claudio

  • Chelsea ManHandler

    If you’re familiar with comedienne Chelsea Handler, you might know of her #1 rated show on the E! Channel.  Yesterday, Claudio, Ryan, Guilherme and I went to a taping of her show, Chelsea Lately. We all love the show, but we were a bit disappointed by the whole experience. First of all, the security was a nightmare. I think it’s easier to get into a White House State Dinner! The security guards were rude and power hungry and …basically ridiculous. They manhandled us like we were going to federal prison!  Despite the fact that they made me remove my belt (I almost broke into a rendition of “Pants on the Ground“), I was STILL able to sneak my camera inside. What morons. Once we got inside, the guy who was in charge of warming up the audience was a complete tool and very annoying. Throughout the entire show he was waving his arms around like a banshee and really ruining the whole experience. He also made it very difficult for me to take any good photos. LOL. I still managed to sneak a few in though by holding the camera up discreetly. (In my inflated head, that’s what my public wants!) When Chelsea came to our row to sign autographs during a commercial break, I got a little cocky and got caught taking a picture. After the next break they escorted me out of the show (it was over anyway, there was only 1 minute left). When I got to the lobby, dumbfuck security guard #2, asked for my FILM!! I laughingly asked him if he knew what century it was and turned around and walked out the door. He started to follow me, but I pretended to talk on my phone (which I also brought in) and he gave up. Great security Chelsea! What a way to ruin a show!  Such drama for a camera.  Sheesh!!  Every time I watch the show now, I’m going to think of those poor saps in the audience having to endure rude security guards and an annoying warm up act. Oh well, just another day in Lala Land!


    That’s Heather “Long Boobs” McDonald in the monitor and Chuy to the right


    Claudio’s big head and Chelsea signing autographs


    Guilherme, Claudio & Ryan outside The Hotel Careyfornia


    Guilherme & I

    Guilherme is visiting from Brazil for a while and hasn’t had any Brazilian food since he left, so the other night we went to the little churrascaria down the street for picanha, then topped it off with some Pinkberry. Muito bom!!


    At The Grove, site of many a photo


    Why can’t strangers ever hold a camera steady???


    Happy with his picana and Guarana!


    Guess who swatted his tail against wet paint?  Add it to the list!

    Tonight was my weekly Thursday dinner with the family and guess who fell asleep before the food arrived?


    Andy resting on his Pokemon card collection


    Gary’s back on dry land for a month!

  • Dolphins, Home Depot and Condoleezza Rice

    After ringing in the New Year in grand style, we took the weekend to relax a bit.  Home Depot has this great kid’s workshop the first Saturday of every month, so Cathy & I took Patrick.  I wasn’t much help building, but as always I took the photos.  The sunset was spectacular on Saturday and on Sunday I drove the six hours home to get here in time for Ryan’s birthday party.  Lorenzo & Adam flew in from DC, and we all celebrated at Palms Thai.  I’m currently curled up on the couch with Chazz, eating popcorn and relaxing for the first time since before Christmas.  Here are some of my favorite photos and two videos from the past few days.  Have a great week everyone!  Happy New Year.


    Patrick in his living room


    The first sunset of 2010


    He didn’t get his nailing ability from Uncle Carey


    The Home Depot Kid’s Workshop is a great program, and it’s free!


    Such a good builder!


    No caption necessary!


    4 against 1!  No fair!


    Joaquin feeding me kiwi


    We celebrated New Year’s first with the kids at 8:23, because we forgot to at 8:00.  They didn’t know the difference!


    Except the dog and my weight!


    A rare quiet moment


    I like this photo


    Playing football in the back yard He’s getting better as this old video attests!


    Yesterday during breakfast, a pod of dolphins swam by to say goodbye!


    Wes & Owen


    Near Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco


    See more from today with the boys, by clicking here.


    Best of the rest…


    What I woke up to on New Year’s Day


    The first sunset of 2010…starring Patrick & Carey

  • Pink Christmas Trees and Sunroof Sunsets

    It was a busy weekend at The Hotel Careyfornia.  Since Ryan and Chazz are out of town, Claudio and I decided to spend some “quality time” together.  It rained all day Saturday though, and the traffic was a nightmare.  No one knows what to do in L.A. when it rains, as witnessed by this truck that got stuck in my driveway yesterday morning.  So we just ordered Chinese food and watched movies all night.  It was nice.  Today was beautiful, and after an alleged Lady Gaga sighting, we walked to Tender Greens for lunch and then I drove down to my aunt’s for our pre-Christmas spaghetti dinner.  ‘Tis the season!


    Andy entertained us with some Christmas Carols…which you can hear better after Grandma stops talking about her pills!  LOL


    Lunch on Santa Monica Blvd.


    I sent this to Wendy Williams, as she likes pink Christmas trees.  Maybe she’ll show it on TV tomorrow?


    Bah Humbug!  The patented Claudio sneer


    Ho Ho Ho


    Get your kicks, on Route 66


    Sunset from my sunroof…I took this going down the 101 highway at 65 mph (104 kmh)


    Another shot from my sunroof while driving

     
    Favorite cousins!

     
    Great Grandma made her famous spaghetti


    Look familiar?


    Our first Christmas without Grandpa


    Tressa also wants her front teeth from Santa this year


    Bad Andy – Don’t imitate Sarah Palin!


    Cody & Andy

     
    Merry Christmas from our family to yours!


    Best of the rest…

  • Swimming With Dolphins and A Shark Attack!

    What a weekend!  Too bad it had to end, because today the Sarah Palin media blitz began. 
    I’ll get to that waste  of brain matter in a minute, but here’s a quick recap of the weekend:

    • Drove up to Santa Barbara…managed to avoid a speeding ticket despite a few close calls.
    • Eva, Bine & I hung out with Rob & August all day Saturday; enjoying:
    • I caught a cold Saturday night as the temperature in Eva’s house was about 20° cooler than I keep The Hotel Careyfornia.
    • Claudio & Ryan found a Chocolate Lab on the street in Oxnard Saturday.  She and Chazz became best of friends.  We’re calling her “D” (for dog) for now, and searching for the owner, but it’s been 2 days.  Story developing…
    • Claudio & Ryan drove up to Santa Barbara with aforementioned new dog and Chazz, and we had dinner on the beach to yet another breathtaking sunset
    • Drove home and have been drinking lots of hot liquids.
    • Tonight, Bine & I are going to go see the movie Precious.
    • Tomorrow Carolina is coming for lunch and then Bine & I are going to The Jay Leno Show(we were supposed to go last week, but changed the tickets).  Tyra Banks will be the guest.

    Here are my favorite photos from the past 2 days:


    That’s Bine, swimming towards the dolphins…she eventually caught up with them…and loved it!


    Gross, but pretty cool, huh?  They said it was from a Great White, but Joelle said that the bite looked small for a Great White and why didn’t it eat the whole thing??


    A crowd gathered around the departed seal


    Father & Daughter (with bird hat)


    Rob congratulating Bine after she swam with the dolphins


    The winning shot??  Nope!


    The full size photo is even more vivid


    Bine was freezing as she was still wet from swimming with dolphins


    Best friends


    August brought the Filipino pork from Carson and Rob grilled it up perfectly!


    Bine, Eva, Rob, August, Thine & Puneeth


    I woke up Sunday with a bad cold


    I love the back turtle’s legs


    State Street, Santa Barbara, CA


    Sunny Breakfast

     
    In front of the courthouse…and a Tibetan Terrier


    Real trials are still held in this room…but Rob & August are innocent


    The hills of Santa Barbara and the infamous Tea Fire


    August, Riley & Me


    Who’s a good dog?


    Our “new” Chocolate Lab, “D” with Ryan & Chazz


    A great end to a great weekend


    The beautiful Santa Barbara seafront


    Click here for the best of the rest…

      Palin Roundup

    “Prepare for the latest Palin media onslaught. An hour with Oprah, a multi-parter with Barbara, and appearances all across the country. An initial read shows Going Rogue doesn’t reveal much. No surprise there. This isn’t about the book, it’s about the book tour — which includes a politically convenient stop in Iowa — and the money. Besides, it’s not like there’s much we haven’t already learned about Palin since she burst onto the national scene. We even know when her water broke during her last pregnancy. Talk about overexposed. In the end, I expect this will be one of the most mocked books of the year — and one of the biggest bestsellers. Palin fans will find much to love, but I doubt a single doubter will be converted. It’s a 400 page Rorschach test. With no index.”

  • People of Walmart – Hollywood Edition

    So yesterday, I’m walking down Santa Monica Blvd. with Heather & Brian’s son who’s 7 years old. While I’m holding his hand I reach into my pocket for my camera and discreetly take this photo while trying to distract him with conversation. I wasn’t sure if he had even noticed this person on the bike or that the “person” had a beard; but after we passed the bike, this wide eyed little boy looked up at me and said, “Well that was embarrassing!” I responded that yes, indeed it was. He asked why someone would dress like that. I told him that it was probably for attention. He asked “Why?”, to which I replied that the person on the bike probably didn’t have a mommy and daddy who paid a lot of attention to them, and that they probably liked to shock people to get attention. I told him he was lucky to have so many people in his life that love him. He looked up at me and said, “That makes sense.” (I didn’t tell him that the person has their own facebook page and Twitter feed and goes by “WeHo Tranny on a Bike”. I’ll wait until he’s 10 for that. More power to Tranny though. She says her calling is to spread joy and acceptance.

    Recently my friend Doug sent me a link to this website:

      

    It’s a site where you can submit photos similar to this.  As described on their website:

    WHAT IS PEOPLE OF WALMART.COM?
    You know that creature you spot every time you go shopping at certain chain department stores? That’s People of Walmart.  It’s like spotting the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot except, since it’s Walmart, way more common.  Take a picture of it then tell us about your creature and your spotting.

    HOW DO I KNOW IF MY PICTURE IS APPROPRIATE?
    If you think the person would be classified as “a Walmart shopper” then chances are good it works.  Funny looking people, crazy outfits, the creepiest of the creepy, and the ugliest of the ugly will do. HOWEVER, we do not wish to poke fun at people who, through no fault of their own, are handicapped. Absolutely NO pictures of someone mentally or physically handicapped will be added to the Website.

      

    So…I submitted my photo.  The prize is a $100 Walmart gift card, which I guess would allow me to take more pictures of “creatures”.  LOL  It’s going to be hard to beat some of these past winners!  I’ll let you guys know if I win!!

    In the meantime here are the rest of my weekend photos.  After our run in with the Fairy Godmonster, we headed up to Claudio & Ryan’s for a barbecue.  A good time was had by all.  Tomorrow we’re going to the Jay Leno show, so watch for us on TV!


    Cuddling on Sunday morning


    Living the Hollywood life


    Another beautiful day at The Hotel Careyfornia!


    Eva & Chazz, together again!


    Claudio manning the grill


    Chazz, Bine, Bassam, Eva, Ryan, Claudio, Alex, Danny & Steven


    Who’s a good dog?


    The whole gang together again!


    Click here for the best of the rest…

  • Halloween in Hollywood

    It was a hot Halloween in West Hollywood this year.  The temperature reached 93° (34° C).  This morning I walked to Pavilions to buy my balloon for my costumeClaudio, Ryan & Chazz showed up later and I took Chazz up to the roof for sunset.  There was almost a full moon and the sky was beautiful:


    Chazz on the roof with downtown LA as a backdrop
    Lisa sent this picture of Andy in his costume.  Cute huh?

    On Halloween night every year, West Hollywood stages perhaps the most extravagant Halloween party anywhere. The City of West Hollywood calls the Costume Carnaval the largest adult outdoor Halloween event in the world. Santa Monica Boulevard, one of the busies streets in Los Angeles, is converted into a pedestrian only zone between Doheny and La Cienega Boulevards.

    So, when it got dark, it was time to hit Santa Monica Blvd. where 500,000 costumed revelers flooded the streets for the Annual Halloween Carnaval.  I took some “before” pictures this morning, to compare to what it looked like tonight:

    The most popular costumes this year were Lady Gaga and “Where the Wild Things Are“.  Of course there were a lot of Michael Jacksons, and several “Balloon Boys“, though the were all older than me.  LOL


    Me, as Balloon Boy’s Dad amidst a sea of balloonsAnd yes, I’m holding a Tupperware barf bucket for the Balloon Boy(s) to puke in, just like he did on national TV!  I’m also wearing ABC Wife Swap credentials!


    Chazz was Balloon Dog!


    “Friend in my head”, Levi Johnston was even there with his manager Tank Jones!

       

     


    That’s LaToya Jackson (Michael’s sister) in the orange wig

     


    Pregnant Dorothy


    This was my favorite costume of the night…from “Up


    Wild Things!

    So there you have it another Halloween has come and gone!  Here’s the best of the rest


    A slideshow of all the photos from today.  Happy Halloween!


    ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

    For Halloween, President Obama wore chinos, a white button-down shirt & crewneck sweater. So Obama went as the whitest president in US history. -Conan O’Brien

  • The Fast, The Furious and The Fierce

    My Dad left Saturday just in time for Claudio’s sister, who’s visiting from Brazil, to check into The H.C.  We had lunch in Santa Monica yesterday, and on the way there, while driving down Sunset Blvd., there were 3 Ferraris and 3 Lamborghinis that were drag racing.  Finally a cop showed up, but none of them even got pulled over!  Anyway, watch the video to see what could have been the disastrous results:


    Fun Fact:  My Dad actually made the famous sign!


    Chazz loves to dine al fresco


    Dancing With the Stars?


    I took this from my sun roof going 70 mph down the 101…the Capitol Records Building is on the left


    Hollywood & Highland – Home of the Oscars


    Opposite the Hollywood Sign


    Ryan’s actually looking at the Hollywood Sign, but it’s too hazy to see


    We found a new little wine bar that had great paninis


    That’s the El Capitan in the background


    A kid at heart!


    Southern California in October!


    When Hugo saw this photo on Facebook he left the following comments:




    Chazz was really tuckered out after a long day…


    Click here for the best of the rest…

  • Saturday Night Lights

    The day started with my aunt and I heading to LAX to meet Claudio and his brother, sister and sister in law, and their two kids, and Chazz of course. Then we picked up my Dad at the airport and headed downtown to Philippes for lunch. Dinner for 17 was at Buca di Beppo and was followed by Joel’s college (American) football game. My brother and his girlfriend and her two kids checked into The Hotel Careyfornia after that, and today they headed down to Disneyland.  I had other plans, and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the first time in nearly a month.  It has been a very long past 3 weeks, and I’m exhausted!  My Dad is going to stay with my aunt for a few days, and he’ll come back up to The HC on Thursday after we celebrate Lisa’s birthday.  I’m looking forward to a little rest and relaxation until then.  Have a good week!


    Uncle Ryan with the munchkins


    Aunty LuLu and I met the whole gang close to the airport before my Dad flew in


    Dad, me, Chazz, Claudio & Ryan


    Most of the family.  Jennifer couldn’t make it.


    I miss Andy!


    Favorite cousins!


    Orange County kids!


    Me, with Nicole, Tiffany & Rebecca


    Cheese!


    I liked this shot…I wanted to pull down her shirt though!


    Enjoying the game…LOL


    His Dad’s the coach!


    Home run! :)


    Tight ends?


    This is a game I know absolutely nothing about!


    Rebecca made her typical Filipino breakfast.  Yum!  If you want to see more photos from the weekend, click here.

  • A Year of Chazz

    I couldn’t let today pass without acknowledging a birthday.  Chazz turned 1 year old today!!  In that year, I’ve taken over 700 photos of him:

    Obviously I can’t be with Chazz on his “special day”, so Ryan just texted me this picture of his first birthday cake:

  • I Need a Bailout…and a Nap!


    Here at The Hotel Careyfornia, we pride ourselves on offering the finest accommodations of any fake luxury boutique hotel in Southern California.  This past weekend however, we were filled to capacity, and our guests had to resort to sleeping wherever they could find a spot. 


    Is it too late to request bailout money to expand our facilities??

    Of course there wasn’t much sleeping going on at all.  I don’t think I got more than 4 hours sleep since Friday, as these photos show:


    Bassam managed to stay awake through the whole Rodgers & Hammerstein spectacular, even though he had just flown in from Jordan and his arms were tired!


    They even surprised me with a cake!


    None of my friends had ever been to the Hollywood Bowl…it was such a great show and I was so happy to share it with them!


    Even Claudio, who pretended to hate Rodger’s & Hammerstein, secretly loved it!  He even invited our hotel’s maintenance man!  Love ya Ryan!!!!


    A very happy birthday!


    I wonder if Eva will make this her Facebook profile picture…the current one is just of her feet!  It’s not “Footbook” Eva!


    The front lawn of The H.C. with the GLY Gang


    Outside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, from “Pretty Woman”


    Carey’s Angels have halos!


    Marcelo & Emily had this “5 Star Hotel Careyfornia” sweatshirt made for me…and on the sleeve there’s a drawing of Oreo with the words, “Dogs Welcome”.  Isn’t that awesome?  I’m acquiring a whole line of Hotel Careyfornia merchandise!  T-shirts, placemats, towels, and of course our flagship’s sign!  Thanks to my wonderful friends for an amazing birthday!


    Click here for the best of the rest…


    This song suits all of my friends! 
    If you like it, support Sam Tsui..he’s amazing!