C.T. - ProfilesArchive

About Me

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF MY BLACK TIP SHARKS (PAUSE THE MUSIC PLAYER BELOW FIRST)

CLICK HERE FOR MY DIRECTING REEL VIDEO (PAUSE THE MUSIC PLAYER BELOW FIRST)

Seven of my original songs
Michael Helms Photography, Nov '06
A bull shark from my shark dive in the Florida Keys; these fuckers have taken out half a dozen people down in Florida over the last few years...as me and my dive buddy Tommy were jumping in the water (WITHOUT a cage) I was thinking "I must be nuts to be doing this..."... funny part is that I was actually chasing the shark trying to get a good pic...
A moray eel from the shark dive; I played with him for awhile by his cave...he was a trip, I wanted to keep him as a pet...
April '06, Highlands Mountain, Aspen
My first amateur fight which I won by 3rd round TKO; my plan had been to get in there and box pretty but that got thrown out the window...this guy was a street tough from a rough neighborhood and he came at me like he was on PCP; what followed was more like a barroom brawl or a street fight than a boxing match...he quit in the third round.
March '06, with my kickboxing instructor, American/European champ Lally Hugyetz
George Foreman, from my interview with him at his gym in Houston for Fortitude and Glory...check out the preview for that in my directing reel at the top of the page and www.fortitudeandglory.com
Michael Helms Photography, Nov '06
WWW.CHRIS-TASARA.COM, WWW.FORTITUDEANDGLORY.COM
I love the freedom my lifestyle affords me; I answer to no one but myself and try to learn something new everyday. I believe in treating everyone equally with respect unless they give me a reason not to.
I was born of Italian-Hungarian descent. I left home when I was 19 and spent the next 13 years in Miami where I came of age, learned how to fight under the guidance of International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champ James Warring, did talent work for Pepsi and Heineken, runway work for Nike, print work for Men's Exercise and Pro Fitness, partied my ass off, and completed my Master's degree in Film and graduated on the President's List at University of Miami.
After graduating I directed and scored two sci-fi/Twilight Zone/Dark Angel-themed pilots called "True Survivors" and "Shadow People," directed and scored location footage in Maui, freelance directed for Darren Higman, former Vice President of Soundtracks for Atlantic Records, and in 2004-2005 directed and scored a boxing documentary on legendary trainer Angelo Dundee titled "Fortitude and Glory" which screened at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and won the Gold Remi award for sports documentaries at Houston Worldfest (to see previews of all of these check out the directing reel at the top of the page and check out www.fortitudeandglory.com).
I moved out to LA in the summer of 2003 and was offered a spot on the Fox reality series Paradise Hotel by head casting agent Neil Constantini but politely declined; although I was very flattered and grateful to Neil it just wasn't my cup of tea and I couldn't get a grip on what direction they were going in.
I enjoy the versatility of California alot. I like to challenge myself; my three notable ones have been shark diving in the Florida Keys without a cage with a pair of ten-foot bull sharks cruising around, skydiving at over 13,000 feet, and fighting as an amateur. I had an offer to go pro but saw firsthand the sacrifices involved and have the utmost respect for my buddies who decided to go for it and enter the pro ranks, but I'm proud to have sparred with world-ranked pros like my friends Attila Levin and David Estrada, both trained by Angelo Dundee.
In late spring 2007 my partners Wilson Chueire (who promotes Falcon and Shag here in Hollywood) and Adolpho Suaya (who is a partner in Dulce and LAX and founder of Gaucho Grill) will be opening a Moroccan-themed restaurant/nightclub called Goa in Hollywood, featuring Asian/Indian-fused cuisine and an large patio with a fire pit, cabanas, and palm trees. The feel will be vintage Hollywood. Look out for it...
I have a tight circle of friends and we hold the same values sacred: loyalty, honor, integrity, honesty, inner strength, and determination while at the same time being non-conformist and following our own paths. For me, that's a dose of Nietzsche, Eastern philosophy of hard work and stick-to-it-iveness, and what I learned on the street in Miami all internalized into one: be true to yourself, don't take shit from anybody, and WIN...
-Taz
Me and Playboy Playmate Daphne Duplaix

My Interests

Michael Helms Photography, Nov '06

My ride at the LA Auto Show

Sometimes ya gotta go for it....

August '06, me and Nikki Sixx at Les Deux in Hollywood; I've always admired Sixx as a songwriter and for being an outlaw in the truest sense of the word: coming out of the gutter, becoming the leader of a street gang to stay alive, and working his way up to the top with Motley Crue

Nov '06, Montage Resort, Laguna Beach

Dec '06, at Katsuya

March '06, in the recording studio with legendary multiplatinum producer Toby Wright (Metallica, Korn, Alice In Chains); Toby mixed my track Survive which is in the music player to the right (check out the other six too), it was a real honor for me to work with him.

July '06, ziplining in Maui

Helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon

July '06, sunset catamaran cruise in Maui

A black leopard from music video footage I directed for Atlantic Records; see the video by hitting the link to my directing reel at the top right of the page

See the video by hitting the link to my directing reel at the top right of the page

July '06, with The King and Shila at Morry Karp's mansion party in Beverly Hills; Morry pioneered the bong, boys and girls...

Oct '06, with Gena at Katana

Helicopter ride into the Maui rainforest

April '06, me and Shila at the St Regis resort in Aspen

ATV tour; Valley of Fire, Nevada...hotter than hell and very surreal...

March '06, at Tao in Vegas at owner Jason Strauss's VIP table

Alex's birthday party at Katsuya, with Ox (Alex), The King (Devin), The Godfather (Maury), Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, and a bunch of chicks I've never met before...

Paola in the Atlantic Records shoot, check me and her out by hitting the link to my directing reel at the top of the page...

Me in the Atlantic Records shoot; this part was shot at the Spanish monastery in Miami, very atmospheric
INTERESTS: boxing, kickboxing, weights, guitar, drag racing, shark diving, skydiving, shooting, and anything else along those lines that involves danger or rebellion ;-)

I'd like to meet:

Richard Simmons, Air Supply, Eric Estrada

Music:

Oct '06, with my friend and brother, Society 1 bassist Dirt at Boardner's in Hollywood; though we hold different beliefs he's always been a strong source of inspiration to me...I look to alot of his attitudes for my own self-growth and determination.

Feb '06, laying down guitar tracks at Adrenine Studios in Hollywood with my producer Mike Geier (myspace.com/thechillsband)

Nov '06, me and Shila with Ministry guitarist Sin at The Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood
I play and listen to rock, that's it: Social Distortion, Black Label Society, Breaking Benjamin, H.I.M., Story Of The Year, Aiden, Fuel, Cold, The Cult, The Clash, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cure, The Killers, Missing Persons, The Cars, Scandal, Van Halen (with Roth), AC/DC, Ozzy, old school metal (Priest, Maiden, Sabbath), 80's Metallica, 70's Kiss, Slayer, Pantera (R.I.P. Dimebag...best of the best), Killswitch Engage, Brand New Sin, In Flames, Shadows Fall

Movies:

Promo poster for my documentary on world-famous boxing trainer Angelo Dundee; check out the trailer by hitting the link to my directing reel at the top of the page and the website at www.fortitudeandglory.com
MOVIES: Escape From New York, Scarface, Enter The Dragon, Terminator, Best Of The Best, The Game, Sin City, Jacob's Ladder, First Blood, Uncommon Valor, Easy Money, The Wild Life, Armed and Dangerous, Bachelor Party, Stripes, Zombie, Saw, Blade, The Howling, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original, not the bullshit remake), Friday The 13th I and II, Halloween, The Fog (1980), Dracula (1931), Brute Force, They Died With Their Boots On
These three images above are from my first film project, True Survivors...check out the preview and a short clip in my directing reel at the top of the page
This and the next 5 images are from my film Shadow People...check out the trailer in my directing reel at the top of the page...
Storyboard art for Shadow People (no, I didn't draw it...)
March '06, with director Lewis Teague (Navy Seals, Cujo, Alligator), my film instructor at UCLA for the spring '06 semester; I learned a lot from his insight and experience. (I admit it: as a kid I probably watched Alligator fifty times...)...

Television:

Fuse, VH1 Classic, CNN, Twilight Zone (the original), The A Team, Magnum P.I., Knightrider

Books:

The Art of War, Beyond Good and Evil, The Will To Power, Awakening The Buddha Within

Heroes:

Jack Dempsey (world heavyweight champion 1919 - 1926, for his superior courage and balls in the ring), Sun Tzu (Chinese warrior and philosopher), Frederic Nietzsche, Winston Churchill, Lama Surya Das (my Buddhist mentor), Bruce Lee, Errol Flynn, John Belushi, Rod Serling, Nikki Sixx, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo, Warren DeMartini, Ace Frehley, Rob Halford, Joe Strummer, John Carpenter, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Larry Holmes, and my mother Rosemarie (R.I.P. my love)

May '06, at Rose's Cafe in Santa Monica with Nancy McCallum, mother of late Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley and my guardian angel

July '06, with my grandfather, who had the balls to get here off the boat from Italy with a couple bucks in his pocket and build a real estate empire that's still growing strong today...

My Blog

HOT NEW MOROCCAN-THEMED RESTAURANT/NIGHTCLUB MY PARTNERS AND I ARE OPENING IN HOLLYWOOD...

I'm proud to announce my involvement in Goa, which will be opening in late spring on Cahuenga and Selma. Besides being a kick-ass nightclub (complete with a large outdoor patio with a fire pit, cabana...
Posted by C.T. on Thu, 19 Oct 2006 07:15:00 PST