WWDTM: Live at Tanglewood with Paul Giamatti!

Summary

Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me! — Live at Tanglewood with Paul Giamatti!

Date: August 30, 2025
Host: Peter Sagal
Location: Koussevitzki Music Shed, Tanglewood, Massachusetts
Panelists: Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Tom Bodett, Mo Rocca
Special Guest: Paul Giamatti

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of NPR’s beloved news quiz show brought the “Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!” team to the Tanglewood summer home of the Boston Symphony, delighting a packed house and lawn with top news stories, comedic insights, and celebrity guest Paul Giamatti. The show’s signature blend of news quizzes, word games, and rapid-fire wit was on full display, with running jokes about pop culture, male avoidance of doctors, and an especially memorable deep-dive with Giamatti, known for playing complex everyman characters.

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Key Discussion Points and Highlights

1. Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Engagement (03:12–05:17)

• Panel reaction: The panel riffed on the media frenzy following the engagement, making jokes about how the announcement disrupted daily life.
• Quote [Mo Rocca, 04:28]: “She chose the wrong Kelsey, brother. Jason is more real.”
• Memorable moment: Mo proposes, “The wedding should be the halftime show at the Super Bowl... officiant is the Pope featuring Snoop Dogg.”

2. Cracker Barrel Logo Controversy (05:26–07:35)

• Story: Cracker Barrel faced backlash over changing its iconic logo, prompting the chain to revert to the classic design.
• Quote [Joyelle Nicole Johnson, 06:46]: “She’s hanging out with Aunt Jemima” (referring to retired logo mascots).
• Panel muses: The group jokes about the politics of brand imagery and generational change.

3. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness as a Medical Condition (07:44–08:55)

• News: A new study revealed that about a third of people suffer from “excessive daytime sleepiness” (EDS).
• Quote [Tom Bodett, 08:51]: “I’ve been essentially disabled for 10 years.”
• Panel banter: They riff on how modern medicine is naming common experiences as chronic conditions.

4. USA Today’s ‘Underwear at Night’ Debate (09:44–11:42)

• Story: Should you sleep in your underwear? USA Today published a lengthy article which ultimately refused to take a stance.
• Quote [Mo Rocca, 11:20]: “When you wear underwear to sleep, you are more likely to dream that you’re being strangled.”

5. Bluff the Listener: Headlines About Engagements (14:27–21:26)

• Winning Story [Tom Bodett]: A woman insisted on ethically sourcing her own engagement ring diamond—by digging it up herself at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
  • Winning quote [Michelle Fox, 20:51]: “They come from the ground. What is conceptually stopping us from just getting one ourselves?”

6. Not My Job: Interview with Paul Giamatti (21:34–30:43)

Background and Stereotypes (21:34–23:29)

• Typecasting: Giamatti explains that people assume he’s a wine expert due to “Sideways”—“I don’t know crap about wine.”
• Quote [Giamatti, 22:54]: “It used to be I would get a script... it would come to a character—‘a disheveled man shuffles in’... I was like, this is my part. Get out the highlighter...”

Early TV Roles (23:31–24:29)

• Reminiscing about ‘man in sleeping bag’ on NYPD Blue.
• Quote [Giamatti, 24:00]: “Not Witness the Crime is what I did... they came to question us, and I said, ‘not me, man.’”

Film Trivia (24:36–25:41)

• On being dyed blue for ‘Big Fat Liar’: “They sprayed me with tattoo ink... it stayed on my feet for about six months.”

‘Wax Paul Now’ Movement (26:07–26:44)

• On never getting a Madame Tussauds statue: “If I can’t get one, who the hell can get one?”

Tupperware Quiz (27:02–30:43)

• Notable questions:
  • Patti LaBelle claims Elton John never returned her Tupperware [28:04–28:40].
  • Einstein’s brain was once stored in a Tupperware [29:00–29:40].
  • Tupperware inventor’s wild ideas (including a “fish powered boat” and the jet ski) [29:44–30:35].
• Quote [Giamatti, 29:40]: “Einstein’s brain. You’re right... they drove across the country... he did put it in a Tupperware.”

7. Bro-Medicine: Getting Men to See Doctors (33:48–35:27)

• Trend: Clinics lure men in with TVs, games, and “Joes” who remind clients of doctors’ appointments ... and anniversaries.
• Quote [Peter Sagal, 34:04]: “Get your checkup maxing on at your closest Bro MD. The waiting room is full of leather and brushed steel and the axe throwing parlor is attached to the ER.”
• Banter: Hilarity ensues imagining a sports bar full of men in hospital gowns.

8. Burning Man Orgy Dome Destroyed by Dust Storm (35:42–36:34)

• News: The famous orgy dome at Burning Man was wiped out by a dust storm.
• Quote [Sagal, 36:23]: “Maybe God is real after all.”

9. Quadrobics and Guitar Hotel Amenities (38:22–40:34)

• Fun news tidbits:
  • Running on all fours (“quadrobics”) is the new workout craze.
  • Guitar-friendly hotels are soon coming to the US, with every room featuring a Marshall amp.

10. Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank & Closing Panelist Predictions (43:10–50:47)

• Game highlights: Contestants sprint through news questions, with comic asides about gold diggers, climate change, and even a woman biting a child at a concert for a T-shirt.
• Panelist predictions [Tom Bodett, 50:21]: “Needing to work that cramp out of his leg from sitting in that chair all those years, [the Cracker Barrel old man] headed to the Berkshires for a week-long yoga camp at Kripalu.”

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Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Taylor Swift’s engagement uproar [03:38]:
  Sagal: “Taylor Swift and what’s his name are getting married... One professor had to cancel class saying, ‘We all need to process this.’”

• Giamatti on acting “type” [22:54]:
  Giamatti: “...an angry voice is heard off camera, yelling in the bathroom... I was like, this is my part.”

• Giamatti’s “legacy” [26:36]:
  Giamatti: “If I can’t get one [wax figure], who the hell can get one? ... Would’ve been retirement time.”

• On bro-themed men’s clinics [34:04]:
  Sagal: “Bro MD. The waiting room is full of leather and brushed steel and the axe throwing parlor is attached to the ER.”

• On Burning Man orgy dome destruction [36:23]:
  Sagal: “Maybe God is real after all.”

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Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening & panelist introductions | 00:21–02:44 | | Who’s Bill This Time? news quiz | 02:56–09:16 | | Panel news quiz (Underwear at Night) | 09:44–11:42 | | Bluff the Listener | 14:27–21:26 | | Not My Job: Paul Giamatti Interview & Quiz | 21:34–30:43 | | Listener Limerick Challenge | 37:34–42:10 | | Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank | 43:10–49:14 | | Panelist predictions & goodbyes | 50:21–end |

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Episode Tone & Style

The show maintains its trademark blend of NPR wit, quick banter among culturally in-the-know panelists, and affectionate skewering of both the week's headlines and their own show. Paul Giamatti’s self-deprecating humor fits seamlessly, and the live audience’s energy at Tanglewood adds buzz to an episode defined by topical absurdities and charming digressions.

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Recommended if you missed:

• Paul Giamatti’s revelations on Yale, being blue for months, and his lost bid for a wax statue (21:34–26:44).
• The infectious panel banter about Taylor Swift, Cracker Barrel, and Burning Man’s orgy dome.
• A whirlwind final Lightning Round, including realtors biting children for T-shirts!

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Capella University, interested in a quality online education. Capella is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn [e-mail].

[B]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News quiz. Spread my smooth, buttery voice on that bag.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

I'm Bill Curtis and here is your host at the Koussevitzki Music Shed at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony. It is Peter Sagal.

[C]

Thank you, Bill. Thank you, Tanglewood. It's so great to be back with you. We have a lot of people here inside the music shed and then many of them out on the lawn. And if those people didn't bring any wine, there's a chance that actor Paul Giamatti, star of the movie Sideways, among many others, might bring some along with him when he joins us later. But first, it's your turn to play our games. Give us a call. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Hi. You were on Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[D]

Hi, my name is Mary and I'm from Quincy, Massachusetts.

[C]

Quincy, Massachusetts. I know Quincy.

[D]

Really?

[C]

I do, actually. What do you do there?

[D]

So I work at Suffolk University in Boston and I work for a research department that does political polling and survey research of national, state and local elections.

[C]

Oh, okay. I'm sorry, but since you work at Suffolk University in Boston, don't you work in a department? Yeah. Yes.

[D]

My five year old daughter knows the word wicked in many contexts as well, too.

[C]

So a true native. Well, welcome to the show, Mary. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First up, she's a comedian who just had the winning answer on Family Feud and whose album Yell Joy is available everywhere. It's Joyell Nicole Johnson.

[E]

Hey, Mary.

[C]

Next, he's a writer and the founder of Hatch Space community wood shop and school in Brattlebore, Vermont, where fall classes are now available. @HatchBace.org It's Tom Beaudet.

[B]

Hello, Mary.

[C]

And finally, someone who doesn't offer any wool woodworking classes but is a correspondent for CBS Sunday morning, it's Mo Rocca.

[F]

Hi, Mary.

[C]

So, Mary, you're going to play who's Bill this time? Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotations from this week's news. If you can identify just two of them, you'll win our prize, which is any voice from our show you might choose from your voicemail. Are you ready to go?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

All right then. Here we go. Your first quote is from CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi on Tuesday as she was reacting live on camera to a news alert on her phone.

[B]

Oh my God. Oh my God. It's huge. The ring is ginormous. Oh my God. I'm gonna go. Oh, my God.

[C]

That was the typical reaction to the. Of whose big engagement would that be?

[D]

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?

[C]

Yes, it would be. It's so exciting. Taylor Swift and what's his name are getting married. This news just took over everywhere. It pushed everything else off the front page. It would have been a great week to release the Epstein files. And it was amazing that this engagement announcement done on their Instagram. It caused chaos. One college professor. This is true. Said he had to cancel class saying, quote, we all need to process this. Another person said she found out when everybody in her grocery store started shrieking at the same time. It's so amazing to see once again the universal love for the tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs.

[F]

She chose the wrong Kelsey, brother.

[C]

You feel that way. I have heard that sentiment.

[F]

Jason is more real.

[C]

Okay.

[F]

Choosing Travis over Jason is like choosing Jeff Bridges over Beau Bridges.

[C]

That's harsh. Yeah. I am not an expert in Kelsey's, but isn't Jason the guy who appeared famously shirtless and somewhat drunk on live TV at a football game?

[F]

I know. Wasn't it hot? The wedding should be the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

[G]

Sure.

[F]

That actually would be great. Also, who doesn't love a 12 minute wedding?

[C]

No, it'd be great. No, it would be great. Halftime show at the next Super Bowl. 50,000 screaming fans. Blue angels fly over. Right. And the officiant is the Pope featuring Snoop Dogg. Here, here, Mary, is your next quote.

[B]

We thank our guests for sharing your voices and your love of Cracker Barrel.

[C]

That was the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel who announced that after a huge outcry this week, they'd be returning to their original. What?

[D]

Their original logo.

[C]

That's right. Cracker Barrel, the restaurant chain caused outrage when they introduced a new logo just last week. It removed the former logo which had this iconic old man standing next to a cracker barrel. Even worse, the new CEO said that they had shoved the old man into the barrel and threw him into the river. After a week of complaints from right wing influencers that Cracker Barrel was caving to the woke left and erasing their heritage, Cracker Barrel announced they'd be bringing back the old logo with some minor changes. For example, now the old man next to the barrel is Robert E. Lee.

[F]

I'm actually. I'm sorry. I'm actually. I'm happy for the old man. I think it was ageist to force him into retirement. And I'm glad that he's been brought out of retirement. And I hate to be controversial, but, I mean, a lot of these logos, like the Land O Lakes Indian lady. Sorry. I mean, she was forced into retirement. What is she doing now?

[G]

Right, right.

[E]

She's hanging out with Aunt Jemima.

[G]

But I was feeling, you know, when I heard it they retired the old guy, I. Well, it's about time. He's kind of leaned over on that barrel. He doesn't look comfortable. He's got his right hand on his leg. Like maybe he's got a little sciatica thing going on. And I thought, all right, the guy needs a break.

[E]

Yeah, yeah, I'm happy they gave him a break because the logo was the problem I had with Cracker Barrel.

[C]

Yeah, really. If it wasn't for the logo, you'd be dining there in every special occasion.

[F]

I love their rocking chairs.

[G]

But, I mean, you can't blame Cracker Barrel. It's one thing like, oh, God, we could get boycotted by, you know, like 35% of the nation, but what they really don't want is National Guard in their gift shop.

[C]

That's true. Here's your last quote, Mary. It's the London Times talking about a new scientific study.

[B]

Do you have an irresistible urge to nap?

[C]

So it turns out that according to science, it is actually a chronic medical condition that causes you to feel, what, in the middle of the day? Tired?

[D]

Exhausted?

[C]

Yes. Sleepy. Almost a third of the population deals with, and this is a real scientific name, excessive daytime sleepiness, or eds. That is shocking. Two thirds of people don't. So it turns out that according to medical science, needing to take a nap every afternoon is a chronic illness somewhere. The entire pizza you had for lunch is saying, I told you it wasn't me.

[E]

I can't relate to this because I don't wake up before noon. So I usually don't have this problem. But today I Woke up at 10:30 this morning, so I have ERNs, which is excessive right now. Sleepiness.

[G]

It's funny, so many of the conditions that they're coming up with are exactly the same symptoms of being 70 years old, even 60 years old. So I realize I've been essentially disabled for 10 years.

[C]

I know. Bill, how did Mary do in our quiz?

[B]

We're off to a great start. She got Three in a row. She is a winner.

[C]

Congratulations. Well done. Thank you so much for calling.

[H]

Thank you so much.

[C]

It was a lot of fun. Take care, Mary. All right, panel, now I have some questions for you about the week's news. Tom, this week USA Today ran a big story investigating whether or not you should do what in your underwear.

[B]

Hmm.

[G]

That's a very narrow list. And so we have to pinpoint this. Well, I mean, we know you can zoom in your underwear.

[C]

Yes.

[G]

We know you can record national radio programs in your underwear. What can't you do in your underwear? Is it can't or not?

[C]

Supposed to or it's an inquiry as to whether you should.

[G]

Whether you should. I don't know. Let's say I'll throw this out, attend your daughter's wedding.

[C]

I think that would be a pretty brief article on that question. But, yeah, I'll give you a hint. This is relevant if you happen to suffer from EDS.

[G]

Nap in your underwear.

[C]

Sleep in your underwear. 700 words on whether or not you should sleep in your underwear under the headline, should you wear underwear at night? But here's the thing. This article never says whether or not you should wear underwear at night. Not even in the section with the subhead quote, should you wear underwear at night? We don't know. They won't tell us. It seems very strange to me.

[G]

It does. It's like, as if we don't have enough to worry about to pose a question like that.

[C]

And now everybody's, like, tearing themselves up trying to figure out if he should or not.

[G]

I've been sleeping in my underwear for 50 years.

[F]

Have you?

[G]

I have, actually. Probably. What else would you sleep in?

[F]

I don't want to disclose too much, but when you wear underwear to sleep, you are more likely to dream that you're being strangled.

[G]

That's one man's personal experience, and we can't generalize from that. The hell's the matter with you?

[C]

Wait a minute, Mo. Specifically, what is being strangled?

[F]

Just everything is being strangled.

[C]

Coming up, our panelists get down on one knee in our Bluff the Listener game called One triple eight. Wait, Wait to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait Wait, don't tell me from npr.

[H]

This message is from Saatva. Come Labor Day, the days grow shorter and we fall back into our regular routines. But for Team USA athletes training for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Milano, Cortina, 2026, it's go time. Time for longer days, harder training, and deeper restorative sleep, that's essential to their recovery. Saatva is proud to help as official mattress and restorative sleep provider of Team USA. You can enjoy that kind of sleep, too. Visit saatva.comNPR to save $625 on $1,000 or more.

[A]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Capella University. Sometimes it takes a different approach to pursue your goals. Capella is an online university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. That means you can earn your degree from wherever you are and be confident your education is relevant, recognized and respected. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more about earning a relevant [e-mail]. this message comes from Schwab. Everyone has moments when they could have done better. Same goes for where you invest. Level up and invest smarter with Schwab. Get market insights, education and human help when you need it.

[H]

This message comes from dsw. Where'd you get those shoes? Easy. They're from dsw. Because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you, from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between, because you do it all in really great shoes. Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com.

[B]

From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, don't tell Me the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Tom Beaudet, Joyell, Nicole Johnson and Mo Rocca. And here again is your host at Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts, Peter Sagal.

[C]

Thank you, Bill. Now it's time for the Wait, wait, don't tell me. Bluff the listener game. Call 1-88- wait, wait to play our game in the air. Or you can always check out the pinned post on our Instagram page, atwaitnpr. Hi, you are on Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi.

[G]

How you doing?

[C]

I'm doing okay. Who's this?

[G]

I'm Rob. I'm from Springfield.

[C]

Rob, what do you do there in Springfield other than haunt my dreams with that voice?

[F]

Wait, I'm sorry. We had to pause the show. Joyel just ovulated.

[G]

Yeah. And I'm feeling like I'm sounding a little shrill tonight.

[C]

Rob, you're gonna play the game where you have to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Rob's topic?

[B]

Rob, will you marry me?

[C]

Because you might have heard there was a big proposal in the news this week, but that couple was not the only ones to get engaged. Someone else made headlines for their hard work to plan the perfect proposal. Our panelists are each going to tell you about it and pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win. The waiter of your choice in your voicemail. First up, it's Joyell Nicole Johnson.

[E]

Before I start. Hi, Rob.

[C]

Hello. Here we go.

[E]

There are timeless ways to say, will you marry me? But Dan Cole, a crypto billionaire from Silver Spring, Maryland, wanted to give his marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Valentina. A real kick. He contacted her favorite soccer team, Real Madrid, and made an offer that they couldn't refute. Two months and €4 million later, he flew his would be fiance to Spain for what she thought was just a regular match. Then, at the end of the game, when the goalie blocked the final kick for the win, the entire Real Madrid squad tore off their jerseys to reveal undershirts that all read quieres consulte con migo, Valentina. And a kiss. Cam zoomed in on the couple as he got down on one knee. So 30,000 fans got to see her look of horror and dismay. Because her favorite dream ain't Real Madrid, but Atletico Madrid, the rival team that had just been humiliated by them, 8 to nil. Thankfully, she took it all in stride. She even said yes, all while glaring at the team captain, Donnie Carvajal. Cause she hates that dude. The only person upset was the Atletico Madrid team captain who said, quote, I would have told my daughter to say no.

[C]

A man arranges to have his girlfriend's favorite soccer team propose for him, but it's the wrong soccer team. Your next engaging engagement comes from Tom Beaudet.

[G]

Engagements are problematic. There's the whole patriarchy thing, and kneeling sucks. And then, of course, diamonds. Those that weren't stolen from an impoverished country by some colonial power probably came from someplace worse, like Zales. So when Micher Fox and her boyfriend, Trevor Ballew, decided to get married, she told him, we're not getting engaged until I find my own ethically sourced diamond. Turns out the world's only public diamond mine is in, you guessed it, Arkansas. So off to Arkansas she goes. Fox camped out at Crater of Diamonds State park and dug around every day from 8 to 4. But on Fox's final day, she noticed a glimmer by her foot. She thought it was just dew, but it turned out to be a 2.3 carat diamond, the third largest discovered at the park that year. Fox says the stone embodies who she wants to be in her marriage. A Person who spends all day by herself, working really long, hard, unglamorous, sweaty, smelly hours at problems that may not be solvable. It sounds like they're also planning a family. Good luck, Michelle and Trevor.

[C]

A woman ethically sources her own engagement ring diamond by digging it up herself. Your last improbable proposal comes from Morocco.

[F]

When Boston's Fran Kelly met Tom Wilbur, it was love at first laugh. Tom was full of pranks and surprises. So when Tom told her he had something big to discuss over dinner one night, Fran was expecting a one of a kind wedding proposal. Instead, Tom told her he was slowly and irreversibly dying from mercury poisoning. It was devastating news for Fran. Except it wasn't true. I wanted to give her the ultimate surprise, said Tom. The ruse would end with Tom waking from the dead at his own funeral to propose to Fran. But when Fran arrived at the funeral, she was accompanied by her college crush, Mickey Cavuti, who'd heard the devastating news and rushed to her side. Fran and Mickey were married only two weeks later. Call this comedy. One wedding and a sort of funeral. Except there was nothing funny about it. For Tom, who is now old and alone. The end. It's a tough story.

[C]

All right, Rob, here are your choices. From Joyell Nicole Johnson, a rich guy who paid the wrong soccer team to propose to his girlfriend for him. From Tom Beaudet, a woman who insisted she would not get engaged until she dug up her own diamond with her own hands.

[F]

That's not how this works, where people clap for what they think is real.

[C]

Apparently, it's how it works here. And from Mo Rocca, a man who thought he'd give his fiance the surprise of her life when he popped up from his own coffin to pop the question, which of these is the real story of engagements in the news?

[G]

I'm definitely going to have to go with sourcing a diamond.

[C]

Okay, your. Your choice then, is Tom's story. Well, to find out which story is true, we hear from the bride herself. They come from the ground. What is conceptually stopping us from just getting one ourselves? That was Michelle Fox speaking to Morning Edition about mining her own diamond in Arkansas, where there really is the only public diamond mine in the whole world. Congratulations, Rob. You got it right. You earned a point for Tom. You've won our prize. The voice of of your choice. It's been a pleasure talking to you and hearing from you. Thank you so much for playing. Bye, Rob. Thank you. Bye. Bye now.

[I]

Thank you.

[C]

And now, the game we call not my job. Paul Giamatti is a movie star for all of us. He doesn't play spies or superheroes, but he plays mostly everyman. He's built a career playing people struggling with everything from existential regret to writer's block to being dyed completely blue. And every time we see his performances on screen or on tv, we say to ourselves, yeah, that's me. That's my life. Because I, too, have been dyed completely blue. His latest project is a heartbreaking episode of the science fiction anthology Black Mirror. We are delighted he joins us here at Tango. Paul Giamatti, welcome to Waitwood. Thank you very much. Thank you. You're very welcome. Real pleasure. Thank you. When. Usually when I talk to actors with extremely long and varied careers like you, I ask what role you're most often known for. But in your case, I wanted to ask something slightly different, which is, based on all the roles you've played, what kind of assumptions do people make about you as a real person?

[I]

Oh, lots. I mean, the wine thing. Everybody assumes I know all about wine. I don't know crap about wine.

[C]

There you go. Okay. Is there, like, a paradigmatic Paul Giamatti role? Like, who do they. There's a role that they say, we gotta get Paul Giamatti to this. He's perfect.

[I]

Geez, I don't know. I mean, it used to be I would get a script and I'd open it and I'd be reading it, and I would come to a character where they say kind of a disheveled man sort of shuffles into the room or something. An angry voice is heard off camera, yelling in the bathroom or something.

[B]

I was like, this is.

[C]

This is my part. Okay, get out the highlighter right there.

[I]

Here we go.

[C]

Yep.

[I]

And so it's. Yeah, it was generally, you know, there's. There's an angry middle management hype who.

[C]

Steps in just as soon as you see the line, what the hell are you doing? Highlighting. That's you.

[I]

Exactly. Exactly.

[C]

Wow. You've got. You started out in theater. You started in Yale, and like a lot of actors, you worked your way up. One of your first TV roles, I was told, was man in Sleeping Bag. NYPD Blue.

[I]

That's right.

[C]

Right.

[I]

Well, it was. It was. Yeah. It was one of the first kind of roles I had on television or anything. I'd been doing some legit theater.

[C]

Well, of course.

[I]

And then. And then I took a day off to go play man in Sleeping Bag.

[C]

Yeah.

[I]

Yeah.

[C]

What did they have you do as man in Sleep? Sleeping Bag.

[I]

Not Witness the Crime is what I did.

[C]

Really?

[I]

Yeah. They came to question us about who witnessed the crime. And I said, not me, man. And that was it. I was in the sleeping bag and they were. Dennis Franz is going, who's. Who saw anything that happened? I said, not me, man.

[F]

And were you down on the ground looking?

[I]

Yep, I was down. Exactly. I was looking up at Dennis Franz. I went, not me, man.

[C]

It's amazing, so many years later, you can still remember your lines. Since I brought it up, I have to mention the movie Big Fat Liar in which you were, in fact dyed completely blue.

[I]

Correct.

[C]

Can you explain for those who didn't see that movie, why were you dyed completely blue?

[I]

I stole an idea from a kid for a screenplay. I play a big movie producer and I steal the kid's idea and the kid gets revenge on me and various ways, but one way is dumping a bunch of blue dye in my swimming pool.

[C]

Right.

[I]

And so now I go for a swim and I get dyed blue.

[C]

Right?

[I]

Yeah. Listen, man, you know, I made. I made decent money, you know, Listen, you know, I mean, what was I going to do? Say no?

[C]

Yeah, I know. Did you lie there and did you lie there as they were spray painting you blue for two hours? Yeah.

[I]

Oh, two hours saying, I am a.

[C]

Graduate of Yale School of Drama?

[I]

Absolutely, Absolutely. I tell you, interesting little thing about that. They spray with tattoo ink like that. It was blue tattoo ink, and every night the guy had to. Or somebody had to rub it off of me. It stayed up. It stayed. It stayed on my feet for about six months. We couldn't get it off my feet, so my feet were blue for about six months. Just a little bit of trivia.

[C]

There you are. Yeah. And did your friends and family just sort of understand this?

[I]

Yes, they did.

[C]

Yeah.

[I]

Very understanding people.

[C]

It wasn't like you went home and your wife is like, paul, do you have gangrene?

[I]

Yes, I do.

[C]

You have, and I am among them in a larger sense. You have a very devoted fan base, and in fact, they have created the Wax Paul now movement. Are you aware of this?

[I]

Yes, I'm aware of it. Yeah. I think it's a thing of the past. I think that train has left the station. I don't think I'm getting a wax statue at Madame Tussauds.

[C]

So that idea was that people, they actually created a movement to get you, Paul Giamatti, star of stage, and scream your own wax figurine at Madame Tussauds.

[I]

Yes, they tried to, and it didn't work.

[C]

Right.

[I]

Yeah.

[C]

Did you.

[I]

I don't know how you qualify that's my question. What's the qualification for getting a wax statue? I don't know.

[C]

Right.

[I]

If I can't get one, who the hell can get one?

[C]

I mean, that's true.

[I]

For Christ's sake. I mean. I mean, my gut right.

[C]

Now.

[I]

That would have been. That would have been. That would have been retirement time. That would have been like, I'm done. That's good. I don't need any more honors than that.

[C]

Well, Paul Giamatti.

[I]

Yes.

[C]

Well, Paul Giamatti, we have asked you here to play a game we're calling Holdovers.

[B]

Fine. Leftovers. Yum.

[C]

So you just started a movie called the Holdovers, which was great, but it made us think of Leftover. A lot of people liked it.

[I]

Nice.

[C]

Good. Great. And that movie made us think of Leftovers, which of course made us think of Tupperware. Answer two to three questions about the iconic food containers and you will win our prize for one of our contestants, the voice of anyone they choose for their voicemail. Bill, who is Paul Giamatti playing for?

[B]

Barbara Jacklich from Salisbury, Connecticut.

[C]

All right, here's your first question. Ready to go? Yeah. Here's your first question.

[I]

Okay.

[C]

Everybody loves Tupperware, including your fellow celebrities like legendary singer Patti LaBelle. We know this because she recently told an interviewer what? A, that Elton John stole her Tupperware and never gave it back, B, that her concert rider includes 8 quart sized Tupperware containers so she can take home leftovers, or C, that she keeps the cremains of her three late husbands in them so they can, quote, stay fresh. Oh, boy.

[I]

Cremaine sounds like something you could eat.

[C]

Yeah, it does. From your dressing room soft circle.

[I]

I guess I'm going with that one. I guess I'm going with that.

[C]

No, it was Elton John. Wow. Yes, you mentioned that she has a big heart. She did back in the 60s when she was pretty big. But Elton John was just a starving young piano player. She. He came to her house, not only did she feed him, she gave him leftovers to take home in Tupperware. And she says 50 years later, never got a pass.

[I]

That's amazing. That's awesome.

[C]

All right, you have two more chances. Here's your next question. Tupperware isn't just for leftover food. A Tupperware container was used at one point for storing which of these A, Queen Elizabeth's collection of favorite earrings, B, Albert Einstein's brain, or C, two pounds of plutonium left over from making the first atomic bomb.

[I]

That seems absurd to me. The plutonium One that would just melt the plastic. Even Tupperware couldn't do that. Einstein's brain was stolen by a couple of guys, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[I]

And they drove around with it in the trunk of their car. I think I'm going to actually guess it's that one.

[C]

Einstein's brain. You're right. So what happened was Einstein's brain was removed from his body after he died by the doctor who did the autopsy. There was no law against it then. But when he did drive across the country in an attempt to return it to Einstein's descendants. Yeah. He did put it in a Tupperware.

[I]

Amazing.

[C]

So this last question, Earl Tupper, the guy who invented Tupperware.

[I]

Wow.

[C]

Really? Yeah.

[I]

Wow.

[C]

He was a prolific inventor. He also came up with which of these ideas? A, a fish powered boat, B, a combination belt buckle and photo frame. What?

[F]

No, that's not interesting or it's not interesting.

[C]

The jet ski.

[I]

Okay, hold on, hold on, hold on. I want to go with fish powered boat because I think that's kind of cool.

[C]

Your choice is fish powered boat. He actually came up with the idea for all of them. That's true. Wow. He left a notebook behind with all these ideas, including all the ones I mentioned. And yes, one of them was a motorcycle for the water that looks just like a jet ski. He never patented it, but he did come up with it. Wow. There you are.

[I]

He's like Leonardo da Vinci.

[C]

He really was in many ways. Wow. Bill, how did Paul Giamatti do in our craze?

[B]

Two out of three. That's a win. Wimpole.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

You're the champ.

[F]

They're celebrating in Salisbury.

[C]

They are. They're going nuts in Salisbury. Woo.

[F]

Setting things on fire. Absolutely.

[C]

Pushing cards. Pushing cards over. Paul Giamatti is an Oscar nominee and Emmy winner. You can soon see in Downton Abbey the grand finale coming to theaters on September 12th or the episode Eulogy of Black Mirror available right now. Paul Giamatti, thank you so much for joining us here. Paul Giamatti, everybody. In just a minute, Bill pulls out his axe and shreds for you in our Listener Limerick challenge. Call 1, Triple 8 wait wait to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more. Wait, wait, don't tell me. From NPR.

[A]

This message comes from. Visit St. Pete Clearwater, Florida. Visitors can unwind on 35 miles of white sand beaches along the Emerald Gulf and find a variety of open air dining options, including restaurants recognized by the Michelin Guide. Learn [e-mail] this message comes from Progressive Insurance.

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Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law, not available in all states. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Made in Cookware President and co founder Jake Kalik shares the key ingredients that go into Made in products.

[C]

We try to design products that are going to last you an incredibly long.

[F]

Time, and to know that we're making this in places that take the raw material seriously, take the manufacturing processes seriously.

[C]

That'S ultimately what's going to allow us.

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To sleep better at night selling this product to you.

[H]

Learn more about Made in Cookware at M A D e I n cookware.com.

[B]

From NPR in WBEZ Chicago, this is Wake Wait, don't tell me the NPR News quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We're playing this week with Joyell, Nicole Johnson, Tom Beaudet, and Mo Rocca. And here again is your host at Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts, Peter Sagal.

[C]

Thank you, Bill. Thank you, everybody. In just a minute, Bill addresses our limerick game by its full name, the Listener Lem Richard Challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call. One troll eight wait, wait. That's 1-888-924-8924. But now, panel, I have some more questions for you from the week's news. Tom There's a new trend of places that offer multiple TV showing sports, pool, foosball tables, arcade games and other amenities, all just to lure men into doing what?

[G]

Oh, I know this. Seeing a doctor.

[C]

Exactly right. According to researchers, men live shorter lives than women on average, primarily because they refuse to go to the doctor. It makes sense. Medicine is for softies. Live hard, die young men. Since staying alive is apparently not enough of an incentive to get men to come see the doctor, some men's medical clinics are trying to lure them in with things like sports on TV and table games. Fellas, get your checkup maxing on at your closest bro md. The waiting room is full of leather and brushed steel and the axe throwing parlor is attached to the ER.

[G]

Man. So, I mean, if you're in one of those little robes with no butt in it, you know, and you're sitting on the leather furniture, I mean, this is starting to sound like a wait.

[F]

What is a robe with no butt?

[G]

You know, the little gowns they give.

[C]

You, hospital gowns that don't tie in the back so your butt's hanging out.

[E]

Picture it on Jason Kelsey.

[G]

I'm just picturing this sports bar with everybody wearing that.

[C]

Yeah. Lean over to take a shot of the pool table and everybody looks away.

[G]

Yeah. That's not my fan.

[C]

Now, it's. It's not just that. Because men are apparently so helpless when it comes to. To the doctor. This is all true that there is a men's clinic in Cleveland that has a staff of eight, quote Joes. That's what they're called, Joe's. And they help patients with everything from scheduling appointments and finding pharmacies to even reminding the clients of things like Mother's Day and anniversaries.

[E]

They're Joe's. I thought it would be the opposite. Like, it would be a Hooters type situation. Like in little nurse outfits and being like, well, Joe's for Mo, but Hooters for yeah, depending.

[F]

Thank you. That's very considerate.

[E]

I see you, Mo.

[C]

They would have a selection. Yeah. Joyel. Burning man organizers are vowing to rebuild after a devastating dust storm this last week destroyed the dedicated dome there on the playa that is used for what?

[E]

Orgies.

[C]

The orgy dome is no more at Burning Man. Now, it's never right to make fun of people suffering from a weather tragedy they didn't deserve unless it involves an orgy dome. Now, the orgy dome isn't just a diaphragm marketed to millennials. It is a specific place set up at Burning man airport every year where orgies are held. And this week, a 50 mile per hour dust storm tore through the site and completely destroyed the tent. Maybe God is real after all.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

The Burning man staff says that they will rebuild the orgy dome because luckily that part of the FEMA budget wasn't cut. Coming up, it's lightning. Fill in the blank. But first, it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you want to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-88-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can see us most weeks here at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago or you can catch us on the road. We'll be at the fabulous fox Theatre in St. Louis on September 18th in Honolulu, Hawaii. Can you believe it? On October 9th and 10th. For tickets and information to all of our live shows, go to nprpresents.org and if you're really desperate for us, you can find even more of us on TikTok A. Wait, wait, don't tell Me. Hey, this is Mish from Philadelphia. Hey, Meesh. How are you? I'm good.

[F]

How are you?

[C]

I'm fine. In my mind, every cool person in Philadelphia is named something like Meech. Yeah, you're not. You're not wrong. Yeah. And what do you do there? I do a whole bunch of stuff. But right now my primary job is I work at a little store that sells board games and card games. Oh, I love board game stores. They're the best.

[G]

They are the best.

[C]

Do you have a favorite? Oh, I thought you might ask me that. And I totally should have prepared for that question. All right, hang on. This sometimes helps jog your memory here. Is there a game you hate the most? And is it Monopoly? Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. Well, Mish, welcome to the show. Bill Curtis is going to perform for you 3news related limericks with the last word of phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly and two of the limericks, you'll be a winner. You ready to go? Absolutely. Here's your first limerick.

[B]

My sport doesn't need ball or bat or even an exercise mat. I strengthen my core chasing birds out of doors. I run on all fours like a cat.

[C]

Like a cat? Yes. The hot new trend in fitness is running around in nature on all fours like a cat. I guess this is why everybody was reading that book all Fours this last summer. It must be an exercise manual. The movement is known as quadrobics and practitioners say it can increase your fitness, help you lose weight, even give you rock hard abs. So I no longer feel weird about commenting under every cat video. Wow. How can I look this hot? Here is your next limerick.

[B]

This hotel sounds like One Big Band camp Because the outlets serve more than a lamp. Let's go to the bar to check out a guitar because each room has its own Marshall.

[C]

I'm gonna need to hear that one again. Sure, let's hear it again.

[B]

This hotel songs like One Big Band Camp Cuz the outlets serve more than a lamp. Let's go to the bar to check out a guitar Cuz each room has its own Marshall.

[C]

I can't hear you. I appreciate the effort though. Is it. Is it stamp? No, it. It. It rhymes with camp and lamp. It has to do with guitars and Marshall's. Oh, an amp. An amp? Yes. When you check into a Ruby hotel, that's a European hotel chain soon coming to America, guests can select an electric guitar from the collection in the lobby, bring it up to their room, plug it into the amp that every room is provided with and shred away. Fun for you. Not so fun for the person in the next room who will start banging in the adjoining wall, yelling, could you please have loud, gross sex instead?

[G]

Can you imagine how many times you'd have to hear Stairway to Heaven?

[C]

Oh, my God. All right, here is your last limerick.

[B]

In Japan, we're protecting our teens. All the doom scrollers and gossip queens. Two hours at home, you can be on your phone. Eddie Moore, and we're taking your screens.

[C]

Screens, yes. If you want to look at your phone less when you need encouragement, just move to the town of Taiyoake in Japan, where they just passed a law meant to limit everyone's screen time to just two hours a day. Ooh, it's going to be great for people to have this law one way or another. Either your screen time goes down or your step count goes up when you try to get out of city limits just to get the latest on Real Housewives of Atlanta. Now, this ban would not affect just phones, but also laptops, which is crazy because laptops aren't screens. Laptops are tv, and TV is books. Bill, how did Mish do in our quiz?

[B]

They got all three winners.

[C]

Congratulations. M. Thank you very much. Thank you so much for calling and playing.

[B]

Take care.

[C]

It's hard, it's true to be without you I don't complain it's just insane it's hard, it's true to be without you yeah.

[H]

This message comes from Progressive Insurance. Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Strawberry Me. If you could go back and talk to your younger self, would you tell yourself that you have a job that truly makes you happy? Many people are stuck in jobs they've outgrown or never really wanted. A career coach from Strawberry Me can help you move on to something you actually love. Benefit from having a dedicated coach in your corner, and claim a special offer@Strawberry Me. NPR this message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in house from premium material starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you.

[C]

Now onto our final game. Lightning Fill in the blank. Each player will have 60 seconds now to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can. Each correct answer now worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores?

[B]

Mo has one Joyol has two. And look at the big man. Tom has four.

[C]

Whoa. How is that possible?

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

Catch that Mo, then Joyel, then Tom. So that means moving. We start with you. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Monday, the White House followed through on threats to level a 50% tariff rate on goods from blank India. Right. On Sunday, the US government announced they had acquired a 10% stake in computer company Blank Intel. Right. This week, Russia launched a new air attack on Blank Key. Right. On Tuesday, the FDA approved updated blank vaccines just for select groups.

[F]

Covid.

[C]

Right. This week, 73 year old Bill Belichick and his 26 year old girlfriend filed a trademark for the phrase blank.

[F]

Oh, it's the trademark. Not robbing the cradle.

[E]

It's a trademark.

[F]

Sugar daddy, no.

[C]

Oh, you're gonna hate yourself. Ready? Yeah. Gold digger. Oh.

[F]

Sugar daddy is a synonym for gold digger.

[C]

That's a trademark. According to a new study, 60% of teachers admit to using blank for lesson planning. AI right. On Wednesday, paleontologists announced the discovery of a new armored blank dinosaur vehicle. Yes. No, just dinosaur.

[F]

Dinosaur, dinosaur.

[C]

This week, a 75 year old realtor at a concert in the Hamptons was arrested after she allegedly blanked just to get a free T shirt thrown to to the crowd.

[F]

She stole it from a child.

[C]

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Who?

[C]

She did what to?

[F]

She.

[I]

She.

[F]

Hit the child.

[C]

She. I'll give it to you. She bit the child during a T shirt toss at the Main beach concert series in the Hamptons. One very high end real estate agent got so excited that she allegedly punched and kicked her way through the crowd and then bit the arm of a seven year old in order to claim the shirt. It finally answers the question, what do you get for the woman who has everything? Flesh.

[F]

There's a reason they're called brokers.

[C]

Exactly. Bill, how did Mo do on our quiz?

[B]

He's coming on strong. Seven more points. He's got 14 and 15 a total for the lead.

[C]

All right, Joel, you're up next. Here we go. Fill in the blank. In Israel, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding an end to the war in Blank.

[E]

Palestine.

[C]

I'll give it to you. Gaza. This week, prosecutors failed to secure an indictment against a man who threw a blank at a Federal agent in D.C. a family? A sandwich. According to new data, Blank is making oceans significantly more acidic. Shark poop? No. Climate change. On Wednesday, NASA said that a building sized asteroid would miss the earth, but might hit the blank moon. That's Right. Moon. Following years of constant construction noise, Mark Zuckerberg is finally making amends with his neighbors by blanking giving them billions of dollars. No, he's not going to do that. But he will give them all noise canceling headphones. So Zuckerberg has spent over $100 million buying up 11 homes together to make a residential compound in Palo Alto, California, including the excavation, over 7,000 square feet of underground rooms. So after nine years of constant construction, finally he listened to his beleaguered neighbors and made it up to them by giving them noise canceling headphones. And the first month of the subscription you need to make them work is.

[G]

He's a charmer.

[C]

He really is.

[B]

How'd I do, Bill, earlier in the game?

[C]

Three, Right.

[B]

Six more points, you have a total of eight. Which is number two.

[C]

All right. All right, so how many then does Tom need to win? Bill?

[B]

Six to win, Thomas.

[C]

Here we go. On Monday, President Trump signed an order proposed making it illegal to burn Blank the flag. Right. On Tuesday, Denmark called a meeting with a US Envoy over reports that the administration was running covert influence operations in Blank, Greenland. Right. This week, Lucasfilm announced that filming had begun in the new Blank movie.

[G]

Oh, the Star Wars.

[C]

Yes. Following clashes with RFK Jr, the recently installed head of the blank was fired. CDC. Right. This week, Duolingo issued an Apollo after the app repeatedly taught users to say the phrase blank in German.

[G]

Go yourself.

[C]

No, it taught them how to say the phrase, I like the Harry Potter books, but I don't like the author, unquote. According to a new study, getting better Blank increases happiness in young people.

[G]

Getting better sleep?

[C]

Yes, getting better sleep. On Thursday, private space company Blank launched 30 more satellites into orbit.

[G]

That would be SpaceX.

[C]

Yes. This week, a golfer competing in the BMW championship hit his ball just next to the hole, but still managed to score under par, thanks to Blank.

[G]

A passing bird.

[C]

No, a fly that landed on the ball and made it fall in the hole. The video, which you can see is amazing, zooms in very close. The ball comes to a stop right in the lip of the hole. Then a tiny fly lands on one side of the ball, crawls over to the other, and it's added weight on that side tips it into the hole. Awesome. It's amazing.

[F]

Oh, my goodness.

[C]

Thanks to these. And this counts because, you know, rule does not say you can't have a fly as a helper.

[G]

That. That should be like a shrine.

[C]

It really should be. Bill, did Tom do well enough to win?

[B]

He got six. Right. What a winner. Number one.

[C]

Congratulations, Tom.

[G]

Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.

[C]

Coming up, our panelists will reveal what did the old man from the Cracker Barrel logo do with his week off? Wait, Wait. On a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Aircraft Productions, Doug Berman, benevolent overlord Philip Gauticke writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager, Shaina Donald. Thanks to the staff and crew in Tanglewood and everyone here at nepm. BJ Leaderman composer our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Grumbos and Lillian King. Special thanks to Mohamed El Shechi and Monica Hickey. The director of the Ritzman Family Singer Singers is Peter Guinn. Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillock. And the executive producer of Wait, Wait, don't tell me. That's Michael Danforth. Now, panel, what will we find out that the old guy in the Cracker Barrel logo did with his free time this week?

[G]

Tom Beaudet, needing to work that cramp out of his leg from sitting in that chair all those years, he had to do the Berkshires for a week long yoga camp at Kripali.

[C]

Joyle. Nicole Cole Johnson.

[E]

He submitted a formal apology to the NAACP and Mo Rocca.

[F]

He went and got a Covid shot. He'll last another week before he gets canned again.

[B]

Well, if any of that happens, panel, we're going to ask you about it on Wait, Wait, don't tell me.

[C]

Thank you, Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Jo Nicole Johnson, Mo Rockatron. Thanks for our fabulous audience to the Berkshires at Tangle and thanks to all of you for listening wherever you might be. I'm Peter Sagan. We'll see you next week. This is npr.

[A]

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