← Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino
Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino
THE VALLEY PREMIERE! + RHORI/RHOBH & Interview with Clay Elder!
01:16:05
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ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend. Hey, it's Christy and I'm Kelly.
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We're spilling the tea, calling out all
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New episodes drop every week and yes, we're laughing through the drama for once. Follow grab a drink and join us
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as we go back to the bar.
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I am definitely getting my sparkle bag
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sporkle. I'm definitely getting my sporkle back. Hello everyone and welcome to Everything Iconic with me, Danny Pellegrino. That was a clip from the season premiere of the Valley. I am excited to dive into the Valley and just opening on the Jax's bar sign coming down made me feel good. It made me feel like we're on the right path. And I'm not only just excited to see Brittany get her sparkle back, but I gotta say something controversial in that I had sort of forgotten that Schwartz and Lala were joining the show full time. And so upon first glance, I was like, oh. And then by the end of the episode, I sort of was into it. And I don't know if they got them at a cheap rate. When they got rid of Jack, some money opened up in the budget and they had a little. But it worked out for me. And so although I do wish that Shishi was there and I think Shishi would have fit in more flawlessly with the group and I don't quite understand what happened there. Obviously there was some stuff that was going on behind the scenes and I don't know, I'm proud of Shishi for taking some time to herself and figuring out what's going on with Brock and Summer Moon and all that kind of stuff. But I do wish she was in this cast. I'm sorry to say that especially after seeing Schwartz and Lala feel at home. And maybe it was just like the familiarity of seeing them made me feel good. I'm also really into the Schwartz and Zach as a duo. I didn't expect that to happen, but suddenly I'm shipping them and I want them to. I want them to boink. I don't know. Do people say, have I ever. I don't think I've ever said the word boink in my whole life. I don't know why I just said the word boink. It's such a weird. I don't like that term, boink. I don't think anybody should be boinking. If anything, you should make your panties go drop, drop, drop.
- [04:04]
B
Make it go pop, pop, pop until my panties go drop, drop, drop.
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A
Now, before we get deeper into the episode, there is a lot going on in the Bravo universe. And I said I was gonna come and do the second episode this week to talk about some of the Bravo going ons, because earlier this week I did a whole Summer House situation, a whole Summer House recap. Because there's so much going on with the West, Sierra, Amanda and Kyle and that whole gang. I also just saw an interview with Kyle Cook. He gave someone on the Streets and Kyle said, carl's a mess. Which made me laugh because it's like, what do you mean Carl's a mess? This whole scandal. How is Carl a mess about it all, but somehow it does feel right that Carl's a mess. And so there's a lot going on with Summerhouse. And so next week, we'll dive deeper into the Summerhouse situation because it seems like more information is coming out as we're going through the week. And I'm still so curious. It sounds like they're not picking up filming. And my take on this. I know we're gonna get it more into Summerhouse next week, but my take on the reason why they're not picking up filming is because they already have in the City and the Summer House finale, like, done and edited. And so in other scenarios, when they do pick up filming, it's to end the season and they maybe get a whole nother episode out of it or they're able to tack it onto the finale. But I think in this case, it would be too hard to have to, like, re edit the premiere of in the City. Some of the. In the. You know, like, it gets really convoluted because Summer House is leading into in the City. And so I think that's why they're not picking up filming. But it also means, I think that we're gonna get a better reunion out of Summer House. So I feel like let's save it all for the reunion and we could get to the bottom of it. And hopefully, I'm sure Andy will. I'm sure they're all prepping the questions, Andy, and seeing what's going on. And. And also, I think it means that we could save everything for the union because there might be some developments by then. Who knows? Who's to say? But aside from the Summer House situation, we also got. I don't know if you saw this in the news from Roni. They're filming the new Roni again, despite the fact that nobody seems to want it. But Psy is coming back to Roni, and her and her husband announced that they're getting divorced. So I'm assuming that'll play out on the show. And then we also have the Rhode Island Housewives, which I did take notes on. I did take notes on. But here's the situation, and I'm sorry to say this, I took notes, and yet I don't think I can fully recap it yet. And I'm very. I loved the premiere. I loved the Rhoda. They're my new Italian sisters. I loved it. I loved every second of it. I'm so excited to watch them go forth and prosper. I feel like is almost like a Throwback of Housewives in that I like that we're gonna get some messiness, but it's not gonna be some, like, big, giant scandal or people going to jail yet. Although I will say, this cast, obviously, there's skeletons in the closet. I don't know where exactly, but I think we can all look at this cast, and we all know, like, they have some demons that are going to be coming out in the. In the future. So I don't think this season necessarily we're just going to get to know the gals. But would I be surprised if one of them went into the clink in a couple seasons? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And that's why Bravo casting deserves a raise and an Emmy, because I was looking at all those gals, and I'm like, oh, wow. They all. I feel like we're getting, like, little bits of things, but I. It's like they have a scandal in their future for sure. At least one or two scandals on the Rhode island cast. And so I loved it. I loved all the gals. I loved Dolores being around, even though it seems like Dolores doesn't really get in the mix. She just, like, popped into. I don't know, her and Paulie popped in, and I love Polly. And they were just getting a caricature done, which, you know, caricature artists are my arch nemesis. That's like, my biggest arch nemesis as a caricature artist. Because when I was a teen, went to Myrtle beach and on the boardwalk, unfortunately, I had paid them money to get a caricature art made of myself. And no one should do that, especially at a ripe age of teenager dumb or preteen dumb. You should never really. No one should get a caricature done. And I think it's unacceptable. And I think all the people who do it for a living on the boardwalk, I hate to say it, especially because I know that I want to support the arts, but I don't consider that art. I consider it mean. It's bullying. And I think they all need to be locked up. You know, put them in. Put them in the electric chair, because I don't think anybody should be drawing you with an exaggerated nose and some crazy eyes, and it's not okay. And when I did, I remember doing it as a kid, and they. You tell them one little thing. And at the time, I think I liked the movie Mighty Ducks, and they put me in, like, all this hockey gear, and it's like I'm not even playing hockey. I just like the movie Mighty Ducks just got a Crush on Joshua Jackson. Like, I just. I'm getting Twitter painted by the Bash Brothers and Mighty Ducks. Like, I'm not. It's not that I'm, like, playing hockey. And I remember they put me in, like, a hockey uniform, and then I had glasses at the time in my. It's just not okay. It's not okay. But so anyway, I'm happy that Dolores showed up, and she doesn't seem to get in the mix, but I'm happy to just have her around there. And she's also coming back for Jersey Housewives, so she's really live laugh lovin'. She's thriving. And then. Yeah. So I was gonna, like, come in and take all these, do a full recap of the road on Rhode Island Housewives, because I thought we're starting a new era of Housewives. But unfortunately, as I was watching it, it felt like watching an Animorphs book cover come to life. Do you remember Animorphs? Where the book covers from the 90s. Kids know what I'm talking about? Animorphs was this a book series where it was, like, about these teens turning into animals. And on the book cover, they'd show, like, the. They'd show like, a lizard. And then the lizard was like, slowly. Or no, I'm sorry, the person was slowly turning into a lizard. So it'd be like some teen girl named Ashley. And, like, she'd be turning into a lizard on the COVID and you'd see every different iteration. So, like, in the middle of the COVID it'd be like her halfway a lizard. Does that make sense? Probably not, but that's how I feel watching the Rhode Island Housewives. Cause it's like, I can't tell them I'm parked quite yet. And so we are going to hopefully dive into it a little bit more going forth. But right now, I can't. I can't because I don't even know how, you know, I'm going on Kate Casey's podcast. Kate Casey's great. She does a podcast. I think it's called Reality Life. But she's fantastic. And so I'm going to go on her podcast and talk through it with her a little more this week. But for now, that's all I have to say about the Rhode Island Housewives is that I think you need to watch it. I think it's going to be great. And we have a lot of red flags. There's even that one. There's a one gal on there who she's married to, someone who's like, got another. He's, like, never in town. Just left her the house. And then he's, like, gone. He's gone. And then got another girlfriend or something. Yeah. Meanwhile, they're also all holding seashells in the. In the opening, which is crazy, and I love it. It's crazy, and I love it. And I was thinking, like, if there was an Ohio Housewives, like, what would they hold? Would they just. I imagine there'd be, like, a cardinal flying around them. Like, that's what I would want. So that's the Rhode Island Housewives and then also Beverly Hills Housewives. I know I have been on public record saying it's. It's probably the worst season they've ever had, and I do believe that, and I'm not taking that back. I stand by that. I think it's been a terrible, terrible season, and I do think they need a drastically do something over there. However, this week's episode was fantastic. It was, like, a lot of drama going on. Erica and Dorit, which I didn't expect. And so sometimes with all these shows going on, I can't cover them all because I got a baby and I'm already, like, overwhelmed covering what is one show. And I always say I can't do more than two. Two is, like, kind of my limit. And God bless people. Like, watch what crappens and the other ones who cover them, like, fully 100 shows. But I just. I can't do it. I feel like I'd lose my mind because I take pretty detailed notes. And so we're gonna try to dip into all these other shows. They got Atlanta coming, the premiere, Rhode island, of course, starting up, and Beverly Hills, I think as they wind down is gonna be good. But as of right now, we're just gonna fully be covering Summerhouse in the Valley. That's the goal. And then. So if you tune in, you're gonna get other thoughts about these other shows, because I can't help myself. However, the full recaps, the full. We're going to do the Valley in Summer House. Does that make sense? But Beverly Hills, if you haven't watched this week's episode, the Dinner, it's just like Erica and Dorico and after each other in Italy. And it's like, finally one good episode of something going on. Something's happening. Okay, so let's get into the Valley. I know that's what a lot of people are tuning in for. They're like, dani, why aren't you talking more about the Valley? And I'm Sorry I had to get through all that other stuff. But now we'll get to our sporkle.
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B
I am definitely getting my sparkle back.
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A
Mos Sporkle. I'm so happy for her. And we open the episode with her house. And lest I remind you all about the word art that's everywhere in Brittany Cartwright's house, it says the Cartwright's on a mat and then it says Cruise and Brittany. And then even we've never touched down. I don't believe in Cruise's room. And we're seeing even more signage in Cruz's room. It just says Cruz. And it's like, I don't think they need to label anything. If anything, I need this kind of energy on the Rhode Island Housewives where they're all labeled because I can't tell the Rhode island people apart. And now here we go on the Valley and it's like I see Cruz and Brittany's name a hundred fucking times. Like their first names, their last names. And it's like that's the energy we need over in Rhode Island. Like, I wish they all had the names in their houses like Brittany does. And so I've been so hard on Brit Bananas about all the signage and the word art in her house, but now I'm actually thinking, like, Brittany's 10 steps ahead because she's thinking, guess what? You're going to remember my fucking name. Like, we're not going to forget Britney's name like she is. She's going to get us. It's going to absorb into our souls whether we like it or not. We're going to know the Cartwrights and we're going to Cruise and we're going to Britney because she's got the signage everywhere. And over on Rhode Island Housewives, they need to take a look at Brit Bananas and they need to say, oh, we should put up some word art because then people will be able to tell us apart. Otherwise we're fucked. So anyway, I'm happy for Brit Bananas that she's got the signage everywhere, but it is kind of shocking to me that you go in every room there and it just says like Brittany Cruz Cartwright. And then sometimes, like the. Sometimes, like the apostrophes are in the wrong place and stuff. I love it. You know, the thing about this show, the Valley that really struck me this week was that they are just sort of like sort of all unapologetically themselves in a way that I find so refreshing. It's like we're learning about Brittany talked about the new boyfriend's Big dick. And then, like, Janet was talking about something in her privates, and it was like, none of them care. Zach is on camera just taking his GLP1, being like, here I go. Like, they're all just sort of like, they don't give a flying fuck. And that's what I need out of the reality stars. Because sometimes you watch these other shows and they're all so buttoned up and they're trying to control the narrative and everything. And it's like this one, they're just like, yeah, I'm this new guy. He's got a big dick. And it's like, great. That's what I want from these shows. And so Britney says she's paying for her house. She's got Prime. Does she have primary custody? I think Cruz is adorable too, by the way. And Brittany says Jax and I are still not. Still not divorced. We're still not divorced because Jax won't turn in his papers. But I'm hoping in like, six weeks it'll be done. But we're still not divorced in having to wait on Jax to file paperwork. Sounds like the worst nightmare. Because, like, I'm not saying I don't believe that Jax was ever a good student. Like, I don't think you know how you could tell people. You could, like, picture them in the seventh grade and you're like, oh, they. They were a good student. They were straight A. They were, like, getting in their stuff on time. They were showing up to class on time. And then you see people like Jax and you're like, oh, he was not mentally there. Like, I. I imagine him just, like, drawing on the desk and not really paying attention to anything that was happening and not turning in his homework, like, barely skating by. And so the fact that now Brittany has to wait for him to turn in stuff. Now me, even if I was going through divorce, I was a good student. Good student. I was class president all my high school. And so I was, like, on top of things. I was voted most involved in high school, Was also voted best personality, but that's neither here nor there. Saving but most involved because I was involved. I was, like, really kind of like that. Annoying. Maybe a little bit of. I had a little bit of Tracy Flick energy, maybe, but I was turning papers left, right, and center, whether they wanted them or not. I was turning them in on time and ahead of time. And so even if I was getting divorced, which Matt and I will not be getting divorced, hopefully, knock on wood. But if I was, I would turn in that paperwork. I would Want to turn it in first. It would just, I need to turn it in like that my, my childhood schoolyard person hood would just want to turn it in quickly. Be like, I gotta get it into the courts, gotta file it to the courts because they want it. If I have to file anything, any kind of government paperwork or payments or anything, even payment, I don't like to like leave something waiting, like a bill waiting. And Matt, that's kind of one of the issues that might lead to the divorce of Matt. Cause sometimes when, if like he's paying any of the bills, I'm like, well, did you send in the, the check? Did you send in the rent or mortgage or do you send in the electric bill or whatever? And he's like, no, I didn't do it yet. I'm like, we need to do it. And he's like, well, we have two weeks. And I'm like, no, we need to turn it in. I need it there asap. Something about it stresses me out. If it's not, then we do have Zach's apartment. There's a million gay flags everywhere. It's like the trans flag, the gay flag, bisexual flag. Yeah, he's an ally. Not only is he part of the queer community, but he's also an ally because he's got all the flags there. And he lives in WeHo. And he's like, I'm not moving to the Valley. Benji's moving in his house. In fact, actually, because Benji's got a valid visa from Canada. And I was just talking about, on the last episode of the podcast, I was talking about how I'm always in love with Canadians in here. I sort of forgotten that Benji was from Canada, but they do some Ozempic. Meanwhile, Jasmine and Melissa, they live in Sherman Oaks, which is the Valley. They're getting married. Jasmine's like, I'm not a bridezilla. But then she is, which I loved. Then Michelle's got a new condo in West Hollywood, which was surprising to me for some reason. It was shocking to me that Michelle's in West Hollywood because that's not the Valley. It's not that far. It's kind of hard to explain for people who don't live in California or aren't familiar with the terrain, but West Hollywood is still pretty close to the Valley. It's just not considered the Valley. And it's. But it's surprising to me that she's over there. Meanwhile, that big eyed Aaron, he broke up with her and she dodged a bullet with that one. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to say, but I don't. She said he broke up with her. And honestly, Michelle, good for you. Because I don't think that man, something about his spirit rubbed me the wrong way. And I don't have many answers as to why. I don't have a lot of proof or receipts or timeline or screenshots about why that man rubbed me the wrong way. But something about his spirit didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was the eyes, I don't know. But I was happy that he's gone and now Michelle can move on and be single Michelle now. I met Michelle at BravoCon. I actually met all of them at BravoCon because I did the Valley panel. But Michelle was one that I haven't. I had never met in person. And we were on a plane together to BravoCon randomly. And then I got to chat with her a little bit. And I, like, really loved Michelle in a way that I felt like the show doesn't portray. And obviously the show can only show certain parts of these people. But I was really shocked that that was probably the most surprising. And I also got to. I had a. There was like a big group dinner thing that I went to, and Jesse was there. And I also really liked him too, by the way. So I'm not like picking sides, but I was most surprised by Michelle out of that cast of, like, she seems so sweet and so nice and warm, and I don't feel like those qualities really come across with Michelle on the show. And granted, it was just like, obviously BravoCon, so I understand that it was like a heightened weekend or whatever, but just I feel like I can get a good read on people in person. And Michelle, I was like, you know, I liked her, although I did also was on this microphone for years talking about how nice Tom Sandoval was. And that was pre scandoval, so what the fuck do I know?
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Saving.
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A
But I did like her. She was super sweet. And again, Jesse was charming, too. Meanwhile, Danny and Nia, they moved over to Santa Clarita, which, seemingly a million miles away. The mountains there they were. Danny was like, going outside and something about, I love mountains. And I spent a lot of time in Utah and I thought the Utah mountains were, like, so beautiful, so gorgeous. And I think, like, there's so many places in the US where like, you go and the mountains make you feel secluded. And I don't know, but there was something about those Santa Clarita mountains by their house that was making me feel very unsettled. Didn't anyone else feel that way, I don't know. But they got four under four. Adelaide. Is it Adelaide or Adeline or something? That's the last one. Now Danny and Nia and Kristen, Luke, they had the baby at the same time. And just for context, it's the same time as our baby was born. Lucky, our son. And I think Lucky and Kristen and Luke's baby, they were like five days apart or something. And I got a chance to meet Kyan, Kristen's baby, also at BravoCon and Kristin actually has come over and she's met Lucky as well. And they have an adorable baby, gorgeous Kaya. But so I really related to them kind of going through all of this just because the babies were born at the same time. And so it was also fascinating to me to see like how Nia and Kristen were handling the new motherhood different. Now, granted, Kristen's baby's the first baby, but Kristen, the whole episode looked and felt energetically like very harried, you know, not, not hairy in like the hairy sense, but like harried, you know, like chaotic and like, you know, speaking of hair, I had the hair kind of like in a crazy bun and like just was showing up really stressed and it seemed like a lot. That's kind of how I felt and still feel to this day, showing up anywhere, like just kind of harried and like trying to get my bearings. And they went to this restaurant and they like showed up and Kristen just like sort of barged in with the baby like the Kool Aid man running through a wall. And Nia looked like so perfectly together and was just like sitting calmly with the baby. And Kristin's like rocking the baby like stressfully back and forth with the hair kind of a mess. And I related to Kristen in that, in that moment and all the moments where she was just losing it. And she said she's a good mom, but she's not good at being anything else. Right now in three months it's all such a, a mind fuck and a shock to the system when being a first time parent and you're running on like almost no sleep. I mean, we're just about 10 months in and it is even still I'm like, where did the 10 months go? But like also it just feels like a whirlwind. I feel like the Tasmanian Devil. And even every time in that first year or so, it's like every time you start to get used to a phase, it's like the baby's in a new phase and the nap schedule's Changing and the feeding schedule's changing and everything. And so you do. It feels like fucking nuts. And I understand how Danny and Nia, they've had four, so by now it's like they get it. And so I think that's why when you have two, three, four kids, by the third or fourth, you're like, I don't give a flying fuck. Like, everything will be fine. But that first one is, like, kind of crazy. And I don't. Kristen said she hadn't left home. She left home like, one time in three months. And I. I think I didn't really leave the house much for the first few months. I remember I did some, like, Q and A thing for. I know what you did last summer. Like, the reboot, it was like I did a Q and A on the Sony lot where I was moderating it and it was maybe seven days or nine. Nine days or something after the baby was born. And I felt like nuts. Just in a way. I was gone two hours and I was like. It felt like I was entering a brand new world. And then after that I was like, I'm not leaving the house again for a while. And so it was like another month before I left. Anyway, the Lala and Janet are baby shopping because Lala is back on the show. Is back on this show. And she is invited to the sip and see that Kristen and Nia are having for their babies. And they do a 2015 VPR flashback where Lala's yelling at Kristen and Lala and her confessionals. Like, yeah, Kristen tells it like it is. So she's my type of chick. And look, I kind of feel like Lala. The reason why I think Lala. How do I say this? I just don't feel like Lala fits in as well as Sheena with the group. But I am excited that she's around more so than I was expecting to be because I was sort of expecting to go into this season being like, we do not need Lala. But then also, it doesn't seem like Lala gets that activated this season. Maybe I'm wrong, but I hope she gets like. I hope she stirs the pot and gets activated because I don't know. I'm not. I'm not opposed to Lala being there. It just feels a little odd to me and I don't know why. I know she's close friends with Janet. Do you guys think Janet will finally have a good season? I don't know. Do you think she will? I think it's actually shocking to me that Janet, how many seasons are we third or fourth season of the show and she hasn't had a good season yet and I keep thinking like they are going to give her a good edit one year. Right? Am I wrong? Anyway, let's all ponder on that. We're going to take a quick break here and we're going to come back. Thank you to Acast and we'll be right back. This episode is sponsored by Tumi, the international travel, lifestyle and accessories brand. Tumi invites you to break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with its Mediterranean Escape Collection. 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- [26:47]
B
We're lost. It feels like we're going round in circles.
- [26:50]
A
I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.
- [26:56]
B
Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.
- [27:00]
A
Nah, I'm just kidding.
- [27:02]
B
Let me get my phone out.
- [27:03]
A
How is their signal out here?
- [27:05]
B
T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.
- [27:17]
A
Actually, can you pull up the way
- [27:18]
B
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- [27:51]
A
And we're Back.
- [27:51]
B
And I was like, oh, all right.
- [27:55]
A
So lala is back in the mix in the sip. And see, Janet was not invited to. Now. Janet said she got therapy. In the meantime, Nia blocked her on everything. Lala tells Janet to apologize to Kristen. But apparently there was, like, this thing with Britney at her house in the off season. She had, like, a pool day with the kids. Janet and Kristen were both there, and I guess Kristen didn't think Janet was going to be there. And then when Jan showed up, Kristen's like, you don't belong here. And then Janet got mad. She said she left. She went in the car and she got mad at Brit Bananas. And Lala's like, well, I'm trying to have fun this summer. And so you need to make up with each other. And I do want Kristen and Janet to make up. I need them to make up. But it sounds like they'll not never make up because even in the off season, they're having these big fights. And Janet said she was like, she had to take the kid from the pool party and head home. And she's like, I was crying. The son, Camden was crying. That's the name Camden, right? She's like, the son was crying, I was crying. It just sounded very stressful and chaotic to be bringing a three. How old is their kid? Three or four? I don't know. But I have to leave the party in. In tears. I mean, I'm sure my son will see me in tears a time or two. I mean, who am I kidding? I'm a crier. I'm a crier. So if somebody would, like, yelled if I showed up at a party and somebody was yelling at me, I'd be like, come on, Lucky, we're leaving. And then I just start. I lose it on the way home and cry. So I get it, actually, but they need to make up. This feud has been going on maybe a little too long. Then Britney, we see her talking to Brandon, who's the new boyfriend, the new guy she's going on date nights with. Date night. I just need a date night with Brandon. And she calls him honey, which was shocking to me. And this is when she says she gets her sparkle back.
- [29:39]
B
I am definitely getting my sparkle back now.
- [29:42]
A
She dated this man years ago. Like, what did she say? 13. They knew each other 13 years ago or something, or haven't talked in 13 years. But then they reconnected and they went to Cabo together. And it was funny to me because she was. He said on the phone, they're facetiming and he lives three hours away in California. But, like, three hours away. And they went to Cabo for five days. And on the phone he's like, I could have stayed for another three days. And Brittany's like, oh, Darcy, you don't mean that. Three. Three. No, three more days. And I was thinking, like, yeah, like, three more days. Like, that's not that big of a deal. Like, it was. What a weird sort of compliment to give your new girlfriend. It's like, I could have stayed three extra days. Like, we were there for five days. Well, guess what, baby? I can stay for three more days. Now, usually in the beginning of relationship, you would. You sort of feel like you could spend every day with them, not just, like, eight days total. Like, that's what made me laugh. It's like, I could have spent eight days total with you, and it would have been fine. And it's like, yeah, in a new relationship, like, you usually want to spend every minute with them, not just eight total days, but it was like, yeah, I could have spent three more days with you. Love that. But Brittany's got her sporkle back, and she deserves that. And she got sunburned in Cabo. She said, I'm sunburned. I'm burnt to a crisp. And she says they fucked. But I think on, like, their first date back with each other, she said it, but in a nice Kentucky way. She's like, yeah, we fucked. But not, like saying those words. Do you know what I'm saying? But if he fucks her over, I swear to God, this Brandon, I don't know if he fucks her over like Jax Rotten Hill, you know, I just hope she's being careful. She needs to be careful. Now. Then we cut to Schwartz and Zach, my other favorite couple on the show. God bless Benji, but I do love Schwartz and Zach together. And Zach, right when he showed up, he grabbed Schwartz by the love handles. Now, I do want to say that this is actually. You know how I say grippers on the show? Like, I call hands grippers or feet lower grippers. So I've been saying this for years now. And actually, the reason it started is because in high school, the origin of grippers was because we had this friend who would grab these young. Some of my girlfriends, he would, like, grab their sides, which is what Zach did to Schwartz when he entered, like, grab their love handles. And I remember a girlfriend of mine, and we, like, got mad at our friend, and I was like, stop. Put your dirty grippers away. And, like, so then grippers became A thing with my friends. But so grippers. That's where the origin of that term was, was because we had this other friend who was, like, grabbing girls by their love handles. And it was like, nobody wants to be grabbed there. And it wasn't even happening to me, but I had to stick up for my girlfriends. I was like, get your dirty fucking grippers out of here, because you shouldn't be grabbing someone by the love handles. And I think it's, like, a weird, flirty thing to do. But I don't care who you are. Like, if you're the hottest man in the world, like, I don't want you grabbing at my love handles. Like, that is. You can pat me on the back or slap my ass. Like, I'm not too particular. Otherwise, like, you could pretty much touch anywhere else. I'm okay with that. You know, I'm. I'm giving you all consent at the moment right now. Within reason. Within reason. But love handles. I will not give my consent. Like, if you. If any of you were to come up to me and, like, grab me by the love handles, like, I would. I would never speak to you again. Like, I can't handle that. It's not okay. It's not okay. But anyway, so watching Zach do it to Schwartz, it just made me think of the origin of the term grippers. And on this podcast. But I do like them. There was also a Katy flashback, which was shocking to me, and I hate to say. I mean, should I say that I do. I sort of want this show to just turn into Vanderpump Rules. Like the OG cast. Yes. Like, I wouldn't be upset if Katie was on this show. Like, I kind of want her on this show. Is that weird? I do want her on the show. I want all of them to come back. But Zach and Benji, they're very. They have an open relationship. So it's okay if Zack gets with them. Schwartz. Because Zach said they're in an open relationship. He's a trailblazer, I think. And he says, oh, he does tell Schwartz, as he's talking about being in an open relationship with Benji, he does say something about Jesus putting prostate in the butthole because he knew butt sex was. Wasn't just for babies in reference to Jesus. Now, the medical journey was a bit unclear to me at the time, but I thought it was important to bring that up because Zach was going on and on about something about Jesus and the prostate in the butthole, and I was like, I don't know if that was in the Bible. But it's in Zach's Bible, and that's okay with me because I do love Zach on the show. And so I'm going to believe that that's what Jesus wanted. But I didn't really understand the medical journey he took us on, if I'm being quite honest. And so I would like to be able to recap it further, but I don't. Further farther. But I don't really understand. Anyway, then we cut to Nia and Kristen. We talked about this. They get lunch with the Bebes. Kristen said pregnancy was fun because everyone was so nice to her. She's like, now everybody's mean. I had the baby, and nobody gives a flying fuck. And that would be a mind fuck. I love them both. And Kristen looks so frazzled. Nia looks so put together. Kristen looks on the brim. Meanwhile, Kristen and Luke's house. Jesse comes over there, and he talks about Lacy, the girlfriend who, lest I remind you all, Lacy's the girlfriend who was in the finale, which we see later in the episode. But in the finale of last season of the Valley, Lacy had this big fight with everybody, and she didn't sign a release form, so everybody thought, like, well, we can't use the footage. And I remember the audience, we were pissed. Like, well, they talked about at the reunion, but we were never able to see the footage. And now seemingly Lacy's in the cast. And so Lacy more than anyone else, I'm, like, very excited about because she sort of feels like a villain. I like when on these shows, like, a new villain comes in for, like, just a season. And I was getting. How do I say this? It's like Janet. Yes. Has been the villain of the show for the first few seasons. Janet and Jax. We lost Jax. And I'm kind of over having Janet as the villain. Like, I would like to see other sides of Janet. And so I am of the opinion that we needed a villain to come in and just take hold of the show. And it looks like Lacy's gonna be that. And I'm excited about it. And I also think it allows Jesse to lean into his villainry, because I think Jesse has a lot of villainry. But almost like, when he. When he'll, like, toe up to the line of villainry, right? Like, he'll give us a little bit, and then he scales back. And I'm hoping him and Lacy just, like, lean it. I want them to be like Boris and Natasha from the Rocky Bullwinkle movie or the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. Remember Renee Russo and Robert De Niro, like, I want, like, what the fuck was that about? I hate to derail us, but like Robert De Niro signing up for the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie circa 2000 or 2001. A shocking turn of events. I know he was embracing comedy at that time, but just imagine Robert De Niro on set with Renee Russo and they later starred together in the movie the Internet. So I think they're friends. But I can't imagine, like, Robert De Niro acting alongside Renee Russo and trying to pretend like Rocky and Bullwinkle, the animated characters were aside or next to them because they shot it. It was like live action. If you've never seen it, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Anyway, I want Jesse and Lacy to be the Boris and Natasha of this show. Now, Luke, in this scene with Jesse, I will say he needed a fresh pair of socks. And I'm sorry, somebody has to say it. He's got the baby blues. And I'm sympathetic to the fact that he wants to fuck Kristen and Kristen's not interested. But I'm also empathetic to Kristen. Like, yeah, Kristen just had a baby. Like, leave her the fuck alone. You know, like, go rub one out in the bathroom or something. But before he does that, he needs to get a new pair of socks. Because again, I was looking at those lower grippers and the hooves, you could see them through the socks. And there comes a point where you need to look at the socks and if they're see through, you need to throw them in the trash. I'm not. You don't need to donate them. You don't need to repurpose them. You need to throw them in the garbage. Right in the garbage can. My art teacher in eighth grade used to call it the garbage. She didn't say garbage can. And I don't know what kind of accent she had, but she said, throw it in the garbage. And so Luke needs to throw those fucking old ass socks in the garbage because they were see through. And I love Luke and he's a handsome fella. And again, I like that he's opening. I like that him and Kristen are open up about their sex life because that's a vulnerable thing to do on television. But you know what else is a vulnerable thing to do is throwing away your old dirty socks, Luke. And so maybe that needs to be next week's scene. You and Schwartz get together and just burn all your old socks and get some new ones. Go sock shopping. Because I can't look at Schwartz's bear hooves anymore either. He's always got those. Those dogs out barking and we don't need to see it. And so I would like them to go up to the sock shop or head online. Go to bombas.com Bombas is a sponsor on this podcast. We love our Bombas socks. They make good quality socks. And they. I forget they donate. If you buy one, you get a donate. It's like a good thing. We love our Bombas. So maybe next week on the show we see them hopping online and get some Bombas. They sell kid socks on Bombas too. So, you know, you could do it all on the shop and get the baby. But Kristen said she hates her body. She's like, yeah, Luke wants to have sex with me, but, like, I'm not interested. I don't feel comfortable in my body. And I get that. I get that. Meanwhile, speaking of body, what else is going on? Janet's got a skin tag on her gooch. A sentence I never thought I'd say. That's right. She's going to a party or something. I was like, I knew she's trying not to be the villain this season, but I don't know that we need to know about her skin tag on her gooch. Which was a surprise to me because they're walking. It was like, not even a. They weren't even seated at the restaurant. I think they were, like, walking into the restaurant for a group scene. I wonder if she even knew they'd use that on camera because they. She probably thought, like, oh, they're filming us walking into the restaurant. It'll probably just be. They'll probably have music over the shot of us walking into the restaurant. But instead they, like, use the audio of Janet being like, yeah, I got a skin tag on my gooch. And so I don't even know if she knew that was gonna happen. I don't know if she was aware that they'd use that. That audio. Just the sound clip of her saying, I got a skin tag on my gooch. Because they did. They did. And so God bless. And I hope it's either healing or the doctors looking. I don't know what happens with the skin tag on the gooch. I'm not familiar, but. And I think maybe it was. Did she say it was from the pregnancy or something? So God bless. You know, everybody's got. I actually supportive of her because she's opening up about things that maybe people don't want to talk about. They always say reality TV is a mirror of culture. And sometimes Reality tv, we need it because we need to see ourselves on screen in order to confront some of the things that we're all going through in our personal lives. And so I'm certain that there's somebody out there also has a skin tag on their gooch. And so they saw Janet and open up and bought this and made them feel less alone. And so for that, we salute Janet. You're gonna open up a skin tag on your gooch to help somebody get through the day? So be it. That's what these shows are, a mirror to our culture. And so I salute Janet for the skin tag on her gooch being a clip on the show. God bless. God bless. Amen. Then Janet, Brittany, Lala, and Michelle, they all eat at this restaurant. Brittany's still tan from Cabo. And this is where she said, the new boyfriend's got a big dick. She's like, he's got a big dick. Yuk, yuk. You know, I don't know if she said those exact words. So he got big dick energy because he's got big dick. He got a big old dick. He got big dick energy because he's got a big old dick. Oh, I love this show. I'm so happy Britney's back on our screens. I hope they gave her a raise. She deserves that. Not only for having to deal with Jax. I guess her raise really came in the form of Brandon's big dick. Right? Like, I mean, that's actually good for her. Good for her. He got a big old dick. I love her. Then Janet talks about leaving Britney's house at that event that happened off camera and how the. Her son was screaming and crying. She feels bullied by Kristen. It got really slow. They sort of slowed down and did this, like, slow motion thing with Janet. It got real dramatic. Then the sip and sea. Kristen storms into her own sip and sea. 20 minutes late, just, like, stressed and harried again. And I loved that Schwartz is there and Schwartz and Michelle. Schwartz had some interesting. I mean, the whole episode is really like, Schwartz is coming out. And I'm not saying Schwartz is gay, but he definitely came out as, like, an ally this episode because not only did he have that flirtation scene with Zach, but then when seemingly producers want him to flirt with Michelle because now she's single, he's single. I would imagine the producers were like, oh, that let's have them be a storyline together. But instead, Schwartz is, like, talking to Michelle and he's like, hey, did you ever see how Stella got her groove back? And she's like, no, I. No, I haven't seen that. And then he said something about, like, live, laugh loving. And he's like, I'm so Julia Roberts right now. And I was like, who's shorts hanging out with these days? Because God bless, I want to hang out with them too. Talking about Julia Roberts, How Stella Got the groove Back. They also mentioned, Michelle mentioned Vota Spa in shorts. They come to Vota Spa. Let's go to Vota Spa. And you guys, I used to bartend there. That's right. Years, like decade ago, I used to bartend at Vota Spa. It's a spa, but it had a bar attached. I'm sure I've told this story a million times on the show, but I worked at the bar. So people would come into the bar in their towels or robes or something. And sometimes there was a couple. Like, there was this one guy who was like a childhood crush of mine, like a sexual awakening for me. And I remember he came into the bar in just a towel because they come from their spa treatments. And I remember just being like, so
- [43:50]
B
like, whoa, make it go pop, pop, pop until my panties go drop, drop, drop.
- [43:56]
A
I was behind the bar thinking, like, I'm going to lose my job because the panties about to go drop, drop, drop. And I'm about to go pop, pop, pop. Because it was like my sexual awakening was at the spot when I was bartending in a towel, in a towel. And I was like, oh, he walked through the door. And I was like, oh, that's a Sheena clip. By the way, Michelle might be good for Tom, though, because I think that Tom needs someone to be kind of the alpha in the relationship. And I think Michelle going forth could should be the alpha in a relationship, so maybe they would work. But Lacy arrives and everyone got a cease and desist from Lacy. So I'm not sure that anybody really wants to film with Lacy. But they made her sign the release and now she's in the cast, I suppose, because Lala, she or not Lala Lacy arrives and the scene with her and Michelle we'll get into in a second. But that scene was so good. But Lala, meanwhile, is talking to Kristen and apparently Lala's baby dad could possibly be Luke
- [45:01]
B
saving.
- [45:02]
A
That's right, because Luke donated sperm to where Lala got her sperm. And they showed a flashback to vpr, which I'm loving all the VPR flashbacks, but there was a flashback. And some of the sperm that Lala was describing in the flashback could have been attributed to Luke. Now, ultimately I think on watch what happens live, Kristen confirmed that it's not Luke's sperm that created Lala's baby. So but that would have been great for storyline. I know producers were like praying somebody was in an editing bay producing. I just know there's a producer in an editing bay as they were going through this footage being like, please God, please God, let Luke's sperm be the sperm that Lala used. Unfortunately though, it's not. But if the baby does sort of look like Luke a little bit, I wish it was true. Meanwhile, Michelle and Lacy have this come to terms. What's the word I'm looking for? They sit and meet and it reminded me of like remember on the Hills when Kristen Cavallari showed up and. And it was at Heidi and Spencer's wedding. And then Kristen Cavallari sits down and then she glances over at Lauren. It's Lauren Conrad's last episode, which meanwhile they're doing the Laguna beach reunion, which I don't know how much more we need to learn about that show. Will I watch it? Yes, probably. But it feels like, what more do we need to know about that one season of a show? It was like some of this nostalgia stuff. I needed to sort of stop a little bit. It's like enough is enough. And I think I started to have an issue with it when every show started to get these podcasts where they would break down old episodes, remember where it's like a rewatch podcast. And especially early in the pandemic, it felt like every single show was getting this. And I'm sure Laguna beach, they did one, right? Stephen and Kristin did one. But it's like every single show it's like, I don't need to. And I'm a fan of Pop Culture Junkie. I'm like a huge fan of so many pop culture y things. But it started to feel like we're learning too much about these shows. Like back in the day when I would be a fan of something, it was so fun to like get little bits of information. You'd pick up a premier magazine or Entertainment Weekly and you'd read an interview or even celebrities wouldn't give as many interviews as they do now. So like they'd be on Entertainment Tonight or, you know, in Larry King Live or some long form interview and you'd get like a little tidbit about a past project they did. And it felt like so exciting to get to get a little piece of information. And then when these podcasts started showing up the rewatch ones and I'm talking about the rewatch ones where it's like, the cast members doing it. They would give out every detail about every episode, and then they'd do a book about it. And it's like. It kind of takes some of the fun of fandom out of it for me. Does anyone else feel that way? I mean, maybe people love it. Like, you want as much information as you can about it, but I kind of feel like it needs to. We need to go back to a little bit of mystery about some of these shows because. Or at least maybe not reveal everything. What are we talking about here? But I will watch the. I will watch the. Gonna be Trunian. Of course I will. Of course. And I'll probably end up loving it. I will. Ba da ba ba ba. But Michelle and Lacey, so they sit and talk, and this conversation is so crazy to me. That's so passive aggressive. And Lacy says, you seem happy and healthy and in a good place, which is. I'm sorry, that's passive aggressive. That's like implying that, like, Michelle was in a terrible place before, which not to say that Michelle wasn't in a terrible place, but if you're dating Michelle's daughter's husband or daughter's father, then. And to go up to them and say that after you send her a cease and desist, and it's like, you seem like you're gonna place in a good place. It's like, girl, you just sent me a cease and desist last season, refused to sign the release for the finale, and now you're showing up on camera and you're telling me you seem happy and healthy and in a good place. I felt like Michelle was gonna coldcock Lacey's ass because I couldn't believe that she said that. And Michelle's like, I am. And then she. I think Lacy says, are you or no. Michelle says, are you divorced? Or did Lacy say that? Somebody said, are you divorced? And Lacey says, yeah. And then Michelle's like, I don't know anything about you. And Lisa's like, listen, I don't want to fight with anyone. I'm going through a divorce. And this conversation is just so batshit insane. So batshit insane. So much is said without being said. It's like watching. I felt like it was watching, like, a gladiator match. That's how it felt to me. It was so thrilling. More than anything on this show, this was thrilling. Lacey, Michelle, I loved it. Smart casting, too. And I just know the whole group is gonna be pissed to be around Lacey but then they have to go with it. Did you guys see the girl with the pink hair? Was that that gal from Vanderpump Rules? Was her name Tori? Remember, there was a gal who was, like, flirting with Schwartz and flirting with Katie, and I think it was just made up by production. I don't think it was a real thing. But was that her there? And it was like a little Easter egg for the show for Vanderpump Rules fans. I think it was her. Maybe it wasn't. But then they showed the fight from last season with Lacey, the producer. Jeremiah was, like, getting yelled at by Jesse in Lacy. We see her say, I didn't sign a release. And they show them fighting, and Michelle's at her wit's end and about to snap. And it was like this thrilling fight last season. I'm so glad that we got to see a little bit of it. And it was how the episode ended. And I hope we're gonna get to see more from that finale next week. But I love this premiere next week on the show. We also get. We see Nia getting burnt out. Schwartz and Lala sort of pretend to flirt. I think they're gonna try to lean into that, but I don't think it's a thing. But I am excited about the season. I felt like this was a great premiere. I don't know. I just. I was so happy Jax wasn't around to take all the. The air out of the air. It was like every time he sucks all the air out of the room when he's on the screen. And last season got so dark with all the domestic abuse stuff and with Cruz around. And so it's like, I just. I'm looking forward to not only a little bit of a lighter season, but also having this new, villainous Lacy around. And I don't know. I'm feeling good about it more so than I even was preseason, because even when I did you guys, the valley panel at BravoCon, I. They weren't allowed to say much, and I think it was the first panel of the whole BravoCon. And so, understandably, I think one of the things that happens at those panels is, like, they don't want to give any spoilers of the shows, so then they kind of tell the cast, you know, like, don't. We don't want you to say too much. I think they say, don't. Don't give away anything because we got to keep the show good. And so sometimes I think the cast members at BravoCon on the panels go overboard with that. And they don't give any dirt. And I think they need to give a little dirt. And even if it pisses off some of the production or some of the network people, I think they need to give a little dirt for their seasons. But with the Valley panel, I felt like they were kind of buttoned up and didn't give much information about the new season. And that worried me because it was like, are they just trying to not spoil anything or is it a bland, bad season? And after watching the premiere, I'm like, no, I think it's a good season. I don't know if there's going to be some big dramatic scandal in the way somebody's going to jail or something. But it does seem like a solid, I feel in my bones it's going to be a solid season in a way that I didn't feel. Preseason, that's how I feel. That's the episode. You guys, I am going to leave you with an interview with my friend Claiborne Elder, who's an actor, musician. He's got a new album out now. You might recognize if you followed me to the Hallmark Channel. Remember a couple years ago I did a Hallmark Christmas movie that I wrote, produced and starred in called Deck the Walls alongside some fantastic actors, including Claiborne Elder Clay, who he played my love interest in the movie. Now, yeah, you might be saying Hallmark Channel 2 gay men having. Being love interests. Yes, that's right. That's right. Clay was my love interest. Although we didn't get to kiss on screen, we do have a dramatic, like, romantical moment at the end. I won't spoil it. But it was so fun. And Clay has been in a million things. He was in that show the Carrie Diaries, which was like the prequel to Sexy in the City. He's also, I think, most known for Gilded Age, which he was on that Cynthia Nixon and so many people are in that show. And then company on Broadway. He starred in On Broadway alongside people like Patti LuPone. And he's a big Broadway guy. He's so brilliant, so nice and sweet and lovely. And he's got a new album out, so he stops by. I am going to play the chat with Clayborne here now. He's the best, just a sweet gem of a man. Everybody on that movie Deck the Walls was such a sweetheart and gem. Ashley Green from Twilight was in it. She played my sister and Wes Brown was in it. And I still keep in touch with all those guys and everybody was great. And Clay, having him as my love interest, it was like my first Sort of big role, acting role. And he was so warm. And he has a son who. It was so great because during the filming of Deck the Walls, Matt and I were going through the surrogacy process and creating embryos and doing all that kind of stuff. And so I really was able to connect with Clay, and he kind of helped guide me through a lot of the process while I was on set there, too. And so it was really nice. I couldn't say enough good things about him, but so check out his album. And I hope you enjoy this chat with Clay. And we'll be back next week with the Summer House recap. I am trying to put as much as I can on the YouTube channel, which is YouTube.com Danny Pellegrino. And the number one. You can also find me on social media, Annie Pellegrino. Get my books wherever books are sold or go to everythingiconic store where you can get signed copies. And yeah, without further ado, enjoy my chat with Clay and I'll talk to you next week. Love you. Bye. Bye. Oh, and happy Easter. Happy Easter. I'm here with a dear friend, Claiborne Elder, who's got a new album out. I'm so excited to talk to you. Of course, you know, I'm from. From the Gilded Age, from Broadway, from so many things. And I'm so excited for people to hear the new album. It's called if the Stars Were Mine. Clay, how are you?
- [55:13]
B
I am doing great. How are you, Dani?
- [55:15]
A
So good. It's so good to see you. It's been a while. So good to see you.
- [55:18]
B
You're just the cutest.
- [55:19]
A
Oh, thank you. Thank you. Well, and also, famously, I didn't mention this up top, but you played my love interest in Deck the Walls, the Hallmark movie we did together.
- [55:26]
B
I was gonna say you listed things out, but that was not a part of it. And I was like, danny, the most
- [55:30]
A
important one, it should have been the lead. I know. We had a good time on that. I was just recently talking to Wes Brown, who was also in it. And, yeah, I keep telling him. I'm like, why? Why isn't Hallmark putting me in another one? What's going on? Have you gotten the call hell out of it? No. What is going on?
- [55:47]
B
Wes is going to come see my show. He's. He's. He actually came to see it in L. A too.
- [55:52]
A
I know I was supposed to go with them and we. Baby. It was baby. That was. I think the baby was like. And by the way, the baby's in the other room. So if you hear crying, we're going through, like. I think he learned how to do tantrums and, like, just happened. He's always been the most chill baby, but all of a sudden it's like he just wants to be held and.
- [56:13]
B
Which is great, but also difficult.
- [56:16]
A
I know. And speaking of kids, I was able to connect with you on Deck the Walls so much because I was sort of going through the process of the baby, and our son Lucky wasn't here yet, but you have a son, Beau. And so I feel like I was just constantly drilling you for questions like, okay, tell me about that. And then you would go and call him or check in or whatever, and I was like, oh, my God, I can't wait to have that. And it's been. So. I've gotten to interview a few other gay dads sort of in the industry or people that I know, and it's been so nice to connect with other gay dads because as you probably know, there isn't a whole lot of that or. I certainly didn't have a lot of gay men in my sort of orbit that had kids. And so being able to connect with you and some others just really meant the world to me. So thank you. Of course.
- [57:02]
B
Yeah, it's very true. It's a small little group of us.
- [57:06]
A
Yeah. How's Beau doing? How's the fam?
- [57:09]
B
They're great. They're so great. Beau is 8 years old. He's in third grade. He's obsessed with comic books. He writes his own comic books and distributes them to his class.
- [57:19]
A
What advice do you have? I was going to ask you this later, but since we're talking about it, what advice do you have for me? Sort of at the beginning of the journey?
- [57:25]
B
Oh, my God. Gird your loins. No, it's, you know, it is a surprise at every turn. And I will say, at every turn, you will love them more, and you won't think it's possible that you can love them more. And then you will. And simultaneously, you will always mourn the kid that they were because they change. And, like, I miss Beau at 3 years old so much, and I miss him at 4 years old, and I miss him at 5 years old. And I look back at those. Those pictures, and I'm like, oh, that kid, he was the best. And now he's a new kid, he's a different kid, and he is still the best, but.
- [58:07]
A
And at 12, you're gonna miss the 8 year old.
- [58:10]
B
Exactly. No, you know, I will never recover, sort Of. From the sadness of him growing up. And it's wonderful and sad all at the same time.
- [58:18]
A
Yeah. I've already been really sad about, like, letting go of old onesies and stuff. Like, that's been tough for me.
- [58:24]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [58:24]
A
I'm just trying. I'm saving everything. And Matt, my husband, is like, okay, you got to get rid of that.
- [58:29]
B
Enough stuffed animals. When you start throwing stuff away, it's really hard because they seem like little people. They're like, oh, no, but you loved him. And I'm like, no, you have to go away, because I can't have 50 of you.
- [58:40]
A
Right. I'm so excited that you're coming out with an album. You know, I was telling you the whole time we were on set, I was like, you need to come out with an album. Like, you have amazing voice.
- [58:49]
B
You. I was thrilled to talk to you about it because you were a big part of why I did it. I remember having a conversation with you one day where, like, this producer had stepped forward. They wanted to make this album. I was like, I don't know. I don't know if I want to do it. And you were like, do it. Why haven't you done it? Do it. Do it already. And I was like, you know, I should do it.
- [59:06]
A
Yeah. Because, I mean, also, you tour all over, and I think I'm sure everybody that comes to see you live is like, okay, well, I need to go take some of this music home with me, or I need to get a little piece of it. And now you're finally. The album comes out in physical. I think April 13th is that. And then digital week before. Yeah. And so I'm so excited for people to. And it's so good. Obviously, of course, I mentioned you have such an incredible voice, but talk to me a little bit about the process of getting it going and making this album.
- [59:36]
B
Yeah. You know, I will say being a dad was a big part of the impetus behind it, which is that as I'm. As I'm getting older and it became a parent, I've been thinking a lot about, you know, what we leave behind and what are the things we make. And as an actor, it's very easy to be someone else's paint. It's very easy to just show up and create a world. Like, be a part of a world that's already been created for you. But making something completely on your own is scary. It's scary to put something out that it's really just like, this is just me.
- [60:08]
A
The things, you know, and also just to piggyback. Sometimes when working on other projects, it can be. If it's somebody else's voice, you can kind of hide behind that. Even though you are offering, like, even if you're acting, you're. You are offering very intimate parts of yourself. But you can always sort of like, be like, well, that was their thing, you know.
- [60:27]
B
Yeah. And this is the first. This is really the first thing I put out that I'm like, well, it's my fault.
- [60:32]
A
You know, it's your.
- [60:33]
B
No, Mike, it's me. Yeah, you know that it's like. And I love that about it. And I set out to make something that was very, very intimate and very personal. And, you know, all of these songs are songs that are deeply personal to me and very connected to a memory or a story about my life. And. And I wanted to reimagine them in a lot of different ways. You know, it's a very. There are a lot of gender bent songs. There are a lot of kind of queer songs. There are a lot of. Because that, again, is such a big part of who I am, you know, and there are songs, you know, like, as a little gay kid growing up in Utah, a little gay Mormon kid, I was like, singing moments in the woods from into the woods. And I was dreaming about, like, falling in love with a boy and a prince and, you know, and I'll never get to play that part, but to get to sing it, you know, and kind of turn it into a pop song in these ways that it's been really, really a joyful experience for me and something that ultimately I was nervous. Ultimately I'm thrilled to share with people, even though it was scary to make it because it was just so me.
- [61:37]
A
How did you narrow down what was gonna be on the album?
- [61:40]
B
You know, it almost. It was pretty organic. Like, I. I would say there were a few extra songs that I cut, but it was very clear to me, like, what are your most. What are the most important songs? What are the songs you've been singing your whole life? What are the songs that mean the most to you? And it is all of these songs. You know, even there's one song that wasn't supposed to be on the album. It had gotten cut from the album, the list. But one day in the studio, we ended up having 15 minutes left over. And I was like, everybody, go back to the studio right now. And I got the musicians. I just gave them some chords, and I was like, this is Till There Was yous. I want it to sound sad, but also beautiful. Go. And we did it in one take and ended up on the album. We had time to do it once, and now it's one of my favorite tracks.
- [62:25]
A
It's always been my dream to be able to sing. And in that Deck the Walls, I had a scene where I was singing. And it was such a nightmare situation for me because although I was supposed to sound bad, I remember you were standing so good at it.
- [62:38]
B
You were so funny.
- [62:39]
A
You were standing right there. And I remember, obviously, I didn't know you were going to be cast. And so then to have to sing across from you, and you should have been the one singing. And I'm just also had to do it acapella because I had an earpiece in with the music. But singing live is truly like, you know, it's a very tough thing to do, but having. Having to do it across from you. And then I heard from so many people, like, why did he sing? Why didn't Clay sing in the movie? I was like, you're right.
- [63:11]
B
But I thought you were adorable.
- [63:13]
A
It was the thing you need.
- [63:14]
B
Cutest darn thing.
- [63:15]
A
But I love your voice. And of course, people know you from Broadway and so many. And television. I mentioned the Gilded Age. You were also on Carrie Diaries. I was like, well, did you watch Sex and the City?
- [63:27]
B
Yeah.
- [63:27]
A
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [63:28]
B
When I got cast on the Carrie Diaries, I was like, oh, my God, my dream.
- [63:31]
A
Like, I loved that show. Well, thank you. It was good.
- [63:37]
B
I really loved it. I really loved. They were great.
- [63:39]
A
You know, weirdly enough, during the. And just like that era of Sex and the City, I went back and it's. It was on tubi. Do you know what tubi is? Yeah, I, like, downloaded tubi. And I was scrolling through it, and it said Carrie Diaries. And I watched the pilot and I was like, oh, it's so cute. It should have. That should have gone. Gone on. It was way better than. And just like that. But so you've been doing all of these different. You've sort of dipped your toe into all of these different fields, I guess, sort of. Like, the question is, where do you feel most comfortable? Or is it. Is it all over?
- [64:11]
B
You know, it's a. It is. It is a little bit all over. And I think that. I think that this album actually kind of is a good representation of that in that it is like. It doesn't listen like a jazz album. It doesn't listen like a musical theater album. It's not. It's a collection of stories. And I think that, you know, it Feels like journal entries, sort of to me, these songs. And I think that on its own, like, song by song, I'm proud of them and happy. But I think, as a person listens to it start to finish, there's a real, like, story there. There's a real feeling of. Of who I am and. And through the whole thing, and. And. And so this, to me, feels like maybe the most authentic piece of who I am as an artist that I've ever experienced.
- [64:55]
A
When did you know you could sing?
- [64:58]
B
Late in life.
- [64:59]
A
Like, how late? What do you mean?
- [65:01]
B
I mean, like, I was always an actor, you know, I was, like, trained as an actor and things. And then I came to New York, and my first job was in. Stephen Sondheim took a chance on me and gave me a starring role in his last new musical he wrote while he was alive. I was some kid off the street. I didn't have an agent. I went to an open chorus call, and I got one of the starring roles in the show. And everyone was like, who are you? Where did. Cause I didn't go to a school. I didn't go to a fancy school for theater. And then people were like, oh, you sing. Because I could sing. Stephen Sondheim, which Stephen Sondheim is very much about, he writes like an actor. He writes things like he's communicating something through a song. It's very specific dialogue through song. And I found that to be, like, very interesting. And I think that that's how I. That's how I trained myself as a singer, was really treating songs like something that needed to come out of me in a way that speaking wasn't enough. I had to sing it because there was. The emotion was too great.
- [66:03]
A
What's the hardest song you've had to sing on stage or.
- [66:08]
B
God, that's a great question. You know, there's a song on the album Finishing the Hat, which is from Sunday in the park with George, which is a show I've done more than any other show. I've done it four times. I played George four different times. And it is not only an incredibly difficult song to sing technically, but from an emotional standpoint, is a very. It touches, I think anybody who is an artist who has experienced what it's like to. To kind of lose yourself in your art and the damage that it can do to your personal life. So I think, for that. That for those reasons, and that is sort of the best of some musical theater to me, which is, like. It's challenging to you technically and also takes you to an emotional Place that is very strong.
- [67:01]
A
I ask a lot of actor guests if they have a scene partner that they've been in with that has blown them away sort of the most. And I'm. Here's that question for you. But also, maybe it could also be the voice that blew you away the most. Like, who. Who have you worked with that just, you think was sort of the absolute best.
- [67:24]
B
There was this one actor that I played across from in this movie. He had to sing one at one point, and he couldn't sing.
- [67:29]
A
It was me, right? It was you.
- [67:31]
B
It was you.
- [67:34]
A
I love you so much.
- [67:35]
B
I love you so much. Oh, I did. Working with you every day wasn't.
- [67:39]
A
I will say, we did have a lot of fun. Right?
- [67:41]
B
A lot of fun.
- [67:42]
A
I know. It was very depressing to me when we ended, because I was like, oh, it just sort of felt like camp. And I felt kind of comfortable to do whatever there. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, besides me, present company excluded, you know, there are. I like that. I ranked that above, like, Patti LuPone and Carrie.
- [68:00]
B
One of my favorite.
- [68:01]
A
Yeah.
- [68:02]
B
You know, both of those women. I adore both of those women very, very much. There are some people that, you know, you look up to as a child or not, or even as a young person that you will just never be able to act normal around. Audra McDonald is one of those people. Our kids know each other. I can't act normal around her because I. I just look up to her too much. I'm like, I'm always. And I say that to her. I'm always like, I have a hard time being normal around you. Cause I just think you're amazing. And she's, like, in her sweatpants like clay. Gosh, people. There are so many, I would say, getting to watch. When I was in company with Patti LuPone, I stood on stage every single night and watched her sing Ladies who Lunch. She never did it the same twice. I watched her do it over and every night. It was an exploration about what the song was. And there was always something new. And I was like, God, you're so good. That's just. It's who I strive to be. You know?
- [69:04]
A
I'm gonna get messy for a minute. So you mentioned Audra and Patty. Obviously, you know them both pretty well, and they have a kind of infamous feud going on. I don't know if it's still going on. I'm not sure what the update is, but I don't know. Talk to me about it. Tell me everything.
- [69:19]
B
I try to stay out of. I try to stay out of it, because I don't want to get into it with either of them, you know, but it's definitely true. And, you know, like, Kristin Chenoweth came to see my show last night, too. And, like, among those, like, big, big Broadway leading ladies look to make it as a woman on Broadway, especially if you're over 40, if you lived through it in the 90s and 2000s and 80s, God, you are tough as nails. Because, man, it sucked. You know, like, they did not. Nobody was treating you very well, and everyone was over sexualizing you. And, like, I think you have to have been. You have to be pretty tough. And that said, I think that some of those women end up being really tough because they have had to stick up for themselves in ways that we will never have to. And I think that then they sometimes can butt heads because they also have very. They get very specific ways they do things and ways they work with people. And, you know, I mean, like. And I don't think they're always sticky, but they can be, you know, like, they can come across as sticky. And I think that there are things about Patty, you know, like, God, I remember once Patty yelled at an audience member. I got in a fight with an audience member to talk back because the audience member kept pulling their mask down. And they were supposed to. This was like, deep in the heart of COVID And it was like, no, we're all supposed to be in masks. And she was like, please put your mask on. And the guy yelled at her and was like, I'm paying your salary. And she was like, you don't pay my salary. Her paces, you know? And afterwards, I was chatting with her. We got to be really close, and she was like, I wish I didn't do that. I wish I didn't have that in me. I wish I didn't fight like that.
- [71:04]
A
Yeah.
- [71:05]
B
You know, but at the same time, it's what makes her wonderful. It's what makes her thrilling to watch on stage. Yeah.
- [71:12]
A
And I like a little diva attitude amongst all of the. The actors. You know, what's funny is during that whole. That sort of recent thing that was going on between Patty and Audra, weirdly enough, at night, I often revisit the Rosie o' Donnell show, which I know it's. It's crazy, but I was. Somebody had uploaded an episode, and I settled in to watch it, and her. Patty and Audra were performing together on it. I forget what it was for, but they sang a song together, and they were holding hands, and it's on YouTube. It's just some random person uploaded it. You know, if you. If you search it somewhere, you could find it. But it was. So. It was right at that time that that was happening. And I was like, oh, my God. Like, that was 90, probably 99 or something around there. And yeah, here they were holding hands, singing together, and I was like, wow, what? They must have.
- [72:02]
B
I'm gonna look this up, right?
- [72:03]
A
Yeah, they must have so much history together. But anyway, you do.
- [72:07]
B
I mean, like, it's a small community, you know, they all end up. We all end up knowing each other.
- [72:12]
A
So on Gilded Age, I saw a meme of you was, like, popping up after your last. I mean, it's sort of a spoiler. So if you haven't watched Gilded Age, just fast forward through what I'm about to say next. But you became sort of a meme for your last moments on Gilded Age. Talk to me about that experience and working with those incredible actors. And it was.
- [72:32]
B
You know, I knew that that was where the storyline was heading because they had pretty. You know, they had planned it out in advance and I. So. But it was still. But you always. I was like, oh, but maybe they'll change.
- [72:45]
A
Maybe they'll change where it's going.
- [72:47]
B
But it doesn't have anything to do with you personally as an actor. You know, like, it's the way the story is going. There's nothing you can do about it. But. But they did decide they did it in such. I knew I was. I was going to die. Spoiler. Sorry. But I didn't know how. And when we filmed it, you know, you film. They were like, do you want to do this stunt? And I was like, yeah, for this. If I'm going to go down, we're going down together. Let's do this. And we filmed the stunt. And I was like, this isn't very dramatic or like, because you film it very slowly, you know, and all this stuff. And before, there's no cgi, there was no horse and carriage. It was just me. So I was like, what is this going to look like? And when I went to do. They had me come in to do adr, which is like, over voiceover, you know, like, if they didn't get the audio. And they were like, we need the sound of you getting hit by the carriage. So I had to go in and watch and go over and over and over again. But I got to watch it for the first time. And I was like, that is violent and scary. They did a good job doing it. And then, yeah, it did Become. It did become a very funny meme where people were putting. Adding songs to it and things I
- [73:59]
A
thought was very fun. I had seen the meme before. I saw the episode and I was like, wait, is that clay? Like, what's going on here? And I loved it. Do you have a favorite song on the new album?
- [74:15]
B
You know, that's like picking a baby's. I will say, there's one song in the album, it's called it's so Nice to have a Man around the House. It's an old jazz tune that I sing that I hope gets played at many a gay wedding for, like, their first dance or like, I hope, I hope anybody, man or woman. I can picture people listening to it in their living rooms and dancing with their significant other or dog or whatever. It's this lovely little jazzy love song, but very gay in that it is a. I've taken it and, you know, I'm singing about a man. That's one of my favorites. Also, the. The title track, which is if the Stars Were Mine, which is a lullaby that I sing to my son. I've been singing it to him almost every day of his whole life, is very, very special to me as well.
- [75:01]
A
They must. Your husband and beau, your son and your family must be so proud of you.
- [75:08]
B
They are, they are. And they're. Yeah.
- [75:10]
A
How about your. I know your family in Utah. You come from a big family. Have they gotten a chance to listen to the album?
- [75:18]
B
Yes, they did. You know, I actually brought them along a lot. I have seven siblings and a lot of them I like, I was sending them, like, they helped me do the album order. I was like, hey, everybody, listen to this. Listen to this and tell me what order you think the album should come out in. It should be in and stuff. And everybody listened to it and, you know, like, right when it went on pre sale, they had ordered it on vinyl and ordered, like, CDs to be. You know, we don't even. They don't even have record players. They're like, I have to have it on vinyl. I'm like, great, but don't you find
- [75:46]
A
that that's sort of coming back now? I mean, my husband collects a lot of vinyls he has, and occasionally we do listen to them, but. And I also drive a truck that has a CD player, so sometimes I do buy CDs. I know. I like the physical copy of it.
- [76:02]
B
I do, too.
- [76:03]
A
Yeah.
- [76:03]
B
And you know, when people come to see me in concert and stuff, they do. People want something to sign. People want. If they see me in a play, they want something to bring to the stage door to have me sign.
- [76:12]
A
I know you have to sign a vinyl for me and absolutely I'll pay. Obviously I'm buying 10 copies of this,
- [76:19]
B
but we'll definitely send you one.
- [76:21]
A
I also just. I'm laughing in my head because I just bought a Gloria Estefan CD from like 97 or something or early 90s for my car, for my truck because I was like, I need a. It's a six disc player.
- [76:33]
B
Yeah. And you have to push and they like. You hear it go.
- [76:36]
A
But there is. It's so satisfying to get a physical thing. I. I'm kind of. I don't. I follow people on TikTok who are like physical media collectors and they, they go and thrift VHS and they watch, you know, movies that way or DVD or whatever. And like I could totally see myself returning to that life because I do miss it makes it feel more special, especially getting an album. Like I remember going to the record store on release day and picking up the album and then. And then opening it. Getting in your car and, and putting it in listen. And you would really listen to it front to back. Now I feel like with streaming great to have access and so easily be able to. To pop on a song. But I don't know that it has the same sort of impact. I. I miss you really paid attention to the music and just focused on it when you would buy a physical thing.
- [77:27]
B
I was talking to somebody the other day about going to Media Play and sitting and like listening to the. You could listen on the headphones at Media Play. Oh my God. I used to spend hours there listening stuff.
- [77:39]
A
Yeah.
- [77:39]
B
Because it was the only way to. Only way to find it. Only way to hear it. You know. I like an analog life. There are times I want to turn like I want to get one of those phone. Like I get a flip phone. I have a lot of friends that are starting to get flip phones or bricks that are just like.
- [77:52]
A
Yeah. Or even a house phone. I think I'm hearing a lot of people who are getting house phones and being like, well at home. I'm putting the cell phone away and
- [77:59]
B
you can call me if you need.
- [78:01]
A
Are you touring?
- [78:03]
B
I'm going to be touring in the fall. I'm going to be touring some more. I'm doing a show right now in New York and then I have a series of concerts at 54 below in New. The release of the album and then I'm doing a show at Carnegie hall right after that incredible clay. Yeah, I'm excited. It's a busy time, but it's a very fun time.
- [78:19]
A
Where can people get tickets to all this stuff?
- [78:21]
B
You can find me on Instagram, where you can find links to all of these things. Which is the best place at claibornelgr.
- [78:28]
A
And then what do you want to do next? Or what? I mean, you've Broadway tv. Like, is there. Is there a medium or something? You haven't tackled that? You're like, okay, I'm gonna tackle that.
- [78:39]
B
You know what? I've loved being on Gilded Age, and I love the costumes and I love the period and I love the drama of it, but I'm ready to do a comedy, and I'm ready to do a comedy TV show. So I'm sending that out in the world because that's really, like, who I am and where I came from. So I'm ready to go.
- [78:56]
A
You're so handsome. You should be doing. I mean, I know we don't have a lot of, like, gay rom coms, but I think you'd be so good in, like, a gay rom com. Like a. I don't know.
- [79:05]
B
Yeah, gay rom com. That's what I want. That's what I want out there next.
- [79:09]
A
Yeah. And it would be fun. I mean, you were so brilliant in Gilded Age, but it's like, yeah, I want to see you in modern clothes or no clothes. But, you know, modern, not a costume period would be fun because I think, yeah, you can do it all. Clay, I love you, buddy, so much. This was such a pleasure. Everyone, you can pick up. If the Stars Were Mine. It's going to be on physical release as well as digital. And Clay, congratulations. So proud of you and so excited for everyone to hear the music. It's so good. It's really. I've been listening to it. They sent me a couple days ago, and I've been listening to it and I just. I love it. And your voice is so phenomenal. So phenomenal. Where can people find you on social media?
- [79:50]
B
You mentioned Claibornelder.
- [79:53]
A
Clay, I love you. All right. Hopefully I'll get to see you in person soon and give you a big hug, but send the love to the family.
- [79:58]
B
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