Hour 3: Yankees Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson Talks Knicks, plus Hugh Jackman Plays ‘Celebrity True or False’

25:32Right. We're all doing our best. all the time but we are nuanced where there is a darkness to humanity as well as a light and it's not something i think we we me try to deny that part no no i'm a good guy i'm a good guy and overall i think most of us are but there are parts of us that are probably not parts of us that are a little darker and it's okay it's very human you know and there is parts of being human that I think we ignore them at our peril. And that's sort of what this movie is about. And weirdly enough, the movie is ultimately, I think, really redemptive and somehow taking accountability for who we are and what we do is part of that redemption.

26:15Rich Eisen:Yeah. We're going deep, Rich. Look at us. Look at us go deep here. You want to talk Yankee baseball instead? I saw you at the game the other day. I saw that. It was so great. It was so awesome. I mean, I grew up in Australia. So we would go to the cricket for five days in a row and sit there for eight hours. So there's, I'm always like, that's it. Come on, let's keep going. It was so awesome. It was so great. Uh, and it wasn't the result I wanted, but in a way it didn't matter. It was just fantastic. Did you play, um, sports as a kid? Yeah. I played cricket. So cricket was the summer sport for us.

26:48I played rugby. I was a high jumper. I was a swimmer. I played sports my whole life. I loved

26:54Rich Eisen:Have you gotten into the NFL at all? I know you've been to some games. I know that. That's my probably number one sport here, for sure. Yeah, I love football. Although right now, I'm all NBA. Okay. All right. You're locked in on Knicks. I'm a Knicks fan. Okay. I'm a Knicks fan, yeah. And it's been really amazing, actually, to be in the city. I've been here for many years, but not with a championship team. Yes, indeed. I think the last time they were in the finals was just before I arrived here in the city. And it's incredible. I finished a theater show, so I got out of the theater, and there were two and a half minutes left of the game.

27:36And I have a four-minute bike ride home. And I'm like, two and a half minutes? Definitely going to make it back for the end, which I did. But I played a little game as I was driving. I thought, I'm going to try and predict the score depending on the noise of the city. And I totally got it right. You did? Like, as I'm on the bike, I'm hearing cheers from apartment buildings, people on the street. There was about 50 people outside of like a pickup basketball game cheering. And I'm like, oh, we're doing great. We're leading. And then it just went silent for like 10 blocks. I'm like, uh-oh. And I got off.

28:13And it was that second game where it was very, very close. And I just made it home in time. The city has just been galvanized. It's so cool.

28:20Rich Eisen:Normally, you can't tell what's happening in New York City just based on the noise because it's always, you know, I'm from New York City, either angry or, you know, somebody cut you off in traffic. You know what I mean? Like you have no idea. I didn't quite understand how, like in every other sport, there's two teams, right? And I know there's the Nets, but it's really a Knicks town, right? So it's the only sport, I think, where New York City, biggest city in the world, feels like a small town because everyone comes together. And it's a rare thing, and it's pretty cool. Hugh Jackman here on The Rich Eisen Show, The Death of Robin Hood, available in theaters nationwide tomorrow, June 19th.

29:01Rich Eisen:So, Hugh, the show here that you're on, thrilled to have you here. Normally, we would have you in studio, but I know you're a busy guy. We play a game called Celebrity True or False, where there are some things that we read out there about your career wondering if they're true or not. We have some just real brief production value to it for somebody of your stature. Go ahead and hit it for Hugh Jackman. Celebrity true or false. You can't handle the truth. That's our production value. Celebrity true or false with Hugh Jackman here on the Rich Eisen Show. First up, true or false, Hugh? you once sang the australian national anthem at a rugby match and got booed by over 30 000 new zealanders is that true true what was that may even be more than 30 000 yeah so that may be the false part of it is we've underestimated the number of kiwi that we're booing you is what you're saying totally totally that's a true story is that the loudest you've ever been booed or booed ever in your career at all?

30:04No. The loudest I've ever been booed. This is so weird that I'm remembering this. I was in the final with Timberlake for the burp competition at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. And I somehow made it to the final. And I don't know if Timberlake had rigged it because he had his hand on the mic like this. And I'm like, is this? But it was an epic burp. And I'm like, oh. And then when I did my burp, not only was I booed, but I looked at 10 ,000, 20 ,000. It was in like an arena. Kids. It was hate. There was hate. I'm like, guys, I'm burping like it's not. No. It was like a bad nightmare. That was the worst.

30:49Rich Eisen:Was it because you're it was it because of the belch or is it a Timberlake thing? Yeah, my my no, my belch was just just so inferior. It was an amateur. He's a professional. More clearly. And I was like, guys, I'm just turning up here promoting a movie. Like, I didn't think I was going to. And I remember going off stage. And Kenny G was there. Kenny G was in. And he came out of his dressing room. He goes, you sucked, man. That was terrible. I'm like, not you too, Kenny G. Come on. I'm throwing it against you. What the hell? Mate, what? You're showing up to burp for kids, man. Okay. I like it. I'm still in therapy on it.

31:27Rich Eisen:Next one for you. True or false, Hugh Jackman, during a stage production of Beauty and the Beast, you drank too much water before taking the stage with disastrous results when nature called mid song. Is that true? At the end of the song, the big final F sharp note, I totally peed my pants. Oh, man. Because a little is a very energetic song. You have to sing and dance. I have to pick up Belle, carry her over my shoulder. It was a whole, and when I picked her up, I was like, oh. I'm like, oh, I think a little bit came out. And that's when I realized I'd stopped singing. And Belle, who's Hamish, goes, are you all right?

32:10What's going on? I'm like, okay, it's fine. So I started singing, and then I just had this choice of the last note. I either don't sing at all on the final note, front and center, stage, or I pee my pants, or more accurately, red tights. oh and that's how committed i am there's no hiding as an artist i sang the note and it was just like

32:32Rich Eisen:there we go wow so i mandated a follow-up uh if it was um if it wasn't if it was a d sharp not it was was it was it the note itself was it the carrying i think i'm yeah you're right that's a that's a great question rich i may have been okay d sharp but the f sharp at that time It was right up there for me. Okay. And I was like, no, I've got to, whatever it is, you've got to release to sing those big notes. Okay. You've got to clench if you want to hold on. So that was my dilemma. All right. So make a note. F sharp equals P flat. Got it. All right. You're on fire. You're on fire, man. I'm on fire.

33:13Rich Eisen:I can't be contained. Third one, Celebrity True or False with Hugh Jackman. And true or false, to play the role of Wolverine, you went on a daily 6 ,000 calorie diet to accompany your physical training. And the rock was the one who gave you this regimen. Is that true? It's absolutely true. I saw him in some movie. It was like the tooth fairy, I think it was. And he was ripped. And I was like, oh, man. And I rang him. And it was so cool because he picked up me. He goes, yo, Wolverine. Yeah, hey, man. And then he gave me the, he goes, here it is. And halfway through him giving the diet and the training and everything, there was a knock on his door clearly at the trailer.

33:56And he goes, hang on a sec. And he opens up the door and he says, we're ready for it. And he goes, I'm talking to Wolverine. I'll be out there when I'm done. And I was like, okay, that's about the coolest moment ever. But yeah, he goes. And I remember at one point I said, you said, I sent him a picture of my cheat meal. Cause he was like, dude, make sure you have a cheap meal on the whatever day you choose and go for it like it's important for your body as well as for your mind so i sent him a picture of my cheap meal and i can't say exactly what he wrote but it was disparaging and then he sent me a picture of his cheap meal which is like it's like a shop like it's an entire store of chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, like a bowl of them, a bottle of tequila, and three pizzas.

34:51And he goes, that's a cheat meal. Again, with more disparaging comments.

34:57Rich Eisen:What was your cheat meal then? Wasn't his ornate? Like a burger, burger and fries and a shake or something. You know, he was like, oh, no. He goes, if you're not sick at the end of your cheat meal, you haven't cheated. oh man i love that two more uh here with you jackman the time we have left here uh in support of the death of robin hood available uh in theaters nationwide june 19th um true or false you with doubts about green lighting the greatest showman you perform the final song of the film from now on in a meeting with executives and that's what pushed the movie over the line is that true?

35:33I think partly true. Yeah, we did. We had a final presentation. And that room, that room was filled with like Cynthia Erivo was part of that and Aaron Tavade and Keala Settle that her singing at that particular read through Keala Settle's version of This Is Me, I think, has been viewed 200 million times. And I had the day before I had to have surgery for a skin cancer on my nose and my doctor said you can't sing man because it's gonna i had like 80 stitches in my nose and they were like you're gonna burst it and so i had someone else singing i would read the lines and someone would sing and the beginning of from now on is a little spoken and i was like i just couldn't hand it over and i sang it and i was into it and so everyone in the room was like oh this is so cool this is so cool and i remember finishing the song and it was just blood and I had to have almost all of those stitches redone.

36:29But we got the green light. So again, the show must go on, Rich. The show must go on.

36:33Rich Eisen:Hugh, I saw the video last night with my wife. We were watching it. Because again, The Greatest Showman, my kids are now 17, 15, and 12. So when The Greatest Showman came out, that was it. That was it. Right in the pocket. No question, right in the pocket. And when it came out for streaming, once a week, twice a week, it's a beautiful film it's an incredible movie the music is unreal but yeah we watched this video last night and my son was like no this this is the the read through this is the one that put the green light and i'm like no this can't be there's too many people in the room and he was in so that video because it's i did see your nose was a little bit you know if you will jacked up um that was it he is right that is true it was it was really because you gotta it had been 23 years since there'd been an original musical on film.

37:26Newsies was the last one. And it was expensive. No one had heard of Justin and Benji who wrote all the songs. Everything about it, they were nervous about. And so the director said, I need them to come in and hear the music. And above our heads, I don't know if you can see it in the video, was a constant screen playing of images as well as the choreography. So he had dancers film and do this. So when we were singing above their heads, they could see what the dancing was going to look like. So it was and that was what got us over the line.

37:59Rich Eisen:Yeah, I mean, it was a festival. It was it was a circus in that room. What a what an incredible performance. I'll never forget it. It was a really, really cool moment. Awesome. So quickly, last one for you. Celebrity True or False, Hugh Jackman. True or False, you're a prestige co-star, the prestige co-star of David Bowie nicknamed you the scalper because you once admitted to him that you sold a ticket to one of his concerts rather than going to it. Is that true? the story's true the label is false okay the story is worse i got a little flustered he's just the coolest guy ever and i as i'm halfway through telling him the story that the first concert i was ever going to go to was his in sydney and i was 13 and i'd spend 20 on a ticket which was so much money to me back then and then someone offered me 50 on the day at school and i took it because I was like,$50 was a million dollars, basically.

38:49And I'm like, absolutely. So I told him that story, but halfway through, I could see him glazing over. And he didn't call me anything. He just walked away.

39:00Rich Eisen:Oh, no, no. That's worse. We did act together. So he talked to me on film, but that was pretty much it. One of those stories where you're like, why am I telling David Bowie this? Totally. But I'd committed to it, so I had to finish it. And I thought, I'll have a little giggle at this. No. He wasn't annoyed. He wasn't annoyed. He was just David Bowie. It was just impossible to read. He listened to it. He looked at me, and he just walked away. Oh, no. Yeah. Well, Hugh, this has been delightful. I really appreciate you taking the time or giving us the time that you have on your jump. I appreciate you letting me settle the score and make sure that people know the truth.

39:37Rich Eisen:That's what we're doing. See? We're letting folks know what's true and what is not, and we provide a service. Here on the Rich Eisen show. Thanks, Rich. No, thank you. You're awesome, man. Keep doing what you do. It's great. Thanks, Hugh. I really appreciate that. Same thing to you. The Death of Robin Hood, available in theaters nationwide, June 19th. Robin Hood himself is here on the Rich Eisen show. Hugh Jackman. So much fun right there. What a amazing. What a legend. What an hour we're having right now. What a day. What a day. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors are the experts at taking care of you and your home.

40:12Rich Eisen:At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs and their experts install them. And that means working with a company that builds and installs a quality product with real pricing, real simple, really beautiful. And when a trusted name like Pella chooses to partner with The Rich Eisen Show, well, that says a lot. 0 % financing options are available. Certain restrictions apply. Find your local Pella Windows and Doors showroom today at Pella.com slash Eisen for details. Make life brighter with Pella Windows and Doors. What a third hour we have had, and it's going to cascade into women's sports now with a terrific guest list in its own right for today's program at 6 p.m.

40:51Rich Eisen:Eastern time. And we'll talk about that when we return with Suze on The Rich Eisen Show in a moment.

41:00Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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42:06Rich Eisen:Back here on the Rich Eisenhower radio audience Just returned Susie Schuster here along with Sarah Tiana and Studio Renee Montgomery zooming in. Women's Sports Now at 6 p.m. Eastern Time tonight on the Disney family of digital networks. Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN and so much more. The guest, lead guest, if you will, today. Very few people could be a lead guest in a Women's Sports Now show over Teresa Witherspoon. But Roger Goodell coming on to talk about flag football. I furnished you with videos of our Taylor. Right. When you were with Xander with his Taylor, as in Taylor Swift, you were at a, you took Xan up to Vancouver, right, to see her in the Ares tour.

42:51Rich Eisen:And we were down in here in Southern California where Taylor was playing flag football for her grade school. I think and that's what obviously we're talking about because the NFL wants to put flag football in every state in every school in every state and and certainly girls like football. I think Taylor would play that or Taylor would play that tonight if she could. She misses it. She loved it. She loved it. She loved the whole experience, you know, and so obviously you're going to show those videos. I really want to because I want to see how he feels about your commentary. Oh, well, I don't know.

43:29Rich Eisen:You have to play him sound full. I think we need to, Mikey. Play them sound full, please. We can do it. I mean, you know. Look, I mean, again, it's part and parcel with women's fandom of NFL. And I just think, you know, look, we've had a couple. Katie Henaida, obviously one of the earliest ones that I can think about who played and crossed over. Nick Mangold, may he rest in peace, his sister played. I remember when I was covering Nick at Ohio State, we would talk about that in length. But women want to play too. And I think it's a great opportunity for them to get out there and be a part of the game.

44:02The league is committed to growing it. So we'll talk in depth about that with Roger.

44:06Rich Eisen:And the guest list again for your show. And then this one over the last hour, certainly. It's been on fire, to use the Marv phrase. And he was on yesterday. Oh, Marv was so great yesterday. That was so fun to listen to. You know, Reggie, once again, Susie met Reggie Jackson first. Yes. I called Rich. I was out here covering the Angels as part of Fox Sports. Right. And I went to, I mean, I went to so many Angels games. And I'll never forget the day you called me and you're like, you'll never guess who I was talking to around the batting case. And I'm like, who? And you're like, you're a childhood idol.

44:45Rich Eisen:I'm like, get out of here. And my first question was, I think, does he know who I am? Rich. Yeah. It was my first question. And then Rich called me like a couple days later. He's like, where are you? I'm like, oh, I'm out for dinner with Reggie. That's true. And you were like, what? I was like, what the hell? Now she's out to dinner with Reggie. I was like, I'm out to dinner with Reggie. Were you going to say no? Right? Hey, want to have dinner? Yes. Yeah. Yes, of course. Of course I do. Just to flex. And he called in. Just for the flex alone. It was so great talking about, you know, what this means to the city and how it makes a large metropolis like New York feel provincial, like a neighborhood feel.

45:26Rich Eisen:Bringing people together, talking about Brunson and Jeter. And, man, that was just awesome. And I know you know Reg. I mean, the coolest part is that he just says to you, hey, I'm driving down the freeway and listening to you. Well, TJ loved that flex. Yeah. Right? That's Funkmaster Flex right there. TJ loved Netflix. I'm like, you never guess who just called. And I just go, Reggie? And you were like, yes. That was just trying to be funny. And what happened with Adam in the bat? Oh, yeah. So amongst our euphoria, Reggie wanting to call into the show, we forgot to tell Adam to expect someone on the bat line.

46:05And he's like, yeah, I'm sitting there and I see it ring. So I answer and he goes, hi, this is Reggie Jackson. And Adam goes, Reggie Jackson, wow. He was just in shock. Fantastic.

46:18Rich Eisen:Sorry, Adam. Yes, I guess we should give Adam a heads up whenever somebody of Reggie's stature is expected. Whenever somebody with his own candy bar is calling in, give him a heads up. Gosh, that wasn't a great moment for me. Remember when I was throwing him to you? I tried to get it around my microphone. It wasn't good. And he's like, give it to me. Remember that? We threw it to me in Brockman. We had to catch him. That was his last time he was here. I still have the one. Why is the best human sitting up here? Is that right? Yeah. I mean, we've had other ones, but the one, actually, the one he threw to me is sitting right over here.

46:47Rich Eisen:Del Tufo's lucky that Hugh Jackman was coming on because I was going to bring up. No, no, no. I got a rapper right here. I was going to bring up to Reggie that Mike is now wearing a split Yankee Dodger cap. I can't believe he didn't do that. It was too much of a feel good. No, yeah. Very feel good. We didn't want to bring it down. Wolverine was waiting. You know? I'm a dual fan. All right, that wraps up our Thursday program. And everybody, make sure you stay tuned for women's sports now coming up at 6 Eastern time. The commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, will be a guest on that program. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast.

47:31Rich Eisen:You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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