Scardello is one of Dallas’ BEST cheese shops!  I had the honor of being invited to the shop for a running competition they have been having between different regions of the world that have similar cheeses.  Last weeks competitor’s were the WEST COAST vs. SPAIN, with the West Coast demolishing Spain.  With each cheese matching from either region there were specific wines paired with them.  I found that I didn’t know very much on cheese or the wine but as the class/competition progressed my knowledge and conversation on the subject grew.  We were told to use our 4 senses: TOUCH, SMELL, TASTE, & SIGHT, to judge the different cheeses. At first it was hard trying to use different adjectives and likenesses to describe them, but after awhile it came easy.  This is probably the funnest, not to mention most informative, wine/cheese tasting I’ve ever had!  The staff and presentation was perfect, it couldn’t have been presented better!  I recommend SCARDELLO CHEESE SHOP to any and everyone who has a passion for fine cheese and wine, only the best is hand-picked to be in this shop!

Photos By:  Dustin Hollywood

Photo By: Natalie Small

In spirit of Coachella this weekend I thought it would only be appropriate to give you an old photo from back home. God I miss California.

Photo By: Natalie Small

My week in LA started on a Tuesday at Cinespace, I was in LA to do a Spring 2010 Shoot for a Huge company I’ll tell you guys about in the future. One of my favorite places on a Tuesday in L.A. is Cinespace, they have Dim Mak Tuesdays there which is Steve Aoki‘s dance party.

They ended up having bands playing in the back and I caught this group, just two people, one on a synth and another on violin and guitar, it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in awhile!  I met up with my Friend Ivy Levan, who models in Los Angeles, that night.  Everytime Im there the energy and atmosphere is oh so good!  The Next day I felt it for sure, but breakfast at TART was just the trick to get me going. After an exhausting day on the shoot I headed back to the hotel and changed then headed to Hollywood for Club Moscow @ Boardners.

I was there to visit my friend Keith Wilson who’s the promoter for the club and DJs there all the time, he also acts & models around Los Angeles.  I stayed there until about 1 a.m. and then headed over to this new spot called Bardot over on Vine up From Hollywood Blvd.  From what I heard about it from a few friends I saw at Moscow, it’s the hot spot on Wednesdays in Hollywood, celebrities are spotted there all the time.  It’s dark on the inside, and almost seems like a maze with it’s numerous hallways and low lighting — in other words I loved it.  My sister Natalie met up with me there and the rest of the night was just hectic electricity to say the least.

I got done early around 6 p.m. Thursday with shooting, which was amazing because earlier that day my friends in Neon Indian/Vega flew into L.A. for a show with Crystal Castles at the Siren Studio on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. When I got to the venue there was a line around the corner and the venue was already to capacity, 300 people.  Thank god I was on the list!  I walked in and straight into the dressing room to see Ronnie, Jason, Allen, & Leanne.  Crystal Castles shared the same dressing room with them, we basically all hung out and drank until they went on.  Once they started the electricity in the room was like a god damn transformer blew for a 10 block radius around us.  I saw more feet moving and heads swinging then a kiss concert on ecstasy, L.A. showed their dancing addiction that night.  I happen to get a bunch of really good shots of them but after the second song the venue made all of the photographers stop taking photos, too bad I got the ones I wanted!  I also happen to see a hamster cage device holding about 100 running hamsters on stage left, weirdest stage prop ever?!

When Crystal Castles finally took the stage after some quick drinkin’ and last minute shots the room was so noisy you had to literally yell into someone’s ear next to you ear talk.  They had a few strobe lights littered across the stage and drum set, and as soon as the music started the lead singer Alice Glass grabbed one of them near her, jammed it up her shirt, and started screaming the night away.  It was one of the best live shows I’ve seen in awhile, really, the energy was fire.  After the show we all hung out in the dressing room drinking and such until me and my friend Marisol decided we would head to my friends studio’s party going on downtown, Boxeight Studios.  Saosin, Eye Alaska, P.O.S., and InnerPartySystem and a few other bands were kicking off the Pacsun Tour there.  When we got there, the bands had already played but my friend Dirk Mai, a local photographer in L.A. that’s amazing, was still there, along with some of the bands and a huge crowd.  I actually got to take a pic of hang out with some of the guys from Saosin while I was there.  Sonny Moore or ‘Skrillex’, formally of From First To Last was there DJing, he’s currently working on a lot of solo stuff you all should definitely check out!

Photos By:  Dustin Hollywood

Not much to say about this one, other than thanks DT for the camera phone pic.

BEST SURPRISE PERFORMANCE :: TRV$DJAM with Warren G “Regulate”

As if the show wasn’t sick enough, the duo played Biggie’s “Juicy” and out pops Mr 2-1-3 Warren G to perform regulate. Watch the video, you won’t be let down (he comes on at the 2-minute mark, complete with floating Marijuana leaves…)

BEST NEWCOMER :: DJ Marshall Barnes

Because he is our friend, but also because he is the sickest DJ this side of Compton. Easy enough.

BEST VENUE :: Sahara Tent

Hands down. Look at this pic of Saturday’s lineup, por ejemplo…

BEST DAY OF THE FESTIVAL :: Friday

Huge turnout for the Friday shows, which was shocking given most people don’t make it down to the desert til Saturday usually. Beirut, Crystal Castles, The Ting Tings and Girl Talk were off the hook. Evening was of course capped off by Sir Paul’s super-long, super-powerful set. Below: Paul McCartney singing “Blackbird”

BEST PLACE TO STAY/PLAY :: Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs

House of Hype took over this 400+ room hotel and turned it into one big South Beach-esque party. Bikinis and stilettos all day long, baby.

BEST ACCESSORY :: This Dude’s Sunglasses

Soooooo Judge Dredd.

BEST EATS IN VIP :: Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

OK, OK. So the pizza is unreal, and the chicken in the teriyaki bowl is rubbery as hell. But still, as good as the slices are, they are wayyyyyy too risky. Burn your mouth and the weekend is ruined. Gotta go with rubber chicken bowl.

BEST AFTER-PARTY :: T-Mobile G1 Party

Bolthouse held a T-Mobile event at the same airport hangar last year, and it was unreal with Aoki and DJ AM spinning back and forth at different stations. This year, AM was back and so was Tommy’s Burgers. But the real star of the night was the Chipotle station — nothing beats a late night bowl to satisfy Gilberto’s needs. OK, maybe a latte from Coffee Bean to feel skinny again after gorging myself.

Not sure how it’s humanly possible, or what kind of sperm the father was packed with, but on Monday a California woman gave birth to eight kids! Octuplets to be precise. The doctor released a statement saying everything went according to plan: “We were extremely well-prepared for this delivery, except for one small surprise,” said Dr. Karen Maples, chief of obstetrics and gynecology for the hospital. That surprise? During the delivery Monday, doctors were taking the babies out one by one, naming them for a letter of the alphabet and giving them to an assigned nurse, she said. After “G,” the team thought they had all the babies, but “I said, ‘Well, now we have H, everyone,’” she recalled. “The G nurse became the H nurse, and took it over to the F doctor … it just went seamlessly.” Now just imagine if you were the poor father and quite possibly were not even expecting one child, and then end up with eight! HOLY MOLY! Word to the wise: Don’t make a mistake, cover your snake.

You’ve gotta love LA. The City that Always Sleeps has got a trick up its sleeve – in the form of a new ad campaign. First there was “L.A.’s The Place,” then came “Together We’re The Best,” and lastly it was “See My LA.” Fast forward to 2009, where  LA’s newest slogan seeks to seek a phrase of ridicule into the official mantra of an entire city: “That’s So LA.” According to the www.dailybreeze.com, “The slogan is part of a new $2 million advertising campaign launched by L.A. Inc. – the Visitors and Convention Bureau – and designed to help boost local tourism.” One of the celebrities used of course is Kobe Bryant, which automatically gives this campaign two purple and gold foam fingers up. Next thing you know they’ll start putting LC from “The Hills” on ads too….oh wait, they already did! More at www.discoverlosangeles.com.