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Working Forests Initiative Announcer
This message comes from Working Forests initiative in American Working Forests. Their professionals, from gis analysts to biologists and even accountants, are committed to planting more trees than they harvest. They all have a role to play in planting for the future. Together, they aim to plant more than 1 billion seedlings in American working forests every year. They believe that protecting their working forests for tomorrow starts with planting more than they harvest today. Learn more at working forestsinitiative.com.
Bill Curtis
From npr and wbez chicago, this is wait, wait, don't tell me, the npr news quiz. I'm the seven time winner of the fort lauderdale wet blazer contest, bill curtis. And here is your host at the Studebaker Theater and the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois.
Peter Sagal
Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. It is spring break and just like we did in college, everyone on our show is taking the opportunity to stay home and catch up on our homework.
Bill Curtis
Speak for yourself, dweeb. I'm at a karaoke bar in Cabo, absolutely lit on tequila, singing Chapel Roan
Peter Sagal
at the top of my lungs. Okay, fine. While Bill is having fun, the rest of us are reviewing our notes from the past year or so. Delroy Lindo may not have won an Oscar for his role in the movie Sinners, but I am sure he was just as happy to join us back in January to talk about his amazing career.
Andy Richter
Thank you.
Peter Sagal
I'm such a big fan of yours. I feel like I've seen you in movies and TV for a very long time, but I don't really associate you with one role. And I was wondering, do other people do people recognize you mostly for one thing or another?
Delroy Lindo
One thing or another meaning different audience members have different references for me based on what they've seen me do. There is not one part in particular
Peter Sagal
that said it has always occurred to me watching you in all kinds of different things that your characters have a certain quality that they all share. And I actually heard you tell a story. You were on stage quite recently with your good friend Denzel Washington, and you told a story about how early on in your career you were approached by a guy on a bicycle. I think it was like you were getting a car and that guy seemed to nail it. So I was wondering if you could tell that story to us.
Delroy Lindo
So it's okay to curse on this show, right?
Peter Sagal
I think people get a sense. Go right ahead. We have beeps.
Delroy Lindo
So I was parking my car on Park Avenue. This is many, many, many, many years ago in New York City. And a bicycle messenger passed me young African American gentleman. He stopped, backed his bike up came to me and said, hey, man, you that actor, right? And I said, yeah, brother, Yes, I am. And he said, you know what I. You know what I. You know what I dig about you in the movies, man? And I said, what, brother? He said, nobody ever with you in the movies, bro.
Peter Sagal
And that. Am I right, guys? Yes.
Delroy Lindo
And as I explained to Denzel, for me, I interpreted that as him having a certain kind of respect for whatever it is he had seen me do.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, it's true. As we have mentioned, you and Denzel known each other for years, students together at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where a lot of great actors came from. He says that you gave him one of the greatest bits of advice you ever got as a young starving actor. You said you could survive what was it on, a loaf of wheat bread, a jar of honey, and a jar of peanut butter.
Delroy Lindo
That's how I lived when I needed to. Right. The point being that was a kind of a go to that you could. That one could get. Get protein and get all of the nutrients that one. The one needed.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, but. And I want to ask immediately, though, when you first started making money, or maybe just the first time you got a paycheck for acting, what was like the good thing to eat? The first thing that you bought?
Delroy Lindo
Okay, you will learn this about me. I'm not going to answer the question, but I will give you an answer.
Peter Sagal
Oh, please.
Delroy Lindo
So when I. When I first made a little bit of money as an actor, the thing that gave me the most joy was to be able to send money to my mom. As proof.
Peter Sagal
Thank you.
Delroy Lindo
As proof that not only was I gainfully employed, but I was sufficiently gainfully employed that I could send her some money.
Paula Poundstone
You know, I don't think you're doing that well. And I would like to adopt you.
Peter Sagal
Your mother, if I'm not mistaken, was a Jamaican immigrant to Great Britain, where you spent. That's correct.
Progressive Insurance Announcer
That is correct.
Peter Sagal
So I'm assuming, like all immigrant mothers, she wanted you to make a nice living, like become a doctor, a lawyer, something respectable. I might have been a Paul, apparently.
Delroy Lindo
You know, when I was two and a half, I said, when I grow up, I want to be a doctor, Ma. And my mom never let me forget that.
Peter Sagal
You promised me. And what's amazing, another story I learned about you, is that you caught the acting bug at the age of five.
Delroy Lindo
I did. I did. You've done your homework. Yeah. As a result of being in the nativity play at my. In my elementary. My primary school.
Bill Curtis
That is correct.
Delroy Lindo
Right, yes.
Peter Sagal
Which character in the nativity scene did you play?
Delroy Lindo
The Black King, bro.
Peter Sagal
I want to talk to you about Sinners, which is an amazing film, one of the biggest movies of last year, which will hopefully reap a lot of awards. This is a movie again, filled with music, brilliant music. And you play a musician. Yeah, a singer and piano player. Did you have to learn? Was that a talent you brought to the table when you walked on set?
Delroy Lindo
No, I received a lot of instruction. I had one, two, three brilliant musicians, New Orleans based musicians who work with me on my relationship to the keyboard.
Peter Sagal
Right.
Delroy Lindo
And I also had instruction on the harp, the harmonica. So I had a lot of instruction. Yeah.
Peter Sagal
Do you still play now that the movie's all wrapped in the past?
Delroy Lindo
No, I have. God bless them. The producers gave me the. One of the keyboards. I've been so busy, frankly, I haven't had a chance to get back to it.
Peter Sagal
I don't know, man. If you don't practice, you may not.
Delroy Lindo
Absolutely.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, I know. It's true. I want to ask you this before we move to our. To our game, which is. We understand that one of your legacies as your youth in Britain is that you were a big fan of soccer. I am, man, you. Right.
Delroy Lindo
All day long.
Peter Sagal
All day long, man. You have. I mean, you're a pretty prominent guy. Has the team honored you? Have they had you there? I mean, they have a lot of fans, but you're.
Delroy Lindo
Man, they have not. And give them a call.
Peter Sagal
I will. If only I'd known.
Andy Richter
Are you.
Peter Sagal
Are you then very excited for the upcoming World Cup?
Delroy Lindo
I am, yeah. I really, really am. Yeah. Very, very much so. I'm not sure. I don't have tickets yet. Anybody in the audience who has influence there can give me a call. Yeah, I'm really excited. I'm really excited.
John M. Chu
Yeah.
Peter Sagal
It's a sad thing when you. Someone like you has to ask us, but.
Delroy Lindo
Yeah, right.
Peter Sagal
Do you have any divided loyalties? You grew up in England, you, where your career has been. Are you going to be rooting, you know who you're rooting for?
Delroy Lindo
Actually, that's a really good question. And I would say the answer do I have divided loyalties? I would say I'd like to see the English team do well. I like to see the American team do well. So I guess I've got my feet in both. In both. On both sides of the fence there.
Peter Sagal
Okay. You're going to be torn. If it's. If it comes down to those two teams.
Delroy Lindo
It will not. Yeah.
Peter Sagal
I was about to Say no. No way.
Andy Richter
It's not going to happen, man.
Peter Sagal
No, that's not. I'm hardly a fan and even I know that is not going to happen. It's not going to happen. No. Well, Delroy Lindo, it is a pleasure to talk to you and we have invited you here today to play a game and we are calling it Sinners Meet the Saints. So you star in the movie Sinners as said. So we thought we'd ask you today three questions about Saints, specifically the New Orleans Saints of the NFL, which if you're not a fan in this last season 2025 improved on the prior year's 512 record by going 6 11. So if you answer two or three questions correctly, you will win our prize, one of our listeners, the voice of anyone from our show they might like on their voicemail. Bill, who is the great Delroy Lindo playing for?
Bill Curtis
Kevin Harmon of Detroit, Michigan.
Peter Sagal
Here's your first question. The Saints have been playing in the NFL since 1967, and for the first few decades, they weren't very good. After a 1 and 15 season in 1980, disappointed fans in New Orleans started calling them what? A, the New Orleans ain't, B, the New Orleans taints, or C, the Houston Saints?
Delroy Lindo
I'm gonna say the New Orleans Taints.
Peter Sagal
I wish it were, but it was the New Orleans ain'ts. I'm afraid they took the ass off New Orleans ain't. They ain't very good. Here's your next question, though. You still have two more chances. The Saints are credited with an innovation in pro football. What was it? A, they were the first team to hire a choreographer for their end zone dancers. B, they were the first team to have a fan in the stands wear a paper bag over his head from embarrassment. Or C, they were the first team to make uniform pants tighter to increase fan appeal.
Delroy Lindo
Am I allowed to ask for the right answer from somebody in the audience?
Peter Sagal
You are welcome to poll the audience, but the audience is yelling B. I'm
Delroy Lindo
going with B also.
Peter Sagal
That is B. Yes. The man first to put a bag on his head out of embarrassment while watching a football game was named Mike Delberto. He was a Saints fan and sometimes broadcaster. He was the first to do it, but hundreds soon followed. All right, here's your last question. You get this right, Delroy, you win it all. For one of our listeners, the Saints at one point seem to have a rather unlikely fan. Who was it? A Pope Francis who regularly accidentally tagged the team while trying to tweet about the other kind of Saints B, a very popular burlesque dancer in NOLA who changed her name to the nude Orleans Saint Or C, a man who remained loyal to the team despite proposing to three different women on the Jumbotron on three different occasions and getting rejected by all of them.
Delroy Lindo
The pope.
Peter Sagal
The pope is right. Yes, Pope Francis, devout man devoted to the Catholic saints, but not very good at Twitter. He kept tagging the New Orleans Saints whenever he would praise the saints of the Catholic Church. Bill, how did Delroy Lindo do in our quiz?
Bill Curtis
2 out of 3 is a winner, which proves don't f it's Delroy.
Peter Sagal
There you go. When we come back, Paula Poundstone gets called out by our celebrity guest and we are joined by the people's Princess himself. That's when we return with more of Wait, Wait, don't tell me from npr. This message comes from Grammarly. From emails and reports to proposals, work today demands clear thinking and confident communication. 90% of professionals say Grammarly has saved them time writing and editing their work. It helps simplify complex ideas so your message lands clearly and quickly. This is AI that works with you, not over you. In a world of generic, AI don't sound like everyone else. With Grammarly, you never will. Download Grammarly for free@Grammarly.com this message comes from Progressive Insurance.
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Working Forests Initiative Announcer
This message comes from Working Forests initiative in American Working Forests. Their professionals, from gis analysts to biologists and even accountants, are committed to planting more trees than they harvest. They all have a role to play in planting for the future. Together, they aim to plant more than 1 billion seedlings in American working forests every year. They believe that protecting their working forests for tomorrow starts with planting more than they harvest today. Learn more at workingforestsinitiative.com.
Bill Curtis
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater and the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Sagal.
Peter Sagal
Thank you, Bill. Thanks everybody. So like I said, we are on spring break and we are spending the time reviewing our past work. Just in Case anybody gives us a pop quiz on it.
Bill Curtis
If that happens, I'll just sit next to you and copy your answers. Nerd.
Peter Sagal
I hope you get tested on our conversation with Rhea Seehorn, the star of Better Call Saul and Pluribus, because I have practically got it memorized. Anyway, what can I say? I'm a fan.
Bill Curtis
So much so, in fact, that Peter asked her if it was true that in Better Call Saul she went from being a supporting player to a star because creator Vince Gilligan liked her so much.
Rhea Seehorn
I mean, I don't know all of the inner workings of it. I do know that they told me after the fact that they weren't sure how long I would be there or if I would just end up being the one that got away to Jimmy or some mythological thing that he wished he had risen to. I do think they enjoyed my performance, but I also think they realized it was a very good storytelling tool.
Peter Sagal
Right. You could have just admitted to sucking up. But that also was a lovely story. Better Call Saul, for people who don't know, was this prequel to Breaking Bad. And your character, Kim Wexler is not in Breaking Bad. So, like every other fan of Better Call Saul, I was terrified every episode that you were going to get killed. Right.
Rhea Seehorn
As was I.
Peter Sagal
Well, that was the question, because I wondered, was it like on the Sopranos where, like, every actor famously would open the script that week wondering if, like, that was their number had come up?
Rhea Seehorn
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I'm thinking the Game of Thrones people had it even worse.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, sure.
Rhea Seehorn
But, yeah, my good friend Patrick Fabian and I would just. The first couple of seasons, I would say we would get our scripts and just call each other, flipping through and just go, I'm not dead.
Peter Sagal
I'm not dead. I'm not dead.
Rhea Seehorn
And he didn't tell me that he knew he was gonna die in that last season, I got surprised reading the script, and we all. Bob and Patrick and I lived together for most of the seasons of shooting. And I ran upstairs. I was like, I can't believe you kept this for me. And he did. And he even kept it from his wife who watched it. Really? I watched it when it aired and was like, what?
John M. Chu
This isn't my situation.
Andy Richter
Or it doesn't sound like his. But I can't imagine being in a
Peter Sagal
marriage where you're like, how does she
Andy Richter
react when she sees you?
Peter Sagal
I was just thinking that. Just watching to see. To see if there's, like, an unconscious grin. Check. Did you just giggle? We have to talk about Pluribus. Which I love and am just so excited when every episode comes. One of the things.
Rhea Seehorn
Thank you. I hear Paula won't watch it.
Paula Poundstone
Yeah, it's not that I won't watch it. Listen, I love Rhea Seehorn to death and I would watch anything you were in. I would watch like a cleaning product commercial with you. But I don't know how to do streaming or any kind of paid television. So I watched Better Call Saul so many times that I know so much more about it than what any of you are saying because I watched it on dvd. So if it doesn't come out on DVD or there's not like a puppet show version of it, I don't.
Peter Sagal
I'm gonna buy you an Apple TV and then paint it to look like a vcr.
Paula Poundstone
Oh, it could also come out on vhs, Ray, because I have a V. I still have a vcr.
Rhea Seehorn
I was just with Vince this morning doing an interview and told him I was coming on. He says hi. He also loves this show and literally said, paula, he's going to find out if there's a way for us to make VHS tapes of the show.
Paula Poundstone
Thank you.
Peter Sagal
In addition to being a huge fan of yours, I respect you immensely because you spent a lot of times in the trenches in theater and doing what work you could. And I wondered if you knew at this juncture what your first listed credit on IMDb.com is.
Rhea Seehorn
What does IMDb say?
Peter Sagal
IMDb says your first credit as a professional actor was playing the tutorial Sorceress in the the Gathering video game.
Rhea Seehorn
That was a very early job. Yes, yes. So in the original game, in the original, it was software that you. Of the game, of the card game, but it came with a tutorial. And on the back of the box it would be like a teeny tiny window on your screen would be the tutorial about how to navigate through the game. And me and an actor named Reggie, we were playing Sorcerer and Sorceress and it was so low budget that they didn't have shoes, but they wanted us to look like we were wearing kind of Gladiator Sorcerer boots or whatever. So we're just wearing tube socks with electrical tape in crisscross fashion.
Peter Sagal
Oh, wow. Yeah.
Paula Poundstone
So if you look carefully at Gladiator, that's what Russell Crowe wore.
Andy Richter
That's true.
Peter Sagal
Right. On YouTube, you can watch the whole thing, as I did. If you are a Ray Seehorn completist, it's out there for you. Well, Ray Seehorn, it is such a joy to talk to you. And we have in fact asked you here to play a game? We are calling it this time.
Bill Curtis
It's Christmas Carol.
Peter Sagal
So, as everybody on Earth in Pluribus knows, your character's name is Carol. So we thought, given the season, we'd ask you about Christmas carols. Answer two out of three questions, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose giving holiday greetings on their voicemail. So, Bill, who is Rhea Seehorn playing for?
Bill Curtis
Alex Johnson of Seattle, Washington.
Peter Sagal
All right, first question. Just this year, a famous person tried to put their own trademark on a new Christmas carol. Was it A, Tyra Banks song, Santa Smize, B, Dwayne the Rock Johnson's can you Smell what Santa is Cooking? Or C, Rick Astley's I'm Never Gonna Give youe Gifts.
Rhea Seehorn
Okay, I'm going with A.
Peter Sagal
You're going with a Tyra Banks song, Santa Smize. You're right.
Andy Richter
Wow.
Peter Sagal
Named by the Washington Post as one of the five worst Christmas carols of the year. So. All right, that was very good. And instinctual. And very good. All right, Next question. In 1953, a child singer named Gayla Peavy recorded and released a song called I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Big hit. What was the result? A, the response to the song was so negative, she eventually became a nun and took a vow of silence. B, stuffed hippos were going in the black market for $5,000 in today's money. Or C, somebody actually gave her a hippo. I think C. You're right. It was C. Yes. It was a huge hit. She sang it on the Ed Sullivan show. And somebody gave her a hippo. And she eventually donated said hippo to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Okay, you're being perfect in this, as you have been in all things. Here's your last question. John Denver put out a Christmas album once, Rocky Mountain Christmas, which included which of these less than merry Christmas songs? A, please, Daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas. B, my gift for you is My love parentheses, because that's all I can Afford. Or C, poisoned by the Mistletoe.
Rhea Seehorn
Wow. With A.
Peter Sagal
You're gonna do it with A again? Please, Daddy, don't get Drunk this Christmas. You're right again. That is pretty impressive. Yeah.
Rhea Seehorn
I totally think people that are caroling should add that John Denver song.
Paula Poundstone
Yeah, I think it'll bring some issues to the forefront.
Peter Sagal
I think it's gonna. I think honesty is what we need. Bill, how did Rhea Seehorn do in our quiz?
Bill Curtis
She was perfect. She got them. All right.
Peter Sagal
Rhea Seehorn is nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in Pluribus. I am betting the first of many such nominations. You can stream it on Apple TV now. It's amazing. Don't read a word about it. Watch it. Rhea Seehorn, thank you so much for being with us on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. We're such big fans.
Rhea Seehorn
Thank you, guys. This is a dream come true. Thank you.
Peter Sagal
Thank you. It's such a wonderful show. Take her by. Love you, Ray. Everybody loves it when they're friends. Which is why we were so happy when our friend Andy Richter had an amazing run on the most recent season of Dancing with the Stars.
Bill Curtis
And we were even happier when Andy joined us live on stage in Phoenix in December.
Peter Sagal
We were delighted to see our friend Andy Richter on this season of Dancing with the Stars in which he inspired a whole lot of supporters online to call themselves fandies. He and his dance partner, Emma Stevenson later lasted far longer than most expected into the competition, with Andy being dubbed by the judges the people's Princess. We are delighted her highness could join us here on stage in Phoenix. Andy Richter, welcome back to. Wait, wait, don't tell me.
Andy Richter
Thank you. Thank you. So, and I should say, it wasn't the judges.
Peter Sagal
It wasn't the judges.
Andy Richter
It was just somebody online started calling me the people's princess.
Peter Sagal
Okay.
Bill Curtis
Yeah.
Andy Richter
Which is incredibly flattering.
Peter Sagal
It really is. Yeah. Yeah.
Andy Richter
I really am hoping for a tiara for Christmas.
Peter Sagal
Why not? So I have to ask, were you. Were you. Dancing with the Stars has been around for a while. Had you always wanted to be on it?
Andy Richter
No, quite the opposite. It always seemed like a terrifying prospect. And then I didn't work very much for a little while, and it seemed kind of a good idea.
Peter Sagal
Did you seek them out?
Andy Richter
Did they call you? No, no, I got it. It was way back in April. I got an email from my agent saying, they've offered you this. And I've told this before. My first instinct was, say no and don't tell my wife that. They asked. And then a minute later, I felt like, I have to do this. And so I said yes. And then as it got closer, I just thought, oh, I've made a terrible mistake.
Peter Sagal
Tell me about your dance experience and expertise before this all began.
Andy Richter
I'll just tell it to you in an anecdote that my wife reminded me of. When I said yes to Dancing with the Stars for our wedding, my only requirement for our dance was that the song be the shortest one possible.
Bill Curtis
Right.
Andy Richter
Because I just. I wasn't comfortable. I mean, I Can dance.
Peter Sagal
So wait a minute.
Andy Richter
You know, with some drinks at a party song.
Peter Sagal
Was it like the Boot up tone from Microsoft Windows? What was it?
Andy Richter
Yeah, it was just. It was my ringtone.
Peter Sagal
Yeah. And so what was the preparation? So, like, you show up, say, I've been to the gym, I've been doing my cardio.
Andy Richter
Yeah. You start dancing, you start being taught a routine.
Peter Sagal
Did you get assigned a partner, in your case, Emma.
Andy Richter
I was lucky enough to get Emma Slater, who is an angel and really an amazingly talented person, an amazing choreographer. She understood me. She understood, like, how to teach me because I don't enjoy being pushed, you know, like the hard line kind of thing. I just say f this goodbye, so I need to be treated, you know? And also, she's very fun and she. Also, part of her genius was that she said, oh, and by the way, every day we're going to make two or three tickets toks.
Peter Sagal
Huh?
Andy Richter
And I. Very quickly, she's. She would point and say, look how many views this got. And I'd be like 1.3 million.
Peter Sagal
Right?
Andy Richter
Like, that's what.
Peter Sagal
And this is.
Andy Richter
That's. That number has never been connected to me other than for taxation purposes.
Peter Sagal
I watched a lot of your dances, and I'm saying this with complete love and respect, as speaking as a man that for good reason has not danced in public for 25 years, but kind of seemed like your job was to stand still and watch with amazement while your partner did amazing dance moves sort of around you. Andy, don't let him do you like that. But. And here was the charming part. You made a lot of very expressive faces as you watched her dancing. No, no, no.
Andy Richter
You make it sound like. I mean, you weren't entirely. Yeah, I moved from one point to the other, and there was footwork that I had to remember.
Peter Sagal
Really?
Andy Richter
Yeah.
Working Forests Initiative Announcer
Yes,
Rhea Seehorn
yes.
Andy Richter
I learned to cha cha a foxtrot. You know, I pulled off a fox trot. So.
Rhea Seehorn
Yeah.
Bill Curtis
Yeah.
Andy Richter
And it. Thank you.
Peter Sagal
Thank you. And I.
Andy Richter
And it. By the end, too, I was. With each new week's dance, I would learn it in one rehearsal. It was like, I have the ability. I can remember. Yeah.
Peter Sagal
Wow. You sort of learn.
Andy Richter
It's like, thank you. I. I tried to emulate the real dancers because I would do the dance that we were doing that week and think, I really nailed that one. I really got it. And then we would look, because we'd record it on our phones and I'd look at it on the phone. I'm like, look at that old man stomping around. Waving his arms. Yeah, I would try to. I tried, you know, in different times to sort of emulate the sort of more sort of fluid movements. And it's, you know, I was a rhino in a gazelle contest. I'm never going to be a gazelle.
Peter Sagal
There you go, the people's princess. Well, Andy Richter, it is always such a pleasure to have you on our show. And as always, we'd like you to play a game that this time we are calling Gotta Dance. So given your performance on Dancing with the Stars, we thought we'd ask you about somebody who was really good at dancing, Gene Kelly. Answer two out of three questions about the legendary song and dance man, and you will win a prize for one of our listeners. Also, who is Andy Richter playing for this time?
John M. Chu
Firma and Barry Kipnis of Prescott, Arizona,
Peter Sagal
not far from you. All right, ready? Here's your first question. Gene Kelly went from being a dance instructor in Pittsburgh to one of the biggest movie stars of all time. What was among his many secrets of success? A, custom made motorized tap shoes. B, pants that were one size too small to accentuate his butt. Or C, whatever the music you heard watching him on screen, on set, he was always dancing to the same song. Home on the Range.
Andy Richter
I think it's the butt pants.
Peter Sagal
You're right.
Andy Richter
Yeah.
Peter Sagal
And if you've ever seen him, you'd know that's true. Not only did he have his pants made a little tight, he would sometimes make sure his male co stars pants were a little loose. Okay. Kelly went on after his own career on screen to be a director. He directed the movie hello, Dolly. And the star of that film, Michael Crawford, said that he got the part after Kelly said, which of these to him was it? A quote, you remind me of a young me before I knew how to dance. B quote, we can shoot somebody with talent from the waist down and edit it in. Or C quote, we're looking for an attractive idiot. My wife thinks you're attractive and I think you're an idiot.
Andy Richter
Boy, I think maybe the third one. The third one? Yeah, about the wife.
Peter Sagal
You're right. You know this business, you know these people. That's exactly what he said. And he is kind of an attractive idiot in the film, so it works out. All right, last question. You could be perfect here. Gene Kelly and his wife hosted these massive parties for his famous friends in Beverly Hills. And a mainstay of those parties was what? A, Kelly's toe tap and punch, which was just as it turned out, grain alcohol and red food coloring. B Kelly, challenging any guest there for the first time to a dance off or c a cutthroat version of charades that could last for 24 hours straight.
Andy Richter
It's gotta be the charades.
Peter Sagal
It is the charades. Andy, a man who's been to his
John M. Chu
Hollywood parties 24 hours.
Peter Sagal
24 hours it was called. It was known as the game. Yeah, we're gonna play the game.
Andy Richter
Wow.
Peter Sagal
Yeah. True story. Also, how did Andy Richter do in our quiz?
John M. Chu
He danced his way to a perfect score.
Peter Sagal
Three out of three. You did.
Andy Richter
Thank you.
Peter Sagal
There you go. Andy Richter was the people's princess on this year's run of Dancing with the Stars. He is the host of the Three Questions with Andy Richter Podcast, which airs Mondays on the SiriusXM app or wherever you might get your podcast. Please give it up to our friend Andy Richter. Thanks so much, Andy. Thank you so much for being with us.
Andy Richter
Thank you.
Peter Sagal
Thank you. Thanks a lot. Thanks so much. When we come back, our panelists go all out to earn their meager paychecks. And John M. Chu, the director of the Wicked Movies, explains how it really isn't easy being green. That's when we come back with more Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me from npr.
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Bill Curtis
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building In Chicago, Peter Sagal.
Peter Sagal
Thank you, Bill. So we are not the only ones enjoying a dessert spring break. So are our panelists. Do you know how hard it is to appear regularly on a quiz about the week's news, sometimes for years, and still never seem to know the answers to the questions? Here's some proof, Joel. Yes, Joy? L. The Consumer Electronics show was this week. That's the big show where all the tech people bring out their cool new tech products for people. And one new gadget caught our attention. It's called the eye polish. That's the name of the device. What is the eye polish? The eye polish? Yeah. It doesn't polish things. It takes the place of a kind of polish. Oh, like for bald men's heads? No, no one's. No one cares about that. It'd be like you'd be saying to your boyfriend, oh, hold on. Before we go out, let me download my French manicure. Oh, it's for nail. Yes, it's digital nail polish. All right, so eye polish, the product is digital. Press on nails. You never have to paint them. They display up to 300 colors just with the push of a button. So ping. Yep, exactly. That's cool. Basically, little digital screens, little digital, you know, panels shaped like fingernails that light up in whatever color you choose. As someone who bites my nails, and I do, I think it would really help it if every time I did it, I was electrocuted.
Paula Poundstone
It just, you know, when you hear about, like, that's. That's the product that's catching people's eyes, and that's the great thing that's coming out of the world of technology. It's hard to believe that the International World Rules Based order is on its way out. It just seems like if you read that in the paper, like if that was the headline, it just seems like, how could we even be thinking about that?
Peter Sagal
Yeah.
Paula Poundstone
So everything else.
Peter Sagal
So it'll be like we'll be living in this dystopian, Orwellian hellscape.
Paula Poundstone
Yes.
Peter Sagal
But we will have, like, light brights on our fingernails.
Paula Poundstone
Exactly. Right, right.
Peter Sagal
What's a paper,
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
panelists? This week we read a term in the news that was new to us, and you each get one guess at what it means. What are clanker balls? Peter? Gross.
Peter Sagal
Clanker balls. Those things in offices that you clank and they knock into each other and they go.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
That's.
Peter Sagal
That's the first thing I thought of. Why? What are the other implications?
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Joyell, what do you think clanker balls means?
Peter Sagal
The type of parties Trump's Gonna have in the ballroom.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Rachel, where'd your mind go with it?
Peter Sagal
I don't want to say right away, but clanker is AI, usually a term for AI usage. Right. Am I close?
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Okay, yeah, no, you're close, but that's not. I'll tell you, they're.
Peter Sagal
Oh, can I guess again? Is it the things that go on
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the back of a truck?
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Those are. That's also a really good guess. But those are truck nuts.
Andy Richter
Those are truck nuts.
Rhea Seehorn
Duh.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Sorry. Yeah, sorry.
Peter Sagal
Way better name for that.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Those are truck nuts with a Z. So. Okay. Clanker balls are balls that hang above a road before a low bridge to warn trucks they're gonna crash. So if any of you guessed that, you're right. But you're also boring.
Peter Sagal
Like, Peter, did something happen this week where it was like.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
I think what happened this week is that the. Wait, wait, don't tell me.
Peter Sagal
Why?
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Writers were like, oh, my God, you guys. Have you heard of clanker balls? I think that's what happened this week.
Peter Sagal
I'm confused, though. They're hanging from the bridge. That's. They're, like, right in front of the bridge before.
Paula Poundstone
Yeah.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
So they're like, a block before some amount of space before the ridge. So then you. They're called clanker balls because they're engineered to let out a loud clang when something crashes into them, which differs from the sound you hear when something crashes into regular balls.
Peter Sagal
Crying. There's no exit after the clanker balls. They just let you know you're about to die. I think you're about to experience a world of pain.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
No, I guess there's, like, enough room for you to brake and then turn around or whatever.
Peter Sagal
Sounds like standard highway behavior. Just turning around a truck. Oops.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
But to your point, Rachel, earlier, like, a while back on this show, we actually talked about how clanker is a derogatory slur term for robots, which would suggest another meaning for clanker balls. And if you think the idea of those clanker balls is absurd, you've never taken a look under R2D2. Am I right, ladies?
Peter Sagal
So we're not supposed to say clanker with a hard R. Paul, a question for you. It is spring cleaning season, but this week, Real simple magazine warned that when you're decluttering, you should not be tempted to declutter. What?
Paula Poundstone
Well, money. Yeah. Do you have a hint?
Peter Sagal
I do. I mean, you need to get this around because you've run out at home. You can't ask someone to hand you some under the stall divider.
Paula Poundstone
Oh, oh, toilet paper.
Peter Sagal
Toilet paper.
Paula Poundstone
Who would get rid of old toilet paper?
Peter Sagal
Get rid of your toilet paper. Apparently enough people are doing that that real simple. Had to tell you not to.
Paula Poundstone
That's absurd. Why would anyone get rid of toilet paper?
Peter Sagal
Exactly.
Paula Poundstone
I mean, if it's used, that's different. But that's ridiculous, apparently.
Peter Sagal
Is this is a problem.
Bill Curtis
Enough.
Peter Sagal
They declared you should not get rid of your toilet paper. This is true now. It's always been true. That's why in ancient Egypt when someone died, they would wrap that person in their leftover toilet paper.
Delroy Lindo
This sounds like something that Costco's pushing.
Peter Sagal
Really? Oh, yeah.
Paula Poundstone
Do people get to an age where they don't use toilet paper anymore? That's.
Peter Sagal
I mean,
Paula Poundstone
I mean, I'd say like on my deathbed I might roll over to somebody and say, you can get rid of that toilet paper now.
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Peter Sagal
I grew up on movie musicals, a form that died out years ago when everyone realized that in real life people don't just burst into song. So I was grateful to talk to John M. Chu, director of in the Heights and the two Wicked movies, who might have single handedly revived the genre.
Bill Curtis
But he didn't grow up singing and dancing. Instead, he worked in his family's legendary Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area.
John M. Chu
56 years later, my dad's still there. He's 82. It's called Chef choose. And he's there all the time, loves to work and loves to eat.
Peter Sagal
Wow.
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Yeah.
Peter Sagal
And were you ever tempted to go into that business?
John M. Chu
Never.
Peter Sagal
Not once? Not even a little bit.
John M. Chu
I would, you know, a restaurant, being raised in a restaurant, it's great because it's a house of stories. Everyone's telling stories to my dad, my dad's telling stories to them about me. And it's the people in that restaurant. Because it was in Palo Alto, in Silicon Valley that people from Adobe gave me software to edit with, gave me cameras, gave me computers. So it was a very beautiful place.
Peter Sagal
And that's what I meant, that you were identified pretty early as somebody with a flare. Yeah. So you went to film school and you made a short film which got a Lot of attention. And I was able to find the trailer for it online.
John M. Chu
Oh, man.
Peter Sagal
And it's called when the Kids are Away, right?
John M. Chu
Yes, yes, it is.
Peter Sagal
If I understood correctly, because it's just the trailer. The idea is little kid leaves for school with all his friends, leaving for school, leaving their housewife mothers. They're all sort of traditional housewives. And as soon as they're gone, the housewives break out into these fabulous big choreographed musical numbers.
John M. Chu
Yes. What they do when the kids are away.
Peter Sagal
And I watch this and I'm like, oh, my God, it was true.
John M. Chu
But the twist of. The twist of the movie is at the end, I'm just going to ruin it for people. But at the end, because you'll never find it. The end of it is that this kid gets found and he starts to share his moves. He thinks he's in trouble, but he shares his. His moves and he actually introduces new moves to them. And we find out that he's actually little Michael Jackson and that it's the passing on of the old musical to the new musical because from then on, he knows how to do that.
Peter Sagal
Wow. I'm just thinking it was very deep.
John M. Chu
It was very deep.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, it was very deep. You were a dancer, you studied tap dance for a long time, right?
John M. Chu
I did. I mean, I was forced to tap with my sister because my mom didn't. I was in the car when she would take all her brothers, sisters to different dance things. So I did tap with my sister. I didn't want any other people in our class. So me and my sister did our local talent show, our school talent show, every year.
Peter Sagal
Wow. Were you any good if by tap tapping.
John M. Chu
Well, you mean like glitter and gloves. And I did this one, me and my shadow, with my sister, and we got in a fight right before we're doing it in front of our sister school and my mom brought in the wood panels and my mom, my sister and I are fighting. And so I. And she's really shy and I don't sing along with her, so she had to sing in front of our whole school by herself. And I'm in this big black unitard as her shadow. And so I haven't lived it down since then.
Peter Sagal
Really.
John M. Chu
I actually still feel very guilty about that.
Peter Sagal
And she's never seen any movie you've ever done because she's still mad. So you grew up on musicals and so you must have, like, been excited when you got to direct the movie version of probably the biggest musical of the last 20 years, right? Wicked.
John M. Chu
Yeah, I was Psyched. I saw Wicked before it was ever on Broadway, when it was at San Francisco because we had season tickets and my mom called me up. I was at USC at the time. She said, come watch Stephen Schwartz's new musical. So I got to watch it sort of as Patient Zero before anyone knew anything about it.
Peter Sagal
I just have to ask, personal reasons. When you were watching Wicked, were there any middle aged men in the audience sobbing at defying gravity? Did that happen at all?
John M. Chu
We were all sobbing. We were all sobbing.
Peter Sagal
So I have to ask you about this, especially with the first installment, Wicked, there were so many marketing tie ins. There was Wicked Branded Crocs, Wicked Mac and cheese cups, Wicked Barbies, Wicked Stanley Cups, and Wicked Build a Bears. I'm assuming you own all of them flippers. Yep, yep, you have it all.
John M. Chu
Now I know who sponsors this show.
Peter Sagal
By the way. Did you have a favorite one of those that they threw at you?
John M. Chu
Listen, the Swiffer is pretty cool. When you go to Target and you see the Elphaba and Galinth section and they're there. I mean, it's not a broomstick. It's like, you know, but it's close enough.
Peter Sagal
Wicked Swiffers sort of makes sense, honestly. Nope, that would be.
John M. Chu
That's a good way to get your kid to clean the house.
Peter Sagal
Like your kid that loves Alphabet is like, I'm defying gravity. I got one more question. So I watched before Wicked, some years ago, you made not one, but two movies with Justin Bieber. And I'm watching the second one, one I had to. It's the one that's leaving Netflix soon. And here's the thing. You designed the concert. In addition to filming the movie of the concert and including. Which I thought was intensely cool, Justin's entrance into the concert, in which he is. He flies in foreshadowing Elphaba, right. With these enormous wings. And I was wondering, speaking to you as a creative genius, if you have any idea that how I can improve my entrance, because I just kind of walk out.
John M. Chu
You need some blazers, you need some dancers, and you need your wings. You know, his wings were made of all his things that he actually knows how to do. It's built of all the things that have carried him. You know, again, I'm very deep.
Paula Poundstone
Guys, you have to find your wings.
Peter Sagal
What are your wings? So my wings, all the things that got me here would be standardized tests and antidepressants. I could see it. John Chu, it is a pleasure to talk to you. We have invited you here today to play a Game.
Bill Curtis
We're calling that's Wicked Good.
Peter Sagal
Since you directed Wicked for good, we thought we'd ask you about a famously wicked good place. Boston, Massachusetts. Oh, gosh. By the way, now that I think of it, Wicked Good Swiffer Sounds like something they'd say, right? A wicked Swiffer. Anyway, answer two to three questions correctly, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose in their voicemail. Bill, who is John Chu playing for?
Bill Curtis
Joe Robbins of Seattle, Washington.
Peter Sagal
All right, you ready to do this?
John M. Chu
All right, let's go, Joe. I got you.
Peter Sagal
Okay, man, here we go. Here's your first question. Scientists have tried to study what makes people from Boston become people from Boston. And one actual study discovered which of these findings? A, Bostonian skulls are 5% thicker than the average American, B, 15% of Boston toddlers drink coffee, Or C, all Boston school districts have a unit on how to climb light poles. Oh, my God.
John M. Chu
The one that is, like, crazy enough but not too crazy would be the Coffee Bee.
Peter Sagal
You're right, John. That's what, 15%? Here's your next question. Boston sports fans are known for their enthusiasm during the parade to celebrate the New England Patriots first Super bowl win in 2002. What happened? A, the crowd started chanting Yankees suck even though they play baseball. B, three fans were arrested for trying to throw beer bottles right into the hood of Bill Belichick's sweatshirt. Or C, fans crowd surf Tom Brady all the way from his duck boat to a nearby bar. I'm gonna go A, you're right. That's what they did. I mean, of course that's what they did. That's what I would do. That seems fun. Yankees suck. I gotta tell you, I saw it on tv. It was wicked. Swiffer, here's your next question. Earlier this month, Boston's WBZ News I team launched an investigative report after a man had something he'd been saving to pass on to his kids ripped away from him heartlessly. What did that man lose? A, his Red Sox season tickets, located where his heckles could be heard on TV? B, a 1981 Pontiac Trans Am that was missing both axles, or C, 93,000 Dunkin Donuts rewards points ripped away from him?
John M. Chu
I'm just gonna go with my what I think is just the most logical.
Peter Sagal
I'll go C, you're right. That's what it was. He had accumulated 93,000 rewards points at Duncan. He was hoarding them to hand on to his children as his only legacy. And then Duncan changed the rules and they vanished. Isn't that sad?
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
It's actually, we had a great partnership
John M. Chu
with Duncan for Wicked for Good. You could get these little munchkin tins. It was great. It was fantastic.
Peter Sagal
Of course, Munchkins. Yeah, it's right there.
Panelist (possibly Rachel or Joyell)
Can you talk to them about this guy's points?
John M. Chu
I think we should talk to them.
Peter Sagal
Come on.
John M. Chu
Come on, Donuts. If you're out there, help this guy out.
Peter Sagal
Bill, how did John Chu do on our quiz?
Bill Curtis
Three right answers is wickedly good.
Peter Sagal
Looking awesome. Wicked awesome. John M. Chu is the award winning director of the Wicked movies. You can stream Wicked for Good now. John M. Chu, thank you so much for joining us and thank you for beautiful movies. I Cried Like a Baby. Take care. That's it for our own spring break edition. We'll be back next week, tanned and nursing a hangover. But first, wait, wait, don't tell me. Is a product of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions. Doug Berman, benevolent Overlord Philip Ga writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Doornboss and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey. Peter Gwyn is the only body. We'll do shots off of Our vibe curator is Emma Choi. Technical director is from Lorna White, our cfo. That's Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Anne Chillock. And the executive producer, Wait, wait, don't tell me. Is Mike Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week. All our panelists, our guests, our guest scorekeeper, Alzo Slade and of course, Bill Curtis. Thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Peter Sagal. We'll see you next week. This is npr.
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NPR | April 11, 2026 | Host: Peter Sagal
This week's episode is a “spring break” special, blending the show’s signature blend of news quiz games, irreverent comedy, and candid celebrity interviews. The hosts and panelists take a lighthearted look back at the past year’s highlights while also welcoming an impressive lineup of guests: actor Delroy Lindo, actress Rhea Seehorn, comedian Andy Richter, and director John M. Chu. Listeners are treated to funny personal stories, behind-the-scenes moments from Hollywood and TV, and the usual playful panel banter.
Recognition and Typecasting
“You know what I dig about you in the movies, man? … Nobody ever [beeps] with you in the movies, bro.” — Delroy Lindo (02:52)
Struggles, Success, and Sending Money Home
“The thing that gave me the most joy was to be able to send money to my mom.” (04:42)
Career Highlights and “Sinners”
Dual Loyalties: Soccer Fandom
“If it comes down to those two teams—”
“It will not.” — Lindo and Sagal (08:33)
Quiz Game: Sinners Meet The Saints (08:42–12:03)
From Supporting Actor to Star
On Character Mortality and Set Tension
“The first couple of seasons … we would get our scripts and just call each other … ‘I’m not dead!’” — Seehorn (16:04)
First IMDb Credit and Early Jobs
“So if you look carefully at Gladiator, that’s what Russell Crowe wore.” — Paula Poundstone (19:03)
Panelist Banter: Paula’s Tech Aversion
“I’m gonna buy you an Apple TV and then paint it to look like a VCR.” — Peter Sagal (17:31)
Quiz Game: Christmas Carols (19:29–22:15)
“Rhea Seehorn is nominated for a Golden Globe … I am betting the first of many such nominations.” — Sagal (22:15)
From Reluctant Dancer to “People’s Princess”
“It always seemed like a terrifying prospect.” (23:48)
Going Viral and Fan Interaction
“She would point and say, ‘Look how many views this got.’ … That number has never been connected to me other than for taxation purposes.” (26:04)
Learning Process & Self-Deprecation
Quiz Game: Gotta Dance!, Focused on Gene Kelly (27:58–30:47)
Tech Gadgets and Absurdity
“We’ll be living in this dystopian, Orwellian hellscape, but we will have Light Brites on our fingernails.” — Peter Sagal (35:02)
The Clanker Balls Conversation
“If you think the idea of those clanker balls is absurd, you’ve never taken a look under R2D2. Am I right, ladies?” — Panel (37:58)
Decluttering Advice
“Who would get rid of old toilet paper?” — Paula Poundstone (38:30)
“If it’s used, that’s different.” — Paula Poundstone (38:40)
Origins in a Family Restaurant
Directorial Roots and Early Work
“At the end … he’s actually little Michael Jackson and that it’s the passing on of the old musical to the new musical …” — Chu (41:43)
Dance Training with Family
Directing ‘Wicked’ & Merchandising Mania
“Wicked Swiffers sort of makes sense, honestly.” — Peter Sagal (44:37)
Bieber Concert Films
“You need some blazers, you need some dancers, and you need your wings.” — Chu (45:37)
Quiz Game: That’s Wicked Good (Boston Trivia) (46:09–49:24)
Delroy Lindo sharing personal pride:
“The thing that gave me the most joy was to be able to send money to my mom.” (04:42)
Rhea Seehorn on set anxiety:
“We would get our scripts and just call each other, flipping through and just go, ‘I’m not dead!’” (16:04)
Paula Poundstone’s streaming woes:
“I would watch anything you were in. … But I don’t know how to do streaming or any kind of paid television.” (16:52)
Andy Richter’s dancing humility:
“I was a rhino in a gazelle contest. I’m never going to be a gazelle.” (27:24)
John M. Chu on what makes a great entrance:
“His wings were made of all his things that he actually knows how to do.” (45:43)
True to form, this episode weaves in quick wit, sarcasm, heartfelt moments, and deep dives into pop culture, all while the cast rib each other and their guests. The warmth and smart-alecky banter make it wonderfully welcoming and easy to enjoy even if you missed the last year of headlines.