REShow: Ray Romano - Hour 3

This is The Rich Eisen Show. What advice would you give Lamar Jackson right now?

In Domic and Sue? Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Uh, having been in his shoes and done my own bills, stay firm. The Rich Eisen Show.

Find a way if you want to be with the Ravens to where it's a win-win situation. Earlier on the show, NBA insider for the athletic and stadium, Shom Sharanya, MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar. Coming up, three-time Emmy award-winning actor and comedian Ray Romano.

And now it's Rich Eisen. Our number three of The Rich Eisen Show on the air. This show thrilled to announce as we found out as soon as we came on the air today here on this busy Tuesday. We are nominated for best sports show, daily studio show. I think it's a very long way of putting it that we're on the air.

We're in a studio every day. We're on the air every single day on the Roku channel, and we have been nominated and we are thrilled and I congratulate everybody who is here in the sound of my voice who puts the show together. Everybody who produces this show, everybody who's on it, you guys, the three of you greatly appreciate everybody for sticking with us as we move from Peacock to the Roku channel. It's the first ever sports Emmy nomination for the Roku channel. Thrilled to plant.

We're perfect. I told them I honestly did tell the Roku channel executives when we were talking about moving the show that I am a professional flag planter. That's what I do for a living. I plant flags. And so I'm thrilled to be planting that flag for the Roku channel. And we thank our radio partners of Westwood One Radio, Sirius XM and Odyssey because the show when it's fully distributed as we are through your ear gate and through your eye gate to use phrases of my great lovely buddy who I look forward to seeing back on NFL Network very soon.

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So we appreciate all one and all. Eight four four two oh four rich never to dial here on this program. Ray Romano is about to stroll in studio here. Beautiful new movie that he has. Well, it came out in 2022, I believe through the Tribeca Film Festival. It's hitting theaters coming on Friday.

Heck of a cast. Ray's in it. He directed it. He wrote it, produced it as well.

Sebastian Maniscalco, Tony LoBianco for you old schoolers out there, Laurie Metcalf as well called Somewhere in Queens available in theaters on Friday, April 21st. We got a clip. We've got Celebrity True or False with Ray and Ray Romano, like me, afflicted. Fans of the New York Jets. That was that was a choice you guys made. It is a choice. Sorry, folks. As of now, as of this conversation, we are still waiting on government. We're waiting.

The government being Aaron Rodgers. Sorry, folks. Aaron Rodgers is still not on the Jets. And then we are still introducing this segment with the John Tandy meme from Great Family Vacation. Sorry, folks.

Aaron Rodgers is still not on the Jets. Why are we talking about it? Well, any more soul? Any more soul?

Any more soul? Joe Douglas actually was the first to give us a little bit of a more soul. Earlier this week, he was at a private event. Boomer Esaias and his WFAN show held like a private event. I know it's what you guys want to do is like get our fans in some spot, you know, start drinking heavily and get newsmakers to say stuff that people aren't allowed to actually.

But here's the idea. The newsmakers throw the red meat out to the fans and somebody records it on their phone. This is exactly why Chappelle wants everybody to take their phones and zip it up before he starts performing. We might do that at the Emmys this year. That's what the Emmys are going to do to us.

Zip our phones? Probably. Get hammered and say something. So Joe Douglas this week. Goes on the stage at a private event and Boomer Esaias and asks him the question we all want to know and he gave a response. I have to ask you, Aaron Rodgers, what's he coming? He's going to be here. He's going to be here. That's right.

Joe Douglas is giving you the correct answer. He's going to be here. No. He could say just everybody stay patient. We're working on it. What if we told him the magic?

No. I'm not going to be here. The reason why he's saying he's going to be here.

First of all, private event. Secondly, I don't know. Could have been a little swing oil.

I don't know. Looks like that place is filled with swing oil. Swing. That's what it's called on the golf course. Oh, it is?

Oh, yeah. That's how it helps you with, you know, when you drink and it helps you with this swing. It's swing oil. Okay. Get the kinks out.

Might have been the swing oil. Keep the wolf off your butt. But we all know. Rodgers isn't playing for the Packers anymore. Packers don't want him there.

He's also too damn expensive. It's got to happen. We know it. And if the Packers want the draft choices now, trade's got to be done now. We're between now and the time that picks are on the clock. And the Jets aren't coughing up the one. They're not coughing up 13th overall. Maybe the Packers hope that the pressure will build.

I don't know. Pressure's not coming from me. Jets fans aren't sitting here saying, where's Aaron Rodgers? No. I want them to use the 13th overall pick to help when Aaron Rodgers arrives. Mark Murphy, who is the president, I believe that is his title of the Green Bay Packers, because they don't have ownership.

No offense, Mike. I mean, I'm a stockholder. One stock, right?

Left. It's like the pet rock. That has zero value. It's like the pet rock.

It does really have zero value. Okay. Mark Murphy had this to say. Where was this, Chris? Is it some sort of a... Okay, so this is from Rob Dymofsky, who covers the pack for the World Wide Leader.

He tweeted this out. This was this morning, before the team's annual bus tour of Wisconsin. Yes. So old school, isn't it? Bus tour, Wisconsin.

Things that wouldn't happen if they, you know, had a real owner. Don't offend him like that. He's got one stock. He's got one piece of paper that says... You're not coming to my cheese party. Didn't you wait online for it? I'll say it to your face next time.

No, no, no. Yes, online. Didn't you wait online?

Physically online. I waited and the wait room was so full, I was like, I'm out. You guys make fun of me. You guys tried to buy... Yes, for the Rich Eisen Show. For like three hours.

We wanted to out-own the pack, out-own you for the Packers. So you were going to go for like three stocks? Yes. Three shares. What do I care? I see the way it is. Is this the budget?

Don't worry, I'm still young. Really, I'm going to paint a dime for something like that. Like it's a it's the pet rock of sports. Had to be HR approved. Brockman approved. At any rate, the bus tour of Wisconsin.

Bus tour of Wisconsin. Yeah, they're going to get the Packers fans interested. Yeah. This is what Mark Murphy had to say.

Is the ball essentially in their court, like you've said, this is what we want, either A, B, C or D, and you're kind of waiting for them to... Yeah, I can't really get into that. I know Brian and Joe have been talking. Are you expecting a lot of questions about this during this tour? And how do you plan on handling those? I do anticipate questions and I anticipate saying that there is no update.

It is interesting, you know, 15 years ago or similar situations. Do you need a deal to get done before the draft? Or are you guys OK going into the summer if that's what it takes? Again, that's something Brian is working on. I've been actively involved and there's really nothing more. What lessons did you take from that experience on your first tailgate tour in your first year in charge that you can apply now as you're dealing with this? Well, I'm really glad that Aaron Rodgers turned out to be such a good quarterback and I'm hopeful that Jordan Love turns out to be a similar quarterback.

Plus, I guess gas prices are higher than when Favre went to the Jets. Oh, wow. Come on. They're pulling up to the six flags.

Wally's World in their bus. Sorry, folks. Sorry, folks. It's just a game of chicken. I wish I knew what the hell was going on, because the Jets aren't going to put the first round choice on the table. What is it? They want more than the second round pick.

OK, what is it? More than a fourth round pick, a fifth round pick? Would you do this year's two and next year's two? For Rodgers?

Yeah, I don't know. It depends. I do. I do this year's two and next year's two. If they win a playoff game, conditional. So yeah, yeah. To next year. Yeah.

If they make it to the AFC championship game, I'd even go to an extra one if they win the Super Bowl. What happened over there? I just laughed. Why are you laughing? Well, the idea of the Jets winning a Super Bowl is enough to induce, you know, a guttural.

I almost spit my water out. I mean, you are such a mass hole, but I'm in private, says the guy who thinks that I was being too spiteful towards Ohio State fans when I'm just observing. You're just something that has nothing to do with me on the Internet. Ohio State has won recently. Yes, Chris, if Aaron Rodgers shows up... How old were you when the Jets last won?

I could do this all day. How old was I when the Jets won a championship? How old was I? Infant or not conceived?

I believe I was either an embryo or a zygote on the way to an embryonic state. And I do believe that's the first time I've ever used the word zygote on The Rich Eisen Show. Well, look, we're Emmy nominated today. Yeah, we use big words. Open up the dictionary.

Look at us. A to Z. Aaron to zygote. So, yeah, smart ass. If Aaron Rodgers shows up and throws the ball consistently well to the offensive rookie of the year who won the award in part, not only because of his remarkable talents, but because the remarkably talented running back in Breece Hall got hurt and he returns and runs the ball as well as he did behind the offensive lineman of note who also got hurt in the same game who's coming back and Elijah Vera Tucker and they add the 13th overall pick either to the offense or to the defense, which houses the defending defensive rookie of the year and first team all pro-type caliber guy in Quinnen Williams and so on and so forth with Allen Lazard joining the team.

Yeah, if they win the Super Bowl, I'd toss in a 2024 first round pick if that's the case. Yeah, sure. Why not? Slide the scale.

Slide the scale. Let's go. This is nonsense. Mark Murphy on his bus tour of Wisconsin like Hubert Humphreys running for office stuck and frozen in time like this trade. Come on. By the way, I do believe Hubert Humphrey ran for office when Namath was just descending to his championship run.

In the 1800s? No. TJ, you sir have nothing to say. Oh, I do, Rich, because at least you have nothing to say. Because at least I'm alive with my team's won. I have great memories. You've never like you always want to turn on me. I've at least seen three. I've been alive for four. I've been in this world.

Excuse me. The Jets have gone to the championship game. You would trade that back to back years since the Cowboys last made it and had that quarterback subsequently run into the taint of his offensive lineman on Thanksgiving. All of that's happened since the Cowboys won.

They have enough to get to the championship level. So let's just go back to our separate corners. Hug it out because we're Emmy nominated together.

Hey, that's this is what got us Emmy nominated. As soon goes as we wait, as we wait patiently. For Aaron Rodgers to arrive here in New Jersey on for you.

No, you're not. But thanks for saying because when when Rogers shows up, that's going to be a problem for him. Oh, will it? I don't care.

So I hope you get thank you. Although Rogers and the Jets play the Cowboys this year as we all want. Yeah. And Rogers, as Cowboys fans know here, we don't he does pretty damn well against the team with the star on the side of the helmet. The conference is all I'm saying. One of the many Dallas Cowboys playoff early exit disappointments over the last several years.

That's fine. I can still remember those rings and those championships. Let's take a break. Ray Romano will come out here and join this forever. Can we all be on our best behavior? Let's always get along for Ray.

And we know how to act. I worked on every bill that was Raymond. Did you really? Yes, I filled in a number on your first Emmy. Not a chance. I actually remember when they won the end. This is another thing I can't wait to talk about.

No, I used to somewhere in Livingston, New Jersey was the original working title of his movie. The director, actor, writer, star somewhere in Queens coming out. Keep you at arm's distance from the ones you care about. Buy new and improved of men.

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So as you look to improve your financial literacy, follow Stacking Benjamins, Afford Anything and Brown Ambition wherever you listen. Ray Romano, by the way, here, a radio audience just returned here on The Rich Isaac Show. Just saw a clip of Somewhere in Queens.

The writer, director, actor, great cast, Laurie Metcalf, Sebastian Maniscalco, Tony LoBianco and more. No, I'm not. As a matter of fact, word is, is LeBron wants to move his kids to the really? Yeah. Yeah. Well, my son played with he played four years with Aaron Holiday, but Drew Holiday had just graduated before that.

Yes. And and that was he was this was his last game. And I knew he wasn't going to play in college. And I got very emotional, man. I got emotional because I love the experience.

And if I'm being honest, I love being the father of the star player. And it was all going to end. And that was the idea was what if this was for some guy who that's all he had. His life was he was he felt very small in his real life. He felt invisible and he was living vicariously through this. And that was the idea for the story.

And and of course, what a dad will do to make sure that the son might continue the sports career, even if it's not something he wants to happen. Yes. And I wanted it to take place in my hometown, Queens, in the in this world of these Italian American working class people. You know, I made it specific to that.

But the goal is it appeals to everybody just because it's about family. Sure. Yeah. I'm from Staten Island, New York. And which is, I guess, is Queens as you can possibly get. That's not Queens.

It's three pizza places over. That's all it is. Yeah.

It's a Joe and Pat's over, you know? And so, yeah, they felt very familiar to me. Oh, good. Yeah.

Well, that was the goal. Yeah. And Tony Lo Bianco, man.

I mean, like he's old school. It was a great cast. Sebastian mask. Have you ever done stand up with Sebastian? We did during the during the filming of it. We went down to the Comedy Cellar and we back to back went up popped up on stage.

Yeah, that was the first time ever. I met him on The Irishman. You know, we were both lucky enough to be in The Irishman.

Yeah. So we had a little friendship. I golfed with him and then I threw him this script.

I said, come play my obnoxious brother, you know? Right. And he did it in a second. And by the way, he's the sweetest guy.

He plays this this this real schmuck, but he's a real nice dude. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's the acting, right? It's acting. It's the act. It's acting. Yeah. So you so just in the middle of shooting, you're like, let's just let's go do stand up on the comedy.

One night. Yeah. I mean, we were filming in New York. Yeah.

I have an apartment in Manhattan. That's 11 minutes from the cellar. That's my home club.

Yeah. I told him I'm going. He said he'll come. And he did.

He went up to 20 minutes and I did 20 right after. Yeah, it was fun. And nobody knew. They're just like, no, I don't mean it was that you, Maniscalco and Ray Romano. Yeah, yeah. It was a little pop in a little pop in for the audience.

Yeah, it was fun. Man, I'd love that. By the way, I never in my a million years.

What I think I would be overdressed for the Rich Ising. No, no, no. I mean, you've got to I appreciate the sport code. I think I remember the last time I was here. Didn't you have a jacket that he used to do? I might have. Yeah.

Yeah. I've graduated to the zip up sweatshirt. Should have told me. You look great, Ray.

Oh, you look great. When you say this Comedy Cellars, your home spot, what do you mean by that? That was the first time you did it? No, no, it wasn't the first place, but it's where I got all my stage time and eventually, but I popped all over the city. The first time ever was the improv, which doesn't exist anymore. It's on 44th. It was on 44th and 9th.

Yeah. One of the first clubs ever in the country, really. And that was the first time ever I stepped foot on a stand up stage. I became a regular there eventually, and then I became a regular at the Cellar. And then the Cellar more became my base, you know? And so now whenever I'm in the city, if I am, if I have a free night, without a doubt, I walk down to the Cellar and I go on. That's probably the only place where I do stand up except for Vegas. By the way, this is live, right? Yes.

Can I plug Vegas? Because go for it, please. Because I'm at the Mirage this weekend and it's a 1200 seat theater and there's 600 seats left. Let's go. Let's go. By the way, we're on in Vegas on the radio as well. It's a great show. I'm there with Brian Regan. I don't know if you know Brian Regan.

He's a great comic. Yeah. Well, fantastic. Yeah.

And the opening is the guy who plays Petey in the movie, my friend John Manfollati. So you're there this weekend. I do Vegas about six, six or seven times a year. I do a weekend at the Mirage, which is now the Hard Rock.

I do a Friday, Saturday. I used to do it with Spade, David Spade. We have co-headline and he since has gone somewhere else. So this is my first weekend with Brian Regan. Who was at the Comedy Cellar or the Improv when you were starting out?

Like, who were the comics? It was like Jon Stewart, Dennis Leary. Chappelle was coming around there. Chris Rock wasn't really a Cellar act, but he would pop in. Right.

Louis C.K. was there. Dave Attell was there.

You know, yeah, I mean, it was a nice crew. Marc Maron. Marc Maron was on there.

Right. And who was who was the first late night break you got? What late night show were you? Were you? Well, I mean, I got to do Johnny before he retired. What the hell was that like?

Yeah, it was 1991 and he retired about five months later. I mean, it's the pinnacle. It's the thing. It's the dream. Yeah, right.

It was the most it was so nerve wracking. And the next big one was my first Letterman, which was, I want to say, five years later. And that led to Everybody Loves Raymond.

Letterman produced my show Worldwide Pants. Yeah. Well, I pay. Sure. Yeah. So but the first thing, yeah, I mean, was Johnny caution. I was about six years in the business when I got that.

Yeah. What made you want to just do stand up to begin with or just a kid in Queens growing up? You made friends laugh and you figured, yeah, yeah. Kind of the funny guy wasn't I wasn't the there was a there was a funniest guy in the neighborhood. It wasn't me.

You always hear this story, too. You always hear like the comedians say I wasn't even the funniest dude in my life. And I was by far there was this other guy. Do you remember his name?

I do. John Oliver. John Oliver was the John.

Obviously. No, not that John Oliver. Different accent. American American John Oliver. The Queen's John Oliver. Yeah.

Queen John Oliver. Funniest dude. And we started a little group. Yeah. And we put on sketches. This is when SA Live was starting, you know, so we started emulating them and we put on sketches for the there was a teen club. That every once every month the teenagers were allowed to go into the basement of the church and they had ping pong and knock hockey and knock and a stage. Yeah. And we decided he had a hockey.

Yeah. We decided to put on a sketch show and we wrote our own sketches. That was my first taste of it. But then I didn't really you know, I thought maybe I'll be an actor.

I don't know. And then someone told me about an audition night at the improv. I was working at a gas station. I remember an old buddy pulled in and he said he went to the audition night at the improv. I go, what was it like? He told me and I called up the club and they say, you come down, you pick a number out of a hat for a Sunday of every month, you pick a number out of a hat and we give out 20 numbers.

And if you're one of those 20, that's you go on that night. And I and I remember I was I brought a girl I knew from the neighborhood so we could both pick. And I told her, if you get a number and I don't, you know, they ask your name, tell them. I wanted to give him an androgynous name. So I said, Jackie Roberts, give him Jackie.

And that's what happened. I went on as Jackie Roberts that night because she picked it or. Yeah, I got a blank and she picked it.

You know, there's about 50 guys pulling for 20 numbers. And then, yeah, then the owner of the club, Silver Friedman, she said, if you get a call back, if they like it, you get a call back. Yeah, I got a call back to come back next month.

And so I had to go for the first couple of months. I was Jackie Roberts. Oh, yeah. I couldn't tell.

Then I just told her. Finally, I said, you know, that's my stage name. I'm going to go back to Ray Romano.

Yeah. Ray Romano here on The Rich Eisen Show. So was that when you were going to Shea and watching the Richard Todd Jets and and the Ed Crane Pool Mets? And I mean, I became I heard you guys talking in the green room. And I became I know you said when you were a jet fan. Yeah, I was around for Namath, but I wasn't. I was too young.

Yeah, I probably this is how sad it is. I probably became a jet fan two months after they won the Super Bowl, you know? So it's been a long stretch for me, man. It's been a long stretch. I would imagine you've crossed paths with Aaron Rodgers at a lot of these AT&T golf tournaments. The Tahoe tournament.

I played in a skin game skin game for charity with him at Pebble. Yeah. And I mean, I love the guy.

I mean, I'm ready. I want him. I want him. Yeah.

Why do you want him? Right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're ready.

We're ready to win, you know? By the way, I also haven't given up on Zach, you know? And he's still young enough that if Rogers Rogers, his hero isn't Rogers, his hero.

They apparently really got along when they practiced with one another or ran into another or they know each other. Like, look, I don't ever consider Aaron Rodgers like a bridge quarterback where, OK, you stick around for two years. Right. And Zach will be ready.

But if that's the way it goes, that's better than what we saw last year. I mean, holy cow. By the way, what do you think it is with Zach? Because I think he has the arm. He has the speed. He has he's just maybe up here. I don't know.

It could be that it could. It's just that he doesn't have it. But it takes time before you get it.

And New York, as you know, is not the easiest thing out there. About to show you what it's like getting old. OK, what do you got the phone? This is my take my pills alarm. But maybe maybe maybe Zach has the take my football. That doesn't go off.

Maybe this is my gosh. I took my pills already. I was about to say, I mean, I'm more than happy to pause the interview if you require, you know, your medication. I got to take them before I go on the air.

I don't know if that demo is at the most. Is that a metaphor for the Jets that you have to remember to take your pills? Yeah. Talking about the Jets because you can't get through it without being medicated. I mean, that's the whole thing to the Aaron Rodgers went in his darkness room. And I thought to myself, no better way to prepare yourself for the Jets than to sit in solitude and darkness, which I've been doing for fifty three years. I mean, by the way, would you ever do that? Would you ever go in a dark room?

That was oh my God, your phone. Really? I get the creeps just thinking of it. Yeah. No, but yes, I do want Aaron Rodgers. Me too. OK, me too. I'm ready. Look, we got the we got some cool players, man. You're ready to go.

Yeah, I know. So I'm ready for that. See what happens.

Ray Romano here on the rich ads and show again somewhere in Queens available Friday, April 21st in theaters. I have we have a game we call Celebrity True or False Ray, where there are things about your career that are out there on the old Internet's in the Wikipedia page. And we need to know if they're true or false. You found stuff. I have found stuff. We have found stuff.

And we also have some fantastic production value to go along with it. Hit it, please. Celebrity True or False. You can't handle the truth. There you go. Celebrity True or False with Ray Romano. First up, true or false, you originally planned to become an accountant.

Is that true or false? I took accounting in college, you know, and my mother would tell everybody that I'm going to be an accountant, but I don't know that. I numbers. I was good with numbers. You were good with numbers. Yeah. Yeah. Even to this day, you're good with numbers.

Pretty good with numbers. And I know every capital of every country. You do.

Yes. I'm not smart, though. You have to know one thing.

I'm the dumbest guy in the world who knows the capital of every country. So if we created something right now, I'm pretty I'm pretty sure I'm a little rusty, but I'm pretty sure. Chris, can we can we pop up a few questions for the use the Internet's the Google's? Let me get if I get four out of five, we're good, right?

Sure. Four out of five or two. How about two out of three? Ain't bad. We'll do the whole meatloaf.

Chris, you got a couple for Ray Romano. Yeah, let's just start right off the bat. Austria is Vienna. That's an easy one. Easy one.

We're just we're just easy. We're working. OK. OK. Belarus minks. That's correct. Yeah. Bulgaria. Sofia.

Sofia. OK. Either way. Correct.

Three for three. Congo. Which one?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Wow. Yeah. Next level. Yeah. Chris, I'll take either.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is. This. OK, give me a minute. Is it King Kinsasha? Correct. Wow.

Again, I'm the dumbest guy who knows this. That's not true. We can't sit there.

You can't say that. You want to go for a fifth one? This is what I did during COVID. I just memorized capital. I did it.

So, you know, I want to prove myself that I wasn't going to get Alzheimer's. I'm going way down the list. Going deep down the list.

OK, what do you got? Last one. Lichtenstein.

Is Lichtenstein. He tried to trick me on that one. There you go.

Ray Romano. You know, I did it. I did it. I actually did it because I wanted to prove I still have I'm not going to get Alzheimer's. And my doctor said, it doesn't mean you're not going to get it. It just means you don't have it now. That's what it means.

And you can also do your own taxes. All right. Next up. True or false? Ray Romano, you made the initial cast of news radio. But when the show got picked up, you were replaced by Joe Rogan. And therefore you were free the next year to create a show called Everyone Loves Raymond.

Everybody loves Raymond. Yes. True or false?

Mostly true. OK. I was fired on day two of rehearsal. I did. I did get the role. I was cast in news radio.

And what happened? I you know, I was young and I I had a great audition for the guy. He saw me do stand up and he called me in for an audition.

And I just it just clicked and it went off. But every step after I could feel a little bit like it was in over my head and they still cast me. I had to go out till I was living in New York. I went to L.A. And I thought, you know, I was going to make eight thousand dollars an episode of my wife and I were going. I had three little kids at the time and I had we had day one of rehearsal and we knew the show was getting picked up because it was Phil Hartman, Andy Dick, Lord Moore, attorney.

And on day two at six thirty in the morning, the phone rang in my hotel room and it was my manager. And as soon as my manager said, hey, Ray, I knew I just I knew it in my gut and they were going. This is they actually said it. They're going in a different direction. And yeah, they brought in Joe Rogan.

Yeah. But but five, five, about four or five months later, I did my Letterman spot. And like I said before, that Letterman spot led to everybody loves her. So they Letterman's company or Letterman himself, Letterman. You know, they were Letterman occasionally would sign a comic to a holding deal, you know, to try to develop a show for them. I think she did it with a cut. Bonnie Hunt, she was trying to develop a show for, you know, they called me after my Letterman spot. This is my first one on Saturday.

I was in Queens, living in Queens. My wife got a phone call and she told me it's the producer, Rob Burnett from Letterman on Saturday afternoon. And he just told me Dave liked what he saw. You know, they were thinking about a development deal for you. Just know that we're talking about it. So don't sign with anybody else. And I told him, there's nobody else. There's nobody else.

You're free. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, that that turned into Everybody Loves Raymond. They they they they produced the show. They set me up with writers.

I've met Phil Rosenthal. Yeah. And and it worked out. We got on the air and we stayed on the air.

So then that leads to the next one. You're false. You hated the title. Everybody Loves Raymond so much that they made a deal with you at CBS that if it made, if it was a top 10 show, they would change the name. The show cracked the top 10. You went in saying, now it's time to change the name of the show. Like, we can't because it's a top 10 show. That's true.

That's true. Yeah. What do you hate about the title? What? Come on. I mean, you're a neurotic, insecure comedian. You know, to have everybody love, you know, it's going to be ridiculed. You know, they're going to do a play.

Are they still to this day? You know, if something doesn't go well, it's well, not everybody loves Raymond, you know, it's just hard. And my my manager was like, you got to have your name in the title, though. It's got to be, you know, Seinfeld, Drew Carey. You got to have your name.

And so I came up with alternates. I go, here's what it was. Everybody Loves Raymond was a sarcastic comment that my brother was a New York City police officer. And at the time, he one day he said, I go to work, you know, people shoot at me. Raymond goes to work and everybody loves Raymond.

That's a true quote from my brother. So when in writing the script with Phil, Phil Rosenthal, I told him that story. He said, well, we got to put that in. And not only that, but let's make it the title. And I said, no, no, no. He goes, it's a working title. We'll change it. Yeah. And then that happened. So then I came up with my, my manager still has a little piece of paper with all the alternates I put in, and some of them are absurd.

You got some of them? It was because you have to keep Raymond in the title. So it was that Raymond guy. And one of them was, um, Raymond, um, comma, Raymond.

Yes. Anyway, the CBS took, I gave them this list. And they said, we'll test it. And they test like they do everything. They test that. Yeah, they put it in front of an audience. And they said, everybody knows Raymond tested better. And I was like, that's why we shouldn't do it.

We should go the other way. But then he made that, I said, listen, it's going to be a top 10 show. I was kind of just goofing around. There's going to be top 10. I'm going to have to live with that. And he said, if it's top 10, you can change it to whatever you want.

And when it was top 10, that's exactly what he said. Well, we can't change it now. Yeah. Um, Raymond. Um, Raymond. Would not have had the same ring to it.

Raymond's tree, like family tree. Oh, they were, they were, they were horrible. Yeah.

I couldn't think of anything. Yeah. It kind of worked out. Yeah. I mean, yeah.

I mean, I'm not, I guess I am complaining, but I'm not complaining. All right. Last one for you.

True or false. It took 45 minutes every day to create your Brian Grazer inspired hairdo on Get Shorty. What we see on the screen right there that took 45 minutes every day for you. I don't know if it took that long. Okay.

You know, it definitely took longer than to wash it out. But yeah, that was, that's your hair. That's it.

Like they would just get all sorts of stuff inspired by Mr. Grazer. Yeah. Yeah. I would have to keep whenever I saw him, I would have to tell him, I'm just doing the hair. It's not you.

The character I play is not you because the character was, you know, I don't think he was flattered by that character. Well, yeah, let's. But that's also, you know, Elmore Leonard.

So it's yes, yes, yes, yes. As a heck. That was fun show, man.

Thank you. That was great. Do you got a good Scorsese De Niro or Pesci story from the Irishman? Like your favorite go to Ray? I mean, I imagine as a kid from Queens.

Yes. It was crazy that you are in a Scorsese movie with those guys. Total surreal.

How to be. Yeah, I have two stories and they may be long, but I don't know if you can edit it. We have a few minutes. They're not that long. But the first one was my first scene with De Niro.

First of all, just the fact that I'm in there is nuts, right? Yeah. OK. And now Martin Martin Scorsese I knew from vinyl. There was a show vinyl on HBO.

Right, right, right. So that's why he cast me in this. But he just cast me in this vinyl I had to addition. Yeah. So he saw what I was going to do in vinyl.

OK. So the fact that he cast me in vinyl. Well, he knows what I'm going to do because he's seen it. Now he's casting me in Irishman. Just I want you to play this role. So I'm terrified because what if I don't I don't know this. What if he doesn't like what I'm doing with this character?

OK. So now on day two, I'm doing my first scene with De Niro, and it's a pretty big scene. We're sitting across and I'm playing a lawyer.

He's a young union guy. And I'm yes, that's the scene right there. This is the scene. Yes. And we're going back and forth.

And it takes, you know, takes a long time to do a scene like that, like three, four hours this side, that side, this side. Yeah. And De Niro is a man of a few words, you know?

Yes. And so the scene ends three, four hours. You know, Scorsese right there. And listen, I don't need people to pat me on the back, but I think I needed it right there. And nothing.

I get nothing from Scorsese, nothing from De Niro. I go to my car. The day's over. I go to my car.

I'm driving to the hotel and I call my wife. I'm like, I don't know, man. I don't I really don't know.

They didn't say anything. She's like, just relax, you know? And I'm my I'm really in turmoil now.

Like, tell yourself, can I get fired from this? Maybe. I don't know. I get to the hotel. We're checking in. It's in Long Island. I'm checking in.

And it's about two hours after we wrap now. And all of a sudden I hear Ray. And I look and it's De Niro. I go, oh, hey, not a word.

Walks over, grabs me, kisses me on the cheek, walks away. Now, you would think that's a good thing, but it is a mafia movie. So it wasn't on the lips, right? No, no, no, no, no, no. But it was I went to my room and I called my wife and I said, I think I'm OK. I think I'm OK. That was the one thing that Pacino just real quick. Sure.

If I'm right. Yeah, good. So they that's amazing.

They had to. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And by the way, he was great. De Niro's great. He doesn't say much, but he's a great guy.

Yeah, we got to speak and he was lovely. So then the movie, you know, I play it when I'm 50. I play when I'm 60.

I play when I'm 70 or 80. So when I when I was older, they would put me in a little bit of a fat suit underneath. Yeah, just a little thing. So I have a pouch there. And you're shooting out of order. One scene you're shooting in your 50s.

Next thing you're in your 70s, you know. So we go to lunch and we come back and we're getting ready. And it's it's for the next scene. And it's me and Al Pacino. And I'm sitting there and he's getting ready to do the scene. And he looks at me and he go and he looks and he gets a little worried face.

He goes, oh, what scene is this, right? I I didn't know you were in the thing. I went, I'm not wearing it, Al.

Oh, no. Yes, I must have had a lot to eat for lunch. And he thought I had my pouch on.

It's like the asking a woman when she's due. Yeah, exactly. And he started laughing and he said, what are you trying to look like me now?

You know, trying to cover it up a little bit. Yeah, he was funny. He was funny. By the way, he's you know, I'd say De Niro is not a man of few words.

Pacino is just the opposite, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

And they were both great in their own way. Yeah. And I know we're up against it, but I do want to just a couple more minutes. Is it true you're playing Jim Valvano in a movie or you're trying to? We are. We're in production.

We're trying to get it ready for the fall. It's I hope we get it ready because I know everything about Jim and I know I'm older than Jim was. So we got to do a couple little special effects. But I've been trying for 10 years, you know, ever since I mean, I knew about Jim, of course. And I saw the documentary Survive and Advance. I don't know if you've seen that.

It's my favorite sports documentary. And I fell in love with it and I fell in love with him. Even before that, you know, as iconic as he was. But he's from Queens. He's Italian. He he has that gift. I kind of look like him.

I mean, I'm getting older now, the gray maybe. We'll fix all that. And we're trying to get it. The script is written.

We're trying to get it going. You know, it would be that would be probably, you know, next to being with Scorsese. This would be as surreal as it gets the, you know, an honor to try to do that. You know, then bring Jim Valvano back to life and recall his life and his speech at the SBS is truly iconic. And if you watch the documentary, there's there's speeches like that all over it. You know, I really recommend if you haven't seen Survive and Advance, you have to see that.

Yeah. And everybody go see Somewhere in Queens written, directed and part of a terrific cast, Laurie Metcalf, Sebastian Maniscalco, Tony Lil Bianco and more beautiful movie. Very, very worth your time in theaters on Friday, April 21st.

Ray Romano, a pleasure. Could you say I love the movie? I love the movie. Rich Eisen.

By the way, I am not going higher register. We spoke about it off air. If you go, I love the movie. You can tell the movie's really good.

No, I'm not. No, I love the movie. I saw it. And it's it was familiar to me. I grew up with people like this. Yeah, it is a story and it's a beautiful story of a dad trying to do something for his son.

And sometimes it doesn't go very well. And it's beautiful. So I got it.

Ray Romano right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Everybody check out Somewhere in Queens. It's in theaters coming soon.

See, now that's not good. It's on Friday, April 21st. You're going to love it. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show radio network, sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk, furnished by Grainger, with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger is the right product for you.

Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Great stories from Ray Romano. Jackie Roberts was his first stage name to get on. That's a good one. How about that one?

That was a good story. How about he had no idea how he did in his first scene with De Niro for Scorsese and the Irishman. He goes back to the Long Island Hotel. He's checking in.

De Niro's checking in, just walks up to him wordlessly, just kisses him on the cheek and walks away. That's a good one. Um Raymond was one of the titles. Um Raymond. What's the name of the next show? Um Raymond.

I had no idea that that's where everybody loves Raymond. He goes, his brother is a cop. I go to work.

People shoot at me. He goes to work. Everybody loves Raymond. Yep.

It's funny how stuff like that happens. Just boom. That's the name of his show and something I didn't bring up. Do you know he is the most well-paid? Yeah. Sitcom actor of all time.

What's he hitting at? We were talking. Like one and a half? Uh it's a lot of money. He made the most. He made the most money of any sitcom actor in the history. We're talking per episode or total? Total.

Total. And I will say this, working that show, it was the greatest show to work on that I've ever worked on in the sitcom world. Unbelievable how they took care of us.

Well I see. He's good people. They were all. Phil was great.

The whole, everybody. Ray. And then he did, you know, he did about 45 episodes of, um, This is Life. Yeah he did, well he did Parenthood. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Parenthood.

He was in a lot of shows, man. We're going to start a new segment, by the way, just in time for the draft, called, guess what? From the combine to the draft, I'm going to profile a bunch of players journeys from the physical and mental test of the NFL combine all the way through to the thrilling moment when they get to hear their name announced in Kansas City at the draft and it's brought to you by our friends at Noble, which is a training brand for people who work hard and don't believe in excuses. Noble's performance footwear, apparent in accessories, are worn by some of the fittest athletes on earth and you might have seen them at the combine because they were official combine training partner of the NFL and the official on-field supplier of apparel and headwear for the NFL scouting combine. Just go to nobleproject.com slash NFL to see how Noble forever changed the NFL combine.

You can also shop football training essentials and get more gear for your day-to-day workouts. Stay tuned on this show. Keep your eyes on our Twitter feed and YouTube channel for that segment. Sponsored by Noble from the combine to the draft. Again, sponsored by Noble. What a show.

Started really well. Tomorrow's show is not going to start as well. I mean, unless one of us wins a Powerball tonight or something. Well, we should try it.

It could happen. Well, it's not the same as being nominated for an Emmy. That's true.

It's a different type of joy. Because just trying the Powerball, you'd have to wait three and a half hours without eating anything or drinking anything before finding out you're going to lose. Powerball, you've just got to wait until seventh. How about that? Oh, by the way, you can watch the Emmys on Roku. Look at that. I didn't know that.

And by the way, I'm doing high register because I didn't know. You didn't know. Hey, look at that. And look at the Roku channel up on the screen. Emmy nominated. Two times.

I told him. Well, not the Roku channel. It's our first time on the Roku channel. Well, I'm saying they have two nominations this year. To the point where our old sponsor, I think a couple of the segments, we were still on our old platform of Peacock. I was looking at networks and the number of nominations, and they have two because of us. And, oh, there's another one, too, huh? That's pretty wild, man.

That's pretty wild. I'm honored. Very honored. As you should be, man. You put in the work. Very honored to be part of that one, too. Very excited. Thank you to everybody for taking in this edition of the Rich Eisen Show on the Roku channel, which we'll return to in a moment to wrap it up.

But to our radio audience, I want to thank Ray Romano and the rest of our guests, Shams and Kevin Millar. Conspiracy theories, paranormal, UFOs. In the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union started developing directed energy microwave devices. And even to this day, the United States government is still continuing its research into high-power microwaves. It is nothing compared to what decades ago Theories of the Third Kind on YouTube or wherever you listen.