}!! Time does fly. Last summer as I was working on the Houston Live DVD, it seemed like that show was just the other day. It certainly felt that way. I'm very proud to have been in the band in 1981. We were good together!!!

As I think about my birthday I remember, my Mom and Dad told me once that they always wanted a son but would have been happy no matter what. Well they got a son and between Mom's don't give up attitude and my Dad making me laugh by tickling me to the point of peeing my pants, I always knew I had much love around me. I remember Dad would always sing me to sleep. That was so great. SO..... I guess what I'm saying is..... This is my Mom and Dad's day and I am so grateful for our time we had together. I will always love and miss them very much.

Thank you all for your birthday messages and wishes and all your contributions to so many wonderful charities on my behalf. For years now so many of you have always been so Faithful and I thank you so very, very much.

Till next time, Love ya......Steve Perry

Also celebrating the big day is original Gawker editor Elizabeth Spiers, who apparently has Fresyes's taste in artwork, per this item in today's Page Six: "The Alabama native, who quit her last job as editor-in-chief of mediabisto.com to finish her novel, 'And They All Die in the End' (out next year from Simon & Schuster), has some unlikely inspiration in her new digs at lead investor Carter Burden's TriBeCa offices: an oil painting of former Journey frontman Steve Perry with the caption, 'To Protect and to Rock.' "

First, big ups to this woman and her "West Coast" gang signage:



Meanwhile, good news, Bulldog fans! Our mediocre football coach has agreed to bless us with another five years as head coach. Gosh, we're so lucky the NFL didn't snap him up. Fresyes football prognosticator Dr. Doom is in a surly mood about the news.

"I guess his 10-day deadline for the NFL Teams must have been too much for them to handle. What a joke! I can see next year's football schedule now: How about Panhandle Southwestern State College, Division 10, as our first home opponent. Or maybe U.C. Merced… oh, wait, I forgot they don’t have a team. Well, maybe they can put together some type of team and play us at home. Yeah, we’d probably lose both those games. I guess maybe I have too much of a Fresno Negative Attitude, so I’ll slide back in my cave for now."

Finally, let's wrap things up with some reader email. I received this from someone named "cubby," who's apparently on a quest:

I just wanted to introduce myself and make you aware of my identity. I'm a boy from fresno who's in new york almost 4 years now. I've worked with online retailer neighborhoodies and, during my preceding years in california, with san francisco art cult the cubby. before that I attended uc santa cruz. before that, it was years of catholic school in fresno and then fresno city college and one semester at fresno state.

anyway, I just wanted you to know of my existence, as I'm hoping to be famous, and the more people who know about me the better. keep promoting the 'yes. one day we'll set the revolution there.

Thank YOU, Cubby. Anything we can do to help. Fresyes Neighborhoodies, anyone?

...Speaking of clothing, please note K.Fed's T-shirt in the video below. Classic. Anyone know where we can find one?

Here's something to make all of us insanely jealous today: My former bandmate Gregg is featured in The New York Times today for his amazingly kick-ass home in Brooklyn.

What does this have to do with Fresno? Absolutely nothing.

Meantime, some of the saddest news of the week: Fresno martial-arts legend Stuart Quan died over the weekend. Funeral services are tomorrow, and an online memorial is set up at StuartQuan.com.

It's a Happy 2006 indeed, dear Fresnans. That's because Kevin Federline's latest single, "PopoZão," namedrops Fresno:

I wanna see your kitty and a little bitta titty
Wanna know where I go when I'm in your city
Girl, don't you worry about all the dough
Cuz a cat is coming straight outta the 'No

Get the MP3 at Stereogum. The track is also streaming at Yahoo! Music.

Producer Disco D. explains the song title: "In Portuguese, 'PopoZão' means luscious ass. My fiancee is Brazilian and I live in Sao Paulo half the time, thus the influence on the sound."

And finally, here's Kev-Dogg's Myspace page.