This content is an episode of Kevin Pollock's Chat Show featuring guest Lauren Graham, discussing her book "Talking As Fast As I Can," her writing process, acting career, and personal anecdotes, interspersed with show business talk and audience interaction.
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welcome back to Kevin Pollock's Chat
Show oddly if not unacceptably I am Chat
Show unacceptably yeah is that a why not
it felt strange coming out you know what
it felt strange going in and yet here we
are oh what a wonderful show Oscar
Sunday everybody so exciting it is
exciting uh the Oscars yeah now this
show is dropping for the ear will for
the audio audience post Oscars oh we
already know who the winners are we sure
do let's celebrate them shall we all
right I can't believe quite honestly
that KC best picture Mr
Black all the various gags that have
been done in The Simpsons with that Mr
Black Mr
Black um so I'm going to I'm going to
predict now yeah go for it and then
we'll uh we'll know instantly okay how
horribly wrong I am
okay uh I'm going to go cuz again we're
trying to pick winner sure not my
personal choice no no no of course not
winner I like to pick the winners
obviously um uh Jaden you can come in
this way there we go very excited to get
some help from uh Jaden young Jaden
young Jaden there she is two shot go to
the two there she
goes so exciting oh you miss she looked
extra Jody Sweeten like today oh man La
La Land so you're going La La Land best
picture L land best picture all right
and Best Director oh Dam best
screenplay hidden figures uh ooh strong
is that is that original or adapted that
it's adapted from a book adapted hidden
figures is very strong yep we'll talk
about our guest in a moment about
that uh uh uh Manchester by the City
original screen play okay yeah who wants
to hear about the food I'm making now
the reason I mentioned the Oscars is
because you uh as the annual tradition
will be
preparing Oscar title Oscar nominated
titled film pun based foods Foods food
stuffs starting with I'm making a lamb
roast for La La lamb la la lamb yep
absolutely and this is my and then my
person don't give away the
recipe and my personal favorite I'm making
making
hamcho wow hamester by the Pea
soup and for dessert Jello-O high water
Jello high water come on
people and then there's another one we
know of that J came up with Lion a
potatoes lion lion but I'm this is I do
not host the party so I can only bring
so much so I'm limiting myself at three
dishes right and what is the other
dessert that uh you
helped along with the title The pun
title I don't the M Street movie oh but uh
uh
banan Foster jins like FL FL Foster jins
Banana Foster yeah that's right one
that's right yeah um all right so I'm
excited I look forward to that I look
forward to most of our guests or most of
our listeners hearing this after the
Oscars have happened yeah and wondering
why how is this still a let's talk about
the Super Bowl now okay let's do it
can't believe that Tom Brady uh we'll
come to you line from the Westside
comedy theater if you're ever in the Los
Angel area go ahead do yourself a solid
and look up the West side comedy.com
site for all the various shows tonight
for example when we're doing this Dana
Carvey was here he did two shows in
February he did he was last yeah he
likes the Sunday show the 7 o'clock
Sunday show but check the calendar all
kinds of amazing improv groups and
sketch groups we love the Westside
comedy theater and it means a great deal
to us and should to you you sons of
[ __ ] Sammy yeah buddy did uh did your
Hawaii 5 5 Air it sure did and how did
that go you know I can talk about it now
that it's aired uh yep yeah I don't see
why not uh it was fantastic they pay me
to fly out to Hawaii uh make out with
this beautiful woman and then they kill
me before the opening credits now when
you say make out with this beautiful
women yeah woman was this in the show
yes cuz so know old show business perks
that's true there's a guy waiting in the
in the in the double
Banger that's that's before my time I
guess I've never trailer reference I've
never had such good for
uh no no but uh but he lucky if he gets
a fruit basket yeah it's true uh no they
had to pay this uh particular young lady
to make out with me uh but uh it was
great let's talk about that for a moment
they literally paid a woman to make out
with you yeah yep yeah wow send your
cards and letters I don't know if that
audible woo was dooman or
J yeah I think we have our answer um
anyway uh I believe it is still on
cbs.com you can find it on the on demand
and what have you and on CBS all access
which hey for No One listening tonight
no anyone listening right now on CBS all
access soon is going to be uh the good
fight the good fight I think drops
Tonight Tonight on CBS but it is a CBS
all access and then going directly for
the following episodes to the access I
played a judge in an upcoming episode
you don't say I did what a coincidence I
mentioned it the
love hey right to us won't
you KPC has fan mail@gmail.com
kpcs FanMail gmail.com we want to know
why you like the show and why you hate
it we want to hear from everyone how do
you take in the show how do you do it do
you do the year do you watch us live you
can on most Sundays here on the YouTube
channel upcoming guests you ask all
right settle the [ __ ] down how about
Billy Bob thoron former co-star uh of
our guest tonight JK Simmons Dave keker
Jason Alexander Dave kuer Kevin Rob
cordry Fred Savage the list goes on and
on and on and on follow us uh at the KP
Chat Show on the Twitter and the
Facebook that I've never
seen uh that's about it subscribe to us
on the YouTube I think that's most of
the business Jamie anything I'm
forgetting as always I know you were
looking at me so like with such
desperation like I had extra information
like you were trying to pull information
out of me and I'm like I feel like
that's true always like I'm forgetting
everything yes all right I've just
accepted it um I'm very excited for the
return of Our Guest she was at the old
Studio this is a book that dropped in
November still available in every way
you can get and read and enjoy a book um
this is a collection of essays talking
as fast as I can please welcome its
author Lauren
Graham Lauren wow I'm so excited to talk
about this thanks yes honestly and truly
before I do however with the personal
connection to jaman one of her favorite
films is it possible we didn't discuss
this last time that your father could
have known Willie
Wonka my dad was the he's retired now
recently retired um it was the president
of the national confectioners
Association which is a group that
represents candy and people who make
candy and chocolate represents them in
like a lobbyist like a lobbying group
and like a member organization and it
has marketing aspects it has um lobbying
aspects but now so I think the answer is
yes could he have known Willy Wonka or
is he indeed Willy Wonka himself but now
my father in retirement um became a
certified spinning instructor went went
back to school to get his master's
degree um is teaching it when went to
work as a consultant like he's on fire
he can't be stopped he's like the least
retired re person ever if I have a list
of uh uh activities on one side and a
list of Ages of men and women on the
other side and I'm Max matching them do
I match your father to spinning
instructor do we think that not not you
wouldn't think so you wouldn't think not
not that wouldn't be your first choice
but he uh he is a got to be well into
his 60s he is in fact older than that um
but he's incredibly fit he used to cyle
work every day and he's just uh he's is
an impressive guy that is unbelievable
yeah which which made him a great
representative of candy and chocolate
because he looked like someone who like
never ate Candy at all like he had the
metabolism of a feret which he does
which he does yeah fantastic yeah uh and
an inspiration like that growing up yeah
I mean just a uh metabolically speaking
metabolically speaking um uh just an
inspiration in general he's very smart
guy uh very nice guy and uh you know
great boss and good good to his
employees and stuff so put it out there
you'll get it back yeah be a nice person
yeah how tough could it be yeah yeah
yeah that's great preparation for the
business you have chosen because uh it's
unnecessary to be nice to be a nice
person and yet I think it's helpful
unbelievably so not just in your life
yeah well also in terms of managing
groups of people and um and just keeping
a cool head and you know there was not
not any volatility in our household so
it always confuses me when I'm met with
it I'm I'm I I don't understand the
level of emotion sometimes that comes up
in what we do because we're just telling
stories on a little stage it's like why
is everyone so upset yeah why is
everyone so upset the money I guess
people worry about being responsible for
huge amounts of money and letting people
down yeah is this why in fact you've
turned to
writing it the writing came partially
out of the what drives me in general as
an actor fear and anxiety sure and and
and having a stretch of time where I
didn't know what was coming next and um
right and so I just filled the time and
and then it became a thing I owed people
who were paying me but it started as
just an activity kind of for myself yeah
yeah I started a mantra years ago that
everyone in this room and people who are
regular to the show have had it with
already but if you're not creating
you're waiting and as an actor it is
waiting unless you get proactive in the
whole thing it was also just kind of the
way my brain works I can't I can only do
so much like um going to Soul cycle and
like you know I mean I read a lot and
but I just start kind
of creating some you know and and uh
that's what happens at at rest is I came
up started coming up with it's it's not
always fun it sounds like a brag like a
brag like I just can't keep still my
brain just keeps working but but it is
it's just sort of what happens and what
is your process to jot down the idea
when it pops into your head um for a
long time there wasn't one and uh and
over time just decided to test your
memory on a regular basis kind of I keep
a lot of it in my mind how's that
working kind of it's okay it's okay I
mean I do I carry a notebook I write
things down I write things in the phone um
um
but uh a lot just kind of um it's it's a
weird process of of cooking things in a
way like I that comes up if I'm driving
or you know um it's not linear
necessarily it's not always there on
command when I go to sit down to write
so I have to you know write it as it as
it happens but I've learned quite a bit
because I started with a a novel I wrote
and that turned into a an adaptation of
that for television like it I have had
these different opportunities and every
time I do something else I learn so much
that I want to go back and redo all the
stuff I've done already because you know
writing like acting it's something
Frozen in in time but you could always
keep revising it you know if you were
able and and so i' I've learned quite a
bit and from filmmaker Don Roose who's
credited in in my book I finally learned
a method after after all these kind of
trial and error a method as a writer
yeah um which I talk about in the book
and and reprint these pieces of paper he
gave me very generously um which is how
he gets his work done which is a
variation of it's called kitchen timer
but um to me the the most vital and most
difficult hurdle in writing is just
getting out of your own way abs and and
releasing yourself from like this has to
be the greatest thing you know I've ever
done in fact the opposite is true of the
first draft exactly except that it's
going to be [ __ ] you're going to rewrite
it within an inch of its life uh My
slogan which I I think I came up with is
don't be perfect just be done which is
just get to the end of whatever it is
Fant and then uh I throw up the first
draft just throw it up yeah but it's
very hard to do if you're um when you're
starting out I think it's impossible
you're so embarrassed as if anyone is
looking at at the first draft as if
anyone is Jud no one no one will or no
one should you're forced to yes exactly
and maybe that's it it's like you're so
horrified at your own um when a day has
passed you wake up and start the next
day do you go back and read what you
wrote the day the night before or do you
just catch up with a paragraph and then
it depends I try not to go back that's a
real trap because you'll just revise
your first 30 pages over and over you
already started the rewriting process I
I just rewrote this conversation um and
um but but uh I try to look at it just
to kind of place myself in time but not
not go fix it yet um and uh pretty much
that works and what I've never done
which is probably terrible but I don't
outline anything um which in a book of
essays is one thing you know I had the
titles so so that became sort of an
outline of a of a sort but um in
structuring fiction or structuring a
screenplay having no outline is really a
disaster but that's just how I do it so
far yeah I I rarely use an outline also
I'll have an idea for beginning middle
and then sometimes just a just uh a
beginning and I want the end to evolve
with what what the story is I don't
always feel the pressure to know how
it's going to end I think in fact unless
Sometimes some crazy ending comes to
mind first which has happened uh-huh and
then I figure out how the hell am I
going to get there and then that becomes
a ridiculous Road I always right with an
outline I don't know what I write
sketches yeah I because I figure out the
I figure out the beats and then I write
those down and well if I may that's the
way you're supposed to do it yeah no
we're crazy yeah yeah I'm very
structured yeah it helps it does help
yeah if
you what I'm attempting to write next
I'm trying to do an outline for the
first time and what what is it I'm
spending a lot of time on that and I'm
thinking I'm starting to think why this
is a lot of time is it a screenplay or
yeah yeah yeah I just had this crazy
idea um and I'm doing research
beforehand which is not which is only
something when I'm in the body of it do
I find myself breaking away to do some
research I'm going about it differently
and um it feels like a lot more work
which I'm not afraid of um that was the
thing we talked about Bri briefly before
we went on which is the so much more
work involved compared to the acting
yeah yeah yeah well acting
uh has can involve research and and a
lot of work but um I'm doing some
episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm right
now and boy is that a fun day of there's
no preparation you know you he writes a
wonderful outline and then the rest of
it is you just show up and try to be
loose and it's um definitely in contrast
to the screenplay I've been working on
that is there's a particular I don't
know if you have there's a particular
kind of when you when you spend an
entire day writing it's the grossest
feeling in the world of like you've been
sitting so long you know my writing
outfits are terrible they have to be so
comfortable like my you know Peter comes
home like the hair on top of the head
and the glasses and the blur expression
like it's just it's a certain kind of of
effort that um it's just such a
different feeling than being out you
know having your day or you know being
out working as anything well yeah
getting lost in the vacuum getting lost
and and uh I see I write in the tux okay
so that's where we differ
slightly no top put the Hat on the chair
next I'm like what I want a I want a
more attractive um treadmill desk
because I can't the sitting is just I
can't stand it but um I saw my first
treadmill desk yesterday I went to a
friend's office and he had a treadmill
desk and I made fun of him for 11
minutes and then I went oh yeah no that
does make sense it makes if you're going
to put in the hours of writing something
but I can't imagine this while walking I
don't know can you yeah I don't know I
think you would train you would train
yourself to do it I think yeah I don't
know I'm a terrible multitasker so I
couldn't imagine myself doing it I can't
I think the treadmill desk is really
when you're on the phone right I don't
think it's necessarily for the writing
right in his office there it's just so
unattractive I just couldn't I just
don't want one in the house that's how I
from a standpoint it's yeah yeah M how
about a massage chair treadmill dis Dr
combo then you just might as well I have
seen that Relax The Back has a massage
chair that has like a a desk arm that
comes out yeah because this is easy to
do also I can't yeah I've tried that
that does not working either I can't
even read no when I'm in the damn yeah
um same discussion in Somalia right now um
um weirdly
uh this one more question about Dad okay
that I really really loved you once said
of him when my dad and stepmom would go
to their lake house in a small modest
Town he'd say don't wash the car we
don't want to look fancy right that's
the greatest thing ever well that also
is is a um a very sort of that that's so
my dad like my dad doesn't want anybody
else to feel bad about anything you know
to the degree that from doing especially
yes that somehow his nice car is would
make the other residents of this town
you know feel bad like he wants to be a
a local and this is a place that the
family's been going for a long time and
and um his dad actually used to have a
summer camp on this lake so it is a
place they the family's been coming they
love it there but his dad owned or R ran
a summer his dad was an athletic
director like a high school coach and
then in the Summers would run this this
camp and all the his my dad and his
brothers worked at the camp and and then
eventually the camp was sold but we
still have this like little cabin on on
this Lake and so it's just a meaningful
place but the town has struggled over
the years um couple of factories went
out of business and so anyway um wow
yeah my my dad doesn't want anybody to
feel too bad no so yeah he keeps the car
dirty that's [Laughter]
[Laughter]
pretty I love that to death um you also
once said there are things that I'm good
at and there are things that are just
not for me I'm not going to play a
cop and that's okay just stop hold it if
I may I'll shoot I would like to test
that theory I have two pages that I've
printed out I'm so bad at it from the
screenplay that I'm going to direct
hopefully spring early sum wow okay yep
and um I've circled your part okay good
Yep this is a my name is Franklin all
right I mean okay no don't tell Oh no
you're Franklin you're Franklin I'm
Franklin even wait I'm Larry this is a cold
cold
well that's my dad's name that doesn't
even hey you are the uh first female
character in a film named Larry okay and
um no this is literally two pages it's a
cold I'll let you go through it once
I'll let you read through it once to
yourself why it's fine I'll do it let's
just do it yeah okay interior Franklin's
office late night at his desk Franklin's
overworked eyes are illuminated by the
glow from his computer music slowly
builds as he leans forward eyes widening
camera inches towards him ha in music
inches up
Franklin Jesus Larry wow what do you
want sorry you little
girl come on I'm working what what is it
I can't even do
it just thought you might want to know
that there's somebody over in County
lockup who's been asking to talk to you
was that a young woman like the 50s what
uh no I can't you know what let's judge
it when you're
okay judge it while you're doing it uh
no actually the purpose described to me
as a stupid Rich prick now maybe it's
just me but prick is usually applied to
the male of the species a name did you
get a name hey hey don't bite my head
off cuz you just pissed yourself his
name is Pitman all right happy now I
just might be now if I may I uh I have
notes but we're not in trouble here
we're not in a bad area no it's terrible
I I it's so bad and I also can't be
doctors I tried I I got offered this
doctor show and for a minute like year a
couple years ago and I was like uh come
on guys yeah I could be a very
convincing I mean house is a kind of
wacky doctor like I can do it and I sat
down and like a group of friends trying
my very best at the table and everyone
was like everyone was like
no no don't do that no no um so is it
just a person of
authority uh it is language that is is
uh informational like I I I view most
things through a somewhat humorous lens
and I mean Exposition is always a [ __ ]
to have to say yes but I I think it's
living in a humorless world that would
be very difficult cuz it's just as it is
I'm always like Mug What's the de like I
like sincerely I I had this wonderful
acting teacher wi hanman in New York
and he would give us different kinds of
material and his when he his his basic
kind of teaching was you have to have a
feel for something what whatever that is
the language the emotion the story the
person it's you know you you and it is
not a failing as an actor to not have a
feel for something it's just not for you
so that's kind of where that thing came
from it's was a kind of a freeing idea
that that you know yes my initial dream
was to be part of this resident company
we had in DC The Arena Stage and we' go
see anything they did and it was kind of
this fascinating you'd see a guy play
you know very different characters over
time and that's what I thought I wanted
to do and to some degree I've gotten to
play a range but yeah just when it comes
to certain it's just certain worlds I
don't want to live in too I don't want
to live in Kelly calls you're going to
be the lead Pro prosecutor in a new show
you get the script and you're like oh no
well but David Kelly stuff to me has
such a good sense of humor and those
those are very full people I think I
mean more the straightup world of like
um you know uh like a law and order or
something which is also a fat wonderful
fantastic show I just think I'd be
terrible on
it let's go to the
clip sck wolf on the
line D that's right um we have another
segment on the
show uh first but before we get you know
what I do want to talk about the book so
so a s a collection of essays they
differ from short stories because
they're non-fiction right
uh tell me the process cuz you you had a
novel come out in 2014 MH that is a a
fiction a story that um you drew a
little bit because it's about an actress
and then according to the research it's
mostly fictionalized and just made up as
much as people wanted to insist that
you've shared so much of your salad days
um so the turn to nonfiction becomes a
completely different yeah well it's it
was a combination of
um I started having I I don't I just
started having ideas for the the the
novel first CA came came from uh being
approached to do a memoir or to do sort
of a Mindy kingy kind of you know book
of funny essays and at that time I just
felt I didn't want to do that I didn't
want to I didn't know sort of how to
calibrate that in terms of revealing my
personal life I don't I never really
like to do that very much and and so
instead I kind of found myself telling a
story that could I could feel objective
about um but by the time we it was sort
of in the air that Gilmore Girls might
come back and I thought for whatever
reason I just thought okay well the book
ends of doing a show many years ago and
then getting to come back and do it
again that to me gave kind of a reason
for a book of essays and kind of a
structure it's there's only two essays
that are about Gilmore Girls the whole
book isn't about that but that to me was
sort of an interesting framework and um and
and
so but the book was going to happen no
matter if the show was happening or not
but then once the show was happening
they they thought oh great you know
we'll have the book come out so suddenly
the book I had you know pitched was due
in like eight months and then Gil girls
was originally supposed to come out in
January and then they moved it up to
Christmas and I was like okay one less
month to write the book and then they
moved it up to Thanksgiving so I mean
there are pictures of me like talk about
treadmill desk like anything was a desk
you know just like I had my laptop and
I'd like shove it under the couch but
they're like and rolling and I was like
and writing and like it was an insane
um timeline to complete but there it is
so you're trying a new format to begin
with then the time you have to do it in
start shrinking and continues to shrink
at what point was uh there any enjoyment
for you well I loved writing this I have
to say it was uh first of all I was
working with the same editor who I now
had a Shand with and the kind of
bite-sized chunks of writing one story
you know if you will and and then kind
of being like okay I can put that away
for a minute and work on another one it
just had a an easier structure you know
I didn't have to worry about necessarily
the whole um all at once and I just had
titles of things I wanted to write about
um for example judge not lest ye be a
judge on Project Runway which was which
was which was my experience my traumatic
experience realizing too late in as I'm
that I did not like being a judge of
anything and that I was a complete fraud
as a fashion expert of any kind and that
and and I just you know was one of those
life experiences
of a supposedly fun thing I'll never do
again you know and um so you were a fan
of the show giant fan of the show and
and Al I thought it might be a relatable
idea which is you think you want to do
something because you enjoy it careful
what you wish you enjoy watching it and
then you in the doing of it I thought oh
no I I what I like is being home and on
my couch in my like sweatpants watching
this happen you know I didn't I just
realized I didn't like I didn't have the
taste for um you know it looks like you
slipped on a banana peel and you know
hurt your head or whatever what like
that would be a judgment of a piece of
fashion but like I just got real like
and you know those are some of the
scariest moments if I will when
you're when you when you've made the
decision you know this this might be fun
yes this will be good and then you're in
the middle of it yes cut two and you're
there thinking how did it not cross my
mind how horrible this would be and I've
had that lesson so many times actually
and and I feel in Show Business there
are so many things you know you get
asked to do these odd things that that
are somewhere between working as an
actor and like going to an Oscar party
or whatever there's like this wide range
of and even going to the parties you
think are going to be fun yeah I don't
know it's you know so many things most
of show business is anticlimactic that's
right almost all of it other than the
creating and other than I think the
initial uh incredible um glow of kind
of having a dream as a kid come true you
know in in any capacity but I had that
as much having three lines on a sitcom
you know
as you know as I do being the lead of
something and and being the lead of
something comes with a lot more
responsibility so yeah the the kind of
glow I keep thinking of of of like I
dreamed of doing this and now I get to
do it is
incredible but but how many times a day
can you say that well also yeah and the
Glam part of you know I remember going
to some I was nominated for and and I
had like just broken up with somebody my
whoever was in the car with me
representative was like screaming into
the phone about another client and I and
I was just like you know got out of the
limo and I thought like people are
looking at this and think and you know
think like
I'm she's got it all and I was like I
have literally nothing like you know my
dress hurts and like my I feel weird and
you know so but it takes I guess maybe
it's a luxury of getting there to
realize all the external stuff is not
the fun part the fun part like you said
is just the playing you know just the
being uh creative and and and you could
get paid nothing or a million dollars
for that it's the same feeling you know
the same when did the idea that turned
to writing and that huge switch start to
formulate a little bit and I read talk
about this in the book a little bit it
just came from having the space I had
been on 11 for many many years just
working working working working and and
kind of had a moment one day in my
Parenthood trailer where I thought I
don't there's nothing like breathing
down my neck right now I I have some
free time and kind of space and
and and so it just kind of came to me
you know the the novel started with kind
of a couple pages I you know I was
connecting to in that
moment that person who dreamed of
sitting in a trailer one day you know
and and and what happened to
her she's gone
um um but it was kind of the I thought
how what what was I thinking you know
what I mean I thought like who how dare
I think like I there's no show business
in my family there's no actors there's
no my mom kind of wanted to be a singer
for a while and there was a little bit
of that kind of interest and and talent
you know she was really a talented
singer but um what her career was she
really didn't it didn't happen for her
and and um yeah so it was connecting
with that kind of
you know uh person and and that's sort
of where that which is me but it's a
different you know me of long AG ago but
that's where the writing started and and
then I just found that I really liked it and
and
um and I learned a lot as I went along
yeah um we have a segment on the show
called famous questions uhoh which was
not the case when you were here last
certain people in my household were
laughing to themselves this morning
yes they were because in this case it
was in fact uh your so-called better
half yes uh I don't think he even has
the gumption to call himself that
um warm and funny charming and smart
Diane Keaton said of your book in The
New York Times that just popped up on a
page you really did get ridiculously
wonderful reviews from people who you
must admire well right yes and a charmer
of her first novel W Street Journal
thoroughly you know hello yes it was
very nice none of that matters none of
that matters but I will say um Diane
Keaton in particular who whose daughter
I played in a movie um just said to me
one day I was telling her some story of
something and she said you should write
a book and and and just the permission
of someone like that saying it literally
literally put it in my mind in a way it
had not existed before and I always
think about that in terms of um how what
a tiny line there is you know
between if she'd never said that right I
don't know that I would have allowed the
possibility and how powerful that is and
also how
we don't give ourselves permission to do
like I wouldn't have thought of it
because Diane Keon said it I was like
yeah I could do that she's talking
exactly and so I don't know a very
unique affirmation uh from a Menor or or hero
hero
um neither of those words would be
attributed to Peter
ker uh back to your better question is
who's who who has a a series of
questions let's start with the first one oh
oh
boy uh you have to be stuck in an
elevator for 3 hours
god with
either Barack
Obama Larry David or George
Clooney wow um potentially getting me in
trouble with my current employer Larry
David but I have spent a lot of time
with Larry recently so so it's enough
already it's no it's just I I I don't
have we've T we I spent a lot of time
with Larry
recently so I view this elevator St
stuckage what anyone as
a elevator ent trapment ent and and good
alliteration as an opportunity that's
why you have a head writer for show and
I um personally at another time might
have chosen George cloney who I also
know a little bit who's very smart and
Charming but I am so freaked out by
what's happening in our country right
now I would love a good three hours with
Barack Obama just to and tell me it's
going to be okay yeah I'm sorry we're
out of time for the other questions but
that really was nice the way you broke
that down all three yeah you wouldn't
just give an answer no you had to you
had to let the others down give a nice
short yeah as if
like crying George get over it Let It
Go wife we brought on those Who Wants To
Be A Millionaire producers walk us
through your logic yeah he's made this
next question much easier for okay uh
you could only you have to give up one
of these for the rest of your life bags
boots or blue jeans let's just blow that
one off that's just that's just funny
you don't have to answer that we have a
joke in our house which is you can never
have too many um blue jeans it's not a
great joke but uh it's uh you can never
have too many boots or jackets because
the two of us are have too many boots or and
jackets um you if you had to remove one
of these islands from the Earth
it's the most original question I had to
ask you which would be Japan Hawaii
Manhattan Ireland or Nantucket wow yes
everyone's pulling for nck but you go
ahead and Sho I have to remove of if you
had to remove let's discuss that
situation well because he picked all my
favorite places your phone rings yes
Lauren we didn't know who else Obama I'm
calling from an
elevator we need you to remove um he
picked your five favorite places Japan
Hawaii Manhattan Ireland and Nantucket I
got to go n Tucket sorry correct continue
continue okay
okay
um speaking the Peter KRA of it all you
guys met on the Parenthood no we met on
Caroline in the cityone also correct
Thompson thank you you became deeper
friends on the uh on the shooting of the
Parenthood television series friends
first very closer friends closer friends
and then one day no I would say friends
since Caroline yes and I knew him to be
be
a popular gentleman sure and you mean
among the ladies yes and and as a rule
that does not I'm not no thanks yeah
Jamie's the same way we're only together
because I'm not at all a chick magnet
that's not true oh um so the beauty of
when we were working together on
Parenthood was I had no it was didn't
occur to me no and not a possibility not
a possibility which is a wonderful
energy to uh start things because you
have like L literally no expectation and
he we went out for drinks one night and
he's never left that's basically what
happened so really if you had your way
he would have left that was a take away
for me it was a complete shot you know
it was just it was like a timing thing
guess I I wrote this down a bit of a
gamble though if the show lasts longer
than the relationship well if the
shooting of the series continues yes
right sorry my throat we've seen it Go
all kinds of ways and um and yeah it's a
it's always a gamble we didn't tell
anybody for a long time at work no you
didn't and uh and then when we felt like
we were okay then we told them that
brother and sister were together in a
and everyone applauded everyone in a
very strange unfortunate way um let's
take this moment to thank our sponsor
for today's show and we've done that
okay um sponsor ambient noise when did
you first read the life-changing magic
of tidying up secondary title the
Chinese art of decluttering Japanese art
yeah I prefer the Chinese I understand
art of decluttering and organizing I
read it a couple summers ago I I read it
when it came out whichever you clutter
heavy prior to that no but first of all
my mom grew up in Japan I'm obsessed
with Japan I love Japan and there's the
the um it's not a senate hearing by the
way I would never hurt Japan and um and
I don't know I I think I'm actually
fairly cutree I just really liked the
idea of less and um and
especially you get to an age where
I can't buy Peter another Ralph Lauren
shirt like he doesn't you know like you
don't need any any kind of you're full
up of stuff you know which is why um I
WR about this too which is why I'm out
of the key demo because I have my car
I'm not getting a new one I have had it
for a long time you know what I mean
like it there's when you're young and I
first maybe getting settled and you're
you need a a you know a blender and a
coffee maker and you know certain stuff
and like we don't I don't like clutter
on the countertop I don't like clutter
I'm going to tell you that right now I'm
I'm going to agree with you and um so
yeah it's just kind of the idea of can
can someone turn you on to this do with
a little less
less
uh I don't know I don't know I don't
remember I think I was just drawn to I
judged the book by its cover weirdly
that is the correct answer I don't know
I don't know I think I was just drawn
too thank goodness is that the wonderful
background noise being is coming through
for you guys fortunately that's terrific
what is it it's like a car
idling I think it I think it's a
construction truck or something first I
thought it was some sort of music it's
closer closer that car has
passed that's what happens what does it
appear to be
keny robots robots again the correct
answer we are being ATT
by robots uh we'll keep you a prize as
the show continues
continues
uh this editor you're working with on the
the
book you write how many essays to begin
with is there a a number you're trying
to get to there's
a page count that people want yes when
you're trying to get ask them for money
uh uh meaning you know if the publisher
wants to charge a certain amount of
money there is a a sort of page count
attached to that um it's in the three to
400s of pages no well uh I I believe
contractually for for instance the novel
was 990,000 Words which ends up being
about almost 300 page I could never
figure out what EX 90,000 words doesn't
sound intimidating at all that's right
oh God believe me you but you can't look
at it that way of course it's it's just
that's that's about the see I would only
look at it that one as I'm typing I
would say
89,900 and you have that word count you
know on the screen if you're using the
thing I use and um and that is daunting
I used
to uh do kind of plan a day of work
according to word count I try to get to
a thousand words or 10 pages or whatever
it is I've just found that's not helpful
no um if I just assign myself hours of
the day and release the uh number thing
I actually end up getting more done and
how much coffee do you drink on average
each day I Dr there just a lot of coffee
anyway but there are some days where I
just go it's it's like those long actor
days where I just 12 yeah it's really
the most miserable thing
I um it has often been my most happy
place to to be lost in the story and the
characters and just writing page after
page uh not caring about the outside
world not not even really aware of the
outside world yeah well you I think you
go you get into a a a concentration kind
of flow and while it is very solitary
this sounds insane but I you know there
there's a lot of people on the page who
are hopefully in some way speaking to
you helping you know it's the thing you
said about not knowing the ending
sometimes you're having a conversation
with uh you know your characters and
your situation and sometimes they tell
you where you're going and I just find
that so fascinating there the feeling of
where is this coming from yeah sometimes
well and that was the fun for me
especially when I first started writing
an a novel people would ask me about the
the main character who was a reflection
of a time in my life but it was just as
fun to me to play you know her elderly
agent and the dad and the boyfriend you
know it's like you got to play kind of
get in in the mind of all the people
were you good right away at different
voice different uh uh behavior and
personalities that's one of the more
difficult things yeah no I don't think I
was good right away at any of it I do
think I accidentally or
fortunately given the two TV shows I did
pretty much back to back had and and and
had a a writing School of a kind because
I know what the feeling is of performing
a writing and and dialogue that feels
really organic and feels fun or good or
strong or smart you know and and of all
those years of looking at the structure
of of scripts and storytelling and I
think it just kind of got in there yeah
there's no question you read enough bad
scripts yeah you start to see some
things you'd like to avoid yes um if we
don't talk about the return of gold
girls we uh Gilmore Girls Golden
Girls why is everyone laughing I want to
talk about the return of Golden Girls
did you not hear about this wait is are
they really yes no all new cast no they
just bringing the show back no no no I
just trying to
cover but see how I was upset because
that's I mean somebody will whereas
Gilmore Girls you have to bring back cuz
we need to make some fixes uh what is
this like the phone rings the agent
saying they want to bring the show back
after what 10 years it was years um well
we'd had this conversation it's the
conversation I'd had more than any other
conversation both with people I run into
in the airport uh TV critics and you
know fans of of the show and and with
the creator of the show um but it
started about a year and a half before
we actually started filming which was
this time last year but the year we'
gone to a festival in Texas the Austin
TV festival and um you could just feel
there was like a you know this show has
its super fans which who are fantastic
and and know the show so well but you
could just kind of feel it in a new way
I don't know if enough time had gone by
that now there's a new generation or you
know the moms who' grown up with it are
watching with their kids you know I
don't know I think also it's a
comforting and kind of nostalgic place
to go and TV had gone so like they're
zombies they're vampires they you know
gone be so dismissive of the
undead but I you know it just had gotten
so much like bigger and louder and you
know more violent and I think there was
sort of a a a Nostalgia for for a
simpler you know town that has like one
traffic light and stuff so the
conversations were endless and had gone
on forever so the final call which is
okay we're actually doing it it was like
4 days before we supposed to start
shooting I mean up until the last minute
there were still people who were
not the the the the deal making process
was quite a an ordeal um it was just it
was just so many people it's a cast of
150 people you know and and um can I be
honest that's too many I it's a lot it's
like a giant it's like a Busby Berkley
music One traffic light 15 I know in the
cast yeah scripts like so everyone in
town was on the show everyone in town
was on the show right and I think it's
important you know if you bring a show
back like that that you know you bring
all the town's people back so we did and
uh okay so uh there's a couple things we
do wrapping this up first of all I can't believe
believe
you uh yeah don't keep it to
yourself I'm fighting it why I'm
I moved idah home and stole your
neighbor's barbecue oh no to got that
out uh uh okay so there's there's three
questions for the show that are this is
worth a thousand points oh yeah
redeemable at never you mind kind of
never you mind Cafe uh-huh ready yeah
caramelized onions or onion
rings caramelized is is that correct it
is okay second question
Keith sure also correct final question
cauliflower or Carl Weathers I don't
know who Carl Weathers is is he a
football player sure I don't like I
don't like cauliflower youl anything
that's not cauliflower so you didn't see
the Rockies the rocky
films the Sylvester Stallone Sylvester
Stallone I love Sylvester Stallone
golden girl is coming back I don't know
if you heard that yeah I'm playing uh
name uh not blanch no um no it's Dorothy
borck Dorothy's borck uh but who's the
wonderful actress who plays her B Arthur
people are going to be so mad at me yeah
yeah they are honestly our fans will be
more angry that you don't know Carl
Weathers really who is that was H Creed
in the Rocky films
okay all right we're no close play
himself on Arrested Development yes okay
um but I chose him over cough you did
Easy Choice how mad could he be you
chose him over something that you don't
like yeah uh that is your camera there
uh we we're just going to need one last
throw at the Larry King game do you
remember the Larry King game so much fun
to play yeah so the three breakdown
rules are uh need a bad Larry King don't
want a good one a bad Larry King makes
me laugh so so you can't lose there oh
boy do remember this yeah just do
anything right and then as Larry uh you
look down the barrel that camera and you
share something about Larry that nobody
needs to know yeah that was that was
Larry's favorite thing in life and then
you go to the phones and if the name of
the city is funny sounding it's not
going to hurt anyone someplace near
Nantucket I
suppose uh there it is okay um use
glasses if you'd like okay sure
um I'm Larry King sure uh
and uh I need a pedicure Ron cona you're
up next bring it at home bing bang
Zoom wow I gu of all the bad Larry Kings
that's my favorite B it was just jewy enough
enough
perfect there it is uh get yourself a
copy won't you still available in all
forms did you record the audio version
she did chose me to play myself talking
as fast as I can is the name of the
collection of ESS please check it out
and and um the uh the novel as well
titled someday someday maybe also true
MH um thank you so much thank you for
returning to to the show and um you know
don't worry about the car weathers thing
I am worried about it now obviously I'll
never forget him
again thank you very much okay thank you
would you mind staying there
uncomfortably while I wrap things up for
the folks at home and everybody else
fine okay your Oscar pick by the way for best
best
picture I want to Go hidden figures sure
and a personal favorite yeah absolutely
the underdog yeah all right yeah I also
haven't seen La La Land so I don't know
well I'm still I'm still hoping for
moonlight man are you oh Moonlight wow
Moonlight boy I either way so when it
comes to the actual voting we should not
send you I'm very suggest you about oh
yeah that one yeah uh that's your show
for today I want to thank Jamie and
Sammy as always uh Dr Evil Kenny Chen on
the floor Samantha Ward with the makeup
trying to make some of us look better up
in The Crows Nest we got the Michael
dooman and the the Jason
McIntyre Luke Allen everyone's favorite
new and turn overqualified underpaid
Brian will we ever hear from Brian again
yeah oh great you know what just leave
it at
yeah I don't want any of the details uh
Cory Levan on post that's it for this one
one
uh congratulations to all the Oscar
winners and for those of you who were merely
[Music]
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