All About The Joy

Unpacking Loss, Isolation at the Grocery Store, the Role of Jealousy and A Visit from Charlie Mattera

• Carmen Lezeth Suarez • Episode 96

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Join us as we navigate through feelings of loss and the unexpected triggers that arise. We share heartfelt recollections from personal experiences, revealing how loved ones' passing can stir unpredictable emotions. Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing storm in Florida and an unprecedented hurricane in Los Angeles, we delve into feelings of isolation and our reactions to such extraordinary circumstances. We use the article from the LA Times, as our backdrop That Personal Touch at Check Stand? Priceless.  

Get ready to engage in thought-provoking discussions on the changing dynamics of our daily lives—from self-checkout to our instinctive feelings of jealousy. We examine how technology is reshaping our shopping experiences, impacting employment, and the evolving etiquette of customer service. Moreover, we dissect the human instinct of jealousy, bringing a fresh perspective on how it can be harnessed as motivation, and how it plays out in work environments. 

As we journey through these diverse topics, we'll also celebrate the power of music, the joy of giving, and discuss the challenges faced by creatives in the entertainment industry. SAG-AFTRA Actor and WGA Writer, Charlie Mattera stops on by and sheds light on the trials faced by writers in the entertainment world. 

We share our favorite artists, the regrets associated with missing live performances, and the changing attitudes toward generosity. So, sit back and get ready for an interesting chat with more than a few giggles along the way.  

Thank you for stopping by. Please visit our website: All About The Joy and add, like and share. You can also support us by shopping at our STORE - We'd appreciate that greatly. Also, if you want to find us anywhere on social media, please check out the link in bio page.

Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth


DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.

Carmen Lezeth:

Hey everybody, hi everybody, welcome to All About the Joy. So glad you're here. So you know, this week was a really interesting week for me because Monday was the anniversary of my mother's passing and I tend to make that a celebration of her life kind of day, just for myself. You know what I mean. And I think on Monday you had texted me or something and said how you doing or whatever. You know, because we talked pretty much during the week and so it was going fine. I thought I was totally, absolutely fine. And then on the 29th I have another anniversary, which is Alden's brother, steve. He passed away like three years ago of brain cancer. You know what I mean. So it's just still fine, totally fine.

Carmen Lezeth:

But on Thursday morning not Thursday Tuesday morning at nine o'clock I got an email and the email was telling me that one of their friend's mother had passed away and you know whatever, their wife was traveling to go to this situation or whatever. And clearly it was oh and it was unexpected, that's what it was. So I got the email and I totally lost it. But you just never know and I don't know who his friend is or who. You know what I mean. I don't know who he's talking about. It's not a mutual friend of ours or whatever, but it's so weird. The things that will trigger you.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, but that's definitely happened before. I'm like you know, something happened, I should be crying. Another thing happened, I should be crying and then another thing happened. I'm like that I shouldn't cry, but it just the dam breaks and the water starts pouring it.

Carmen Lezeth:

Just I was like everything's cool. Here's my thing about a parent passing that I'll share. You never get over it. You know, for me there's never the right thing for anyone to say, and I realized the more I shared the holiday with people, the more I'd have to talk about it and there was always a downer. You know, and it's been so long, you don't ever get over anyone passing. I don't think that you love, but you do get used to it.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, it's been like really slow this week at work and I don't know if it's because it's weird. Well, it's that, and then they're having this really crazy storm in Florida where my company actually is. I'm in Connecticut but it's like, and my boss is like, are you guys okay? Because he's like I got to go outside and help to clean up with the neighbors, are you good? We're like yeah, it's dead, go ahead, do what you gotta do.

Carmen Lezeth:

So it's weird that it's okay, I'm going to tell you I was mad at you when you sent me that text or whenever you told me, I forget when you told me about your work thing. I'll tell you why. Okay, so I live in Los Angeles, in Santa Monica, right? And if there's a fire six hours from me, everyone and their mother is like Carmen, are you okay? Everyone's texting me or sending me DMs, are you all right? And I'm like, oh, my God, it's, it's in Northern California, thank you, whatever. We had the first ever mother flowering hurricane in Los Angeles here. I didn't get one text message. Nobody was worried, nobody.

Rick Costa:

I did, didn't.

Carmen Lezeth:

I no, nobody, nobody. I was shocked by it. You didn't admit it, you didn't grasp the fact, but not when it was happening.

Rick Costa:

I thought I did. I was like checking in, checking in. I did not. Are you sure I'm gonna go back and look? I didn't have to.

Carmen Lezeth:

I mean, I think you did check in, but it was just weird, right, Because for me it was. I'm not saying that people didn't check in after the fact. Here's the thing about earthquakes in Los Angeles they just happened. They happened, we deal with it, we move on, and thankfully I haven't been through anything so horrific. You know what I mean. I've maybe been through a shaker that maybe bounced something off a shelf for half a second, but nothing major. Thank you, Thank you, thank you. But this anxiety of hurricanes and the news and you have to shelter in, and everyone in Los Angeles was at the grocery store buying everything. I'm like, okay, it's not going to be all that, I hope, because I was getting scared. But you know, we didn't feel anything. We didn't feel anything. So, but yeah, so I was. I was you kind of text me today, and then my other brother lives in Florida and I was like hope you're all right, whatever, because he didn't reach out to me.

Carmen Lezeth:

I was like, well he, I knew he wasn't really near it or whatever, but it was just so funny. I was like he didn't reach out to me either about no hurricane.

Rick Costa:

I'm telling you I've got to look, I thought I did, I thought I did and I don't want to be annoying about it too I was like, let me just do like once a day, check in.

Carmen Lezeth:

I think you checked in after the fact.

Rick Costa:

I thought I did during because you were telling you were giving me updates.

Carmen Lezeth:

I don't think so I think you're talking about. I will have to figure it out, and if I have to apologize to you, I will.

Rick Costa:

But I was, I was a little sad.

Carmen Lezeth:

Nobody reached out to all of us here. I mean, I reached out to like Andrea. Andrea lives here and you know my friends and everything. We were all touching base with each other, you know, because it was such an anomaly, but but yeah, I don't know, so I sent you that article about the LA in the LA Times.

Rick Costa:

Oh yeah, that was. I love old people. That touched me. I love old people. That wasn't the point of the article, but it it touched me. Though, when you know the whole thing the husband died, and then you know it just touched me so.

Carmen Lezeth:

so there's an article in the LA Times and I would show it, but I am so over trying to figure out how to do it. Should I try?

Rick Costa:

it one more time. I mean, are they going to even be able to read?

Carmen Lezeth:

It's probably going to be too small, right, but let me look at what the what the name of it is, because that would be helpful for everyone. It's called that personal touch at check stand. Priceless is the name of it and basically what they're talking about in the article is they've installed in a lot of the grocery stores I'm sure everyone has experienced this the, what do they call the self?

Rick Costa:

checkout.

Carmen Lezeth:

The self checkout.

Carmen Lezeth:

So the whole article is talking about how that has added to the isolation of all of us, because you don't have that contact with the person and saying that simple hello, whatever. And then they put all these little I mean they started off with a, with an elderly woman who just lost her husband, and they always go to every Friday and they go shopping or whatever, and they always go to the same cashier and they bypass the checkout and they have like three or four of those examples. And so I was saying to you that I thought it was a fascinating article because of how we love technology, but this feeling of isolation and being by yourself and just bringing it back to what happened on Monday with me and thinking about my mom, and then getting that email. There was even that part of it where I wasn't even sharing that sadness with anyone, like I wasn't going to bother people about it because that's what it feels like. You don't want to bother people, you know.

Carmen Lezeth:

But you read the article. What did you think I mean, besides the fact that you love old people? It's so funny.

Rick Costa:

And just, you know stories always get to people. You know good stories always grasp people's attention. But I think a good question, before we even go further to ask everybody, including us, let's say you're in let's say you're in Walmart or supermarket, whatever, and there you are, you have self checkout or you have a person. Where do you go to? And I'm not gonna lie, I go to the person If there if you go to the person. I do I do.

Rick Costa:

I go to the person. I rather deal with a person and then if something's wrong they're right there. They can deal with immediately whether they're like. I need help over here, but you know what?

Carmen Lezeth:

I don't know if it's where I live, but the self checkout is not only faster, but there's always a person there, always a person.

Rick Costa:

There is. There is hey, Chris, Chris in the book.

Carmen Lezeth:

Hey, chris, wait, is that his name, chris?

Rick Costa:

Chris, yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

Hi Chris, in the Netherlands there is a designated slow checkout for quote unquote people. I mean, I'm saying I know the person at our self checkout thing because he's always there and I, yeah, I don't go into the. Yeah, I don't know. Okay, melannie goes to the person too.

Rick Costa:

And I decided never use self checkout. Like if it's like, if the lines are ridiculous and self checkout looks a little better, then I will go to self checkout.

Carmen Lezeth:

But oh, my God.

Rick Costa:

I'm the opposite.

Carmen Lezeth:

If there's too many people at self checkout, I'll go wait in line because it goes quicker, like everyone goes to self checkout where we are.

Rick Costa:

Interesting here. I think it's kind of like half and half, to be honest.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, that's an interesting thing. I I didn't wow. Melannie also goes to the person. Do you go to the same cashier Like? Do you have a favorite like? In the article. No no, okay, that doesn't faze you at all. Okay, Do you do the chit chat? Hey, kimberly, I don't do self checkout too many. What's a bit to Mars?

Rick Costa:

Might be a misspun. I almost forgot to pay for water.

Carmen Lezeth:

Many I almost forgot to pay for water at bottom of the car. I banned myself from self checkout.

Rick Costa:

I've, I've almost done that too to be asked with you, because you forget it's on the bottom, you know.

Carmen Lezeth:

So do you guys still have to? You have to pick up everything in scan. Is that what you do?

Rick Costa:

Sometimes I'd be like oh, no, no, no, I can do it, and they have like a portable thing and they'll just come around and do it.

Carmen Lezeth:

So in my neighborhood the checkout, self checkout, is actually a. It's like there's a cashier but there isn't. And you put it on and it scans through and it rolls. It's not just the scan, so like if you have a lot of stuff or you have like more than two or three items, you put it on the belt and it and it goes down and then you can bag it at the end. So it's like a regular cashier, there's just nobody there and it's just scans.

Rick Costa:

I've not seen that in Connecticut.

Carmen Lezeth:

And then you have the thing like if you, because I always buy like bottled water or bottled sparkling water and I'm not going to pick that up and so I always. Then I scan that on the bottom, whatever. But yeah, they're, yeah, they have it. So it's like it. I feel bad because I know people, you know. Again it gets to that thing like how many jobs are people losing, you know, but then you realize that I'm probably learning something else or you know it's never going to be nobody there. I mean I guess that's the idea.

Rick Costa:

That's interesting, I've never even seen that. So self checkout, and it's got a conveyor belt and you just put it in the belt yes, and a conveyor belt yeah. Yeah, we don't have that here. That might be. That might be, you know, something I might want to prefer to do.

Carmen Lezeth:

So there's always people at the end. There's always I'm not going to call them cashiers, but I'm sure that's what they used to be but there's always people at the end and they're like you know, do you need any bags? You want to see bags for you? Blah, blah, blah. Whatever they're like, do you need it? And they'll come in and fix stuff. And I'm always like oh, look at the lottery, it looks like it's a billion dollars. Let me play. Can you change this for me? That's the only reason why I'm going to go up and really bother them, because you can't. You can't get change from the scanner thing or whatever.

Rick Costa:

Wow, yeah, I'm literally trying to think, and I don't think I've ever seen a conveyor about self checkout here.

Carmen Lezeth:

You're probably going to get it soon. Yeah, because.

Rick Costa:

I think a lot of people.

Carmen Lezeth:

I think it is faster. But I was sad when I read the article and was like, oh yeah, I guess if you're not somebody who is constantly engaging people, you know like I'll talk to everybody. I know everybody at the deli. I know everybody at the bakery area. I know people where I get my cookies. Notice hiding saying anything about fruits and vegetables. I'm not you know, but I'm serious, but I don't know those people, so I always say hi or whatever. You know, and some people are not like, they're not friendly in this.

Rick Costa:

Yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah. That's true People neighborly, not neighborly people, that's true, I usually say hi.

Rick Costa:

I say hi to the person how are you doing? Sometimes it's like how's your day, you know. But I won't get into like really deep conversation, but I'll be a little friendly.

Carmen Lezeth:

And then you know your people at your store. See, this is what I don't understand.

Rick Costa:

I mean I don't. Well, now I don't go anywhere because of my situation, but when I did go I would at least say hello, how's your day? Why do?

Carmen Lezeth:

you get close to reason, you must go to grocery store.

Rick Costa:

Delivery I have everything. Everything is delivered, everything is delivered.

Carmen Lezeth:

Okay, that adds to the isolation big time. Yes, yes.

Rick Costa:

But I do know, not know, but I recognize the people that deliver. Now there's one guy that I secretly call him Jesus, because he looks like Jesus with his long curly hair. I'm like my Jesus is here. She's like what he's a white.

Carmen Lezeth:

Jesus, though You're talking about white Jesus.

Rick Costa:

He's a white Jesus, but he looks. It's that curly long hair, Okay.

Carmen Lezeth:

That's funny.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, but yeah, that's the only people I see.

Carmen Lezeth:

So then I mean, it goes to this thing about how, like the internet, see, I think it's a great tool because it allows people whether it's in your situation or not, people who are recluse is that what you say Recluse? They don't like to go outside or they're not social beings or whatever. They have the ability to make friendships and make relationships, and I think that's why technology is amazing. You know what I mean. Like, that's why I do embrace it and love it, you know, because I think it has the potential to make society so much better and, hope it, to more people. But again, in that same article, they talk about how technology has added to the isolation of people, right? So I was a little confused by that. How do you-.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, because I know, because, like, for example, my first job was McDonald's and there was like all these same people and they were elderly people and they came in every morning. I knew all their orders and exactly what they wanted and how much sugar they wanted, their coffee cream, whatever, like I knew them all because they came all the time, or some people were only on Saturdays or whatever, and they didn't come so much because, oh, I love the food at McDonald's. It's amazing. No, I think they came because they wanted to have an experience outside of home and be with other people.

Rick Costa:

Right, they would congregate together and they knew each other. And I'm like you know, yeah, after a while, if you're alone, you start to go a little star crazy. So, yeah, I understand that.

Carmen Lezeth:

So do you go stir crazy?

Rick Costa:

Well, no, because I have y'all.

Carmen Lezeth:

Because I have y'all. Okay, kimberly just say yeah, rick, I've been doing the delivery too, but I really shouldn't. Stuff is always missing or even open.

Rick Costa:

Oh, I've never had that.

Carmen Lezeth:

Can't you complain? Can't you respond to them? And complain then to the-.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, I think I've only complained once and they took care of me.

Carmen Lezeth:

So, I think, Kimberly, if you ever have any suspicion of anything, you can respond back to the app and they will take it. They have to because if not they could lose you. They could just a lawsuit wait and happen. If that's what's going on right there, I mean not them giving you ideas.

Carmen Lezeth:

I'm just saying that's a bad thing, I don't. I mean, I don't get delivery, because it's also, you know. It's the same reason why I don't drive to the grocery store, which is very unheard of here in Los Angeles. I walk to the grocery store. The only time I won't walk to the grocery store is if I have to, you know, like if I'm buying bottled water or something you know like. I'm not going to hope that, although that's what I'm trying to see.

Rick Costa:

How often do you go, like weekly? Me To grocery store yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

Oh, probably twice a week.

Rick Costa:

Okay.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, because it's just me and so okay. So this is funny. Like people always like you should go to Costco. You go save so much more money if you go to Costco. I'm like I don't need 27 rolls of toilet paper, I don't need them, I have nowhere to put them, I don't need like big. Like. Someone did me the favor once and they were like I'm going to Costco, you want me to pick up anything? This is before I understood what Costco was. They brought me eggs and it was like two crates of eggs. I am not going to eat them. You know what I mean. Yeah.

Rick Costa:

It's more for big families, yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

I just, but also just I mean, I go to the regular grocery store but I also, first of all, I like the walk and secondly, it's because I don't need that much on a weekly basis and I do get fruits and vegetables and those don't last too long and I don't buy like I'll never buy like five bananas, you know, I'll just buy two. You know what I mean. So they'll go bad if I do. And we said well, you contact customer service, they refund you, but I don't think they care. Honestly. I see what you're saying and also it doesn't matter in a way, because, like when I order food, like from a restaurant, if they mess it up and I, you know, let them know and, yeah, they reimburse, it still messes up.

Carmen Lezeth:

You were just about to eat. So I can only imagine, like if Kimberly ordered apples, you know, and they were gala apples, and she got whatever the other app. I only eat gala apples, but you know what I mean. She got the other apples, they were green apples. It's going to mess up her apple pie cooking as long. Yeah, so I get you. I understand that is a problem. I'm not. I swear I was going to turn this off. I'm not even looking at it, just turn it off. Turn it off. You know what it was. I left it on in case you text me or something you know. You want to talk about jealousy, or do you want?

Carmen Lezeth:

to talk about characters on television shows and writing. I'm just kidding.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, we can talk about that eventually. But yeah, the stuff I've been telling you about, it's like I've learned so much.

Carmen Lezeth:

WGA this is my magazine from SAG-AFTRA. We're still on. Oh okay, yeah, that's what that is. Yeah, we get a magazine every month, but we're still on it's backwards for us. It's backwards because, oh my God, no, I know why.

Rick Costa:

I know why.

Carmen Lezeth:

I know but this is why I said this thing that your camera needs to be authentically the way you would see you.

Rick Costa:

No, you don't have to, you don't have to Drayden you said that.

Carmen Lezeth:

You said that you were like if I were to see you in person, you wouldn't look the same, or something. That's what you're saying. What? What you would say? The way we see you is not the way you see on camera.

Rick Costa:

Well yeah, just like when you look at a mirror, you're looking at. What you see in a mirror is not what everybody else sees.

Carmen Lezeth:

I know, but this is what I see in the mirror is fabulous. I want you to see what I see in the mirror. Okay, so the reason so I always flip my camera. I don't even know how to flip it back, because I do it on my actual camera, not on the yeah, don't worry about it. I know, because it would flip everything right. No, it would just flip me.

Rick Costa:

I mean, yeah, your whole, everything would flip around, yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

Okay, let me see if I can do it.

Rick Costa:

You're going to do it now.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, why not? It would be funny, wouldn't it?

Rick Costa:

I think you could do it. Let me see, can you reach me?

Carmen Lezeth:

I'm looking, okay, yeah yeah, mirror. Oh horrible. No, oh my God, oh my God. Okay, this is why I do it. Okay, wait, let me put this up now, so you can see it perfectly. On strike Say.

Rick Costa:

I got. Oh, that's what that says, okay.

Carmen Lezeth:

This is why I do it, because I can see my tooth, that I have a fake tooth, not a fake. I have a dead tooth, which we've already talked about on this program, so I can see it. It's a little bit ahead of the other one and it bothers me in pictures. Look at my head. No, we got to go back.

Rick Costa:

But if you never said anything, nobody would know.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, but that's why I do it for me.

Rick Costa:

I don't mind sharing.

Carmen Lezeth:

I don't mind sharing, but that was kind of funny, because I remember you said that I was like oh, that looks so much more normal, right, everybody, right, Everybody.

Rick Costa:

Oh my gosh.

Carmen Lezeth:

Okay, let's talk about jealousy at work, because this is a thing. This is a thing Do you want to share?

Rick Costa:

Well, I remember like one guy he used to work at the company For some reason, I'm like yo, I've been here for 20 years. You just got here and you all act like. You're trying to act like you're my boss and I'm like but yet you're asking me how to do this, that and the other. I'm like stop acting like you're my boss, though, dude. I'm like why are you doing this?

Carmen Lezeth:

Wait, did you tell him that though?

Rick Costa:

No no.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, because that's such a thing. Okay, so the guy was jealous of you, but you never confronted him about it.

Rick Costa:

No, I was like okay, I don't want to deal with drama. I was like I'm just dealing with this guy and whatever, but do you ever get jealous of other people?

Carmen Lezeth:

And this answer is interesting because work, work wise anywhere, I mean anywhere, jealousy in general, I mean it's not my nature, honestly. I think it's everyone's nature. I'm just going to stop you right there. I was waiting for. Everybody says that. Everybody says I'm not jealous, I don't get jealous, it's part of human nature. How could you not get jealous?

Rick Costa:

I mean, even when I was married, if I saw my ex talking to somebody, I wouldn't be jealous. I'm like she's still coming home with me. So you talk all day you want to.

Carmen Lezeth:

Okay, but I'm not saying in that instance, that's about being honorable and a good man, that's the I don't know. But okay, this is why I wanted to bring this up, because I think we put a negative spin on so many things that are just natural to our human spirit. Like, I don't think in general, jealousy is a bad thing. It's what we do with jealousy. You know what I mean. That that is the problem, I think. For me, what I see in jealousy that I think is a really great thing is that we end up trying to be better. When we see something that we admire or are jealous of, like, if we really look at it, like when I get jealous of a woman, like if I see a beautiful woman and she wearing an outfit that I know I could never play out like I could never work that outfit, I get jealous because I'm like oh, I got to go home and figure out a cute outfit where I can be working my magic that way, you know. And what I do with jealousy is I will give that woman I don't care who she is a compliment, because it takes it out of you and that's something I learned a long time ago. And when it comes to work.

Carmen Lezeth:

The reason why this came up at work the other day for me was, you know, I manage quite a few different people in different circumstances and I have these people who are so jealous of each other that every time we get into a situation where we're working on a project together, they're like no, no, I can do it. No, no, I can do it. And I'm like, oh my God, it's not a competition. And if I talk to them separately, I'll be like you don't need to be jealous of him, and she'll be like I'm not jealous of him, I'm not jealous at all. I'm like, okay, okay, okay, cool, okay, I'm glad we got that out of the way.

Carmen Lezeth:

You know, I don't know, I don't know how else to explain that jealousy doesn't have to be a bad thing. The fact that everyone gets so defensive, the fact that everyone pretends they're not jealous instead of seeing it for what it is, it's just a little instinct in us that lets us know that, wow, I want that, or I wish I could be that. All right, like I'm so jealous of Beyonce, I wish I could sing and dance and, more importantly, wear them outfit she wear, and every day. I don't know if you've been seeing her Instagram, you probably don't follow Beyonce, huh.

Rick Costa:

I'm not sure, I don't think so.

Carmen Lezeth:

Well, whatever, she is displaying all of her costumes in her concert and they're by magnificent fashion designers. But the thing is, it's just remarkable how you know, because you got to be able to carry that off. It doesn't matter if something's made for you, if you can't walk in that presence, you know, I mean, that's just the whole other thing. But I'm like, oh my gosh, she looks so good. You know, ain't nothing wrong with that, but if I started calling her the B word or I started being like, well, whatever, she's not really a good actress or something, but hopefully that's when jealousy becomes a problem.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, yeah, I can see that.

Carmen Lezeth:

That's what I'm saying. But but you don't, you don't like confrontation.

Rick Costa:

That's true, I can't deny that.

Carmen Lezeth:

I'm going to do a Tony, bring it.

Rick Costa:

Does it?

Carmen Lezeth:

Tony, is it Tony who does that?

Rick Costa:

I'm going to do another, tony.

Carmen Lezeth:

I can't believe you just. Oh, that was cruel.

Rick Costa:

That's not happening on my show.

Carmen Lezeth:

ever again, you cannot be cool to Tony. Like, and he's been really good, from what I understand.

Rick Costa:

He's going to get me for that.

Carmen Lezeth:

if you have a nice person, I hope he gets you like really good too, because that was cool. That was cool, and I'll be honest though that's good. Hi Jean, I guess, I don't know, beyonce inspires you, but do you wish you had what she has instead of her? Do I wish I had what she has instead of?

Rick Costa:

And he's being instead of have the stuff instead of or be her. Is that what?

Carmen Lezeth:

you're saying I don't want to be her, I don't know if she inspires me. I said that was an interesting thing. I don't know if she inspires. I love her music, I do, you know. I love dancing to it, I love the power in it, I love I kind of like her, her essence and how she's putting herself out there and I love that she's creating a space for artists, not just for herself, but you know these fashion designers and you know other women who are in her band and concert or whatever. You know what I mean. Like it's kind of the Taylor Swift thing too. Like you just really admire people who are pushing that envelope and pushing us forward as a society, you know. But I don't know if she inspires me.

Carmen Lezeth:

And do I wish I had what she has instead of her? Well, first of all, I don't need to have something more instead of somebody else. Like maybe we could both have stuff. You know what I mean. Like I think that's what you mean. Like do I wish I had it and she didn't know? I'm not that cruel of a person. I wish we could all have everything that we individually want and need without stepping on someone else or hurting another person, or does that make sense? Am I sounding?

Rick Costa:

weird. Yeah, yeah, definitely yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

I wouldn't want anything instead of her, but but I just I like her. I don't know, do you have an artist like that that you like, that you think is amazing?

Rick Costa:

I mean my realm is more the Christian realm. So totally different people.

Carmen Lezeth:

But did you not see my tiktok the other day about? I smile.

Rick Costa:

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, kirk Franklin, yeah, yeah that was so cool.

Carmen Lezeth:

What happened right it?

Rick Costa:

was awesome Did.

Carmen Lezeth:

I ever talk about that I did on the Instagram not on here, but if you want to talk, Basically, what happened was I was walking in this area In Santa Monica, but it's like a very exclusive kind of in the canyon area and it's, you know, these beautiful homes and a lot of people don't walk there. It's a very quiet place and when it's the weekend or whatever, I don't want to go down to the beach because there's a lot of touristy people, you know. So I was minding my business but I had my head set on and I was, you know, I didn't realize I was singing so loud. Anyway, so I'm walking down the street minding my own business, I have my head set on and I didn't realize it, but I was, you know, just doing my thing and I do, I do a little, not dancing crazy, but you know, I get into it or whatever, especially nobody's around. And a bike came from behind me, they were on the street and it's these are little sidewalks is a very Well-to-do area. So you know they got, no big sidewalks would be hanging around, you know.

Carmen Lezeth:

And he went like this to me and and I was like what, what? You know what I mean and he then he stopped and he turned to me and he said you are singing so on key, it's awesome and I didn't realize I was singing so loud. And then people were walking towards me, right, so they were walking. They weren't that far ahead of me, but they were walking towards me. Whatever they're like, we love that song and I was. So I Was singing, I smile, I was seeing it very loudly and I Singing voice. I can't stay on key but I do not have a a Whitney Houston voice, so I was singing, I smile, so it was just very funny, but yeah, it was a great song.

Carmen Lezeth:

It is a great song. So back to you were saying your favorite artist. I said do you have somebody that's like Beyonce? That's why we brought up what's his name? What sings the song?

Rick Costa:

Kirk Franklin.

Carmen Lezeth:

Kirk Franklin. Yeah, religious yeah he's up there.

Rick Costa:

He's definitely up there. Yeah, so many, though so many songs of his are amazing, really, really good songs. Fred Hammond it's another big one. He's pretty well known.

Carmen Lezeth:

By the way, and that's the only song I listened to really, cuz you know. I mean I listen to other gospel music, but it's not because it's the gospel music part of it, right? The?

Rick Costa:

one other song that almost everybody knew for some reason, of Kirk Franklin was stop. And when I think about there's a little crossover.

Carmen Lezeth:

It go like, whenever you have a song, I mean that's what happened with Taylor Swift, right, she was a country singer, and then it it cropped whatever her I don't even remember what it was, but there was a song that crossed over and you realize that it was, you know, more pop or whatever. It's kind of the same thing. So yeah, I mean I Love listening, like if I were to go to a church and listen to gospel music. That's a whole other ball game, that's. That's a whole. That's just an experience and that is quite powerful. But I don't tend to listen to gospel music on a regular basis.

Rick Costa:

You don't go to a Kirk Franklin concert.

Carmen Lezeth:

I don't think I could do that either. I Mean I would go to a church and listen to him. That's what you meant.

Rick Costa:

Church doesn't matter. The venue, I don't care.

Carmen Lezeth:

Does he have concerts like Beyonce? I'm sure he does. Oh yeah, I think the antigo places yeah yeah, yeah, I mean I think if it was first of all. I don't do concerts unless I'm VIP. Again, I don't like crowds or what I hear Tony saying boozy, boozy totally, absolutely boozy and I have been to several concerts and VIP and one of my favorites was I saw. Do you know who Gordon Sumner is?

Rick Costa:

Sounds familiar.

Carmen Lezeth:

It's his real name for what it's. It's not the name he goes by, but it's his real name. But I saw him twice, vip, like he was this close to me. Come on, does nobody know who Gordon Sumner is such a easy one?

Rick Costa:

sounds so familiar it is.

Carmen Lezeth:

It's easy. Okay, let me see if I can sing a song that he is. I can't sing the chat slow by the way. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah and every move you make it stink.

Rick Costa:

Okay, cuz didn't I? Um, didn't somebody do a remake recently, or that?

Carmen Lezeth:

You're talking about the compilation with puff daddy or something. They did it as a song to Biggie Smalls and Tupac and Princess Diana and it's a. They took his song. Actually that's a really great video to watch because they did it like the Grammys or something and Sting comes up and sings his part, which is not really part of it. No, they usually just. They sampled his music and they're saying goodbye to Tupac and Biggie, but I'm surprised you knew that one. I'm up to send you that link.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, yeah but um, but yeah, I saw sting and Good job, chris.

Rick Costa:

by the way he got it.

Carmen Lezeth:

He totally got it. Yeah, your prize is Let me see who else I saw. I haven't seen a lot of concerts because I don't like crowds. I Hmm I saw. Of course you know I saw George Michael. Okay, regrets, that's also on the list. Regrets I never saw Prince in concert.

Rick Costa:

Oh, we talked about that before.

Carmen Lezeth:

Heartbreaking, did you even like Prince?

Rick Costa:

I mean, I think you asked this before. I think, there were definitely songs that I was like, yeah, it's nice, that's cool song, but I wasn't like a huge fan.

Carmen Lezeth:

Oh my god, I was a huge fan. I'm still here.

Rick Costa:

I was kind of in the Christian realm things up.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, but you said okay, you got to stop saying that, because you sent me your YouTube list of 80s music and there's not one gospel song on there.

Rick Costa:

Well, yeah, that was on purpose. All songs that I remember, songs that you literally can't get away from, because when you go to a store they're playing the radio and you hear all these, something you can't get away from.

Carmen Lezeth:

That they're playing these songs, because I have not heard some of these songs in forever.

Rick Costa:

Bob's, and I remember them like Long stick in my head.

Carmen Lezeth:

Some of the songs I don't like that you picked though. I mean there's over what? 200 of them.

Rick Costa:

So that wasn't, and I wasn't even necessarily trying to pick like oh, this is a favorite of mine. I was just trying to think like, oh, this makes me think of that time period.

Carmen Lezeth:

Okay, so my regret is that I didn't. I mean, that's one of my regrets is that I never saw Prince in concert, and Partially because when people that I knew were going to go, it wasn't like VIP and I wasn't even in a place to know. I just I don't like crowds. I don't unless I'm I know this is again we can hear Tony and Brian. She's so bougie Like. If I'm on stage and there's a lot of people, that's one thing, but if I have to be in a crowd of people, I get very Clustrophobic, I get very antsy, I get very quiet, which I guess a lot of people would like. So that's, I don't like crowds. So, okay, what regrets do you have? Just one name, one regret.

Rick Costa:

Like in life, in life. Oh hey, one big one that definitely changed my life was at a job that there was a. It was another I could have got like it was a promotion basically, and I wasn't even gonna go for it Cuz I just like I was happy where I was, it was fine. What? Yeah, it would have been made more money, but I'm like, but I'm cool here, I'm happy, this is like my family, I'm happy I'm.

Rick Costa:

And then my boss was like, I'm sure, as everybody that I thought was gonna go for the job went for it. But you, I thought you were gonna go for it. I was like, really, I didn't even think about it, like I'm cool here, did it up. But she kind of was like I think you should try, you should try. And I was like All right, I'll try, but I'm not gonna get it cuz these other people are there better than me. But blah, blah, blah. Well, I got it. So yay. But it wasn't a yay Because three months later and I think I've mentioned this to you before they did a company-wide layoff and there was people in every department they got canned.

Rick Costa:

So I was yeah, I talked about that. I think was either.

Carmen Lezeth:

Right, right, right so that was a regret.

Rick Costa:

I should have just stayed where I was happy I don't know.

Carmen Lezeth:

I don't know. I think it's good that you tried to move up, I Mean, did you feel it in your belly that you didn't want to do it? But you didn't, because I just told you to.

Rick Costa:

I didn't have any desire to, but Okay, yeah, that's legit, like I didn't. I didn't feel like, oh, this is something I should do, like in me. She just kept. She kept saying I think you should try, she could try. I'm like all right, I'll try, I'm not gonna get it. I didn't think I'm gonna get it and I got it.

Carmen Lezeth:

I Think you know I have another regret. I bought a condo In Brentwood. This was before the crash, you know, before the the the economy Did the downturn in 2007, 2008? Because before then everyone was like you have to buy real estate, you have to do. And I had a business manager at the time who was like you cannot be giving your money away, you have to invest. You can't write this as a tax write-off and the thing is I liked giving my like. When I had money, I liked giving it away. I don't know why people think giving money away Doesn't make you happy and I don't know why everyone, everybody always gives money away and it has to be a tax write-off. Hey, rich people, it doesn't. It doesn't have to be a mother flowering tax write-off.

Rick Costa:

You know what you?

Carmen Lezeth:

just give money away and help people. You know, it's one of my my pet peeves about rich people. They always want to give money away because it's a tax write-off, so it's doing something for them, so it's not really a genuine help. And here's the thing you can't help individual people Because you can't get a tax write-off if they're not a nonprofit. So it's that weird thing. So I, you know I was making all of this money. I was Beyond belief and I was giving my money away and everybody, and their mother, who I knew, was telling me you have to buy a condo, you have to buy property, you have to do this. And that was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. You know it was. It was a beautiful condo, is fantastic, but I ended up having like four floods, I ended up being miserable and then the economy turned, so I ended up losing it anyway.

Carmen Lezeth:

Rich people give money away to their own foundation. Those are corrupt rich people, chris. But yes, those are. Those are people who do it wrong. But there are people who do it right and they give money to their foundation or they give money to other foundations and I ain't got no issues with that.

Carmen Lezeth:

If you help and people. I ain't gonna be mad at you about that, but because I've worked for so many wealthy people, what bothers me is, instead of just helping people out, the kindness of your heart and realizing that this, there is such a joy that happens when you get and look at, I ain't got no money. I'm just saying from my little experience, when I give to people and they don't even ask for it, like you just helping somebody, there is such a joy in my heart for you get something out of that. That's bigger than a tax write-off and I don't know what. Yes, bill and Melinda Gates.

Carmen Lezeth:

I think my, my, my Respect for them came from the fact that Warren Buffett gave all of his money to them and said Do what you need to do with this, you know, I mean, which I think is kind of cool, and his kids. You know his kids are fine, but they're not inheriting all his wealth, which I think is amazing. No, but he's the extreme. You know he's not the nor, but it gets to that thing where how much money does one person need? I mean, you know, you know, and it's sad, and especially in this country, like you know, a billion isn't enough.

Rick Costa:

Yeah, that's crazy. It's crazy. I remember in um in school probably High school more who remembers cassette tapes? So there's these little squirish and I used to just like make take top ten hits, whatever, and just give people cassettes of oh, why are you giving this to me? Cause don't you like this kind of music.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, okay when boys know you, me, though, I knew they liked me.

Rick Costa:

Oh no, I just did it because I'm like I just I like to just be generous and give stuff. You like this kind of music right here, Take it, oh. Or I would make like if somebody was like I'm getting it work, I'm gonna work out, but uh, so I'd find songs that were good for work out. I'm like yeah, I made this for you. Like really, what do you want? Nothing, I just give it. Just take it why are you thinking back?

Carmen Lezeth:

But I think back then too. I don't know about you, but I don't think there was such a a Weirdness about doing things for other people.

Rick Costa:

You know, Even even this article, just to bring it back full circle what so funny made me think of a video I just saw and I shared it with a few people. So it was the son in the kitchen. He was cooking something in a pan and he was obviously listening to Mariah Carey and he was singing really loud. But you can hear the Mariah Carey song okay.

Rick Costa:

And the parents are look at him like you doing, what are you doing? So he's just jammed that it up and then all of a sudden it switches to him.

Carmen Lezeth:

You never want to sing out loud. Tomorrow I carry cuz she hits them notes One of my favorite moments all the time, and this is like a regular thing me and my goddaughter do. She's 15, she's gonna be 15. Every time I pick her up, we always listen to George Michaels careless whisper and we both sing it at the top of my lungs because, like, it's just funny, because, you know, not singing Wonderfully, but it's been our thing since she was a little kid is just so funny, you know. But I imagine that, like if you turned off the sound, oh, he's so wrong. Okay, I'm sorry.

Rick Costa:

There's just something fun about watching somebody sing with joy, even if their voices and good, but you see they're having fun. It's like go ahead, okay.

Carmen Lezeth:

So here's the rest of that story though. So when I got up the hill, when I'm walking with my headset after the people Acknowledged and whatever. So I went this way cuz I wanted to walk up this really hard hill. So when I get I'm trying to get back on track. You know with. I used to run that hill, so it really angers me that I can't run it anymore.

Carmen Lezeth:

Charlie, that's one of the songs always think about we got to talk about. Charlie. So glad to see you, miss you. So I walked up this hill and when I got up there, the guy on the bike he rode all the way up there so he was dying right. So he had stopped and he was kind of waiting for me and so we met. His name is van. He's cool. He lives in the neighborhood. It was like a really cool thing, you know. It's like it wasn't just that one moment. So we started talking about the song.

Carmen Lezeth:

He's not very religious but he likes his. I'm like I'm not that religious either, but it's a really good song. It was cool and it was about joy. That's kind of what he said. He's like you were just so in it. He was like nobody was in your world, like you didn't even notice that the people were walking and then I was coming by. He's like you were just so in it. I'm like that's such a boozy. I didn't say this damn, but it's such a you don't want to be singing that loud.

Carmen Lezeth:

You know what I mean. So yeah, that's so cool. I can't believe Charlie's stopping by saying you got to have faith. Mm-hmm, I got faith. We talked about George Michael.

Rick Costa:

Yes, yes, um, did you like to think? I gotta have faith to think, to think, yeah, some of the songs are cool.

Carmen Lezeth:

I thought we were gonna keep singing. I Miss George Mike. I loved him, love, I still love him, I love him. Those are my favorites Prince George, michael, rita Franklin, freddie Mercury.

Rick Costa:

You know some of these people died early. Though my gosh crazy.

Carmen Lezeth:

Well, I mean, we know why they died early. I mean, prince, you know, was unfortunately Addicted to his medication and it's sad, right, it's sad.

Rick Costa:

I mean like individually, why did this one? I'm just saying, why does it have to happen? It's oh People that have such amazing talent and they go so soon, you know.

Carmen Lezeth:

I don't know and it's, and that's how. Those are the moments when I feel old. Right, those are the moments where I feel old because I realize all of my people that I listen to growing up Whitney Houston, michael Jackson, george Michael, all of that, like all of them, prince, I mean, those are me growing up.

Rick Costa:

Yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

I'm trying to think who else?

Rick Costa:

Whitney was the one that hit me the hardest. Oh did, oh yeah, that hit me the hardest.

Carmen Lezeth:

That was. That happened right before the Grammy Awards too. That was. That was in the right hand of Beverly Hilton, I believe right. So did you cry?

Rick Costa:

Oh yeah, Really, I was in shock. I was like what? No, that's not right, that's not real. This is you're lying.

Carmen Lezeth:

Charlie, you need to come on the show. That's what you need to do. I'm going to get you to come on the show. He's so cute. Charlie is a very, very handsome man, very, very handsome, very, very married man, but he's still a good looking man and a beautiful soul. I will also say yeah, no. I think those are the moments where I start to realize my age. Ok, wow, do you want to come up right now? You can come up right now if you want to. We have five more minutes. Hey, charlie, what's up? How are you? I'm good. I'm good. I can't believe you jumped up on here.

Charlie Mattera:

Because I see your stuff and it's always smart, so I pay attention, you know, because I could always learn something.

Carmen Lezeth:

You are so wait.

Rick Costa:

That's a good compliment.

Carmen Lezeth:

Wait, here's such a compliment, but he just said that.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, you know, there's so much stupid stuff going on. And then I know for a fact that she's a very smart lady plus very good looking, and it's all a compliment, and when I see her posts, they're always something I agree with and it seems that we seem to share a lot of the same sensibilities. You know, let everybody have a taste, let the country be nice.

Carmen Lezeth:

You are so funny. Wait where are you right now? Are you at home?

Charlie Mattera:

Yeah, I'm in the house.

Carmen Lezeth:

But are you here in LA still You're not.

Charlie Mattera:

Yeah, I'm not. Where am I going to go?

Carmen Lezeth:

OK, but I thought you moved out of Los Angeles.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, no, I live out in Glendora, out there. It's like it's hillbilly, it's 30 miles away. Yeah, wow, when I come to the West Side, my shoulders drop about two inches. Yeah.

Carmen Lezeth:

Well, because you're relaxed.

Charlie Mattera:

I'm shocked about how Brentwood looks. I was over there the other day. Horrible, it's horrible you know I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but when me and my pals were over there it wasn't like that. Ok, wait, we have to tell.

Carmen Lezeth:

Rick Rick's in Connecticut Talk about where you're at.

Charlie Mattera:

We're in Connecticut.

Rick Costa:

He's in Connecticut Danbury, Danbury, Connecticut.

Charlie Mattera:

Oh, you're right by the joint. I used to live in West Haven for a while, right At least in the hot dog. What was the hot dog place by the beach?

Rick Costa:

Oh yeah, yeah, I know you're talking about.

Charlie Mattera:

Who's at Frank's or something in Frank's? Yeah, I can't remember.

Rick Costa:

But yeah, I know you don't.

Charlie Mattera:

I've been a great hot dog and I'm from Coney.

Carmen Lezeth:

Island and that's the place I was just going to say. Did you hear that New York accidents?

Charlie Mattera:

I used to go to Oxford Hill House, toad's Place, toad's.

Rick Costa:

Place yeah.

Charlie Mattera:

Toad's Place was great. I saw some great concerts there. And there was another place, Arcadia Ballroom, I think it was called.

Carmen Lezeth:

Are these places you frequent, rick?

Charlie Mattera:

No, this is 100 years ago, I mean, you know, this was really even.

Rick Costa:

The food place. I've been there Toad's Place. I've never been there, but everybody's heard of it. I've been here the other place. I didn't know, but yeah.

Charlie Mattera:

Yeah, I saw Johnny Winter at the Oxford Hill House and a place with like 40 people, wow no, it was insane.

Carmen Lezeth:

And then I was saying yeah, but you know everybody, so this isn't really like. I know you, so I know everybody.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, I mean, I worked at nightclubs in Manhattan for years, so you know I was the guy at the front door. If you didn't pay me. If you didn't pay me, I'm sorry, you didn't get it. I'm still sorry to this day. I know it was cold out there, I didn't mean it, but you know it was my doctor's office. I had to pay the rent. It wasn't cheaper.

Carmen Lezeth:

It was so funny.

Charlie Mattera:

Wait, Charlie.

Carmen Lezeth:

Charlie, how did we meet?

Charlie Mattera:

I met you in the neighborhood, just popping an earphone In Bruntwood. That's right, you're staring at me, me staring at you.

Carmen Lezeth:

You're staring at each other. There was this tension.

Charlie Mattera:

We did that we did that for a few years until we finally wanted to How's it going?

Carmen Lezeth:

It was so cool, yeah. And then I think we had mutual friends in some way, shape or form, or whatever.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, you know as much as anybody can have friends in Los Angeles.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah, but hey, can you wait, wait, can you talk a little bit about the writer strike? I'm curious.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, you know you should also be a screenwriter. I'm glad you brought that up. Wait, wait, wait.

Carmen Lezeth:

Let me tell Rick, because, rick, people don't know who you is, baby, I know who you is, yeah, so he's a screenwriter and he's done more than a few movies. But now you can tell us about the new.

Charlie Mattera:

I'm also sad, you know.

Carmen Lezeth:

Yeah.

Charlie Mattera:

And I was getting work and then all of a sudden see my daughter.

Carmen Lezeth:

Hi, I never met your daughter.

Charlie Mattera:

That's Christmas. That's Christmas is her name.

Rick Costa:

Oh, such a cool name.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, hanukkah wouldn't work, so running down the street 10.30 at night. Hanukkah, come back. That's awesome, so Christmas.

Carmen Lezeth:

Give us your idea about the writer.

Charlie Mattera:

Well, you know, there's a lot of writers in the writer's guild that are making a lot of cake and I know these guys. You know everybody's on the picket line and everything. And you know I don't think the producers take them serious because it looks like it's a fucking party out there, like everybody's there just hanging out, you know, like they're in high school. But I think maybe all the writers should figure out. Maybe there's got to be a way to go somewhere else. You know.

Carmen Lezeth:

Well, all the independence, right, yeah, all the independence. Why do we?

Charlie Mattera:

have? Why does everybody have? Why is there only one peanut farm and the five peanut farms that we could sell our wares to? I mean, it's sort of like you know, it's sort of like the standard oil in the old days. You know, you either sell to us or you sell to no one.

Carmen Lezeth:

You sell to no one. Well, I read an article I think it was the Hollywood Reporter this morning talking about why is? Why are the studios not siding with all the artists and letting Netflix go on their own? Because Netflix is the one.

Charlie Mattera:

This all goes to the point of the studios. Ok, your studio, what are you doing? You're giving the deals to guys who can't act, can't dance, can't sing, can't write. They have no talent whatsoever. The only talent they have is they know a bunch of jaguars that are in the industry and they're not going to audition 12, 15 writers, steal the best portion of every pitch that came in there and then smash six of them together and think they can make a movie out of it and then slap their nephew's name on its screenplay.

Charlie Mattera:

And the nephew is going to and then the nephew is going to kick them back 25 to 35% of the screenplay price because they've got their friend who's going to order out and buy it.

Carmen Lezeth:

Do you know how many?

Charlie Mattera:

producers. Do you know how many producers pay writers here? I'm going to give you 10 grand just to keep you alive, but I want 25% of your sale price. There's no watchdog community in the entertainment business how writers walk into meetings and are constantly threatened and your livelihood is threatened on a daily basis because you don't want to do uncompensated fucking steps that aren't in your contract. When you go in that room and they go, hey, could you do the producers polish and I'm like you know, look at them with contract. Here it's the rewrite, second rewrite. I see polish. I don't see nothing about the producers' files. Well, you know, we just want to put in a few things. So, basically, you want me to rewrite it before I get paid for the rewrite and then when whoever reads this and says, yeah, this is cool, Go this way or go that way, it's going to think I'm a fucking idiot because your ideas suck and you're not a writer. Rick, are you getting a fucking answer.

Charlie Mattera:

No, my point is this.

Carmen Lezeth:

Why does?

Charlie Mattera:

the studio. Give the deals to the people who could actually make the potato, give the deals to the writers, and then the producer goes downstairs, like the old days.

Charlie Mattera:

And he goes past one room and says I want a pirate movie, I'll see you next week, get me something. I want a Western, you. I want a gangster picture, get me something. Side-fly, I'll see you guys next week and you know I'm paying the bills. So let's see something. And you know what Writers would give their arm? They would. They would because we're not greedy guys, we're not asking for anything, we're just asking to give me a little, and you're only important when they want the draft Right. As soon as you give them the draft, they're not important anymore. And I sat in the room. I was working with Jim Cameron. This is no lie. I couldn't get to shit these days. I sat in the room in Jim Cameron's office. He sent me to Moscow to write a story. I was there six weeks. I came back. I'm in Light Storm on 10th at Santa Monica over there.

Carmen Lezeth:

And I was sitting in the room.

Charlie Mattera:

Yeah, I was sitting in the room. My office was Arnold's old office because I remember all the cigars were outside my window.

Carmen Lezeth:

Here's all the name dropping.

Charlie Mattera:

No, I'm not kidding you. No, I know.

Carmen Lezeth:

Look, I know this is your life.

Charlie Mattera:

I know Do you know, when they made the Titanic I was, my office was right next to the wardrobe, so they always used to come because I was sort of this normal middle size, charlie, come here, try on this coat. So I was like the model for half of the backers. You see, I remember the guy would come in and go Charlie, $5 million budget just for the wardrobe alone. Check out these earrings. And they weren't copies, they were original, antique, like $10,000 earrings. Everything Jim had was top of the notch.

Rick Costa:

And.

Charlie Mattera:

I loved him. And I'm sitting in a conference room with a bunch of creative executives which is sort of another name for celebrities or studio executives kids that they don't know what the fuck to do with. So they get them a job in the studio being a creative executive, torturing writers. You know stupid ideas. So I'm sitting in there enough to get right in the movie about this thing in Russia and the guy goes to me. One of the helicopter goes over the Urals and it passes by the Army, the secret Army base. Why is it painted camouflage? I swear to you. And Jim is in Rosarito Beach making Titanic. He's on the VIA satellite thing. And also and I look at him and I go Jim, I painted a camouflage because I ran out of fucking red paint. What kind of super fucking phone was that? I said why am I sitting in this meeting?

Charlie Mattera:

Why am I listening to this? I said you sent me over there. I almost got my head blown off by the police. I came home, I got a story. Let me tell my story. And I mean they would sit there and they would say you know the character of Yuri, why does he? And I would say let me stop you for a second. I would say every character on that page, every woman, every man, every child, every comma, every word me and my friend, we made it up man, that's pieces of us. Each one of those characters is a little chunk. So when you talk about those characters like you know them, I got to tell you, it makes me fucking sick Because you're sitting there and you act like you know something, you have something to contribute, when you should say to me Charlie, what do you need from us Exactly To help you kill this shit?

Charlie Mattera:

What can we do for you? So when you give this to the boss, he just goes great job, great job Charlie, great job Steve. And I could turn to him and go hey, man, these guys, if it wasn't for them, Right, it was all of us. We're not glory hounds, man, we're not the go. We don't look for the 15 credits on a movie. We just want to be treated like you know, like maybe half the way they treat these guys on Broadway Got right, and you know what.

Charlie Mattera:

And I'm going to be like George Costanza, I should probably get out on a high note right Before I say something rude. You should, yeah, I'll say sure. I never work again.

Carmen Lezeth:

No, no, it'll be fine, Bro.

Charlie Mattera:

I can't get a job. Anymore, man, I can't get a job anymore.

Carmen Lezeth:

They don't like me.

Charlie Mattera:

I look them dead in the face. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. And they don't take that. Yeah, but you're from New York, Well you know, never been any different.

Charlie Mattera:

It's not my fault that when I go into meeting in 30 seconds I know the guy behind the desk is full of shit and then it takes him another 10 minutes to realize that. I know that and I know he can't call a shot. He's got to go to 15 guys and if I pitch and if I pitch to him, I got to hope he could pitch to somebody else with the same enthusiasm and drive and passion and ambition. That's the problem. Producers and the powers that be take writers drive passion, ambition and they think it's difficult and it's crazy. No man, let that horse out on the beach. Let him run, man, he'll make you out, he'll do something really cool. And then if you want to fix a few things that it makes sense, they'll be more than happy to do it. They're happy to do it, you know.

Charlie Mattera:

So on that note, calm anytime you want to see me, homeboy.

Carmen Lezeth:

I will definitely, definitely be in touch. You have to come up again.

Charlie Mattera:

I like doing this.

Carmen Lezeth:

This is good look at you know we're gonna have you come up proper official official guest.

Charlie Mattera:

I'll get a haircut and everything. Beautiful baby man. Now no man when I walk beautiful man.

Carmen Lezeth:

You know you're beautiful. You know we'll talk later. We gonna have you on the show watch, wait, wait, before I leave.

Rick Costa:

Richard gear yeah nice meeting you you too bro.

Carmen Lezeth:

Oh my god I was fine. I love him, but you know his passion, everything he's saying about the right is build.

Carmen Lezeth:

I mean, you know, I love that he came on. That was awesome. He's so beautiful, good man and knows everybody in Hollywood, everybody. Like when I was saying that he was named off, it is like he's not even named dropping, he's saying name, he knows all these people and right, he has such a passion and you know what I'm gonna stop. I'm just glad he came on. I'm really kind of just shocked him. You know, I'm always shocked by people who are listening to the show too. It's such a compliment because I don't know. It's not like everyone's reaching out to me to tell me I can see the numbers. I just see numbers. Hi, jerry, we are doing well. How are you doing?

Carmen Lezeth:

good is real people. Charlie Matera is about as real as it gets and that little clip was just a little sliver of the kind of people I love. You know they're amazing. I love authenticity.

Rick Costa:

You know what I mean that's what you get with a New Yorker totally yeah, but yeah, but that's how we met we.

Carmen Lezeth:

I was like hey, it was kind of cool. We just became friends. It was really cool. So your regrets you don't have any regrets that are bad.

Rick Costa:

Oh, you have the job one, but still you got the job it's like a bad, yeah, but if I didn't take that job, I would have still been at that company and I would have probably eventually got higher on my own and it was a good company. I the money I made there is not even what I make now. I've been here this company for 20 years. It was good money but, yeah, it was not a good decision.

Carmen Lezeth:

I think one of the regrets I have with work and it is with brand new school, when I used to work there and you know that's when I was making all my bling money or whatever had my condo, whatever. I knew three years in I should have quit. I was, you know, I I think I told you the story that one point. I was in the office and Ben came into the office and he was looking at me and my one side of my face was drooping down. They had to take me to the hospital. They thought I was having a stroke, but I wasn't. I ended up it was like a panic attack or whatever and it was balls palsy or Bell's palsy.

Carmen Lezeth:

My mom's had that twice yeah, and right then I should. It was like I was too stressed I should have stopped and I didn't. I stayed for another five years or something and you know, we only got busier because we got bigger, and so my regret is, you know, not leaving a very toxic situation and, I'll be honest, it was because I was making so much money and everyone was like you're so successful, right. So when people put that on you and you grow up in the hood and you grow up you know the way I grew up it's hard to be like I'm going to quit this job because I am stressed weird. But I read, you know it is one of my regrets, yeah.

Rick Costa:

I saw that you liked on my Facebook something I post don't allow a job to stress you to death, because that job will be posted online before you are obituary it's, that's just work, should not be.

Carmen Lezeth:

I mean, unless you do what you love, unless you are in a position, like so many people who do have that grace, you know, like I'm sure getting back to Beyonce, I'm sure she loves doing her music and her concerts like, if you do what you love for a living, then you are so blessed. If you can make money in a living and you can support your family and friends and you know what I mean like that that's that's a blessing that most people do not have. Yeah, you know, and, and as much as you know, I love Gary V, right, I love, I love people who are authentic and on point and swear I mean you. You notice that I've been saying not swears, so that you not get offended.

Rick Costa:

I know you don't get offended but don't get offended, but have you noticed that I've been saying mother. I've noticed, but I have to say when.

Carmen Lezeth:

Charlie was swearing. I love him. I love Gary V, but one of the things I disagree with him about, I mean there's like quite a few things, but you know, not everyone who's going to hustle and side hustle and do everything says is going to get where they want to be, and sometimes it's not their fault, it's just there's just too many I don't know facets to like. There were just so many things that have to come together for things to actually work out, for you to be successful in the thing, you wanted.

Carmen Lezeth:

It doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

Rick Costa:

I'm trying every day yeah, yeah, but I was. I was remember hearing like stories of people that they're successful, but like, yeah, but you haven't heard all the stuff I did before that were complete failures, right?

Carmen Lezeth:

I just never gave up and I kept going and going and then finally I got to, you know but there are people but this is what I'm trying to say there are people who will do everything and anything and do the side hustle and do everything they're supposed to do and try whatever, and they're still not gonna get to where they're going. And here's why I bring this up, is why I bring this up, because I'm one of those people. I'm one of those people I will continue, continue, continue, trying to do what I need to do to get to where I want to be. I have goals that I haven't met, and then people will say but you're so successful, you've accomplished what now? That's your vision, that's your version of what you think me. Surviving the streets of Boston growing up is not a success thing. For me, that's survival you know, that's not the same thing.

Carmen Lezeth:

You know what I mean. So I made it out. But but we all love those stories, right? We love the person who has nothing, who finds their way through. I get it. I'm not trying to dismiss it. I'm saying those are not my goals. Right, I'm still in pursuit of my goals. But what I realize and I hate to sound corny here is I think it's okay if I do not succeed in the way that I believe I'm supposed to succeed, but how I perform on that journey. That's what matters to me now.

Carmen Lezeth:

Not only happened in the past 10 years where I was like you know what, I don't care if I don't make it as a actor or I don't make it as a writer, I don't have my own talk show or I don't, whatever. All my little dreams are, you know, I mean I don't care about all that. Now I want to make sure that the way in which I pursue all of because I'm never gonna stop cuz it's in me, it's in me it's not gonna end. I tried, I have tried, I've been like okay, I was a dancer, I'm not a dancer anymore, I'm gonna stop performing. And so miserable. Making $250,000 a year at a company was not enough to make me be like yeah, no, I'm good, didn't help, so I know it's in me to always be this person, but now it's about. I may not get to the destination that I have envisioned, but the journey and who I am in the process is everything to me now, everything and can you be happy along the way can you have joy along the way?

Carmen Lezeth:

I say that because I think it's different. I don't think you can be continuously happy, but I do think you can be in pursuit of joy all the time, every day. That's why I use the word joy. Okay, let's go. Okay, all right, bye everyone. Thank you so much. See you next week. Thanks for stopping by. All about the joy. Be better and stay beautiful. Folks, have a sweet day.