I spent Friday morning at the Astrodome. I went there only to drop off some stuff, but it was so chaotic that I stayed on and helped unload clothes.

What struck me was the state of shock that prevailed. The first thing I unloaded out of my car was some Bibles, and that was the FIRST thing anyone asked me for. That told me that people still had their faith if nothing else.

So I got to thinking about what these people really needed. Clothes, food and a bed to be sure. Money was going to come in but right now all the basics were being handled.

I knew that a lot of stars would hold fundraisers. That's great, but I wondered - how would that help these people TODAY? Instead of artists playing a concert in New York or LA, in front of people who hadn't been affected by Katrina, these evacuees needed someone playing for THEM, and RIGHT NOW.

So I sent an email to Paisley Park, asking Prince to come down and play a show for the evacuees. It would be easy to do - there's a 70,000 seat state-of-the-art stadium 100 feet away from the Astrodome. It has a big rotating stage - the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo puts on 20 concerts a year in there. I know everyone it would take to get the show done.

I applaud Prince for producing a song so quick, but let's be real - how many people inside the Astrodome are going to be able to hear it? None. Based on my experience there, I think the best thing these people could receive is a personal mesage of hope and affirmation. Music delivers that and no one is more qualified to bring those messages (in my admittedly-biased mind) than Prince.

I've emailed and faxed Paisely Park. So far, no response. Which means no one has told me "no" yet, so I'm going to keep on asking.

BTW, did y'all know Macy Gray hopped a plane to Houston Friday and was also helping out? No publicity, no special perks - she was handing out clothes, just like everyone else. She is a special person.