October 9, 2025 • 24 mins
Scott is joined by our friend and Warner Bros. Executive James Pettit to take you behind the scenes of Lauren Graham’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
A BFF cameo from Connie Britton, but hear how Scott is connected and goes way back with the Friday Night Lights star.
Plus, Scott is reflecting on working with Lauren, and how it’s influenced his acting skills.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I am all in again. Let's us you. I am
all in again with Scott Patterson and iHeartRadio Podcast. Hey everybody,
(00:23):
Scott Patterson, I am all in Podcast one eleven productions. iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia,
iHeart Podcasts. Today is a recap of the Lauren Graham
Walk of Fame ceremony October third, and I am joined
by the illustrious, the wonderful, the gifted, the talented mister
(00:46):
James Pettitt, who is the executive director of Content, Sales
and Marketing at Warner Brothers Discovery Studios. James, Welcome to
the show. Got all that Heck are you how you doing, buddy?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I'm still uncloud nine from that amazing star ceremony. It
was so good.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yeah right, it was just all feel good. Tell us
about it, tell us take us through it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Okay, So shall we start from the very beginning?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
We start from the very beginning. Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So Scotty gets a car that is like the size
of I don't know, two buses. It's this big, black,
beautiful sedan and he pulls up this is an suv
W hotel and like opens the door and there I
am so super excited to see you. We are going
to do this, but not just us, Like all types
(01:37):
of people started coming from the show, from the twenty
five years ago, from you know, even fifteen.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Amy and Dan walked in, and Amy and Dan and
embraced us like long lost cousins.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
And I must say Amy looked fantastic. She did right,
The skin is so nice.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Yeah she looked good. Yeah, good, she looked happy and.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And like, gosh, she's smart. So we walk in, we
go to the w hotel. We're greeted by a ton
of security and they're like, okay, we're going to walk
you through the crowds and get you all the way
over to you know, where the star is being laid.
And you know, there's like all this chipped away cement
on the sidewalk and they're starting to like place the
(02:21):
letters and they did all that like the day before,
and it's like dried, I guess or whatever. But we
have to walk through all the hotel, through different areas
and then out to the crowd and then out to
where like where everybody is. So we do that with Dan,
with Amy, Sam Pancake, that's the person that like was
(02:41):
doing like the ceremony m seat. So so we walk
all out. Of course, you talked to so many fans
and like was like fist bumping and all that.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So that was so many people showed up, Mike, so.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Many And the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is the one
who puts this on. So there's like seven hundred members
of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and they like vote
on this, and it takes like years to get a star, honestly,
so and it's all that. It's not like, oh, I
can help with the star, but we help once, you know. Basically,
(03:15):
So what we did was we tried to get as
many casts to come back for the star ceremony. And
then there are fifty seats, so that's that's the limit.
That's all they ever do. It's fifty seats, and for
us to be like two of those seats was just
such an honor. It was beautiful. Yeah, And so we
(03:36):
got our seats and we found out where we were
because our names weren't them, And then they took you
to photos in front of the like step and repeat
as they call it. You walk the red carpet along
with the other actors. And who did you get to
like reunite.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
With, well, you know, Amy and Dan in the in
the green room and in the bar area of the
w hotel where we were drinking Coca colas. By the way,
yes we're not drinking drinks.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Maybe we have pepsi products by the way, that's right.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
They were very specific about that, you remember, I mean
I remember the details, like, yeah, yeah, go ahead, give
me cook so anyway, yeah, and then we just you know,
we walked out and there was Kelly, there was Matt,
there was Sam there one and that's it. Yeah, oh yeah,
(04:33):
right right, and yeah, it was just so so many fans. So,
you know, afterwards, one of the organizers where we were
standing there waiting to get walked back by security, one
of the organizers came up, nice guy, shook our hands
and we were chatting them up, and he said, you guys,
you guys do better than rock bands. Geez, look at
(04:54):
these people. He did.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
He goes and he goes. Remember he said, oh, def
Leppard's in a few days, I write as many people
as give.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Right, exactly exactly, because they do when they do this,
like they do this a couple of times a month.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, they sure do. It's exciting. It was so exciting.
I mean, I had never been to one that was
my one and only. At this point, I hope I
get to go to another one, maybe yours, but no, gosh,
it was such a tree.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
I'll be lucky to get a crack on the sidewalk,
you know, busted sidewalk down somewhere in Cooma, right, maybe
not even Hollywood. You know, I'd like to have a
walk a Walk of Fame crack, you know, dedicated. That's all.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well they did. They also do it in Palm Springs.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
They really I don't need a whole square. I could share,
you know, it could be a complex crack and I
could share it with others maybe you, you and me.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yes, yeah, me, you and the gang. But okay, so
we sat down.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
They started the ceremony, yes, which was really well tight
put together. The only one you could see it was
on the Walk of Fame dot com. And then they
claimed that they said they had over ten thousand people
watching it at the very beginning. There is that right now,
They're like, we have ten thousand live viewers. Wow, whoa.
(06:15):
And then I think Sam started and then Amy came
up and gave really a fun speech.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Huh.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
It was like just her brain like firing on all cylinder.
She started to read her phone, you know, she wrote
some things, but then she just went.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Right, she went off script, she said, script, she started
reading that little tiny print.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, and told some really funny stories. Yes, yes, And
then how the casting of Loralai happened? That amazing? Do
you remember that?
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, Like they couldn't find the girl, the right girl,
and like forever Lauren had a contract, she was committed
to another show, yield another show, and it was on
vacation and she didn't you know, Cassie people told her
about Lauren, and Amy said, no, I don't want to
see her because she's not going to be available, and
(07:12):
if I fall in love with her, then I won't
be able to have her, and then I'll I'll murder
somebody and then I'll you all be accused of committing murder,
not me or something like that, right, you know her
hyperbolic way of speaking, right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So and WB Network at the time, Oh yeah, we're there.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
And then they couldn't find the right Laura line like
they had found all you like before. So when they
found her and then she went in and then they
fell in love with her, and then she luckily got
out of that other pilot like totally got out of it.
You all went to Canada to shoot correct.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, we went to Toronto.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, which is way different than Warner Brother's backlot.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
And way different, way different. Uh huh, you actually need
a jack there exactly. Like it's got real weather. You know.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
She told some really great stories. She was presenting the
portion of the star, and then the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce head came up. I forgot his name. Very nice gentleman,
and like then they did the whole star lifting, which
is very like like the reveal is so like, yeah, showy,
(08:25):
it's no business.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
They have a wooden star and it's got five pieces
of rope attached to it, and all five pulled up
on the rope.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And they pull the rope up and heavier.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Than they thought and getting cement all over their shoes
and things like that.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Right, the name is revealed and it's like oh, and
then I think Lauren came up and then she got
really emotional too about the whole and can I tell
you to red on the red carpet? Red on red
is stun.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Yeah, it's kind of it's very star worthy. Oh yes,
you know that's like when you compete with the red
carpet and win. That's that's like a sign, right that
they got it right that time, right, score right.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
And then YouTube got together for photos right after that reveal,
which was oh nice. The fans went crazy.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
They did they really did? They really they love seeing
us together.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, they love it. You reunited and it felt so good.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So what stood out for you the most, James, at
any moments that really capture the spirit of Gilmore Girls
or Lauren herself.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Lauren herself just how gracious she was about how the
show really you know, was a part of this ceremony,
like it like most of the fans like they called
off like the Parenthood and this and Bad Santa and
like different movies. And then but the crowd when they
said Gilmore Girls was just like like just like so
(10:18):
the show is like exactly why this star happened, right,
you know? And that really hit home for me too,
which was so nice.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
So back in your early days working at Warner Brothers
together with Lauren, did you ever imagine she'd be getting
a star on the Walk of Fame.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I never, I never thought I but I never I
would hope for that. I'm always hopeful, like because I
worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer too, and I was like,
I hope Sarah Michelle Geller gets a star, you know,
things like that. So and the same with Dawson's Creek,
James Vanderbeek, maybe, but everyone was so young and like
the stars were not going out to super young people
(10:56):
at the time they.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Were, did James gelt One? I don't think So it's
Sarah get One.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I'm pretty sure because she has.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
A nice body of work, right, right, so.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Pretty sure. I'll have to look. But what was it like?
I what was I reading? It was like so many stars,
Like it's like two thousand something. Forgot how many there were,
but she's like twenty eight hundred and something.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
So right, Well, here's a question that the staff prepared.
I think it's for me. How has Lauren impacted your
own career for the way you approach acting? You know,
what Lauren confirmed for me, James, is that I was
on the right track and how I approach the work,
that how I approach the work, that you know, my
(11:45):
particular style and my particular discipline of approaching the work
and the rehearsal process, and how important that was to me.
It was also important to her, So our our sort
of preparation and workhearsal styles were similar. So I thought, oh, yay,
this is going to work.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
And you took that with you to your movies and everything.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, everything I do. Yes, And it's always a joy
to find somebody. And you know, the entire cast that
Gilmore Girls was like that.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I heard very collaborative, very.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Collaborative, like study group and then truly.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Like yeah, but I mean people like when they they'd
fight for their choices, you know, and and they justify
them and they'd argue, and it's like, yes, that's what
you want. You want that spark, you know, you want
the ideas to fly around and bounce off the walls
and and best best idea wins kind of kind of deal.
So that it was just such a raw, alive atmosphere
(12:47):
all the time. It was just it was just fantastic. Yeah,
and you had some may have to work in that way.
So so that's really what how she approached the work,
how I approached my work, how everybody approached the work
on that set is is you know you're in the
right place. Yeah, you know, you know you're in the
right place with the right people, and you have, you know,
a creator and Amy and Dan sitting back and letting
(13:10):
it happen and the writing and listening and like you know,
and then you know, you know, not trying to dominate
everything all the time, just letting us work it out,
you know. So it was just great fun.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I worked on Friends too, so and then sometimes if
a joke didn't hit as funny as you, as the
crowd and the audience thought it would, they would rewrite
and the actors would learn it like that.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So Dan and Amy were there a lot. Did they
are all the time? Probably? But did you ever have
that with Lauren where you would have to have like
you did the scene and then they're like, this could
make it a little funnier or a little more serious
and you'd have to rewrite and learn it that fast?
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Or was it always just so too often? I don't really.
We would get rewrites very early in the morning in
the makeup chair, like stick am. We get rewrites. Sometimes
there were long rewrites, so that the whole scene was rewritten, reconceived,
and they just handed to you restressed. When that happened
first time, Yeah, like the first week of shooting at
(14:12):
Warner Brothers episode one or episode two. You know, pilot
was the first episode. Second episode was shot at Warner
Brothers and Burbank and everything else after. Yeah, they throw
a ten page scene at us at six am and
our set call or no, no, I'm sorry, six forty am,
and then our set call was seven o'clock. So we
had twenty minutes to learn ten pages and we did it.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Yeah, because you guys were just that.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Good, Because because we had to when we didn't have
a choice, you know, so we just we just worked
at work. It worked it and and then.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
I hear it's like a muscle, like if you learn
the line and you just keep going, it's just like
easier to like take in the information, retain it and
then trying to forget it after that.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Well, you know, it's in the writing and in the
rhythm of the writing, and it always was very rhythmic
and very musical and kind of easy to remember.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Okay, back to the star. Yes, who did you sit by, Kelly?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I think, yeah, Kelly, Kelly and Matt. Yeah, Kelly and Matt.
So yeah, right there in the front row. I had
a front row seat to it.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
All, I know, right next to all the like paparazzi,
the camera people from like Extra, they were there. How
did it feel to be reunited with Lauren?
Speaker 1 (15:45):
It was wonderful. It was wonderful. It's like no time
had gone by. She didn't recognize me, you know, because
they had a white beard and I had lost some hat.
She said, I'm sorry, who are you?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Did she really now?
Speaker 1 (16:02):
It was really nice to see her. It was really
really nice to see her.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Well. I was sitting in the back row, and it
was fantastic because I didn't know who I was sitting by.
It was agents and things like that through all her years,
Lorange years, and I ended up sitting like right behind
like someone else. I really admire Connie Britten.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Oh yeah, Connie was right there.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I was like, oh my gosh, she's right in front
of me.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I know.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I love Friday Night Lights, I love the White Lotus.
I love everything she's doing. She's even doing a new
movie for Warner Brothers right now, The McMullan Brothers.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
She really Connie and I go way back.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Really, Where did you guys meet New York City?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Like twenty three years ago?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
At an upfront you know, Warner Brothers or CW whatever
it was upfront, and she's just great. She's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
She also wore a red pants suit, so I was like,
that was nice way to go with the red.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
I know, but she's she's she's been good for the
Lauren and Connie were roommates back in the day when
they were first starting out in New York, I believe. Yeah,
that's how they became friends. Yeah, that's why she was there.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, Oh that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yeah, so I got to know her, and you know,
I love Connie. She's just she's great. She's just a
great human, great person.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
So I sat next to like because I was in
the back, but I was next to Lucy Davis, who
is on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is another
WB show, And I didn't know because I didn't watch
that because it was on Netflix and I didn't I
couldn't afford it at the time.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Now I can.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
But I was like just chatting it up with her,
and she's telling me that there's a piano bar around
the corner from the Star because the stars in front
of the w Hotel across the street from the piano
or from the Pantagious, and there's a piano bar called
tramp stamp grannies that we all have to go to,
right we do?
Speaker 1 (18:01):
We have to go there? What's a tramp stamp granny?
Speaker 2 (18:04):
You a piano bar? If I get Lauren, you see
Luke all the three l's.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Sure, yeah, tramp stamp granny? What is going on in there?
What's that? What is that? What's happening in there? You
think that that title for a business scares people or
draws them in? Tramp stamp Granny.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I'm all about it it.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Really, I set it up. Send a car, I'll be there,
thanks very much.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Okay, great, you have a song ready?
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Oh, you go in and do karaoke?
Speaker 2 (18:43):
You do piano bar stuff. So the piano player sings
with you or for you? Are you sing?
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (18:50):
I think it's a good I think it could be
a way to get fans all to come and join
in on song together.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Huh. I'll do I'll do something bluesy ooh, I'll do
something bluesy scotty things, the blues. James, I have a
question for you, yep. Why do you think Lauren and
Gilmore Girls continues to resonate so deeply with audiences?
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Oh? Well, the writing, of course, the acting of course,
the casting of course, and then how this like it's
like mac and cheese, Like I think I said this
once before, like it's so good and you want to
have it, especially in the fall. And then that's why
everybody keeps rewatching in the fall, and that's why we
(19:34):
get to do the Rewatch podcast now. So it's like
it's just so like it like fills the soul.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Okay, one big memory from the ceremony.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
My biggest memory, oh after party. So yeah, both you
and I decided, okay, the after party was down the street,
but we still had it was a block and a half, y'all,
but we all had to take car to get there
because the street so full of people that you couldn't
buy easily. So we got cars, went down the street,
went on top of this rooftop. I took a picture
(20:09):
of Scottie, you could see it on my Instagram, James E. Pettitt,
And you are with the Hollywood sign because that rooftop
like restaurant looks over the whole uh Hollywood area. And
we had white Russians And why is that, scott Why
(20:30):
did we have white Russians? I don't know, because you're
a part Russian.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Oh that's right, that's right, that's right, that's so true.
And I don't I don't really drink, no, but I
figured this is an occasion.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, and you got a car like a driver, right.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
I don't have to worry about driving. And uh so
I had we had one white Russian apiece.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yes, I thought that delicious.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
It was a lovely drink. And it was a lovely
experience there and that in top restaurant, and we toasted Lauren. Yes,
and uh I actually, you know I when Warner Brothers
PR contacted me about attending the event, Yeah, I asked
him if I could get up there and make a speech. Oh,
(21:17):
I wanted to make a speech.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
That would have been great too, But I know.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
That's it, right, it was going to be those two, right,
so I said it was, but I did. I did
give her a little speech up at the rooftop bar
with the white Russian. We toasted her with the right.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
You wanted to do a speech for her? Now you
could on your show like you can pretend I'm her
except my hair as in as gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Yeah, that's a bit of a stretch. Uh, not that
you're not beautiful. I'll pull up a pizzer, and I
don't have a white Russian available to me now, so
I'm going to pass on the speech right now. Let
me work on it. I'll email it to you.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I'm sure it would be just glowing.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Oh oh man, I mean there would have been a
dry eye in the house. Let me tell you, yeah,
let me tell you this, you know, anyway, it was.
It was really really a great time. The fans were
so happy, they had so much fun.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
They did have a good time.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
You've never you've never seen so many Luke shirts in
your life. Tell Warner Brothers Consumer Products. They're selling a
lot of shirts. I'm sure they already know it. But
there were literally like hundreds and maybe a couple thousand
Luke shirts out there.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
You know, there were tons, all right.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Listen, buddy, thank you, so thank you very much. You're
like the busiest guy in the world, and he always
give us your time. Really appreciate it. You have no
idea how busy and how important and powerful this man is.
Right here, right here, he might be the straw that
stirs the drink over there. I'll tell you, the guy
(23:01):
is amazing. He's mister everywhere, mister everything. My good friend,
James Pettitt, thank you for your time and we look
forward to seeing you again and again and again.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
My brother Okay, sending love all right, love your problem
fans too.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Bye everybody, Bye, everybody, and don't forget.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Follow us on Instagram at I Am All In podcast
and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com
I am all in again. Let's us you. I am
all in again with Scott Patterson and iHeartRadio Podcast. Hey everybody,
(00:23):
Scott Patterson, I am all in Podcast one eleven productions. iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia,
iHeart Podcasts. Today is a recap of the Lauren Graham
Walk of Fame ceremony October third, and I am joined
by the illustrious, the wonderful, the gifted, the talented mister
(00:46):
James Pettitt, who is the executive director of Content, Sales
and Marketing at Warner Brothers Discovery Studios. James, Welcome to
the show. Got all that Heck are you how you doing, buddy?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I'm still uncloud nine from that amazing star ceremony. It
was so good.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yeah right, it was just all feel good. Tell us
about it, tell us take us through it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Okay, So shall we start from the very beginning?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
We start from the very beginning. Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So Scotty gets a car that is like the size
of I don't know, two buses. It's this big, black,
beautiful sedan and he pulls up this is an suv
W hotel and like opens the door and there I
am so super excited to see you. We are going
to do this, but not just us, Like all types
(01:37):
of people started coming from the show, from the twenty
five years ago, from you know, even fifteen.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Amy and Dan walked in, and Amy and Dan and
embraced us like long lost cousins.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
And I must say Amy looked fantastic. She did right,
The skin is so nice.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Yeah she looked good. Yeah, good, she looked happy and.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And like, gosh, she's smart. So we walk in, we
go to the w hotel. We're greeted by a ton
of security and they're like, okay, we're going to walk
you through the crowds and get you all the way
over to you know, where the star is being laid.
And you know, there's like all this chipped away cement
on the sidewalk and they're starting to like place the
(02:21):
letters and they did all that like the day before,
and it's like dried, I guess or whatever. But we
have to walk through all the hotel, through different areas
and then out to the crowd and then out to
where like where everybody is. So we do that with Dan,
with Amy, Sam Pancake, that's the person that like was
(02:41):
doing like the ceremony m seat. So so we walk
all out. Of course, you talked to so many fans
and like was like fist bumping and all that.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So that was so many people showed up, Mike, so.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Many And the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is the one
who puts this on. So there's like seven hundred members
of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and they like vote
on this, and it takes like years to get a star, honestly,
so and it's all that. It's not like, oh, I
can help with the star, but we help once, you know. Basically,
(03:15):
So what we did was we tried to get as
many casts to come back for the star ceremony. And
then there are fifty seats, so that's that's the limit.
That's all they ever do. It's fifty seats, and for
us to be like two of those seats was just
such an honor. It was beautiful. Yeah, And so we
(03:36):
got our seats and we found out where we were
because our names weren't them, And then they took you
to photos in front of the like step and repeat
as they call it. You walk the red carpet along
with the other actors. And who did you get to
like reunite.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
With, well, you know, Amy and Dan in the in
the green room and in the bar area of the
w hotel where we were drinking Coca colas. By the way,
yes we're not drinking drinks.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Maybe we have pepsi products by the way, that's right.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
They were very specific about that, you remember, I mean
I remember the details, like, yeah, yeah, go ahead, give
me cook so anyway, yeah, and then we just you know,
we walked out and there was Kelly, there was Matt,
there was Sam there one and that's it. Yeah, oh yeah,
(04:33):
right right, and yeah, it was just so so many fans. So,
you know, afterwards, one of the organizers where we were
standing there waiting to get walked back by security, one
of the organizers came up, nice guy, shook our hands
and we were chatting them up, and he said, you guys,
you guys do better than rock bands. Geez, look at
(04:54):
these people. He did.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
He goes and he goes. Remember he said, oh, def
Leppard's in a few days, I write as many people
as give.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Right, exactly exactly, because they do when they do this,
like they do this a couple of times a month.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, they sure do. It's exciting. It was so exciting.
I mean, I had never been to one that was
my one and only. At this point, I hope I
get to go to another one, maybe yours, but no, gosh,
it was such a tree.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
I'll be lucky to get a crack on the sidewalk,
you know, busted sidewalk down somewhere in Cooma, right, maybe
not even Hollywood. You know, I'd like to have a
walk a Walk of Fame crack, you know, dedicated. That's all.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well they did. They also do it in Palm Springs.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
They really I don't need a whole square. I could share,
you know, it could be a complex crack and I
could share it with others maybe you, you and me.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yes, yeah, me, you and the gang. But okay, so
we sat down.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
They started the ceremony, yes, which was really well tight
put together. The only one you could see it was
on the Walk of Fame dot com. And then they
claimed that they said they had over ten thousand people
watching it at the very beginning. There is that right now,
They're like, we have ten thousand live viewers. Wow, whoa.
(06:15):
And then I think Sam started and then Amy came
up and gave really a fun speech.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Huh.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
It was like just her brain like firing on all cylinder.
She started to read her phone, you know, she wrote
some things, but then she just went.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Right, she went off script, she said, script, she started
reading that little tiny print.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, and told some really funny stories. Yes, yes, And
then how the casting of Loralai happened? That amazing? Do
you remember that?
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, Like they couldn't find the girl, the right girl,
and like forever Lauren had a contract, she was committed
to another show, yield another show, and it was on
vacation and she didn't you know, Cassie people told her
about Lauren, and Amy said, no, I don't want to
see her because she's not going to be available, and
(07:12):
if I fall in love with her, then I won't
be able to have her, and then I'll I'll murder
somebody and then I'll you all be accused of committing murder,
not me or something like that, right, you know her
hyperbolic way of speaking, right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So and WB Network at the time, Oh yeah, we're there.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
And then they couldn't find the right Laura line like
they had found all you like before. So when they
found her and then she went in and then they
fell in love with her, and then she luckily got
out of that other pilot like totally got out of it.
You all went to Canada to shoot correct.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, we went to Toronto.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, which is way different than Warner Brother's backlot.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
And way different, way different. Uh huh, you actually need
a jack there exactly. Like it's got real weather. You know.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
She told some really great stories. She was presenting the
portion of the star, and then the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce head came up. I forgot his name. Very nice gentleman,
and like then they did the whole star lifting, which
is very like like the reveal is so like, yeah, showy,
(08:25):
it's no business.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
They have a wooden star and it's got five pieces
of rope attached to it, and all five pulled up
on the rope.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And they pull the rope up and heavier.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Than they thought and getting cement all over their shoes
and things like that.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Right, the name is revealed and it's like oh, and
then I think Lauren came up and then she got
really emotional too about the whole and can I tell
you to red on the red carpet? Red on red
is stun.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Yeah, it's kind of it's very star worthy. Oh yes,
you know that's like when you compete with the red
carpet and win. That's that's like a sign, right that
they got it right that time, right, score right.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
And then YouTube got together for photos right after that reveal,
which was oh nice. The fans went crazy.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
They did they really did? They really they love seeing
us together.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, they love it. You reunited and it felt so good.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So what stood out for you the most, James, at
any moments that really capture the spirit of Gilmore Girls
or Lauren herself.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Lauren herself just how gracious she was about how the
show really you know, was a part of this ceremony,
like it like most of the fans like they called
off like the Parenthood and this and Bad Santa and
like different movies. And then but the crowd when they
said Gilmore Girls was just like like just like so
(10:18):
the show is like exactly why this star happened, right,
you know? And that really hit home for me too,
which was so nice.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
So back in your early days working at Warner Brothers
together with Lauren, did you ever imagine she'd be getting
a star on the Walk of Fame.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I never, I never thought I but I never I
would hope for that. I'm always hopeful, like because I
worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer too, and I was like,
I hope Sarah Michelle Geller gets a star, you know,
things like that. So and the same with Dawson's Creek,
James Vanderbeek, maybe, but everyone was so young and like
the stars were not going out to super young people
(10:56):
at the time they.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Were, did James gelt One? I don't think So it's
Sarah get One.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I'm pretty sure because she has.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
A nice body of work, right, right, so.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Pretty sure. I'll have to look. But what was it like?
I what was I reading? It was like so many stars,
Like it's like two thousand something. Forgot how many there were,
but she's like twenty eight hundred and something.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
So right, Well, here's a question that the staff prepared.
I think it's for me. How has Lauren impacted your
own career for the way you approach acting? You know,
what Lauren confirmed for me, James, is that I was
on the right track and how I approach the work,
that how I approach the work, that you know, my
(11:45):
particular style and my particular discipline of approaching the work
and the rehearsal process, and how important that was to me.
It was also important to her, So our our sort
of preparation and workhearsal styles were similar. So I thought, oh, yay,
this is going to work.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
And you took that with you to your movies and everything.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, everything I do. Yes, And it's always a joy
to find somebody. And you know, the entire cast that
Gilmore Girls was like that.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I heard very collaborative, very.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Collaborative, like study group and then truly.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Like yeah, but I mean people like when they they'd
fight for their choices, you know, and and they justify
them and they'd argue, and it's like, yes, that's what
you want. You want that spark, you know, you want
the ideas to fly around and bounce off the walls
and and best best idea wins kind of kind of deal.
So that it was just such a raw, alive atmosphere
(12:47):
all the time. It was just it was just fantastic. Yeah,
and you had some may have to work in that way.
So so that's really what how she approached the work,
how I approached my work, how everybody approached the work
on that set is is you know you're in the
right place. Yeah, you know, you know you're in the
right place with the right people, and you have, you know,
a creator and Amy and Dan sitting back and letting
(13:10):
it happen and the writing and listening and like you know,
and then you know, you know, not trying to dominate
everything all the time, just letting us work it out,
you know. So it was just great fun.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I worked on Friends too, so and then sometimes if
a joke didn't hit as funny as you, as the
crowd and the audience thought it would, they would rewrite
and the actors would learn it like that.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So Dan and Amy were there a lot. Did they
are all the time? Probably? But did you ever have
that with Lauren where you would have to have like
you did the scene and then they're like, this could
make it a little funnier or a little more serious
and you'd have to rewrite and learn it that fast?
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Or was it always just so too often? I don't really.
We would get rewrites very early in the morning in
the makeup chair, like stick am. We get rewrites. Sometimes
there were long rewrites, so that the whole scene was rewritten, reconceived,
and they just handed to you restressed. When that happened
first time, Yeah, like the first week of shooting at
(14:12):
Warner Brothers episode one or episode two. You know, pilot
was the first episode. Second episode was shot at Warner
Brothers and Burbank and everything else after. Yeah, they throw
a ten page scene at us at six am and
our set call or no, no, I'm sorry, six forty am,
and then our set call was seven o'clock. So we
had twenty minutes to learn ten pages and we did it.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Yeah, because you guys were just that.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Good, Because because we had to when we didn't have
a choice, you know, so we just we just worked
at work. It worked it and and then.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
I hear it's like a muscle, like if you learn
the line and you just keep going, it's just like
easier to like take in the information, retain it and
then trying to forget it after that.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Well, you know, it's in the writing and in the
rhythm of the writing, and it always was very rhythmic
and very musical and kind of easy to remember.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Okay, back to the star. Yes, who did you sit by, Kelly?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I think, yeah, Kelly, Kelly and Matt. Yeah, Kelly and Matt.
So yeah, right there in the front row. I had
a front row seat to it.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
All, I know, right next to all the like paparazzi,
the camera people from like Extra, they were there. How
did it feel to be reunited with Lauren?
Speaker 1 (15:45):
It was wonderful. It was wonderful. It's like no time
had gone by. She didn't recognize me, you know, because
they had a white beard and I had lost some hat.
She said, I'm sorry, who are you?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Did she really now?
Speaker 1 (16:02):
It was really nice to see her. It was really
really nice to see her.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Well. I was sitting in the back row, and it
was fantastic because I didn't know who I was sitting by.
It was agents and things like that through all her years,
Lorange years, and I ended up sitting like right behind
like someone else. I really admire Connie Britten.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Oh yeah, Connie was right there.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I was like, oh my gosh, she's right in front
of me.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I know.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I love Friday Night Lights, I love the White Lotus.
I love everything she's doing. She's even doing a new
movie for Warner Brothers right now, The McMullan Brothers.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
She really Connie and I go way back.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Really, Where did you guys meet New York City?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Like twenty three years ago?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
At an upfront you know, Warner Brothers or CW whatever
it was upfront, and she's just great. She's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
She also wore a red pants suit, so I was like,
that was nice way to go with the red.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
I know, but she's she's she's been good for the
Lauren and Connie were roommates back in the day when
they were first starting out in New York, I believe. Yeah,
that's how they became friends. Yeah, that's why she was there.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, Oh that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yeah, so I got to know her, and you know,
I love Connie. She's just she's great. She's just a
great human, great person.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
So I sat next to like because I was in
the back, but I was next to Lucy Davis, who
is on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is another
WB show, And I didn't know because I didn't watch
that because it was on Netflix and I didn't I
couldn't afford it at the time.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Now I can.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
But I was like just chatting it up with her,
and she's telling me that there's a piano bar around
the corner from the Star because the stars in front
of the w Hotel across the street from the piano
or from the Pantagious, and there's a piano bar called
tramp stamp grannies that we all have to go to,
right we do?
Speaker 1 (18:01):
We have to go there? What's a tramp stamp granny?
Speaker 2 (18:04):
You a piano bar? If I get Lauren, you see
Luke all the three l's.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Sure, yeah, tramp stamp granny? What is going on in there?
What's that? What is that? What's happening in there? You
think that that title for a business scares people or
draws them in? Tramp stamp Granny.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I'm all about it it.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Really, I set it up. Send a car, I'll be there,
thanks very much.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Okay, great, you have a song ready?
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Oh, you go in and do karaoke?
Speaker 2 (18:43):
You do piano bar stuff. So the piano player sings
with you or for you? Are you sing?
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (18:50):
I think it's a good I think it could be
a way to get fans all to come and join
in on song together.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Huh. I'll do I'll do something bluesy ooh, I'll do
something bluesy scotty things, the blues. James, I have a
question for you, yep. Why do you think Lauren and
Gilmore Girls continues to resonate so deeply with audiences?
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Oh? Well, the writing, of course, the acting of course,
the casting of course, and then how this like it's
like mac and cheese, Like I think I said this
once before, like it's so good and you want to
have it, especially in the fall. And then that's why
everybody keeps rewatching in the fall, and that's why we
(19:34):
get to do the Rewatch podcast now. So it's like
it's just so like it like fills the soul.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Okay, one big memory from the ceremony.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
My biggest memory, oh after party. So yeah, both you
and I decided, okay, the after party was down the street,
but we still had it was a block and a half, y'all,
but we all had to take car to get there
because the street so full of people that you couldn't
buy easily. So we got cars, went down the street,
went on top of this rooftop. I took a picture
(20:09):
of Scottie, you could see it on my Instagram, James E. Pettitt,
And you are with the Hollywood sign because that rooftop
like restaurant looks over the whole uh Hollywood area. And
we had white Russians And why is that, scott Why
(20:30):
did we have white Russians? I don't know, because you're
a part Russian.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Oh that's right, that's right, that's right, that's so true.
And I don't I don't really drink, no, but I
figured this is an occasion.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, and you got a car like a driver, right.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
I don't have to worry about driving. And uh so
I had we had one white Russian apiece.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yes, I thought that delicious.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
It was a lovely drink. And it was a lovely
experience there and that in top restaurant, and we toasted Lauren. Yes,
and uh I actually, you know I when Warner Brothers
PR contacted me about attending the event, Yeah, I asked
him if I could get up there and make a speech. Oh,
(21:17):
I wanted to make a speech.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
That would have been great too, But I know.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
That's it, right, it was going to be those two, right,
so I said it was, but I did. I did
give her a little speech up at the rooftop bar
with the white Russian. We toasted her with the right.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
You wanted to do a speech for her? Now you
could on your show like you can pretend I'm her
except my hair as in as gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Yeah, that's a bit of a stretch. Uh, not that
you're not beautiful. I'll pull up a pizzer, and I
don't have a white Russian available to me now, so
I'm going to pass on the speech right now. Let
me work on it. I'll email it to you.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I'm sure it would be just glowing.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Oh oh man, I mean there would have been a
dry eye in the house. Let me tell you, yeah,
let me tell you this, you know, anyway, it was.
It was really really a great time. The fans were
so happy, they had so much fun.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
They did have a good time.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
You've never you've never seen so many Luke shirts in
your life. Tell Warner Brothers Consumer Products. They're selling a
lot of shirts. I'm sure they already know it. But
there were literally like hundreds and maybe a couple thousand
Luke shirts out there.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
You know, there were tons, all right.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Listen, buddy, thank you, so thank you very much. You're
like the busiest guy in the world, and he always
give us your time. Really appreciate it. You have no
idea how busy and how important and powerful this man is.
Right here, right here, he might be the straw that
stirs the drink over there. I'll tell you, the guy
(23:01):
is amazing. He's mister everywhere, mister everything. My good friend,
James Pettitt, thank you for your time and we look
forward to seeing you again and again and again.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
My brother Okay, sending love all right, love your problem
fans too.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Bye everybody, Bye, everybody, and don't forget.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Follow us on Instagram at I Am All In podcast
and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com
Hosts And Creators
Amy Sugarman
Danielle Romo
Scott Patterson
Tara Soudbaksh
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