10 Questions By Jamie

1. What do you think you were in a past life, if you in fact believe in past lives at all?
I was going to answer this with a joke, but I guess I'll answer it seriously. While I don't believe in standard reincarnation, I do believe that the souls of those who have passed reach out to certain people more than others. Sometimes I feel like I understand certain events in history with a little too much clarity. I like to entertain the possibility that those who are long dead can still "touch" us with their memories.

2. When do you think the defining "Aleisha/Jamie" moment was?
For me, it's a toss up between stealing the boys couch and redecorating Mike's door with masking tape. Making the Jacko door gets an honorable mention.

3. Who is the least useful? Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, or Bob Barker?
Gotta be Paris Hilton. Justin is a prick, but he has talent and Bob convinced me to have my cat spayed.

4. Do you still dream about winning a Grammy in the shower with the V05 Bottle?
No...actually my new dream in the shower is to have the luxury of a bottle of V05.

5. Right now, you are given the chance - all expenses paid - to go live anywhere in the world and do anything you want for the rest of your life...Where do you go? What do you do?
I will go to Rome, where I meet a handsome Italian nobleman. I'll spend my days reading classic literature, buying watercolor paintings from street vendors, and hanging out at the Colosseum. I'll spend my evenings at dinner parties dripping with diamonds, wearing designer gowns, and winning the crowd over with my wit and charm.

6. If you had to live in any Tim Burton movie, which would it be and why?
I would live in Spektre (Big Fish) before it is destroyed. I'd never have to wear shoes again, there are mermaids in the lake, and Steve Buscemi is the resident poet- what more can you ask for?

7. What is the breakfast of champions, as far as you're concerned?
Anything with a glass of Mountain Dew.

8. Is the trend of writers reinventing Austen and Bronte classics into tawdry quasi-porn the result of their being so engrossed with the novels, they want more, or the result of the readers of these novels being a bunch of lonely single women? Do married women read Austen after they're married or is it a single girl thing? Please explain.
Here's my theory: All of the original writers knew exactly what kind of man would make the "perfect catch" and immortalized him on paper. Let's face it, normal guys look pretty pathetic compared to the Darcys, Brandons, Rochesters, and Knightlys of the world. So now all these disillusioned married women with less than perfect catches of their own write steamy sequels based on what their "fantasy husband" would be like. Personally, I think they need to look into Viagra instead of writing trash based on my favorite novels. As far as normal people reading Austen after they're married- yeah, I don't see why not. I imagine that after I'm married, I'll look back at the kind of things that happen in those stories and smile... just the same way I can laugh at all the typical teenage escapades Harry Potter and co. find themselves in.

9. *Pretentious question alert* Which artist (in any genre, I'd be a fool if I narrowed it to 'painter' - 'writer' - whatever) has had the greatest influence on your personal art. Marilyn Manson is influenced by Dali...and Marc Jacobs loves some Rufus Wainwright....Who or what fuels your fire?
Hmm...I can't really narrow it down to one inspiration. Tim Burton inspires my stylization and my macabre sense of humor. Yariv Gabler/Charles Infante's work on the "Crash and Burn" music video appeals to my sense of color and concept. John Williams and Danny Elfman help me imagine. Bono encourages me to give my work a soul. Dickens reminds me to make sure that everything connects. Joss Whedon lets me revel in my geekiness. Chopin makes me grateful for the gift of creating without fear. But Jamie is my muse!

10. You have a choice.
A) Spend a year in an igloo with Bono.
B) Spend an hour on a desert island with Josh Holloway.
C) Spend a month in a cabin in the mountains with Darren Hayes.
What do you choose? Why? How would you spend your time?
That's a tough call. I would have picked Darren in a cabin, but I have a feeling his new husband would put a damper on our relationship. I'll happily take Bono and a parka. We will talk about Africa and God, and write songs about snow.