JB-  And you aren't just a music guy, you've also done film.  Do those kinds of things go hand in hand these days?

Jim-  Yeah, for sure.  I love it all.  I just don't want to be that person who does the fashion line and then just kind of catalyzes on celebrity because that's not me.  I do things that I believe in.  I've read scripts that are just horrendous and I'm not going to do that (role) just because it's a movie and it's going to be made and it's going to have limited distribution.  With "Eating Out" I was reading the script for it and was pissing myself laughing and I was like "Oh my God, I have to do this."  If my heart's not into it then that will reflect and I think that reflects with everyone.  Independent films, I love.  I think a lot of mainstream Hollywood movies are crap.  You put like $80 million into some movie and it's just such a bomb.  There's something raw and something very unique about independent films.  "Eating Out" was made on a $50,000 budget and we shot it in 10 days.

JB-  That's what I was going to say, let's talk…

Jim-  About the movie?

JB-  Yeah.  Let's talk about the film.  You play Kyle…

Jim-  I can read you like a book!  It's funny.

JB- Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Jim-  No, because it's just that you bring things up that I'm already talking about and then it just leads nicely into the next question.

JB-  It almost just wants to make me tear up my notes and say, "let's just talk…" which is the point of these things though!  No, it's great.  It's good. 

Jim-  It's fun.

JB- So let's talk about the movie.  You play Kyle, what is the movie about first of all?

Jim-  It's kind of a gay American Pie, it's like a college sex comedy.  I play Kyle who is this not-so-attractive, vulnerable dork in the movie, but he's very witty and quick with his comebacks.  He's not really bitchy, per se, but he's guarded.  And then I have a roommate named Caleb, and Caleb is straight.  One night me and Caleb are at a party and Caleb sees this girl and her name is Gwen and he thinks she is really hot.  And so I say, "But she is totally into gay guys, she's crazy like that."  And he (wonders), "Are all of her friends gay?"  So I tell him, "You should play gay if you really want this girl."  So we kind of do it and she's starting to pay attention to him now and she hooks him up with her gay best friend, which is played by Ryan, that guy from "Desperate Housewives".  He has to play gay to get this girl, so you kind of think, "OK, how far is he going to take this?"  And here I am scheming and kind of being left in the dark because I love my roommate and I have a crush on Mark, who is the guy that she hooks him up with.  I guess I just want to be loved in the movie…

JB-  What was the transition like going from music to film?  Was it a natural progression?

Jim-  Yeah it was pretty easy.  I've done theatre all my life since I was seven.  Theatre is different than film, don't get me wrong.  I was just prepared.  It's easier for me to do that.  Maybe it was just the role.  There's something great about film because if you screw up a take you can (redo) it as many times as you need to.  With music, that's the challenge, if you (screw) up, you (screw) up.  There's a certain kind of energy that you get from a crowd by singing live.  Then it's weird to watch your movie.  We've won so many awards at film festivals and stuff.  There were times I would just slouch down in my seat in embarrassment thinking, "I can't believe all these people are watching me take my shirt off right now."  It's just weird.  That's when it gets weird when you're in the same room with a bunch of people and you're hoping they laugh at you and if they don't, you're like "Shit", you know?

JB-  Jim, do you know what my next question was?

Jim-  No.

JB-  What's it like seeing yourself on screen?  (laughing)

Jim- (laughing)  Yeah, it's creepy.  Especially being overweight and then losing weight and everyone seeing you now.  Because then you think, "I could have delivered that line so much better."  Of course you are your own worst critic.  If anyone is going to tear you apart it's you.  When the reviews started coming in and the New York Times reviewed us and gave me a really great positive review and I was like, "If people are really enjoying it and they think I'm hysterical and funny then that's a good thing."

JB-  How much do you pay attention to reviews and criticism and what people say about your work?

Jim-  A lot.  More than I should probably.  When my album came out it was pretty rough.  People expecting, I think, something… and I think people just weren't educated about what my financial situation was.  People think when you make a record you're spending hundreds and thousands of dollars.  I made my album for $3500.  I had to because I had to eat, I had to live in L.A.  It's not produced by someone huge but for what I was given I think it's a pretty damn good record.

JB-  So you're working on another album now, what are you going to do different on this one?

Jim-  I think that I'm probably going to do maybe half of the same and maybe half of maybe a little more pop rock.  I don't want to mention names of people because I don't want to sound like them, but I really like The Killers, Green Day.  I'm just not going to be afraid to be a little more edgy.  Because I think American Idol is very cookie cutter.  The album that I put out, even though people say it's bubblegum pop, I don't think it is at all.  Compared to what was out there with boy bands and shit, I don't think my album sounded anything like that.

JB-  And even compared to what some of the other former Idol contestants have put out.  It's very much like what the show was wanting.  I'm not sure if you've been following people from other seasons but…

Jim-  Yeah, no one pushes the envelope.  I wrote a song about sex, for crying out loud.  And I'm moaning throughout the whole damn thing.  Kids would never put that out if they won American Idol.  They would never put that on their album, they just wouldn't.

JB-  They might not even be allowed if it was a big label, would they?

Jim-  That's why with my label, they would listen to a song and if they thought it was good they let me put it on.  And fortunately for me I got every one on the record.  You do what you have to do and you've got to be true to yourself.

JB-  Aww… so how much does Jim relate to Kyle?

Jim- Oh completely.  It wasn't even like acting.

JB-  "It's the story of my life when I read the script!"  (laughing)

Jim-  Totally. You know, I used to be overweight big time, I lost 80 pounds before Idol happened so I spent a lot of time figuring myself out.  My weight didn't become an issue until I was introduced to the gay community.  I was like, "This is the most unchallenging role of my life."  It was awesome too because I felt like only I could play it.  Looking back at it it takes me back to that time.  I can just remember being him so many times in my life.  It was a great script - the underdog wins in the end.  It's a movie about hope and not being the most beautiful guy but if you find things in common looks are put on the back burner.