Miss Spelling with Tory Spelling and iHeartRadio podcast.
I've been lucky enough so far in my career to be surrounded by uber talented people, because then I look like I said, my note what I'm doing. But my longtime friend James Carpinello, which is a fun callback, I just did an episode with my real life best friend, doctor Kevin Sands, and James played a version of Kevin in the TV show loosely based on my life that I co created and produced and start in called So Notorious, which was on VH one, And that's how James and
I met. But James is like, it's not a trifecta, like this guy like does everything to start on Broadway a little known musical called Saturday Night Fever, playing John Travol's's role. He sings, he dances, he's a great actor, he's great at comedy. He's gorgeous, he has an amazing wife, two children that are super talented, and just a really great and funny guy. And he's doing a show right now. He's doing a little shop of hors in New York.
Go check it out. And he is giving his time to us today to come on and them share some funny stories. So let's bring him in right now. James Carponella, whoa HIAI Hi, Oh my gosh, I.
Am so old. I need readers to see you guys, even on a computer screen.
I have like fifty million pairs. It all comes full circle because I just didn't interview. Oh look I have new I have teeth.
Nice, let me see did you get new to you guys? New teeth?
So Kevin so I never had veneers and I had a fear of the dentists for years, and my teeth I used to have a great smile, and just like I didn't take care of it, and just and He's like, one day we're putting in Veneers. I'm like, well, I was there through dental school, terrified, never letting you put veneers. But now world renowned. But I do have a little bit of a lisp. I just got them though, I'm adjusting twenty eight veneers.
Wow, you know what's crazy about that?
Well, I am not only did I play Kevin, but Pete wasn't.
Really I don't know what you remember. I'm playing the dentist in little Shop before is in New York right now?
He is, and he took time out to come to our show, so thank you for doing that. Do you have a show tonight?
I have a show tonight, I do.
I have so many directions I want to go here with you. Okay, they're all perfectly innocent. So we met doing So Notorious, which was loosely based on my life. I had to say that, right, yeah, no liability from anybody. It was. We enhanced it, but it was almost done on my life anyway. James Gott cast and played Pete, who was based on my best friend and roommate at the time, doctor Kevin Sands. That's so interesting because I love Little Shopifore's and I was like, oh, that's so
cool you're playing that role. And I didn't even make the connection, like, oh my gosh, you played a dentist on TV and in your show. So there you go. So I remember originally was for NBC. Then we didn't get picked up. They picked up My name is Earl. Good choice, I guess.
I mean, it's so interesting to think about now, right in this landscape of television and where everything you watch on your phone or everything's a streamer, like I think it was just before the time. It was like in a weird custom. They wanted to do original programming, right, that was the whole idea.
Right, we were the first.
They didn't really have the audience.
No, it was all it was a real audience, which they thought, you know, we're doing like a semi reality based version. Anyway, remember we got all those great reviews. That's always the kiss of death, right, ye yeah.
So much fun though.
It was some of the best times in my life. It's so funny because I get intimidated, like because you're such like an actor and you've been on Broadway so many times and you have that background. But then like TV wise, I'm like, yeah, cool, we can roll and like hang in that department. So I have two hats when it comes to you. So I remember in the back of my head thinking like, Okay, this is going to go so much better with Kevin if it's someone that he's going to look at and be like, oh
my god. Not only is he a great actor, but let's you know, he's vain. So someone great looking, and of course we want someone gorgeous, because Kevin, you're gorgeous. And like I remember, NBC was like there was another guy and he was very talented and very funny, but he wasn't a sound and funny as you, and he was not good looking. And I remember we were like, no, it had it had to be you.
Why.
I didn't even tell him this was happening until I could present him with yeah, and then I told him to come to set, and he came to set, and then that's when we did the pilot and he met you. And after that he was like, you have my blessing to do whatever you want. Like just look at those eyes, look at him, smile great. I was like, cool, can we rename Kevin? He's like nope, So oh I was.
I was talking the other day to Kevin about this and I don't even know if you remember this, but and I can't say his name Joe Magnio.
Manganello.
Oh good, so you.
Can't say I can't say it either. I think it's fine. Dude.
Should have changed his name to Figara, but that didn't work out either. But anyway, great guy, great guy. So NBC, after we did our first table read, wanted to recast him. Really they did. I didn't tell you this part. No, yeah, and we see it was like we don't think he has like star quality. This guy we want. He was only going to be on for two episodes, but it's her love interest. We want someone that's you know, people are gonna want to see now more. And we just
don't think he has the it factor. Okay, but yeah, now he's.
A big giant star. You know, he went to college. He went to Carnegie Mellon with me. He was younger than I was. But then, yeah, that was cool, and then of course he blew up, can.
We go back to how I killed your comedy career?
You didn't kill my comedy career.
I find it all so funny, you know that you you sort of my agent now that did this one thing one time, which was really funny because I was complaining.
Why do you know I grew up like this?
I did two comedy pilots when I came out. Here is the first thing I've done. I've done Broadway shows where I played complete fools and clowns. And why why can't I get seen for blah blah blah? You know, I reactors like, why can't I get seen for blah blah blah blah blah. And he did this thing. Yeah, He's like, are you your computer? And I was like yeah, and he's like, go to your email and he set forwarded me my reel and it was literally like one like what you're talking about, after another, like.
Back to back to back to back to back.
Because you know, at a certain point you can't you know, you can't put clips from a pilot you did when you were twenty two or twenty three. You know, you got to sort of be age appropriate. But so it had nothing to do with that. I just always found it funny that for there was a shift where I couldn't or it wasn't seen very often for comedies, for pilots.
It was very frustrating, which is.
So odd to me because you have amazing comedic talent like timing. Your timing's done on and you're gorgeous, so it's like it's a win win for them all around. But we know how that world works.
It's crazy.
Anyway, Should we bring so Notorious back?
Yeah?
I mean, if you're available, you're always booked, but you know.
Yes, I'm not always booked.
I'll have my agent talk to your agent. Talk to Oh, she's my old agent. Hey, Ruth can and your old agent.
You should bring it back. You should do it. You ever talked to Zach duh.
So we're talking about So Notorious. James played my best friend Pete on So Notorious, based loosely based on my real life best friend Kevin, and Zach Quinto played Soson loosely based on my other real best friend Maron. So we all have busy lives and you mean to stay in contact with everyone and you don't. But then when you see them or talk to them, you're like, you go right back. It's like high school. We're like high school,
like you go right back to your old friends. And Zach and I like hadn't talked for years, and then he DMed me and I was like, oh my gosh. So he was like, hey, I'm back in la I'd love to reconnect. So we set a lunch and we were supposed to go have lunch and then I fainted. This is in August. I fainted and got a concussion and had to go to the er, and I in the er, I was concerned. This is what I was concerned about, which is so weird. I had a full concussion,
like blacked out. My daughter had to call the ambulance. It was like a whole situation. I was like but wait. I'm like, I'm supposed to meet Zach for lunch and at the time, my soon to be ex had arrived at the hospital and he goes, Oh my gosh, he goes, she's in This is worse than we thought. She's talking
about Zach. That was like seventeen eighteen years ago. She was friends with him and on a TV show she hasn't seen him in years, and I was like, no, hello, I'm right here, I'm fine, Like, I'm fine, I actually and I was like proof. I was like, see, Zach and I were supposed to have lunch today. Can you call him? Cancel with him? Thank you?
Oh my god, that's hysterical, Like this is worse than I thought.
It's worst than I thought. Zach quinto she doesn't talked to him in seventeen years.
Yep, have you are you serious? Do you really want to bring it back? That would be.
Yeah, I really do. I mean, no time like the present. There's a big shift going on in my life, and I think it would be great.
Would it be your life now?
Meaning like all of this stuff that's happening you know, and or has happened since the previous so notorious or where would you.
Pick up, it would be a blend, just like we did at the time. I feel like a lot of the stories, I was like, oh my gosh, this happened in my teens, But now I was were we supped topan our twenties? You're way younger than me. Wait, how old are you now?
Not I'm almost fifty. I'm going to be forty nine in August.
That's it so and I just turned fifty one. Sorry to clarify that. I would incorporate things that have happened in the last like probably ten years, but present them and story wise like up to date and everything going on? Now? I mean, is it art entertaining life? Life? Imintaining art? How do we even recreate the podcast on the show? Because you would be playing Kevin, but you're also playing James. Oh wait, maybe there's something there, Maybe there.
Is something there? Can I write? Does he still drive a Ferrari?
Yeah? Do you remember that?
I just remember. I just remember he drew a Ferrari? And now I was like, why why didn't I become a dentist? Like why am I actor?
Multiple ferraris? He has an office in Dubai. He sees everybody in the world, like it's the craziest thing. But he always says, going back, those were the best days of his life. Like we were how old then, I mean in our twenties. I mean, and you guys, we used to go out, we used to do everything. You not straight lace, that's not the right word. You are a very respectful person to your wife, to women, to men, to everybody. Like we go out and you'd be like,
you'd have some beers. You'd be like, I gotta go home. And you were responsible. That's the word. You were always responsible.
I was always, and I've said this to a million people about you, I was always super impressed with you, and frankly, not that I thought otherwise, But I wasn't like a huge nine to two one oho fan.
I mean, I know I saw it. I know it was a part of like are growing up. But I was just the way.
The best part of so notorious for me was that you were such a great actor, Like, and I've told everybody who I've worked with on that that you were just so great. I would sit there mesmerized by how
you could. You were essentially playing yourself. So one would think that's easy, but I would argue that's way harder than that, because I mean, maybe not for you, but watching you do it, I was like, man, like this is this takes a lot of skill and attention, and you were always prepared and it was like it was it was really inspiring, and I was bummed when it ended because I thought that was one of the best qualities of the show is how good you were at
I mean a theory portraying yourself but doing it. You know, your comic timing was obviously great. There were gentle, sweet moments in the piece and certain episodes that were that really played quite well. And I just I remember being there and being like, man, she's really good.
Do you know Whitney Cummings, I mean you know of her, but have you met her?
You know?
I funny enough, I met her through it through another friend years ago.
I think they were dating before.
She was you know, Whitney Cummings, like very famous and you know, but no I don't. I don't know her, but I have met her, but it was years and years ago.
Ah, you guys would love each other. But she's very much art sense of humor. But she huge so notorious fan and she's always like yeah, uh, she wants to bring it back, and I always we're friends. Now we met, it's funny on she like slid into my DMS and I didn't see it for like a year, and then all of a sudden one day I was just like scrolling and I was like, Whitney Cummings, are you shitting me? And I was like, Hi, I didn't see this. And
then we became fast friends. But she always says, no, I'm gonna I'm gonna bring that back, and I'm always like, uh, I'm hold of you to that, and she's like but like the self deprecating thing. She's like, we're gonna like rebrand you. Like that's funny to a certain extent, but there's way more to you. I'm like, cool. So anyway, where would we put so notorious? We could do so many things now, we could say anything we wanted to say.
Oh my god, it would be it would be genius.
Wait do you remember that? Okay, First of all, sorry, I'm gonna talk about your wife for a second, because I love your wife, Amy Acker, who I did not realize. We got to work on your social media presence because she's crushing that, and you got to up your empty I do.
Well, here's the thing I don't understand. We are past this.
Like I was in this conversation with this youngster in our show the other night yesterday maybe about just like the implications of social media, and also like he had just done the Apple vision pro thing and like the you know the glasses that are if you.
Try to mind blowing, it's sick.
Yeah, But I feel like I'm almost fifty, so I feel like the really bad stuff that's going to happen from all of this, like for our humanity kind of like I kind of feel the same way about social media, like I could take it or leave it. The problem for it with me is that I got addicted to I'm addicted to TikTok. And I don't mean like I put tiktoks out like I it has replaced anything I do in my free time, Like I just scroll through TikTok and Amy hates that I do that. But I'm like,
now I've just didn't. At first, I was like, I don't have a problem, like this is how I relax at night before I fall asleep, And then now it's like I now I can fully just admit, like I'm addicted to TikTok.
So you've been married to Amy since two thousand and three.
That's twenty one years.
Twenty one years. It is wild like it is so and she's so beautiful and so talented. And I guess this is something I've always wondered about because you were there when Deane and I met. I was we had done the pilot, right, but when you.
Did the pilot, I'm going to go for a deep dive if I remember this.
I went, was it Charlie.
I'll always let you one because you're cute, But yep.
Were you still with Charlie when we did the pilot because there was a break, So I I think we met when we came got picked up right, right?
So what happened was I, yes, I married for a year and then we did so notorious. We did the pilot, which then didn't get picked up by NBC. Then we got it picked up with VH one, and while I was gone for that summer making a TV movie in Canada, and then I met Dean and then well the rest is history. But I blame I don't blame anyone. I'm mean, I'm super happy. I'm grateful. We have five beautiful kids. I wouldn't change a moment of my journey, and Dean
and I are super amicable and everything's great. But I always jokingly blame our one of our creators, Chris Alborghini, because that night we had like thread through and the cast get together and we all and crew and everyone went home, and Dean and I stayed, and Mike, of course Grandma Chessler went back to the hotel and Chris Alberghini stayed. And I'm like, this is your fault, Like
you let this happen. He's like, I let it happen that you crawled across me to get to him and kissed him in the middle of like a bar, and I was like, yep, but yeah. So we came back from that and Charlie was actually going to be a writer on So Notorious.
I think I remember, which.
Was a really difficult thing because while he very talented writer, and that's how I met him is I was in a play that with him that he wrote, he was very reserved when it came to females. And you know, I think there was a part of me that I could be reserved. I could be Donna Martin, even though you don't know nine or two and zero. But I could also be I'm messing with you. Oh hey, James, what'd you do with the Donna? Martin dahll On? So Notorious?
Kevin and I discussed this story, and I talked about it in such an inappropriate way we had to cut the whole story. Oh my gosh, do you remember the part? I was just telling a friend this the other day. So in the big party scene, and this was based on a true story where Kevin, who was Pete who you played on the show. There's a big party in the apartment and a lot of chaos ensues, and the biggest thing is I on the bar had my sea monkeys. I had kept alive for a year and a half
and someone knocked them over. And I told a friend the story that I had sea monkeys and he was like, oh, sea monkeys, it's not a thing. They don't work. I'm like, no, they do work. I kept ones alive for a year and a half and he was like, I don't believe that. I'm like, let me find it. It's so hard to find So Notorious. You really can't view it.
I have the DVD.
Can you burn it for me?
He's in like the box set at my house.
Okay, okay, I need to see that because I can't find clips. It's hard to like I tell people's stories. They're like, I don't believe you. I'm like, well made a TV show based on it. Let me just show you that, and then I can't find the TV show. But yeah, Sea Monkeys, Living Proof they were everywhere. Sorry
before we go. It's interesting that everything came full circle because not only did we meet become friends, starting a show together where you played my best friend, but then years later our kids ended up going to school together.
Yeah, for like a year. When we were at Losancinos, Ava was there two years.
Correct, and Jack was already older, right he was, he was.
He did sixth grade there because we were coming back.
From You're in New York, right, you.
Work, and we just needed a landing spot.
And our friends Nica and Justin said, you got to look at this place, and we just fell in love with it.
And that's where we were for elementary.
School, which you know how parents are all parents are like and teachers and they were all like, oh this actor family. The husband and wife were both actors, and the kids are coming in. I was just listening and I didn't know. I think I didn't know you were coming there, and I heard your name and I was like huh and I was like what. And then and all of a sudden we were at like back to school night and you were there, but yeah, and I
was like, oh my gosh. And so Liam and Ava were in the same class together, which is I was showing Liam last night. I'm like, oh my gosh. I'm like, so James is coming on the show tomorrow and and I was like, have you ever have you reconnected with Ava since? Then He's like no. And then he came in and he goes, mom, have you seen what Ava looks like? And I was like she was always hot.
I was like, uh, so gorgeous. So is Jack. I can't believe all the things they are doing, Like you and Amy, well creative, amazing, talented children the two of you brought onto this planet. But behind the scenes, everyone at school was just like and I'm not talking like every mom was like, oh my god, that dad is so hot, Like you, what is it called dilf dolf?
Sure that vibe there, but well maybe I'm just there.
They're not going to let you know. So every every mother, yeah exactly, and I just pretend like I didn't even know you and just be like listen, and every mother there was just like, oh my god, he's so gorgeous. Every day was like, oh I wish I look like that guy. And all the teachers were just like whoa. But it was so funny because you wouldn't even think about it, but like everything behind the scenes, they'd be like, oh yeah, it was die Like James Carponella is coming
in to set up the stage. He like you would come and do like the labor there, and like.
It's my it's my love language. Acts of service. I've learned this in my later life. I don't think I knew it as much then, But that's like what that's like what I do. Like if I do stuff for people, it makes me feel good, and that's not I mean.
I'll never fix for me back in the day, I.
Know, but like like if you literally called me and I was in LA and You're like, I need someone to and hang. We were going to start a company because I was like glowing to our friend's houses and hanging pictures and I was going to pretty well hung.
But I'm bump exactly my friend Jody came up with that. Actually, so I can't.
I'll invest in that company.
Yeahs enough Jody Harris.
I remember her. But yeah, So you would show up and like, I'm blanking on what it was? What is the thing at Halloween? They would have like the house, yes, and it was just like it almost to a fault, got annoying, like who's like, who's coming in to do do this? Oh, it's James James, and it's just they'd all be like, oh, yeah, James Carmona is coming in. He's going to screw in a light bulb. And they'd all just be like and he would show up and like in his T shirt and just like they would
just all be oggling you. And I'd be like, oh my god, this is just so funny to me because I obviously you're hot, but I don't think of you that like because we have known each other for so long. But it was just interesting that it was like, yeah, it all came full circle. Two actors in the business. I don't know how you guys have this relationship.
It's hard.
Raising kids is hard, it is, and be at two people in the business, it's hard. But we've been lucky in the sense that those times when I was in a T shirt screwing in light bulbs at Losncino has meant that I wasn't working, or that I could be with the kids, or I could help out there because Amy was on a TV show somewhere making money to support the fact that I could screw in a light bulb and a T shirt at the school haunted house.
And I think that sort of balance, you know, has always been We've been lucky that way.
This is what I feel like from knowing you both this long is you really don't have egos and it's not an easy business to be in, and especially I hate to say this with men in entertainment, you know you always feel like men are like you know, go back to like I'm just provide and protect and this is my role and it's ingrained in us. And you know, nothing's perfect. But you, guys, I've watched you over the years seamlessly transition back and forth and truly be equals
in a partnership and it's really nice. And I hope I find my Amy someday. Wait that sound right.
I appreciate that you got you know, you've worked your whole life, job to job to job to jobs job, and you know, Amy's very much like that too. She had a career that was it'd be easy to say she's lucky, but she's really good at it, Like she's really good, and so it's deserved and it's provided, you know, And that was challenging, no doubt, you know, when she'd done a TV show and I was home driving to Losansinos in the morning, and then you know, building a
haunted house. As fun as that is, it's like, you know, it's challenging to have different roles and like you said about you know, the need to provide and really trying to you know, manage that and make sure you pat yourself on the back a little bit and go, you know, this is a job too, Like the laundry do need to get folded, and the house does need to be cleaned, and the kids do need to get to school, and the lunches do need to be made, and that's equally as important.
I'm lucky to be in your world. You are such an evolved man, James Carponell, You really are. You're the new age Merue.
But I appreciate you saying it. I'll take it I'm lucky to be in your world. It's great to reconnect with you.
Thank you, thank you for being here. So we're filming so Notorious again.
We are randomly I.
I used to go to this gym before COVID in LA and I would see Vernon Sanders there.
Do you remember.
Is he an Amazon Still he's like the like head out of Amazon, and he was our champion, was our champion.
And I went in for a meeting randomly the day that like the world shut down for COVID with him. But because he's like you know he said at the gym one day, he was like, you know something about working together and I was like, yeah, you're to God's ears.
Let's like please.
But he's such a lovely, lovely man and loved this project and I wonder, you know, you were saying, where should we do it? I don't know, Like he's he's the person over there at Amazon.
Yeah.
I love when nice, kind people actually get ahead in this world.
Yep.
And he's one of them that was at NBC and went out on a limb for us because you know, executives. He was an executive there and a lot of people were like, oh no, you know and he he would come into the editing bay on a Friday night and stay all night like he really was invested and everything he has is deserved. But Vernon, if you're listening to those, hey James Night, Wait, when are you back? September?
Yeah, yeah, September.
Okay, put it on your calendar. We're going to take pitch meetings. Pitch meetings. I'll sell that shit before we'll start filming them.
Correct, great sounds good, ka him, It was so great to see you, great to see.
Thank you for doing this. There you go, best, Dilf. I've never had love that man,