Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - Celebrating the 4th with nothing but bangers!

Episode Date: July 4, 2026

This week, we celebrate Independence Day with a collection of absolute bangers, including interviews with John Cusack, Kali Reis, Arden Cho, and Aasif MandviSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. Forget Uncle Sam. I'm the uncle you actually want to hang out with. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studio Breaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sego. Thank you, Alzo. Great to be with you. We, like apparently everybody is, we are so happy to be celebrating America's 250th birthday with the rest of you. People are having parties.

parades, cookouts, even reenactments. Alzo, how are you celebrating? I like walking up to those reenactors dressed up like the founding fathers and saying, boo. So while the nation looks backward, so will we, with some of the highlights from the past year or so.

We start with a visit from the actor and devoted Chicago guide John Cusack who joined us on stage in March. Thanks for having me. I have a habit when I'm talking actors with astonishingly long and very careers like yours of asking what role they're most recognized for. But since I started this show with a say-anything joke, do people ask you to either pretend

to hold Moonbox up like Lloyd did in the movie, or do they ever do that to you? No, I haven't had them do it to me, but they have asked me to hold it up, but I tell them I only do that at parties. But yeah, but there's been a strong reaction to that character at times. But there are no boom boxes anymore, so they just ask you to hold their iPhone up. Yeah. So I told my wife that you were going to be in the show, and I saw a look in her face I've never seen before. And she's like, John Kusack, really?

And she told me that your character Lloyd holding that boombox just absolutely blew her away. It was the most romantic thing she had ever seen. And I polled all the women I know, and they all agreed. Well, as I said, people like that character in that film a lot, which is pretty cool. Nation still does some screenings of the movie. And we do a Q&A afterwards. And people get pretty rowdy, which is fun. And a guy came up to the mic right over there.

And he said, my wife left me because she said I wasn't you. Now, I sort of had the look that you're... I know. Well, you're thinking about my look and your look. I'm thinking about that look my wife gave me, I mentioned earlier. You've got to go home. But the gentleman stopped. and then he said, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my.

And he literally dropped the mic, and I thought that kind of covers the whole game. I know this is a very tough question. I was thinking about your movie career. I know I have a favorite movie of yours, which in my case would be being John Malkovich. Do you have a favorite of all the ones you've done? And I know there are a lot and a lot of great ones. You know, I sort of think back on them and they're sort of like a little bit of a fever dream

and some of the ones that I wrote and produced... Yeah, that's a point blank. Yeah, that's a good one. That's a point of. I think just because that kind of black comedy doesn't get done that much. That's the movie in which you play

a hitman who goes back to his, if I'm not mistaken, 10th high school reunion? I think it was his... No, no, it was 10th. And I'm told that that was inspired by you actually attending your own high school reunion in Evanston? Yes.

And you were like... So there you're back, by that time, a very accomplished and well-known actor. And did you really say to yourself and discuss with your collaborators in the film, you know it would be really cool if I was a hitman? Well, I thought to myself, I wrote the script and I said, well, if we get funding for this,

that's the only way I'll go to my 10-year high school reunion. Really? As research? Yes. Oh, wow. I didn't think we'd get the funding, but then we did, so I had to go. I thought you were going to say you were inspired after going to your high school reunion, because when you went there, you're like, I can't stand any of these fools.

What this place needs is a hitman. You still live here in Chicago where you grew up, which I think is great. I do, sir. And that is not a choice that a lot of people who get very successful in the entertainment business make. Why do you just stay here or come back, perhaps? Have you been to L.A.? I have. Yeah.

And I guess we don't really need to talk about that anymore. And I love this. You get around. Chicago by scooter. It's true. When you're riding up and down in your scooter, do people ever pull up to you in division and look at you and go, hey, it's John Cusay?

Yeah, every once in a while. Yeah, in a car. Yeah. And this is Chicago, they're going to be cool about it, right? Everyone's so cool about it. Yeah. They're basically, they just go like, oh, hey. That's the Chicago way.

Which I love about Chicago. I heard this. I might get your assistant in trouble because we were talking about, well, when's John getting here? He's always coming into Vespa. And she told me that your Vespa, which is a beautiful old Italian scooter, runs on gasoline, but not very much at a time, right? It's got a small gas tank. And so she told me you have like a bottle filled with gasoline. That might be true, although that might be too much information from Oligate. Really? To be given out. But I'm like, okay, so you're riding around your Vespa and you're like,

oh, I'm running out a gas. Reach into the pocket, pull out the bottle. I don't even know if what I'm doing is legal, but yeah. sounded. Yeah. Peter, you're a snicks. I know. You are. If any members of the Chicago police are listening, remember, it's John Cusack. You're not going to bother. And now I'm going to get my Vespa search. Yeah. Sorry, Mr. Cusack, we've got to search a vestibum. A flammable country, man. Got to see if you've got two, three bottles of gas in there.

You've written a graphic novel. I grew up reading this kind of graphic novel, very big in Europe. In your case, this graphic novels about 300 pages long and it features sex, violence, drugs, aliens, Jackie Gleason and a plot centered around the very real French avant-garde artist and philosopher Antonin Artou.

So you've sold out and gone mainstream. Well, just think of a metaphysical crime movie mixed with a drug mule movie mixed with E.T. So I think French connection meets E.T. meets my dinner with Andre, meets Smokey and the Bandit. meets the Mike Douglas show.

Another of those? Yes. Not again. It's a shame to see an actor become so derivative in his career. Well, the origin of it was I loved this I love this artist Artow.

And then I thought, well, no one is going to give me money to make that movie yet. But if I write a graphic novel, I always believe in the possibility of possible. Sure. It's pretty funny and very bizarre, and I recommend it to everybody.

Oh, thank you. It's really something. Thank you for reading it. Oh, my pleasure. I know speaking for myself, I could talk to you all day, but we have business to do. John Cusack, we are thrilled to have you here, and we have invited you here to play a game we're calling.

Say nothing. As we discussed, we started the iconic movie, Say Anything, so we thought we'd ask you about people who should have kept their mouths shut. Answer two or the three questions about some unwise statements. You'll win our prize.

one of our listeners, also, who is the legendary John Cusack playing for? Jill Farrell of Beaverton, Oregon. All right. I'm going to do my best for you, Jill. I'll beaverton. Here you go. Here's your first question. Gerald Ratner was the head of Ratner's great Britain's largest jewelry store chain

when he unfortunately called his own company's products, quote, crap. How did he try to undo the damage? Was it A, by trying to convince people that crap was a slang word he learned from his kids that meant really great? B, by having all his company's stores put up a sign in the window saying, what we mean by crap, cheap, reliable, and affordable prices. Or C, by saying, quote, producing crap is a universal part of the human experience. I'm going to follow the wisdom of the good and great Jason Benetti.

Yes, on the show last week. Always pick B. And you and Jason are right. It is, in fact, me. His plan was to put up a sign saying crap means cheap, reliable, and affordable prices. It did not work. And he had to step down from the company. And to this day, according to least one source we found in the United Kingdom, saying something really stupid and self-destructive for no reason, is still called pulling a ratner.

Wow. That was really good. Here's your next question. In 2005, former French president Jacques Chirac caused a diplomatic incident with the UK when, he made a comment to Vladimir Putin that was caught on a hot mic. What did he say about the British? A, you can't trust people who cook as badly as that. B, look, they were once conquered by us.

How tough can they be? Or C, they think they're all Winston Churchill, but they're really just Benny Hill. Now, here's a problem. Yeah. Can I say what I want to pick? You may. Yeah, this is your game.

I want it to be C, but I think it's A. And you're right. It was A. Yeah. Nice. Of course, he's French. Of course he's going to insult their cooking. And of course he's French and he's not going to know who Benny Hill is.

Exactly. Also true. He also said on the same hut mic incident that the only thing the British had contributed to agriculture was mad cow disease. So you're doing really well. Here's your last question. a lot of sports broadcast, as I know you know, Mike the crowd as well as the announcers and sometimes it can backfire,

as at a lacrosse game between Sacred Heart University and Sienna College last year, when the mic picked up one Sienna fan yelling what that made the ESPN broadcast. Was it, A, we wish we were watching football, B, stab them in the sacred heart, or C, sacred heart has diarrhea. Wow, wow. I mean, I want all of them.

Different sections doing different chants, you know. I think based on the state of America, it must be C. It is C, yeah. That's what he said. The chant from a Sienna fan who found the mic and ran up to it and yelled into it. It was hard to make out, but hopefully one of the ESPN and The announcers said, they're chanting, sacred heart has diarrhea. I'm sure he got a bonus that.

He did. Alzo, how did John Cusack do in our quiz? He said something. He got three out of three. He's a winner. Yeah. John Cusack is an actor, writer, and producer. His new graphic novel, Mo Mo Mo is available now. He's also a proud Chicago guy.

John Cusack, thank you so much for joining us here. John Cusack, everybody. When we come back, you got demons, no worries. We have a K-pop demon hunter. That's when we return with more of Wait, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. From NPR. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studio Baker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Seigle.

Thank you, Alzo. Thank you, everybody. It is America's 250th birthday, and I have to say America, you do not look at day over 200. Did you notice they Botox the coast of Maine? It's as smooth as Florida now. One way to stay young is to constantly dwell on the past. We're not just saying that as an excuse to take the week off.

Last year, Netflix had its biggest hit ever with the animated musical, K-pop Demon Hunters. Arden Cho, who was the voice of Demon Hunter Rumi, joined us in February to talk with guest host Nagin Farside. So much for having me. Well, so I have to be honest with you. Like, I have a love-hate relationship with Rumi, voiced by you, because I have a seven-year-old daughter.

Okay, okay. I see where this is going. And I hear your voice all the time. Are parents mad at you for making the most popular movie of all time? they are kind of at this point a bit sick of it. But on the flip side, I've heard that, you know, at least it's something that has a positive message and at least their kids are, you know, enjoying it together all ages.

And it is very, like, family-friendly. Wait, what's your daughter's name? Raika. Okay, Raika. Well, Rumi says you better listen to Mama. Oh, my God. She said. You can flip that and play that.

Oh my God. That I get up on replay for the rest of her life. That's what's going to happen. Rumi, I mean Rumi. Arden. Oh, Jesus Christ. Wow, you really have her. I'm so sorry.

I literally do hear your voice way too much. Okay. So one of the really unexpected things about you is that, you know, you're not just an actor, and you're so many more things. And one of those things is a champion poker player. Like, you are internationally ranked. How did that happen? I was actually a psych major in college, and I always love the game.

I've just respected it so much. And I really wasn't great. I've always been quite shy, and I'm not much of, like, a partier and quite a more of an introvert, so I like these quiet settings. It's taught me to be confident and to take risks, learn to say no and to bet on myself. I'm often underestimated. I think people are just, like, not expecting anything from me. And then they're like, oh, she's not that bad.

Or maybe she's okay. I love it that you've put such a positive spin on a degenerate practice. Well, there are degenerate parts of that world for sure. But I find that there are a lot of really great parts in that world as well. I've met a lot of really cool players, people who are like, I want to like hang out with my friends, but I don't want to sit in a club. It's kind of like a nice alternative. Yeah. So, Arden, you actually had some news recently that you got engaged.

Congratulations. And then something else happened that day right after you got engaged at the TSA pre-check line. You know, tell us what happened. Oh, my goodness. It was so funny. Well, it was actually before we got engaged. My fiance and I were flying to Hawaii. But we always, you know, get in together and, you know, we're flying business.

And so I didn't have TSA pre-check at the time. He did. And all of a sudden, he's just like, I'm going to go this way into the TSA pre-check line and leave you. And I was just like, wait, what? And you were like, I want to marry that man. Well, no, no, no. We weren't engaged yet. He was sneaking away because he was afraid that they take out the ring and that I would see it.

Because we were going for Hawaii for our friend's wedding. So I thought all of a sudden he was being ultra competitive And seeing who could go faster And then of course the next day he proposed And I was like, oh, everything makes sense Right, like he wasn't just being a jerk Yeah Well, you've had a whirlwind year, Arden

And we've asked you here to play a game that we're calling K-pop demon hunters Meet Kmart Bargain Hunter What? Okay. That's right. We're going to ask you three questions about the late great discount store Kmart. Answer just two of them correctly, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners.

Bill, who's Arden playing for? Gina Hoffman of Sacramento, California. Okay, Gina, I'm going to try my hardest. I'm quite predative. I shall try. All right. Here's your first question. By the 2010s, Kmart was struggling to keep up with Walmart and Target,

so they tried to do anything they could to grab people's attention. Like which of these commercials? Was it A, an ad where a woman stripped from a parka down to her underwear to show all the different kinds of clothing that were on sale? Was it B, an ad promoting free shipping for online orders that use the phrase, I can ship my pants 11 times? Or was it C, an ad with a jingle that, went Kmart, it's KKKmart.

Do you really? Correct, beam. It was shipped my pants. They ran another ad for Kmart with gas stations attached, talking about their big-ass savings. So they were really doing it, Kmart. All right, here we go. Here's your next question.

In 2019, a man named Andrew Lippie was arrested for stealing $300 worth of goods. from a Kmart in Florida. This came as a shock to people. Why? Was it, A, because he was the manager of the Walmart across the street. B, he was a city councilman who ran on promises to fight shoplifting. Or C, earlier that week, he had bought his own private island for $8 million.

B! No, wrong, it is C. Oh, C, really? See, I thought it was... Wow. Here's your last question. While Kmart is all bought gone in the U.S., there are over 300 Kmart's in Australia.

But one mom in Melbourne is furious with the company because the toy lion she bought there for her son was what? A, anatomically correct. Was it B, louder than a jackhammer? Or was it C, stuffed with a combination of styrofoam and gunpowder? This line... Never been so nervous in my life. I have to pay attention to the...

to these ads and nude. No, this line was clearly a male and some toy designer was definitely trying to get fired. My goodness. Bill, how did Arden do on our quiz? Arden can stop hunting demons because she got two out of three, which is a win for us.

Much for joining us. Arden Cho is the voice of Rumi in Netflix's K-pop demon hunters, which is nominated for Best animated film at this year's Oscars. Art and Joe, thanks for joining us. I first became a fan of Asif Manvi when he was one of the hilarious correspondents in The Daily Show, but when he joined us in March, he talked about all the

odd jobs as a performer he had before he made it big. I used to perform in murder mysteries where we would go undercut, like sort of incognito into these parties, and then someone would get killed. and one of the most, one of the most infamous ones that I ever did was at an Orthodox Jewish, they were trying to meet people to get married. Like a singles meetup matchmaking.

A singles meetup thing, right? And we go in there and... I just want to pause and say, somebody organized a singles meetup for Orthodox Jews and said to themselves, you know it would make us a really great eat. Yeah, exactly. If somebody were murdered.

Yeah. All right, you're going there. And so I just remember that I was one of the other actors who I used to work with at the time was Connie Britton. And she was sort of chatting up this guy who I just remember was wearing a yellow suit, so that I'll tell you everything about him. Yeah.

And he thought he had, and she was really chatting him up, and he thought he had hit the gentleman. Jackpot. He was like, this is like this beautiful woman is talking to me, and then about 20 minutes into it, he,

she was killed by that. I've had dates like that. I'm just, I was empathic. You are, you are going on Broadway in this revival of the, the,

Noel Coward play with the great Rose Byrne, among many others. The other, thing you have coming out is a TV show on Peacock, a comedy called The Miniature Wife. And I have to say, I heard the title, and I

said to myself, oh, that must be like a metaphor. It's about a wife. She's maybe in the shadow of her husband. She feels small. That's not what it's about. No, no. No. It's about a man who has, he's a scientist who has designed a sort of

serum that can miniaturize crops to come back climate change. So you know, Matthew McFadden, who I love from Succession, and the Elizabeth Banks, who I worked with many years ago in Williamstown, is literally six inches tall. Yes. And lives in the dollhouse for much.

But they hate each other, and they're constantly trying to kill each other. So it's, Honey I Shrunt the Kids meets Tom and Jerry. Did you have to spend any time on set, like, crouching down and pretending you're talking to a six-inch high Elizabeth? Yes. Later in the season, I do, Matthew hides the whole. storyline of his wife from me for a long time until he finally

can't and then there is a moment where he and I are both on the floor talking to a small cardboard cutout of Elizabeth Banks and they would sort of move her around and sort of pretend like she was walking one more question for you, like I said at the beginning I first knew you and became a big fan when you were on the Daily Show

but I heard a story I don't know how this could be true that you ended up appearing on the daily show the same day you auditioned for it? Yeah. How is that even possible? A couple of days earlier, I had found out that my ex-girlfriend had gotten engaged, and so I was very upset, and I was writing one of those letters. No.

You know, that you write to your ex-girlfriend saying how you fuck up, you know, and I can't say that. Can I say that? You just did. It's all right. You'll figure it out. Anyway, so I'm writing this. I get this call to come on audition for the Daily Show. And I was in such a bad place that I said, I can't come in today.

I don't feel like, can I come in tomorrow? And they said, no, if you don't come in today, then it's done. So I literally just like put on a suit and I went in and I honestly just had this like attitude of like I'm never going to get this. This is ridiculous. Like I'm in the wrong frame of mine. And John met me and he said, and I was a little bit surly. And I said, because he said to me, he said, have you, you know, have you ever performed in front of a live audience?

And I remember looking at him and just being like, dude, I've been on Broadway. And I had such, but I just did my best Stephen Colbert impression, because that's all I needed to do. And I was a fan of the show. And he hired me right there on the spot. And I was on the show that night. And I didn't even get a chance to tell anybody. And suddenly it was just, I was on the show and people were calling me. We're like, there's a guy that looks a lot like you.

On The Daily Show tonight, so I didn't even get to tell my family until after it was on. Did it comfort you, maybe, given the circumstances of the day, to know that maybe your ex-girlfriend would see you on this hit, incredibly culturally significant TV show and think to herself, my God, what have I done? You know, it's so funny. Like, the minute I got The Daily Show, I didn't really care about my ex-co-friend that much. There you go. Less than for you all, I just know. Asim Andvi, it's a pleasure to talk to you.

We have asked you here today to play a game we're calling Miniature Wife. Meet Miniature Groom. So your new series is The Miniature Wife. And we're going to ask you about a place you usually find miniature brides and grooms on top of wedding cakes. Answer two or three questions correctly. You'll win our prize for one of our listeners.

The voice of their choice and their voicemail, Bill, who is Asif Manvi playing for it? Linda Evers of Collinsville, Illinois. All right. Ready to the plan? Sure. Here's your first question. Wedding cakes have been around since at least ancient Roman times,

but the tradition back then was a little different. Instead of the bride and groom cutting the cake together, what would happen? A, the bride would throw the cake as far as she could, and the groom would go find it and bring it back. B, they would break the cake over the bride's head, or C, they would put a live squirrel inside it and wait for it to eat its way out, thus cutting the cake. I'm going to go with B. Yes, you're right. They would break the cake over the bride's head. Oh, they lost a lot of good brides back then.

All right, here's your next question. Wedding cakes, of course, are a tradition now, but if you were getting married in 17th century Europe, you and your guests would most likely be cutting into what at the wedding celebration? Would it be, A, what was known as the Brides Pie, a savory pie filled with oysters, lamb testicles, and occasionally live snakes, B, potatoes, basically just dozens and dozens of potatoes, or C, just the air, or as wedding planners of the time called it a cake of the mind. I'm going to say that they would just cut into potatoes. Potatoes.

They had a lot of potatoes at the time. No, it was actually A. the Brides Pie. According to Wikipedia, in addition to the other tasty things, they would occasionally put a live snake there to, quote, help guests to pass the time in a wedding. I guess they did that because at the time, they needed entertainment and they had no DJs. Right. That's true. That is true.

That is true. D.J.s didn't come around until about the 1800s. Exactly true. Yeah. You have one more chance, if you get this right, you win. The one tradition today that every wedding expert tells you just skip it. Don't do it, is when the groom smashes the cake into the bride's face, right? Or the bride does it to the groom.

One couple went so hard in the cake smashing bit that after they cleaned up, this just happened in January, they did what? A, they did it again, smashing each other in the faces with the entree from dinner, and then all the side dishes. B, they handed out cupcakes for their guests to smash on each other to join the fun, or C, they got divorced. The audience, do you think they got divorced? Is that what the audience? The audience thinks they got divorced.

All right, I'll go with the audience. And they're right. You have to listen to the audience. They're right. Bill, how did us if mine be doing our quiz? Us have got two right, and that makes him a winner. Congratulations. With a little help.

A little help. We're all here to help each other. It's a community. Asif Manvi, what a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us. Take care. Break legs on Broadway. Thank you.

Take care. Bye, bye, bye. Thank you. When we come back, our panel proudly displays the refusal to actually pay attention to the news, and we visit with Kaylee Reese, the only actor who could ever win an EGGGOT, an Emmy Golden Gloves, Oscar and Tony. That's when we come back with more. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. From NPR.

From NPR, NPR, NWB, EZ, Chicago. Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NBR News Quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studio Breaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Seigle. Thank you, Alzo. Thanks, everybody. We are celebrating America's 250th birthday, like most people,

by looking back with admiration and pride on its history. Well, not the whole 250 years, and not necessarily the history of the whole country. Basically, just the recent part of its history that involves just us. Less significant events on the world stage, sure, but also way less to apologize for. Our panelists strangely never apologize for not knowing the news, even though it's their job to answer questions about it. Here are some of the questions we posed to our panelists that you have never heard before.

Josh, this season, Major League Baseball, a lot of changes. Catchers are reporting that there is a huge increase this season in the number of times. what happens? It's not falling asleep during the games because they've tightened those up. Yes, I have. It's something that's happening two catchers.

Two catchers? Yes. More frequently than it used to. Is batterers hitting them with the bat? They're not getting hit with the bat. But like catcher interference? No. What are getting hit? Umpires hitting them.

No. Damn you, sir. Damn you. I know what you're doing. The back of my hand to you, sir. getting slid into? No, I'll give you a hint. Sometimes after a foul ball, the catcher also ends up with fouled balls.

Oh. Catchers getting hit in the groin? Yes, by baseballs. Yes. Sure. Catchers are taking baseballs to the junk a lot more than they used to. The players told the New York Times that there's been a huge increase this season in that, you know, getting hit by a baseball right in the peanuts and cracker jacks. I mean, it's great because Major League Baseball is.

and working so long to make baseball more entertaining, and they've finally done it. Now, the phenomenon is due primarily to this new stance that catchers are using behind the plate. They don't crouch behind the plate anymore. Most catchers are down on one knee with their other legs splayed out straight, which is a lot less fatiguing over the course of the game.

But it's basically when you do that, you're giving the pitcher two targets to choose from. If I had two options of how to stand, and one of them got me, hit in the testicles with a baseball a lot more than the other one, that would make my choice for me. I would go to the other direction. When you're doing your list of pros and cons, that would pretty much be the only one on the

list. Less fatigue on one side. Hit repeatedly in the testicles with a 90-mile-an-hour fastball. But then how are you going to win America's funniest home videos? Shane, baseball star Bryce Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies, posted a Get Ready with Me video, right on Instagram. But he got a lot of heat after he revealed

he brushes his teeth by doing what? What is he use of baseball bat? No, I don't do it. No. If, all right, I do this, so I think it might be this because I never thought this was,

I put the toothpaste directly onto my tongue. That's it! And we're both great athletes. So, this is amazing. Because Bryce, he's like doing this, Get Ready With Me video, and he just takes the toothpaste, and he squeezes it into his mouth, puts down the tooth base, grabs the toothbrush, and starts scrubbing.

Yeah. What about Alphas? Well, wait a minute. And everybody was like, this is so weird. Nobody else in the world does this. And we, right here, have discovered the other human being who does this. This is amazing. So, Shane.

I never thought I'd have something in common with someone who plays for Philly. So what, Shane, is the advantage of squeezing the toothpaste onto your own tongue rather than placing it on the toothbrush as God intended? Do you want to know my logic behind it? Truly is that this is insane, but I take it and I put it on my tongue. And by the way, I feel your judgment. I don't think they're trying to hide it. And then I take my tongue and I press it to the roof of my mouth because people brush their tongues.

They do. But people don't talk about brushing the roof of your mouth and I don't understand why you wouldn't because it's still. What's that got to do with you putting that on your tongue? It's an even application. Oh, I see it. It's like you squeezing two pieces of bread together to get the sandwich all. Yes. This is boy brush your teeth.

That is. Because y'all locked in immediately together. I see the vision. Does this seem insane to everyone? Yes, it does. You can brush the roof of your mouth if you wanted to do that by putting the toothpaste on the brush. But now, Shane, I'm really thinking about this. Seems like we got a con-brought.

Oh, I don't think so. But if you put it directly on your tongue, you never have to worry about water pressure, kicking the toothpaste off the toothbrush before you brush your teeth. Something I never even thought about. You can add that to your reasons. Thank you very much. Bryce Harper and I thank you. Tom, a well-known mortgage company is expanding their business.

They've announced that in addition to home finance loans with competitive terms, they will also offer what? They will also offer cemetery plots. How does that figure? I'm not much for math. It's probably like a 4%. I see what you mean. No, actually, I don't.

That's not it. No. No. Like another kind of offering? Another, a completely different kind of product. Oh, totally different kind of product. Totally different kind of product. Oh, man, that could be anything.

Is it related to mortgages? Not in any way that we can see. That's why we thought we'd bring it up here. Oh, they're going to sell tiny genetically modified ponies. Yes, sir. Of course. That'd be fun. Yeah.

Tom, this is where you asked. for a hint. Oh. Thank you. Bill never ever advised me like that. No, I wanted to talk more about the tiny little ponies. Me too, kind of. That's sweet.

Nay. Can I have a hint, please? Yeah, well, I guess in response, Lulu Lemon will start selling mortgages. Oh, they're going to sell underpants. Athletic wear. Athletic wear, athletic wear, yes. This week, the mortgage lender company rate. launched their new spin-off company, Rate Fit, which sells athleisure clothing.

They say it's about, quote, building the world's largest wellness community, where your financial, physical, and mental fitness are in harmony, unquote. Yeah, so there's definitely going to be another mortgage crisis, okay? Yeah, is the CEO of that company some CrossFit dude on ketamine? That's what it sounds like. Possibly, it was his idea, apparently. This is like something he really wanted to do, so he started this, new clothing line. They're making sweatpants,

sweatshirts, and something called subprime yoga pants. And you'll be able to pay it off by the time we turn 60. That's the plan. I wish them well, but I just know in about a year and a half they're going to be in a board meeting, and that guy's going to have his head in his hands going, we should have done the ponies. Finally, in January, we talked to an actor

with a pretty unusual background, instead of theater or film school in New York or L.A., she trained in a boxing gym in Providence, Rhode Island. Kaylee Reese was nominated for her role opposite Jodie Foster and True Detective, Night Country, which came very soon after her transition to acting. It was my third professional acting job, first TV show ever. Wow. And from a very young age, when did you start boxing? Around the age of 13 or 14, I found boxing.

Prior to that, I played softball, played basketball. I'm one of five kids. I'm the youngest girl. I always tried to do what my big brothers did. But nobody in my family boxed. It was kind of, you know, growing up, I wanted to be the karate kid. I wanted to be Bruce Lee. You know, I was so obsessed with Rocky.

So it just kind of happened. Yeah. Wow. I mean, you were obsessed with Rocky. Wait a minute. I know some elite athletes. It doesn't just kind of happen, right? You must have, like, really been dedicated to it.

Yeah, I was dedicated to. I mean, you know, I was a little rough kid. I'm growing up, you know, I wouldn't, I wouldn't start fights, but I'd finish him. Oh, yeah. So, you know, I didn't like see kids getting bullied. I didn't like getting bullied, so I would always be the one standing up for the bullies, but it wasn't, like, I wasn't trying to be a fighter. I do come from a very musically inclined family, very artistic family.

Fun fact, my father used to actually play with Marky Mark and the funky bunch. She was a-oh. Really? She was part of the bunch. He was the keyboard player, so there was good vibrations everywhere. Wait a minute. You're a descendant of Marky Mark. You truly are.

New England royalty. That is... I'll take that. I know. That is amazing. So, again, I stress how amazed I am that with a background, not in acting, how good an actor you are. I know you have talked about how the discipline and focus of elite boxing has helped you in the acting world. But isn't there an element?

of acting in boxing, you're like in the way-ins when you're like glaring at the opponent, you're like fronting a little bit, right? I mean, did that... Oh, it's an entertainment business at the very, at the very core of it. I mean, we're up on a stage, we're performing, you know, there's a character. I'm not going around one shot and hit people on the street. That's not who I am as a person, but it's also like, you know, you have to be an artist. You have to, you know, you have to be really calm. You have to prepare. But there are people who build characters, big charismatic entertainment. You know, all that buildup is really good for it for when people tune in. I mean, we have some really

cool things happen in boxing because of that charismatic type of entertainment value of boxing. So absolutely right. We are performing there. Right. I read that in True Detective Night Country, you play an Alaskan native. But what I read, and you can tell me if it's true or not, is that your, your, your, your, your, your, your native Rhode Island accent would come out frequently enough that they figured they'd better write that into your character so that it would be explicable if all of a sudden you're like, you're like looking at a corpse or something and you're like, oh, that's wicked gross. Yeah, I love Aza, the director.

She decided to make my character part of it because I was, you know, working with the dialect coach to keep my quote-unquote accent at bay. I didn't want to sound like Peter Griffin making, you know, an investigation. You know what I mean? So I just, I think you just sold the next hit series for HBO, by the way, hopefully with you in the lead. Go on. It was weird how your character always had a cup of Dunkin.

in her hand at all times. So in everything you've starred in so far, from like True Detective to this new movie, Mercy, you always play people who seem like they could and would kick your ass at any moment. So do you ever, like, want to get cast on like a different kind of part,

like romantic lead in a Hallmark movie? Presumable to be bad at. I would love to. I would love to. You know, I want to dabble on some comedy. I would love to do some comedy. I would, you know, I love a challenge. I love something that maybe I'm not as strong at yet. I would love to take any you know, whatever is meant for me.

I don't want to just stick to the... I mean, I can't help the badassery just shines through. It does. It kind of does. I'm sorry. How about... Let me put something to you. How about a Hallmark movie where you come back to your hometown,

leaving the big city, and you find the guy who, you know, broke your heart 20 years before, and it turns out he's a jerk and you beat the crap out of me. I'm sorry. That's happened. It's fine. Oh, really?

That's another. show for HBO. We're off lining up projects for you. Well, that'll be a documentary. Well, Kaylee Reese, it is a pleasure to talk to you, and we have asked you here, as we do with everyone, to play a game. And in your case, we're calling it

The Future is here. And by here, we mean Las Vegas, because that's where every year the Consumer Electronic Show happens. It's the annual convention where tech companies show off their newest innovations, hopefully to the public that will love them. So we're going to you three questions about the CES Consumer Electronics Show, past and present. If you get too right,

you'll want a prize for our listeners. Bill, who is Kaylee Rees playing for? Christopher Wolfe of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All right. Hey, go birds. Hey, here's your first question. At the 2017 CES, Intel made waves when they introduced their newest VR headset, which they handed out to members of the media along with what? A, a nurse with an IV, so they wouldn't have to stop playing and, you know, eat. B, protective gear for when they banged into each other while playing the games, or C, barf bags.

You're right. You knew it. You're right, yeah. The demo program that they tried out included jumping off helicopters, traveling to Vietnam, flying high with a drone, and in some cases, apparently, projectile vomiting. All right. Good, you did that really well. Now, there are always robots being demoed at CES,

but in 2020, the most exciting new robot had one purpose. What was it? A, to open your car door from the inside if you lock your keys in the car. B, to look up people's names that you have forgotten at a party or C, to bring you a roll of toilet paper

if you run out while you are in the bathroom. I'm going to go at C because I hope that exists. It does. It's right. A tech company partnered with Charmin to create a new robot which you operate with your smart phone from the toilet.

I need that. We all do. But here's the thing. So you have the wherewithal, the foresight to set up the robot in its little niche, wherever it is, with a roll of toilet paper on it, all set to go. Why don't you just put the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom? All right. Because sometimes stepchildren forget to put it in the bathroom and then you're stuck there with no toilet paper. I'm just going to say, I haven't seen all your projects as a performer, but I've never.

never seen you more vulnerable than you were in that moment. That's the, see, I just gave you like an audition of my vulnerability. I know, man. I am ready to cast you in your latest project about a vulnerable, sensitive woman who's caught in a bathroom with no toilet paper. That's going to be my first short. Absolutely. We are planning a career here.

Okay. Last question, you were doing this pretty much about as well as you have done everything else you have ever attempted. it. At this year's CES, one manufacturer introduced the new device with which you can enjoy music. What is it? A, a large case with two built-in stereo speakers known as an eye boom box. B, a lollipop that plays music inside your head when you suck on it, or see a robot bassist complete with genuine bassist scent. What was B again?

B was a lollipop that plays music inside your head while you suck on it. I'm gonna go with B because that sounds kind of cool. You're right again. I mean, your competence extends to everything. When you put lollipop scar, that is what it is called in your mouth. It vibrates against your teeth,

which connects to your face bones, which connects to your ear bones, and it comes in three flavors, or rather, songs. Bill, how did Kaylee Reese do on our quiz? Well, if I don't get it right, she's going to come down and beat the living hell out of it.

Fortunately, I don't have to because she is perfect. Three in a row. There you go. I mean, honestly, Kaylee Reese is an Emmy nominated actress and member of the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame. You can see her in the new movie Mercy that is out next week. Kaylee Reese, what a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us on White Waytime.

Thank you. We'll be back next week, rested and ready to start our second 250 years. But first, let me tell you that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, is a production of NPR and WB, EZ Chicago, in association with urgent haircut productions. Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord, Philip Godica writes out of Limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. B.J. Leaderman composed our theme.

Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles, Norne Boss, and Lillian King. Special thanks to Lillian King. Peter Gwyn, still gallantly streaming. Our vibes curator is Emma Choy. Technical directions from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our ops manager is Jazeera Vardek. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse.

our senior producers Ian Chilog and the executive producer. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, is Mike Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week, all of our panelists, Alzo Slade, our guests, and of course Bill Curtis. And thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Peter Sagle, and we'll see you next week. This is NPR.