No gloss, no filter, just stories, spoken without fear. A person who is not generous cannot be an artist. The world will be at peace only when it is ruled by poets and philosophers. Listen to my weekly podcast, the puja bhajjo on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire. Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring. It's the sound of the last episode ringing. Can't believe it. They say you can't unring the bell, but that's what we're doing for these rings. And these bells, you and I, I mean. They must stop a chime in for two years because it is then that we will. Well, I don't know. Will we be back? Let's actually let's let's do that thing where we assess our own performance this year. Did we earn it for LA? Should they have us back to do this? Still up to the IOC. Yeah. NBC, iHeart radio. Sesame Street. Sesame Street, YouTube. People really underwrite us in the most generous way. And we, I think we always go just below the target. We, we, we, we succeed just under expectation. You know what? I think we are like so many people out there when it comes to the Winter Olympics and that we come into it, not knowing much and we leave being experts. Everyone watching Olympics at home now is sort of saying, well, you know, so and so it let's just say Amber Glen, because she didn't land on her skate in the right way. She she got some deductions. You know what I mean? Like people at home now have a know-how about how to judge these Winter Olympic sports and so do we. Don't talk about Amber Glen that way. You have no idea what that girl is made of. And I feel sorry even for bringing it up. No, no, no, no, no. Oh, you were doing it rhetorically. I'm just saying to people at home. Yeah, you stop it. Unless you, unless you are have plans on becoming the Surrey Fields of the Olympics where you got off the couch and we're like, I'm going to do that instead of just commentating from the comfort of my own home, I'm going to get in there. Then quiet. Then quiet. Do you think that there's a Surrey Fields out there for the Olympics? LA 2028 that we're inspiring right now to start to get in the race and that we're going to find out like when the LA 2028 Olympics roll around and they they're asked the question that all US Olympians are asked. So what inspired you to do the Olympics? And they say, I was a two guys five rings fan. And I decided to put on some sneaks. I decided to get off the couch while it where everyone listens to podcasts, sit on the couch, put on some sneaks and start running. And also I was five years old when I started listening to two guys five rings and I live in, you know, Anchorage, Alaska. And there's nothing to do there but skate around. Do you like my impression of a reporter? So what a smile. But this is, here's, here's what I will say. Get us on the field, get us on the ground. You know, they had, they had us very sequestered away. You know, we were, we didn't talk to any of the athletes. You're literally missing out on opportunities for us to ask questions like, so what inspired you to start running? Wait, can I not to, not to take away from your amazing tamer and register of that impression. I did have the pleasure of meeting Amber Glenn last week at the Glad Awards. I know I must have turned my back at the wrong moment because you had this moment. Well, I was staying at the hotel in where the event was held. Yes. So I get, so we celebrate your birthday at our favorite restaurant of ours in Los Angeles, more on LA later. Yeah, so much more of LA to come in this one. In this one, can't get enough of that town. But we, I went back to the hotel and that's where the sort of after party was happening at the roof. And I was like, I'll go up and our friend Andrew was there and I went up and I was in my outfit change in my civilly. I was in my civvies. I looked terrible. Tap on the shoulder. I turn around. It's gold medalist Amber Glenn. Unbelievable. Wow. We share a lovely moment and she says, oh my God, Alyssa Leo. And I freaked out when we saw you guys in the stands on the podium. Because I didn't, when you say that it makes, it warms my heart because I remember like looking, we were in the front row cheering for them. We were cheering loud and screaming and they were sort of being very Olympian about it. And like, we were in the stands like, what inspired you? And they were like waving like Olympians. And I was like, oh, I don't think they're clocking bowing. But now I'm finding out they did. They were just being stoic Olympians. They were being, I mean, we can't even get into it. I, you're right. Just to go back to this occasion for the last episode of the season, the sort of thing that we come away with is, oh my God, what are Olympics rock? I now have an appreciation for it that obviously no one would ever have unless you go. If you, once you see what's being pulled off here and every single way, not just the athletes, but also everyone running the events, everyone working so hard to make sure the Olympics goes off without a hitch. And it was an extremely successful Olympic Games, a dramatic Olympic Games. Olympic Games with many highs and lows. And we are now looking forward to a new one in 2028 in LA, the summer Olympics. And I think the question has been for such a large amount of people, especially those who live in and around LA, is how the hell are they going to do this? But I will say, flying into LA the other day, I had a window seat and I looked down and I saw SoFi and I saw the forum and I saw a lot of the areas in the stadiums and venues where these things are going to be taking place. And I said, you know what? I see how we can do it. I really do. We're going to make it after home. You always go in a different key. No, you always go in a different key. That wasn't a different key. I don't think this is working. It was a different emotion. I sang with. Oh, so all it took for you to think this is going to be okay. It was just seeing the venues. I looked at the window and I was like, no, there's lots of room. Look at all that. Look at all that down there. I don't think the room is the issue. I think there's a lot of other things. What's that? Add another highway? Well, okay. So they've walked back. No cars, Olympics or whatever the heck Miss Karen Bass was saying. Oh, golly. So they're like, well, we're just going to encourage people to use mass transit. And it's like, all right, good luck. We can't get. Listen, we don't want privilege. Well, we are not. We are not the people to really get into this. We have no knowledge of urban planning and or Olympic planning for that matter. But that's the question in everyone's minds. And we're let's read the script that our wonderful team wrote for us. And I will miss them very much. Very dearly. I will say one thing, which is and we're going to get to it. She's the first name bolded in this document. And I think that's a sign of good things to come because the fact that Kate Hudson was part of the whole thing at the closing ceremony, I think means they know exactly how to represent LA like Kate Hudson should be performing every night. Okay. But Matt, if you so you've been on record as saying that you will not be anywhere near the city of Los Angeles when the Olympics happen. Can we say that? Can we put that out there? I guess I have said that before. I've said so many things that come back to haunt. Well, no, no, no, no, no, but I have a question to pose to you. Okay. If you star in like an almost famous or song sung blue type film God willing in the years between now and 2028, which is to and you get nominated for an Oscar and you become such a cultural fixture that it's like, well, it wouldn't be a Los Angeles Olympics without Matt Rogers in the stands or even singing at the ceremony singing. You only hope you wouldn't turn that down. Would you? No, no, no, I'll say this. I really was nervous about going to the LA LA Bixen 2028 because of all these traffic concerns. I was in sort of haunts me to think how this is going to happen, but I will say this again seeing how they pulled off Milan Cortina. Maybe this will also be more widespread than we thought, you know, it is very widespread. We're going to get into it. Some of these venues aren't even in the damn state of California. You know what? Let's stop asking questions and let's start getting some answers. Okay. Please really what this podcast is all about. It's about getting to the truth. No gloss, no filter, just stories, spoken without fear. Addiction is a disease and it should be looked upon as any other disease. How did you cope with a reckless father like me? Join me, Pooja Bhatt, as I sit down every week with directors, actors, musicians, technicians and beyond. You don't need to work with the biggest people and the biggest sound to have great music. I have gone through the sub-city, Hachakar. The reach, the pinnacle, stung by the sneaker, I've fallen down again. I am not writing actively anymore and when I see my old work it kind of saddens me. I'm only as good as the last shot that I gave. Mom's gone but don't shut the theater. The show must go on. Listen to my weekly podcast, the Pooja Bhatt show on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire. Let's get down to brass. Tax. Finally. The Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics in 2028 will take place July 14th through 30th for the Olympics and August 15th to 27th for the Paralympics. Yep. The last time the Olympics took place in the United States was the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. We all remember that. Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney of course. Very Mitt Romney coded and this will be the first summer Olympics in the U.S. since the 1996 games in Atlanta. I was not in the United States when Atlanta happened and I was up on my perch in Montreal going seems fun down there. Maybe I'll take a visit. And now you frequent Atlanta all the time. I do. Or were you talking about America? Both. I frequent America quite often and Atlanta. You were sort of Ariel, the little mermaid looking down on America being like, I want to be part of the world. The famous way the song goes, I want to be part of the world. This will be the third time the LA serves as the host city of the Olympic Games. The last times were of course 1932 and 1984. It joins London and Paris as the only three time hosts. Does it deserve to be in the trifecta of London and Paris, two of the greatest cities in history? Well whenever I say London and then Paris, you know the third thing I want to say. Tell me. Maybe Tokyo. Because it's a Hillary Duff song. But you know if I had to say something instead of Tokyo, it would be LA. In a video hyping the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles that debuted during the closing ceremony, actress, singer, Academy Award nominated legend, Kate Hudson, aka my favorite celebrity, delivered a modern take of the classic 1966 song by the mamas and the popas, California Dreaming. The video was filmed in well-known spots around California including downtown LA, Venice Beach, the 6th Street Bridge and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Do you think we'll see a hologram of Mama Cass at the Olympics? Honey are all the leaves brown and the sky is gray? I think so. Well then there's your answer. We think so. We think so. We reached out to team Mama Cass. What happened to the hologram of Big Mama? I would love to see that. I remember when hologram seemed to be like the way of the future anyway. Yes. And their entirety, the 2028 LA Olympics and Paralympics will feature more than 800 events across more than 50 total sports. This is where I start to break out in a stress hive. Don't do that. Those are big numbers in LA. It's a big town but you think of one event and you start to go, oh god I got to get to the forum. In Los Angeles the opening ceremony is expected to take place in Englewood at the 2028 stadium, home of the NFL's Rams and Chargers. The LA Memorial Coliseum will host the closing ceremony. Now excuse me, is this happening at SoFi Stadium? Barb, do we know the answer to that question? Because this just says in Englewood at the 2028 stadium. Is this SoFi Stadium? I don't think they're building another stadium in Englewood are they? They're simply be crazy because they're the perfectly good one they have right there which has held many a concert which we've seen. We have an opening ceremony venue at home. I'm kind of using meme speak. Yeah, meme speak. I think the 2028 LA Olympics are going to be about memes. While Hollywood is now getting smaller and smaller and I do mean the smaller and smaller screen. Wait what's Barb saying? Of course. The only stadium for the opening ceremony is SoFi. Where Taylor Swift and Beyonce have performed. Among many others. Among many others. But there are very fun new sports that are making their debuts that we'll get to later but several new sports. Here we go. By later I mean now. Flag football will be making its Olympic debut in LA two years from now. Instead of tackling, defenders stop the play by pulling a flag from the ball carriers built, making the sport non-contact, faster and easier to play internationally. Both men's and women's tournaments will be included. Wow. So like this is huge for like your good girlfriend's husband who does this on Sundays to get away from you know the family. You know what I mean? The family. This is very huge. I have a girlfriend whose husband does this in the park on Sundays. It's his time with his friends culture. Flag football. Absolutely. America's friend, Travis Kelsey, should he be in the NFL in 2028 will be permitted to play in the Olympic games. Do you think he'll hold on two more years to make sure that he gets to be an Olympian? I'm not a fortune teller. I think that's a question to ask a fortune teller. Were you going to ask Bar Matt if Travis Kelsey is expected to stay in the NFL by 2020? I wasn't going to ask her that because I feel like I can answer that question myself. Not that I know, but I feel like he's going to do one more year of football, right? Wasn't that announced? I feel like there were some trade stories that were like Travis Kelsey's comeback for one year to football at Taylor Swift's urging. And Mama Kelsey's home renovation is going swimmingly. These are the tabloid. This is the tabloid fodder that I genuinely like this is what it should be. 100%. I don't care. OK, but following unanimous approval by team owners in May of 2025, stars like Jalen Hertz, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Jefferson have expressed interest. Wow. Expressed interest. Time's a ticking, boys. You got this. You got it's just you can't be on the fence about this. It's the Olympic games. It's in less than two years. I'm sorry, about two years. It's so different than what they're used to, though. They're used to tackling each other to the ground, giving each other head bumps. This is flag football. This is a gentleman's sport. This is different. They're going to have to go to etiquette class. Of course. We're going to have to get them, you know, we're going to have to get them together before they take the field. And I want to see it, but moving on. Baseball and softball have been a part of several Olympic games, most recently at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Baseball made seven appearances at the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1900, 1912, 1936, 1956, 1964, 1984 and 1988, before earning medal sport status in 1992. They really tried it with baseball and softball in Paris. They were like, no, no. No, no. I don't know. I don't know why. Are they no baseball venues, diamonds in France? Instead you do the Boulangerie, the Patisserie, the Framangerie. It's the American pastime. Japanese pastime. A pastime the world over. I was, I did raise my eyebrow at Paris and I was like, why did you all cut out baseball? Cricket makes a second Olympic appearance, returning after an absence of 128 years. This is just, this, I sometimes I'm like, oh, Australia. I don't identify at all with anything Australian and I am looking forward to it, but cricket is something that I never could, could never be peaked for me. It's Australian culture. It's New Zealand culture. It's below the equator culture. It can't be peaked. What can be peaked? La Crosse or Sixes. Similar to cricket, La Crosse returns to the Olympics after more than a century, but this time in a faster paced Sixes format on the smaller field. I guess this is akin to rugby sevens. La Crosse actually rules and this is Mies in my Colorado culture speaking. La Crosse was big Long Island culture too. Of course. And the boys in high school playing La Crosse, cuties. Definitely the hot boys played La Crosse. For sure, for sure, for sure. So, I mean, this is the sport we're watching. I have to say the least. What inspired you to watch the games? The horror squash will also be making its Olympic debut in LA. Although squash was a demonstration sport in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the 2028 Los Angeles Games, medals will be awarded in 44 sports. In addition to new sports, some new events will be on the Olympic program, such as Coastal Rowling Beach Sprint format. Meanwhile, the modern pentathlon events will no longer include Sorry, the equestrian discipline and instead feature obstacle racing. Give the horses a break and a chance. Absolutely. This is that that feels very traders to me. Traders challenge survivor. When are we going to get a reality competition program as an Olympic sport? When are we going to run traders alongside the winter or summer Olympics and say that we are including this as a Olympic event in its own right this year? It's just taking place elsewhere in Scotland. Like when are we brave enough? I'm getting upset suddenly. Sometimes this is just what happens. When are we brave enough to include reality television and say it's here, it's on the Olympic level? I'm sorry. I got upset. Because really, if you think about it, I think anything with an audience now is a sport. We all root for certain people to win. Yeah. It's everyone's the emperor and the Coliseum watching the Gladiators fight. And you know, Coliseum is a large umbrella term for all the venues that we're going to be filling up great. That way, spectate the venues. Let's talk about a Miss Olympic spreads events throughout the city to highlight LA's culture, beaches and the entertainment industry, of course. Well, all three of those things are slowly going away. Honey, eroding. These games will be the first in 80 years in which no new permanent venues will be built in total more than 40 venues across the city of Los Angeles, Southern California and a handful across other states all will be utilized. How interesting is that? So I'm saying, when did Oklahoma get in the mix? Certainly not LA unless you take out the O, the K, the H, the O, the M and the other A. Then there's a little LA in there. If you take out the O, K, Homa, then it's LA. O, K, Homa. In a move to limit costs and meet sustainability targets. We love that. It was announced that the softball and canoe slalom competitions will take place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1300 miles from Southern California. So we're acknowledging it. So we're acknowledging it. Widespread. Additionally, preliminary and knockout round soccer matches will be held in, get this, New York, New York, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, San Jose, California and San Diego, California. Okay, those, those two, they, I get it. But the other ones, I mean, let's just call this Olympics America. Why don't we? One significant change includes a revision to the traditional Olympic calendar in which the swimming events take place the first week of the games with track and field competition closing out the schedule in week two. Oh, can't wait. Can I say this change is necessitated by the fact that the home of the NFL's Rams and Chargers and Englewood will host the Olympic swimming competition in addition to the Olympic Games opening ceremony. So again, we can say this is SoFi Stadium. I've had it was calling it, you know, that stadium in Englewood. So they can't just have him at the same time. I don't know anything about event planning or large venues. Clearly. Excuse you. Excuse your mouth. Excuse your mouth. Okay. More notable venues. The recently refurbished LA Memorial Coliseum. Oh, I do love that place. We'll host the track and field competition at both the Olympics and Paralympics as well as the closing ceremony. Yeah. The home of NBA's LA Lakers, WNBA Sparks and the NHL Kings in downtown LA will serve as the host of the gymnastics and wheelchair basketball competitions. The LA Clippers new stadium will be the site of the men and women's basketball competitions. The LA Convention Center in downtown LA will be the site of five Olympic sports fencing judo, as in what judo chop, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling or as as some other guys say it, wrestling, weightlifting and goalball will take place across the street in the Peacock Theater. LA Convention Center memories there, Matt. I went to DragCon there one year. And Peacock theaters where they have your awards shows every now and then. Your Amis, your... Yes. Things of this nature. Well, the Riviera Country Club and the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of LA will be the site of the golfing competition. And the equestrian events for the Olympics and Paralympics will take place in Santa Anita Park in Arcadia about 20 miles northeast of downtown LA. It's a Lana Del Rey song. It's a pretty song. Beautifully written. The famed Rose Bowl football stadium will host the final rounds of soccer and the adjacent Rose Bowl Aquatic Center will host the diving competition. Oh, I love the diving competition. The Venice Beach Boardwalk will host the starts of the men's and women's marathons and men's and women's cycling road races. The USC Sports Center, home of the University of Southern California's basketball and volleyball teams, will host the Brithmik gymnastics, my favorite, and badminton during the 2020 Olympic LA Olympics. The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley will host BMX cycling and skateboarding. The home of the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, Carson, California, will host Olympic track cycling, field hockey, rugby, sevens, archery and tennis, as well as Paralympic track cycling, para archery, and wheelchair tennis. And finally, artistic swimming, beach volleyball, water polo and open water swimming events. Ball will be held in Long Beach, which is a little south of Carson, an 125 mile south of downtown LA widespread. No gloss, no filter, just stories, spoken without fear. Addiction is a disease and it should be looked upon as any other disease. How did you cope with a reckless father like me? Join me, Pooja Bhatt, as I sit down every week with directors. Actors, musicians, technicians and beyond. You don't need to work with the biggest people and the biggest sound to have great music. I have gone through the sub-city, the pinnacle, stung by the sneaker, I've fallen down again. Yeah, I am not writing actively anymore. And when I see my old work, it kind of saddens me. I'm only as good as the last shot that I gave. Mom's gone, but don't shut the theater. The show must go on. Listen to my weekly podcast, the Pooja Bhatt show on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire. So the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could see a true changing of the guard. We got a whole bunch of new faces coming back. Or rather, you know, looking to make a big splash for the first real time in the Olympics, especially in gymnastics and swimming and adding new events like flag football across and cricket leaves more room for elite stars to make a name for themselves and their country, including the stars and the stripes, baby. As we transition towards Los Angeles hype, here are some of the top athletes to watch in the 2020 Olympics. We got Caitlyn Clark. We sure do take it away, Beau. We've got Caitlyn Clark, that queen, the former number one overall WNBA draft pick, missed out on the Paris Olympics team narrowly despite being fresh out of college. Having a little pro basketball experience under her belt, that's what we forget. She's been such a star for a while that like you're like, oh, right. She has technically not been pro for that long. Right. But she is now the face of the league becoming it, arguably, whatever you want to say. I think she's a damn star and for women's sports as a whole and has her track for a spot on the 2020 roster. Now, I'm not talking about the actor for me or when I say Anthony Edwards. Listen up, the Paris Games felt like a farewell tour for the Lebron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant era. If Team USA is turning the page, this 24 year old Edwards looks like the centerpiece of the next chapter. Keep an eye on them. Let's get French. Victor Wimbanyama was instrumental in taking his home country, France, all the way to a silver medal at the Paris Games. It would be no surprise for France to make another deep run with him leading the charge. And of course, why wouldn't he? He's seven foot 3.5 inches. My Lord. Sydney, McLoughlin, Livrone. Gold medals and Sydney have become basically synonymous, already one of the most dominant track athletes of her generation. Hmm. We have a name that sounds like an actor from the pit, but not. Noah Lyles had a shortened time in Paris because he contracted the disease known as COVID-19, but he still won two medals. He won gold in the 100 meter and bronze in the 200. He is on track to once again prove he's indeed the fastest man alive. And I'm going to change my name to Mondo Duplantis, a two time Olympic gold medalist turned pole vault into a prime time event. And why should we not expect it to happen again in 2028? Representing Sweden, Duplantis is one of the many international athletes ready to bring their flair to the US. Movement to start calling Sweden Sweden. Sweden. We're from Sweden. I have a cousin who lives in Sweden. And you know who's back and pretty much the face of the games bow. That's Katie Ledecky. Uh-huh. That's right. Oh, yeah. With 14 Olympic medals, nine of which are gold, four of them silver and one bronze, but we don't talk about her. We're looking to add to that total. She's truly, truly, truly coming for it again. She's the most decorated female US Olympian. Get into it. All our cousins from around the world will be gathering in the summer of 2028 for the Olympic Games bow this time under that California sun. And they'll all be fist fighting a Waymo because that's LA. Yeah, everyone's going to be in the way most on the way to the stadium. Like it's just going to be a total breakdown. Either you're either you're fist fighting the Waymo from within or you're in front of it. Just punching the glass. Not good. None of it. Not good. So we look ahead to July 2028. Los Angeles will finish preparing. The Olympic stage will be set and the Olympic flame will once again light up the city of angels. And with that bow, looks like we've reached the end of season two of Two Guys Five Rings. Do you have any final words, final thoughts? I do. I am so grateful that we got to do this again. First time around felt like a wonderful, beautiful way in for the Olympics with us. We have an amazing team who really just they are remarkable and not making us feel like the idiots we are when it comes to sports. And many other knowledge areas in this world. In fact, we just want to announce that they all get gold medals. So thank you, Barb. Thank you, Sean. Thank you, Vince. Thank you, Jason. Thank you, Kurt. Gold medals all and gold medal to you, Bo. Gold medal to you, Matt. Thanks. And I'm excited to see what the next winter Olympics even have in store in the French Alps in 2030. Now, what about you, Matt? Any closing thoughts? I just really so grateful to be able to have done this and to have gotten to go to the Olympics themselves. A true experience of a lifetime I will never forget. And I do feel comfortable judging ice dancing now. So I do want to say, like, unless we do this podcast again and we're super, super busy, I am available to be a judge. And I will look at that French judge in her eyes and I will say, I see you, mama. To avenge Madison and Evan. You could say that. Well, that's that's a perfectly noble cause. So that when someone asks you, what inspired you to judge with the ISU? I'll say revenge. Revenge. Lily, I've been looking for revenge. His aren't the words. It's a wonderful motivation to get in the rings. Hey, everyone out there. To get into the five rings. Revenge is the best medicine. I'll show them. Revenge is the best medicine. You wanted to say revenge is the best revenge, I think. Revenge is revenge is the best medicine. Laughter is the best medicine and like a good life or something is the best revenge or whatever. Revenge is a dish best served cold like there's a lot of revenge and medicine and laughter all sort of dance around each other. So but I've made something new when I say revenge is the best medicine. It's not a common expression, but I think you're just combining two other common ones and I really celebrate your alchemy. The alchemy. All right. Thank you all for listening. And maybe we'll see you next time. Who knows? We'll see where the state of podcasting is in two years. Tell us in the comments if you think we should come back. Just kidding. Don't. Don't. Don't. We've heard your cries and protest. Well, signing off this is Bell and Yang and Matt Rogers and we end every episode with that familiar old song. Yeah. What inspired? Just kidding. No gloss. No filter. Just stories. Spoken without fear. A person who is not generous cannot be an artist. The world will be at peace only when it is ruled by poets and philosophers. Listen to my weekly podcast, the Pooja Bhachow on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty. Stay for the fire. This is an iHeart podcast. 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