December 3, 2024 • 39 mins
ICYMI: Hour Three of ‘Later, with Mo’Kelly’ Presents – An in-depth conversation with Actor Jonah Wharton (Castle, Southland, Bones, NCIS, The Rookie), who joins the program to discuss his role on ‘NCIS: Origins’ in addition to previewing the season finale of the hit Paramount+ espionage thriller ‘Lioness,’ wherein Wharton portrays ‘Tex;’ the "tech specialist in charge of surveillance on the Special Activities Division operatives on the QRF Team led by Joe (Zoe Saldaña)" … PLUS – A look at the Top 10 artists of the 21st century according to Billboard - on KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
kf I AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
This is born got of me mission focus text, Oh,
I'm focused. I'm just saying, hey.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Hey, hey, hey, where is she?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
She's on the mark? Can you pull him?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Replace?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Not here? I'll stay close.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I have a reach out when she can't.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
The Saudi Royal marrying a Kuwaiti national.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Basically out of me? He're the spy? What do you think?
I think it makes no freaking sense? All right, stop
sortally the right.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
You will walk forward to your car, you will get in,
you will drive away. You will not look back in
the direction of the house. Do you understand?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes? Walk?
Speaker 5 (01:01):
It's Later with Mo Kelly KFI AM six forty live
everywhere in the iHeartRadio app and right now you can
see actor Jonah Wharton, who you're just listening to in
that clip as a serious series regular text on my
favorite show Barnun Lioness on Paramount Plus and its season
finale is coming up this Sunday, December eighth, And you
can also find Jonah Wharton on the upcoming episode and
(01:23):
season finale of n CIS Origins, which is Wednesday, December fourth.
That episode is titled Vivo or Mueto Life or Death.
The very busy Jonah Wharton joins me now here in
the KFI studio. John Us, Good to see you man.
Thank you for coming out tonight.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Oh thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
That was cool listening Todent rub me back to season
one and you write a lot of f BOMs.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
That's my kind of show. And I've seen your work
over the years. You are a chameleon. I'll see you
one way in one show, and you're very You're presented
very differently another way. And I wonder if if you're
acting is derivative of your life growing up. The reason
why I say this because I'm quite sure you met
(02:07):
some very colorful people along the way.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Do I have this right?
Speaker 5 (02:10):
You were growing up in and around San Francisco in
a houseboat community of bohemian squatters.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
YEP, that's right. It sounds about right from Salcelito, the
waterfront right there. It's an interesting, interesting community.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
But when I if I just listen to your voice,
the tambour and the cadence, I would swear you from
my Texas.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You know, I don't know, like I'm not the first
person to say that.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Not the first person I've argued with my wife actually
from Texas, note from the Bay Area. I've just maybe
just got a lot of different influences influence in my
speech and who knows.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
And it's interesting because you are playing someone whose name
texts now, so it's not lost on me the irony.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
But going back to that houseboat community to bohemians by
the way, not from Texas, Texas, from New Jersey.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
New Jersey, right, So yeah, it's weird, but we're going
real deep in the show, but we will will do
that just a second. But take me back to this
houseboat community of bohemian squatters.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
What does that mean, what does that look like? What
does that sound like?
Speaker 4 (03:13):
Well, my mom bought her first home there and it's
a seventies She bought it first seventy dollars. Basically, the
house folts out there, you can people found a loophole
where you could not have to pay rent because the
water is unincorporated, so it's in Saucelito. But once you're
on the water, you're outside of the city limits and
there's no way they can stop you. So people bought boats,
(03:36):
put anchors down and just built up a community just
floating on the water there basically to avoid paying rent.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Okay, that's home for you, But what is your day
to day life like? How are you going to school?
How are you interacting with other people? What's that like?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
It wasn't that different. We just walk off the boat,
walk on the land, and I had walked to school.
I'd have to walk about a mile to school when
I was you know, middle school and all that up
with other kids in the area along the way and
would walk to school, and yeah, it was it wasn't
as noticeable to me being there. It was just, you know,
when I go home, maybe get people will talk about
me living on the boat.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
That's like what kids in the way that they may
tease other people. What were they saying? How did they
view your lifestyle compared to their lifestyle?
Speaker 4 (04:21):
It was different. It was definitely different ground. It's just
weird to other people. So I get teased, don't rock
the boat. So growing up, what were the dreams? What
would the aspirations?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Growing up?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
I wanted to play ball, basketball. I was a basketball player.
I had never even considered acting or going into this world.
I was just obsessed with basketball, an athlete.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
But could you ball, Yes, very confidently. That's what That's
what I do. I still do, still do, right, I
still play. I still play. Yeah, I got I got
hurt in high school. You know I wouldn't have blown
out my ankle the league, you know, you know how
it goes.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
But also there's an La portion to your story which
is connected to acting. What brought you to La, When
did you get to La and what happened when you
got here.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
I came to La on a whim in two thousand
and two. I'd done a year of community college. I
went to the small community college and the central Coast
to play basketball. That wasn't working out. I was like,
let me get the hell out of this small tap.
It was just tarry was boring. So I was like,
what's the next thing I could do. Let me come
to LA for a year and just hang out. So,
just on a whim to do something different, I moved
(05:34):
down to LA and just started life here in LA
and still had no idea that acting was going to
be in.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Your future, no idea. No.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
I even worked at a restaurant and it was Norms
on los Aye. Everybody knows, Yeah, And that was the
first job I had in LA. I was just trying
to figure out how to get enough money to pay
rent and get by. And I remember there was a
couple of waitresses there working and they were aspiring actresses.
And I thought it was hilarious because I thought that
was a stereotype that wasn't really true. Oh it's very true.
(06:05):
Oh this is a real thing. People really come here
to do it. It's ridiculous. It didn't even and even
after that, it was in for another like five or
six years that I really got into it.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I questioned the next question.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
I'm asking respectfully if only because I wonder did the
people that you were working with, those waitresses, did they
ever make it beyond that?
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I don't think so. I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
I didn't work there for long. Well, I think with
this my teen and I worked there for about a month.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
But it's truly one in a million.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
You think of the number of the people who've moved
to LA who have this dream and fantasy and it's
never realized.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So what was the impetus to try acting?
Speaker 5 (06:43):
You heard it from your co workers, as it were,
What made you think that, well, maybe I should try this.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
It was a slow process, I think with the thing
that really got me started is I got lucky. I
got a commercial. I was stating a girl at the time.
He took me up with their commercial agent. I went
out and I booked a Burger King commercial and I
was like, oh, this is an easy way to make money.
Now to me, I didn't I wasn't acting yet, but
it got me in sag and you just.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Went out one audition and you got a commercial just
like that.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
A couple a couple. I didn't know what I was doing.
It wasn't really, that wasn't acting. I just had to.
I walked in there and pretended I was eating a whopper,
and next thing that night, they're like, hey, you come
eat a whopper in this commercial?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
And was it one of those national deals? Yeah? Yeah,
Oh that paid well. Yeah that was nice when I
got that cause I was broken.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
They're like, oh, you're gonna get thirty forty fifty thousand
dollars out of this.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I'm like, well, this is a good career. How much
work was that one commercial? Four or five hours? Yeah?
About that? Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I auditioned and I worked the same day I went out.
I looked at there like, hey, I think somebody dropped
out or you know who knows the story. But they
needed me there that night, so I went in at
nine pm. I was out by three am.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
I understand back in the day, especially, it was much
more difficult to get your SAG card, to be able
to get some lines and be able to be authentic
in that way.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
What was your next step from there? Then I just
hung around waiting for things to happen, and nothing did.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
So it wasn't this was two thousand and six, two
thousand and five or six. Yeah, and but it planted
the seed. And then I was like, I want to act,
but I had never taken a class. I didn't know
anything about the craft. And then I finally ended up
just going to a few classes trying to figure out
what this thing is about.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Went to a few classes, booked a few commercials, and.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
The rent I didn't book a few. I wasn't booking.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
I got one.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
I wanted the seed, and that just planted the seed.
And once I found a good place, I was like, oh,
this is something you can actually work on and practice
and get good at.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
It's not just you know.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
I Once I learned and to respect the craft, because
I had no respect for acting, I was like that
seems easy enough. You just go up there say some words,
and I could do that. And then once I found
a class that really taught me like okay, this is
somebody can work at and we got into it and.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Were getting ready to go to first commercial break.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
What was that moment where you booked the job where
you said I might be able to do this as
a career.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I think it was.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
It wasn't even a job they gave me that. It
was being in classes and seeing like, okay, I've got
like a little natural talent for this. And then I
just got obsessed. I have like a one track mind,
so I just got obsessed with the craft. And it
was just that competitive nature. Yeah, totally totally. Once I
lock in, I'm like that's it. So then I just
decide I'm going to do it.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Oh you like playing defense? Yeah, oh locked you got that.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
I played ball. I'm a little bit older than you,
but I played ball back in the day. Oh yeah,
I'm too old to play now.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
No, you're you're right on. I take I love just
ruining people's days getting the man. I don't look like
I could do you.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Up, but look, if you watch Lioness and see his
character text. That's who he is. He ruins people's day.
That's the only way I can describe it. I don't
want to give it away.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I like that. No, you look the college kids, Yeah,
you know in the house. Yeah, I don't want to
give it away. But nice.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
You could have done worse to them, exactly. Yeah, you
could have done worse if you're just tuning in right now.
My guest in the studio is actor Jonah Wharton. He's
a serious regular ONLINEUS. He plays text and you'll be
able to find him in the season finale coming up
on this Sunday, December eighth, and you also find him
on the upcoming episode of the season finale of n
CIS origins on Wednesday, December fourth. We'll have more with
(10:22):
Jonah Wharton just a moment. It is Later with Mo
Kelly k if I AM six forty Live everywhere in
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty with Mo Kelly on.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
K six Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. And I
gotta correct myself. I made a mistake. We're talking right
now with actor Jonah Wharton. Who's a series regular on Lions.
And also he's gonna be on n CIS Origins. Not
on Wednesday, but tonight at ten o'clock. He's gonna leave
the studio and run home and watch himself on n
(11:00):
CIS Origins.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Am I wrong?
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Johnah?
Speaker 4 (11:02):
You got it. It's interesting because I pull it up
on my phone.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
I talk to a lot of actors and actresses, and
some are adamant they don't want to watch themselves, and
others are adamant they have to see everything they do.
I know in what I do, I listen to everything
I want to do that I do because I want
to what they call air check myself, see what I
did wrong, see what I can improve on, try to
get better. But some people don't like seeing themselves. Is
(11:28):
that a phenomenon that you've seen in this business?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Absolutely, It's just it's an individual. I know a lot
of people are like, yeah, I can't watch it. It's
just too uncomfortable. I like to watch it, especially when
it's good. If it's not good, then I'm like, then
it's tough.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Tell me tonight n CIS Origins. What's going down. I'm
not sure what I can give away. Oh, you don't
want to give away, but.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
There's a priest is killed and I got to figure out, Oh,
will we got here? Please do not reveal reveal that. Okay, okay, no,
a priest is coude. I can say that NCS or
it's interesting. It's it takes place in the nineties, so
it's an origin story of Gibbs, the star Mark.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Roy Jefro Gibbs.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
I'm all up in NCS said, let me just sorry.
I got to interrupt you when they announced n CIS origins.
It was a prequel dating way back in the nineteen nineties.
I think, damn, I feel attacked because I remember the
nineteen nineties. I was coming out of college in the
nineteen nineties, and they want to make because jeth throw
Gibbs is is the older elder statesman of n CIS
(12:33):
and we're taking him back to his origin. It's like, no,
he's older than me, or at least so I thought.
But I'm sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
It's a period piece. I know the nineties. It's the
nineties period piece. Yeah, it's good. So it's it's the
show is just letting you know how all those characters,
specifically Gibbs turned into who they are now or in NCIS,
So it's a it's a little different take on that.
It's just the I mean, the name says it's the
origin of that, so it's just following that whole storyline
(13:03):
how he got there.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Did you have any professional connection to the NCIS universe
prior to doing this?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
I had done.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Yes, I've been on Ncisla and that's what I call
all NCIS.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So yeah, I've been in that world.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
Oh, different characters, world, different characters, But this still was
a degree of familiarity with what it represents and why
it's so damn popular and it has these sprawling franchises.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I loved it. You know.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
I was always a fan of the original, more so
than NCIS Los Angeles, maybe because I spent the most
time with it. But with you, how much do your
personal watching habits impact either how your audition or your preparation.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Honestly, not much at all. I don't watch much. I
watch life, so I'm just trying to bring real life
to whatever I do.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
I know I've had this discussion with actors and stuff
about the tone of different shows. I personally don't worry
about that. I'm just gonna make it real based on
I read the script and I see the world I'm
going into based on that, and my job is to
just make it natural and real. And I think they
can fit in in anything.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
All right, take me through this this week. All right?
Speaker 5 (14:13):
Are you giving the script on Monday and you have
a table read on Tuesday and you're blocking on Wednesday?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
How does that go?
Speaker 4 (14:18):
It just depends online us. I had months and months
and months to prepare. I'm I'm talking to seals and
Tier one operators and really like getting into this world.
We're doing training, weapons training, months of training, just physical
training just to get that down. So I had all
the time in the world to research and know exactly
the world I'm going into. And then for n CIS,
(14:42):
I had a day. Hey you're playing a priest. I'll
be playing a priest. I could say that in two days.
So in two days, so you just got to Yeah, Google,
YouTube is my friend, and relying on other people.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
You know, we're ound there.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
I'm just like, hey, I can only do so much
in two days as far as research goes.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
You mentioned Lions. I love that show. I've seen every episode.
Can't wait for the season finale, which is coming up
on Sunday the eighth.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
It takes place all around the world.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
It's about a special ops team and it's led by
Zoe Saldana and you are part of that team. You
mentioned your training and preparation for that role. Is it
taking you around the world like the show presents itself.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Absolutely? Yeah. We shot the first season we shot we
started in Baltimore, but that's not around the world, well
three thousand miles from here. Yes, sure.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
We started in Baltimore for the you know, the stuff
in Baltimore, DC area. Then the storyline went to Majorca, Spain,
so we actually got.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
To go there. How long were you in Biorca? Six weeks? Oh,
you have a horrible job.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
Yeah, you know, somebody's got to do it right. Oh
my goodness. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Where else because.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
And then after Myorca was working hard. It is very
very hard work and Myorca after that, After that we
went to Morocco. So is it stuff or season one
that was supposed to be Iraq, Yes, run that.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
We shot that in Morocco.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
It is Morocco is as gorgeous as I.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Think it is. Yeah, Morocco, It's it's amazing. It's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
I didn't get as much of a chance to see
Morocco because I was working every day that I was
there Mallorca. I had a lot more time over here there.
Six weeks I'm shooting, I had explored the whole island.
That place is the most beautiful place I've been. Morocco's
pretty special too.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I often talk about Lionis on this show.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
I am an uber fan of all things Taylor's shared,
and he's one of those people who not only creates
great shows. You want to talk about Yellowstone or Landman,
which I'm into now, and you'll see some of the
same actors overlapping and crossing into the different universes, but
I also see him online in this What is it
like having the series creator working alongside you as an
(17:10):
actor in an episode or two?
Speaker 4 (17:13):
It's great. I mean it just he created the whole thing.
You just trust his vision, you know what he knows
what he's doing, he knows what he wants. So when
he's working and directing, it's just we move so quick.
He knows exactly the once. There's no there's no wasted anything,
uh huh. And I love it. He just wants it
to be real. I think that's why he picked me.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
His just kind of.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Hate that that mentality of like, hey, just he's created
this whole world, these amazing scripts. It's ridiculously talented as
a writer. So it's just our job to come in
there and not mess it up.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
Basically, you may not see his writing process, but I'm
thinking that how does he have the time to write,
to edit, to direct, and also perform be in scenes?
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Not just one show, but I don't know, four or
five shows.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
You talk about Tulsa King and all the other shows
that he's working on simultaneously.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I have no idea.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
It's crazy. That is insane. I don't know how he
does it. Maybe he doesn't sleep or or what, but
he does it. He writes every single episode, the whole thing,
the entire season is all him. Then he jumps off
to Yellowstone and nineteen twenty three and all these other things,
And I don't know. I wish I could tell you.
I have no idea. He's superhuman.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
But is he the person who's guiding all the auditions? Yes,
he picks everyone, but he is he that person who's
there from beginning to end of the audition process.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
I think everybody has a different story. My story getting
on there is I just I sent in a tape
and next thing, you know, had an offer.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
It was it was just that was. It was no.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I didn't test, I didn't go meet anybody. I didn't
even talk to I didn't talk to anyone in person.
Until I got to Baltimore. I didn't know it was real,
and I was like, is this really happening? And I
showed up there and ended up being true. But I
didn't know.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Let me ask you this because when we started our
conversation before we get ready to close it, we start
a conversation with a clip, and in that clip you
may not have recognized the voice if you're listening right now,
but you had the.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Scene with Nicole Kidman. Yeah, and you have these other actors.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
You have Morgan Freeman walking around, Michael Kelly, and you
obviously have Zoe Saldania.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
What is that like? What is that experience like?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Because you're a person who, like me, can be a
fan of actors and their performances.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
What's it like then working with them?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
It's just exciting. It's exciting, you know, it's just a
dream come true to be there. Then I just show up,
and it's just like acting with anybody else on a
certain level. You just so up and you go do
your thing. It's not because you know what I mean,
but I mean acting with great actors actually makes it
so much easier because when they're with you, they're in it.
(19:52):
It just it's really a team sport. So the better
the actor you're in a scene with, the easier it
is for me. So just kind of you just react
and go with it.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
So I have one more question, and you know, no
one's listening, and not even your wife, who sitting right
next to you, so don't mind her.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Okay, what's it like doing a scene with Nicole Kidman? Oh,
she's the most fun. She's the most fun. She's she's
in it. Okay, I don't know, No, not like that.
Don't get in trouble, That's all I'm saying. Okay, now,
she she is just the most fun. She's doing something
(20:29):
different on every take. She's in it before the camera
starts rolling. My first the first time I think the
scene your plan is the first time I did a
scene with her, and.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I remember that scene, well, yeah, because you getting ready
to shoot her because you didn't know who it was rolling.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Up right right.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
And the funny thing is I had met her the
day before. That was the first time I met her.
And then she you know, we're ready to do the scene,
and you know, she's very fresh, she's so sweet and nice.
So I met her the day before, so I came
up there today we're about to do our scene, like, hey,
how are you?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
And she was like pissed off. I was like, oh,
in character pissed off? In characters off? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
I mean I wasn't sure for a second either, but then.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I was like, oh, I got it. I got it.
She was in it. So I'm like, let's go. I
need to get you out of this studio.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
And I mean this respectfully because you're getting ready to
come up on NCIS origins in about thirty minutes. Congratulations
to you Jonah Wharton on that, and also be sure
to check out Lyning this season three finale this Sunday,
December eighth. Season two, Oh, season two, I'm just messing
up stuff. It's all running together in my head. Season two.
(21:34):
But you know, you got to get me one of
them lying as hats. Those are pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
I just got this. What It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
They don't give you like swag all the time. I'm
trying to no.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Very que.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
We probably should get a lot more. Shout out your
social media please.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I'm on Instagram at Jonah Wharton and that's it. That's
my social media.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You make it real easy. I like that.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
Can you make sure that you come back and see
us again. I've so enjoyed this conversation and we can
talk about all things San Francisco, LA, basketball, acting and
everything in between.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Absolutely, I love to Thanks for having me. All right.
Make sure you're a Lakers fan, right, I'm a Warriors fan.
All right.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
Well, we're gonna end this conversation right now on a
good note.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
And a Kobe fan. When it was Kobe a Lakers fan,
I'm one of those Lakers fans. I'm a Kobe fan, right, JOHNA. Warton,
thanks so much for coming by the CV. All right,
thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
It's only twenty twenty four, and I'm not like a
math professor. I know that we still have three quarters
of this century left. But Billboard magazine decided to come
out with a list of the greatest pop Stars of
the twenty first century. The twenty first century still has
(22:56):
a long way to go. I can understand if Billboard
can came out with a list of the top twenty
five pop stars of the first twenty five years, and
maybe that is what the list is, but he didn't
bill it as that. It is literally billed as Billboard's
greatest pop Stars of the twenty first century, and any
(23:21):
list of the greatest pop stars which has Ed Sheeran
on it is suspect. But there are twenty five names.
But we'll start with number ten and work our way up. Stefan,
do you have any guesses as to who is in
the top ten? I think I would say Elton John
(23:47):
of the twenty first century, not the twenties, So I
don't know. Mark Ronerd, do you have any guesses before
we get going, whoever that guy is with the crap
all over his face? I don't care post malone post malone, Okay,
I'm just I'm just trying to devaute because when you
started off with the premise that this is their list
(24:07):
for the twenty first century, it's like you've already invalidated
the whole thing. Hello, what are you doing all right?
Twenty five with Katy Perry. Twenty four is Ed Sheeran,
twenty three is bad Bunny, twenty two is one direction.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
You gotta be kidding me.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Twenty one is Lil Wayne, twenty is Bruno Mars. I
think he would be higher on this list, But nineteen
is BTS. Don't tell me BTS is above Bruno Mars.
That stuff's popular, I guess. So eighteen is the Weekend,
seventeen is Shakira, Sixteen is jay Z. Don't understand that.
(24:43):
Fifteen is Miley Cyrus. Fourteen is justin. Timberlake has justin
really done anything this century, not recently to day. That's
not wrong though, Yeah, yeah, don't get mad at me.
Thirteen is Nicki Minaj. Twelve is I guess because Eminem's
whole career has been in the twenty first century.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Eleven is Usher.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
So let's get to the top ten, coming in at
number ten of Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the twenty
first century. Adele I allow it, I'll allow it. Yeah,
you know she has a Vegas residency. Yeah, number nine
(25:33):
Ariana Grande. I would more accept this maybe a few
years from now, but it feels like it's wicked promotion.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
What's the term you throw around pretty often? Is it
recency bias? Recency bias? Yeah, I think we got a
little bit of that going on.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Number eight of Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the twenty
first century, Justin Bieber question Mark Wow, number seven, Kanye
(26:09):
West number six. I don't anythink to say, I'm sorry,
it's unbelievable. Britney Spears. As much as I love Britney Spears,
as much as I adore Britney Spears, there's no way
that she's in the top six greatest pop Stars of
(26:30):
the twenty first century. When did she peak? It's been
a while. I want to say, fifteen years ago. You're like,
oh one to oh two, give or take. Okay, that's
twenty three years ago. Yeah, okay, yeah, Well number five
(26:51):
Lady Gaga gt F put its way. She's on the list,
but she's not number five, And she's on the list
for the first twenty five years, but not of the century. Look,
I understand they're basically saying the top pop stars of
(27:12):
the first twenty five years, but that's not the list.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
That's not what they're calling it.
Speaker 5 (27:15):
They're calling it the greatest, which says to me, all
time of the twenty first century. They didn't say pro
rated for the first twenty four twenty five years. Lady
Go got number five, number four, and I'm really going
to start making people mad now.
Speaker 7 (27:37):
Drake, you liar, this this is filthy trash burn this
list like.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
The witch that it is. It looks basically, No, it's not,
basically it is.
Speaker 5 (27:52):
It's not kind of sort of mostly it's definitely trash.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Drake at number four.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Here's number three, Rihanna, she's done the list.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
She's on the list. We're talking about the greatest. I'm
with you.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
When you say the greatest and you say century, I'm
thinking in the whole different terms. Yeah, the list, but
not that high. Yeah yeah yeah, number two Taylor Swift,
I'll allow it.
Speaker 8 (28:30):
Yeah you gotta have Yeah, Taylor Swift is on the list.
But this is still a list that's dealing with recency bias.
Taylor Swift within the last I'll give her the last
ten years. Ten years ago, Taylor Swift was not the
phenomenon that.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
She is now.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
But you only have twenty four years to go on.
Since you're limiting yourself to the quote unquote twenty first century.
Let me make this analogy real quick. Let's say in
nineteen sixty five they came out with the greatest pop
Stars of the twentieth century. Elvis Presley would probably be
at the top of that list, right, Yeah, okay, you
(29:09):
came out that list of nineteen sixty five. But what
happens when Michael Jackson comes into prominence, you know, four
years later as a member of the Jackson Five, and
what he did. The whole concept of the greatest pop
artists of the twentieth century, regardless of whether you come
down on the side of Elvis or Michael Jackson, is
(29:32):
greatly influenced by the presence of both. We don't know
who's going to be the pop star in twenty fifty
three or twenty eighty seven.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
I'm willing to bet that. Wait where I'm sorry, where's
Janet Jackson on this list?
Speaker 5 (29:45):
She's not a list she's considered. I guess, I guess
twentieth century. Well, put it this way, put it this way.
When I worked with Janet Jackson at Virgin Records, the
Velvet Rope, arguably one of her two top albums, was
like ninety six or ninety seven, So maybe she's considered
a twentieth century artist, where most of her greatness was
(30:10):
in the twentieth century. That's the only thing I can
think of. I have to go back to check, you know.
But she definitely came to mind with me, definitely came
to mind. So Taylor Swift is number two, number one, it's.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Gotta be Beyonce.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
If not Taylor Swift, given this list, is Beyonce. Is
she the greatest pop star of the twenty first century?
Maybe so far, you know, it's between her and Taylor
Swift twenty first century. If you're thinking about only from
the year two thousand to twenty twenty four, okay, But
(30:54):
if they renamed the liss like of the past fifty years,
it's a whole different conversation, you.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Know, Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Janet Jackson is right there,
right there. Yes, when you.
Speaker 5 (31:10):
Talk about selling out the arenas of the world over
for a longer period of time, if you say the
past fifty years, Janet Jackson's problem.
Speaker 8 (31:19):
And that's what I'm saying. Though Janet Jackson is still
her last show, she still sold out arenas, she was
still selling out huge venues. And this is just a
few years ago, just just on her coming back and
doing a tour. So that's what I'm saying. You cannot
discount someone like Janet Jackson who still performing.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
You know what, I would even put Michael Jackson on
this list. He died what two thousand and nine, Yes.
Speaker 8 (31:45):
And he was getting ready for one of the greatest
tours ever and his tours still stood the record.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Then don't tell me that Michael Jackson did less before
his death in the twenty first century than Ed Sheeran.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I'm sorry, you can't. Sorry, I can't. It's not true.
Speaker 8 (32:04):
This list is absolutely bogus. You cannot count. I get
that Taylor Swift has had incredible runs with her most
recent tour, her last tour incredible, not taking any of
that away, but her body of work next to Janet
Jackson's body of work pels in comparison. Janet Jackson has
(32:25):
been touring and doing major shows as long as Taylor
Swift has been alive.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Yeah, I would just have to look at what Janet
Jackson has done in the twenty first century. I still believe,
you know, that's the look up. But this list is trash. Yes,
I know, it's clickbait. Yes, I know it's rage bait. Yes,
I know, we got to go to break, But no
we don't, No, we don't. We're skipping. Where's prints on
this list? He didn't die till twenty sixteen.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
That's another one. That's another one. And he was still
doing major shows.
Speaker 8 (32:52):
The Two Wins sold out the Staples Center three nights
in a row off of a bad album, a very
bad album, three nights in a row.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Actually he did more. Yeah, that's a great point. Mark,
that's a great point, milster Fire. It's Later with Mo
Kelly I AM six forty life everywhere in Naheart Radio app.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 5 (33:17):
And before we get out here, Twalla and I were
going back and forth during the break about all these
artists who were overlooked, unjustifiably put on this list the
Billboard's greatest pop Artists of the twenty first century, and
we're only a quarter of the way in. And I
was saying, not only are we disregarding who's going to
(33:38):
come that none of us know about the latter three
quarters of the century. The people who are on this
list are not really the greatest, because you know, we're
just thinking of Mark Runner had a great recommendation or
an omission in Prince because Prince didn't die until twenty sixteen.
And I'm quite sure his body of work in the
(33:58):
twenty first century was far more than Ed Sheeran or
even Katy Perry exactly. You know, it's not just me
as an old person saying I'm partial to prints. Now
you can check the stats. You know it was in
the twenty first century. I think that he headlined the
Super Bowl, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 8 (34:15):
Yes, And to me, this list it discounts artists. To me,
the likes of a Madonna whose body of work dwarfs
any of these people that made it to the top ten.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
It just does.
Speaker 8 (34:29):
And there's no discounting that, nor the fact that she
is still releasing music, maybe not entire ours, but she is.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Still working on music. She just recently toured.
Speaker 8 (34:38):
I'm like, to me, it's one of those things where
you cannot disregard individuals like that who are still relevant
now in music. Who these individuals are patterning their styles after.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
And when you say greatest, you're talking about totality, Yes,
the greatest. You know, we're not just saying the best
of the twenty first century so far, you're saying the
greatest pop artists of the twenty first century. Yes, we
know these lists, so they can end up on shows
like Later with Mokelly and people can argue, get mad,
and you know, direct people to where they can find
it online and get mad as well. We got all that,
(35:12):
but hopefully we're giving you insight as to why it's
a bad list. Not just a bad list because it
doesn't have the people we have on it, No, but
we're talking about people who actually worked in this business,
dealt with these artists, and have a greater understanding of
what musical greatness sounds like and requires. And if you
(35:34):
look at what Michael Jackson did in the twenty first century,
which is not even the peak of his career, just
the twenty first century, I'd be willing to put that
up against a lot of these artists on this list.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Not all of them, but a lot of them.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
I can't say that Nicki Minaj at number thirteen had
a better twenty first century than Michael Jackson or Prince.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
I can't say that.
Speaker 8 (36:00):
Oh and unfortunately Nicki Minaj, she started off like a megastar,
and then she was quickly challenged by the next Nicki
Minaj esque artists with the one who talks funny.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
You know what I would put on, Missy Elliott before
I put Nicki Minaj on.
Speaker 8 (36:18):
Absolutely, absolutely, And again this is nothing against Nicki Minaj.
I love Nicki Minaj's music, but Nicki Minaj she was
she was kind of watered down after you know the
little red bottom girl, what is her name?
Speaker 2 (36:34):
That she did? You know she talks funny? Got that
Cardi B. That so then you had nick then you
had Cardi B. I think is better than a lot
of people on this list as far as totality of career.
Speaker 8 (36:46):
Yes, Cardi B is still active, she's still putting out music.
I mean there are a lot of people who they
came out, they hit and they disappeared. Katie Perry, Yes,
she's got She's been consistent in her music, but her
music has not been concernsistently stellarer enough to say you
are the greatest.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
The greatest says a lot. It says too much for
some of these names to be where they are.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
You say greatest to me, I think it's the totality
of your career and I don't know. You know, I
can't speak on Bad Bunny because I'm not his audience.
I know he's very popular, but I just can't speak
on Bad Bunny. I think it would be out of place.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
For me, but it's bad.
Speaker 5 (37:27):
Does Bad Bunny rank higher than Shakira? Well, Bad Bunny's
twenty three, Shakira is seventeen. Okay, okay, yeah, I know
what you're talking about there. Yeah, more apples to apples.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
I just don't think that Ariana Grande is top ten,
not not yet, maybe maybe ten years from now, you know.
Speaker 8 (37:46):
Yeah, because she had a stellar first album and a
okay follow up and when I say okay, it wasn't
as many millions old.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:56):
But also I'm quite sure they're putting into this the
idea of being one of the judges on the voice
and that kind of thing. I think the perception of
artists and greatness is greatly influenced by the visuals being seen,
not necessarily the accomplishments or the artistry. When you talk
about the greatest pop stars, start them the probably taking
(38:18):
into account thinks that we haven't even taken into account.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
But it's still a BS list, that's all it is
to it got.
Speaker 5 (38:23):
To let you know before we go to the fourteenth
Aniel Cafi Pasta thought it is here.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
It is tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (38:27):
It's not too late to donate now or bid on
an auction item like co hosting later with mo Kelly.
You can do it at KFIAM six forty dot com
Forward slash Pastathon, go to any smartan Final store and
donate any amount of checkout. You can head into any
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Speaker 2 (38:48):
Come out and see us tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (38:50):
Giving Tuesday from five am to ten pm later with
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We'll be giving away coffee mugs, We'll be giving.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Away key cha.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
We have a grand prize gift basket for one lucky attendee.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
You gotta be in attendance and that's all Tomorrow.
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We will see you tomorrow, and don't forget We're teaming
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to the KFI Pastathon for Katerina's Club. We'll see you
(39:33):
tomorrow live at the Anaheim White House KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
We're live everywhere the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Remember when you used to have to have a radio
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Speaker 4 (39:48):
KOST HD two Los Angeles, Orange County.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Live everywhere on the Eheart Radio app
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
kf I AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
This is born got of me mission focus text, Oh,
I'm focused. I'm just saying, hey.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Hey, hey, hey, where is she?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
She's on the mark? Can you pull him?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Replace?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Not here? I'll stay close.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I have a reach out when she can't.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
The Saudi Royal marrying a Kuwaiti national.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Basically out of me? He're the spy? What do you think?
I think it makes no freaking sense? All right, stop
sortally the right.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
You will walk forward to your car, you will get in,
you will drive away. You will not look back in
the direction of the house. Do you understand?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes? Walk?
Speaker 5 (01:01):
It's Later with Mo Kelly KFI AM six forty live
everywhere in the iHeartRadio app and right now you can
see actor Jonah Wharton, who you're just listening to in
that clip as a serious series regular text on my
favorite show Barnun Lioness on Paramount Plus and its season
finale is coming up this Sunday, December eighth, And you
can also find Jonah Wharton on the upcoming episode and
(01:23):
season finale of n CIS Origins, which is Wednesday, December fourth.
That episode is titled Vivo or Mueto Life or Death.
The very busy Jonah Wharton joins me now here in
the KFI studio. John Us, Good to see you man.
Thank you for coming out tonight.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Oh thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
That was cool listening Todent rub me back to season
one and you write a lot of f BOMs.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
That's my kind of show. And I've seen your work
over the years. You are a chameleon. I'll see you
one way in one show, and you're very You're presented
very differently another way. And I wonder if if you're
acting is derivative of your life growing up. The reason
why I say this because I'm quite sure you met
(02:07):
some very colorful people along the way.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Do I have this right?
Speaker 5 (02:10):
You were growing up in and around San Francisco in
a houseboat community of bohemian squatters.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
YEP, that's right. It sounds about right from Salcelito, the
waterfront right there. It's an interesting, interesting community.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
But when I if I just listen to your voice,
the tambour and the cadence, I would swear you from
my Texas.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You know, I don't know, like I'm not the first
person to say that.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Not the first person I've argued with my wife actually
from Texas, note from the Bay Area. I've just maybe
just got a lot of different influences influence in my
speech and who knows.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
And it's interesting because you are playing someone whose name
texts now, so it's not lost on me the irony.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
But going back to that houseboat community to bohemians by
the way, not from Texas, Texas, from New Jersey.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
New Jersey, right, So yeah, it's weird, but we're going
real deep in the show, but we will will do
that just a second. But take me back to this
houseboat community of bohemian squatters.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
What does that mean, what does that look like? What
does that sound like?
Speaker 4 (03:13):
Well, my mom bought her first home there and it's
a seventies She bought it first seventy dollars. Basically, the
house folts out there, you can people found a loophole
where you could not have to pay rent because the
water is unincorporated, so it's in Saucelito. But once you're
on the water, you're outside of the city limits and
there's no way they can stop you. So people bought boats,
(03:36):
put anchors down and just built up a community just
floating on the water there basically to avoid paying rent.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Okay, that's home for you, But what is your day
to day life like? How are you going to school?
How are you interacting with other people? What's that like?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
It wasn't that different. We just walk off the boat,
walk on the land, and I had walked to school.
I'd have to walk about a mile to school when
I was you know, middle school and all that up
with other kids in the area along the way and
would walk to school, and yeah, it was it wasn't
as noticeable to me being there. It was just, you know,
when I go home, maybe get people will talk about
me living on the boat.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
That's like what kids in the way that they may
tease other people. What were they saying? How did they
view your lifestyle compared to their lifestyle?
Speaker 4 (04:21):
It was different. It was definitely different ground. It's just
weird to other people. So I get teased, don't rock
the boat. So growing up, what were the dreams? What
would the aspirations?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Growing up?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
I wanted to play ball, basketball. I was a basketball player.
I had never even considered acting or going into this world.
I was just obsessed with basketball, an athlete.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
But could you ball, Yes, very confidently. That's what That's
what I do. I still do, still do, right, I
still play. I still play. Yeah, I got I got
hurt in high school. You know I wouldn't have blown
out my ankle the league, you know, you know how
it goes.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
But also there's an La portion to your story which
is connected to acting. What brought you to La, When
did you get to La and what happened when you
got here.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
I came to La on a whim in two thousand
and two. I'd done a year of community college. I
went to the small community college and the central Coast
to play basketball. That wasn't working out. I was like,
let me get the hell out of this small tap.
It was just tarry was boring. So I was like,
what's the next thing I could do. Let me come
to LA for a year and just hang out. So,
just on a whim to do something different, I moved
(05:34):
down to LA and just started life here in LA
and still had no idea that acting was going to
be in.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Your future, no idea. No.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
I even worked at a restaurant and it was Norms
on los Aye. Everybody knows, Yeah, And that was the
first job I had in LA. I was just trying
to figure out how to get enough money to pay
rent and get by. And I remember there was a
couple of waitresses there working and they were aspiring actresses.
And I thought it was hilarious because I thought that
was a stereotype that wasn't really true. Oh it's very true.
(06:05):
Oh this is a real thing. People really come here
to do it. It's ridiculous. It didn't even and even
after that, it was in for another like five or
six years that I really got into it.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I questioned the next question.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
I'm asking respectfully if only because I wonder did the
people that you were working with, those waitresses, did they
ever make it beyond that?
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I don't think so. I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
I didn't work there for long. Well, I think with
this my teen and I worked there for about a month.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
But it's truly one in a million.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
You think of the number of the people who've moved
to LA who have this dream and fantasy and it's
never realized.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So what was the impetus to try acting?
Speaker 5 (06:43):
You heard it from your co workers, as it were,
What made you think that, well, maybe I should try this.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
It was a slow process, I think with the thing
that really got me started is I got lucky. I
got a commercial. I was stating a girl at the time.
He took me up with their commercial agent. I went
out and I booked a Burger King commercial and I
was like, oh, this is an easy way to make money.
Now to me, I didn't I wasn't acting yet, but
it got me in sag and you just.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Went out one audition and you got a commercial just
like that.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
A couple a couple. I didn't know what I was doing.
It wasn't really, that wasn't acting. I just had to.
I walked in there and pretended I was eating a whopper,
and next thing that night, they're like, hey, you come
eat a whopper in this commercial?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
And was it one of those national deals? Yeah? Yeah,
Oh that paid well. Yeah that was nice when I
got that cause I was broken.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
They're like, oh, you're gonna get thirty forty fifty thousand
dollars out of this.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I'm like, well, this is a good career. How much
work was that one commercial? Four or five hours? Yeah?
About that? Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I auditioned and I worked the same day I went out.
I looked at there like, hey, I think somebody dropped
out or you know who knows the story. But they
needed me there that night, so I went in at
nine pm. I was out by three am.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
I understand back in the day, especially, it was much
more difficult to get your SAG card, to be able
to get some lines and be able to be authentic
in that way.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
What was your next step from there? Then I just
hung around waiting for things to happen, and nothing did.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
So it wasn't this was two thousand and six, two
thousand and five or six. Yeah, and but it planted
the seed. And then I was like, I want to act,
but I had never taken a class. I didn't know
anything about the craft. And then I finally ended up
just going to a few classes trying to figure out
what this thing is about.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Went to a few classes, booked a few commercials, and.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
The rent I didn't book a few. I wasn't booking.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
I got one.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
I wanted the seed, and that just planted the seed.
And once I found a good place, I was like, oh,
this is something you can actually work on and practice
and get good at.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
It's not just you know.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
I Once I learned and to respect the craft, because
I had no respect for acting, I was like that
seems easy enough. You just go up there say some words,
and I could do that. And then once I found
a class that really taught me like okay, this is
somebody can work at and we got into it and.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Were getting ready to go to first commercial break.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
What was that moment where you booked the job where
you said I might be able to do this as
a career.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I think it was.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
It wasn't even a job they gave me that. It
was being in classes and seeing like, okay, I've got
like a little natural talent for this. And then I
just got obsessed. I have like a one track mind,
so I just got obsessed with the craft. And it
was just that competitive nature. Yeah, totally totally. Once I
lock in, I'm like that's it. So then I just
decide I'm going to do it.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Oh you like playing defense? Yeah, oh locked you got that.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
I played ball. I'm a little bit older than you,
but I played ball back in the day. Oh yeah,
I'm too old to play now.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
No, you're you're right on. I take I love just
ruining people's days getting the man. I don't look like
I could do you.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Up, but look, if you watch Lioness and see his
character text. That's who he is. He ruins people's day.
That's the only way I can describe it. I don't
want to give it away.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I like that. No, you look the college kids, Yeah,
you know in the house. Yeah, I don't want to
give it away. But nice.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
You could have done worse to them, exactly. Yeah, you
could have done worse if you're just tuning in right now.
My guest in the studio is actor Jonah Wharton. He's
a serious regular ONLINEUS. He plays text and you'll be
able to find him in the season finale coming up
on this Sunday, December eighth, and you also find him
on the upcoming episode of the season finale of n
CIS origins on Wednesday, December fourth. We'll have more with
(10:22):
Jonah Wharton just a moment. It is Later with Mo
Kelly k if I AM six forty Live everywhere in
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty with Mo Kelly on.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
K six Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. And I
gotta correct myself. I made a mistake. We're talking right
now with actor Jonah Wharton. Who's a series regular on Lions.
And also he's gonna be on n CIS Origins. Not
on Wednesday, but tonight at ten o'clock. He's gonna leave
the studio and run home and watch himself on n
(11:00):
CIS Origins.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Am I wrong?
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Johnah?
Speaker 4 (11:02):
You got it. It's interesting because I pull it up
on my phone.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
I talk to a lot of actors and actresses, and
some are adamant they don't want to watch themselves, and
others are adamant they have to see everything they do.
I know in what I do, I listen to everything
I want to do that I do because I want
to what they call air check myself, see what I
did wrong, see what I can improve on, try to
get better. But some people don't like seeing themselves. Is
(11:28):
that a phenomenon that you've seen in this business?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Absolutely, It's just it's an individual. I know a lot
of people are like, yeah, I can't watch it. It's
just too uncomfortable. I like to watch it, especially when
it's good. If it's not good, then I'm like, then
it's tough.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Tell me tonight n CIS Origins. What's going down. I'm
not sure what I can give away. Oh, you don't
want to give away, but.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
There's a priest is killed and I got to figure out, Oh,
will we got here? Please do not reveal reveal that. Okay, okay, no,
a priest is coude. I can say that NCS or
it's interesting. It's it takes place in the nineties, so
it's an origin story of Gibbs, the star Mark.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Roy Jefro Gibbs.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
I'm all up in NCS said, let me just sorry.
I got to interrupt you when they announced n CIS origins.
It was a prequel dating way back in the nineteen nineties.
I think, damn, I feel attacked because I remember the
nineteen nineties. I was coming out of college in the
nineteen nineties, and they want to make because jeth throw
Gibbs is is the older elder statesman of n CIS
(12:33):
and we're taking him back to his origin. It's like, no,
he's older than me, or at least so I thought.
But I'm sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
It's a period piece. I know the nineties. It's the
nineties period piece. Yeah, it's good. So it's it's the
show is just letting you know how all those characters,
specifically Gibbs turned into who they are now or in NCIS,
So it's a it's a little different take on that.
It's just the I mean, the name says it's the
origin of that, so it's just following that whole storyline
(13:03):
how he got there.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Did you have any professional connection to the NCIS universe
prior to doing this?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
I had done.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Yes, I've been on Ncisla and that's what I call
all NCIS.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So yeah, I've been in that world.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
Oh, different characters, world, different characters, But this still was
a degree of familiarity with what it represents and why
it's so damn popular and it has these sprawling franchises.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I loved it. You know.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
I was always a fan of the original, more so
than NCIS Los Angeles, maybe because I spent the most
time with it. But with you, how much do your
personal watching habits impact either how your audition or your preparation.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Honestly, not much at all. I don't watch much. I
watch life, so I'm just trying to bring real life
to whatever I do.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
I know I've had this discussion with actors and stuff
about the tone of different shows. I personally don't worry
about that. I'm just gonna make it real based on
I read the script and I see the world I'm
going into based on that, and my job is to
just make it natural and real. And I think they
can fit in in anything.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
All right, take me through this this week. All right?
Speaker 5 (14:13):
Are you giving the script on Monday and you have
a table read on Tuesday and you're blocking on Wednesday?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
How does that go?
Speaker 4 (14:18):
It just depends online us. I had months and months
and months to prepare. I'm I'm talking to seals and
Tier one operators and really like getting into this world.
We're doing training, weapons training, months of training, just physical
training just to get that down. So I had all
the time in the world to research and know exactly
the world I'm going into. And then for n CIS,
(14:42):
I had a day. Hey you're playing a priest. I'll
be playing a priest. I could say that in two days.
So in two days, so you just got to Yeah, Google,
YouTube is my friend, and relying on other people.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
You know, we're ound there.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
I'm just like, hey, I can only do so much
in two days as far as research goes.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
You mentioned Lions. I love that show. I've seen every episode.
Can't wait for the season finale, which is coming up
on Sunday the eighth.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
It takes place all around the world.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
It's about a special ops team and it's led by
Zoe Saldana and you are part of that team. You
mentioned your training and preparation for that role. Is it
taking you around the world like the show presents itself.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Absolutely? Yeah. We shot the first season we shot we
started in Baltimore, but that's not around the world, well
three thousand miles from here. Yes, sure.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
We started in Baltimore for the you know, the stuff
in Baltimore, DC area. Then the storyline went to Majorca, Spain,
so we actually got.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
To go there. How long were you in Biorca? Six weeks? Oh,
you have a horrible job.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
Yeah, you know, somebody's got to do it right. Oh
my goodness. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Where else because.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
And then after Myorca was working hard. It is very
very hard work and Myorca after that, After that we
went to Morocco. So is it stuff or season one
that was supposed to be Iraq, Yes, run that.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
We shot that in Morocco.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
It is Morocco is as gorgeous as I.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Think it is. Yeah, Morocco, It's it's amazing. It's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
I didn't get as much of a chance to see
Morocco because I was working every day that I was
there Mallorca. I had a lot more time over here there.
Six weeks I'm shooting, I had explored the whole island.
That place is the most beautiful place I've been. Morocco's
pretty special too.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I often talk about Lionis on this show.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
I am an uber fan of all things Taylor's shared,
and he's one of those people who not only creates
great shows. You want to talk about Yellowstone or Landman,
which I'm into now, and you'll see some of the
same actors overlapping and crossing into the different universes, but
I also see him online in this What is it
like having the series creator working alongside you as an
(17:10):
actor in an episode or two?
Speaker 4 (17:13):
It's great. I mean it just he created the whole thing.
You just trust his vision, you know what he knows
what he's doing, he knows what he wants. So when
he's working and directing, it's just we move so quick.
He knows exactly the once. There's no there's no wasted anything,
uh huh. And I love it. He just wants it
to be real. I think that's why he picked me.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
His just kind of.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Hate that that mentality of like, hey, just he's created
this whole world, these amazing scripts. It's ridiculously talented as
a writer. So it's just our job to come in
there and not mess it up.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
Basically, you may not see his writing process, but I'm
thinking that how does he have the time to write,
to edit, to direct, and also perform be in scenes?
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Not just one show, but I don't know, four or
five shows.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
You talk about Tulsa King and all the other shows
that he's working on simultaneously.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I have no idea.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
It's crazy. That is insane. I don't know how he
does it. Maybe he doesn't sleep or or what, but
he does it. He writes every single episode, the whole thing,
the entire season is all him. Then he jumps off
to Yellowstone and nineteen twenty three and all these other things,
And I don't know. I wish I could tell you.
I have no idea. He's superhuman.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
But is he the person who's guiding all the auditions? Yes,
he picks everyone, but he is he that person who's
there from beginning to end of the audition process.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
I think everybody has a different story. My story getting
on there is I just I sent in a tape
and next thing, you know, had an offer.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
It was it was just that was. It was no.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I didn't test, I didn't go meet anybody. I didn't
even talk to I didn't talk to anyone in person.
Until I got to Baltimore. I didn't know it was real,
and I was like, is this really happening? And I
showed up there and ended up being true. But I
didn't know.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Let me ask you this because when we started our
conversation before we get ready to close it, we start
a conversation with a clip, and in that clip you
may not have recognized the voice if you're listening right now,
but you had the.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Scene with Nicole Kidman. Yeah, and you have these other actors.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
You have Morgan Freeman walking around, Michael Kelly, and you
obviously have Zoe Saldania.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
What is that like? What is that experience like?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Because you're a person who, like me, can be a
fan of actors and their performances.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
What's it like then working with them?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
It's just exciting. It's exciting, you know, it's just a
dream come true to be there. Then I just show up,
and it's just like acting with anybody else on a
certain level. You just so up and you go do
your thing. It's not because you know what I mean,
but I mean acting with great actors actually makes it
so much easier because when they're with you, they're in it.
(19:52):
It just it's really a team sport. So the better
the actor you're in a scene with, the easier it
is for me. So just kind of you just react
and go with it.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
So I have one more question, and you know, no
one's listening, and not even your wife, who sitting right
next to you, so don't mind her.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Okay, what's it like doing a scene with Nicole Kidman? Oh,
she's the most fun. She's the most fun. She's she's
in it. Okay, I don't know, No, not like that.
Don't get in trouble, That's all I'm saying. Okay, now,
she she is just the most fun. She's doing something
(20:29):
different on every take. She's in it before the camera
starts rolling. My first the first time I think the
scene your plan is the first time I did a
scene with her, and.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I remember that scene, well, yeah, because you getting ready
to shoot her because you didn't know who it was rolling.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Up right right.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
And the funny thing is I had met her the
day before. That was the first time I met her.
And then she you know, we're ready to do the scene,
and you know, she's very fresh, she's so sweet and nice.
So I met her the day before, so I came
up there today we're about to do our scene, like, hey,
how are you?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
And she was like pissed off. I was like, oh,
in character pissed off? In characters off? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
I mean I wasn't sure for a second either, but then.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I was like, oh, I got it. I got it.
She was in it. So I'm like, let's go. I
need to get you out of this studio.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
And I mean this respectfully because you're getting ready to
come up on NCIS origins in about thirty minutes. Congratulations
to you Jonah Wharton on that, and also be sure
to check out Lyning this season three finale this Sunday,
December eighth. Season two, Oh, season two, I'm just messing
up stuff. It's all running together in my head. Season two.
(21:34):
But you know, you got to get me one of
them lying as hats. Those are pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
I just got this. What It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
They don't give you like swag all the time. I'm
trying to no.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Very que.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
We probably should get a lot more. Shout out your
social media please.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I'm on Instagram at Jonah Wharton and that's it. That's
my social media.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You make it real easy. I like that.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
Can you make sure that you come back and see
us again. I've so enjoyed this conversation and we can
talk about all things San Francisco, LA, basketball, acting and
everything in between.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Absolutely, I love to Thanks for having me. All right.
Make sure you're a Lakers fan, right, I'm a Warriors fan.
All right.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
Well, we're gonna end this conversation right now on a
good note.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
And a Kobe fan. When it was Kobe a Lakers fan,
I'm one of those Lakers fans. I'm a Kobe fan, right, JOHNA. Warton,
thanks so much for coming by the CV. All right,
thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
It's only twenty twenty four, and I'm not like a
math professor. I know that we still have three quarters
of this century left. But Billboard magazine decided to come
out with a list of the greatest pop Stars of
the twenty first century. The twenty first century still has
(22:56):
a long way to go. I can understand if Billboard
can came out with a list of the top twenty
five pop stars of the first twenty five years, and
maybe that is what the list is, but he didn't
bill it as that. It is literally billed as Billboard's
greatest pop Stars of the twenty first century, and any
(23:21):
list of the greatest pop stars which has Ed Sheeran
on it is suspect. But there are twenty five names.
But we'll start with number ten and work our way up. Stefan,
do you have any guesses as to who is in
the top ten? I think I would say Elton John
(23:47):
of the twenty first century, not the twenties, So I
don't know. Mark Ronerd, do you have any guesses before
we get going, whoever that guy is with the crap
all over his face? I don't care post malone post malone, Okay,
I'm just I'm just trying to devaute because when you
started off with the premise that this is their list
(24:07):
for the twenty first century, it's like you've already invalidated
the whole thing. Hello, what are you doing all right?
Twenty five with Katy Perry. Twenty four is Ed Sheeran,
twenty three is bad Bunny, twenty two is one direction.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
You gotta be kidding me.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Twenty one is Lil Wayne, twenty is Bruno Mars. I
think he would be higher on this list, But nineteen
is BTS. Don't tell me BTS is above Bruno Mars.
That stuff's popular, I guess. So eighteen is the Weekend,
seventeen is Shakira, Sixteen is jay Z. Don't understand that.
(24:43):
Fifteen is Miley Cyrus. Fourteen is justin. Timberlake has justin
really done anything this century, not recently to day. That's
not wrong though, Yeah, yeah, don't get mad at me.
Thirteen is Nicki Minaj. Twelve is I guess because Eminem's
whole career has been in the twenty first century.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Eleven is Usher.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
So let's get to the top ten, coming in at
number ten of Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the twenty
first century. Adele I allow it, I'll allow it. Yeah,
you know she has a Vegas residency. Yeah, number nine
(25:33):
Ariana Grande. I would more accept this maybe a few
years from now, but it feels like it's wicked promotion.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
What's the term you throw around pretty often? Is it
recency bias? Recency bias? Yeah, I think we got a
little bit of that going on.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Number eight of Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the twenty
first century, Justin Bieber question Mark Wow, number seven, Kanye
(26:09):
West number six. I don't anythink to say, I'm sorry,
it's unbelievable. Britney Spears. As much as I love Britney Spears,
as much as I adore Britney Spears, there's no way
that she's in the top six greatest pop Stars of
(26:30):
the twenty first century. When did she peak? It's been
a while. I want to say, fifteen years ago. You're like,
oh one to oh two, give or take. Okay, that's
twenty three years ago. Yeah, okay, yeah, Well number five
(26:51):
Lady Gaga gt F put its way. She's on the list,
but she's not number five, And she's on the list
for the first twenty five years, but not of the century. Look,
I understand they're basically saying the top pop stars of
(27:12):
the first twenty five years, but that's not the list.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
That's not what they're calling it.
Speaker 5 (27:15):
They're calling it the greatest, which says to me, all
time of the twenty first century. They didn't say pro
rated for the first twenty four twenty five years. Lady
Go got number five, number four, and I'm really going
to start making people mad now.
Speaker 7 (27:37):
Drake, you liar, this this is filthy trash burn this
list like.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
The witch that it is. It looks basically, No, it's not,
basically it is.
Speaker 5 (27:52):
It's not kind of sort of mostly it's definitely trash.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Drake at number four.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Here's number three, Rihanna, she's done the list.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
She's on the list. We're talking about the greatest. I'm
with you.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
When you say the greatest and you say century, I'm
thinking in the whole different terms. Yeah, the list, but
not that high. Yeah yeah yeah, number two Taylor Swift,
I'll allow it.
Speaker 8 (28:30):
Yeah you gotta have Yeah, Taylor Swift is on the list.
But this is still a list that's dealing with recency bias.
Taylor Swift within the last I'll give her the last
ten years. Ten years ago, Taylor Swift was not the
phenomenon that.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
She is now.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
But you only have twenty four years to go on.
Since you're limiting yourself to the quote unquote twenty first century.
Let me make this analogy real quick. Let's say in
nineteen sixty five they came out with the greatest pop
Stars of the twentieth century. Elvis Presley would probably be
at the top of that list, right, Yeah, okay, you
(29:09):
came out that list of nineteen sixty five. But what
happens when Michael Jackson comes into prominence, you know, four
years later as a member of the Jackson Five, and
what he did. The whole concept of the greatest pop
artists of the twentieth century, regardless of whether you come
down on the side of Elvis or Michael Jackson, is
(29:32):
greatly influenced by the presence of both. We don't know
who's going to be the pop star in twenty fifty
three or twenty eighty seven.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
I'm willing to bet that. Wait where I'm sorry, where's
Janet Jackson on this list?
Speaker 5 (29:45):
She's not a list she's considered. I guess, I guess
twentieth century. Well, put it this way, put it this way.
When I worked with Janet Jackson at Virgin Records, the
Velvet Rope, arguably one of her two top albums, was
like ninety six or ninety seven, So maybe she's considered
a twentieth century artist, where most of her greatness was
(30:10):
in the twentieth century. That's the only thing I can
think of. I have to go back to check, you know.
But she definitely came to mind with me, definitely came
to mind. So Taylor Swift is number two, number one, it's.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Gotta be Beyonce.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
If not Taylor Swift, given this list, is Beyonce. Is
she the greatest pop star of the twenty first century?
Maybe so far, you know, it's between her and Taylor
Swift twenty first century. If you're thinking about only from
the year two thousand to twenty twenty four, okay, But
(30:54):
if they renamed the liss like of the past fifty years,
it's a whole different conversation, you.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Know, Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Janet Jackson is right there,
right there. Yes, when you.
Speaker 5 (31:10):
Talk about selling out the arenas of the world over
for a longer period of time, if you say the
past fifty years, Janet Jackson's problem.
Speaker 8 (31:19):
And that's what I'm saying. Though Janet Jackson is still
her last show, she still sold out arenas, she was
still selling out huge venues. And this is just a
few years ago, just just on her coming back and
doing a tour. So that's what I'm saying. You cannot
discount someone like Janet Jackson who still performing.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
You know what, I would even put Michael Jackson on
this list. He died what two thousand and nine, Yes.
Speaker 8 (31:45):
And he was getting ready for one of the greatest
tours ever and his tours still stood the record.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Then don't tell me that Michael Jackson did less before
his death in the twenty first century than Ed Sheeran.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I'm sorry, you can't. Sorry, I can't. It's not true.
Speaker 8 (32:04):
This list is absolutely bogus. You cannot count. I get
that Taylor Swift has had incredible runs with her most
recent tour, her last tour incredible, not taking any of
that away, but her body of work next to Janet
Jackson's body of work pels in comparison. Janet Jackson has
(32:25):
been touring and doing major shows as long as Taylor
Swift has been alive.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Yeah, I would just have to look at what Janet
Jackson has done in the twenty first century. I still believe,
you know, that's the look up. But this list is trash. Yes,
I know, it's clickbait. Yes, I know it's rage bait. Yes,
I know, we got to go to break, But no
we don't, No, we don't. We're skipping. Where's prints on
this list? He didn't die till twenty sixteen.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
That's another one. That's another one. And he was still
doing major shows.
Speaker 8 (32:52):
The Two Wins sold out the Staples Center three nights
in a row off of a bad album, a very
bad album, three nights in a row.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Actually he did more. Yeah, that's a great point. Mark,
that's a great point, milster Fire. It's Later with Mo
Kelly I AM six forty life everywhere in Naheart Radio app.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 5 (33:17):
And before we get out here, Twalla and I were
going back and forth during the break about all these
artists who were overlooked, unjustifiably put on this list the
Billboard's greatest pop Artists of the twenty first century, and
we're only a quarter of the way in. And I
was saying, not only are we disregarding who's going to
(33:38):
come that none of us know about the latter three
quarters of the century. The people who are on this
list are not really the greatest, because you know, we're
just thinking of Mark Runner had a great recommendation or
an omission in Prince because Prince didn't die until twenty sixteen.
And I'm quite sure his body of work in the
(33:58):
twenty first century was far more than Ed Sheeran or
even Katy Perry exactly. You know, it's not just me
as an old person saying I'm partial to prints. Now
you can check the stats. You know it was in
the twenty first century. I think that he headlined the
Super Bowl, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 8 (34:15):
Yes, And to me, this list it discounts artists. To me,
the likes of a Madonna whose body of work dwarfs
any of these people that made it to the top ten.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
It just does.
Speaker 8 (34:29):
And there's no discounting that, nor the fact that she
is still releasing music, maybe not entire ours, but she is.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Still working on music. She just recently toured.
Speaker 8 (34:38):
I'm like, to me, it's one of those things where
you cannot disregard individuals like that who are still relevant
now in music. Who these individuals are patterning their styles after.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
And when you say greatest, you're talking about totality, Yes,
the greatest. You know, we're not just saying the best
of the twenty first century so far, you're saying the
greatest pop artists of the twenty first century. Yes, we
know these lists, so they can end up on shows
like Later with Mokelly and people can argue, get mad,
and you know, direct people to where they can find
it online and get mad as well. We got all that,
(35:12):
but hopefully we're giving you insight as to why it's
a bad list. Not just a bad list because it
doesn't have the people we have on it, No, but
we're talking about people who actually worked in this business,
dealt with these artists, and have a greater understanding of
what musical greatness sounds like and requires. And if you
(35:34):
look at what Michael Jackson did in the twenty first century,
which is not even the peak of his career, just
the twenty first century, I'd be willing to put that
up against a lot of these artists on this list.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Not all of them, but a lot of them.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
I can't say that Nicki Minaj at number thirteen had
a better twenty first century than Michael Jackson or Prince.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
I can't say that.
Speaker 8 (36:00):
Oh and unfortunately Nicki Minaj, she started off like a megastar,
and then she was quickly challenged by the next Nicki
Minaj esque artists with the one who talks funny.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
You know what I would put on, Missy Elliott before
I put Nicki Minaj on.
Speaker 8 (36:18):
Absolutely, absolutely, And again this is nothing against Nicki Minaj.
I love Nicki Minaj's music, but Nicki Minaj she was
she was kind of watered down after you know the
little red bottom girl, what is her name?
Speaker 2 (36:34):
That she did? You know she talks funny? Got that
Cardi B. That so then you had nick then you
had Cardi B. I think is better than a lot
of people on this list as far as totality of career.
Speaker 8 (36:46):
Yes, Cardi B is still active, she's still putting out music.
I mean there are a lot of people who they
came out, they hit and they disappeared. Katie Perry, Yes,
she's got She's been consistent in her music, but her
music has not been concernsistently stellarer enough to say you
are the greatest.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
The greatest says a lot. It says too much for
some of these names to be where they are.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
You say greatest to me, I think it's the totality
of your career and I don't know. You know, I
can't speak on Bad Bunny because I'm not his audience.
I know he's very popular, but I just can't speak
on Bad Bunny. I think it would be out of place.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
For me, but it's bad.
Speaker 5 (37:27):
Does Bad Bunny rank higher than Shakira? Well, Bad Bunny's
twenty three, Shakira is seventeen. Okay, okay, yeah, I know
what you're talking about there. Yeah, more apples to apples.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
I just don't think that Ariana Grande is top ten,
not not yet, maybe maybe ten years from now, you know.
Speaker 8 (37:46):
Yeah, because she had a stellar first album and a
okay follow up and when I say okay, it wasn't
as many millions old.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:56):
But also I'm quite sure they're putting into this the
idea of being one of the judges on the voice
and that kind of thing. I think the perception of
artists and greatness is greatly influenced by the visuals being seen,
not necessarily the accomplishments or the artistry. When you talk
about the greatest pop stars, start them the probably taking
(38:18):
into account thinks that we haven't even taken into account.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
But it's still a BS list, that's all it is
to it got.
Speaker 5 (38:23):
To let you know before we go to the fourteenth
Aniel Cafi Pasta thought it is here.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
It is tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (38:27):
It's not too late to donate now or bid on
an auction item like co hosting later with mo Kelly.
You can do it at KFIAM six forty dot com
Forward slash Pastathon, go to any smartan Final store and
donate any amount of checkout. You can head into any
Wendy's restaurant in southern California and donate five dollars or
more and get a coupon book for Wendy's goodies.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
Come out and see us tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (38:50):
Giving Tuesday from five am to ten pm later with
mo Kelly. We specifically will be giving away T shirts,
We'll be giving away coffee mugs, We'll be giving.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Away key cha.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
We have a grand prize gift basket for one lucky attendee.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
You gotta be in attendance and that's all Tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (39:09):
We will see you tomorrow, and don't forget We're teaming
up with Wild Fork Foods Orange County locations for a
give back event tomorrow only in Coasta Mesa, Laguna, Neguel,
Mission v Ah, Huntington Beach. All you need to do
is do your regular shopping and at checkout say KFI
Pastathon and fifteen percent of your total will be donated
to the KFI Pastathon for Katerina's Club. We'll see you
(39:33):
tomorrow live at the Anaheim White House KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
We're live everywhere the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Remember when you used to have to have a radio
to listen to Gafi okay s I'm.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
KOST HD two Los Angeles, Orange County.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Live everywhere on the Eheart Radio app
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