Ep. 186: Al Madrigal & Mary Lynn Rajskub

Summary

Go Fact Yourself — Episode 186: Al Madrigal & Mary Lynn Rajskub
January 17, 2026 • MaximumFun.org

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Episode Overview

This lively, trivia-packed episode of Go Fact Yourself features comedians Al Madrigal (Lopez vs Lopez, The Daily Show) and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) competing to prove their expertise in niche subjects, field fun and challenging questions, interact with real-life experts, and share behind-the-scenes stories from their careers. Guest host Ashley Burch (stepping in for Helen Hong) brings sharp humor and energy alongside regular host J. Keith van Straaten. The competition covers Latino politicians, burrito pride, Moonlighting’s iconic wardrobe, and more, all before a warmly responsive live audience in Pasadena.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Meet the Contestants & Warm-Up (01:13–06:46)

• Ashley Burch introduces the show as interim co-host, humorously recounting her recent "loop group" voice work:
  “I basically went in at 9am and screamed for an hour and went home.” (02:07)
• Al Madrigal shares insights from his celebrated Daily Show tenure, especially his high-impact segment on Arizona’s school ban of Mexican American studies:
  “The Tea Party had infiltrated low level politics in Arizona… and then kill[ed] Mexican American studies because they thought it taught hatred of the white man.” (03:45)
• The piece is now taught in Chicano studies curriculum—something Al finds surreal:
  “People reach out about that constantly… I wish it never had happened.” (04:47)
• Mary Lynn Rajskub is starring in Netflix’s North of North, an original sitcom about Inuit life:
  “The showrunners are both Inuit women who are starting their legacy of stories that are told about the Arctic culture that aren’t heavy and depressing.” (05:10)
• She playfully addresses the typecasting of her character as “a Karen,” consulting her teenage son for research:
  “I asked my son, I said, do you think I can play a Karen type? …You can think about it.” (05:55)

"What's the Difference?" Round: UFOs vs UAPs & Gravy vs Sauce (06:46–11:28)

• Listener Alice Chen (Los Angeles) queries: What’s the difference between UFO and UAP?
  • Al Madrigal: “A UFO is actually something that is physical… UAP… is just everything else…” (07:54)
  • Ashley Burch provides the facts:
    “A UAP... might be flying… underwater or in outer space, and it might not even be an object…” (09:01)
  • J. Keith: “UAP is more accurate than UFO, which itself is more accurate than…flying saucer.” (09:25)
• Mary Lynn answers on gravy vs sauce, with Al quipping:
  • Al: “You put gravy in a boat. There’s no such thing as a sauce boat.” (10:34)
  • Ashley clarifies: “Gravy is made from juices and fats… from cooked meat. Sauce might or might not contain meat juices and can be any color.” (10:54)

Guest Backgrounds & Anecdotes (11:28–18:10)

Al Madrigal

• Returning to The Daily Show:
  • “10 years later, you show up and you don’t expect…with Trevor of it all…Nope. Everyone stayed.” (11:56)
• Latino Identity & Comedy:
  • “Latinos love taking down other Latinos…There’s no winning.” (12:35)
• Firing People in the Family Business: Emotional tales of having to let staff go—driving him to seek balance through Big Brothers Big Sisters, stained glass, and finally stand-up:
  • “I was crying in my car and decided that I needed to do something else.” (13:05)

Mary Lynn Rajskub

• Filming in Iqaluit, Nunavut:
  • “You get on a little airline called Canadian North and take another three hours north…” (14:41)
  • “You can take a boat, but only in a couple months…when the ocean has melted.” (15:26)
• 24 with Kiefer Sutherland:
  • “The sexual chemistry was off the charts, so they had to keep us separated.” (15:47)
  • On adjusting to drama: being overwhelmed by single-camera setups and developing memory tricks for complex jargon. (15:47)
• Movie Night School: Both remember the unique camaraderie of working on set, swapping stories about Bill Murray sightings and hurricane hotel chaos in Atlanta. (16:54–17:48)

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Main Challenges: "Own Topic" Quiz Segments

Al Madrigal: U.S. Latino Politicians (19:20–33:57)

Why This Topic?

• “I really pick that one to test my knowledge…I'd like to…monitor who's out there and what they're up to.” (19:36)

Sample Questions & Answers

• First Latino in President's Cabinet?
  Correct: “Bush.” (23:51) (Lauro Cavazos served under Reagan & Bush)

• Which indicted Senator had $100,000 in what precious item?
  Correct: “Gold bars. The man had gold bars for some reason.” (24:32)

• Siblings in high office—Which family didn’t do it?
  Wrong: Diaz-Balarts
  Mary Lynn steals: “I believe it was the Sununus.” (25:15–25:17)

• Puerto Rico’s Representative Title?
  Al Incorrect: “Citizen Commissioner”
  Mary Lynn steals: “Resident Commissioner.” (26:39)

Expert Segment (29:23)

Expert: Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco (32:23)

• On the “Name Accuracy Act”:
  “What this bill allows individuals to do is…now put diacritical marks, which are tildes, the ñ…on birth certificates, marriage licenses…so people can say it accurately.” (31:31)
• The major "sort-of" Mexican restaurant chain founded in Downey: Taco Bell (32:23)
• The number of attempts to pass the bill: Three (33:01; Al answered correctly)
• J. Keith: “Everything good is Downey.” (33:29)

Mary Lynn Rajskub: Cybill Shepherd’s Wardrobe on Moonlighting (35:03–49:34)

Why This Topic?

• “Watching TV in the 80s and seeing this very strong, feminine woman…wardrobe kind of transcends the whole thing and affected society…” (36:49)

Sample Questions & Answers

• Structural Inserts Not Used?
  Correct: “Shoulder pads.” (39:44)

• Color of Fav Emmy Gown with Orange Sneakers?
  Incorrect. Al steals with “Black.” (40:40)

• Which costume did Cybill NOT wear?
  Correct: “Banana.” (41:25)

• Wardrobe color never used?
  Hinted: Blues (42:17)

• What was her itchy Shakespearean costume lined with?
  Nobody got: Moleskin (43:12)

Expert Segment (45:04)

Expert: Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of Moonlighting (45:04)

• On working with costume designer Robert Turturice:
  “He was just…amazing and so certain of things. And we didn’t always agree, but he was always right.” (47:12)
• Cybill Shepherd hated to wear: Heels (48:30)
• Weekly wardrobe budget: $35,000 (48:51; much higher than Mary Lynn guessed!)
• George Hurrell’s vocation: Photographer, not hairstylist as Mary Lynn guessed (48:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Al on firing people:
  “I was crying in my car and decided that I needed to do something else.” (13:05)
• Al, defending SF burritos:
  “San Francisco burritos are the best in the United States, hands down…San Diego people with the French fries…[makes rude gesture].” (20:01)
• Mary Lynn on early 24 acting panic:
  “It was the worst. None of it was coming back to me. They finally had to tell everybody to take a break, and I went and stood in the corner and memorized it.” (15:47)
• Mary Lynn on Cybill Shepherd’s impact:
  “She didn’t compromise the strength or the femininity…If you watch it today, it doesn’t look dated—it looks like high fashion.” (36:49)
• Glenn Gordon Caron on Moonlighting:
  “I was in pain. And at the end of the meeting, somebody said, you know, you can do whatever you want with it…And all I heard was, you can do whatever you want.” (46:20)
• Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco’s mom cheering from audience: “Hi, Mom. Very proud mom, we see there.” (31:17)

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Fast Facts Round (49:45–51:11)

• Both contestants face rapid-fire true/false on real and made-up streaming services (Netflix: T, Tubi: T, Booby: F, Sweatflix: F, etc.).
  • Standout:
    “There’s a streaming service called Booby.”
    Mary Lynn: “False.” (50:27)
    “Yeah, you know what that would be for.”

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Final Scores & Winner

• Mary Lynn: 9 points
• Al: 10 points

Winner: Al Madrigal (51:11)

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Plugs & Outro (51:17–54:47)

• Al Madrigal: “Not being on a TV show lets me guest star on a lot of other shows…go to almadrigal.com…” (51:46)
• Mary Lynn Rajskub: “Go catch up on North of North before the second season comes out.” (52:19)
• Ashley Burch: “Watch I’m Happy You’re Here on YouTube—a comedy mental health show. If you have anxiety, go watch it and it’ll cure it.” (52:38)
• J. Keith van Straaten: Find him at jakeith.net and for trivia hosting at bigquizthing.com.

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Expert Guests

• Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, California State Assembly (on Latino identity & politics)
• Glenn Gordon Caron, Creator of Moonlighting (on Cybill Shepherd’s wardrobe)

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Memorable Audience & Host Exchanges

• Mary Lynn, after a successful steal: “I thought of a word.” (26:48)
• Al on “helping write questions” after his win:
  “I will help Jim write questions for future episodes.” (51:25)
• J. Keith’s outro:
  “Thank you for listening and supporting our show…Goodnight.” (54:48)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:13: Episode start, host introductions, guest intros
• 06:46: What’s the Difference? UFO vs UAP
• 11:28: Contestants’ career stories
• 19:20: Al’s chosen topics, quiz begins
• 29:23: Expert: Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco
• 35:03: Mary Lynn’s Moonlighting fashion quiz
• 45:04: Expert: Glenn Gordon Caron
• 49:45: Fast Facts round
• 51:11: Winner & closing plugs

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Go Fact Yourself continues to be a delightful (and informative) showcase for quirky expertise, warmth, and improv wit. Both Al Madrigal and Mary Lynn Rajskub brighten this episode with unique stories, competitive spirit, and easy repartee.

Transcript

[Jay Keith]

Hey, it's Jay Keith and it's Helen.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And we have a couple huge shows coming up in New York City.

[Jay Keith]

We'd love for you to be there. Or if you can't, tell all your New York friends.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

On Saturday, January 24th at 7pm at Symphony Space, we've got guest Dorinda Medley from Traitors and the Real Housewives of New York against RuPaul's Drag Race icon Jackie Cox.

[Jay Keith]

Then Monday, January 26th at 7pm at the JCC with guests Broadway savants set Seth Radetky versus difficult people's Julie Klosner.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Tickets are available right [e-mail] and of.

[Jay Keith]

Course, we've still got shows in the.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Los Angeles area on the schedule for February and March. Dre Hemingway, Drew Lynch, Jordan Carlos and Tatiana Ali. All the latest info and tickets as [e-mail] now, we're not just here to.

[Jay Keith]

Plug our live shows. We're also here to plug the radio and podcast episodes. We're now on Mississippi Public Broadcasting throughout the state on Sundays at 11am and.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

If you'd like to hear us on your local public radio station, look up your station's programming director and let them know. It really helps. And in the meantime, take it away. Helen.

[Ashley Burch]

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. Hello, everyone, and 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 am Ashley Burch in for Helen Hong. And now, from the Crawford at LA east in Pasadena, here's our moderator, J. Keith Van Stratten.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Hey, thank you so much. Thank you, Ashley. Nice to have you co hosting again.

[Ashley Burch]

I'm back. Back, back again.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Absolutely.

[Al Madrigal]

Yeah.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

You brought your entourage as well. Now, Ashley, I think a lot of people know that you've done voice work playing recognizable in cartoons and video games, but you actually worked recently in another capacity in the voice world. Tell us about that.

[Ashley Burch]

Yes, I was in a loop group, which is basically when they bring a gaggle of voice actors to do ancillary voices for an animated movie. So I basically went in at 9am and screamed for an hour and went home, more or less. What happened?

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Can we ask you to maybe to demonstrate your favorite scream tonight? You can say no.

[Ashley Burch]

I think if I do that, I might not be able to do anything else in the rest of the show.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

She is committed to this show tonight. Ashley Burge, thank you so much for co hosting tonight. Well, today on go fact yourself, you will scream with delight because we've got two guests who 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. And finally, we'll declare one of our guests the winner of today's show. Let's get started and meet today's guest, Ashley. Who do we have playing tonight?

[Ashley Burch]

He is a comedian, writer and actor known for several shows including Lopez vs Lopez and his many years on the Daily Show. And she is a comedian, writer, and actor known for several shows including It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and her many years on 24. And they both were in the movie Night School. It's Al Madrigal and Mary Lynn Ricegub.

[Al Madrigal]

Hello.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Hello, Al. And hello, Mary Lynn.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Hi.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

I believe our first guest to show up with their own cocktails. We're gonna have a great time tonight. Well, Al, you've worked for five seasons. You did over 100 episodes of the Daily show as the senior Latino correspondent.

[Al Madrigal]

That's correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Maybe your most viewed piece was about a school's ban on Mexican American studies. What do you remember about that piece?

[Al Madrigal]

You always go out without really telling you how the sausage is made, with a plan and an idea of how things will go along the way. And you have your list of questions. And the Tea Party had infiltrated low level politics in Arizona. So this guy, Michael Hicks, who's deceased, I believe. I believe he passed away from COVID He. They decided to infiltrate the school board and then kill Mexican American studies because they thought it taught hatred of the white man. And then I said, please explain how they kept the African American studies program. I'm a young black man. Explain how that doesn't teach resentment. And he fumbled his way through that in a glorious way and just handed me one of my favorite pieces ever. And it was my second piece, so I really had no idea what I was doing. I was shocked.

[Ashley Burch]

That was your second piece.

[Al Madrigal]

Yes.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah. And I understand, in fact, that that piece is now taught in Chicano studies classes. Correct? As an example of journalism as a.

[Al Madrigal]

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. People reach out about that constantly and. Yeah, it's crazy. I wish it never had happened. Yeah.

[Ashley Burch]

Mary Lynn, in addition to the shows I mentioned, you're now starring on the series north of north on Netflix, now in its second season. That's very exciting. Yes. You said that working on this show is like a dream come true.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Why I didn't know if I would get a job again. We'll start there. So that's a dream come true. But having a part on an ensemble in a comedy, that I think the show matters and I had never heard of it. And it's. The showrunners are both Inuit women who are starting their legacy of stories that are told about the Arctic culture that aren't heavy and depressing. And they're comedy fans. And so I just feel very lucky that they wanted me for this. And I got to kind of get a peek into their world. I play the white lady on the show.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, okay. And was that a challenge for you?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I asked my son, I said, do you think I can play a Karen type? Yep. I said, you can think about it.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Think about it.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Think about it for a minute.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

From the mouth of babes. Yes. And how old is your son?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

42.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, wow. Okay. That's.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

He's 17.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

He's 17. That sounds like a 17 year old answer. Well, we'll chat with you 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. Al, for you, you said that was us, Latino politicians, San Francisco's Mexican restaurants, and a little bit something different, Jack Reacher. Whereas Mary Lynn, you said you know and love the city of Iqaluit, Canada, the movie the Florida Project, and Cybill Shepherd's wardrobe on Moonlighting. And it's so nice that you brought some of those pieces to wear tonight.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

She would never. She would not be caught. And a bomber jacket.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, 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 might know nothing about. It is time to split some hairs with our what's the Difference? Round. 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, Flying Saucer. First up in Flying Saucer is Al. Al, your question comes from a listener. Who is it, Ashley?

[Ashley Burch]

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. Hi, listener.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Hello, listener.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Hi, I'm Alice Chen from Los Angeles, California. My question for what's the Difference? Is while both might cause your eyes to get as big as Saucers. What's the difference between an unidentified flying object or UFO and an Unidentified Anomalous phenomenon, or uap? Thank you. I think this is such a fun show.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, thank you so much, Alice. Alice Chan, everybody. Thank you so much, Alice. All right, Al, you heard Alice. What is the difference between a UFO and a uap?

[Al Madrigal]

Sure. A UFO is actually something that is physical, that has is documented and spotted. The Navy is seeing them constantly. So it's an actual object, an aircraft that is flying or landed or crash landed, and then I think the anomaly is just everything else. So just any sort of sighting that doesn't involve the actual aircraft? Yeah.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, we've got Al's answer. We don't know yet if he's entirely correct. Mary Lynn, anything you'd like to change or add to try to get a point?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Absolutely. Ufo, you will see the only real one in the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

[Al Madrigal]

Right.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

And a UFO is specifically modeled towards that, and it means aliens are real. And a uap, I kind of agree with you. Is more natural phenomenon. So everything else falls into that category.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, this segment needs to phone home. Let's go to Ashley Burch at the judges table for the facts.

[Ashley Burch]

Here are the facts. A ufo, Unidentified Flying Object is just what it says. An object flying through the air that defies easy identification or explanation. A uap, Unidentified Anomalous phenomenon is something that might be flying in the air or it might be underwater or in outer space, and it might not even be an object because strange lights or atmospheric events are also phenomena that are studied as UAPs.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That's right. Now, UAP was originally coined as an exact synonym for UFO and stood for unidentified aerial phenomenon. But aerial was then changed to anomalous to account for phenomena that were not flying. So UAP is more accurate than ufo, which itself is more accurate than the term. It replaced flying saucer. But I'm sure UAP will never be replaced and people who report them will always be taken seriously. Ashley, how did our guest do?

[Ashley Burch]

Al got it perfectly right. So I'm going to give Al two points.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Two points for Al Madrigal.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Hey.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right. Up next in flying saucer is Mary Lynn. Mary Lynn, while the ingredients in either one might be unidentified or phenomenal, what's the difference traditionally between gravy and sauce? Gravy and sauce.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Sauce is considered to have a tomato base, whereas gravy includes some sort of meat dripping or meat derivative.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

What was the first word before. Before you said derivative? A meat dripping. Yes, Meat dripping or A meat derivative.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Yes.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, well, we've got Mary Lynn's very descriptive and slightly disturbing answer. We don't know yet if she's entirely correct. Al, anything you want to change or add?

[Al Madrigal]

You put gravy in a boat. There's no such thing as a sauce boat. Okay. That is a quality answer. So I'm going to stick with that.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Sticking with that. All right.

[Al Madrigal]

Gravy goes in a boat. Sauce does not.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yes. That's why sauce will never be an admiral in the Navy. That's right. It's very sad. All right, well, this segment has lost its it's awesome sauce. Let's go to Ashley Burch at the judges table for the facts.

[Ashley Burch]

Here are the facts. While there are some regional differences, traditionally speaking, gravy is made from juices and fats that come from cooked meat. So it's brownish in color and served hot, usually with the meat it came from. Sauce might or might not contain meat juices and can be any color. It can be served hot or cold and often with dishes unrelated to meat.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That's right. And some sauces like tzatziki or tartar sauce are best served cold, just like revenge. Ashley, how did our guest do?

[Ashley Burch]

Mary Lynn said that gravy was a meat dripping or derivative, and I think that's pretty close. So I'm gonna give Mary Lynn one point.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

One point for Mary Lynn. Very nice. All right, let's get to know our guests a little bit better. Al Madrigal, you are the co founder of the All Things Comedy Network. You've made regular appearances on shows like the Tonight show and Jimmy Kimmel. You're a series regular on the sitcom Lopez vs Lopez and a regular correspondent for five seasons on the Daily Show.

[Al Madrigal]

Y.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And you recently returned to the Daily show as a celebrity guest. What was it like being back there in that position?

[Al Madrigal]

It was weird. And also a lot of the same people still there, which is amazing because, you know, 10 years later, you show up and you don't expect with the Trevor of it all and, you know, expect there to be some turnover. Nope, Everyone stayed. So that was interesting. Just producers. It's such a great gig that it's like this golden handcuffs thing that you don't want to ever leave. So it's amazing to return and see a lot of buddies. Ronny Chang is a very good of mine, so to have him be hosting while I'm a guest, it was amazing.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Very cool. Now, you were, of course, the senior Latino correspondent, but you've said that other Latinos actually Made fun of you because of your poor Spanish.

[Al Madrigal]

Oh, all the time. Well, Latinos, they know better than anyone else. Latinos love taking down other Latinos. You're never. They. Why don't you speak Spanish? Your Spanish isn't pronounced properly. Like, there's no winning. So no matter what anyone does, it would not have been so it's a.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Very supportive community is what I'm hearing.

[Al Madrigal]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Last thing I want to ask about. You worked for many years in a family business where one of your main roles was to fire people.

[Al Madrigal]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

What was that like to fire people?

[Al Madrigal]

It was hard. I was very sincere. There was an episode of Cheers where Norm had to fire people. That was his job. And he got. Do you remember? And he started crying during his first one and then started to use that as a strategy. Backfired, and then they found out he was faking it and he was this monster. But I really was very sincere about it. I gave people opportunities to not screw up, and sometimes they still screwed up. It was a horrible job. And that's why I started doing stand up comedy. I was crying in my car and decided that I needed to do something else.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And even stand up was better than that.

[Al Madrigal]

Well, it was really funny. I started volunteering with the Big brothers and Big Sisters in San Francisco. I was trying to balance that out. And I was doing stained glass. I thought that for some reason. Yeah. I was down in Noe Valley taking stained glass glasses, and I thought that was going to balance it out. And then I always loved stand up, so tried that and it took off. And thank goodness, because I got to stop firing people, which was horrible.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Wow. Well, I'm glad that worked out for you and for those employees. Well, Mary Lynn, you've been a touring stand up for several years. You've appeared in acclaimed movies including Little Miss Sunshine, Punch Drunk, Love, Magnolia, and on TV, including, of course, as Chloe on the drama 24 and the comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You are now on this series, north of north, in its second season on Netflix. Congratulations on all of that and, yeah, thank you. Now, north of north on Netflix takes place in remote parts of Canada. How remote are the actual locations where you're shooting?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Just south of the Arctic Circle. So you go LA to Toronto, Toronto to Ottawa. We've all heard of Ottawa. Then you get on a little airline called Canadian north and take another three hours north to Iqaluit, Nunavut.

[Al Madrigal]

Wow.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

And it's surrounded by all Inuit territories. And, yeah, you just watch the trees disappear and it become tundra. And ice. It's really quite something.

[Al Madrigal]

They got a Hilton up there.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

They have something called the New Hotel, which is not similar to a Hilton. And you can only get there by plane. And, yeah, it's totally landlocked, so everything has to be shipped there. It's kind of amazing that we were able to shoot there.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I mean, you can take a boat, but only in a couple months in the summer when the ocean has melted.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Wow. Well, a lot of people got to know you first from your work on 24. It's one of my favorite shows of all time. I was struck that you had this great rapport with Kiefer Sutherland, but it was usually on the phone and you weren't shown in the same room together very often. Were you in the same room when you were doing those scenes?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Well, I mean, the sexual chemistry was off the charts, so they had to keep us separated. You know, it's like, are we effing or fighting? You know, we never know which direction it's gonna go with us. Yeah. No, I. A funny thing happened to me the first day of shooting where. Because I've always been a quick study with things, and that was my first drama. And even with the jargon, I was a pretty quick study for the first take, but I never did a single camera drama. So I got through the take, and I'm, like, feeling pretty good. And then they went and lit for 20 minutes and came back, and it had all disappeared in my head. And my first scene was with Kiefer, and I just. It was the worst. None of it was coming back to me. And they finally had to tell everybody to take a break, and I went and stood in the corner and memorized it. But then they told me afterwards. They're like, don't worry. That happens. So I developed ways to remember it.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

Yeah.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, last one I asked both of you is you both have appeared in the movie Night School starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. And I know we're all. We're all excited for this reunion. This is why we came tonight, actually.

[Al Madrigal]

Let's bring out Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, yeah. What are your memories of working together on that?

[Al Madrigal]

Every single production that you're on is like a summer camp. So you're there and you become fast friends, and we have this cool, shared experience, and we don't see each other as much as we'd like. But I'm thrilled, too.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Yeah. Yeah. I was thinking it was kind of a gift to, like, get to hang out like that because you Know, we're not doing that in real life.

[Al Madrigal]

No. Everybody has life's maintenance here. But then when you're isolated with a group of people that you get. You get to hang out.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah. No, it's very awkward backstage, I should.

[Al Madrigal]

Point out, between all of us. Well, funny, because so many celebrities stay at that hotel. We'd see Bill Murray in the lobby occasionally because there's so much production going on in Atlanta. So everyone is staying at that particular Lowe's. And so, yeah, Bill Murray is stealing somebody's fries.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

There he is.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

How do I not remember Bill Murray? I remember that when they have hurricanes, people would come there and they would let children and dogs. They would let dogs.

[Al Madrigal]

Oh, yeah, we had that. Yeah, I remember there was. From Florida. There was a big. There was a tropical storm coming, and our lobby was immediately filled with children and dogs.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Awesome.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, we're so happy to have you both together again. The whirlwind of talent that is Marilyn Ricegub and Al Madrigal. Ashley, what is our score heading into the break?

[Ashley Burch]

Going into the break, Al Madrigal has two points and Mary Lynn Rice Cub has one point.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

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.

[Announcer]

Since 2017, after every Max Fund drive, we've held a sale for Max Fund members where all of the proceeds go to a nonprofit. In December, we donated $43,000 to Transgender Law Center. 43,000. Thank you to all the Max Fund members who made this possible. Transgender Law center champions the right of all transgender and gender non conforming people to live freely, safely, and authentically. A mission that everyone at Max Fund supports. If you'd like to learn more or make an additional donation, go to transgenderlawcenter.org and for anyone who needs to hear this, you belong here. You deserve to be able to be yourself, and we love you.

[Ashley Burch]

Welcome back to Go Fat Yourself with our guests Al Madrigal and Mary Lynn Ricekub. Once again, here's J. Keith Van Stratton.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Thank you so much, Ashley. Thank you, everybody. All right, Al, of your many interests, you told us that you know and love the topics of U.S. latino politicians, San Francisco's Mexican restaurants, and Jack Reacher. Let's find out a little bit more about each of those. First, tell us why you know and us Latino politicians.

[Al Madrigal]

I really pick that one to test my knowledge and to encourage myself to study up more. So I've developed relationships with a lot of Them. And then I'd like to sort of monitor who's out there and what they're up to. And we've seen some recent activity that's a little disturbing.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah, I think they're monitoring us.

[Al Madrigal]

Yeah, exactly.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah. All right, well then next, tell us why you know and love San Francisco's Mexican restaurants.

[Al Madrigal]

You know, it's been a while since I lived in San Francisco, born and raised. But I'm nostalgic for. I do maintain that San Francisco burritos are the best in the United States, hands down, with no close second. I do. I have burritos I enjoy. But a San Francisco lots of caquea burrito is its own thing. And the San Diego people with the French fries. Wow. Wow.

[Ashley Burch]

For the listeners at home. Al did a rude gesture.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yes, Yes.

[Al Madrigal]

I gave it the fangoul.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

The fan. All right. And finally tell us why you know and love Jack Reacher so Jack Reach.

[Al Madrigal]

This is very hilarious. This is very funny. Because my uncle Skip Tarantino, when you have a relative, you work in Hollywood, you have relatives that assume you know everything about Hollywood. So I show up at the Thanksgiving and my uncle Skippy Tarantino comes up to me and he goes, hey, can I ask you a question? Can you believe they made Tom Cruise Jack Reacher? Why'd they do that? Like I know the inner working of the Tom Cruise Jack Reacher franchise and ip. So I go, no, is that a problem? I go, why is that a big deal? And he says, because Jack Reacher is 6 foot 4, Jack Reacher is 250 pounds. Jack Reacher and Tom Cruise is not. And so this is a big problem for all the Reacher fans. Then I'm at a gig on the road and I'm walking down a island of Barnes and Noble and somebody goes, hey, you ever read these Jack Reachers? And again, same thing. And says, can you believe they made Tom Cruise Jack Reacher? And I said, I gotta buy one of these. And proceeded to buy Killing Floor and mow through every single one. And even my mom, who's a book snob, who's like, well, let me read that crap. And she did the exact same thing. Lee Chow. We just read every single one of them. I. I've dropped off recently since Lee Child left and I do watch the Amazon series and I've watched the movies, so bring it.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right. And how do you feel now about Tom Cruise having played Jack Reacher?

[Al Madrigal]

It's. Listen.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Okay. All right, well, to summarize, Al, you said you know and love us Latino politicians, San Francisco's Mexican restaurants, and Jack Reacher Today we want to quiz you about US Latino politicians.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

Okay.

[Al Madrigal]

I did put a lot of eggs in the reacher basket, but.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Hopefully you left at least a couple in the Latino politician 1. Do you have any favorite Latino politicians.

[Al Madrigal]

From the U.S. oh, well, with Alex Padilla and what he did recently, when it comes to, you know, all the ICE raids and standing up against Kristi Noem, that was amazing. I do am friendly with Joaquin Castro. He's great. So, yeah, I have a couple faves.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Nice. Just ahead, we're going to enlist the help of a bona fide 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 the topic, each worth one point. If you want it, you're allowed a hint for any two of these five questions. Now, Mary Lynn, do listen closely because if al answers incorrectly, you could steal. By the way, Mary Lynn, how much do you know about US Latino politicians?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Oh, I was going to not listen closely. Take a little break. Take a little. I need a lot of little breaksies.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

So that was going to be my.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is certainly an option we have not considered.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Gotcha. I'll listen closely.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, Abel, here's question number one. While surveys show that the majority of Latinos leaned toward the Democratic Party, the first Latino to serve in the cabinet did so for two Republican presidents. Who were either of the presidents under whom Lauro Cavazos served as U.S. secretary of Education from 1988 to 1990? Bush. Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That is correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct, yes. George H.W.

[Al Madrigal]

Bush.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

We're on our way. Ronald Reagan, of course. The other at the end of his term. Fun fact. Hilda Solis was the first Latina cabinet member serving as Secretary of Labor under President Obama. She currently serves on the Board of Supervisors in the county of Los Angeles. She's supervising us right now. Isn't that a lovely thought? All right, here's question number two. Latino politicians are still, well, politicians, which means some of them are going to get indicted for crimes. Senator Bob Menendez is currently serving an 11 year sentence for corruption after nearly half a million dollars in. In cash was found hidden in his home, as well as over $100,000 worth of what shiny, precious item.

[Al Madrigal]

Gold bars. The man had gold bars for some reason.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That is correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct. Yes. Fun fact. Senator Menendez's son, Robert Menendez, currently serves in the House of Representatives. And hopefully that's the only part of his dad's career that he will emulate. All right, here's Question number three. For some US Latino politicians, it's a family affair with siblings serving in high level positions in the federal government at the same time. But which of the following families did not? Is it the Castros, the Salazars, the Sanchezes, the Sununus, or the Diaz Balarts?

[Al Madrigal]

Who say the Diaz Balarts?

[Ashley Burch]

Ashley, that is incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, I'm terribly sorry, Mary Lynn. With a chance to steal.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I believe it was the SINOO News.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That is correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct.

[Al Madrigal]

Wow.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Al Madrigal sandbagging Al, as far as our listeners know. Wow, a successful steal from Mary Lynn. Very nice. Fun fact. The Sununus are father and son and also did not serve at the same time. By the way, while Ken Salazar was Secretary of the Interior, his brother John was in Congress. And when John ran for re election, a negative campaign ad kept calling him Ken, who was not up for election and John still managed to lose. Well, let's see if you can bounce back here with question number four. You do still have your hints available?

[Al Madrigal]

All right, let's use them.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

You may want to hear the question first. All right, question number four. The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has representation in Congress. Sort of. Residents of Puerto Rico, 99% of whom are Latino, are not represented by a senator or congressman but instead by a non voting delegate to the House. Called what?

[Al Madrigal]

I mean, let's take the hint.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, how about that hint, Ashley?

[Ashley Burch]

It's two words. The first word is what you call someone who lives in a particular place. The second word is what the head of the police department is called in Batman.

[Al Madrigal]

All right, so we had commissioner, right? And then citizen Commissioner.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Is that, Is it citizen commissioner, Ashley?

[Ashley Burch]

It is not.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Not exactly. Mary Lynn with another chance to steal resident commissioner.

[Ashley Burch]

That is correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct, Mary Lynn, with a successless deal. And you said you didn't know about US Latino politicians.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I thought of a word.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Fun fact. There have been 21 resident commissioners since the position began in 1901. All of them have been Latino. U.S. latino politicians. All right, let's see if we can bounce back with question five. You do still have a hint available, Al? The first Latino to be a United States Senator was the wonderfully named Octaviano Ambrogio Larazolo, who represented New Mexico. In what decade was he elected to the Senate? You do have a hint available.

[Al Madrigal]

I'll take the hint.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

How about that second hint, Ashley?

[Ashley Burch]

It was 16 years after New Mexico became a state.

[Al Madrigal]

Yeah, I think it was 1882.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

So which decade would that be?

[Al Madrigal]

Yeah, the 1880s, Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That is incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, I'm terribly sorry, Mary Lynn.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

A chance to steal the 1840s.

[Ashley Burch]

Ashley, that is incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Also incorrect. No, I'm sorry. A little later than that. It was the 1920s. 1928 to be exact. Fun fact. Senator Larazzolo fought hard and long for Latino rights in New Mexico. And by the time he finally made it to the Senate, he was so old that he had to retire three months into his term. But he did make it. Yeah.

[Al Madrigal]

All right, pioneer.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, Al, you struggled a little bit there. But now here is 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. In addition to serving in federal government, there of course are U.S. latino politicians in more local places. And Latinos in U.S. politics are still, of course, pioneers today. For example, there's Blanca Pacheco, who was the first Latina mayor of the city of Downey before being elected to the California State assembly where she's already authored pioneering legislation for up to three points. What huge chain of sort of Mexican restaurants, which does include dozens of locations in the San Francisco area, was founded in Downey where Pacheco served two terms. Next, what was the subject of the Name Accuracy act, the legislation she wrote that helps preserve Latino identity on official documents in California? And how many attempts did it take her to pass this legislation? And we'll give it to you within one.

[Al Madrigal]

So I'm gonna say El Torito just cause it's a guess and it seems like a logical one. Okay, and then what was the next one?

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

The next one was what was the subject of her Name Accuracy act, which helped preserve Latino identity on official documents in California?

[Al Madrigal]

No idea.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Would you like to hazard a guess? It might be fun.

[Al Madrigal]

No.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

Okay.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And how many attempts did it take her to pass that legislation?

[Announcer]

Three.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

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

[Ashley Burch]

Joining us tonight is a former mayor, city councilwoman, and current member of the California State Assembly. It's assembly member Blanca Pacheco.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

So nice to see you. Welcome. Excellent. What an amazing career you've already had in public service. You were a city council member and two time elected mayor of Downey. President of the League of California City's Los Angeles division. You chaired the Housing Community and Economic Development Policy Committee, and you've been an at large director on the League of California City State Board, and Of course since 2022, an Assembly Member representing District 64 in the California Assembly, a position for which you've already been reelected. Well, first, tell us about district 64.

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

So I represent assembly district 64. It is majority Latino. We have approximately a little over 74% Latinos in my district. And I represent southeast LA county area. So I'm gonna give a shout out to all my cities. I have Bell, Cuttahay, Bell Gardens, Downey, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada, La Habra, and south unincorporated Whittier.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah, yeah, that. North unincorporated Whittier. Very sketchy. The south is where you want to be. Well, you have a very interesting background. You've got a bachelor's degree in political science with a specialization in Chicano and Chicano studies. Did you ever study the work of Al Madrigal in college?

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

I didn't, but I should have.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

It sounds like it, yeah. You then went on to become a lawyer, but you came from a more working class background.

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

I did. I grew up in Cudahay, Southgate and in Downey.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And tell us what your parents did.

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

So my dad was a school bus driver and my mom was a nurse. And she's actually here in the audience.

[Al Madrigal]

Oh, my gosh. Lovely.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Hi, Mom. Very proud mom. We see there. Let's jump ahead a little bit and talk about this legislation that you passed because it's so interesting. It is called the Name Accuracy Act. Al wasn't able to come up with a guess for it, but tell us about what it is and why it's so important.

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

What this bill allows individuals to do is they can now put diacritical marks, which are tildes, the ene. So, like Latino last names sometimes have Munoz. And currently on birth certificates, on marriage licenses, on death certificates, you can't put the ene, so it becomes munos. And so this now allows individuals to accurately write down how the spelling should be so that people can say it accurately. And that's very important for the Latino community, but also for other communities as well.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, let's get to the reason we brought you here as far as our game is concerned. You heard the questions that we asked of Al. First, we wanted to know what huge chain of sort of Mexican restaurants was founded in Downey where you served two terms. Ashley, what did Al say? El Torito and Assemblymember.

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

Taco Bell.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Taco Bell.

[Al Madrigal]

Chain of Mexico.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Chain of sort of Mexican restaurants. I was trying to help you there. All right, no point there. I'm sorry. Next, we wanted to know what was the subject of the Name Accuracy act, the legislation that was written by Assemblymember Pacheco that helped preserve Latino identity. Al did not have an answer for that. But now we know that the answer is what?

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

Assemblymember Diacritical marks.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Diacritical marks. I'm sorry, no point there. But we appreciate the efforts that you made in that amazing legislation. And finally, we wanted to know how many attempts did it take Assemblymember Pacheco to pass that legislation? Ashley, what did Al say?

[Ashley Burch]

3.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And Assemblymember.

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

3.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct.

[Ashley Burch]

While we have your expert, is there anything you'd like to say or ask?

[Al Madrigal]

Oh, I just. Actually, I've spent some time in Downey. I have a lot of friends who live in Downey. A lot of friends from Whittier. Melissa Villasenor from Whittier. I don't know if you know that. She was on Saturday Night Live for a long time and then you have now, is Whittier considered Mexican? Beverly Hills?

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

No, that's Downey.

[Al Madrigal]

That's Downey.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That's right.

[Al Madrigal]

Okay.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Everything good is Downey.

[Al Madrigal]

Downey. Yeah.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

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

[Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco]

They can follow me on social media. Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco. Also my website. Also Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco. Always a pleasure to be here and thank you for this opportunity.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, you were a delightful delight. Thank you so much. Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. All right, Ashley, what is our score at the end of that round?

[Ashley Burch]

At the end of that round, Al Madrigal has five points and Mary Lynn Ricecub has three points with a round of questions for Mary Lynn coming up.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That's right. We're gonna talk with Mary Lynn about a topic she knows about. Plus, later, Al and Mary Lynn will go head to head in our fast facts round, all to find a winner on Go Fact Yourself. If you wanna know what's going on in the world of movies, you should be listening to Maximum Film so we can tell you all about it. Okay, but what if you already know what's going on in the world of movies? Movies? What if you're kind of obsessed with movies? Like maybe you have a problem? Well, then you should definitely be listening to Maximum Film because we too have that problem. And it's important you know you're not alone. We're talking indies. You'll want to seek out blockbusters and blockbusting wannabes, classics we can't get enough of. I'm comedian and writer Kevin Avery, I'm film critic Alonzo Duraldi. I'm festival programmer and producer Drea Clarke. Together we're maximum film smart about movies in Hollywood, so you don't have to be. But if you already are, that's also great. And hey, we see you new episodes Every week on MaximumFun.org welcome back to.

[Ashley Burch]

Go Fact Yourself with our guests Al Madrigal and Mary Lynn Ricekub. Once again, here's J. Keith Van Stratton.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Thank you so much, Ashley. Thank you, everybody. All right, Mary Lynn, of your many interests, you told us that you know and love the city of Iqaluit, Canada, the movie the Florida Project, and Cybill Shepherd's wardrobe on Moonlighting. Let's find out a little bit more about each of those. First, tell us why you know and love this city of Iqaluit.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Iqaluit, Nunavut is close to my heart because that's where we shot the first season of north of North. It is the capital of the Nunavut Territories in the Canadian Arctic, and it was established as an air base first. So it's like the first modern city there. So you get a real mixture of modern Inuit and other people coming to do different kind of jobs there, and then also people that have these traditions that go back thousands of years. So it's a fascinating place.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That's really cool. Not just a place to do a job. Yeah, exactly. It's great. All right, next, tell us why you know and love the movie the Florida Project.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I was late to seeing this. I just recently saw it, and I fell in love with it because it tells the story of poverty next to the happiest place on earth. And I love that. It just is very naturalistic and follows all these characters through a slice of life, but it also is jam packed with life lessons and character studies. And what did he. He said he wanted to make it kind of like the Little Rascals with all the little kids. The life of these little kids living in poverty but having a joyous life, not really realizing how, you know, that they're outside of mainstream society.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And finally, tell us why it is that you know and love Cybill Shepherd's wardrobe on the TV show Moonlighting.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

It's kind of a core memory that I have as a child of just watching TV in the 80s and seeing this very strong, feminine woman. Like she didn't compromise the strength or the femininity and the idea that the costume designer would have an opportunity like that to make it so iconic and transcendent that it affected you know, the genre of tv, the chemistry that they had with each other. And I just love that the wardrobe kind of transcends the whole thing and affected society with its soft, you know, silks and shoulder pads and clutches and wispy hair. But if you watch it today, it doesn't look dated, like, it looks like high fashion. So that's the other thing, too. Cause a lot of times you see TV shows now where they're dressed in high fashion and it doesn't fit. And she was so glamorous in the show that it totally worked.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah, you really light up talking about that. You can tell it's a delight. Yes, absolutely. All right, well, to summarize, Mary Lynn, you said you know and love the city of Iqaluit, Canada, the movie the Florida Project, and Cybill Shepherd's wardrobe on Moonlighting. Today we want to quiz you about Cybill Shepherd's wardrobe on Moonlighting.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Are you kidding me?

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

I am not.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I did not think it would go in this direction.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Now, did you try to emulate her wardrobe at any point in your life?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

No.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Okay, that's fine. You don't have to.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I never. You know what? I'll be honest with you. I never felt I was good enough. I was more of a tomboy type of lady. So, you know, it still could happen. I'm more of a lady now than ever. So maybe I'll bust out some Seafoam green or.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

I look forward to that.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

We get a blowout. Thank you so much.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And, of course, there was more to your loving Moonlighting than just the wardrobe of Cybill Shepherd.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Yeah, I mean, it's the first time we see Bruce Willis. And if you go back and watch them, which they've just started airing them, he is just a pinnacle of a human being. The network kept turning him down, like, 11 times to be that part, but the show creator wanted him, and he broke the mold of that type of genre.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Absolutely. Well, just ahead, we're enlist the help of a bona fide expert in your topic with a question worth up to three points. But before that, to show your love even more, here are your five trivia questions about your topic, each worth one point. And of course, if you want it, you're allowed to hint for any two of these five questions. Now, Al, listen closely, because if Mary Lynn answers incorrectly, you could steal. By the way, Al, how much do you know about Cybill Shepherd's wardrobe on Moonlighting?

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

So much.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Okay, here is question number one. Playing a fashionable and powerful female character on a 1980s TV show, Cybill shepherd sometimes wore suits and blazers, but according to Moonlighting's costume designer, the late Robert Turtorice, due to her natural build, she did not wear them with what structural inserts often used by other powerful female characters in the 1980s.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I want to say shoulder pads, but I think I feel like she did wear shoulder pads. I'm just say shoulder pads, Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That's correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct. Yes.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

It really looked like she was wearing shoulder pads.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

It really did. But according to several interviews, he said that she didn't. Yes, she just had those naturally broad shoulders that they were able to accent. Fun fact. Robert Turtle, the costume designer, was nominated for three Emmy Awards for his work on Moonlighting. Winning one. He was also nominated for his work on another Cybill shepherd show. Cybill. If it works, it works. All right, here's question number two. Cybill shepherd wore a lot of gowns on the show, and she said that her favorite was a strapless cocktail gown that she wore both on the show and to the EMMY Awards in 1985, where she made headlines by pairing it with bright orange sneakers. What slimming color was the dress?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

It was blue.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That's incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, I'm terribly sorry. Chance for Al to steal black.

[Ashley Burch]

That's correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, successful steal from Al. Very nice. Fun fact, these shoes were Reebok Freestyle high top sneakers, which were introduced in 1982 and are still made today. All right, let's see if we can bounce back, Mary Lynn, with question number three. While Cybill shepherd typically wore power suits, silky shirts, and fancy gowns, there were some episodes where her wardrobe was less typical. But which one of the following costumes was not part of her wardrobe on Moonlighting? Was it a white hospital gown, a velvet Renaissance style gown, a Halloween style banana costume, an outfit only seen in black and white, or a claymation thermometer?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Banana.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Ashley, Is it banana?

[Ashley Burch]

That is correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct. Yes. Fun fact, she wore a hospital gown when her character was hospitalized, a Renaissance style gown for a Shakespearean episode, an outfit seen only in black and white in a film noir sequence, and a claymation thermometer in a scene where she was also transformed into a telephone receiver, a frying and a witch. All right, here's question number four. You do still have your hints available. The color palette of Sybill Shepherd's wardrobe was mostly limited to warm toned pastels, mainly pinks, peaches, creams and lavenders. But Robert Turnery said he never dressed her in any shade of what color? Family.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

May I have a hint, please?

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, Ashley, how About that first hint.

[Ashley Burch]

It is the color in the name of the detective agency on the show.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Blue Moon. Blue Moon Detective Agency.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

So the answer would be blues Ashley.

[Ashley Burch]

That is correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct. Fun fact, he never dressed her in blue because he said he didn't like how it looked.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

That's right.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah. That's pretty simple. Yeah. Here now is question five. You do still have another hint available. Robert Tertoris Emmy award that we mentioned was earned for the costumes on that Shakespearean episode that we mentioned. An episode called Atomic Shakespeare. But we didn't mention that Cybill shepherd hated that costume. It was so itchy and heavy that filming was delayed while the wardrobe people had to line her outfit with what type of fabric?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I'd like a hint, please.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

How about that second hand, Ashley?

[Ashley Burch]

A type of this fabric is commonly used to prevent blisters.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

They lined it with latex.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Was it lined with latex? Ashley?

[Ashley Burch]

That is incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, I'm terribly sorry. Ow. With a chance to steal silk. Was it silk?

[Ashley Burch]

Incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, I'm terribly sorry. No audience. Anyone know moleskin? Moleskin. Some of you gotta guess. Moleskin is the type of cotton fabric that is used there. Yes, it is moleskin. Sorry, no point there. Fun fact. That costume, of course was a brocade, tapestry and velvet dusty rose renaissance style gown with a lace up bodice with raised waist and slash sleeves with exposed pleated ivory chiffon and embellished with five bows with decorative gold tone aglets. Obviously. Yes, it sold at auction in 2025 for $1,625. Which based on that fancy description, seems low. Yeah, it does. Yeah, it does seem low.

[Al Madrigal]

It really does seem low.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah. All right, Mary Lynn, you still did pretty well in that round. But now here is 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. Mary Lynn, we have given lots of credit, deservedly to costume designer Robert Turtury, so. But credit also goes to the person who hired him. Moonlighting creator, writer and executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron. And both Tertaryse and Karen said that Cybill Shepherd's look on the show was influenced in part by the work George Harrell did with Hollywood stars in the 1930s and 40s, even though Harrell was not a costume designer. So for up to three, what was the vocation of the influential George Harrell? Next, what was the one thing that Cybill shepherd told Karen that she hated to wear and was always trying to. And according to a 1985 interview. What was Karen's wardrobe budget for each episode of the first season? And we'll give it to you within $10,000. Ooh.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

George Harrell was a hairstylist.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Okay.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Cybill shepherd hated wearing heels and tried to not wear them. And the budget for wardrobe was $1,000 per episode.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

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

[Ashley Burch]

Joining us tonight is an award winning writer, producer and director whose many credits include creating Moonlighting. It's Glen Gordon. Karen.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Glenn Gordon.

[Announcer]

Karen.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Come on out. Mr. Karen, hello. Thank you so much for being here and welcome. Mr. Karen. Thank you. Well, my goodness, you have written and or directed films including Clean and Sober, Love Affair, and Picture Perfect. You've written and produced on acclaimed TV shows including Taxi, Remington Steele, Bull, and of course, you created the shows Medium and Moonlighting, for which you were nominated for four Emmy Awards. Glenn Gordon. Karen. Now, you were working in advertising before you came to Hollywood. How did you make that transition?

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

I worked at an advertising agency, but to say I did advertising would be an overstatement.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

What did you do in the ad agency?

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

I got lunch.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Okay.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

You know. No, I went out and tried to. I worked for an advertising agency for almost a year, and I don't think I sold a single account.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Wow.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

Yeah.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, let's talk about Moonlighting. Did I read correctly that the idea of creating a detective show came from the network and you were resistant to it? Very.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

I had a contract where I was to do three pilots, and back then pilots were two hour movies, and I had done the first two, and I was very proud of them. And the network said, these are really good, but frankly, they're too arty for the room. So now you have one left, and we're going to tell you what to do. We want you to do a boy girl detective show. And I said, oh, please don't make me do that. And they said, no, we want, like, a guy in a tuxedo and a girl in a gown and blah, blah, blah. And I want. I was in pain. And at the end of the meeting, somebody said, you know, you can do whatever you want with it, but that's what we want. And all I heard was, you can do whatever you want. And that was really how the show sort of happened.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, the topic of our segment is Cybil's wardrobe. And this is actually not the first time that you've been asked to talk about the fashion on the show. Why do you think that fashion still stands out today to so many people.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

I think it's a tribute to Robert Turtle, who was a genius, Genuinely a genius. We did two other pilots together before we did Moonlighting, so we had a very economical language to share. But he was just. He was amazing and so certain of things. And we didn't always agree, but he was always right. And if you look at the work in Atomic Shakespeare, I mean, it's just awesome what he was able to do. I mean, we didn't work within a tele. I was very. I was very arrogant, and I would shoot the shows until I felt they were right, and we would spend money until we were done. But that notwithstanding, even within that, he was capable of doing amazing things with very little.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Let's get to the reason that we brought you here. As far as our game is concerned, though, here are the questions that we asked of Mary Lynn. First, we were talking about the influential George Harrell, and we wanted to know from Mary Lynn, what was his vocation? Ashley, what did Mary Lynn say?

[Ashley Burch]

Hairstylist.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And Glenn?

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

He was actually a very famous classic photographer.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Ah.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

So no point there. I'm sorry. But let's get to our next question, which was, what was the one thing that Cybill shepherd told someone named Glenn Gordon Karen that she hated to wear and was always trying to dodge? Ashley, what did Mary Lynn say?

[Ashley Burch]

Heels.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And, Glenn.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

She's perfectly correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

That is correct. Yes. She hated wearing heels. In fact, I believe that's what influenced her to wear those Reeboks to the Emmy Awards. She didn't want to wear heels with that dress. All right. And then finally wanted to know, According to a 1985 interview, what was Glenn Gordon Karen's wardrobe budget for each episode of the first season? Ashley, what did Mary Lynn say?

[Ashley Burch]

$1,000.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

And Glenn?

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

$35,000.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah, it's a little bit more than that.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I was actually thinking $1,000 an outfit. That was my rating.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

I'm sorry, we should have specified. And we all know, of course, they had exactly 35 outfits for each million.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

I swear to God.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No worries, no worries. I'm sorry. No point there. Well, Glenn, it's been such a treat and an honor for you to join us today. If people want to find out more about what you're up to, where can they do that?

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

I have no idea.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Okay.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

I mean, I'm on. I like to say Twitter because I prefer it to X, but that's where I am.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Excellent.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

And other than that, I don't know where you could go to find out.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, I have a feeling we're going to find out when the next big project comes out, and we'll be happy to see it. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. Glenn, Gordon, Karen, everybody, thank you. What a treat.

[Al Madrigal]

Thank you.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, Ashley, what is our score as we head into the final round?

[Ashley Burch]

Going into the final round, Al Madrigal has six points and Mary Lynn Rice Cub has seven points.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Oh, all right. But now it is time for our final round. We call Fast facts. I'll read 10 statements and each contestant will answer with true or false. I'll start with Al and then alternate. Each correct answer is worth one point. Again, please answer each statement with true or false, and we will go fast. Here we begin. Al, there are streaming services for people to watch videos.

[Glenn Gordon Caron]

True.

[Ashley Burch]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Mary Lynn, there's a streaming service called Netflix. True.

[Ashley Burch]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Al, there's a streaming service called Popcorn Flicks. False.

[Ashley Burch]

Incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, it's mostly there for free movies. Mary Lynn, there's a streaming service called Mubi.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

False.

[Ashley Burch]

Incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, there really is. It's mostly for art house cinema. Al, there's a streaming service called Tubi.

[Al Madrigal]

True.

[Ashley Burch]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yes, it's mostly for TV shows. Mary Lynn, there's a streaming service called Booby.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

False.

[Announcer]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Yeah, you know what that would be for Al, there's a streaming service called Petflix.

[Al Madrigal]

True.

[Ashley Burch]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

For videos of pets. Mary Lynn, there's a streaming service called Jetflix. False.

[Ashley Burch]

Incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

For videos of jets. Al, there's a streaming service called Sweatflix.

[Announcer]

False.

[Ashley Burch]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Sorry, people who want to watch videos of sweats.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Neuri.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Lynn, there was a streaming service called Betflix Falls.

[Ashley Burch]

Incorrect.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

No, there used to be, but it's now, of course, for gambling. Al, there's a streaming service called Detflix.

[Al Madrigal]

False.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Correct. And finally, Mary Lynn, if there were, it would be for people who use too much Betflix.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

True.

[Ashley Burch]

Correct.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, let's give a nice hand to Mary Lynn Ricegub and Al Madrigal as Ashley tabulates the final score. We're not going to count those last two. All right, Ashley, are you ready to announce the winner on today's program?

[Ashley Burch]

Yes. At the end of the game, Mary Lynn has nine points and Al has 10 points.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Congratulations, Al. Magical. You came back to be the facting champion on Go fact yourself. Al, what will you do with your championship?

[Al Madrigal]

I will help Jim write questions for future episodes. I would like to thank you for.

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Going easy on me and my non quiz brain. I appreciate you and everything you do.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

All right, we're gonna wrap up by giving everyone on the panel a chance to promote anything of theirs they might like. Al Madrigal, where can people find you and what you're up to?

[Al Madrigal]

You know, I've actually been appearing on a lot of One of the beauties of not being on a TV show is getting to guest star on a lot of other shows. So I'm trying to set a record. So far I've been on, I'm on St. Denis Medical, shifting gears and then I'm on Animal Control. So you can watch me on a variety of shows and go to almadrigal.com and watch my stuff. I've put up a tremendous amount of video.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Well, you've done a tremendous amount of great work here tonight. Almadrigal, everybody. Marilyn Ricecrub, what about yourself?

[Mary Lynn Ricecub]

Go catch up on north of north before the second season comes out and and yeah, local comedy shows. I'll be there with Al.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

Excellent. We're so happy that both of you are here with us today. Marilyn ricegub, Ladies and gentlemen, your fabulous co host tonight was the lovely and talented Ashley Burch.

[Ashley Burch]

Please go watch. I'm happy you're here on YouTube. It's a comedy mental health show. So if you have anxiety, go watch.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

It and it'll cure it.

[Ashley Burch]

It'll cure it.

[Al Madrigal]

Wow.

[Ashley Burch]

Guaranteed.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

These claims are not endorsed by the fda, but she is. Ashleigh Burch, thank you so much for being here and me. You can find me on all the [e-mail], all spelled out. You can hire me for your trivia show either live in person or online by going to bigquizthing.com that just leaves me to thank Al Madrigal, Marilyn Ricecub, Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco, Glenn Gordon, Karen, everyone here at Laist Anne the Crawford and thank you for listening and supporting our show. @maximumfun.org I'm J. Keith Van Stratton. 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 O FactorPod. 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 Salinas Lettuce did on Apple podcasts. He, she or they said when someone at a bar in LA tells you to check out their podcast, a degree of skepticism is understandable. But when GFY co creator Jim Newman, a great trivia host in his own right, suggests a podcast, you listen. Six years later, I'm still listening and enjoying every episode. Thanks Selena Sleddis I told you Jim, my marketing strategy of talking to one person at a bar at a time is going to work.

[Ashley Burch]

Ashley Go Fet Yourself is a panel quiz program devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith Van Stratten and comes to you via via transcription from the Crawford at Las in Pasadena. Questions were compiled by the Trivia Industrial Complex. We are produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun and Elias. Maximum Fun Senior Producer is Laura Swisher, Co Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffatt. Special thanks to Alina Evans, Travis Coles, Judy Farkas and John King at Judy Farkas Management and Helen Hong for Elliot John Kohn, Vice President, Audience and Community Engagement Rebecca Stump, Senior Producer Tony Federico, Technical Director Michael Leyva, Tech Assistant Lorena Nader, Audience Experience Manager Mikayla Perez, Events Intern and Andres Mejia, Intern. I've been Ashleigh Burch let's go vote.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

For Latino politicians, especially if they dress like Cybill Shepard. Yay.

[Jay Keith]

Maximum Fun.

[J. Keith Van Stratten]

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