Ep. 180: Stephen Tobolowsky & Aparna Nancherla

Summary

Go Fact Yourself – Episode 180: Stephen Tobolowsky & Aparna Nancherla

Date: September 19, 2025
Host: J. Keith van Straaten
Co-host: Helen Hong
Guests: Aparna Nancherla & Stephen Tobolowsky
Location: Live at The Crawford LAist, Pasadena

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of Go Fact Yourself brings together two acclaimed talents: comedian and author Aparna Nancherla (whose special is set to launch on Dropout TV and whose book Unreliable Narrator is garnering accolades) and the beloved character actor, storyteller, and memoirist Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day, Memento, The Goldbergs).
The pair square off in trivia about their personal obsessions—ranging from naked mole rats to Charles Dickens—with real-life experts and surprise moments, plus a special performance from Shani Wallis, the original Nancy from Oliver!.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introductions & Light Banter

• Helen and J. Keith kick off with relatable humor about trivia, cheapskating, and $61,000 suitcases.
  • Quip: “Does it carry you onto the plane?” – Helen, on the suitcase (01:44)

Guest Backgrounds & Personal Anecdotes

• Aparna Nancherla
  • Discusses her essay collection on imposter syndrome, Unreliable Narrator. Recognition hasn’t necessarily cured her self-doubt.
    • "Writing a book about self-doubt does supersize your self-doubt." (03:09)
  • Jokes about the key to feeling like an imposter:
    • “Enter into spaces you have no business in… what a lot of straight white men do with ease.” (03:21)
• Stephen Tobolowsky
  • Shares ongoing feelings of being an imposter even after iconic roles.
  • On career changes after Groundhog Day:
    • “Before Groundhog Day, I was ‘who is that actor?’ and after… ‘that’s the actor from Groundhog Day.’” (04:14)
  • On being typecast: “I made a career out of playing nudniks. You know, someone’s gotta do it.” (04:40)

Chosen Trivia Topics

• Aparna: Home Alone, Jurassic Park, and naked mole rats
• Stephen: Works of Charles Dickens, Children of Men, and the Jamaican Switch scam

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What’s the Difference? (05:45–10:26)

Deposit vs. Down Payment (Aparna) – [06:25]

• Deposit shows intent/seriousness (applied before sale is finalized); down payment is substantial payment after offer is accepted.
• Aparna: “Deposit… just a portion of down payment, which is just to show you’re not going to ghost them.” (06:25)
• Stephen: “One purpose… is to secure the house for you. But after that, you’ve got to make the down payment or lose your deposit.” (06:51)
• Resolution: Both guests receive 1 point each for partial accuracy.

Extortion vs. Blackmail (Stephen) – [08:31]

• Extortion is threat/damage to coerce action; blackmail is threat to reveal damaging info for money.
• Stephen: “Blackmail is just saying, you pay up or we drop the axe on your puppy dog or whatever.” (08:55)
• Aparna: “Blackmail sounds sexier… if you’re writing a drama… the villain should say, ‘I’m gonna blackmail you.’” (09:12)
• Resolution: Stephen scores 1 point for correctly stating extortion involves threats.

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Getting to Know the Guests (10:26–16:47)

Aparna Nancherla:

• Voicing “Moon”—“a 10-year-old Caucasian boy”—on The Great North:
  • “It is healing and cathartic…a big stride in representation to be able to play a white child.” (11:29)
• New stand-up special coming to Dropout TV, working title “Hopeful Potato”. (12:21)
• Appearing in the anxiety+comedy documentary Anxiety Club:
  • “I’m already anxious about the regrets I’ll have driving home from the show.” (13:07)

Stephen Tobolowsky:

• Talks about enduring popularity of Groundhog Day and how the script was constantly rewritten:
  • “Bill and I didn’t know what we were doing.” (13:44)
• Recounts his Tony nomination experience and quintessential New York walk-of-shame in a tuxedo. (15:25)
• Won an eighth-grade storytelling award but doesn’t remember what story he told. (16:21)

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Aparna’s Expert Round: Naked Mole Rats [17:18–35:35]

Why the Fascination?

• Started as research for a joke about aging—discovered their unique resistance to aging and disease:
  • “They don’t age the way like, pretty much any other animal ages… they have figured out the secret of not aging.” (19:17)

Trivia Questions (19:58–24:36)

1. Rodent Order: Correct – Rodents
2. Hair Location: Correct – Tail (besides mouth)
3. Diet: Correct – Vegetarian/Vegan (mostly tubers, occasionally feces)
4. African Range: Correct – NOT native to Uganda
5. Social Structure Name: Correct – Eusocial

Fun banter on poop-based diets, hints, and deducing “Djibouti” (“Thank you for allowing me to say Djibouti.” – 23:55)

Cluster Fact – Expert Level (25:13–34:43)

Expert: Dr. Rochelle Buffenstein, preeminent naked mole rat scientist (27:00)

• Q1: Disease they’re resistant to?
  • Aparna: Cancer (Correct)
  • Dr. Buffenstein: “That is correct.” (33:24)
• Q2: Substance produced that helps prevent disease and used in wrinkle creams?
  • Aparna: Pepper (Incorrect; Correct answer: Hyaluronic acid)
• Q3: Oldest known naked mole rat?
  • Aparna: 38 (Close—Correct is 40.5; expert gives partial credit)
  • Dr. Buffenstein: “The oldest animal I had lived 40 years and a half in captivity.” (34:08)
• Notable Quotes:
  • Dr. Buffenstein on motivation: “The queen doesn’t motivate them by shoving, but she represses them from going into reproduction…by being a bully.” (35:04)

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Stephen’s Expert Round: Charles Dickens [36:10–57:44]

Why Dickens?

• Dickens “never wanted to be a writer—he wanted to be an actor, a comic actor,” and started writing to entertain friends. Stephen admires his range and humanity. (38:23)

Trivia Questions (39:39–43:23)

1. Scrooge’s real title: Correct – A Christmas Carol
2. Tale of Two Cities opening line: Correct – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
3. Fake Dickens character: Correct – Thelonious Farron (main character, Children of Men)
4. County in Great Expectations: Correct – Kent
5. U.S. president Dickens met in 1842: Correct – John Tyler

Cluster Fact – Expert Level (44:47–57:44)

Expert: Shani Wallis, legendary star of 1968’s Oliver!

• Q1: What novel is Oliver! based on?
  • Stephen: Oliver Twist (Correct)
• Q2: Main female character who tries to save Oliver and is murdered?
  • Stephen: Veronica (Incorrect; Correct: Nancy)
• Q3: Name of dog owned by the character sung about in “As Long As He Needs Me”?
  • Stephen: Pooch (Incorrect; Correct: Bullseye—real name: Butch)
• Special Moment:
  • Shani Wallis (age 92) sings “As Long As He Needs Me” to a standing ovation (53:19–54:43).
  • Mark Lester (original Oliver) sends a video greeting for Shani and the cast (50:19).

Shani on acting:
“The hardest thing is being truthful to yourself…” (57:01)
“The most rewarding thing? Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh, you’re wonderful.’” (57:16)

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Fast Facts Finale (57:56–59:33)

• Rapid-fire True/False: Car models named after animals/insects (e.g., Beetle, Firefly, Cricket, Honeybee).
• Aparna wins with sharp intuition, despite momentary stumbles.

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Scores & Winner

Final Score:

• Aparna Nancherla: 12
• Stephen Tobolowsky: 8

Winner: Aparna Nancherla

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Writing a book about self-doubt does supersize your self-doubt.” – Aparna (03:09)
• “Before Groundhog Day, I was ‘who is that actor?’ and after… ‘that’s the actor that was in Groundhog Day.’” – Stephen (04:14)
• “I think it is such a big stride in representation to be able to play a white child.” – Aparna on voicing Moon in The Great North (11:29)
• “They’re nature’s labubu.” – Aparna on naked mole rats (19:53)
• “As soon as you start writing it, you’re like, who am I to write a book about self-doubt?” – Aparna (03:12)
• “I made a career out of playing nudniks. You know, someone’s gotta do it.” – Stephen (04:40)
• “Don’t cut the hairs off of naked mole rats, and don’t kill any puppies.” – J. Keith (33:00)
• (Live song performance) – Shani Wallis, “As Long As He Needs Me” (53:19–54:43)

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Experts Featured

• Dr. Rochelle Buffenstein – Leading international naked mole rat researcher. [27:00–35:31]
• Shani Wallis – Legendary star of Oliver! (film, 1968), “Nancy.” [45:30–57:44]

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Episode Highlights

• Insightful and often hilarious reflections on career, identity, and personal passions from both guests.
• Informative and engaging expert interviews showing the power of curiosity and fandom.
• An impromptu, heartfelt live performance by a Broadway legend.

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Where to Find Them

• Aparna Nancherla: Instagram @parnapkin; Dropout TV special coming late 2025
• Stephen Tobolowsky: See him on Netflix (“Nobody Wants This” and more upcoming releases)
• Helen Hong: Socials @funnyhelenhong
• J. Keith van Straaten: All socials @jakeith.net; also producing “Rant and Rave” storytelling
• Dr. Rochelle Buffenstein: UIC, Wikipedia, nakedmoleratsrock.net

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Go Fact Yourself – Maximum Fun | Full Episode Archive

Transcript

[A]

Are you a real know it all? Do you annoy your family by shouting the answers while watching Jeopardy? Do you drive people crazy when you start a sentence with, well, actually, well, guess what? You can go fact yourself. Hi. Hi, everyone. Welcome to go fact yourself, the show where we quiz the smartest people we know and find out why they love what they love. I'm Helen Hong.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

And now, from the Crawford La est in Pasadena, here's our moderator, Jakeith Van Stratten.

[C]

Hey. Thank you, everybody. What a wonderful crowd. Hello, Helen. How are you?

[A]

Hello, Jakeith. How are you?

[C]

What's going on? Well, Helen, there are probably two things that you know about me for sure. One is that I love to travel.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

The other is I'm an incredible cheapskate.

[A]

I will say nothing about that.

[C]

Yeah, well, you can tell from the gifts that I give. I enjoy a bargain. I've been using the same suitcase that I got at Costco for probably 25 years or so. As you may know as well. I'm getting married next month. I'm planning a honeymoon as well. Thank you so much. And I thought, you know what, for the honeymoon, maybe it's about time that I upgrade. Maybe I'll get a new suitcase. And I remembered that I have a gift card for $50 to Saks Fifth Avenue. So I thought, I'm gonna check out the suitcases at Saks Fifth Avenue. And I know they're. I was expecting them to be more expensive. It's a fancy place. But again, the $50 G. I went and checked the other night. There was a suitcase on there. $61,000.

[A]

What?

[C]

$61,000.

[A]

Does it carry you onto the plane? Like what?

[C]

And that's just for the carry on size. Whoa. But I could save $50 and I think maybe get free shipping. So I put that on our wedding registry.

[A]

We'll see if 200 people put in.

[C]

If 200 people want to chip in, I think maybe I could get the handle. So we'll look forward to that. Today on Go factor Self, two guests will compete to answer questions about facts they know, facts they may not know, and frankly, facts they should know. Plus, we'll meet actual experts on two very different topics. And finally, we'll declare one of our guests the winner of today's show. Let's get started and meet today's guest, Helen. Who do we have playing tonight?

[A]

She is a comedian and writer whose stand up special will premiere on Dropout TV. And he is an actor and writer whose over 200 appearances in movies and TV shows include Memento, the Goldbergs, and Groundhog Day. It's Aparna Nancherla and Stephen Topolowski.

[C]

Aparna and Stephen, together at last.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Listen to that line.

[A]

Extended applause.

[C]

Well, Aparna, your book of essays called Unreliable Narrator is about your dealing with imposter syndrome, and the book was listed by the New Yorker and NPR as one of the best books of the year. Did that help alleviate your imposter syndrome?

[B]

You would think so, yes. But I did learn writing a book about self doubt does supersize your self doubt.

[C]

It makes you more doubtful of yourself. Why is that?

[B]

As soon as you start writing it, you're like, who am I to write a book about self doubt?

[C]

And what is the key to feeling like an imposter when clearly you are not?

[B]

I think it is to generally be under qualified and enter into spaces that you have no business in. So, really, what a lot of straight white men do with ooze, you know.

[C]

As you were saying that, I was like, that does sound familiar. That does sound familiar.

[A]

Now, Stephen, have you ever felt like an imposter?

[D]

All the time.

[A]

You're kidding.

[D]

All the time. Whenever I go into the gate to go work on something, it goes, who are you? And I go, stephen Topoloski, and what are you here for? And I said, well, I'm working on a TV show here. So you're an actor. And I call ahead, I think they'll be, well, I don't know. You just stay over there. You stay there and we'll call.

[A]

You were an actor for quite a while, even before Groundhog Day, when you played that iconic character Ned Ryerson. And how did things change after Groundhog Day?

[D]

Before Groundhog Day, I was, who is that actor? And after Groundhog Day, I go, that's the actor that was in Groundhog Day. So it was a bit of an increase.

[C]

Yeah. Also, from what I'm hearing, you got a drive on pass for when you were working in Hollywood.

[D]

Gosh. It keeps you humble, you know, because you're always treated like a nudnik.

[A]

Good word, nudnik.

[C]

Thank you. Yes. But you made a career out of playing nudniks.

[D]

I made a career of it. You know, someone's gotta do it.

[B]

You're the people's noodnic.

[C]

Yeah. We're gonna get to chat with you two more a little bit later. But we did ask each of you to provide us with a few topics outside your field of work that you know and love. A partner for you. You said that was the movie Home Alone, the movie Jurassic park and naked mole rats. That would be in my Jurassic Park.

[B]

Ah, a natural trio.

[C]

Natural trio. Whereas, Stephen, for you, you said it was the work of Charles Dickens, the movie Children of Men and the Jamaican Switch scam. Also a natural trio. Later on, we're gonna ask each of you some in depth trivia questions about one of those topics. But first we're gonna get your thoughts on something you may know nothing about. It is time to split some hairs with our what's the. We'll have one question for each of you, each worth up to two points. If either of you gives an incorrect or incomplete answer, the other person has a chance to steal your topic today. Pay up. First up in Pay up is Aparna. Aparna, your question comes from a listener. Who is it, Helen?

[A]

I will let them tell you themselves because we have an in person listener question. Listeners, if you'd like to submit a suggestion for our what's the Difference? Round, go to gofactorpod.com and click on Get Involved. Hey, listener.

[C]

Hello, listener. Hi, I'm Zach Sherwin from Los Angeles, California. And my question for what's the Difference is while both might help you pay up for a house when buying real estate, what's the difference between a deposit and a down payment? Thank you very much. Love the show. Thrilled to be here. Thank you so much, Zach. All right, Aparna, you heard Zach. What is the difference between a deposit and a down payment?

[B]

The down payment is the total that you are going to put forward for the house, the total monetary amount. And then the deposit is going to be just a portion of the down payment, which is just to show that you're not going to ghost them.

[C]

You're not going to ghost them. Yes. I used to ask for deposits on dates for that very reason.

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

All right. We've got a partner's answer. We don't know yet if she's entirely correct. Stephen, anything you'd like to change or add to try to steal some points?

[D]

I think that was a great answer. But one of the reasons of a deposit is pretty much to other people trading on the house. So one purpose of a deposit is to secure the house for you. But then after you do that and get your loan, you got to make that down payment or you will not have that house and you will lose your deposit.

[A]

The plot thickens.

[C]

Well, this segment needs to be foreclosed. Let's go to Helen Hong at the judges table for the facts.

[A]

Here are the facts. A deposit, sometimes called an earnest money Deposit, or emd, is money that is presented by a buyer when their offer is made. It indicates that the buyer is serious about the offer and has the financial capacity to make the purchase. A down payment is money paid by the buyer after their offer is accepted. It's a specific percentage of the final price, with the rest of the payment typically being financed by a mortgage.

[C]

That's right. And it is important to know that if you make a deposit on a house and then change your mind, the seller may not be legally required to return your deposit. But look on the bright side, since most people can't afford to buy a house in LA anyway, you don't have to worry about losing your deposit. Helen, how did our guest do?

[A]

I think I'm gonna give each one of you one point. Yeah, because. Yeah, because, Aparna, you got deposit correctly, but you didn't quite get down payment. But Stephen, you kind of got down payment. So one point each.

[C]

One point each. Very nice. All right, up next in Pay up is Stephen. Stephen, while both might pressure you to pay. Difference between extortion and blackmail. Extortion and blackmail.

[D]

Extortion is something which threatens you to do something. It could be anything. It doesn't have to be money, but it is something that psychologically is going to force you into a path of behavior. Blackmail is just saying, you pay up or we drop the axe on your puppy dog or whatever. Yeah, that happens.

[C]

Whoa.

[D]

It happens.

[A]

AUDIBLE GASPS yes, puppy dog.

[C]

Yeah. I should have given you the note beforehand. We prefer if during the what's the Difference Round, guests do not threaten puppies. But to be fair, he did not get that note. All right, we've got Steven's answer. Anything you'd like to add or change, Aparna?

[B]

I would just add that blackmail sounds sexier. So, like, if you're writing a drama or something, which, you know, maybe someone in the audience is, a hot tip, I would say, is that the villain should be like, I'm gonna blackmail you and not say, I'm going to extort you.

[C]

Yes. It sounds like a medical procedure, doesn't it, when you put it like that? All right, well, open wide. Yes. Sorry. Well, it's a real nice segment you got here to be a shame if something were to happen to it. Let's go to Helen Hong at the judges table for the facts.

[A]

Here are the facts. Extortion is when someone threatens to do damage to you or something, or someone you care about unless you give them something, usually money. Blackmail is when someone threatens to expose damaging information unless you Give them something. Usually money.

[C]

That's right. Now, fortunately, I am immune to blackmail because anything about me that could be publicly embarrassing, I already say on this show. Helen, how did our guest do?

[A]

So I think I'm gonna give you one point for extortion, Steven, because you did say it threatens something, forcing you to do something and then blackmail you involve puppies. So no way.

[C]

No way at all.

[A]

No way.

[C]

Yeah. So that is one point for Stephen. All right, let's hope that becomes a running theme on the show tonight. All right, let's get to know our guests a little bit better. Aparna, in addition to your book, you've published essays in the New York Times, you've written for Late Night with Seth Meyers and Mythic Quest, and you've been seen and heard on TV as a standup on several shows and act in shows like Corporate, BoJack Horseman and the Great North. Very, very impressive. Now on the Great north, you, voice Moon, who is a 10 year old Caucasian boy.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

None of which you seem to be. What is it like playing someone who is so demographically different?

[B]

I spent most of my childhood wanting to be a 10 year old white boy.

[E]

I think.

[B]

I don't mean that in a self deprecating way. I just feel like I read, you know, I watched Dennis the Menace. Home Alone is one of my picks like that. I was like, that's the dream. They get away with everything and everyone is delighted by them. So this has been a real coup.

[C]

It's healing and cathartic for you in that way.

[B]

It is healing and cathartic. Yeah. And I feel like it's such a big stride in representation to be able to play a white child.

[C]

Yeah, they've been getting too much of the brakes. Well, you've got this new stand up special coming out on Dropout tv. Tell us about it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So it is an hour of my thoughts and musings. Very weird coincidence, but the person who just read the fact is my friend Zach and he was at the taping for the show.

[C]

Oh, no kidding. That is a funny coincidence.

[B]

Yeah. So I don't want to say that I paid off a lot of people to be here, but there's a lot of strings being connected that you guys might not even know about.

[C]

Wow.

[D]

Extortion.

[C]

Now, at the moment, the special does not have a title. It doesn't. What goes into choosing a title for you? And are there any contenders that maybe you want to run by our audience?

[B]

Yeah. The working title is Hopeful Potato.

[A]

I love it.

[C]

Seems to enjoy It.

[B]

I'm still open to other suggestions.

[A]

So how about 10 year old white.

[C]

Boy or Blackmail is Sexy?

[B]

Blackmail is Sexy, Yes. That's interesting, adding them to the list.

[C]

Yeah. Well, I know anxiety has played a big part in your work. You talk a lot about anxiety in your essays and in your standup. You're actually now in a documentary that is about anxiety and comedy.

[B]

Yes, I am in a documentary called Anxiety Club, and it follows a bunch of different standups and comedic performers talking about how neurotic they are and how it influences their work, but also how they're able to kind of work around it to keep showing up to perform.

[C]

And are you feeling anxious about the show tonight?

[B]

Oh, yeah. I'm anxious about everything. Okay, so I'm already anxious about the regrets I'll have driving home from the show of what I forgot to say.

[C]

Stephen, you of course, have appeared in TV shows like the Goldbergs, Hacks, Nobody Wants this. You've published three books yourself. You're an accomplished live storyteller, and you hosted the popular podcast the Topolowski Files. He's also, of course, had iconic performances, including in movies like Memento, Mississippi Burning, Thelma and Louise, Basic Instinct, and of course, Groundhog Day. It's amazing that it's been over 30 years since Groundhog Day came out. Are you surprised that it's held up so well for so long?

[D]

Well, we didn't know what it was when we finished it because while we were shooting Groundhog Day, it was constantly being rewritten. So Bill and I didn't know what we were doing. Harold Ramis was saying, well, let's try this scene. Let's try that scene. It was released. And a week after it was released, Trevor Albert, the producer, called me on the phone and said, stephen, we may have a hit. And I said, why? He says, because there is a graph as to who attends a movie. And usually half the people come the second week. They come the first, then half again and half again. And he says, we have increased audience every week, so we may have a hit, but I had no idea it would become the new wizard of Oz.

[C]

That's a really good way to put it. It really is something that is beloved. And that I think when you ask people what's a movie, that when it comes on, you're just going to watch it until the end. Brownhawk Day seems to be that movie for a while.

[D]

Groundhog Day is it. I had, for some reason, I got accepted into this piano workshop at Carnegie hall with Alfred Brindell. Not that I could play the piano that well. But I wrote on my form, I don't play the piano well, but I'm in movies. So they accepted me out of 200 musicians. I was sitting next to Madhuri. I mean, great people. After the concert, we got to meet Alfred Brindell one at a time. And he shook my hand. He goes, are you Ned?

[C]

Well, I know that your great love is the theater. And in fact, you were nominated for a Tony Award for mornings at 7 on Broadway. What was your Tony Awards experience like?

[D]

So what you do is when you're nominated for a Tony Award is you start walking in Central park practicing your acceptance speech because you know you're going to mess up. Your agent and every business person you know calls you up and try to say, well, congratulations, Stephen, because they want a piece of the pie. You go there for the Tony Awards and they don't say your name and you realize that you don't have a key to get back into the dressing room and you're in a tuxedo the rest of the night. So we ended up going to a little motel, my wife and I, and then we walked home to 81st street with me and my tux at 8 in the morning. And people were looking at me going, damn, what party did you go to?

[C]

That sounds pretty great. Last, I want to ask you about people know you also as a wonderful storyteller, and you actually won an award for your storytelling pretty early in life.

[D]

I did win an award as a great storyteller when I was in, I think I was in like 8th grade. Something like that. Something like that. But I don't remember what story I told.

[C]

Well, there goes my follow up. There you go. Well, thank you. We look forward to the story of tonight. Stephen Tobolowski, Aparna Nancherla. Helen, what is our score going into.

[A]

The break at the end of that round? Aparna Nonomyla has one point and Stephen Tobolowski has two points.

[C]

But those scores are bound to change as we move on to questions about topics our guests have chosen for themselves. That's all up ahead when we come back on Go Fact Yourself.

[A]

Welcome back to Go Fact Yourself with our guests Aparna Nancherla and Stephen Tobolowski. Once again, here's Jakeith Van Stratt.

[C]

Thank you so much, Helen. Thanks, everybody. All right, Aparna, of your many interests, you told us that you know and love the movie Home Alone, the movie Jurassic park, and Naked Mole Rats. Let's find out a little bit more about each of Those first tell us why you know and love the movie Home Alone.

[B]

Okay, so Home Alone, as I said, I wanted to be a 10 year old white boy. And I think he's eight in the movie. Kevin is eight. And I was eight when I watched it. So I think I just really. I kind of imprinted onto it like a baby duck. I don't know something about it comedically, like, honestly, that and Jurassic Park. Like, I think for some reason those two movies just hit me. I think 8 to 10 range is an age range where I feel like you're still still hopeful about the world. And I think I just latched onto those movies and was like, I think this is culturally as good as it's gonna get. I'm gonna stop growing after this.

[C]

Whoa.

[B]

I grew up in the 90s, and it was a real big time for kid empowerment. It was very like, kids rule the world. Kids are gonna save the whales. Like, it was, you know, pre Greta. But we were getting there.

[C]

We were on our way. And then finally tell us why it is, you know, and love naked mole rats.

[B]

And then naked mole rats. I actually have a joke about them in this special that's coming out, and I think I learned a bunch of facts about them in writing the joke. And I have to say, I really admire what they're doing in their body of work. We don't even know everything they're up to, and they just keep rolling out hits.

[C]

Yeah. The hit factory. That is naked mole rats. All right, so to summarize the partner, you said you know and love the movie Home Alone, the movie Jurassic park, and naked mole rats. Today we want to quiz you about naked mole rats. Oh.

[B]

Oh, my God. I am so excited, because I know on the show, sometimes you bring out an actual expert associated with the field, and I really hope it's a naked mole rat.

[C]

Well, we will get to that.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

How did you first get into naked mole rats?

[B]

I think I was actually writing a joke about aging, and I was looking up how different animals age, and I learned that naked mole rats, they don't age the way like, pretty much any other animal ages. Like, they have sort of figured out the secret of not aging, and I thought that was fascinating.

[A]

I have to say, I had never heard of a naked mole rat before. You know, you picking your top.

[B]

You're so welcome, Helen.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

And then I went down a deep mole rat hole. I can see the fascination because they're so, so ugly and so adorable at the same time.

[B]

They're nature's labubu.

[C]

Well, just ahead, we're gonna enlist the help of a bonafide expert in your topic with an expert level question worth up to three points. But before that, to let you show your love, here are five trivia questions about your topic, each worth one point. If you want it, you'll add a hint for any two of these five questions. Okay, now, Stephen, do listen closely because if Aparna answers incorrectly, you could steal. By the way, Stephen, how much do you know about naked mole rats?

[D]

They're very scary looking. I mean, it reminds me of me in elementary school.

[C]

Yes, hairless. So it sounds like you do know something about them. Something, Something. We'll find out. All right, here's question number one. Aparna. Like all rats, naked mole rats belong to what order of mammals that also include mice, squirrels and hamsters?

[B]

Rodents, Ellen.

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. Very nice. Fun fact. While they are rodents, naked mole rats are not activ. They are also not moles because moles are not rodents. But at least the naked part is true. Question number two, the naked part is not true. While naked mole rats do not have a coat of fur, they do have a few scattered hairs around their bodies which help them sense direction. These hairs are predominantly around their mouths. And what other part of the body on the other end?

[B]

Butt.

[C]

Butt. What?

[B]

No tail.

[C]

Helen.

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. The tail that'll be in the butt. Bob. Fun fact. Naked mole rats need those concentrated hairs to help them navigate the world because they have the smallest optic nerve of any mammal and are essentially blind, as heard in the children's song. Three blind naked mole rats. You're two for two, Aparna. Here's question number three. Okay, naked mole rats are picky eaters and subsist on what type of diet that some humans choose.

[B]

Also, I know they mostly eat tubers and they also eat their own feces sometimes. And I don't know that we have an equivalent diet to that. I haven't heard of the tuber feces cleanse.

[C]

I believe that is the poopertarian diet.

[B]

Vegan, Helen?

[A]

Yes, I'll give it to you.

[C]

Yeah, vegetarian. But yes, we'll say vegan. I don't know how many eggs or milk products they come into contact with. Vegetarian is what we were going for.

[A]

Is poop vegan?

[C]

I mean, it is a byproduct of an animal. So I don't know if it is vegan.

[B]

Perhaps it would only not be vegan if the poop was created out of duress. Like if someone was like, poop Poop.

[A]

We need our dinner.

[C]

Right. Kind of wish we could go back to talking about killing puppies. Fun fact. They may not be so picky after all, because look at this. Fun fact. They also will eat poop, including their own. And I know that sounds gross, but it is. Aparna, you are three for three. Here's question four. You do have your hints available?

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Africa is the native land of the naked mole rat. But which one of the following countries is not a natural home to them? Is it Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, or Djibouti?

[B]

We all know the fun answer.

[C]

We do?

[A]

What are you narrowing it down to?

[B]

Djibouti and Uganda. May I have the hint?

[C]

Helen? Helen, how about that hint?

[A]

Djibouti is part of the naked mole rat home range.

[B]

Okay. I'm gonna go with Uganda.

[C]

Helen.

[A]

That is correct. That is correct.

[C]

Very nice deduction. Fun fact. The naked mole rat is native to these countries in northeastern Africa. Its close relative is the Damaraland mole rat, which is native to southern Africa and is not quite as naked. Unfortunately, the body positivity movement has not reached the Damaraland mole rat.

[A]

Thank you for allowing me to say Djibouti.

[C]

You're welcome. It's fun and it's accurate. All right, you are 4.

[D]

4.

[C]

4. You have a chance to go 5 for 5. Aparna, if you can get this question correct. And you do have a hint available. The lack of much hair isn't the only thing that makes the naked mole rats unusual mammals. They also live in social groups where only one female, the queen, breeds, while others help maintain the colony. What is the scientific term for this way of organizing a society?

[B]

Eusocial, I believe. Which sounds like a failed billionaire tech bro platform, but for sure. But it is. Yeah. It's E U S O S S O C I A L U.

[E]

Social.

[C]

Helen, is that correct?

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. Aparna, NTLA is 5 for 5.

[B]

Stephen was talking about a storytelling contest. I won a spelling bee as a child, so I think it brought up a repressed memory.

[C]

Well, fun fact. When a queen naked mole rat dies, the other female in the group fight one another to become the next queen, sometimes to the death. And of course, you can see all of this and more on the real mole wives of Djibouti. You obviously did very well in that eparna. But now it is time for your expert level question requiring multiple answers. It is time for your cluster fact.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Excellent work.

[C]

She wasn't anxious enough. We'll be bringing on an expert to discuss your response, Aparna scientist Dr. Rochelle Bufenstein made headlines recently with her paper on the aging of naked mole rats. And naked mole rats are especially studied by scientists because of their extraordinary lifespan, which in part is attributed to their resistance to disease for up to three points. What disease, which is the number two killer of humans in America do naked mole rats have resistance to? What substance produced by naked mole rats is thought to help prevent that disease and is now used in wrinkle creams for humans? And what was the age of the oldest known naked mole rat?

[B]

I think the first answer is cancer.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Substance. And what is the oldest one?

[C]

All right, you can do the third part next if you like.

[B]

I know their lifespan is 30. 38.

[C]

38. Okay. And want to take a stab at that substance that they produce?

[B]

I will say pepper.

[C]

Pepper. Okay.

[B]

Cancer. Pepper and 38. It's my dating profile. I'm a cancer who loves pepper and I'm not 38.

[C]

All right, well, Helen is taking note of those answers. We have an expert on hand who can tell us for sure. Helen, who do we have tonight?

[A]

Joining us tonight from Chicago is an award winning scientist celebrated for her decades long work with naked mole rats. It Dr. Rochelle Bufenstein.

[C]

Hello, Dr. Bufenstein. Hi, everybody.

[B]

Yeah. This is so exciting.

[F]

I am incredibly impressed with your knowledge, Apana. Really, I'm very, very. Oh, my gosh.

[C]

Thank you. Yes, thank you. Very nice.

[F]

I guess you read my book.

[A]

She is not an imposter.

[C]

Not about naked mole rats. Doctor, you are a professor of biological science at the University of Illinois Chicag. You've done pioneering research that has led to authoring over 200 publications. And you literally wrote the book on naked mole rats. Co authoring the extraordinary biology of the naked mole rat. Very impressive. So cool. And let me get this out of the way because I'm sure Aparna wants to know, do you have a naked mole rat with you that you can display?

[F]

I have a picture, but I do not have a live one at home.

[C]

I'm sorry. Well, good night. No, thank you. No, no. You also maintain the world's largest colony of naked mole rats in captivity. How many naked mole rats do you have in your purview?

[F]

At the moment, I have 2,500.

[D]

What?

[A]

And you don't have a single one in your house?

[C]

Come on.

[F]

I don't have a single one at my house, unfortunately.

[A]

Sneak one in your purse. Come on.

[C]

Tell us where those mole rats are and how do you work with them.

[F]

I've worked with These pink, ugly saber tooth sausages. For nearly 40 years. I collected them in the wild in Kenya when I was an undergraduate student, and they've traveled the world with me. I was at the University of Cape Town. I brought them to the States in New York and Texas and California and now Chicago. And I currently house them in an animal facility in Chicago. At my peak, I had 8,500 animals when I worked for Calico, a Google subsidiary. But when I left there, I gave away 6,000. So there are lots of labs now that have naked mole rats, thanks to you.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Did you give them away on Craigslist?

[F]

No, unfortunately, I gave them away through a website called Naked Mole Rats Rock.

[A]

Or the name of your special Aparna.

[C]

Oh, there you go. Doctor, tell us how it is that you first came to study naked mole rats.

[F]

A lot of it was serendipity, to be honest. As a student, I had come from Rhodesia to South Africa and got a job as a research technician to a professor who had come from Kenya with a colony. She went to a conference in the States and they were talking about why you would never find eusocial mammals and all the reasons why that wasn't possible. And the guy sitting next to her said, you know, I think he's describing the animals you keep in your office. And so we got a National Geographic scholarship to go to Kenya and see if there was only one female in the wild. My professor could not get them to breed in captivity at that time. Clearly, I've had more success than she has. We went to Kenya and sure enough, when we dug up four colonies, we only found one breeding female in a colony. And so Jenny Jarvis, who was my professor at the time, she published a paper in 1981 in Science saying this was a eusocial mammal. And that sort of springboarded the field of behavior in the naked mole rat. And then when I moved to the States, I thought, I've had these animals now for 17 years. Wonder. That's a hell of a long time for a rodent. Most rodents only live three years. In fact, there's a Methuselah prize of $5 million to the first person who can make a mouse live five years. What, and no one's won it yet?

[A]

Oh, I know what I'm doing this weekend.

[C]

Let's talk about aging. You said that naked mole rats are the holy grail of aging. Why is that?

[F]

Well, they not only live an incredibly long time, but more importantly, they do so in really good health. We see no age related declines in function so that's why I think if we could figure out the mechanisms they use to avoid the vagaries of aging, we could learn a lot and hopefully come up with therapies to help us live long and healthy lives.

[C]

Yeah, not just wrinkle cream. We want to be clear that that is not the goal when it comes to your research.

[A]

Mole rat yoga. That's next.

[C]

Yeah. We mentioned that naked mole rats are not naked. They're not moles, and they're not rats. What do you know about why they are still called naked mole rats?

[F]

Because they're a rodent and they live underground like moles do. So moles are subterranean. They're a very distinct species, closely related to the capybara and to porcupines. So they're just in that weird rodent family.

[C]

Got it. What's next in your research? What is it that you're working on now or that you're looking forward to being able to announce or discover?

[F]

Well, we're still working on trying to get a better handle on their cancer resistance. We've noticed that the animals, when we sunbathe with them, don't get sunburn, and they don't activate an inflammatory response, which mice do. And that's meant to be the driving force of the enlargement and proliferation of skin and mice leading to skin cancer. They don't have natural killer cells, which we have to protect against cancer. And we're trying to figure out what are the mechanisms they use to do so.

[A]

One of the things that I learned is that they can run as fast going backwards as they can going forwards. Is that true?

[F]

That's absolutely true. They rely on those little hairs on their tail, which they use as eyes to run backwards and forwards. If you cut their hairs off, they run around in circles, much the same way that a cat. You know, if you cat's whiskers on their face, they get also disoriented and can't navigate properly through space.

[C]

So let's get our message out there to our listeners. Please don't cut cats whiskers off, don't cut the hairs off of naked mole rats, and don't kill any puppies. All right, I think we've been consistent on all three. Let's get to the reason we brought you here. As far as our game is concerned. You heard the question that we asked of Aparna. First, we wanted to know what disease, the number two killer of humans in the United States, do naked mole rats have resistance to? Helen, what did Aparna say?

[A]

Aparna said cancer.

[C]

And Dr. That's correct. That is correct for the point. Very nice. An important part of the research that you're doing next, we want to know what substance produced by naked mole rats is thought to help prevent that disease and is now used in wrinkle creams in humans. Helen, what did Aparna say?

[A]

Aparna said pepper.

[C]

And Dr. Buffenstein.

[F]

No, interestingly, they're insensitive to pepper. They don't feel pain caused by capsaicin, which is another one of their weird findings. The answer is hyaluronic acid.

[C]

Hyaluronic acid, of course. Yes. On the tip of your tongue. I know, I'm sorry. No point there. And then finally wanted to know what was the age of the oldest known naked mole rat. Helen, what did Aparna say?

[A]

Aparna said 38.

[F]

And Dr. No, she's close, but not quite there. The oldest animal that I had lived 40 years and a half in captivity.

[C]

40 and a half, wow. Very, very close.

[B]

40 is a new 30s.

[C]

It is.

[F]

But you're in the right. You said the fourth decade, so I would give it to you.

[C]

Oh, you're gonna give her the point.

[A]

Oh, wow. All right.

[F]

The longest lived animals are the breed of. Are the dominant queens and male breeders in the colony Aparna.

[A]

While we have Dr. Buffenstein, is there anything you'd like to ask or say?

[B]

Yes, I would like to ask. I did read that apparently the queen motivates some of the workers by shoving them. Is that right?

[F]

That's absolutely right. The queen doesn't motivate them by shoving, but she represses them from going into reproduction and wanting to have sex by being a bully.

[A]

This does not work in middle school humans.

[C]

Dr. Buffenstein, it's been so wonderful that you joined us. If people want to find out more about you and what you're up to, where can they do that?

[F]

They can look up my Wikipedia page or they can contact UIC.

[A]

Nakedmole, ratsrock.net thank you so much for joining us, everybody.

[C]

It's Dr. Richelle Buffon. Have a wonderful evening. Thank you so much.

[F]

Bye, guys.

[C]

All right, Helen, what is our score at the end of that round?

[A]

At the end of that exhilarating round, Aparna Nancherla has eight points and Stephen Tobolowski has two points with a round of questions for Stephen coming up.

[C]

That's right. We're going to talk with Stephen about a topic he knows about. Plus, later, Aparna and Stephen will go head to head in our fast facts round, all to find a winner on GoFact herself.

[A]

Welcome back to Go Fact Yourself with our guests Aparna Nancherla and Stephen Tobolowski. Once again, here's Jakeith Van Straten.

[C]

Thank you, Helen. All right, Stephen, of your many interests, you said that you know and love the work of Charles Dickens, the movie Children of Men, and the Jamaican Switch scammer. Let's find out a little bit more about each of those. First, tell us why you know and love the work of Charles Dickens.

[D]

It's a great book for actors. The chapters are short. They always begin with a bang, and they always end with a cliffhanger. It's just great to read when you're waiting.

[C]

Good to know. All right, next, Stephen, tell us why you know and love the movie Children of Men.

[D]

When I first saw it, I go, like, this is a great movie. And I just happen to have a plane flight on Swiss Air to Europe and back, and they showed Children of Men unedited and uncensored on Swiss Air.

[C]

What?

[D]

So I watched it coming and going, and I go, this is about the greatest movie ever made. It's a stunning work of cinema.

[A]

A little dark.

[D]

Well, yeah. Okay, so Cinderella.

[C]

But you make a good point. He makes a good point. And then finally, tell us why you're no. 1, love. And perhaps briefly, what is the Jamaican switch scam?

[D]

Jamaican switch scam is something like whenever somebody hands you a bag of money, first of all, you figure that's not. But what they do is, if you're stupid enough to go on with this, let's say, come to my bank, I'll put $1,000 in with your 50,000, and I'll take some out when I go. The second guy switches bags, and then you end up putting a bag in the bank, which is just rags, and they take the bag with your money home. So that's the Jamaican switch. Anytime somebody comes at you with a bag of money, which happens often, just say no.

[C]

Sound financial advice from Stephen Tobolowski. Well, to summarize, Stephen, you say you know and love the work of Charles Dickens, the movie Children of Men, and the Jamaican Switch scam. Today, we want to quiz you about the work of Charles Dickens. Sorry, scammers. You talked about how you initially got to love Dickens, but your love developed even more with another actor.

[D]

Yeah, the interesting thing about Charles Dickens was he never wanted to be a writer. He wanted to be an actor. Not only an actor, but a comic actor. So he was with his friends, he was with his buds, and they said, well, can you write some material for us. And so Charles Dickens started as a young guy, started writing out these skits for his guys to do, like Saturday Night Live. Anyway, his story kind of grabbed me, and then, as I saw how easily he goes into comedy, into tragedy, and can break your heart and tell you the greatest story in the world. You know, I still have some to read, but they're the most inspiring books. Hilarious, heartbreaking, beautiful and wise. That's why I like him.

[C]

Sounds like somebody else has a good way with words, huh? Well, just ahead, Stephen, we're going to enlist the help of a bonafide expert in this topic with a question worth up to three points. But before that, to let you show your love even further, here are five trivia questions for you about your topic, each worth one point. If you want it, you're allowed a hit for any two of these five questions. Now, Aparna, do listen closely, because if Stephen answers incorrectly, you could steal. By the way, Aparna, how much do you know about the work of Charles Dickens?

[B]

Not a lot. But I will say I know many failed comedians who have not become the greatest writers of all time.

[C]

All right, we'll see if that comes into play. Here is question number one, Stephen. Perhaps Charles Dickens most famous work is a novella from 1848 that people sometimes mistakenly call Scrooge. What is its actual yuletide title?

[D]

The Christmas Carol.

[C]

Helen.

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. A Christmas Carol. Fun fact. The story is called A Christmas Carol, but there have been several film adaptations called Scrooge dating back to 1922. There's also been movies called Old Scrooge, Mrs. Scrooge, and Sexy Scrooge. Plus Scrooge and the Hood. Not making that up. All right, Stephen, here's question number two. One of the most famous opening lines in all of literature is the oxymoronic two phrases of Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. How does it go?

[D]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

[C]

Ellen.

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. Yes. Said with such pathos as well. Fun fact, those lines were referring to the year 1750. And as you can tell from Dickens, he gave those times a very mixed review. On Yelp. You're two for two, Stephen. Here's question number three. The work of Dickens is filled with wonderful characters with sometimes unusual names. But which one of the following is not a Dickensian character? Is it Uriah Heap, Thelonious Farron, Wackford Squeers, Sergeant Buzfuz or Inspector Bucket?

[D]

I'd say Sergeant Buzfuz.

[C]

Helen.

[A]

Would you like a hint?

[D]

I better, yeah.

[C]

Helen, how about that first hint?

[A]

Wackford Squeers and Sergeant Buzzfuzz are real Dickens characters.

[D]

Thelonious Farron.

[C]

Helen.

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. Very nice. Fun fact. Uriah Heep is from David Copperfield. Wackford Squeers from Nicholas Nickleby. Sergeant Buzfuz from the Pickwick Papers. Inspector Bucket from Bleak House. Thelonious Ferrin may sound familiar. That is the main character in the movie Children of Men, which is why you got it correct.

[D]

But they call him Theo.

[C]

They do. They do. That was a little tricky. You are three for three, Stephen. Here's question number four. A Tale of Two Cities isn't the only work of Dickens that's primarily set in two places. In Great Expectations, the main character, Pip, finds himself navigating the bustling metropolis of London. But his story begins and ends in what nearby bucolic county?

[D]

One hint, please.

[C]

Helen. How about that second hint?

[A]

It's the last name of a super famous character in DC Comics named Clark.

[D]

Oh, Kent.

[C]

Ellen.

[A]

That is correct.

[C]

That is correct. Very nice use of the hint.

[D]

That was a great hint.

[C]

Very nice. Yes, yes. We figure if you can't get it from the work of Charles Dickens, perhaps you can get it from comic books. Yeah, yeah. Fun fact. Great Expectations was first published as a serial in a magazine. Over the course of 36 installments. That magazine, all the year round, was founded and owned by Charles Dickens. We call that vertical integration, I believe. All right, Stephen, you are four for four. You have a chance to go five for five. But you have no more hints available. Let's see how you do. In addition to being a writer, Dickens was also an actor, as you mentioned, traveling the globe to perform his work. In 1842, on a tour of the United States, he met luminaries like Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and two US Presidents. One still in office and the other a former president. Which sitting president did he meet?

[D]

This was 1842.

[C]

1842. Audience, please. Very quiet. I know we love our 1842 presidents, but let's let him figure it out.

[D]

President Tyler.

[C]

Ellen.

[A]

That is correct. That is correct.

[C]

Yes. President John Tyler. Stephen Tobolowski is also five for five. What a contest.

[D]

Who was the president?

[C]

John Tyler was the current president at the time. The former president he met was John Quincy Adams. But John Tyler was president at the time. Fun fact, in his shows, Dickens would perform a story as different characters alone on stage. And is often credited with inventing the one man show. So now we know who to blame. Stephen, you obviously did very well in that round. But now here's your expert level question that requires multiple answers. It is time for your cluster fact. We'll be bringing on an expert to discuss your response. Although very popular and well regarded, Charles Dickens did not win any major awards for his novels. But a musical film adaptation of a Dickens novel did. The Academy Award for best picture of 1968 for up to three points. What novel was this movie based on? What main female character in the book and the movie tries to save the title child character and is murdered. And in the movie, that character sings the classic song as long as he needs me about another character who has a dog. In the book and the movie, what is that dog's name? That's what happens when you threaten to kill puppies.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

It comes back in the cluster.

[D]

The novel would be called Oliver Twist.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

Never before has a boy wanted more. Oliver. Oliver.

[C]

Right. I know my question sounded like I was asking you to sing the entire score, but really what I was asking for is the name of one of the other characters.

[B]

Don't question his process.

[C]

I will not.

[D]

No female character.

[C]

Character. We're also looking for the dog's name of the person that she sang that song about.

[D]

Pooch. And what was the last female.

[C]

The female name?

[D]

Veronica.

[C]

And Veronica. All right, Helen is taking note of those answers. We have an expert on hand who can tell us for sure. Helen, who do we have tonight?

[A]

Joining us tonight is a legendary singer and actor whose storied career includes starring in the best picture of 1960. 68. It's Shanee Wallace.

[C]

Shaney Wallace, ladies and gentlemen.

[A]

Oh, my goodness.

[B]

Whoa.

[C]

An impromptu standing ovation.

[A]

Standing ovation. Action. Happening.

[C]

Shady's a hugger and we like it.

[E]

Nice and see, everybody.

[C]

Yes, it's nice to see you.

[E]

It sounds like you're having a great time.

[C]

Well, it's much better now as well.

[E]

Are you enjoying it?

[D]

I was until the last question.

[C]

All right. Well, Shaney, my goodness. For those who aren't fully aware of the amazing career that you've had, you've recorded albums, you've sung on the Oscars, the Hollywood palace, the Ed Sullivan Show. You've acted in multiple shows on Broadway and in London's West End and in TV shows from Gunsmoke to the Young and the Restless. You've worked with folks including Jerry Lewis, Carol Burnett, Liberace, and Charlie Chaplin. And you've appeared in beloved movies including the Great Mouse Detective and of course, a certain Academy Award winning adaptation Of a certain Charles Dickens novel. It is Shanee Wallace, ladies and gentlemen. Wow.

[A]

The great mouse detective. Yes.

[C]

Yes. Which I believe is a rodent. It all comes together.

[E]

Yeah, well, you know, when you read all those things off, I can't believe I did those things.

[C]

That's pretty great.

[E]

I'm so old.

[C]

Well. Well, since you brought it up, you had said that it was okay for me to ask, Because I know you're very proud to say how old you are now. How old are you right now?

[E]

92.

[C]

92 years old.

[B]

How old are you?

[D]

74.

[E]

74. Oh, you're just a kid.

[C]

Yeah, well, speaking of being just a kid, you got your start at a very young age.

[E]

Yes, I did. I was very young. Well, I mean, I. I studied from the age of four. You know, you gotta know your trade.

[A]

You weren't a failed actor like that stupid dickens.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

Our topic tonight is the work of Charles Dickens. How familiar were you with the novel that that movie was based on before you got the movie?

[E]

Not that much I knew of the role, and I was tested for the role with a lot of other young ladies. You have to bring yourself to that role. Even though you've read about the character, Even though you know the character, you still have to do your thing.

[B]

Right?

[D]

Right. You emerge from the role, you know, you make the role yours. Yours from your heart and your soul.

[C]

The opportunity that you got to be in that movie came actually as a result of being on television, from being on the ed Sullivan show. Tell us about that.

[E]

Well, Mike Frankovich, who is one of the producers of oliver, he saw me in New York, but he already had seen me in irma ladoos in London on the stage. So when he saw me, he said, hey, I think I got a role for you. Why don't you come out and visit and meet me? So that's what happened. And when he saw me, that's, you know, I got a test. I wasn't the only one. There were a lot of other people that tested as well, you know, and.

[A]

You beat them all.

[E]

Listen, in your lives, too. I'm sure that when you go up at something, there's about 10 other people that are all doing the same, you know, want the same thing. Right. You have to want it so bad, you know, everybody has to do the same thing. Work their bloody asses off.

[C]

Yeah, that's true. It matters what comes to mind when you think about shooting the film once you had the job.

[E]

I think all those little boys were incredible. I love the artful dodger. And who played Oliver? Do you know his name?

[C]

I do. I believe that was Mark Lester.

[E]

Mark Lester, yes.

[C]

Yes. And you actually stayed in touch over the years?

[E]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, he's getting old now.

[C]

The nerve, the nerve of him to get old.

[E]

You're not young anymore, Mark. Well, you're not a little boy anymore, Mark.

[C]

Well, funny you should mention that because Mark wanted to be here tonight and wanted to send his regards and unfortunately he wasn't able to join us in person or on Zoom. It's very late in London. He wasn't able to join us. But he did send a little video message that we would like to play for our audience and for you. Let's listen to that from Mark Lester, the original Oliver from the film.

[G]

Hello from the Carlton Clinic here in the lovely Cotswolds in the uk. I'd just like to say hello to the presenters, Jake, Heath and Helen. Also a big hello to Apana and Stephen. Love your work, Stephen. My wife's from Fort Worth, so I know Dallas and Texas well, fairly well. So also I understand you're a big fan of Charles Dickens, which is fabulous. Janie, hi. Sorry I can't be there. It's a long, long way away. But you know I'd do anything for you. Anyway, cheerio and I'll be back soon. Bye.

[C]

Mark Lester, isn't that lovely? He looks good. He does look good. Yeah.

[E]

He was like what, seven or five or whatever he was.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

You know, he's an old man now.

[C]

Well, it happens to the best of us.

[A]

What was it like working with a 70 year old as your co star?

[E]

Oh, pain in the ass. Well, you know, I mean, you know, kids, they're all over the place. And there were a lot of them too.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

It wasn't just Oliver, it was Jack Wilde. Jack Wilde. Jack was wonderful.

[C]

And this, he played the artful dodger.

[E]

I believe he played the artful dodger. And he always kept little Oliver in place. He unfortunately got very sick and he's not with us anymore. But he always looked after little Oliver. Yeah, he always looked after him on the set after set because like I.

[C]

Said, he was a pain in the air. Yeah, well, we mentioned that the film that you had such a big role in won the Oscar for Best Picture. Did that mean something to you to be in the Best picture of the year?

[E]

I always thought it was beautifully made. The director made everything work beautifully and I feel that there are only a few of those made. You know, it's not like you go see movies every week. You see this you see that? But comes along, something really special. Really, really special. And you just know it in your bones, you know?

[C]

And the director had never done a musical before, right. It wasn't something that he was familiar with.

[E]

No, it wasn't. But he was brilliant. Everything about that musical is just brilliant. Listen, I'm so bloody old now. You have to excuse me. We're 90 bloody 2.

[C]

There's nothing to excuse. There's nothing to excuse. We're happy that. We're happy to talk to you.

[A]

You are a delight.

[E]

What are you gonna do?

[C]

Absolute delight.

[E]

What are you gonna do?

[A]

You're just a delight. Shanee, do you still sing? Yes. You do? Yes.

[E]

As long as she needs Me Anymore.

[C]

Yes, absolutely.

[E]

I know where I must be Cling on steadfastly as long as he needs me as long as life is long I'll love him Right or wrong and somehow I'll be strong as long as he needs me I miss him so much when he is gone but when he's near me I won't let on away I feel inside the love I have to hide the hell I've got my pride as long as she.

[A]

Needs me.

[C]

Shiny waters Wow. I feel very, very lucky right now. Well, let's get to the reason we brought you here. As far as our silly little game is concerned. You did hear the questions that we asked of Steven. First, we wanted to know what novel was the best picture of 1968 based on? It is something written by Charles Dickens. Helen, what did Stephen say?

[A]

Stephen said, oliver Twist and Shaney.

[E]

Oh, I think that's right.

[C]

I think so as well. That is a point for Stephen.

[A]

Oh, thank you.

[C]

Next, we wanted to know what is the main female character who tries to save the title character and is murdered? Helen, what did Steven say?

[A]

Steven said, Veronica and Chaney.

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

No, no. What character did you play in Oliver?

[E]

Nancy.

[C]

Nancy. I think you know that now. Steven just weren't able to access it at the. No worries. That's fine. And finally wanted to know what is the name of the dog that belonged to the character that was sung about in as Long As He Needs Me. Helen, what did Stephen say?

[A]

Steven said, pooch.

[E]

Oh, that's wrong.

[C]

Oh, Shani said with such glee. Shaney, what is the correct answer?

[E]

Bullseye.

[C]

Bullseye. Yes.

[E]

But his real name was Butch.

[B]

Did you know that?

[C]

I did know that. Yes. But you have an interesting story about how they got Butch to do what they needed him.

[E]

Yeah, because he never did anything. I mean, he wasn't trained or anything like that. So they figured, how the hell do you get the dog to go down that bloody ramp? You know, that long ramp? So it had barrels. They put barrels up, all the way down, and they hid bits of bacon each barrel so that the dog would. And then Oliver, we would go, bullseye, Bullseye. And he'd come and take it off the table. And that's how I got down the ramp.

[C]

Yes. That also works for me, by the way, if you want me to follow you anywhere.

[A]

Does not work for a naked mole rat.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

Stephen, while we have Shaney here, is there anything you'd like to ask or say?

[D]

What do you think is the hardest thing about being an actor? And what do you think is the most rewarding?

[E]

I think the hardest thing is being truthful to yourself, to the known self. Be true when you are playing a role.

[D]

I agree with 100%.

[C]

Yeah. And the most rewarding thing. Stephen also asked.

[E]

Oh, everybody's saying, oh, you're wonderful.

[A]

Don't you all love that?

[E]

Oh, you're wonderful.

[C]

Well, this might sound insincere, but you are wonderful. Thank you for joining us tonight. Shanee Wallace, everybody. Shaney Wallace. Wow.

[A]

I got chills.

[C]

Yeah, that was singing. That was very, very special. Helen, what is our score going into the final round?

[A]

J. Keith. It's a tie.

[C]

Whoa.

[A]

Aparna Nancharla has eight points, and Stephen Tobolawski has eight points.

[C]

All right, well, now it is time for our final round. We call Fast facts. I'll read 10 statements. Each contestant will answer with true or false. I'll start with Aparna and then alternate. Each correct answer is worth one point. Again, please try to answer with true or false, and we will go fast. Here we begin. Aparna. Some car models are named after animals.

[B]

True.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

Stephen. Some car models are named after insects.

[D]

False.

[A]

Incorrect.

[C]

No, they really are. Aparna. There's been a car called a Beetle.

[B]

True.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

Yes. The Volkswagen Beetle. Stephen. There's been a car called a Firefly.

[D]

False.

[A]

Incorrect.

[C]

No. The Pontiac Firefly. Aparna. There's been a car called the Cricket.

[B]

True.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

The Plymouth Cricket. Steven. There's been a car called the Honeybee. False.

[A]

Incorrect.

[C]

The Datsun Honeybee. Aparna. There's been a car called the Super Bee.

[B]

True.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

The Dodge Super Bee. Steven. There's been a car called the Bumblebee. True.

[A]

Incorrect.

[C]

Stephen Dunley. No. The Bumblebee car was only in Transformers. Aparna. Only one car still in production is named after an insect.

[B]

Uh, False.

[A]

Incorrect.

[C]

Oh, finally, she got one wrong. Stephen, that car is called the Alfa Romeo Spider. True.

[A]

Incorrect.

[C]

And finally, Aparna. And that's because a spider is not an insect. True.

[D]

It's an arachnid.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

Correct. All right, let's give a nice hand to Stephen Tobolowski and a Parna Noncherla as Helen tabulates the final score. By the way, according to the site Motorbiscuit, the only. The only car named after an insect still in production is the Dodge Hornet. The Bumblebee, by the way, in Transformers, originally transformed into a Volkswagen Beetle. It all comes together. All right, Helen, are you ready to announce the winner on today's program?

[A]

I am. At the end of the game, Aparna Nancherla has 12 points and Stephen Tobolowski has eight points.

[C]

Congratulations, Aparna. You are the facting champion on Go fact yourself. Aparna, what will you do with your championship? I.

[B]

Well, what do I win?

[C]

All right, we're gonna give our panelists a chance to promote anything of theirs.

[A]

Picture of a naked mole rat.

[C]

We're gonna wrap up by giving everyone on the panel a chance to promote anything of theirs they might like. Aparna, where can people see you and what you're up to?

[B]

I'm on Instagram. Parnapkin and I perform all over LA and the US Excellent. Oh, yeah, and my special is coming out on Dropout. I don't have an exact date, but it should be before the end of 2025.

[C]

Congratulations on that and congratulations on your win and thank you for being here at Carmelo. Stephen Tobolowski, what do you want to mention?

[D]

Well, on Netflix, I'm on Nobody Wants this. That show there. I've just finished a couple things for Netflix, so something will end up on Netflix maybe by the time this comes out.

[C]

Keep watching Netflix so you can find Stephen Tobolowski. What a joy. Thank you both, ladies and gentlemen. You are so lucky because my hosting partner is Helen Hong.

[A]

You can follow me on all the socials. Funny helenhong.

[C]

Why?

[A]

Cause that other Helen Hong is not funny.

[C]

But this one is. She's our funny Helen Hong. And me. You can find me on the [e-mail] all spelled out. You can also come to my favorite storytelling show in Los Angeles that I happen to co produce called Rant and Rave at the Rogue Machine Theater every other month. That just leaves me to thank a pardon on Chair list. Stephen Tobolowski, Dr. Rochelle, Buffenstein, Cheney Wallace. Everyone here at LA's in the Crawford, and thank you for listening and supporting our [e-mail] I'm Jake Van Straten. Goodnight. Like what you hear, Come see us live. Go to gofactorpod.com for our schedule and tickets. Meanwhile, please like and follow us on all the socials all GoFactorPod. Update our [e-mail] and by our T shaped shirt, mug shaped mug and dingle dangly dingle dangle and [e-mail] and give us a great review on your favorite podcast platform like Gail did on Castbox. He, she or they said great news about the radio show. This pod definitely deserves a wider audience. Thanks Gail. We love a wider audience. Also a taller one.

[A]

Helen Go Factor side is a panel quiz program devised and produced by Jim Newman and Jakeith Van Stratten and comes to you via transcription from the Crawford Laist in Pasadena. Questions were compiled by the Trivia Industrial Complex. We are produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun and laist. Maximum Fun Senior Producer is Laura Swisher, Co Producer and Editor on our very own Naked Mole Rat is Julian Burrell Additional editing by Valerie Moffatt music by Jonathan Green Research assistance provided by Adam Needed Quiz assistance provided by Bart Gold and Clint Tauscher Promotional graphics by Erich Tran Video clips by Scout Mayberry Live show photography by Christine Vellota Live show support by Dave Bianchi Special thanks to Mark Howells and Katrina Santa Maria for Laist. John Kohn, Vice President Audience and Community Engagement Rebecca Stummy, Senior Producer Tony Federico Technical Director Michael Leyva, Tech Assistant Lorena Nader, Audience Experience Manager Mikayla Perez and Gianna Tram, Events Interns and Colin Haskins on call Events Coordinator. I've been Helen Hong let's go find some naked mole rats and read the Work of Charles Dickens.

[C]

They are cute as the Dickens, aren't they?

[A]

Maximum Fun.

[C]

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