Private party in Boston. Freezing relapse of sickness!

This past weekend I flew to Boston to perform at a private Christmas party in a very nice home. Everything was perfect. The hosts were very sweet. My voice was great. BUT..... it was freeeeezing cold in Boston and I'm in San Antonio now relapsed in sickness with a cough. I'm so glad I have this time off for the Holidays.

I hate Winter. I hate cold weather. I can't deal with it anymore. After 15 years in New York City, I am so over the cold. Back then I was punished with running around the city in the deep freeze of Winter all the time. I didn't have an office job. My job is running around town to get things done.

I gave it up when I left Feb. 25, 2009. I now live in Sunny Hollywood California. I'm spoiled. I love New York but it's only going to be for visiting now.

Anyway, I don't have a fever but I have a cough. Lungs hurt and the cough hurts.

The Passing, The Surviving, The Good Wishes

I'm getting my strength back. Oh and that damn appetite too...crap! The Swine flu was not fun. I'm glad that is over with. Ok for sure next year, I'll get the flu shot. I've never had one before. I'm always on the fence about getting the shot.

My Mom called me to tell me that my Uncle Carlos deLlano died in his sleep of a heart attack. I was very sad and cried as I flashed back to how funny he could be. He gave me my first job in San Antonio when I was a teenager. I remember getting my first paycheck of $85.00 and how good it felt to have my own money. Uncle Carlos was in the cabinet making business (interior construction). He was always generous to his family. He helped anybody who needed help and never wanted you to thank him. Uncle Carlos was only in his 60's. He will be missed.

I want to give a shout out to Mike V who struggled with his own heart problems but he's come through and thank God, he's going to be around to give everybody hell. GET WELL MIKE! Eat your veggies and STOP SMOKING! We need you around. I need you around so I can keep hearing tell me how fabulous I am...lol!!!

I went to see the movie "Precious" yesterday. I liked it. But I didn't cry. It was sad but not as sad as I thought it was going to be. Overall a good movie. Some good acting. I enjoyed getting to see Mariah from the left side of her face (she only likes to be photographed from the right). It was a treat.

I'm flying to Boston this Friday to do a private party on Saturday. Then Sunday I'll fly to San Antonio for the Holidays.

Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! PEACE ON EARTH.

All my love,
JIMMY

H1N1!!! SWINE FLU! Sad Turkey day :(

Well, I was feeling really good and healthy. I was back to running (I took October off and did not run) and really enjoying myself here in Southern Cali. I flew out to Columbus, OH (Oct. 20) to do a gig at Wall Street Nightclub (Oct. 21). My voice was so good and because they have video screens all over the club, I did my full multi-media show. The crowd seemed to be loving me. I had fun.

I had been stuggling that day with an annoying little cough. Actually the cough started in LA on Friday my travel day. After Saturday night's show when I finally got to bed, the next day I woke up very fluish. OH MY GOD! Please don't tell me I have to travel like this.

I was able to find a window seat to lean against and doze off and on for the long flight back.

I paid the cab driver extra to take my bags up one flight of stairs because I was too weak to do it myself. I collapsed in my bed and proceeded to have a miserable week of illness.
I caught the H1N1 SWINE FLU! The next 2 days were the roughest because I was delirious and sleeping a lot. I constantly drank my water which was by my bed at all times.

Thanksgiving was sad. I stayed at home all by myself just watching TV. My roommate spent the night at her friend's house. The Swine flu is a good diet because you don't feel like eating anything. But you feel miserable.

Today is Monday and I'm up and about slowly. Baby steps.

BACK IN LA & BUSY!!!

I hit the ground running. As soon as I landed Friday before Halloween, I was setting up meetings.
Halloween in West Hollywood was a disaster. FAR TOO CROWDED for me to even bother. Thousands & thousands of people are on Santa Monica Blvd. Why did I even bother? I came home early. I paint my face for a living - I live Halloween. Everytime I do a show I'm scarring people.

After that I was loaded with meetings and filming the very last parts of my reality show pilot. It's being edited now and he should be pitching it in the next couple of weeks. Fingers Crossed.

I wake up earlier in LA because of the sunlight here. This is good, I have full days. I feel like I'm back in showbiz.

So tired right now. I'm going to bed by 1am! Usually on the East Coast, I would get to bed at 4, 5, or 6am.

Good Night John Boy...don't fart.

JJ

6 days left in San Antonio before returning to LA.

Just a simple view from my bedroom window in San Antonio. It's peaceful bland suburbia. It's nice for a while.

I have 1 more week here in San Antonio before I go back to Los Angeles (Oct. 30th). I can't live in SA forever, it's too boring, but for me it's a refuge - an oasis away from the pressures of LA or NY.

I have a lot of meetings waiting for me in LA and it's time to get back to work. I'm ready.

Shawn Lochridge is going to make 2 more headdresses for me. I'm meeting with people in the music business and finishing up the last bits of interview work for the reality show (fingers crossed). I've watched some of these reality shows... maybe I'm not enough of a mess for these shows. All these reality show people are talentless nothings. You waste your time watching this shit.

Then you'll see someone on TV like Susan Boyle (double chin, middle aged, lacking in current standards of image...wheeew thank God, I don't have jump off the building just yet...lol) who can just stand there to sing mesmerizing audiences of all ages who are hungry to hear her God given talent. Hope is renewed. Talent is Divine and speaks to the soul. Reality shows with idiots are man-made and speak to nothing except other idiots. Time suckers.

I keep watching this video over and over. It was shot beautifully. Susan Boyle is a talented singer. The song "Wild Horses" was written by Keith Richards & Mick Jagger - talented musicians. Rolling Stone listed this as one of the top 500 songs of all time. I watch this and I don't give a shit what the Kardashians are doing.


While I'm in San Antonio, I still do my work but I'm more relaxed here and kind of sloth it a bit. It's healthy to take a break from showbiz. I get grounded here but I couldn't live this life forever. I have 2 lives in my Gemini life - 'Showbiz' & 'Regular.'

We celebrated Mom's 75th Birthday (Oct. 19). I'm grateful to still have her around. We showered her with a party and gifts. My Mom has always handled my bookkeeping. I'm very blessed and lucky to have her. I cherish the time I can spend with Mom and love her very much.
Here's me with Mom.


The Johnson family 4 kids: (L to R) Jodie, Johnny, Jimmy, Judy & Mom Josephine. My Dad James Johnson past away several years ago. The FAMILY "J."


Here's Grammy with the grand kids: (L to R) Jamie, Jonathan (above), Joey (below), Jennifer (back), Briana.

I bought a fake painting at TJMAXX. I don't like those fake prints but I really liked this one so I put it up in my room. I don't know...I like it. The BLACK TV gets on my nerves. It's so hard to find white TVs. Manufacturers pleeeez make more white TVs! I saw a white flat screen at Sam's Club but it was too big to fit on my 1980's shelves...lol!


I'm so excited!!! I have tickets for Kathy & I to see the Michael Jackson movie this Tuesday @ 11pm.

IT'S LIKE I"M ON VALIUM...

I relish my time off. I get lots of sleep and work on my own time. If only I could afford to take a whole year off, I would. I have so many projects that I can work on in San Antonio. For starters I need to clear out my storage unit. I also have so many more videos to add on YouTube.

I just recently uploaded my performance as Betty Page (1996) on to YouTube.
1996! Yikes! Time flies! I barely remember this performance but thank goodness I had a friend record it. It was the one and only time I've ever done a Betty Page. Do you remember 1996?! Hardly anyone had a computer and there was NO YouTube! I think I pulled off the 'look' and 'moves' pretty well considering I didn't really know what I was doing. Now that I can look up Betty Page on YouTube, I think some of my moves were pretty close to hers. This night took place at the famous Tuesday night 'Jackie 60' nightclub. Every week was a different theme. It was in New York City's Meat Packing District at the corner of 14th Street & Washington. Back then this area was stinky and seedy but now it's the glamorous home of exclusive shops & restaurants like: Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartny, Pastis, Jeffery and others...

I also uploaded my behind the scenes filming for the Erasure music video "Rock Me Gently (12/1996)." We made a looooong treck to Malaga, Spain from London. First we flew from London to Malaga then drove 3 hours out to nowhere. We could have shot this shit in Palm Springs, CA. LOL! Why did we have to go so far away to this bizarre and desolate location??? LOL! Everybody there was constantly smoking something... There's a whole chapter I could write about this ordeal with Erasure but I won't go into it right now.

One morning I tried to go jogging before shooting and as I went out about a quarter mile, wild dogs came running after me! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! I was terrified and ran as fast as I could back to the shitty hotel and stayed in my room. No jogging for me in Malaga, Spain.

I also uploaded unedited performances (2007) of my show "DIVAS ARE FOREVER" at Helen's Hideaway room (a cabaret) in New York City in heart of Chelsea. I loved this room so much. Unfortunately it's now closed. The audience on this night was kinda dead but I was sold out. They wake up more towards the end of the show. I don't like my makeup. Especially the eyeshadow...it was too muddy that night.

What's been put up on YouTube is only a tiny tip of the iceberg. I have TONS more video from my career. I really could take a year off here in San Antonio and still not be done with all the projects I could do.

I fly back to Los Angeles October 30th.


JIMMY JAMES as BETTY PAGE 1996


JIMMY JAMES as MARILYN MONROE. Behind the Scenes making of Erasure music video.


"DIVAS ARE FOREVER!" Part 1 JIMMY JAMES LIVE in New York City 2007

More of me on YouTube. My channel is: 'ONEANDMANYJIMMYJAMES'

So RELAXING October in San Antonio

I come to San Antonio, TX to visit Mom from time to time just to decompress. I still work from here (computer, emails, gigs etc...). It is so nice to have a place to get away from it all. I have my own room and lots of things I work on while I'm here.

I still have so many projects that I can work on here. I like to land on solid ground here and clear my head. Most everything is white in my room. It's very soothing to me.

I watched an episode of "Rachel Zoe" on TV (fashion stylist reality show) this weekend and she said she likes her house to be all white, because it clears her mind. I usually don't like to waste my time watching reality shows. I'd rather live my own life. But since I have someone working on a reality show for me, I thought I should check some of them out to see what they're about. The only reality show that I've followed is Kathy Griffin 'My Life On the D List' because she's in showbiz and I feel like I can learn from her experiences.

YOM KIPPUR
on MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28, I took the Bus! The Bus! TO NEW YORK CITY:
When I left Ptown, I took the BUS! (6:30am) I can't believe I took the bus because I never do that and I can't read a bus schedule. It's TOTALLY CONFUSING to me. I have to keep asking, "so when does it leave?" "What do I do again...?" I'm so annoying, because I kinda panic when It comes to taking a bus, it's so foreign to me. I've only ever taken planes and or been driven or I've driven myself to places.

I went to NYC for 2 days to shop in the garment district for fabric. I bought some great stuff and shipped it to San Antonio where some costumes will be made for me.

I shot some final pictures from the bus window just before it left from Ptown.
I have to say that the experience on the bus was not bad at all. I slept for most of it and the driver was speeding (zooming) on the highway passing up cars especially as we got closer to NY. I was in New York City by 2:15pm Monday afternoon. About 7 hours total. Only 2 stops along the way. Not bad. I think I've slightly overcome my anxiety about taking a bus...but it's still a weird thing. The schedules are unreadable. LOL!