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Cheerio from London! I know, I know ... you're thinking, “What the heck? Last week, didn't you fly from France to New York and then on to Nantucket?” Yes, I did. And then I made my way out to LA, where I attended some fun parties and took part in two very special inaugural flight events. One was Virgin America's and as you can see from this picture, that's my main man Sir Richard Branson sitting next to me. How cool is that? This week, I'll tell you all about that encounter. Plus, I'll fill you in on MAXjet's new LAX-STN service. MAXjet is a low-fare carrier but one with a twist. To learn more, you'll have to read on. If you're not up for flying, then my sister Georgie Jet has just the thing for you. She's written a compelling piece that'll entice travelers to spend their next vacation on a sailboat in Maine.

NANTUCKET TO CONNECTICUT
Last week we left off on the island of Nantucket ... that's where I found this funny T-shirt. Instead of flying back to the New Bedford airport where we took off from, we jumped on the ferry to Hyannis and drove back to my hometown of Norwalk, Connecticut. Unlike Massachusetts, it was a beautiful day in southern New England, which we took full advantage of by going out on my brother's boat to fish with my niece and nephew. The only bite I got was from a mosquito but my sister Carol reeled in a baby striper. We didn't keep it.

NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES
Norwalk to JFK is a hellish, 42-mile drive, hellish because of the never-ending construction and I-95 traffic. I couldn't ask anyone to take me so I took a PrimeTime Shuttle van ($63). If it weren't for the smoking hot model/actress sitting next to me, the ride would have been miserable. For starters, the driver was 30 minutes late; then we had to make two more pickups before finally arriving at Terminal 2 with no time to spare. I flew Delta home to LAX and the five-hour flight was easy as can be; I had an exit row aisle seat and the woman sitting next to me was another friendly, gorgeous, skinny Hollywood wannabe.

LOS ANGELES
It's always great to be home to catch up on work and sleep. Plus, being home means I get to play beach volleyball and attend dinners and fun parties. The highlights of my return trip home were Peter Greenberg's boat party and Entertainment Weekly's pre-Emmy party. I'm a regular on Peter's weekly radio show, which can be heard nationally. Peter also recently launched a new website, PeterGreenberg.com, where you'll find travel news, tips and a Johnny Jet website of the week!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S EMMY PARTY
The pre-Emmy party was at Opera and Crimson. These are two swanky Hollywood nightclubs, situated side by side. When I rolled up with my buddy Adrian, the LAPD had blocked off all but a single lane, a quarter-mile from the entrance. Those without parking passes (silly me, I forgot mine) had to get cleared before being allowed to drive up any further. At first, the security guard, dressed head to toe in black and sporting an earpiece, couldn't find my name on the list. Then he checked with “headquarters”, using his Secret Service-like communication device. After a few tense moments, he plopped a parking pass on my dashboard and I drove up to the army of valets. One handed me a ticket and then called me back a second later, only to apologize for handing me the wrong color of ticket. “I didn't realize you were VIP,” he said, and went on to explain that this ticket would get me out of the parking lot a whole lot quicker when I was ready to leave. I told him it was okay; I didn't realize I was VIP either and wondered how, in a matter of minutes, I could go from almost not getting into the party to being a VIP.



THE FOOD
Finally, after getting clearance on yet another list and being handed the golden ticket, we were in. The entrance to the party should be acknowledged, as it was one of the coolest entries around. The magical door was created by a smoke effect, with the Entertainment Weekly (EW) logo illuminated above; I imagine this is what it must feel like if you were say, a ghost walking through a wall. Inside, the party was pumping. There had to be at least a thousand people spread throughout several rooms and there was a monster backyard. Never in my life have I seen more beautiful women, all in one place, and surprisingly, very few looked like they had had plastic surgery. Actually, many of them were serving the drinks and finger foods, from bacon-wrapped figs to French fries. EW easily spent at least a million dollars on this swanky party, as high-end alcohol was flowing from bars strategically positioned throughout the place. I didn't see any goodie bags at the end but the party sponsors (Revlon, Dove and others, which I can't recall) had their teams of beauties handing out products and treats throughout the night. What killed me was Dove's chocolate fountain, surrounded by an endless supply of fresh cut strawberries, pineapple, bananas, Rice Krispie treats, pound cake – you name it! I couldn't get enough and almost just stuck my face in the chocolate fountain.

CELEBRITIES GALORE
It's almost surreal going to these parties; about 15% of the people are Hollywood stars. Some you recognize instantly, others you know you've seen but don't know their name. I don't watch a lot of TV so I didn't even know half of the celebrities attending. If I named them all, my fingers might cramp from all that typing. But to give you an idea, Vanessa Williams was sitting at the table next to me, Jane Seymour was mixing it up nearby, cast members from Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Two and a Half Men, and yes, even Stiffler's mom were there. Most of the celebs were so much shorter and/or skinnier than they look on TV. Especially Kathy Griffin, Neil Patrick Harris, John Stamos, Eva Longoria and Jonathan Silverman, who, by the way, is a very nice guy; I talked to him and his wife about Treetops Lodge in New Zealand where they got engaged. I didn't see my boy Anthony Michael Hall, who I met last year, but hopefully there will be more soirees to come.

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