Misspelling with Tori Spelling and iHeartRadio podcast.
You guys, this is so nice to have us all together again.
Ish, it still feels like covid I'm going to if we're on a zoom and not in person, But we'll get to that at some point. We'll work our way up to and in person again, because it's been a long time. It feels like.
Actually, last time.
We were all together was Tori's birthday, fiftieth birthday, right.
Yeah, didn't we have a Tori? I can't remember. We were talking about that idea of yours that we like, We had like an one or two in person work sessions at Chris's house, but I can't And there was one time where rufus my dog. I think he tried to titty fuck you. Actually do you remember that?
Which time was this? That happens all the time and noses either in my.
Gard but you were sitting on the floor in my in my living room. He came over and went to town.
And I was like, oh, thank god they still work. Yeah, I still got them.
Not only are you an animal lover, but the animals love you back.
This is true, all four of us animal lovers.
Yes, that is true.
Okay, so we should tell my listeners how we all came together because we're family. Now we've done we're all super good friends, and we've worked on many projects together. We have so the four of us together, so we have on the podcast Chris Alborghini and Mike Chessler and Ruth and Seconda obviously who's always with me. And we originally came together because I was with Ruth Ann and she was my agent for what twenty five years, not at that.
Time, but I ultimately was.
At the time that we put soaories together. You were absolutely my agents, right.
But I hadn't been twenty five years at that point. I was newly your agent.
Okay, are you trying to make yourself seem me younger?
But I was like, okay, fine.
So Ruthanne was my agent for thirty six years and then one hundred years, one hundred plus. So it was the point in the program where I had done nine O two and zero, I had done Scary Movie too, and I was like, I need to create something for myself. I was out auditioning, had done a gazillion and one pilots that didn't go, and I wanted to create my own project.
But remember the feedback was always that, oh, she's two chores. You were in each of these roles as characters. People could not either forget that you were Tori Spelling or believe you as somebody who was like financially struggling.
And because people thought, what the story, I know, and then I.
Proved them all wrong, and now I still can't get a job. But yeah, yeah, so anyway, yeah, exactly and right, And even though I got cast in that one pilot, the feedback was, oh, we have to cut that scene because they can't believe that Tory Spelling is rummaging through a sofa trying to find a quarter to contribute to her rent. It just isn't believable.
Yeah, I remember, I remember one. I remember one where you you really wanted new shoes, like you were obsessed with getting this new pair of shoes that you couldn't afford.
Right, it was like every pilot I was, you know, because at that time I was in my twenties and it was just like struggling with her roommate. And then I did Scary Movie two and Keenan Wayans, who directed it, said, you know what, I really feel like, you're really really funny, and I said, thanks. That means a lot because I've been doing, you know, a drama for ten years, but I feel like my comedy is my thing in physical comedy.
And he said, you just need to create something that's you, like how Roseanne did, Like you know, if they can't believe that you would be in that place, make it a version of you. So he did initially give me that feedback. So we took that to heart and decided to do something. And then how did we meet you?
Guys though, because we were also clients at the same agency at that time and we had met ruth Ann. I don't know on what contact we met, but ruth A said called us and said, I think you would really dig this project.
But wait, I remember we actually met you another idea that you had and it was a good idea, but you didn't want you. You didn't choose us. You went with someone else. For me.
I remember what the.
It wasn't you, It was who No with Tori. So I went with toy. I went with Gavin polog Yeah, Gavin Polone, I believe is this correct? And he was producing it and I was playing another girl down on her luck, you know, like you know, but it was an idea and I had he was producing it, and I feel like he put on someone. It was an older gentleman, and yeah, it didn't have traction.
I remember you pitched it as it was kind of my favoite year kind of thing.
That's the one. He's right, And we developed it and I.
Was on a flight with you from Boston. I didn't even know we were on the flight, and I remember getting off the airplane at Lax and I saw you walking towards me, and I was like, toy, I didn't know if you were going to remember me. And to your credit, even if you didn't remember me, you acted like you did and you gave me a big hug, and I thought, I like that, girl.
I know I'm really good at that. I've been trained well my whole life. Spakine, you make it. That's literally like since I was a kid, when like like PTSD, when I was like five, and be at like some huge like spelling like network party and people will be like, do.
You remember me?
And I'd be like, of course.
So it's just like cute.
But what I remember is when we sat down to talk about the idea of doing a show that kind of makes fun of yourself.
You know, this is long before Herb or I.
Mean, any of those shows.
It was before Curb.
Correct, No, it was because no, because if you remember, actually when we made So Notorious the series, we had most of the Curb crew, Like we had that are fantastic mind producer Aaron O'Malley, We had Dale Stern, we had Bill she he'd like and.
The great.
The wardrobe stylist.
Yeah. Yes, so it was like we actually that's the only that's a big reason we were able to do So Notorious.
Okay, so you're right, you're right, yep.
But toy, you came in with a scrap book of every article that had been written to you about you, a good, bad, whatever, that your dad had collected and he put together this amazing scrap book and it well he had put like.
The good ones. But yeah, that's fine pitch meeting.
You took that to pitch meeting, and I feel like that initially is what you know, got NBC to pick it up or to develop it.
Yeah. You know me, I'm always prepared and diy queen and I like to come in with stuff because I feel like it sets the bar higher and gets the more invested. So I did take a chance, and my dad had a scrap book. Is back then tabloids were paper. I guess they still kind of exist, but there wasn't like it was all over the internet. And he had started once with like me on the car like inquirer, and like he didn't really get like the bad ones because he used to say, like bad press is good press.
So there was like the Haunting Globe one where it started all the plastic surgery rumors that I still this is so annoying you guys, Like I like fifty one, like I need to get like botox and like and like I still I haven't filled my lips in like two years, like they're not these are mine at this point, and like someone still took a picture of me the other day and it was like Tori's turned into a muppet, which I'm not mad at. Like I know which one
they're talking about, and I really like her. I always wanted to be her for Halloween. So what's her name?
Not miss Piggy?
No fuck you?
No, well I said, not miss Piggy. Oh I know it's one, the one that's Mary Travers from Peter Paul and Mary is.
With that one, that one which I mean it's I'd rather get her than Wendy Williams, which I often get confused with. So I'm moving up. But yeah, just the other day or like, Transformation Toys had more plastic surgery and I'm just like, I haven't. But it all started with that Globe article saying I'd had so much plastic surgery and like I'd had cheecken plants and ribs removed. And I was a seventeen year old girl that had a nose job, and I was like, oh my god.
My dad was like it's okay. It was on the cover, and he was like good. You know, bad press is good press. And this two shell pass. Next week. They'll be on to someone else next week. There was a new cover, but that one cover triggered a lifetime of tabloid fodder of people thinking I'm like plastic surgery queen. Anyway, so that was in there, and then there was like a whole bunch of other stuff. There was that article
where someone had taken paparazzi. I was like eating and someone had taken picture of me getting up, and it was like basket weave like plastic chair and it made imprints on my legs and it was like toy spelling has tons of cellulite.
And I remember that one.
Yeah, I remember that one.
Yeah, it was like that was in there, and then we.
Used that one on the show we did, we recreated that in the show.
So I'm blanking on the others, but.
It was like, I remember the one. The one you I think this was the last one you showed was a tabloid picture of you picking your nose in the car. Oh yeah, actually that one actually was picking my nose.
All the others are actually false, but that one, yeah, yelled it. Sorry, cars, they're just like us. They picked their nose.
That was the moment I think Mike and I both were like, okay, we want to do this, like when you were like, yeah, I can't stop picking my nose in the car.
No, Oh my god, I'm never getting a date after this.
At this point I knew, I mean, I was based on her independent movies Trek in the House of Yes, Like I was pretty much like agnostic on Beverly Hills nine to Tuana, which I may have never even.
Seen gilt that, but yeah, okay, I.
Was just trying to give you a Complimentory, because there's a lot of insults coming now. I know.
You know it's hard for me to take compliments.
So well, you're the right crowd.
Great, So it is true. I had done trick and gone to Sundance. I had done House of Yes again, went to Sundance Critical Acclaim like. I was like, this is it, this is my moment, and you know, Little Engine that Could. It was like great, great, great, and then like okay, start back over, like go out audition and we can't see here's anything but tory spelling. It's like, but I have all this work that you said you love, but I'm not getting the jobs. And then scary movie too.
I was like, yes, this one's it and nope. So yeah. I came in with all the scrap books of all the like tabloid fodder, and I was like, you know what, if they're all going to make jokes about me and laugh at me, I'm going to beat them to the punch and be on board with it and be self deprecated. I also came in with my pug, Memei LaRue, and I also came in with a tank that I had printed. Do you remember what it said, I.
Didn't know, I don't something like, yes, yes, I dressed my dog. What else?
Something about the mansion, the dog.
It was all about tabloid stuff, and at the time, the tabloids and made a big deal about how Shannon and I didn't get along, but there was never It was just tabloid stuff. So we just went for all the tabloid headlines. And I think it said something about the manner about I don't know, please find that, and I wore it to all of pitch meetings.
I think I might have because you gave us a copy of that notebook too. I think I might have that in a box. I'll clean out the box and share it with you if I find it.
Thank you, because you know I can't find anything that I've kept. Remember we Okay, So we originally pitched the show. We decided we wanted to do it, and then we went into pitch meetings with networks. I believe, am I wrong here? We went to NBC, ABC, CBS box and nope, what was the one that used to be Channel thirteen WB And then we went to what was Channel thirteen. It became like a real network. Channel thirteen started. I
did a pilot for them. Like anyway, the only reason I'm bringing it up is because we pitched it every network. I went in and told true stories, and a lot of the stories were so far out there they couldn't be put into a primetime sitcom. But you know, I've told them now in my books and and on my podcast, Like we told the Charlie Sheen story, and we told
about everyone that lived in my apartment building. We talked about Farah Fawcet and Rodney Dangerfield and everybody, and Charlie Sheening to escape like through my laundry room and all of them. Because yeah, so all of that, and everyone laughed and they were like there was a little bit of like is this real? Like is she okay making these jokes? And most of it was like on me, the jokes on me. But I feel like, I'm I
think it was upian. So I mentioned that one because I remember when we left, Mimi LaRue took a shit on their front door, and I was like, because that alle's not going to work out. But I feel like they did make an offer. Yeah, they tried. They tried, so we inevitably ended up doing it for NBC.
This might be two Inside Baseball, But Chris and I had met with you at UTA and we were like, we love it. And then Ruthanne called and said, you know, we're just gonna go out and pitch this and then when we get it set up, we'll kiss you guys in, which was like, that's great because we didn't have to go out on all those pitches, because that's.
All I thought you were with me. You were with me.
We were not with you? Were I?
Actually you and ruth Anne.
Yeah, And Ruthan just called us and said, we have multiple offers. We're too I think we're gonna go with NBC. And we actually had a deal at NBC at that time, so it was perfect, Like it was great.
Yeah, that is not too Inside Baseball. That is great because it just jogged my memory. I didn't even remember that. I just assume since.
We you guys went out, you know, we already we had a pilot at NBC that year with Dennis Hopper and then so we didn't even think we were going to be able to do it because we already had the Dennis Hopper thing. And then it turned out out they were much more excited about your thing than the dunnis Hopper thing and we wrote both that year and you're you know our show was the one that went.
So originally we titled it Notorious, and I think I've done it like, you know, notorious lowercase t O R I in the middle uppercase, which we ended up changing the name because we couldn't legally get notorious right.
Well, I thought it was the song, remember it was, it was, it was once we went to v H one NBC, let us call it notorious.
When v H one picked it up, there was some like criminal show, like some.
Okay, so we wait, let's go back.
So well, remember the Maynard was the executive who bought the show. He was under Jeff Ducker at the time, and they bought the show and we shot the pilot and it was phenomenal and.
We were like, sure it was going to get order.
Chris and Mike wrote the pilot, which was brilliant, and they were so kind. I mean, although it was loosely based on my life, not embellished at all, no creative license there. You know, you guys were kind enough to allow an actress to come in and be a part of the writing process, which was the first time anyone had allowed me to do that.
Okay, and I have to jump in with something, and it's going to be a compliment because I like making you uncomfortable, Tory. But but you know, Christ and Mike wrote the pilot, but we wrote it with Tory spelling and we and we broke out. You know, the entire plot of that first episode was based on all these ridiculous things that happened in your life, and the three of us very much broke that story together in I
think it was in an afternoon at my house. I remember like it was yesterday, because it all just clicked. We all kind of just bounced off of each other very quickly, and it it. You know, you don't always have that feeling when you're trying to write a pilot and you're like, oh God, is this good? Is this good? And the three of us just kind of all it just meshed, and Tory when she applies herself as very good writer.
I mean, we also agreed on a lot of things. It's a very specific sensibility and I felt like we were very much on the same page about almost everything, like from casting to production issues and all that. But we also I feel like a key part of the pilot being so much fun and good was we all agree to We were all huge strangers with Candy fans, and we want Peter Lauer to direct. So we got Peter lower who completely got it and we've worked with
him many times since. He's such a great director. And maybe this is jumping ahead, but like the one, we were trying to get all these celebrities and for one reason or another, like you know, it's that game that you always played. But the person who was sort of like our holy grail was Faara Faucet because she was actually in real life to your next door neighbor. And I remember we had to go through this incredible courtship.
My favorite thing is is that we met. We had a meeting at your apartment, which is literally next door to Farah's, and she was like an hour late, and I'm like very impatient. I was sitting there like, well, can't we just go and knock on her door? Like what is going on?
You're like, I need a snack? Does we have anything to eat?
Oh my gosh, Tory had put out I remember Tory put out a plate. It wasn't the most Again I hate to say, Tori, it was like crud de te and then like cubes of cheese. It was like up at like Gelsons or something would be my guess, but.
I miss Gelson's like oursons now. But uh huh, I keep going.
I just remember Sarah. Sarah was eating chunks of cheese and then she's just like she was saying she started coffee allergic to cheese. But that was just like it was. It was very surreal for us because obviously we Charlie's Angels was such a seminole thing when we were kids, and Sarah was just like everywhere, and to just meet her in person, and you know, she was this very you know sweet, you know in her own head, just a very you know, she's really interesting, funny.
He was funny, like she was willing to play along.
She could.
Definitely she had a slight, funny, dark side tour that.
Was so sweet. We should tell the backstory. So if you have not seen So Notorious or read about this story in my book. It's interesting because I talk about potatoes a lot. It keeps coming up, like it was like the final straw on the end of my marriage. I like chucked my baked potato across the room. Oh, and then like you know, at my fiftieth birthday party, there was like the thousand dollars baked potato, Like it was like we were all like should we save this?
Can can we get this on eBay? Like it was like we were just trying to fit in, so we hate it. So it was. But there's a long running thing with potatoes in my life. And the story was that I was having there was a party at my house and my best friend, who's the dentist, doctor Kevin Sans he did my Veneers. Yeah, he's been on the podcast and back in the day he was my roommate and before he was sober, and he would have these crazy parties at our apartment, the Wilshure and Farah was
my next door neighbor. And I'm blanking. But anyway, basically, oh my god, how am I blanking on my own story?
What happened?
Like they called from downstairs, that's right, they called up on like the bat line, like from the concierge, and they were like, Farah Fawcett wants to talk to you, your neighbor. And I was like, oh my god, and I was freaking out, and I was like I told Kevin not to have people over this late. I told Kevin to keep it down. There's like people are you know, they're partying and it's too loud, and now I'm going
to get in trouble. And I'd known her my whole life because she worked for my dad and oh man, and I was like and I tried to like put everyone else on the phone and be like take the call, take the call, and everyone else was too messed up and they wouldn't get on the phone call because you know, I hate talking on the phone. So eventually I had to get on the phone call and I was like hello. I was like with my little voice and refresh my memory.
But she was like, oh hi. She was like I was just wondering if I could borrow a potato, right yes, And everyone's like what does fairy flace At want? And I'm like, I'm like, you, guys, she's asking to borrow a potato. And my friend's like, oh, that's code. She hears that there's the party going over on over here, and it's code for pot potato. She wants hot, And I was like, what are you And they're like, invite
her over. So I did invite her over, and sure enough she showed up and there were all these kids. And the funny part is she actually wanted a potato. She was like looking dinner and she I was the next door neighbor, and she was like, oh, she was just curious if I had a potato. But she couldn't have been cooler.
Because she had carbs.
I forgot. Did he stay?
She stayed and stayed and dayed. She stayed. You guys and my friends all lost interest. I stayed with her to be the good host.
And I was like and she.
Wanted to see my apartments and I'm like, oh my god, it's is it clean? People are like smoking weed and people are drinking, and I was just like, this is a nightmare. Is she going to report me? She's super cool, but I turned into like a five year old, which was probably the last time I had seen her, which she did Charlie's Angels, and I was just like, oh my god, hi, and I was like, she's gonna call my dad, like I didn't even know, and here I am like a twenty eight year old woman, and I
was like terrified. But so then she was like, oh, she wanted to see my closet and I was like, okay, and she came into my closet and literally was like looking around and appreciating everything, and it was like a nice moment, but I was so panicked. And then like an hour later, I was just like, like, someone, get your clauset out of here. Like I didn't know what to do. Not that I didn't want her there, but I was just like she stayed.
Who was the rapper who lived in the building who went to jail and blanking.
On his name?
Oh right, And then she came to the couch and she hung out with my friends. I forgot that's right. Anyway, long story short, she never she had fun with my friends, and like we brought her snacks and stuff and then she left and she never got the potato. But yeah, it was just a potato. When we asked her, there was wait, it wasn't Notorious Bid. We actually lived in my building.
Night it was night.
It was Charlie Sheen.
There was just such a Rodney Dangerfield, Carol Burnette, Sarah Faucet.
Wow, completely random assortment of celebrities in this building.
So anyway, at the time, even though I'm like blinking on specifics of the story now, like at the time, I like went into the pitch meetings and told this story like urbatim and that was one of the main stories that NBC was like, we love this story, and we actually the whole episode was the focal point was getting to that party, the climax of this party at my apartment in the in the pilot where Farah Fawcett comes and it's just like one thing after another goes wrong,
and it was based on other things that had gone wrong in my apartment, like the sea monkey catastrophe and tragedy. And no one ever believes that, by the way, and it happened.
No.
First of all, they don't believe I kept sea monkeys alive for a year and a half. And then they don't believe that that was like my roommate like spilled them all.
Over my bar. Need to ride up.
I still miss them. But anyway, the network, it was really important we get fair of Flats because how can we tell the story without her, because it really happened, and we got her.
It was a lot better we got her.
I remember, we like gave up a set in order to be able to afford her. Really, yeah, yeah, there was a stand up. We were gonna we were gonna shoot at. It was a location we were gonna shoot shoot at. The improv with the scene. Remember you go to a stand up comic show not knowing that they're that they're totally gonna make fun of you the entire time, right, was this it's in it ended up being, It ends up being in the second episode I do it was
Lisa Lampanelle. It was that you kind of lived in fear whenever you went to a stand up show with someone who started talking about celebrities, because you knew of that inevitably they were going to get.
To you and right, and it was loosely based. Also, no tell me if I'm wrong, No, it wasn't. I guess when we went to see Chelsea Handler, Yes.
Yes, yeah it was, she did not talk about you, but she didn't.
So Mike and Chris Night, I mean for years, Oh couldn't shake that one. But anyway, in the in the cast, there were several characters based on real people in my life. So I had my roommate Kevin. We created the role of Pete, and then I had my best friend Maron. We create the role of Sissan, and then we had my best girlfriend who was Janie, who was a blend of I had a bunch of Jennifer, Jenny, Jodie, like a bunch of girls in my life that we based
her on. And then I had a manager that actually was not based on ruth Anne, because ruth Anne was my agetin at the time, but the manager at the time. We thought it was a very funny role, and she took offence to it.
Hilarious.
It was hilarious and she took offense to it. I was like, this is this how you guys see me? And like, so Ruthann's like, oh my gosh, I don't care put my name on it. Tell her it's based on me. We're like, okay. So Ruthie Rose was created.
And then this day we call ruth and Ruthie Rose. We do, we do?
And I still answer to that.
And this pilot, you know, Pilot was made for NBC and this was the time when NBC and networks were still where everything was at, and we saw such incredible talent for all of these parts. But the thing that really Clu, Chris and I away were some of the people that we met or auditioned for the part of Kiki Spurling. Wait, what was your Spellman, Kiki Spellman, your fictitious mother?
Yes, and.
The Ruthy Rose. We saw all kinds of like really, we met all kinds of interesting actresses that we were very starstruck by. I mean, I cannot believe the list of the names of the people that came through. Yeah.
I remember they tried to make us change the name to Spellman, and they ended up letting us call. When we filmed it, we were able to use spelling. But there was there was that brief moment where everybody was named.
Spellman, right, because the characters loosely based on my family were fictitious and very campi and over the top, based on what articles and things had come out, and a perception, and we really fed into that perception because it just it worked for this, you know. But Lonnie Anderson ended up playing the role of my fictitious mother, Kiky, and she was amazing to work with. But I remember Morgan Fairchild came in, Linda Gray like who else?
Like it was.
Oh, Quel Action Jackson, right, Michelle Phillips, Yeah, Michelle Phillips, Leslie and Warren remember.
Susan Blakelee, Oh my gosh.
All these amazing people for either some came, some were some were just meetings, not auditions, because they weren't auditioning actors, but and they were for both parts, for both Ruthie and for Keiky. But the other interesting thing was, of course all of these actresses, most of whom had been huge starlets in the seventies. Of course, every single one had worked with your father and had a.
Story right right right, and that was that was, that was.
I'll never forget that day as long as as I live, because we saw everybody kind of on the same day. And I just remember the waiting room in our crappy little production bungalow and looking from face to face to face to face and just thinking, I never thought I would meet one of these women in my lifetime. And there's the entire room of them. It was really incredible.
Cons Icons sitting to me meet with us.
Yeah, gosh, yeah.
It says so much about how amazing that script was. Truly, three of you wrote a phenomenal script, hysterical.
Well, thank you.
We talked about Zachi, Oh yeah, Zach.
And Joe.
We should talk about jokes.
Yes, I want to get in trouble.
Oh my god, who cares.
I think those casting people are still at NBC.
You know what, they can deal with the fact that they made a mistake. They tried to make us fire Joe Manganello because they thought he wasn't attractive. I think they were wrong.
Remember they was in the wording like he doesn't he's not he doesn't have star power, star quality.
No, that wasn't. The word is he's just not sexy. He's creepy.
He's creepy.
Yeah, and this I can say this, but no, I don't want to say because I'm afraid you'll leave it in the podcast. But when when we had our first round of auditions for the part that Joe Manganella played, our casting actors brought in all of these very CW kind of pretty boys, and I that I think my note was along the lines of can we see some guys that look because Joe's character was somebody who was working on the crew of the fake Lifetime movie for
the f Channel. Tori's character, I'd like to find a guy who looks like he's sort of you know, blue collar, would be working on a crew, not like he just came from having his hold bleached or something like. And that's how we got That's how the next success gentleman like, it was so odd. I mean he was great great.
Good thing HR was different back then.
Good thing HR was different. And also just to give credit to Mike, it was a very good description because it got us exactly who we wanted, by the way, like.
So dreamy and hot. It's crazy to think that anyway. Yeah, but we're going ahead. Can you talk about Zach first?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Chris, do you want to talk about that?
Yeah?
Yeah, So the role of my best friend Maron, who was my gay best friend, my usband in life, friends since we were fifteen. It was a real important role to me because he's like my partner in crime through life and that it was a really really great role and we saw a lot of people had it work.
Next well, we saw a ton of people and nobody. Nobody was right and there were like some almost and you know sometimes you see a lot of people for a part and you start talking yourself into thinking, well, person could do it, and that there was no real
slam dun. Yeah, And Zach Quinto came in to read for Pete, for the Pete character, and there was just something so lovable about him, and we kind of all looked at each other and then we looked at him and we're like, listen, we know you haven't prepared for this, but could you read the other part? Could you read for Sisan was the character's name, and he was game.
He was like, yeah, I was in the room and read with the actress so we could instantly see if it clicked. And by the way, Pete was like the all American like streak guy, like you know, pussy hound, and like, so so was my gay best friend and yeah, so on the spot, Zach went and came back in and blew us away.
Blew us away. Well, I don't know if you remember this, but we almost lost him to another pilot. Tory and I were on the phone with his agent all night. Do you remember this with zachon trying to got him to do with Zach's agent trying to get him to do our show instead of instead of the other one.
So, if you don't understand what we're talking about, if it is too insidery, Basically, it was pilot season and Zach, who is an unbelievable actor, had gotten read for multiple things, had gotten offers for two pilots, it both, you know, comedies, and ultimately he had to choose which one he wanted to do, and we were like, there is nobody else for this role. He is the son. It was like it was perfect and we were just are you begging?
Yeah, like we were begging. And we had to like put him on tape the next morning to get it sent to NBC because they were shut down that day for a diversity seminar or no, no, it was an ethics jar. They were shut down for and not from Mike and and they watched the tape. They watched the tape on their coffee break or something and and loved him. We were able to then offer it to him so that he didn't even get to test for the other part.
We're right, okay, which at the time amazing, And he was understand like, once you're established and you're a big name, that's a luxury to be able to be straight get a straight offer. But at the time Zach was unknown, and you know, this is before Star Trek and you know, before everything for American Horsestory and just everything. Amazing. He's done.
Yeah, he had been, he had he had been on twenty four. He had like a recurring on twenty four.
That was this big thing.
So when you're at that point, you go in and read and audition, and networks never sign off on you. You have to literally go and test for them. It's called in person. So to get them to even agree to let him go on tape and then they would sign off on him was a huge undertaking in itself.
Correct.
Yeah, yeah, but we got him.
Yeah.
So we had a great cast and and Janetta, you know, I gotta like mentioned Janetta Arnette as Ruthie Rose and Cleo King as Nanny was so funny, so good. I mean, I can still hear some of the lines, like they just they just they were just great.
And we tortured poor James Carpinello with so much pizze stuff.
The best he had to say, some of the most disgusting things, disgusting.
I took it like a trooper. So we and let us just set the stage literally set the stage. We replicated my real apartment, my condo, the Wilshure, which was really shabby chic at the time, and we replicated it exactly on set, and it was pretty cool, like it had the same like kitchen and like everything was kind of laid out the exact same when you watch the show as my og apartments that I was living in when I actually filmed this. So we made the pilot. It was great, and then what happened.
So then what happened is this was when NBC was part of GE, the huge conglomerate that also made airplane engines and power plants and all kinds of stuff. So every decision went through many, many layers and ultimately went to like the people who were making air conditioning and widgets and airline engines. So the pilot had a lot of support, and we were told we were getting picked up and had our travel booked to go to the upfronts. And I had great Hawa, Yeah, I was in Hawaii.
So I was in Hawaii and there's like you have to come. It's like I got a call one day this is good news and bad news. You have to come back early because you're going to get picked up, and we booked your travel, change your travel. So I changed my flight so I could come back early to make the flight to the upfront. Then the next day
they called and said, actually, sorry, it didn't happen. You don't have to But at least you don't have to come back you're in Hawaiian And I said, fine, but you better fucking pay for me to change my flight?
Was your concern?
Of course, Yeah, of course, of course, hello.
Yeah, So yeah, every season networks. It's different now, but back then, you know, there were the main primetime networks. There were no streaming networks yet. We would have been thriving on a streaming net But I know, and I.
Cory, you were at the Kentucky Derby, if memory served, and I was in I was in can Kuon and I you know, I was bummed that the show didn't get picked up, obviously, but I was also bummed because, like I felt like we had this creative connection that you know, we haven't always had on other shows that we've been on, where you know, it was just easy instantly, we kind of all the three of us all thought alike, and we found the same things funny, and we found
the same you know, character attributes interesting. And the loss of that was like so upsetting to me that I remember leaving you because of course you didn't pick up your phone even back then, I remember calling you to I was at.
The Kentucky Derby first time.
Ever, Yeah, I know. And I remember leaving a voicemail on your answering machine where I started to cry, God, chriss drama.
What you made that call to me?
Correct I did?
Yeah, I was.
I was the voice of doom.
Yeah. I've gotten that call many times in my career for her, but clearly that was.
One of the more devastating moments.
You put your blood, sweat, tears, and we knew how it was Mike, and and uh yeah, we put so much. I mean just editing alone. Remember being that editing bait on like a Friday night, like all night long, we'd be there to almost like the sun was coming up, and again would come by and Vernon would come by.
Remember Mike falling asleep.
He would always fall asleep.
And you have that picture taking pictures.
We couldn't post, there's no posting, but there was. Yeah, I would take I'd be like Chris, like, I'm such a dude somewhere deep down, I'm like, take a picture of this. And it was like Mike sleeping. We'd always take pictures of Mike falling asleep. Granted it was like three in the morning, he'd been working all day and night like and it was just editing and he was on the couch. But like, take a picture of me flirting on Mike's face. Yeah, he does.
Does one thing to put back maybe backtrack just a little bit that I think maybe Bears mentioned is the fact that we were all also ab Fab fans and we loved the way that ab Fab use little flashbacks, and that inspired us to come up with our own version.
And I think I'm I think I mean to give most of the credit to Chris who came up with that every every flashback, but we led into a situation where Tara wasn't comfortable or trying to explain something weird or something that was off, and then she would say what they'd ask her, like, Tory, what the fuck why are you doing that? You go to the flashback and then you come back and Toy be like, I don't know, I know, yeah, I remember that.
Brilliant that was specifically, that whole thing came out about because Tori, your story about how your mom used did take you to a little people shop to get shoes for true story, so like what they like for designer shoes?
Right.
I just told this story recently to someone and they were like, no, that existed. I'm like, oh yeah, and back when I was young, I'm fifty one, like there
weren't shoes. So for Halloween costumes because like Nolan Miller who did the fabulous like Dynasty wardrobe and for every celebrity back then, huge stars and Elizabeth Taylor and like Betty, you know, everybody, and he would design my costumes for Hall of And I think he had told my mom there's a place at the time it was like in the Deep Valley and it was a little person's store
that had shoes, so she would go. Instead of getting like shoes for a five or six year old, she was just able to get what like adult shoes and heels for five or six year old and she would take me there.
Yeah.
Yeah. And the network love of your story, the funny stories of you as a child, you know that and then making snow in the backyard and you know some of the more famous ones, and we were like, how can we incorporate those stories because the show takes place in the present time, and that's why we ended up doing the flashbacks, and it was always tied to you.
You know, you were at Kitson and there was a little person you know, trying to reach something and you went off on the sales manager for not helping the person faster, and then your friends are like, what is up with that toy? And then we'd flash back to being little toy, a little person who, by the way, was played by the girl.
From Harriel Winter Family. Yeah, I want to talk about quickly the call I cut at the Kentucky Derby. Now here's the thing. This was like we were praised. I just done this pilot. I was going to be back right like everybody is at NBC, and I was like, oh, yeah, my career's back. Everything's going great. I got invited to
the Kentucky Derby. So I had been friends. We knew each other since we were like in our late teens with Rachel Zoe the stylist, but by that point she had become huge and it was like a fortune booker. But I was like, I need to look really good for my first Kentucky Derby because I'm gonna have, you know, a series on NBC this year and I'm back bitches. So I like booked her and went and she did all my clothes styled it anyway, when I got that bill, and I think she even gave me a discount because
we had been long term friends. I was just like, it was wild, you guys. I think I spent like thirty thousand dollars to go to the Kentucky Derby and I had hats, an outfit and the styling and I was like, oh my god, this is amazing. And while I was there, like Lindsay Lohan was coming in to pick up her stuff and Nicole Ritchie was there, and I was just like, yeah, this is like the world I was supposed to be born into. I mean, let
me rephrase that, whoa Fredi and slip. This is the world I was born into and now I'm back into this world. So granted, I'm at the Kentucky Derby, like dressed to the nines. It was like not the hat night, it was like the night before. So I'm in black tie and everything's done. I have this amazing using outfit
on this ball gown. And I get a call from Ruth Anne because we were anticipating the official pickup, and I turk her call and you said you should go somewhere where you can hear me speak, and I'm like okay, And I was like, oh, she's about to tell me, like it's a go. So I go into the bathroom and there's bathroom stalls and I'm in the bathroom and
you tell me the show did not get picked up? Yeah, yeah, and instead they picked up it was between two My Name is Earl, which is an amazing show and had huge success for them in longevity.
But I was just like it was devastating.
It was devastating for me too, for all of us because it just it was so funny and smart and innovative, and it was just like we we didn't miss a beat here the cow, like the writing and it's just the wardrobe was so amazing.
Everything about it. It was you know, even if the curb was already out. This was a really unique It was because that people hadn't seen before.
Because everyone knew who Tory Spelling was exact, they perceived Tory Spelling to be Larry David is different. He came here from he was behind the scenes and then in front of the camp. This was different.
The celebrity to be making fun of themselves and not just in a sketch on Saturday Night Live.
But right I was like ball to the wall, Like yeah, anyway, and I remember afterwards, just being like devastated. And that's when I was sitting there and Tara Reid was there and she was in the next stall, and she was like, are you okay? And I was like, I'm not. Like, I just did a pilot and it just wasn't picked up and and I co created it and I'm so crowd of inn this is going to be my big thing. And I had known her for years, like through American Pie.
We became friends and like after that and like part of like Hollywood, you know. And she was like, oh, she was like, you know what, we should do a show together. And we were laughing and like territory and I was like, oh, yeah, that would work. And yeah, so I remember that night. I was so I got wasted that night because I was so bummed. She took
me to a few parties. I think that's the party where yeah, I flirted with Tom Brady and then sucked Usher's finger and I was like, I'm sorry, you guys, I'm having a moment here and my show just wasn't picked up. So everyone doing a break. If I'm letting loose too much?
Can you Then for a second, I think I remember I remember the ushering that.
To bring it up, can we go into a little detail on the usher finger incident? How did that happened?
Exactly? Chris. What I remember is being in cancuon feeling so bad about this. Then the news had broke and I knew that Tory knew, and then I saw something on Perez Hilton or one of those things, and I was like, oh God, now she's sucking us hers finger.
We it was captured. I thought I was the only one that knew about it and told you.
No, like it was no, no, no, it was it was it was somewhere.
Yeah.
Actually that also reminds me this was the time when Perez Hilton was just like it. He was just huge at this point in time, and he was obsessed with Tori on this show, and didn't he come to set and like pitch ideas or something.
That's yeah, I think we were going to have him. I later went on to have him on my reality show and we've since stayed friends. But like, yeah, you're right, I don't know. We were like, uh, Tara Reid introduced me to Tom Brady. She was like, I'm gonna take you to this party and then we were with Kid rock and it was just one of those things. It was like one and one of these things is not
like the other. It was just the entire night, I was just like, God, this sucks because this show is based on these crazy stories that happened in my life that no one would believe. Here it just wasn't picked up and I'm living it right now. And all I wanted to do was tell Mike and Chris, like, Uh, this just happened with this person, this person, Let's write it into an episode because it was brilliant, like the show wrote itself. And yeah, and it wasn't picked up.
But anyway, I don't know. We're at some party and we're dancing and I was dancing with Usher and I feel like he put his finger to my lips and I sucked it. I'm not not at that Usher's hot, but like, yeah, it didn't go any further than that.
And then.
Anyway, but the next day it was the Kentucky Derby. So I'm in my huge hat, I've had a night, I'm hungover, and my show was just not picked up. So I'm at the Kentucky Derby and the whole time I'm not focused on the Kentucky Derby and in fact, all my friends are there and they're betting on the races, and like everyone the horses were behind me. So many jokes there, But I was focused because I was on the phone. And that's when I had to call Zach and he was like, oh my gosh, what's going on?
And is there a chance? Ruth and we were on the phone, and we were that day even though it was like a Saturday. We were like, we got to call another network. We got to call just call a network. We can't let this go like Monday morning.
But like, by the way, by the way, back then, you could just call another network.
I mean that it was about like using one against the other and who did you know at what place?
I mean, I wish it was still like that, but.
I just remember like calling Zach and calling James and like reassuring them being like, no, this isn't the end, Like this show is going to get picked up. I promised them. And anyway, long story short, the show did get picked up. The pilot, we got it made it VH one, which was at the time they had no It was the first scripted show correct yep, yep, which to our demise as well. But it was they took a chance on us, and they thought it was the
perfect project to launch them into script scripted. But so we did a season, ten amazing episodes, amazing and it at the end of those ten episodes, we were told it just wasn't working, even though we like the write ups were like it's always a kiss of death and critics like crazy, we.
Got grave reviews. Each one was was a company that they had the best intentions. They they want you know, they really thought they were going to go into the scripted programming business. And they they they spent a lot of money on our show, even though for us, because we were used to network, we were used to much higher budgets, so we were doing things with much less money than any of us had ever done anything with. But to them, it was more money than they'd ever
spent on anything. Yeah, and and and as much as they loved the show, you know, they put us on first of all, at ten o'clock on was it a Sunday Night? Sunday Night rais Anatomy at which which you
know was was the number one show on television. Yes, and yeah, and I think at the end of the day, it was just too expensive for them to you know, try to try to continue and every foray that they ever had and descripted in later years because we did another one with them many years later, they just they get too scared of spending the money, and ultimately that's why, you know, that's why it went away.
I remember at the time being like, oh, you know, because it was like, oh, I'm doing this great show. It's going to get picked up. Oh didn't get picked up. Oh but the show A little engine that could. It's going to be now on VH one. We're doing a series first season, and everyone's like, great, is it going to be picked up after that? Like same combo at the end of the season, like James and Zachie were like, what do you think, And I'm like, you guys, not
a chance. This isn't getting picked up. And I just remember at the time being like, well, my joke was, you know, they're they're more interested in doing like reality where like someone's like a contestant shitting in the corner and you get going on a date, which I believe was based on a show Flavor of Flave had where he was trying to find love. Flavor flav right, and.
Yes, I remember.
Literally she was standing there for so long waiting, you know, like to see if he was gonna pick her, and she they didn't let her go to the bathroom that she literally ship herself And that was like big TV. And it's like wow, and we're writing like our asses off, and.
It's calling and being like why did we bother writing scripts? Why didn't we just have her shit on the floor to do what if we did
Of course I would