IF YOU GO
Who: Chelsea Handler
When: 10:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Tickets: $49.50 to $99.50; 731-7110, ticketmaster.com
Comedian, author and talk show host Chelsea Handler has a new dog and an old boyfriend. She calls them both Chunk.
ÒHe asked me, ÔHow am I to know which one youÕre talking to from now on?Õ Ó Handler says from her car somewhere in Los Angeles. ÒI said, ÔFrom now on IÕm always talking to the dog.Õ Ó
Her beau, 54-year-old Ted Harbert, moved in about three years ago. Her dog, a cross between a chow and a German shepherd, moved in about three months ago.
ÒA friend showed me a picture on the way back from a bachelorette party one weekend and said, ÔThe dog is red-lined and if you donÕt get him heÕs going to be killed,Õ Ó Handler says. ÒI said, ÔWhat do you mean if I donÕt get him?Õ She said, ÔWell, somebody has to get him. The least you could do is go adopt the dog.Õ Ó
Handler, the host of E! EntertainmentÕs late night talk show ÒChelsea Lately,Ó performs Saturday at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Chunk, the dog, will appear on the cover of her next book, ÒChelsea Chelsea Bang Bang,Ó due to be released in March. Chunk, the boyfriend, appears in many chapters of the book.
ÒHeÕs the source of a lot of material for me,Ó Handler says. ÒHeÕs very opposite of me, a control freak. HeÕs an executive. HeÕs CEO of a company (Comcast Entertainment Group, which is over E! Entertainment and thus ÒChelsea LatelyÓ). He takes life a lot more seriously than I do. He gives me a lot of material because heÕs confused by a lot of the things I do. I like to keep him confused. I like to keep him on his feet.Ó
She has written two other books, ÒMy Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night StandsÓ and ÒAre You There, Vodka? ItÕs Me, Chelsea.Ó
The 34-year-old entertainer is known for revealing her intimate details. She reveals a bit more as the cover girl of the December issue of Playboy. SheÕs not nude inside although a couple of sexy photos accompany ÒChelsea HandlerÕs Guide to the Holidays.Ó
Q How did you get the Playboy assignment?
I approached Hef when I woke up next to him like any other Saturday morning.
Are your parents bothered by your being in the magazine?
My mother passed away, and I promised her I wouldnÕt do anything like this while she was alive.
Does this represent a new direction in your career?
No, its not a new direction in my career. ItÕs a funny issue. And I have a lot of experience wearing bathing suits, so its not really a new direction.
You rescued a dog from certain death. Would you consider yourself to be an animal lover?
I love kids and I love animals, I just never wanted one of my own, so this is something new for me. But this is definitely my dog. ItÕs really nice. HeÕs a really good dog. IÕm kind of surprised. My boyfriend is very jealous because I spend lot of time cuddling with him (the dog). The best part is, he canÕt talk back like my boyfriend. He said, ÒYou love the dog more than me.Ó I said, ÒOf course I love the dog more than you. The dog doesnÕt argue with me.Ó
You say your boyfriend is a control freak. Does that lead to a lot of conflict, especially with your personality?
It definitely does, a lot of conflict. But it is very, very funny. I laugh a lot. He probably laughs a little less than me.
Are you going to do a follow-up to the book that will be released next year?
I have so much material from my life I could probably write many more books, but this will be the last one, at least until IÕm 70. Now that I have a full-time job, it wasnÕt as easy to write this last book.
You arenÕt serious. All of your books end up on The New York TimesÕ best-seller list.
Yeah. ItÕs pretty sad if a personality from the E! Network has a New York Times best-selling book. ItÕs pretty indicative of where we are in the world.
IsnÕt it painful for you to open yourself up the way you do?
I like making fun of myself. Besides, if IÕm going to do it professionally on my TV show, to make fun of other people, then I need to be able to make fun of myself.
Jerry Fink can be reached at 259-4058 or at jerry@lasvegassun.com.
Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Sun
