one seat left...

My friend Jason asked the question on his blog yesterday that had me up all night tossing and turning; the type of question that you just can't shake; the type of question that cuts right to heart of who you are and what you value.

What was the question?

If you could take a cross-country road trip with any five people in the world...who would they be? Now, this question is harder than it may appear. Think movie stars, athletes, politicians...people who you would want to carry on long conversations with. People who could tell stories, make you laugh, keep you interested on such a long trip. People with good music collections.

Now, I choose to stick with people who are currently alive to make it easier on myself, but I have still yet to fully answer this question. Here is who I have come up with thus far:

1) Conan O' Brien. He's a no brainer...quick witted, intelligent, completely goofy.

2) Tony Kornheiser. He is also smart and funny. Plus, I need someone on the trip to talk sports with. And, bonus...he'd probably be the guy who would say random things that the rest of us could look at each other and laugh at. You need that guy.

3) Alan Hirsch. There are so many authors that I could take, but I feel like he would be the most fun. He'd probably get us into trouble. Also, I don't know that much about him or his take on faith...so compared to other authors, I think he'd be the most interesting to talk with.

4) Jack Black. He's a gamble. I could see him being annoying on a long road trip. I could also seem him sleeping the entire time, which would be no fun either. But best case scenario, he and Conan would obviously play extremely well off of one another...and I'd really like to see him and Hirsch hang out. I think they have the potential to be kindred spirits. I also think they have the potential to get us all arrested.

And...this is where I get stuck. I have only one more seat in the car. This is it. There are so many directions I could go. I thought Peyton Manning. He's funny. He's strong (in case Hirsch and Jack Black get us into a bar brawl or something). We both have lived in Indiana and Knoxville. We could talk about that. I don't know.

I thought about N.T. Wright. The guy is just so wise. I thought about Matthew McConaughey. I'm not the biggest fan of his work, but he'd be laid back, could talk sports with me and Tony, and would probably do some emergency engine work if we had car problems.

Will Arnett? Bob Dylan? Yau Man?

Isabella Rossellini? (Friends any one? No? Okay.)

I gotta have people who are up for a good time and can carry on interesting conversations. So...any suggestions? I need help.

Who would you take?