FW: 3/13/2013 11:16:59 PM

http://www.sgl-jv.com/pu/qhvb.vdv



3/13/2013 11:16:59 PM .


Ryan Ong

TED TALKS

Do yourself a favor and go to this website. A vast collection of video lectures or "talks" from a wide range of experts, artists, designers, scientists and more who have "ideas worth sharing". Time spent on www.TED.com is not wasted time :)  jsp

TED                             Technology, Entertainment and Design 

"ideas worth spreading"

Strolling the streets of Tokyo...

Free of business today (as much as an assistant can be free, ha!) so I
enjoyed a day in the village of Harajuku. The area is known for great
street fashion. We shopped and took the culture in. It ended up being
a really nice day also, no rain... it's been wet since we arrived, but
no worries, Japan is the most unique place I've ever been.

Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds

This is the view from my hotel room overlooking the Tokyo Imperial
Palace. The slivers of light-whiteish color within the trees just
below the skyline are the roofs of buildings on the grounds. Amazing
history in this small area of Japan that during the height of the
1980s Japanese property bubble, the palace grounds were valued by some
as more than the value of all of the real estate in the state of
California.

Make.Believe

Sir Howard Stringer and Kenny Ortega launch Make.Believe for Sony in
Tokyo today. Inspirational! After press we met with Masahiro Nakai
from SMAP and had the most amazing sushi dinner with Masato Nakamura
and Miwa Yoshida of Dreams Come True... arigatoo everyone :)

Crossing the Pacific

Here in Tokyo now. Great ANA flight... 11 hours, wow! Happy to be
here, the culture is so amazing and the food is beyond! Enjoyed an
teppanyaki style dinner with amazing views 50 stories above the city
last night.

Just off the PCH...

Surfing just North of Malibu today, great spot, thanks Mike! Enjoyed a
great dinner with friends at Casa Vega last night. Glad to be back in
LA this weekend... off to Tokyo on Tuesday!

I'M IN MIAMI BLEEP!

Spent the last week in South Beach - Miami, Florida. This would be the most 'tropical' city in the continental US. As far as the food goes, don't miss the Green Eggs at The Front Porch Cafe, Prime 112 Steak House and the amazing Cuban food at Larios On The Beach, they also have the best Mojito in the city! For night life, Bongo's Cuban Cafe, the Nikki Beach Club on Sunday and LIV Night Club on Wednesday are the places to be. The Cordoza Hotel (pictured above) at 13th and Ocean Dr has been my home away from home. This Estefan-owned hotel is wonderfully located right in the middle of the action. I had an unforgettable evening on Star Island with some amazing people including a 7-course meal at a private residence where both Cher and De Niro, among others, have called home. Flying privately into Miami from Vegas on Ralph Lauren's old G5 was the icing on the cake!

JEFF & JAMES PHARES MAKE CNN HEADLINES

Yep, that's me and my Dad just behind Kenny Ortega and Paula Abdul at the MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT movie premiere in Hollywood back in October 2009. This pic circulated the press about a month ago with rumors of an Ortega / Abdul TV project in the making. You can still find the article on The Marquee Blog on CNN.com - copy and paste the link below to see it online.

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/23/yet-another-gig-in-play-for-paula-abdul/

Queen Victoria Building

Here in Sydney... rainy and overcast so I spent some time in the Queen Victoria Building. Great architecture and great shops all in the same place! You can read a little more about the history of the building at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria_Building

Paris to Dubai

This was my flight path from Paris to Dubai. Started in Paris in the
top left of the pic and flew South-East to Dubai where you can see the
airplane near the bottom right corner of the pic.

Ladurée Macaroons

Here's a look inside the famous macaroon shop Ladurée located on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris. The Rose flavor is hard to beat... mmmm :)

Indiana Tex-Mex Café

Walking the streets of Paris I discovered the Indiana Tex-Mex Café. Interesting, huh? Well I did a little research and evidently in the 90's a Tex-Mex craze swept through France. This café menu offers everything from quesadillas to tacos as well as burgers to steaks, hmmm? Anyways, I can't explain where they got the idea that Indiana was the place for great Tex-Mex, maybe Taco Bell, haha! Always fun when I see something that reminds me of home, my real home... McCordsville, Indiana :)

Café de Flore on Saint-Germain Blvd

Enjoying a café au lait at the famous Café de Flore in Paris... in
other words, espresso with hot milk. I followed it with my favorite
breakfast dish: a thin slice of cooked ham (jambon) below 2 fries eggs
(oeufs) topped with melted cheese (fromage fondu). Délicieux!!!

Paris

Arrived here in Paris... can't wait to get out and about around the city!

Fish & Chips with Mushy Peas

Couldn't have left London without enjoying an order of Fish & Chips with Mushy Peas and a Coca~Cola in the bottle, mmm what a treat :) I'll be taking the Eurostar from London to Paris today, my first time! Let's just hope I don't get stuck somewhere under the English Channel, oh my.

Sky News

This is a privileged shot of the Sky News studio floor. We started the
day here with a a couple interviews. Good to be in doors today, rainy
and gloomy outside... that's London.

SOHO HOUSE

Here I am outside the entrance to the SOHO HOUSE on my way back to my
hotel after shopping in Covent Garden. This is where I enjoyed an
espresso martini in the company of Hugh Grant last night, fun guy!

Ship Pub

Just had a pint of Londons Pride at a pub called Ship, a local
watering hole behind my hotel!

Carnaby Street

The white arch reads 'Welcome To Carnaby Street'. The blue lit windows
in the back ground belong to the store Liberty. This street is one of
my favorites for shopping. Gstar Raw, Diesel, Hugo Boss and many more!
Liberty is more of a department store, reminds me of a small Barneys.

Big Ben

Big Ben stands tall at the Palace of Westminster in London. So happy to be back in the UK! I'm here on a publicity tour for the DVD release of our movie Michael Jackson's: This Is It. The BAFTA Awards are tomorrow night so the SOHO Hotel is packed with celebs, awesome! Tonight will be fun ;)

Go Colts!!!

Nice catch Garcon! Colts and Jets in Indianapolis!

Mammoth: Day 2

Me and Mammoth... quick shot before tearing up the mountain!

Mammoth: Day 1

The fearless crew that took on the slopes today! Kyle rides a board
and Shirl and I were on skis. Great day!

Skiing in Mammoth...

Here we are 7,000 ft above sea level... at chair lift 25 about to head
up to 10,000 ft here at Mammoth. See you at the bottom!

56th Wedding Anniversary

We celebrated my beloved grandparents Kenny and Wilma's 56th
anniversary upon the Carnival Dream on New Years Eve. We had a
champagne toast and listened to them tell stories of how they met,
their wedding and all the goodies in between. After dinner my
grandparents hit the slots in the casino before ringing in 2010...
that's my dad just behind them.

Belize

Here's the group that toured Belize by horse and carriage. Godfrey our
guide kept us cool with ice cold Belikans, the official beer of
Belize. We ended our tour with a traditional meal... black beans and
rice, jerk chicken and plantains... mmm :)

Departing Roatan...

Dad and I on the Lido deck saying goodbye to the Isla of Roatan. The
family spent time on the beach and enjoyed a tropical rainstorm while
we were swimming. Dad, my brother, sister and her fiancé Jeff stayed
at Fat Tuesdays for rum runners and shots of tequila before getting
back on the ship... good times!

Isla of Roatan

My dad and brother aboard the ship with Roatan in the background. We
enjoyed the beach and plenty of drinks!

Margaritas in Cozumel

Margarita es muy bueno!

After Dinner Dance

Quick pic of my parents having a romantic dance after dinner at the
Crimson restaurant aboard the Dream :)

Carnival Dream

Here's a quick shot of the Dream. I boarded with 10 of my family
members and my sisters fiancé, Jeff on 12/26! We launched from Port
Canaveral in Florida. First stop Cozumel, Mexico!

Merry Christmas

Looking back on the year... beginning 2009 at the Encore in Vegas then
onto a tv pilot with David E. Kelly in February. The pilot didn't get
picked up but I had a blast on the WB lot and came out the other end
knowing some great people and gaining episodic tv experience! Michael
Jackson followed soon after in early spring. First meeting in
bungalows at the Bel-Air Hotel and eventually at his home, the Forum
in Inglewood and the Staples Center. Sitting in on the meetings and
observing the creative process was priceless... rehearsals, amazing.
Getting to know the man, unforgetable. We didnt make it to London but
we made an amazing film with amazing people who let L.O.V.E. lead the
way. The time spent in the editing bays on the Sony lot seemed like a
year I itself, it was only 2 months. Without the break to Italy to
cruise the Almalfi coast I don't know how we woul have made it through
the rest of the year. With all the amazing experiences in my life this
year nothing compares to the feeling you have when you spend time with
family. I'm on my way to Florida now to meet 11 members of my family
for a Western Carribean cruise. This was the first year of my life I
wasn't with family on Christmas... looking forward to spending a whole
uninterrupted week with them!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all the best in 2010!
Much love, James

Breaky and a view of London...

Eggs Benedict is my signature breakfast when I'm abroad! This is a
shot of an in-room breakfast with the view from my room. Half day of
TV and Radio and taking off from Heathrow for NYC!

The West End

Two nights of theatre in London on the West End! Thriller Live was
fun... a tribute to Michael Jackson and his catalouge. It was a fun
show. This is a shot of the stage before the show starts. I also saw
Pricilla: Queen of the Desert... lots of fun, haha! Met one of the
leads post-show. Oliver Thorton, an amazing performer!

Shopping in London

The shopping in London is always great... G Star Raw, Carhartt,
Liberty, Harrod's, TopShop, DSquared and more This is a shot of a fun
boutique... combining shiny tennies, denim, hooded sweatshirt, button
down and a bowtie... awesome!!

Family and more...

Chicago was a blast and I was so excited to share the experience with
family! My mum and sis were guests in the audience of Oprah on Friday
10/16. They came back to the green room and said hello after the show.
Tyson, Hollyfield and Ortega... quite the line up for one show!
Stedman was backstage and I had the opportunity of saying hello to
Oprah personally, she welcomed me! I included a shot of my sis (Meggie-
Moo) and I hanging in my room at the Ritz after a delicious Italian
dinner. Good times!

Miracle Mile

'Mamaw Willie' (my beloved grandma Wilma) and I standing together with
this rendition of the classic painting from American culture turned
into an giant-sized work of art on Michigan Ave in Chicago. We had a
great time ducking in and out of our favorite shops all along the
Miracle Mile!

Navy Pier

Here's the view from the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago... you see the Navy
Pier just to the left of the city across Lake Shore Dr. Just to bring
everyone up to speed I'm currently on the THIS IS IT publicity tour
with my boss. He was on Oprah last Friday (search YouTube for Oprah
and Kenny Ortega) and we've since traveled onto London. We're across
the pond for a few days before returning to the States, specifically
New York. Toronto after NY and then back to Los Angeles for the big
premiere at the Nokia Live on the 27th followed by more press. Stay
tuned for more pics and stories of my travels!

Smoke Daddy's

Bad pic of myself and another of Delta Delta '04's finest... Eric
McCrory (in hoc...) We're standing in front of Smoke Daddy's located
at 1804 W Division in Chicago. Eric manages this joint... great food
and an exciting list of beer on tap that Brian, the bartender, is
ready to serve! Live music nightly... you gotta experience this!

The Glove...

Props to the chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago for a very impressive
and creative welcoming gift! Awesome way to start Michael Jackson's
THIS IS IT publicity tour!

Props to Britney and her dancers! Amazing show! Thank you :)

It's Britney bitch!

Great opening... the arial work is amazing! This is a shot of her 2nd
number at Staples. I'm back in the AEG suite... doin' it!

2009 Emmy Awards

Looking over the red carpet at Nokia Plaza... home of the Emmys.
Congrats to my girl Kristen Chenoweth for her big win tonight! We
worked together on a pilot called Legally Mad that I assisted Kenny
Ortega on earlier this year. It was written and produced by David E.
Kelly but unfortunately NBC didn't pick it up :(

Cecil B DeMille Theatre

Facilitated an interview with the boss earlier today on the Culver
Studios lot. Lots of great history here... Michael Jackson shot many
of his videos and short films including our most recent for, what was
to be, the 'This Is It' concerts in London.

Pre Pink

Back in the AEG suite at the Staples Center for Pink tonight... here
with KO and friends. Looking forward to a great show!

Smart Car

One of my parents new rides... they decided to take advantage of the
short lived 'cash for clunkers' and came back with 2 Smart Cars...
this red convertible and a black one too. I had fun cruising this
convertible through rural Indiana on Saturday.

Nic & Izzy's Wedding

Family pics post-ceremony just North of Dayton, Ohio. Beautiful
wedding... spent time catching up with the family... great times!

OHARE

Quick stop in Chicago enroute to Dayton, Ohio for my cousins wedding
today. Departed LAX at 6am today... early!

ORBS

The creative team doing a final pass of our new addition to the Lake
of Dreams here at the Wynn.

Plenty of leg room...

Snap-shot of the leg room in the back of one of Wynn's Rolles Royce
Phantoms. Here for a final presentation of a new addition to the Lake
of Dreams at the Wynn Resort Casino in Vegas. He really knows how to
pick up a business associate from the airport... with class!

LVMPD

Filling out an official police report with the Las Vegas Metropolitan
Police Department after returning to my room at the Tropicana in Vegas
to discover my MacBook and other property missing early this morning.
I've been at the police station for over 2 hrs now... boo!