Adam welcomes Shawn Hatosy to the show, also known as Detective Sammy Bryant from the hit TV show Southland. Just hearing the name of the show, Adam is reminded of a recent "Diversity Conference Call" he had to sit through pertaining to his new NBC pilot. Adam referred to the woman on the call as Cinco de Maya Angelou, and she was yelling at everyone to be more respectful of Hispanic culture. At one point she recalled that every Mexican on the show Southland was a Mexican gangbanger. Adam points out to Shawn, "You had a Hispanic partner [on the show], but you named him Nate instead of Jaime, and you fuckin' dropped the ball. You fucked up royally." Shawn asks Adam if he also had to deal with a sexual harassment meeting, and Adam said he refused to attend one. He doesn't understand why you have to go to this type of meeting if you have no previous offenses. It's like sending someone to rehab even though they've never taken a sip of alcohol. If he decided to hire someone like NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has a reputation for being inappropriate with women, then he could understand. Continuing the rant against corporate BS, Adam recalls how he just got done doing a special for Dancing with the Stars. He had a joke about Niecy Nash, the full figured dancer on the show who constantly ends each dance with "I'm doin' it for all the thick ladies!" Adam was forced to do two versions of the joke: "Listen I did Dancing with the Stars, and every time I finished a dance I didn't announce that I was doin' it for all the Italians that were mistaken for Jews." Surprisingly, the network chose that version instead of his alternative punch line "Chad Ochocinco doesn't say, 'I'm doing it for all the crazy people who've named themselves after Mexican numbers." Adam realizes he's been ranting for half an hour, and wants to know Shawn's story. Shawn says that he was into sports, but became interested in performing in musicals and other community theater. He grew up in Maryland, and Adam recalls the time he and Dr. Drew drove through town on their way to DC and came across the city Chevy Chase, Maryland. Adam has no idea what the connection is to the actor, and neither does Shawn. Shawn explains that he got cast in a few productions locally, and he was able to create a reel and head to NY. By the time he was 19, he was already working pretty much full time. The guys immediately begin discussing the art of auditioning, and how it's very different than actually performing. There are great auditioners out there like Jeremy Piven or David Koechner, and they don't get why those people even need to audition anymore. It reminds Adam of the difficulties in casting Amy Landecker for two scenes as his ex-wife in his new pilot. She had previously been in A Serious Man, so Adam said "good enough for The Coen Brothers, good enough to play a bit part in my sitcom." Networks still said not so fast, though eventually she got the part. He compares the audition process to a pyramid, where you have to go through many layers to get to the top. The on-screen camera tests are particularly nightmarish, and even if you make it to the network table read, you can still get fired. Adam says, "If you wanted to know when you were playing high school ball how many people actually make it to the NFL, you'd never put your cleats on." Adam says we're plum out of time, but be sure to check out Southland on TNT. Shawn also tells people to visit the show's Facebook page and sign the petition to get a third season ordered. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.