Make sure you get tickets to our show in Brooklyn on 12/22 at The Bell House. The link is here.
Okay, so, BOOM. Last Monday, Eric and I had a lovely lunch with a friend from out of town, followed by a not-so-lovely half-sprint across town and up a few blocks through the rain for a meeting at Roc Nation. We get to the lobby, sweating, and the woman we’re supposed to sit down with is there. Hi, hi, how are you, I’m good and my body temperature is very normal, thanks, how are you?
On the way to the elevator, she says to Eric, “Hey, so Joe & Jada is taping — I think you guys should go and sit in with them.” I didn’t hear this — I was a few steps behind them — so it was a huge shock to me when…
The doors open and within seconds, we’re on the couch with Joe *and* Jada (like the name of the show)! The crew hurried to get a microphone for Eric and me to share.
Joe jokingly groused (carped?) that we didn’t ask to sit down, and just sorta took over. We did our AKAs, we explained our thing, we endorsed Mamdani, you know: the whole song and dance. As Eric said, afterwards, “Shooters shoot!”
RELATED: In 2008, in honor of ItsTheReal’s second anniversary, Eric and I ran around town, collecting cameos from a bunch of friends and fans who had made our first two so special. We didn’t schedule anything, we just sorta popped up with a camera and our dumb smiling faces. Somehow, we thought we could pull that on Angie Martinez — not just a radio legend but The Voice of New York, who we’d met a couple of times to that point. We got past Hot97 security and headed to a back room, when we heard her end her daily show; an assistant told her we were waiting for her. She sorta dressed us down, and then told us (on camera), how only we had the ability to “strong-arm” her on “the busiest day of the week” to participate in our dumb antics. I dunno. Maybe there’s a delusion we have in thinking we belong in these rooms, maybe there’s a charm in not getting kicked out, maybe it’s both.
Ahead of job interviews growing up, our dad would tell us, “Walk in like you own the place.” Dad was a great listener, humble and above-all kind — so it wasn’t like he was saying “you have free rein to be an asshole.” There’s a particular mix of confidence, not arrogance that I’m glad he passed down.
Just to put an end-cap on our Joe & Jada experience: we have our meeting immediately after, it goes well. In fact, it goes so well and for so long that the woman we’re meeting with had to push back her sit-down with Angie Martinez.
So, really, our deepest apologies to Angie. Fucking up her schedule again, on the busiest day of the week.
You can find the full Joe & Jada episode here — as Eric said to me yesterday, it is super strange to see yourself sitting on the show that you normally watch, and to be next to your childhood heroes like everything is normal when it’s straight-up Twilight Zone. In any case, we crash the set around 35 minutes in. If you click that link before watching our House Party breakdown, I’ll understand; I’ll rationalize the whole thing in my head but I’ll still be disappointed!
If you haven’t RSVP’d yet for our exclusive pop-up/hang out at Styles’ store in Harlem this Friday night, we have some updates! The Ace Ventura slot is CLOSED. But if you’re around for either Nutty Professor or T2, come by, say hi!
Someone on Instagram told us, “I don’t think people know how special this is, to be able to watch movies and hang out with you guys. It’s really cool!” And to that, I say: I agree! I love meeting everyone, hanging out, feeling a connection with the people who are enjoying our episodes — hopefully you guys feel the same.
This week, we put out the long-awaited episode for House Party! Top moments? For me, it might’ve been the debut of Tom Cruise or Billy Ocean, which I think will work on land as well as it did on the boat. Maybe we do that again, in the studio? Or maybe we find another #Lisa at an upcoming live show, who knows.
On Monday, we’ve got Eric’s pick: Planes, Trains & Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy as they try to get home in time for Thanksgiving. A classic! Streaming on Pluto (for free!) and Paramount + or Amazon’s bundled with Paramount, if you have it. Does it stand up to the test of time? What’s the over/under for the collective Richie Thumbs? Do you think we go over 35/50?
In last week’s newsletter, I asked you what movie I should pick — the choices were: Belly, Juice, Malibu’s Most Wanted and Paid in Full. You all said Belly, but I might have to switch up because Sheek chose Juice for his next pick — and I don’t want to double-up in the same sorta vein. Or maybe I will. People ask how we go about our selections, and this is a glimpse into it. The guys choose whatever they want while I go back and forth with myself for 6 weeks only to be told by 1-4 of my friends/brother/countrymen that my pick sucks.*
Anyway, Juice (which we’re recording today, with special guest Tony Moxberg) is streaming on Pluto (for free!), Paramount +, Hulu’s free bundle with Paramount through Showtime— wait, how are these all different services? Why is everything so fucking complicated???
Thank you forever, see you Friday in Harlem and Dec. 22 in Brooklyn!
As always, you can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Instagram, TikTok and right here, for our weekly newsletter.
Feel free to suggest movies for us to review here! People hit us every day for us to review movies, and the only way for them not to be lost is in the Google form, linked right there.
*I was just looking through the Google form — Ashley from Seattle suggested KPop Demon Hunters, the CGI animated adventure about pop stars doing battle with a rival boy band made up of zombies, I think… I haven’t seen it… and I have half a mind to make that my pick. They’ll all hate me but life is too short not to make your coworkers mad. Plus, it’s gotten good reviews and has been ruling the Billboard charts all year, so, who knows.
I’ve been waiting for that Joe and Jada and 2J3BD collab!!!!!!!!!!! Well done gentlemen!
No fuckin way!!!!