MICHAEL PHELPS: THESE ARE THE 'BEST WEEKS OF MY LIFE'

After a party-filled weekend in Las Vegas and schmoozing with the stars at the Video Music Awards, Michael Phelps appeared mellow and relaxed Monday night on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
He's certainly been keeping busy since his eight-gold-medal performance in Beijing. "I walked down the red carpet with Kid Rock and L'il Wayne was right in front of me," Phelps, 23, said of his MTV experience. "These have probably been the best weeks of my life." Phelps got a kick out of Leno's gold-medal count chart. "If you were a country," Leno told Phelps, "you would be the 9th-ranked country in the world. You beat France!" Phelps laughed and almost seemed to blush.
When asked if any of this has sunk in yet, Phelps admitted, "I think some of it has – but some hasn't yet."
Phelps also said he was ready to see another upstart come in and win nine golds in a single Games. "I hope I'm around when it happens," Phelps said to applause. "Records are made to be broken."
Later, when closing the show, Phelps got a bit star-struck himself and excitedly hugged it out with singer Akon, who performed "Dangerous" with Kardinal Offishall.
Next up, the Olympian will host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live.

People