Show #4 - Los Angeles - FRONT ROW!...FINALLY!!

Best concert of my life - what an amazing experience.

Show #3 - Anaheim - The full groupie experience

Last night was my 3rd concert of the many I will see during Tina's tour. I went by myself, and although I'd always prefer to share the experience with someone I love, going alone brought about some experiences that reminded me of "the good old days" when I followed Tina's last tour in 2000.

First off, being alone means you can upgrade your seat much much easier because they only have to come up with one good seat as opposed to finding two together. Plus you don't have to convince anyone to shell out the extra cash at the last minute. So I was able to jump 13 rows closer to the stage than I originally was ticketed for.

During the show is when I realy wish had someone with me, because its o fun to dance and sing along with someone who's not a stranger. But I improvised, instantly naming the two ladies o my right "Thelma" and "Louise" and partying with them. Being alone also allowed me to pay more attention to the minutae of the show that I haven't noticed being that Ive been so caught up in the spectacle. I got to really see some of the choreography and how the set works, etc.

Then after the show, I got my picture taken with Philip, the hottest of Tina's male dancers (don't you hate when you take a piture with a hottie and they come out looking flawless and yet somehow its a very unflattering picture of yourself?)

Then exiting the arena, my friend Donovan and I met up with Tina Turner's sister Aillene and escorted her up the stairs (quite an ordeal, especially in comparison to her little sister who could have run up the stairs without losing a breath!) But it was cool to be with her and imagine that she grew up with the little girl in Tennessee who has become my idol!

After we left I swung by the tour busses and got to see Clare an Solange, the two dancers I knew from the last tour. They introduced me to the new girl dancers Djeneba and Furly and we chatted for awhile which was really nice.

Then as I was driving away, perfectly contented I entered the freeway and found myself right behind the tour buses carrying the dancers and the band. We ended up driving almost all the way back to LA in tandem, and for just a moment I felt once again like I was "ON THE ROAD WITH TINA TURNER"

REVIEW FROM THE STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, 10/13:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-turner15-2008oct15,0,2929663.story

Tina Turner: Live in Kansas City - Show #1

Ok, so I'm back from the best Tina Turner show I've ever seen in my life!! (and that's saying something after having seen her 16 times before!)
Her opening night in Kansas City was a blast!! Sitting in the sixth row I got such an amazing view as the non-stop spectacle unfolded. She put on a show more comparable to Cher or Madonna where it was more than just a performance, yet unlike those two her performance didn't suffer or fade to the background of the spectacle. It was merely enhanced. She tore through almost every classic hit she's ever had and has barely shown any signs of slow down since her last tour in 2000. I won't give away too many secrets since I expect anyone who reads this to go see her and experience it in person, and I don't wanna ruin the surprises! But here are a few pics from the show:

Tina's two new songs!

Tina Turner will be releasing a new greatest hits album entitled "Tina!" on Septemeber 30th - it contains many of her greatest hits plus two new recordings: I'm Ready and It Would Be a Crime.
Here they are :)

I'm Ready

It Would Be a Crime

Kinda sad ... :(

So if you know me you know how much I love Tina Turner ...
So imagine my excitement when I found out that this morning TicketMaster was putting onsale VIP packages to Meet and Greet Tina before some of her shows!!!
I was up at 8am ready to max out my credit card to finally meet my idol!
...
Then I found out that
- These packages were selling for $1500 each
- They had to be bought in pairs (meaning it would cost $3000 and I know no one I know would pay $1500 to go with me)
- They are only offered at the Michigan, Florida and Toronto concerts

I was so disappointed!!! I guess I could have spent $3000 and flown to one of these places, but the rational adult part of me just had to say no. No to meeting Tina after all of these years :(

Adding to this frustration is that I have learned that she is holding rehearsals for her tour not just in California, not just in Los Angeles, but somewhere in Studio City - my town - at an undisclosed location. She is within miles of me all week long and I have no idea where :(

The only bright spot of this situation is that the bartender at my local bar knows the owner of the Staples Center here in LA and has a backstage pass to see Tina there, and is now trying to work on getting me one too. So there's still hope ...

In the meantime, I am still very excited and blessed to be able to see her
Oct. 1st in Kansas City (opening night of the tour)
Oct. 13th and 16th in Los Angeles
Oct. 14th in Anaheim
Oct. 22nd in Sacramento
Nov. 26th in Newark
Dec. 1st in New York City
and Dec. 3rd on Long Island
(plus I'm trying to work out a whirlwind tour to Amsterdam, Paris and London in the spring!)

Summer Movies

I have seen a ton of movies lately. I find it so much more fun to go to an actual theater than to watch a DVD at home. At home I always get distracted or sleepy, and its so easy to hit the pause button that my investment flies out the window. That's why I've sold most of the DVDs in my collection this summer. But at the theater, you feel like its an event, and while some of the movies I've seen kinda blew (Disaster Movie chief among those), some were great.
Top prizes go to Tropic Thunder (so fulfillingly funny all the way through) and The Dark Knight (beautiful shot, darkly creepy, and brilliantly acted). I even saw the Dark Knight a second time (in IMAX). Being a fan of comedies, I also loved The House Bunny and Hamlet 2. I think Sex and the City was captivating and a tribute to the show (while X Files was almost torture, I was so fidgety and oculdn't wait to leave the theater - I was THAT bored!) The Happening and The Strangers both excited me with their premises and while both delivered great thrills and some moments of genius, btoh fell flat ultimately from being truly good movies. Mamma Mia was so beautiful to look at, and there were moments that were so fun. There were also painful moments (like pretty much anything involving Pierce Brosnnan making a pass at musicality) Thank god I was in the back row making out with my boyfriend during the bad parts - if I had left and missed Meryl Streep singing Winner Takes All I would've missed out on another truly brilliant performance moment from one of the best actresses of our time! Indiana Jones was kitschy but missed the mark; What Happens in Vegas was really funny, but kinda predictable; Forgetting Sarah Marshall was really enjoyable and even includes real live penis on film!! WALL - E was way better than I had expected and made the perfect date movie of the summer!! Burn After Reading got some of the biggest laughs out of me, but I think the movie will fall flat with a lot of people - I loved its left of centerness, but I think most people will leave confused and disappointed.

Now I'm looking forward to Julianne Moore in Blindness!!

My first exhibition ... of sorts

So after my photos of a certain "adult entertainer" were a hit at our local gay bar yesterday, they've asked for a more PG-13 set that they can actually display legitimately ... and there should be some money in it for me!! So here are some examples of what I'm come up with so far ...

Momentum with photography ...

I've only just recently started playing around with my new digital camera, but I've been getting some practice, interest, and exposure already!!

- I was approved for a portfolio adddition to the Model Mayhem website, where I can network with models and photographers around the world (I already have a request from a guy in Madrid to shoot him when he comes to LA)
http://www.modelmayhem.com/804238

- I am setting up a shoot with a half black, half Indian girl whose beauty is remarkable, and we are going to be showcasing her cultural influences on the beach

- My roommate Paul was selected to be featured on New York's Best Models website, and guess who has two photos featured? (scroll to the right to see the thumbnails)
http://www.newyorkbestmodels.com/paulhoward

And today I did my first shoot with an up and coming porn star - an edited photo from this shoot can be found below:

some of my digital photography

Paul in Blue ............................. Mike as George Michael

Jamie's Gone Country ......................... Paul by Candlelight

























Paul in the jungle .............. Perhaps an album cover?

Jamie the bad girl in the alley........... and in the woods

The last 6 months ... an update

It's been so long since I posted! I guess now that Britney is getting her shit together, there's less opportunity for me to lord my successes over her. Good for her, though!

It has been a crazy couple of months since that last post, and I have definitely embarked upon my own journey of healing, self-discovery, and whirlwind change:
- I quit my job (that I had held for 6 1/2 years!!)

- I have seen Cher and George Michael in concert, I met Carly Simon and watched her perform live for the first time, plus had the opportunity to see Tina Turner live again for the first time in 8 years (at a special Oprah Winfrey taping in Las Vegas [pictured at right] two days before my birthday!!)

- I moved out of an apartment that had stifled me almost the entire time I was there into a beautiful house at the bottom of the Hollywood hills with two great friends who support and inspire me.

- I have taken vacations to Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe and more.

- I also met a very special guy (pictured at right) that I think earns the title of first official relationship in my more than ten years of dating the menz. He has brought me a new kind of happiness, and we've shared so many amazing experiences that are brand new and so thrilling (perhaps the best so far has been being cuddled up on the beach in Santa Monica watching the 4th of July fireworks - what a night!!)

- I also have shorn off my locks of blond that I hid behind for
years and for awhile wore a very tight dark buzz cut that made my social presence about me not about my fabulous hair - although by now I've reintroduced some blonde into a faux-hawk that I have dubbed my skunk stripe.

- I have renewed my interest in photography and have bought a new camera and have been taking pictures and signing up for classes and trying to see if there's any future for me in a more creative field than I've ever tried before as a way to earn a living. (I'll have to post some of my efforts in an upcoming blog post)

- I've begun doing a steady regimen of cardio fir the first time in my life, alternating between tennis and hiking up Runyan Canyon (a beautiful vista set between two mountains that kick my ass every time I climb them!!) And the pounds are just falling off as my endurance continually increases and I keep surprising myself with what I can do.

- I've also tried to cleanse my life by selling off 10 huge boxes of my clothes, and more than 1,000 of my CDs and DVDs - having stuff is no longer a source of pride, it became a burden and an obsession nowhere near as fulfilling as the freedom I am experiencing now.

There are many more "small victories" that I could fill this page with, but I love that I don't have to. I have nothing to prove, and am so satisfied to know that I feel for the first time in ages that I am on a path towards happiness and a fuller, healthier life

SO HAPPY!!

Need I say more?

I won!! I won!!

I know its cliche, but I'm one of those people who never wins anything. I still work 40 hours a week because that pesky lottery just hasn't worked out for me. I still have to fly coach when I come home from Vegas because the roulette wheel didn't want me to be a winner. And I'm still single because I've never had what it takes to win the guy's heart.

But tonight, I finally won. I entered a drawing to win 2 tickets to a private pre-Grammy concert put on by Dierks Bentley, who just happens to be my favorite country artist ever. And I won!! The show is being held at 11PM tonight at a tiny venue called the Knitting Factory here in LA, and I'm so excited! Its maybe not as major a win as it could be, but its rocking my world at the moment - can't wait for the show!!

The London Report

DAY ONE
So we arrived safe and sound yesterday and after the most expensive cab ride of my life we got to our beautiful hotel, and our room wasn't ready for us. So we searched for a half hour to find an ATM (called a hole-in-the-wall here) and then got some crummy food. It wasn't a great start, and we just wanted to take a nap.

Once we woke up, London began to come alive. This place is electric at night! We went to four different bars and even decided to go back to one rather than go home early. We got back to our room at 2am and weren't ready for bed so we found an after hours club that was 3 floors of debaucherous fun!! Then as we were coming home, starving, we passed a SubWay that had just been robbed - and they wouldn't even serve us!! So we had to get room service and fell asleep to the comforting thought of Hillary Clinton winning the Nevada primary!

We slept in today, but are about to head off for our next adventure!!



DAY TWO
So some stereotypes of London have proved to be untrue:

A) The weather is awful - FALSE, its actually been warmer here than in LA, and the little bit of rain we've seen has come in 5 minute drizzle bouts

B) they hate Americans - FALSE, or at least they don't hate this American. I've repeatedly been approached as a famous person, and these two women last night went so far as to ask to have their picture taken with me. I of course obliged them, wouldn't want to disappoint the fans, you know?

So after our first late night, we slept in til 3 in the afternoon. I'm not crazy about wasting a day like that but I think we needed to recoup from the jet lag and so on. When we finally did get up we went to run some errands, and then set off to the east to explore more of london and find some food. Here's where I need to pass on some advice that I wish we had received before we left - half of London rolls up its carpets on Sundays by dusk. We walked for over an hour before finding a restaurant (albeit a very nice one with great food and wine and an amazing toasted banana cheesecake) that was open. It was very disconcerting to have this thriving city be, for the most part, closed.

We went back to the hotel room and did some research and finally found a bar that was open till midnight - yay!! I dragged David back out on the streets and into yet another gay bar - he's been so patient indulging my need to be drunk and surrounded by men!! And I even met a great guy. his name is Mike also. And he's from Amsterdam, 21 years old, and has darks shaggy curls all over his head - so cute. it was so hard to say goodbye to him this morning!!

Other highlights of our day included stopping into an American bar at 1am and watching part of what I think was the Super Bowl live!! And we also found the coolest little ice skating rink tuchked in between these regal old castle-like buildings. So cute, and so much more magical than say Rockefeller or Pershing Sq.


DAYS THREE & FOUR
Yesterday we ended up sleeping in way too late again - blame it on jet lag (or the booze). When we finally made it out of the hotel we went to the National Gallery and took in some art and stuff. When we came out, we were faced with the first real rain of our trip. I, of course was in my flip flops, and so had to roll up my jeans capri style and strolled down the street California style!! We popped into the Cafe In the Crypt under St. Martin's in the Field to get a cuppa (tea) to warm up and wait out the rain. We had a wonderful dinner (and I tried rabbit and duck for the first time - sorry to all my vegetarian friends). And then hit a straight pub where it was all about 90s rock (including Lenny Kravitz - that was for you Jamie) and then it was off to a little gay dive where we experienced some local color from the bartender who was so funny and some of the clientele - one in particular who thought David and I were holograms - too beautiful to look at - he wasn't even sure if we were real!)

We woke up at 6am this morning for a sightseeing tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and the Roman Baths at Bath. That kicked our ass - gettting up so early and walking all over and everything had us exhausted. I'm almost too tired to go out tonight - ALMOST, I said almost!!

And for those of you have travelled with me before - consider yourselves lucky - I've been without a hairbrush or styling supplies for the last four days!! Imagine that scenario!!

DAYS FIVE & SIX
So I actually have to finish with Day Four still - after our whirlwind tour and being oh so tired, we were both ready to knock out, but then I hada revelation : "I'm in London for only two more days, I can sleep when i get home" I tried to rally David, but he was thinking he might head out on his own to get some chick action, so I was flying solo for my first night. Went to the bar I liked best and hung out for awhile but met no cute boys. There were some cool lesbians who were really nice to me, but lesbians never seem concerned about getting ass for their bretheren :( After an hour I went back to the dive bar I had been to the night before, and the bartender remembered me and was real sweet, and I think he felt bad that I was heading home alone. So he closed the bar and let me stay inside and poured free beer, and let me smoke, and I waited while he and teh bar back cleaned and closed the bar and then the three of us went to an underground bar in Soho called Ghetto. They paid my cover and got me some more drinks and shots. I was so trashed but had so much fun. I made out with a Brit named David for a little while, and eventually wakled home around 4am.

The next day we slept in again. But finally got out of bed - had dinner at Subway which we had been craving all week long. I knwo it sounds silly but they have some magic smell in the Birtish Subways that wafts out of the buliding and makes you so hungry for the bread that ends up being nowhere as good as it smells. Then we went to the London Bridge to take pictures (and no, it didn't fall down, it didn't fall down) Then popped into a pub for some brew and headed back to freshen up for our last night on the town in London. We went to Bar Soho, a "polysexual club" but decided the order of teh day was to talk to people rather than chase tail. So I went into wingman mode and started talking to some girls who ended up being really cool. in fact they invited us back to their friends house for afterparty and so we took a cab to northern London and hung out with these strangers. most of them were Australian, with two Brits thrown in for good measure. We had great conversations and I really enjoyed the whole crew and wished I had more time to spend with them, especially Celina, a chick who totally got me and my particular perception of the world. It was a great night.

The next morning was a lot of work just to get to Scotland, but after the cabs and the walking, and the flight (which was delayed, etc we finally arrived, exhausted into our Glasgow hotel. We ordered some food and passed out. It wasn't until almost midnight that we ventured out in the freezing rain to find a bar. (PS - its so cold here, London was actually warmer than LA when we left it, but this is the real deal in Scotland) We didnt make it the bar we were hoping to find because we stumbled onto a place called Viper that looked cool and was open til 3AM. Turns out they had great music and the cheapest drinks I've found on this whole trip. We talked to some people, got nice and buzzed and ultimately found our way back home. Only two days left until we have to fly home.

DAYS SEVEN - NINE

So our last two nights in Glasgow will probably disappoint the travel junkies out there. As it turns out, we didn't do a single scenic thing, never made it to Edinburgh, etc. But I still think we managed to have an amazing time.

The thing is, as in previous days in London, when you party (hard) til 3AM then get food and wander back to the hotel and watch a little TV and crash at 6, its really hard to wake up at a reasonable (a.k.a daylight) time. And those last two days were no exception. So on Day Seven we woke up late had a decent dinner (with horrible service) at our hotel, and then tried to get in touch with Ioanna, a friend David had met on MySpace who he wanted to meet up with in Scotland. They finally connected over the phone, and she said she was going to a metal/ rock /emo club that night and we should join her. The anxiety that swept me was huge. I figured there was no way in hell I could fit in at a metal club and I'd be beaten up within minutes. But I owed it to David to go with the flow as he'd indulged me in gay clubs all week long, so I had to just put my big girl panties on and brave this...

It turned out to be SO much fun!!! I'll never be a fan of the music, but the free flowing attitude and the most beautiful boys I've ever seen in the same room made it instantly welcoming. We danced and talked to strangers and drank a whole lot of beer, and it ended up being one of the best experiences of the trip. Even the Polo Lounge, the gay club we ended up at the following night paled in comparison, although I did get to make out with some hot boys that totally earned it some cool points. And both nights we walked the streets of Glasgow at 3AM and got some food (everything is deep-fried there, and Ioanna's friend Aidan was on a mission to get us a fried Mars bar, but they were out of them both nights)

We got three hours sleep that last night and I woke up and the food and the hundred beers and the crazy weather and everythings seemed to have caught up with me. I puked my guts out when I woke up, then showered, packed, and got in the cab to begin our journey back home.

We arrived home around 7PM last night - 20 hours after we left Glasgow. I'm so exhausted and so not ready to be back in LA, especially because it was sunny in London when we changed planes there and it was pouring rain in LA when we arrirved. (And I do love the rain in general but not when travelling in it) But I had a wonderful time and some great experiences, and can't wait to do it again!!

(THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED WITH MORE PICTURES BY WEEK'S END)

This week's "Reflections on Britney"

So, have we all seen the pictures of Britney in the ambulance by now? So tragic. And what really concerns me more is the way the public wants to see her fall. The night of her most recent drama, as with the nights of many of her other dramas, my roommates couldn't wait to show me documentation of her devastation. And then I see how many other people have searched the internet for the same thing, and it makes me a little sick. It seems that the vast majority of the population won't be satisfied until they see the exact moment where "Britney Spears is dead" caught on film. I'm sure the news stations have already compiled their footage to run the BREAKING NEWS story the second it happens, and the record company has surely called in their b-list stars to record Britney tracks for a posthumous tribute album.
And what if she makes it through this and climbs through the rubble and builds herself up to be a star again? I don't know if anyone's interested in that Britney anymore.
I think that mentality is what keeps me from pursuing some chances at happiness in my own life. There is something so much more comfortable about failure than success, perhaps because we see it shown so readily in all of our media that it is easier to relate to others when you're down in the mud with the masses than it is when you're standing on a mountain all alone. That is what I am trying to explore right now. What decisions do I need to make to experience true happiness? Which people in my life will truly support me and actually want to see me reach that goal, even if it means me not being at the bar with them all the time? Where do I need to live to have a cross section of natural beauty and cultural stimulation (and really good looking men who readily take their shirts off during the summer months)? Getting these questions answered will help a happier me evolve and ensure that at least I'm doing better than Britney.