Monthly Archives: March 2018

Dear Tony, What is something about you that we wouldn’t believe?

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something that you wouldnt probably believe is i am extremely shy

i know i know i know that in real life you might see me out with this one or that one

but if you notice carefully i dont go to parties, i am never out dancing, i dont wear fancy clothes, i dont go to bars,

and the only time i throw parties is when i ran LAist some 10 years ago.

if i won that $420 million lottery jackpot i would be totally content in a nice warm log cabin in the middle of Oregon instead of a penthouse in NYC

i love people, but the reason i do Uber and put on this outward persona is because i know i need to work at it. i want to get over it.

because not-so deep down i know i would be America’s happiest hermit if i could be.

the other day Amber had two days off in a row and i was all what did you do

and she said NOTHING! and she seemed like she was saying it like she was a loser or something and i was all, baby no way. not leaving the house is one of my favorite activities.

im glad i was thrown into door to door sales as a kid via Cubs Scouts and Marching Band, im glad i worked at a record store as a teen, and im glad i got to sell on commission while getting through junior college because all of those experiences helped me quiet the voice in my brain that was constantly saying things like

omg youre weird, see how different you are from everyone, how are you gonna relate to this person, cant you see this couple hates you, why are you even talking!

i always did poorly in school so that didnt help the voices. i didn’t have much luck with girls until college which also didn’t help. and in truth i AM different than your average person

which UCSB namely the College of Creative Studies and the world famous Daily Nexus helped me see was a pro not a con. but the old voice in the head has a way of adapting and thinking up new crud to bombard you with.

but to me the best way to silence the haters is to jump head first into whatever that fear is.

feel like you wont be accepted by people: talk to as many people as you can, challenge WHY you need to be accepted so badly, and finally stop making everything about yourself and start helping others on their paths.

i still play the lotteries every week and if i won i would probably buy a big house in the middle of nowhere and do some traveling, but deep down all i want is a nice water bed, a few cold cokes in the fridge and a giant tv with incredible sound.

drove a very rich man from west LA to pasadena

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he knew everyone, everything, and was super cool about it.

freaked me out at first because as soon as he got in he said, turn off the music, then he made a phone call.

i knew it was gonna be a long ride but the thought of no music terrified me if he wasn’t gonna talk but nope he loves music, he just wanted my uninterrupted attention.

i never asked him how he made his millions but if i can find out tons of details about you in 10 minutes, imagine what can be gleaned in an hour and 10.

what i learned is he donates to arts causes, homeless shelters, womens shelters, and public radio. he is tough but fair. and not only does he give but he knows exactly where the money is going to, where the shelters are – and who are the people running it.

he told me about the time when he was 40 and his wife won an auction where a famous celebrity chef spent the day shopping and cooking with him for a dinner party for his friends.

he told me about classical music, Elton John, and jazz at the Hollywood Bowl.

he complimented me on my driving and told me that he has a regular driver because so many uber guys “speed up, change lanes, honk, and have foul mouths.”

fuck them, i joked.

his fare was $94, I got $64 and when i picked up amber i surprised her with a bowl of her favorite soup and she literally cried.

back to the old guy. when i asked him why he was going from west LA to pasadena in the middle of rush hour, he said, “my wife and I have been married 47 years. since i am interested in making it 48 years, when she says, we are going to this thing in pasadena at 8pm, i make sure i am there, and on time.”

daylights savings fucked me up today

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both my tax lady and i canceled on each other

couldnt sleep.

felt like a batter who just couldnt get around on it.

but then i saw on twitter that tiger woods was trending.

dudes back.

second to last hole he needed to gain some ground on the leader

he smacks this huge driver.

then gets on the green from 220.

and somehow sinks a 19 foot putt uphill with a curve.

this weekend wrinkle in time was #2 in the box office behind black panther

it’s the first time two black directors were 1-2 in the box office in the usa

im starting to think we can do anything.

there were awards, and everyone won

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heres the funny thing about me and this blog. i hate telling stories about the recent past.

i dont ever want to have to relive what i just did, even if what happened was great, and successful, and beautiful and awe inspiring and weird and blah blah blah

i just dont wanna rehash it.

but yes i was able to get amber in and my brother and his girlfriend and theres pictures somewhere

and all the people won and all the people lost and dresses and tuxes and

i had sore feet like halfway through it but i persisted and i was exhausted for three days straight

maybe because im old maybe because 40,000 steps in two days is tiring and maybe because i shoulda worn sneakers.

and if i am lucky enough to have another all access pass maybe i will spend more time in the diamond lane of the red carpet and a little time in the bleachers and a tad more time at oscar orchestra rehearsals and i will go to the Oscar Concert and i will get a tad more sleep.

other than that all was perfect and maybe the best was drinking a rum n coke in the hotel bar at midnight with amber stretched out in a corner looking at each other saying

holy fuck did that really happen.

it’s Oscar Saturday, so let’s Ask Tony

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Oskar asks: what will you be doing this year during the Oscars?

If you recall, last year I roamed the red carpet, Dolby Theatre and the adjoining Loews Hotel publishing everything cool that I ran into on Snapchat.

This year I will be doing pretty much the same thing (except with another year of experience under my belt) but on the Academy’s Instagram. Instagram Story to be specific.

If you aren’t following us already, follow TheAcademy on Instagram and get ready to see all that my All Access pass can provide. I should start the transmission around noonish and end around midnight. God willing.

What will you see? You will see all the things that you won’t be seeing on TV. So if you want to see it all, tune in to ABC on your TV and have your buddy Tony on your phone or iPad.

John Smith asks: is it possible to go down to the LA river where they shot the car chase scenes in repo man and grease?

Yes. But I wouldn’t recommend going down there right now as it has been raining the last few days and that area (just East of DTLA) is flooded and you might screw up your sweet car.

Tony Kletch asks: Stones or Beatles? 

I listen to the Stones at least once a week and if a Beatles tune comes on the radio I change it to Ozzy’s Boneyard. With that said, I listen to mostly the Stone’s 70s and 80s era tunes, so maybe my problem is mostly with the British Invasion era 60s stuff. But still, I prefer rock music as compared to pop.

Mark Johnson asks: Do you support expropriation of land from white farmers to be claimed by the State of South Africa?

I have the greatest friends. God bless you Mark. I don’t like the expropriation of any thing from any one. HOWEVER I think this is one of those rare moments where you can split the baby. I think instead of taking all the land from the white farmers, only half of it should be taken, and not by the state, but by the native South Afrikans.

Dougie Gyro asks: Will Ohtani be a better hitter or pitcher?

Hitting MLB pitchers might be the toughest thing in all of sports. However, the Angels want to do this funky 6-man rotation which tells me they aint so confident about his pitching either. I know he’s young. I know he’s Babe Ruth. But I have a feeling they will use him as a SP and DH his first few years but will probably convert him to a long reliever and pinch hitter in years 3-4 when they realize there was only one Babe Ruth and he drank beers with children and ate hot dogs with strippers.

Michael Katz asks: Is Joe Flacco a elite qb?

History says nope. And says Jay Cutler should never have been a starter.

More to come!