JULY: TEXAS, REHOBOTH, LA ... SUMMER SUN!

It was so nice to hang out with Mom in San Antonio. It was peaceful and I was able to think about a lot of things. She's getting on in years and she has always been there for me 100%. I don't know...maybe I should move home for a while. I want to spend more time with her and I don't want to have any regrets later.

I was also able to see some friends, go out to dinner, jog (even though it was so sweltering hot even in the evening). I used my iPhone to document the 3 and 4 miles.

By the end of July I took off to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to do a show at the Blue Moon Cafe/Restaurant/Club. By all accounts it seems that I did a good show, everyone seemed to like it and I love the owners Tim & Randy. They spoil me with good food, good attention to detail and such kind generosity. It's always so much fun for me in Rehoboth.

Pamela Stanley who had a massive hit in the 80s with a song called "COMING OUT OF HIDING" performs at Blue Moon regularly in the early evenings and can really really belt out a song.  I over-heard her singing Rihanna's S&M song while I was in the dressing room. I could swear it was the original record except Pamela sings it better! I met her Son and his girlfriend. We all had a fantastic dinner together along with Tim & Randy. Miss Mona who is the entertainment director works there, had airport duty. He was so nice. I had to land in Philadelphia and be driven 2 hours in on Tuesday July 26, perform on the 27, leave July 28 with another 2hr drive back to Philadelphia but Miss Mona was nice to talk to. Thursday the 28th was a LONG 12hr day traveling enroute to LA. 

The wonderful Royal Rose Inn Guest house where I stayed. Rehoboth Beach, DE. Just steps away from the club.

 Dining room of Blue Moon. Fried green tomatoes appetizer. So good! Big compliments to Chef Lion Gardner. Everything is sooo exquisite.

 Daytime view of the performance room. At night they fill it with chairs to hold over 100 people. I did my full multi-media show. The sound was fantastic here. Tim & Randy KNOW how to pull it together. It was a joy to perform here.

A jog before the show. I jogged around a little lake. Maybe man-made.

The dressing room backstage at Blue Moon.

Sidewalk towards The Royal Rose Guest house.

Exterior of The Blue Moon Restaurant/Cabaret.

 

                                              Inside the Royal Rose Room. Video for Mom.

 

Boardwalk Rehoboth Beach. Wed. 7/27/11

After show with Phoenix who performs regularly at Blue Moon.

My Marquee! ...lol oh well.

Some fun audience members after the show.

Pamela Stanley's 80s hit "Coming Out of Hiding." The song still sounds good even today.

Back in LA:
My friend Billy picked me up from LAX on Thursday. I wound up going to his house up in Sherman Oaks. The next day Friday evening he had a get-together with some friends. Very nice California evenings. Paradise. Unlike the rest of the Country which is sweltering.

Brendon

Christian

Matt & Lilly

  My song "SUMMER SUN" I made them frolic.

Saturday afternoon July 30, was a full-blown pool party at Billy's house.
It finally occurred to me that when I decided to leave NY in Jan '09 I vowed if there was going to be a recession / depression, that I was going to spend it in beautiful Sunny Los Angeles, CA  by a pool. My dream came true.

By Monday August 1, I came back to reality and had some meetings. There's always a meeting to be had in LA. Showbiz.

JULY 1: DENVER. JULY 2 - 25: VACATION! FASHIONISTA: in AFGHANISTAN!

View of the CLOCKTOWER from my Marriott window in Downtown Denver, Colorado.

DENVER, CO: Ready for my closeup Mr. Murdoch! For some reason I'm always booked on FOX for TV interviews.

For some reason, I'm always getting on FOX for early Morning interviews...Houston, San Antonio, now Denver.

Early Morning closeup. Denver TV station.

Friday - July 1, I performed at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret (http://lannies.com/). Playing for Lannie & Jefferson always makes me feel like I'm living my dream of being a professional performer. The reason is because, I don't live in Denver and never have. It's not a vacation resort where tourists have to look for something to do. Lannie's is a cabaret underneath the Clock Tower landmark. Basically Denver people come to see me there and it feels good to have a full or sold-out room just because. Just because maybe they've heard about me or word-of-mouth.

Since it was close to July 4th, towards the end of the show I came out with my red white & blue shirt and feathered headdress. I would point to my headdress and say "Native" then point to my shirt and say "American." Just so people could make sense of "the look." Hahahaaa....
Basically all you need to know is that I love a headdress.

The day started with a 7am wake up to be on the local FOX affiliate show "EVERYDAY." I wanted to workout a little at the Marriott's gym downstairs to wakeup my voice but unfortunately, I was on for maybe 2 minutes. I went through a lot of trouble to pull the Morning look together just for 2 minutes but oh well. Then I went back to the hotel and did some laundry and did more treadmill. It's hard to breath in Denver because of the altitude. I never had time for a nap. Naps are not easy for me.
Marriott Downtown Denver:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dencd-courtyard-denver-downtown/

By 3pm I went to the Clocktower (2 blocks away from the Marriott) to do sound check rehearsal. The sound guy was good but the sound check took 4 hours. Don't ask me why.... At 7pm I have to rush to the hotel to get ready and rush back to start the show at 8pm. I wound up being 20minutes late. Seems like everybody liked this show the best of any show I've ever done there. I was happy and beat at the same time.
Alas the people in Denver have always been so kind to me. DJ Rockstar Aarron was there, Lannie and Jefferson (owners), also in the room was local entertainment news caster Kirk Montgomery who has always been so kind to mention me on the news including this time as well. So I was on TV twice today. He told me he mentioned on the news that I was the best entertainer he's ever seen. THAT was REALLY NICE! I'm so grateful.
______________________________
SHOW LIST:
SUMMER SUN TV.............Jimmy James original song
HISTORY REPEATING......Shirley Bassey tribute
WHERE IS MY MAN..........Eartha Kitt
Leavin On Your Mind / Don't Tell Me....... Patsy Cline / Madonna
Walking In MEMPHIS.......HiNRG Cher vocal (track from 'Forever Cher' double disc cd).
What'll I Do (VAMP)..........Judy Garland speaks
What'll I Do (INSTR).........Judy Garland sings
Don't Be Cruel ...................Elvis
Gypsy ................................Stevie Nicks
KISSING A FRAUD.........Jimmy James original
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane..............Bette Davis
DVD PRESENTATION: 1988 Jimmy James as Marilyn Monroe on The Nancy Merrill Talk Show (Boston, MA).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7u-QRnrn4
Encore:
Endless Love......Diana Ross / Lionel Richie
8 DIVAS ..... DVD PRESENTATION ....... Jimmy sings 8 voices in 1 song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7u-QRnrn4
_______________________________

By July 2nd  I was on a flight from Denver to San Antonio to visit my Mom and family for vacation.

July 26 I fly to Rehoboth Beach to play BLUE MOON (http://www.bluemoonrehoboth.com/).
July 27 I do the show.
July 28 I fly back to Los Angeles.

August 6, 13, 20, 27 I do shows at The Palms Bar/nightclub in West Hollywood, CA.
The SUMMER SUN CONCERT SERIES! Come by if you're in the area.

Below more pix from Denver. During & after the show: July 1, 2011.

After the show Rockstar Aarron & Kirk Montgomery (Channel 9 News).

Autographs for some girls after the show.

FULL HOUSE at LANNIE'S CLOCKTOWER CABARET

I should have gone to the hotel room after this very long day but instead I went to a couple low key bars to hang out. I was picked up by strangers and met strangers but it was ok. I probably seemed really out of it to folks but I was tired. Here's the last shot of me before I went back to the hotel to pack to leave the next day.

Good Night everybody. I'm ready for my July vacation. :)

P.S. On July 19,  I got an email from a guy who works for the US State Department in Afghanistan. He wanted me to call him, so I did. He told me the of while stationed in Afghanistan he went to the opening of a Dance Club. The owner instructed the DJ from Atlanta to play only American Dance Music. So after the owner welcomed everybody to the 1st night, the DJs FIRST SONG was 'FASHIONISTA!' Sweet!

RuPAUL CAME TO THE SHOW! AND I LOVE MY NEW WHITE iPHONE!

My claw hand! Hahahaaa...I'm hiding my silver sharpie...Autographs darling! Autographs! It would have been better to see the sharpie than a claw hand! (DJ, RuPaul, Lindon, Jimmy).

Last night was THE night!
I've heard that sometimes before a really good show, something tragic happens. On our way to Casita del Campo, we witnessed a COP car BASH into the passenger right side of a Mercedes driven by a little old lady. Ouch!  This happened on Fountain a few blocks before Sunset. But...

My show "DIVAS - DEAD or ALIVE!" really came together in a big fun way. I think the pacing and energy was fun and to top it off RuPaul was there to watch the show. My special guest 19 year old Lindon Warren (https://www.facebook.com/findingjudy) did a great job and of course was thrilled to meet RuPaul.

We all posed for pictures. Ru commented that he really liked my opening song "Summer Sun" (from my album JAMESTOWN) and was going to download it on iTunes. Very cool!

On the set of WEHO Sports public access to promote "Divas - Dead or Alive!" Raul & Brenda are the hosts. I wore my flag shirt just for fun, I had no idea I was going to match their set...lol.

RuPaul came to see my show 'Divas - Dead or Alive!' FUN! I featured 19 year old Lindon Warren in the show. This was an incredible night.

This is a mistake photo. The difference between my legs and RuPaul's legs...lol!

My new iPhone fits in perfectly into my lifestyle. Screen saver picture (me as Marilyn '83) by Jim Hamilton. No I don't usually have pix of myself on the computer, I just thought it would look good for this...really, I wouldn't lie to you...lol.

On the Morning of June 28, I woke up early for a 9am jog using my NIKE + app that reports to my Facebook how far I've gone. I'm in trouble now...uh I mean accountable. It recorded 1.8mi. It's kinda cool. It also keeps the tally on record.

Then at 10am I had a meeting with a producer who books shows in casinos and wants to work with me. Fingers crossed.

DIVAS DEAD or ALIVE! One more show.

One more show on JUNE 28 / Tue. / 8pm.

Introducing 19 year old Lindon Warren from the the film short "Finding Judy" making the rounds at film festivals now.


CAVERNCLUBTHEATER.COM

JUNE 14 @ CASITA del CAMPO / Cavern Club Theater

DIVAS - DEAD or ALIVE!

Starring: JIMMY JAMES

Introducing: Lindon Warren

June 14 / 8pm

Casita del Campo

1920 Hyperion Ave.

Los Angeles, CA (Silverlake area)

CAVERNCLUBTHEATER.COM

THE WORLD DID NOT END. I MADE IT TO MY BIRTHDAY MAY 22.

MAY 20: LAX to FLORIDA.
Long day. I flew cross country LAX (7am) to Atlanta (last seat in the back in a corner, no window.
4 1/2 hrs.) change planes then Atlanta to Tampa airport where I was picked up to go to St. Petersburg. Checked into hotel. Went to Georgie's Alibi for a sound check. Back to hotel. By now it's 8:30pm. Showtime 10pm.

I meet up with my 2 friends Nini & Stacey from Daytona. Nini ran my iPod during the show. Frank & Peter from What's Happening Magazine came too. So glad. My voice was barely recovering for the show. Barely. I could have done better. But that's life.
Stacey, Nini and I go across the street from the Hampton Inn to a diner to eat. I was starving. Back to the hotel. Stacey & Nini slept in one bed, me in another. I don't understand this hotel...on normal TV they were showing the Adult Video Awards on. What? Saw Chi LaRue on there. All the girls remind me of my character from '92 - Beverly the Slut. I took a lot of flack for that back then. But now days I see 'Beverly the Slut' everywhere.


MAY 21: THE WORLD DID NOT END.
Damn, I only planned my life up to this point. I don't know what to do beyond this. I was hoping I would not have to pay the upcoming June's rent. Damn!

Woke up around 11am.  Stacey & Nini were already gone. Hotel is kicking me out of the room because they're sold out. I finish packing. Hang out in the lobby for about an hour and do computer work. Facebook and Emails.

They drive me to Tampa airport. 2 hrs in restaurant. Read the USA Today about Oprah's last shows. Tampa to Atlanta. Change planes and board again the LAST SEAT (this time isle by the bathrooms).
The flight was soooo long going back to LA. Arrive around 10pm. Eventually make my way to the parking lot to get my car. I'm not used to traveling alone. I've never liked it. It feels too lonely. I prefer going with an assistant or my own sound person. I'm trying to save clubs money but it's hard.

MAY 22: MY BIRTHDAY.
I am so happy to wake up in my own bed. Mmmmmm another beautiful day in Southern California. Mom called and wished me Happy Birthday. I eventually get my luggage out of my car and prepare for an evening shoot for TruTV. Just a small segment for a pilot similar to 'Taxi Cab Confessions.'  I shot it with friend Jackie Beat. The producer and director said our segment was their favorite.
Afterwards I made an appearance at Club 11 in West Hollywood for The SASSY AWARDS. I went with my friend Gail Boggs. Afterwards we went to get a burger down the street. The streets were wild. It was Long Beach Pride this day. Lots of people must have continued the party into WeHo.

Around 2am I remember that one of the producers of TruTV had given me 2 red velvet cupcakes from SWEET LADY JANE  http://www.sweetladyjane.com/.  I remembered they were in the fridge so I went to the fridge, got the 2 cupcakes, got into bed and wished myself Happy Birthday. I had to work on my Sunday Birthday. It was a long day AND a long weekend, but those 2 cupcakes made everything ok. Grateful.

Audition for TruTV & BOOKED AGAIN AT CASITA / JUNE 14 & 28

I had an audition for TruTV on Seward St. My voice is still not up to par. I had a rough morning before the audition with severe nasty coughing. But I think I'm getting better. I think I did ok at the audition but I wish my voice was better.

After the audition I went to wash my car because it was full of bird droppings. YUK! Then I went to The Coffee Bean (on Sunset & Holloway) to write in my Journal and make my list of things to get done. Lots to do. I'm going to have to hire an assistant.

My journal, sunglasses, Montblanc pen (I've had it since '97).

I got booked again at Casita del Campo for 2 Tuesdays in June (14 & 28).
My new show... 'DIVAS DEAD or ALIVE!'

See you there.