Miami Beach, need I say more?
Just the words alone evoke a million images from a million dreams.
And I was about to live one of them. After the gig shooting "Sunshine Dreamer", we quickly landed another one. The Miami Beach Film Festival was going on and our work with Tigress had us on the guest list not only for their performance, but the festival itself. Chuck Tyler was really being a man of his word. After our Vegas transportation debacle, he quickly made up for it by getting us in anywhere and everywhere Tigress would be. Their performance would be one night and we'd have the rest of time to ourselves, for a change. I was looking forward to hitting the legendary beaches and seeing some movies. But more importantly, to get a chance to enjoy some of this life that had been a whirlwind for me up to now.
The first night of the festival was typical of the whirlwind. A gala opening was organized and we'd be there. But for a change we'd be guests, not hired help. Though we didn't get to walk the red carpet, we did see a lot of stars arriving. We headed for the bar and indulged in several exotic drink concoctions provided by one of the sponsors, Captain Morgan rum. Chris and I were getting star struck as we saw more of our film idols, past and present, arriving or casually walking past us. There were many press people there as well as TV crews. Chris and I stood there and took in the scene with our newfound concoctions when he looked over at the arrivals area.
"Uh-oh, here comes trouble." He said looking over my shoulder.
"What?" I replied.
"Look who just arrived." He said pointing down the long hallway
I turned around and saw Paris Hilton arriving amid the usual gaggle of flashbulbs and shouts. She stopped to do a TV interview with a pretty young blonde from VH1 who looked somewhat familiar.
"Uh-oh is right." I said with trepidation.
"Knock yourself out 'Hollywood', you're on your own." And he walked away.
So I took a deep breath, and wondered what new adventures I might find with Ms. Hilton. I stayed where I was and hoped perhaps she'd look my way.
As it turned out, she did.
Her eyes had a look of surprise and she immediately flashed a huge smile and gave me that small wave she was famous for. I responded back with a smile and a smaller, discreet wave of my own. She continued her interview but looked like she wanted to move on. She immediately trotted over and hugged me laughing.
"Hey baby! What are you doing here?" she said excitedly
"Working with Tigress, hopefully seeing some films." I said.
As we talked, the blonde reporter came over, without her camera crew.
"Hey Paris, who's this guy?" she asked
As I looked more closely at her I realized it was Brooke Hogan.
"Oh, he's an old friend Brooke, that's all." She said confidently as she held my wrist.
"You guys look cute together" she turned to me "Hi, I'm Brooke Hogan." She said in a perky voice.
"Hi, I'm Jim." I said shaking her hand.
Brooke looked very hot in a tight white mini dress with a scooped front that really showed off her ample cleavage.
"So how'd you two meet?" she asked with an inquisitive tone.
Before I could answer, Paris jumped in
"Oh, that's not important Brooke. He's just a cool guy I run into sometimes."
"You'll have to tell me all about him. I gotta get back to work. Nice meeting you Jim." She said as she went back to her interview post.
"Yes, great to meet you too." I said.
As she walked away, Paris immediately picked up on where my eyes were going.
"I know what's on your mind, baby." Paris said in a sly tone.
"Oh, you do?" I answered.
She nodded.
"Are you gonna be around for the weekend?" she asked
"Uh, yeah I guess so." I answered
"Good, I'll call you tomorrow sometime." And she started to walk away.
But not before turning around and saying;
"Oh, I'd give Brooke a call first. You'll have fun with her."
And with a wink and a smile, she disappeared into the crowd.
"I'll have fun with her? Oh yeah, right." I said to myself.
But then again, I said something similar the first time I met Paris.
I caught up with Chris and we did some more stargazing before calling it a night. The booze was starting to kick in. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to chat with Paris more. But then I remembered how I'd said after our last meeting in Vegas that meeting unexpectedly was more fun.
The next day I made my trek out to the beach. I only carried a few items; keys to hotel and car, cell phone, $25 cash and an Amex card. All of these fit in a small waterproof packet I kept in the pocket of my RonJon swimsuit. So I could walk the beach and not look like a tourist. As soon as I saw the vast expanse of beach I flashed back to seeing Bugs Bunny tunnel out from underground and run down the beach yelling "Miami Beach at last! Hooray! Yippee! Yahoo!" Not realizing he'd landed in the Sahara desert. I smiled widely at the thought. It was intoxicating to see everything around me as I walked the beach. The girls in their bikinis was a sight in itself. I know if Chris was here, well, he wouldn't be here. At least not with me, he'd be off chasing everything in sight.
After walking the beach for the better part of an hour, the heat was starting to get to me. I found a beachside bar and headed there for a quick drink. I took in the sights, now from the cool shade of the bar.
Two beauties strolled up to the bar now. One was a dark haired girl in a blue one-piece, the other a gorgeous bikini-clad blonde with stylish sunglasses on. When she removed them, I realized it was Brooke. She turned in my direction and immediately recognized me.
"Hey! I saw you last night, you're Paris' friend!" she said in that perky tone I heard last night.
"Oh yes, how 'ya doing today?" I replied
"Pretty good now that you're here." She said with pleasure. "Come on over here!"
I joined them at their end of the bar. The other girl was her roommate Ashley. I was told she and Brooke had been friends for many years and she'd recently moved into Brooke's condo with her. Brooke told me how she was working for VH1 doing red carpet pieces for the channel and loved it. Ashley was with her as an assistant and they were like giddy schoolgirls together. They wanted to know all about my work. I was telling them some of my "war stories" when my phone rang.
"Hey baby!" a sweet voice said.
It was Paris.
"Hey, where are you?" I asked
"On the road back home." She said
"You're going back to L.A.?" I asked, confused. I thought she'd be in town for the weekend.
"No, no. Palm Beach. My family has a house there." She said
Of course! A girl like her would obviously have a place there! How could I have not known that!
"Oh, right." Was all I could say.
"Where are you?" she asked
"At this beach bar, and I've been joined by Ms. Hogan." I said with a touch of swagger.