hollywood

  • All GLY Things Must Come to an End

    Sabine (a founding member of the GLY Gang), left for Germany today by way of Boston (to visit Youenn).  It  was so nice having her here these last two weeks.  I miss her already.  (She just called to tell me that she saw Lauren Bacall in the airport after I dropped her off; who was in LA over the weekend to receive an honorary Oscar.  It was Bine’s first star sighting this trip and a fitting end to two weeks in LaLa Land!)  The past couple of   days have been jam packed with fun.  On Monday, we went to see the movie “Precious“.  Though I thought most of the performances were quite good; the movie left me rather disturbed.  Sadly, I fear that the situations portrayed in the film are not all that uncommon.  It’s worth seeing, but it’s definitely not the feel good movie of the year!  Last night we went to The Jay Leno Show.  Tyra Banks was supposed to be there, but she got stuck in NYC, so Kevin Nealon was the guest.  Bine and I got separated while  being seated, but I managed to smuggle my camera in and take a couple of shots before a mean security guard confiscated it.  He told me I had to delete the pictures, but I had already removed the memory card and discreetly slipped it in my pocket.  I told him the camera was “out of film”.  He pondered that for a minute while looking at the camera and realized I was fucking with him.  LOL.  Then I told him I was just using the camera for the telephoto lens!  I’m sure he didn’t buy that story, but there was no way I was giving him my memory card!  He finally got tired of arguing with me and walked away defeated.  During the commercial break, Sabine got to sing with Jay’s band.  The problem was, she didn’t know the words to Stevie Wonder’s, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered“!  After the show, we headed to the Los Angeles Film School for a special free screening of the movie “In The Loop“.  It was fantastic!!  The best way to describe it would be “as if Jane Austen and Monty Python collaborated on an episode of “The West Wing”.  It’s probably the funniest movie I saw all year.  Afterward, we sat in on a panel with the director and some of the cast.  What a great night! 


    Sabine’s 15 seconds of fame on Jay Leno last night!


    LaLa Land


    Jay came out to warm up the crowd before the show began


    The monologue


    Interviewing Kevin Nealon


    Outside NBC studios in Burbank


    After her failed signing performance


    Bye Jay!


    On the roof of the LA Film School


    A star in her city


    The director and cast of “In the Loop”.  From L to R, Armando Iannucci, Mimi Kennedy (Dharma’s Mom) and Peter Capaldi.


    Hooray for Hollywood!

    Sad to leave The Hotel Careyfornia, but she’ll be back next May!

    Update:  Thanks to all of you who wrote me about the Chocolate Lab, “D”, who we found over the weekend, and became Chazz’s best friend. 
    The owner replied to the Craigslist ad, and I got these texts from Claudio & Ryan last night:

    Even though, Chazz was sad to see her go, I’m glad the owner got her dog back. I can’t imagine losing a dog!  It turns out she was 2 years old and hadn’t been spayed.  I wonder if she’ll have puppies now??

  • My Big Fake Italian Wedding

    Regular readers of this space know my friend Sabine, or Bine for short.  You know about her resilience, her charm and her joie de vivre.  You might also remember what a tough time she had two years ago when she attended Virginia Tech during the shootings.  You know that her inimitable style and always positive attitude have gotten her, and indeed our entire group of friends, through the best and the worst of times.  She is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise polluted world.  She approaches everything she does with passion and fervor, and is the glue that bonds our international family of friends together. 

    What you may not know however, is that she is my wife!  Yes, it’s true.  I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating.  We were “married” in a small civil ceremony in Florence, Italy on August 19, 2000.  The ceremony was officiated by the great great grandniece of the Red Baron.  Her name was Baroness Andrea Von Richthofen (no kidding!).  Mick was the maid of honor, Miggl the best man and Eva the flower girl.  Now, some background:

    I met Sabine at Marcelo’s house in Piracicaba Brazil in 1997.  That Christmas many people had converged on Marcelo’s family home; both friends of Marcelo (like me) and friends of his sister Adriana.  Many of us did not know each other, but we all soon became great friends, and began our tradition of traveling together for New Year’s each year.  I was “homeless” at the time, traveling the world with my job, all expenses paid.  One day, we were all sitting by the pool in the backyard eating mangoes, and I was telling this assembled group of new friends my life story.  At the end, Sabine said, “Honey, I should marry you.  What a great life you have!”  To which I responded, “Honey, the only way I would ever marry you, is if we were in Florence Italy, at San Miniato at sunset, overlooking the Ponte Vecchio!”  We all laughed.

    Well, as luck would have it, three years later we all found ourselves in Florence, Italy at San Miniato at sunset, overlooking the Ponte Vecchio.  Our friends had bought some truly rinky dink rings on that same famous bridge earlier that day, and as the sun sank into the Tuscan sky, we said our “vows“.  They even made a marriage certificate which you can see reproduced above.

     
    For more wedding photos, click here.

    LOL, so there you have it.  The story of my phony wedding in Italy.  Just this past summer, as you may remember, Sabine, the two timing tramp, got married to Alan.  In all honesty though, I can’t say that I’ve been entirely faithful in this marriage, LOL.  So in July I traveled back to Italy where we celebrated her “real wedding” for a week in a beautiful Tuscan villa.  Last night, Sabine arrived for a 2 week stay at The Hotel Careyfornia.  Eva and I picked her up at the airport.  Today our friends Heather & Brian arrived with their two adorable kids.  Tomorrow we’ll head up to Claudio & Ryan’s for a barbecue.  We’ll also spend some time up in Santa Barbara with Bassam.  More pictures to follow, but here are a  few from so far this weekend:


    Welcome back to The Hotel Careyfornia Sabine!


    We headed to one of our favorite Thai restaurants to see Thai Elvis


    Click here for the best of the rest…


    I was sad to learn that both of the shooters from the recent tragedies yesterday and today, went to Virginia Tech.  The last time Bine was here, it was because of another tragedy, at Virginia Tech; one she witnessed first hand (as the above accounts detail).  Virginia has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country.  Let’s hope President Obama is successful in passing stricter gun control.  Anyone who thinks the “right to bear arms” should include assault weapons is truly ignorant.

  • 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…

  • LuLu in LaLa Land

    Aunty LuLu is staying at The Hotel Careyfornia!  She’s enjoying the 5 star accommodations and partaking in our VIP program!  My Dad arrives Saturday for a week, which I know she will enjoy.  Tomorrow 20 of our family members are getting together for a big dinner.  Should be fun!

    Today I  took her to out for lunch in Beverly Hills. As we were leaving, Nick Carter and A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys walked by. I said, “Aunty, those are the Backstreet Boys.”. Her reply: “Oh I love them…but aren’t there 4??” LOL


    “Cuz I’m walkin’ that way”


    Lulu at 82, using my laptop and no doubt friending Nick Carter on Facebook and watching
    Grandpas Gone Wild on YouTube.


    Everybody comes to Hollywood…they want to make it in the neighborhood…


    Once you go black…Lulu Jackson??

    40 Days and 40 Palin-less Nights

    Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s been 40 days since I last devoted this space to Sarah Palin and her despicable demagoguery.  I could have posted something about Levi Johnston, her daughter’s baby daddy posing nude for Playgirl, or his delicious new pistachio commercial about “doing it with protection”.  I could have written about the million dollar Xbox or Todd Palin resigning from yet another job (must run in the family) or even her rumored lipstick deal (classy).  But I’ve taken the high road for the past 40 days.  (I’ve also been a bit preoccupied!)  I am pleased to announce however, that I was recently interviewed by the great Stephen Colbert.  As you can imagine, the topic soon turned to Caribou Barbie:

    Incidentally, here’s the funniest thing I’ve heard so far regarding the moose murderer’s Machiavellian maniacal memoir, “Going Rogue“:

    And so the imbecility continues.  You’re no rogue Sarah, you’re just a …mindless woman with a pretty face and a vapid gaping gash.  Go away!    (Don’t read if you’re easily offended by juvenile sexist comments!)

  • Root Beer Summit

    I don’t know why everyone is acting so surprised that Kanye West is a dick.  I could have told you that a year and a half ago:
     

    Tuesday, 29 January 2008

    Kentucky Fried Kanye

    I’ve never been a big fan of Kentucky Fried Chicken or any fried chicken for that matter.  But ever since KFC announced these ridiculously fattening, hedonistic and some would say disgusting  mashed potato bowls, they’ve become a true guilty pleasure that I tend to treat myself to once every few months.  These “heart attacks in a bowel” (get it?) are so obscenely good that if I was ever on death row, they would surely make up at least part of my last meal.  (Hell, you’re gonna die anyway!  Skip the cheese though…that’s just disgusting.  LOL)

    So after a long busy morning at work, I decided to walk the few blocks over to this ratty little KFC on Sunset & Fairfax.  While I’m indulging in mashed potato decadence and listening to my “This American Life” podcast, a silver Mercedes McLaren pulls up to the door of KFC.  Mind you, this KFC is small.  There’s no drive-through, there’s not even a customer bathroom inside.  There are parking spots however, which didn’t seem to matter to the driver of this $500,000.00 car.  The car was not only blocking the entrance to the restaurant, but it was also blocking the entrance to the parking lot!  As the angel wing door opened up (like a DeLorean), Kanye West stepped out.  Even before I knew it was him, I started snapping pictures with my cell phone, because I knew it would be blog-worthy. 
     
    Kanye getting out of his car.  He’s wearing a camouflage hat and sunglasses.

    Even though he was wearing the hat and sunglasses, his chipmunk cheeks were immediately recognizable.  I tried to be discreet with my cell phone pics, but when I went outside to take a picture of his car, he glared at me angrily.
    Kanye’s $500,000 car blocking the entrance.  You’ll see in the video below that he “doesn’t want people looking at [sic] his car” 
    Try parking it in a parking spot next time, asshole!

    He had apparently just left Popeye’s Chicken announcing to the whole restaurant that KFC had the best chicken of the year!

    He didn’t get as mad at me as he got at TMZ at the same KFC.  (Try saying that ten times fast!)  But he didn’t have his entourage with him when I saw him.  The car is the same though, as this video will attest:

    I’ve taken the liberty of changing the lyrics to Kanye’s song “Stronger” to these:

    Fried chicken that don’t kill me
    Can only make me stronger
    I need you to move your car now
    Cause I gotta work a little longer
    I know I should eat a little better
    Cause this can’t get much wronger
    Man I been cravin’ all month now
    Mashed potatoes I’ve been on ya

    If I saw Kanye today, I would rap this to him:
    I’m no fan of Taylor Swift yo,
    Beyonce seems much stronger.
    I wish you would shut your face though,
    Cuz we can’t wait much longer.

    ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
    “Since Taylor Swift is only 19 years old, President Obama has invited her and Kanye West to the White House for a Root Beer Summit.” — Jay Leno



  • Divas in the Winery

    Gmail Carey Anthony
    Hotel Vacancy?

    From: Vonda Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 10:25 PM
    To: Carey Anthony

    So I wrote you a long comment on Xanga, but when I tried to log in, it erased it……story of my life these days!  Hey, I am traveling with the divas (Bianca, her friend Laura from Boston, her friend Whitney from Logan, and Louise, Youenn’s friend Jacques’ daughter from France!  We’re going to the Grand Canyon, then heading toward Hollywood…..for Universal Studios, beaches, the walk of stars, etc.,…..I’m just wondering if there is any chance there is a vacancy at The Hotel Careyfornia……..I wrote it much wittier last time, but I am falling asleep now, so may stop making sense…….

    I’ll talk to you soon, darling….

    vonda

    So, The Hotel Careyfornia has been invaded by the lovely Vonda (sadly, sans Nate) and 4 teenage girls!  And look at what they brought me:

    So now, not only do we have the world famous sign, towels and placemats, we have our own wine!!  Thanks Vonda and Nate.  You’re the best!!

    The girls are really enjoying Hollywood.  Thanks to Dar, they’re hitting Disney tomorrow and then the beach on Thursday before heading up to Yosemite.  The only thing they still want to see is Zak Efron.  LOL

    ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
    “It’s President Obama’s 48th birthday. The president has asked that in lieu of sending a gift, people just make a donation to his favorite charity — General Motors.” — Conan O’Brien

  • Elmo & Jacko

    20 years ago, I worked for a bank in Chicago that used a vendor that I worked with extensively.  Eventually, I became friends with one of the vendor’s employees, Todd, who lived in Portland, OR.  One thing led to another, and long story short I went to work for the company, and worked there for 13 years while traveling the world.  When I met first met Todd and his wife Laura, they were newly married and had no kids.  17 years ago, Taylor was born.  He and I were always close, and when Oreo died, Taylor was only 5 years old, and he took it particularly hard.  He had a stuffed animal that he had also named Oreo, and he wanted me to have him.  I convinced him to take care of “his Oreo” for me while I traveled and he faithfully did. 

     
    Taylor & “Oreo”, 1997 and Taylor, and his sisters, Katie & Sarah with me in 2001

    Fast forward 12 years, and Taylor is going to be a senior in high school!  He’s in the Future Business Leaders of America and is staying with me for a few days to see the sites and look at college campuses.  He wanted to see Michael Jackson’s star, so this afternoon we braved the crowds and headed to the Walk of Fame.  Later we went to dinner and to see The Hangover, which was hilarious.  I’m dog sitting again, so we took Garbo & Ruby for frozen yogurt at midnight. 


    We thought it was funny that Elmo was wearing a “RIP Michael Jackson” T-shirt.  LOL


    Thriller moment!  Was that Michel or a zombie??


    You could barely see the star!


    Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate while Superman poses behind her.  Only in Hollywood!


    We got to see the cars from Transformers…then we took Garbo & Ruby for frozen yogurt!


    Tay had to try the “Lesbionic Tonic”!


    Garbo & Ruby!


    Best of the rest…

  • The Great Quake of ’09

      

    ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
     

    May 18, 12:27 AM PDT

    The Hotel Careyfornia Vows to Rebuild After The Great Quake of ’09

    By: Carey Anthony
    Associated Press Writer, Founder & General Manager – The Hotel Careyfornia

    The staff and management of The Hotel Careyfornia have emerged from the tattered ruins of the once fine luxury boutique hotel and promised to repair the damage and open again as soon as possible.  The 4.7 temblor that shook the Careyfornia’s foundation to the very core, struck at 8:39 p.m. as the staff was watching Kung Fu Panda with their latest visitors from Germany.  The quake was centered east of Los Angeles International Airport and about 8 miles from the landmark hotel that has been catering to the rich and famous since it opened in 2002. Lasting about 15 seconds, the shaking could be felt as far away as the High Desert and San Diego County.

    The earthquake was “a bit deep,” said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough — originating 8.4 miles below the surface. “That tends to make it less sharp — less of a jerky, abrupt motion,” Hough said. As a result, most of the region felt the quake as a rolling motion, though some closer to the center (like the guests at the world famous Hotel Careyfornia) may have felt a jolt.  “It must have been terrifying for out of towners”, said Hough.  “Luckily the Hotel Careyfornia is equipped with an earthquake preparedness kit.”

    “Our main concern is for the safety of our guests”, said Carey Anthony, the flagship’s CEO,  “This disaster has only strengthened our resolve.  If we don’t rebuild, the earthquake wins.”


    Here, an unidentified Hotel Careyfornia guest, left with only a blanket to wrap around himself,  points to the tattered ruins of his once luxurious suite.

    Before disaster struck, guests of the Hotel Careyfornia enjoyed a weekend of fun in the sun, including the red carpet extravaganza for the newest Pixar animated feature, “Up”.  Here they are, in happier, steadier times:


    Pinkberry


    Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills


    The Kodak Theater – Home of The Oscars

     


    Korea Town Korean BBQ


    Best of the rest…

  • Idols Dancing with Wolverines? Swine Flu be Damned!


    May & June promise to be busy months at the Hotel Careyfornia.  Despite the recent media hyped outbreak of Swine Flu, we have visitors coming from all over the globe for the next two months.  For those of you worried about your health during your stay at the H.C., the management is pleased to announce that we now provide complementary masks to all guests who book a VIP Luxury Suite or higher.  Richard found this out first hand today, when he paid our fine establishment a visit:

    Richard has never been to Los Angeles, so when I asked him what he wanted to do tonight, he said that a low key dinner would be fine.  He wasn’t interested in the whole celebrity or sightseeing thing.  I figured we’d have a nice dinner at The Grove and call it a night.  When I picked him up though we stopped by the red carpet premiere of Wolverine, just because I wanted to say “hi” to Hugh Jackman:


    Hi Hugh!

    We saw a few more sites….downtown and Hollywood, then went to dinner:


    Downtown Los Angeles


    The Hollywood Sign through the smog

    After a nice Italian dinner, we stuck around for a concert by Derek Hough and Mark Ballas from Dancing With the Stars.  Derek’s girlfriend, Shannon Elizabeth (of American Pie fame) was there too, as was Melissa’s partner, Tony Dovolani.
     


    Tony Dovolani


    Shannon Elizabeth

     
    Mark Ballas & Derek Hough


    Best of the rest…

    On the way out we bumped into Allison Iraheta, the 16 year old sole female, top 5 finalist on American Idol this year.  She was very sweet.  In fact, like Jordin Sparks, I like her a lot more now after meeting her.  On TV, her personality doesn’t come through, but in person, she’s got great energy.

     
    Allison Iraheta from American Idol

    Then, as if that wasn’t enough star f***ing for Richard, we rode the elevator with Alec Mapa from Ugly Betty.  Rich had no idea who he was, but happily posed for a photo.  LOL.


    The straightest and gayest men in universe.  LOL

    We had dessert at the original Pinkberry and called it a night.  So much for a quiet Hollywood evening!


    Best of the rest…

    Tomorrow night, Ken and I are going to see Vienna Teng at The Roxy!  Then Friday, Fabiola is arriving from Brazil.  Claudio, Ryan & Chazz will be here too.  David & Daniel arrive next from Germany with their parents, and then Joelle is coming for her second visit of the year from Chile before moving to India.  After that, I’m off to Tuscany!  It’s going to be a busy few months!

  • ‘Twas The Night Before Oscar…

    Update:  19 out of 24 correct predictions!  I only missed, Cinematography, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Foreign Language Film, Sound Mixing, but I got all of the major categories right!



    Apologies to Clement C. Moore:

    ‘Twas the night before Oscar
    And all through the “wood”,
    Celebrities were fasting,
    Making sure they’d look good.

    The statues were polished,
    All shiny and gold.
    Hoping Angie or Brad,
    On Sunday would hold.

    The poor kids from Slumdog,
    first time on a jet.
    Hope their movie will win;
    It’s a pretty safe bet.

    With their crash diets over,
    The celebrities came.
    And fans whistled and shouted,
    And called them by name.

    There’s Leo and Kate,
    Together again.
    And there’s Mickey Rourke,
    Wrestling with Sean Penn.

    And what’s all that beeping,
    Coming from the red carpet?
    Oh it’s just Wall-E,
    With Shiloh Jolie-Pitt

    Too bad for Heath Ledger,
    and his peculiar ticks.
    Sunday’s the Oscars,
    And here are my picks: 



    I did pretty well with my Golden Globe predictions this year and my Oscar picks last year….so we’ll see…

     
    From last year….uh huh 

    Finally, congratulations to Jessica & Jamal on their brand new baby boy.  Welcome to the world Jaden Alexander!


    Future Oscar Winner, born Wednesday in West Hollywood, CA

    Tom & Cathy are bringing Patrick down from San Francisco this weekend, so I’ll be in Santa Barbara, with a quick stop at Claudio & Ryan’s for a Brazilian BBQ.  Then I’m out of town starting Monday thru March 2nd.  Happy Oscars everyone!