The following article is by Roger Friedman. _Sting_ (mip://0321aa70/default.html#1) | _Fox411 Grrr!_ (mip://0321aa70/default.html#2) Sting Wants You to Snap Him AP July 5, 2004: Sting and Annie Lennox on the Sacred Love Tour 2004 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.Sting, who looks better at 52 than anyone has a right to, wants you to take his picture. He's running a contest on his _Web site_ (http://www.sting.com/main.html) for amateur paparazzi. The winner gets the chance to become a Richard Avedon or at the very least Kevin Mazur, a snapper who was featured in Vanity Fair (but still isn't invited to their Oscar party). The winner also gets a free round trip to Los Angeles, all the digital camera equipment they can stuff into a bag and a chance to have sex with Sting while his wife, Trudie Styler, is off in Rome filming a miniseries. Wait, did I say that? Skip that last part. While Trudie is away, Sting is indeed behaving himself even though everywhere he goes the first 10 questions are about Tantric sex and Sting's now-legendary stamina. When he filmed the very odd first episode of John McEnroe's talk show last week, that was the entire conversation. Nothing to do with the Rainforest Foundation or any of Sting's humanitarian efforts. Almost nothing to do with his singing career, records, year-long concert tour or latest album. It was just sex, sex, sex. Sting revealed that he would not be comfortable wearing a thong. He also remained in good humor when asked to sing backup for McEnroe's wife, Patty Smythe, instead of performing one of his own songs. I was with Sting backstage at his Jones Beach gig about 10 days ago, while Annie Lennox was doing her part of the show. Billy Joel showed up, too, with his fiancee Kate Lee and some friends from Long Island. In his dressing room suite, Sting poured us both drinks and Billy proposed they start a super group like Blind Faith. "There hasn't been a group like Blind Faith in years," he said. "There's a reason for that," Sting replied. There was no mention of Asia, The Traveling Wilburys or the current supergroup Velvet Revolver. Billy hummed the old Sam & Dave hit "You Got Me Humming," while Sting tried on shirts for the show. We offered to leave, but he said, "Don't go, really. I don't like to be alone. I was left alone a lot as a child." It's in his book, you know. He entertained an old tour driver, whom he was very happy to see again. "I was afraid to come backstage before tonight," said the driver. "Never be afraid," said Sting. "You're family." By then Sting was wearing a tapered black silk shirt with large white cuffs. He has the lanky body of a 19-year-old boy, which is very depressing if you're wearing Gap polo shirts and thinking about getting a Carvel softie before the show starts. He also has a head of very thick, full, blond hair with no sign of a forming bald spot (although there is some receding temple stuff going on, always nice to see). It turns out that the recipe for fine living is yoga, sex and a little red wine, plus the love of a good woman and six children to keep in line. Sting will be on tour through next June 2005. When he told me this, I blurted out, "Huh? Why?" He replied, "That's my job. Why do you write?" The answer, of course, is to pay the bills. By now Sting has enough money to never record or tour again. He has a massive apartment in New York, a beach house in Malibu, a castle in England and a villa in Florence. The royalties from P. Diddy's remake of "Every Breath You Take" ("I'll Be Missing You") could keep him in white cuffs forever. But that's the deal, you see, he likes to work. Billy, who hasn't released an album in 11 years, told us he's working on "sketches" of songs. "Sketches?" Sting said with a raised eyebrow. He's released an album every two years since breaking up with the Police in 1982. He has three Oscar nominations for best song. He wrote songs for the failed Disney cartoon, "The Emperor's New Groove." Sketches? Around then, Billy suggested that he play something in Sting's show. They decided he could commandeer the B3 organ during "Every Breath You Take." The crowd would go crazy seeing their local Long Island hero. Right before the show started, Sting drank a cup of hot tea in the wings. Any special reason? "No," he said, with a smirk. He just likes tea. Where's the mythology when you really need it? He made some alien bird calls to loosen up his voice. That was it. No big deal. Dry ice suddenly billowed up from the stage and the house lights went down. "It's time," he said, and wandered out to his starting position like a man opening a kiosk or a shoe store for a day's work. Over the course of two hours, Sting's extraordinary energy level never flagged. He sang most of his hits -- "Roxanne," "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," "Fields of Gold" -- and performed a hot duet with Lennox on "We'll Be Together." The crowd roared for "Englishman in New York." And I remembered how back in 1978, our local New York rock radio station -- where rock lived but was dying -- refused to play "Roxanne" because they couldn't pigeonhole it. Now it's like "God Bless America." And Billy? He had such a good time that, when "Every Breath" came to its extended conclusion, Sting had to drag him off the stage by the lapel. He may even have gotten an autograph.