Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Anna Kendrick

Episode Date: June 28, 2025

This week, we're live in Portland with special guest Anna Kendrick and panelists Paula Poundstone, Karen Chee, and Josh GondelmanLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The House of Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years of previously approved funding for public media. The rescissions package now moves on to the Senate. This move poses a serious threat to local stations and public media as we know it. Please take a stand for public media today at GoACPR.org. Thank you. ["The Voice That Shines"] From NPR in WBEZ, Chicago, this is, wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News Quiz.

Hey there, man. I'm the voice that shines so bright you won't even need your stupid lighthouse. ["The Voice That Shines"] I I'm Bill Curtis and here is your host at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Mayn Peters. Stay gold. Thank you Bill. Thank you everybody. So good to see you. We are delighted to be back in Maine today, this week of all week, as all of Maine is celebrating homegrown, six foot nine basketball phenom, Cooper Flag,

from the tiny town of Newport, Maine. He went number one in the NBA draft this week, which is amazing, so great for Maine, who'll be the only star in the NBA to play in size 26 L.L. Bean duck boots. Later on, we'll be joined by another local legend, actor and director and Portland native Anna Kendrick will be with us.

But first, it's time for your homecoming. Give us a call. The number is 1-888-888-8924. Now, let's welcome our first listener contestant this week. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hey, Peter. This is Brandon from Littleton, Colorado. I know Littleton outside of Denver.

What do you do there? Yeah, I'm an executive coach who works with CEOs and others on leadership and emotional intelligence. So I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out why CEOs and staff members cry in staff meetings. I'm not an expert, but I think I know. Well, welcome to the show, Brendan. Let me introduce you to our panel this week with us in Portland.

First, she's a comedian and a writer for TV shows like A Man on the Inside, Pachinko, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, it's Karen Chi. Next, he's a comedian whose brand new comedy special, Positive Reinforcement is available on YouTube right now. Well, wait till after the show, it's Josh Gondelman. right now. Well, wait till after the show. It's Josh Gondelman. And a legendary comedian you can see at the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich, Rhode Island on August 15th and who hosts the weekly comedy podcast, Nobody

Listens to Paula Poundstone. It's Paula Poundstone. Paula Poundstone. So Brandon, here we all are. Let's get started. You're gonna play Who's Bill this time. Bill Curtis, of course, is gonna recreate for you three quotations we found in the week's news. Your job is simply explain or just, you know, tell us who's talking with two out of three of those and you will win our prize, the voice of anyone you may choose for your voicemail. You ready to do this? Sounds great. All right, let's do it. Here is your first quote.

We destroyed the nuclear. It's blown up to Kingdom Come. That was someone talking about a nuclear that wasn't in fact blown up to Kingdom Come. Who was it? I believe that's Donald Trump. It was President Donald Trump. Yes, very good.

Trump said the US, quote, obliterated Iran's nuclear weapons program and last week's bombing. But then his own intelligence agency said actually they just set the program back by a few months. All those bombers did was wreck the entrances to the facilities before turning around and flying home. Basically, a half a billion dollars to play ding-dong ditch. But mission accomplished, everyone.

The Iranian nuclear program no longer has a foyer. That bench swing out front? Gone. Gone. And my guess is they'll be cool with it yeah they probably don't mind the bench swing the White House has this week responded with fury to anybody reporting that it wasn't a complete success saying those people who dare report that are insulting the brave pilots on the mission.

But it's not the military's fault, they were all so tired from having to march in the parade. It's tough, because I'm pretty against war as a concept, and it's like the parade was bad too, but at least nobody got hurt like there weren't even sunburns at that break because nobody was there. It was the safest parade we've had in a while. Some very positive things came out of that parade for example I'm using the squeaky tank sound as my ringtone. This was this was the famous video where you could hear the tank squeak because there was just no crowds making any noise at all.

It sounds like someone in the tank was having fun. Well why not, Karen? No woman's watching. Brandon, here is your next quote. Less burn out, more babies. That was a wellness influencer talking about this hut new trend influencers persuading women to give up what? Working. Yeah, give up their jobs.

The hut new trend is traditional wives, shortened to trad wives, or just tea wives for people who are in a rush because they're going into labor again. This means, this lifestyle means lots of kids, no job, and hey, while we're at it, no vaccines. As you heard, the pitch is for less burnout, more babies, because who hasn't met someone with a bunch of kids and thought, you know, you seem really well rested. Do you have to have the kids or do you just have to kind of like give up on having a career? Because I might be a male tradwife if it's a second thing. I could be an unwellness influencer, I honestly think so.

Maybe what's happening here is that they see these tradwife influencers online and a lot of women realize, actually, it would be nice to have a seven-day weekend. I feel like there's something wrong with my algorithm, because I think mine is going the opposite, where I just see so many men fishing, that I've decided this summer I'm going to start fishing. I think, Josh, you're going trad wife, I'm going trad husband. Where do you see men fishing?

Like all over the place. It turns out Idaho is ripe for fishing. When have you been to Idaho? I haven't. That's why I'm saying it's on my algorithm. All the men I see on my algorithm are getting up at 4 AM to sit in a cold plunge till 6 AM and then be the CEO of a company that doesn't exist until 8 PM.

So it's stuff that your computer is showing you? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh. And you didn't ask for it? You didn't type in men fishing in Idaho? No. No, no, no, no.

That is kind of a Karen Chi adult film search. Brandon here... Brandon here is your last book. You tell me there's a limited amount and I go, oh my god, I need it. That was somebody talking about the very in-demand La Boo Boo's. You tell me there's a limited amount, and I go, oh my God, I need it. That was somebody talking about the very in-demand La Boo Boo's. Brendan, what is a La Boo Boo? Wow.

It's either band-aids or breast implants, but I'm not sure. All right, I think... Yeah. Alright, I think... Now, you're not right, but I'm just trying to follow your logic. But he does win the whole show. Yeah, that's amazing. I'll give you a hint.

These things are the latest in a line of very similar trends. First, there were Barbies, then Cabbage Patch Kids, and then... Or dolls, yeah. Dolls, yes, they're dolls. Very good. LaBooBoo's are the hottest new trend, the brand of quote, collectible plush toy monster elves. If you haven't seen one, picture a plush rabbit with a hard plastic face with sharp teeth

that looks like it's about to bite you Actually, if you haven't seen one, this is the best way to describe it If it were a real animal in your house, you would shoot it People are Snapping them up. They're paying thousands for them on the secondary market. They're hoarding them They're just like beanie babies except this time it'll work, it has to. I don't know, I've seen cryptocurrency valuations lately, they just keep going up.

I think I'm putting all my life savings in LabooBoo. Why not? Have you guys seen these things? Because these were news to me, I saw them in LabooBoo all over this week. The thing is, I think you're supposed to have a LabooBoo, like you're supposed to add it onto a very expensive luxury bag.

So you need to have that $10,000 bag first. Which is why I just feel like a Labooboo is going to hit different on my free New Yorker tote. You need a Labooboo of a time. Yeah. Everybody's really excited about these, from kids to real housewives to the guys at the dump who are just going to own a bunch of them in about six months. And as I said, the resale market is huge.

People are making thousands of dollars right now flipping Labooboos. And by the way, flipping Labooboos sounds like something you'd hear when they dubbed the Sopranos for the Christian Broadcasting Network. What? Never mind. There's going to be, years from now, there will be that LeBouBou restoration show on PBS. This old LeBouBou. Rest in peace, LeBouBou.

Bill, how did Brandon do on our quiz? He hung in there very well. Let's call him a winner for a good start. There you go, Brandon. Congratulations. Brandon. Thank you, Brandon, for playing, and congratulations. Thank you so much.

Take care. Bye, Brandon. Will you be my friend? Till the end, will you be my friend? Right now, panelists, time for you to answer some questions from this week's news. Karen, this week we learned about an exciting new training program in Chicago that aims to give police in the field what skill? Science?

No. Oh, geography. No. Being nice to people. Never. It's actually a skill that I happen to know you have been trained in. Fishing? I'll give you a hint. So you imagine a cop going like, well, can anybody suggest a place, crime?

No, it's improv. It is improv. That's the worst. That's the two worst things. Cops and improv. Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's terrible. It's better than doing crowd work.

When cops do crowd work, it's just basically batons, you know? Wow. So they can pull you over and go, do you have any idea why I pulled you over? Can you suggest a reason? And you go, I was speeding speeding and they go, yes and? Coming up keep your arms and legs inside the ride during our Bluff the Listener game. Call 1-888-WAITWAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me from NPR. [♪ MUSIC PLAYING FADES show. So instead, I'm gonna tell you,

we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. Download us, This American Life. These days, there is a lot of news. It could be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider this from NPR as a podcast

that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, the backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR. On the plus side, you get sponsor-free listening to over 25 NPR podcasts. On the minus side, you get fewer chances to tap fast forward on your podcast player. On the plus side, you get to support something you care about. On the minus side, you like challenges and think this makes it too easy.

So why don't you join us on the plus side of things with NPR Plus? Learn more and sign up at plus.npr.org. From NPR in WBEZ, Chicago, this is, wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Paula Poundstone, Josh Gondelman, and Karen Shee. And here again is your host at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, Peter Zagel. Thank you, Bill. Peter Zagel. Thank you, Bill. Thank you, everybody.

Right now, it is time for the Wait, Wait, Bluff the Listener game called 1-3-8, Wait, Wait to Play our Game in the Air, or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page, at Wait, Wait NPR. How you run Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me? Hey, my name is Kate McLaughlin and I live in Royal Oak, Michigan. What do you do there?

I am on the communications team at a national private foundation based here in Metro Detroit. So I'm lucky enough to be able to help promote and support the work of nonprofit organizations in cities all over the country. Well, that's great. Does that mean in essence

that some rich person has funded this foundation and you get to give away their money? Basically, yes. Do you have any extra? Yeah. Kate, if I could just spell my last name for you. All right. Kate, it is great to have you with us.

You're going to play the game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Kate's topic? You must be this tall to play this game. It's summer, so theme parks are in full swing, except the full swing ride just got stuck upside down. Well, this week we heard some unbelievable news from a theme park. Pick the one who's telling the truth. You'll win our prize, the weight weighter of your choice and your voicemail.

You ready to play? I am. Let's do it. First, let's hear from Josh Gombelman. There are bugs everywhere, so keep your mouth shut. It sounds like advice a paranoid mafia kingpin would give, but this month it's something you might have heard at Kings Island Amusement Park in Mason, Ohio. That's because there were literal bugs everywhere, cicadas to be specific, and they were flying

into people's literal mouths. Experts are advising roller coaster riders to keep their lips sealed tight to avoid swallowing the cicadas, and instead simply allowing the bugs to pelt them in the face like six-legged hailstones. The park's 15 coasters have been full of patrons trying not to open their mouths to let out an excited whee! And are instead forced to emit a bizarre mouth closed, whee! One can only imagine the photos for purchase at the end of each attraction. Rows of children with eyes wide and teeth clenched as if they had just returned from

war via the Banshee or the Adventure Express. The cicadas are expected to depart soon, but until then, the attractions at Kings Island will remain emotional roller coaster rides as well as physical ones. Kings Island theme park in Ohio telling people, you must scream in the roller coaster, do it with your mouths closed because of the cicadas. Your next story of some attraction action comes from Karen Chi. Theme parks are innovating in hopes of attracting more visitors from across the country. They're bringing in virtual reality and 4D tricks, even adding scents to rides.

But nothing compares to Minnesota's Twin Cities amusement park, whose newest and greatest attraction is Adventure Zone, a ride that does not go anywhere or do anything. That's right, Adventure Zone is a quiet, air-conditioned room with lots of books and comfortable seating. Elaine Jay, a regular visitor, said, I go for the thrill of no thrills. The world is so topsy-turvy right now that what I want from a roller coaster is absolute stillness. Plus, I love reading and I hate fun. Adventure Zone is the only part of the park where candy and beverages are strictly not

allowed and anyone who talks or even laughs is immediately shushed. Alana Henderson of Minneapolis celebrated her sweet 16 reading middle march at Adventure Zone. She said, honestly, it was quite the emotional roller coaster. I have never been rocked harder in my life, and I used to be a baby. Adventure Zone, which is just a quiet room filled with books. A big hit at a Twin Cities amusement park.

Your last loop to loop comes from Paula Poundstone. Universal Studios is now selling minion-shaped catheters printed with the ubiquitous yellow overall-clad cyclopses to keep their visitors consuming beverages while they wait in long amusement park lines. People won't buy drinks before they have to wait in lines because they don't want to have to lose their place in line to go to the restroom, says Food and Beverage Sales Chief David Keevil. And since the overwhelming majority of any visit is spent waiting in lines, we've been leaving that sales time on the table. Universal tested the introduction of the product

discreetly, making it available in restroom vending machines, where they quickly discovered they couldn't keep the machine stocked. Next, they hoped to tackle the low number of food sales, but we don't want to know how. All right. One of these things is happening at a theme park this summer, Kate. Is it from Josh Gombelman that riders on roller coasters at Kings Island in Ohio are being told to keep their mouths shut if they don't want a meal of cicadas on the way down.

From Karen Chi, the next big ride is just a quiet room where you can read in peace. And from Paula Poundstone, Minions catheters. Which of these is the real story of the theme park in the news? Oh my goodness. Okay then. Let's go with the cicadas. We're interested in cicadas. People here in Portland agree with you, so if your choice is the cicadas, okay. Well, we spoke to someone reporting on the real story.

Cicadas are going to be emerging in the lower billions in the 13 states including Ohio, so keep your mouth closed. That was Kay Sloan, a trending news reporter for the Cincinnati Inquirer on the cicada brood terrorizing that area and forcing riders on the theme park rides to keep their mouths closed. Congratulations, Kate, you did get it right.

Josh was telling the truth. I thought it was Karen's. We all did, ultimately. So you've won our game and you've earned a point for Josh just for telling the truth. Thanks so much for playing. Thank you. Take care. Bye-bye.

Thank you. Thank you, Kate. And now the game we call Not My Job. When Anna Kendrick was growing up here in Portland and starting her acting career as a young person, she used to take the Greyhound down to New York City for auditions. And since she has gotten an Oscar nomination for the movie up in the air and starred in the Pitch Perfect franchise as well as many other films, we assume that these days at least she gets to ride in the economy plus section of the

bus. Anna Kendrick, welcome back to Portland and welcome back to, wait, wait, don't tell me. Thank you so much. What a joy. And this is not your first time here on the stage. No, no, no. And I'll say that everybody at the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me team has been so, so helpful and thoughtful.

And they sent me a map and a picture of the stage door. And they told me, but don't worry, a man named Colin will escort you there. And I said, I have walked all the way down Congress Street wearing lion face paint to be in a dance recital here. I have come here to stand behind Judy Collins for one song in the choir during a Christmas special that she did, wearing what can only be described as a handmaid's tail-esque robe. And I have come to this stage door to wait in that balcony for 45 minutes in a white button

down in black pants just to sing at the Nutcracker. Oh my god, that's where I know you from! That was her! That's right. Oh this is oh oh it's so exciting to see you. So so not to put too fine a pine on it but you were a theater kid. Oh, can I just say that earlier, before we were recording, Paula mentioned that we met and that Paula did know my full name and that even though I started listing all the movies I was in, she still didn't know me. And I just wanted to say that I was only listing the movies at her specific request. Oh, yeah, no.

I wasn't just, she wasn't just like, oh you're Anna Kendrick and I didn't just start going up in the air, end of watch, pitch perfect, ever heard of them? That didn't happen. No, no. It was, I put Anna in the uncomfortable position. I said, well where would I know you from? That's a terrible thing to do, Paula. It kind of was. I apologize. But, and then every movie she mentioned, I'm like, no, not that.

I only mentioned, Paula, I'd like to remind you, I only mentioned one. And then I said, you know, it doesn't really matter. No. And then you took out your phone and you were scrolling. And then Paula started naming movies she liked and going, were you in that one? Yeah. Anyways, I apologize for making you feel awkward.

No. I love you and I love that we have a rivalry already. That's true. Yeah. Yeah. When you were last here, it was a few years ago, and we talked about Pitch Perfect, and one of the things that I am aware of is that because of those movies, a lot of kids went

to college and joined acapella groups. Yeah, I'm so sorry. Well, I was going to ask. Geez. How do you feel about that legacy? I feel okay about it. I'm into people's hyper-specific interests and passions, and it doesn't matter how dorky it is.

I think if you're good at it and you care about it, that's amazing. I will say that over the course, you know, we made three movies, and so I met a decent amount of acapella people in the course of that time and I was very surprised how many of them said, yeah, but I mean the original versions of the song are always better. What are we doing? You know, like, if we're listening to a song, maybe the thing that makes the sound of a drum should be the drum. So, yeah, it's a self-deprecating community and that's also admirable, I think.

Oh, really? So those jokes are being made by the acapella people? Yeah. Right. I mean, I hope, my God. I hope it wasn't just three people in the rest of the acapella community who are like, well, you're denturous now. One of the things you've done since the last time we talked to you, Anna, is you directed your first film. And I heard that you did that, and I was like, oh, I'm sure it's like the incredibly charming, sophisticated romantic comedy that I would expect from someone like yourself.

It is a movie called Woman of the Hour, and it is a real-life story about a woman who goes on, played by herself, who goes on the dating game back in the 70s when that was a thing, and gets matched with a serial killer. Yes, true story. True story. It's a true story? Yeah, girl.

Yes, Paula, you should see the film. She's going to watch the movie and go, where do I know her from? Yes, Paula's a very sophisticated woman of taste, and that's why she doesn't know any of my films. I'm just going to point out, given your vast success and fame, it's annoying that you're funnier than we are. And I'd like you to stop. Well, Anna Kendrick, it is so much fun to talk to you here in your hometown.

And this time, we have invited you here to play a game we're calling Pitch Perfect Meet Female Dog Perfect. So, as we have gone over, you were in the Pitch Perfect movies. I love a joke that you have to go, uh, what? Uh, oh. So, as we were saying, you were in the Pitch Perfect movies, so we thought that we'd ask you about dog shows. Answer three questions about dog shows and you'll win our prize.

One of our listeners, the voice of anyone they choose for their voicemail. Bill, who is Anna Kendrick playing for? Ali Long of Biddeford, Maine. All right, we're near there. Biddeford. Come on, Biddeford. Here's your first question. Show dogs are registered under very elaborate names that reflect their, you know, parentage.

What was the name of the winner of the 2014 Savannah Dog Show? A, snitches get stitches by daylight. B, star fires spank me hard, call me crazy or see President Polk's burrito of joyful abundance. Oh, this makes me so... The fact that it's any one of them makes me really delighted. But I... Oh, I guess I'll say A? You're going to say A, snitches get stitches by daylight?

No, I'm afraid it was Starfire spank me hard, call me crazy. That's a dog's name. That is the one that I was like, well, that's definitely not it. Definitely not it, but yes, it was. A lovely Pomeranian, by the way, we are told. All right, you have two more chances, not a problem. At the 2021 Westminster Dog Show, Ripple the Boston Terrier was well on the way to winning the agility competition.

You know they're running with the obstacle course. When what happened? A, her trainer tripped over his own feet and fell right on her. B, she was distracted by a spectator who pulled out of Slim Jim and left the course. Or C, she suddenly stopped reconsidering what she was doing with her brief life and

just walked away. Well. Well. I really hope it's C, so I'm going to say C. You, you, your hope as a sort of dramatic scene, a moment. Yes. Is the dogs running through, let's imagine how it can be, the dogs zip, zip, zip, you've seen them go.

All right, you disagree, I get it. What should I say? A. Wonderful, then A. They're right, A. Oh wow. Wait, have you all seen this? No, I haven't.

This would be, by the way, a great final scene. That's the one I really didn't want it to be. And yet... Was the dog okay? Only answer if the answer is yes. I am proud to tell you that if you see the video and you can, the trainer trips and falls onto her, but she is perfectly fine. And in a quite lovely moment before continuing her course,

she stops and checks on him to make sure he's fine. Oh! That's very sweet. All right, Anna, now you've got one more chance. If you get it right, you win it all. A dog show that was staged at a high school in Spain in 2019 had a surprise ending. When what happened? A, the winner was revealed to be a small rat with excellent makeup.

B, one of the dogs busted three students for drug possession. C, the students tried to feed the dogs food from their own cafeteria and they all refused. I'm hearing E. So clearly enunciation lessons for all of you. I do want to say C. I'll stick with C. You're going to stick with C. Oh my god. The way you're looking at me. Find B. Yes, it's B. It is B. Oh my gosh. Yes, it's B. Ah. What is B? It is B. It was a-

Oh my gosh. It was a demonstration of police dogs and the dogs did their job. Wow. Somebody got to teach those dogs improvs. Bill, ultimately how did Anna Kendrick do on our quiz? Two out of three. You won. She wins again.

We won. Anna Kendrick is an Oscar-toning Emmy-nominated actor and a proud native of Portland, Maine. She was named a director to watch by Variety for her debut, Women of the Hour, which you can stream now on Netflix. Anna Kendrick, what an absolute joy to have you here. Give it up for your hometown girl, Boi-Way. In just a minute, Bill looks neato in his Speedo in our Listener Limerick Challenge call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us in the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of WA, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

Decades ago, Brazilian women made a discovery. They could have an abortion without a doctor, thanks to a tiny pill. That pill spawned a global movement, helping millions of women have safe abortions, regardless of the law. Hear that story on the network from NPR's Embedded and Futuro Media, wherever you get your podcasts. On NPR's through line, Schoolhouses are less expensive than rebellions. We've been debating the government's role in education since the Civil War.

A tenth of our national debt would have saved us the blood and treasure of the late war. How the Department of Education tried to fix a divided nation. Listen to Thru Line wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air. Hey, take a break from the 24-hour news cycle with us and listen to long-form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians, and musicians, the people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times. So listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and WHYY.

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is, wait, wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Karen Shee, Josh Gondelman, and Paula Poundstone. And here again is your host at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, Peter Segal. Thank you, Bill gets Rhimes disease from a limerick tick bite. If you'd like to play the Listener Limerick Challenge, give us a call at 1-888-888-924-8924. Right now, a panel of some more questions for you from the week's news. Josh, a recent survey of kids in the U.S. shows 40% of children think bacon is what?

Delicious? Well, it is that. That's not surprising if they thought that. I'll give you a hint. Hey, kids, no, eat all you want. It grows on trees. Oh, they think bacon is a vegetable? Yes, they think it's a plant.

A survey in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that 40% of children surveyed think bacon is a plant. Wow. The same amount of adults think it's a donut topping, which is even weirder. 40% of the children also thought hot dogs were plants. Experts think parents are to blame, of course, for shielding their kids from the truth about where food comes from. They do that by using vague terminology and saying things like, yeah, yeah, bacon's a plant.

What I'm learning from this is we got to stop surveying kids. They don't know what's going on. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, you got to make that, that you got to make them slay the animal themselves. I think that's the only answer there. That's a really good solution. Well, that's, I mean, look, I'm going to express some sympathy because I've got a two-year-old, right?

And he loves his toy barn with his little toys, chickens and geese and pigs. And the only thing he will eat are chicken nuggets, right? So, you know, you lie. But don't worry, for his fourth birthday we're getting him the Fisher Price Slaughterhouse playset. I think that's good. Do you think I should do that? I worry what it says about our children in general. I mean, I don't know if I exactly

knew where bacon came from when I was a little, little kid, but I don't think I thought it was a plant. Well what did you think it was? I don't know. It was a thing on my plate that I ate. How far back should they go, right? Because you're probably, you're really bringing up a question like, because you go, oh bacon comes from a pig, and you go where do pigs come from?

And you go, when a pig loves another pig very much. And now you're giving them that famous pigs and the pigs talk. Yeah. Yeah. Pigs and the pigs talk. Yeah. Yeah. Pigs and the pigs. Where do you think pigs come from? Josh, hundreds of people attended a spelling bee for grownups this week in Chicago.

Surprisingly well attended. The winner took home the trophy after spelling promiscuous right. So Josh, spell promiscuous. OK, spelling bee rules, promiscuous, you guys say it first. Yeah. P-R-O-M-I-S-C-U-O-U-S, promiscuous? Yes! Promiscuous!

Nice, Josh! I'm just trying to make Nelly Furtado proud. Well, that's the funny thing because the winning word was promiscuous, the last person remaining spelled that correctly and won it, and she then attributed her success to Nelly Furtado and her absolute banger of a song, Promiscuous Girl. Hear that, pop stars? Put hard to spell words in your songs. Educate people.

That's how I know prerogative has an R in it, because of Bobby Brown and Shania Twain both. Right. We need more of that. Come on, Benson Boone. We need a song called Diary of Blues. That's how I learned how to spell me from Taylor Swift. Isn't it M-E?

Yeah. Huh. And that had been really tripping you up before that? Yeah. Wow. She was the problem. Thank you, Taylor Swift. I hope this catches on.

Have you heard of the song of the summer? It's Conscientious Pneumonia. 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'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-888-924-8924. You can see us here most weeks at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, where catch us on the road this summer will be in Salt Lake City July 31st and at Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts on August 28th. For tickets and information to all of our live shows just go to nprpresents.org and if that's somehow still not enough wait wait for you well we're on TikTok at waitwaitnpr.

How do you run wait wait don't tell me. Hi this is Jennifer from Seguin, Texas. Seguin, now I don't know where that is where is it? It is not the middle of nowhere. It's actually the middle of everywhere, kind of between Austin and San Antonio. The middle of everywhere. I love it. What do you do for fun where you live? Well, I'm actually, I like to read and bird watch

and stay in the air conditioning. I understand. Wow. I know an amusement park you're going to love. I understand. Wow. I know an amusement park you're going to love. Well Jennifer, welcome to the show. Bill Curtis is going to read for you three news related limericks with the last word

or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly into the limericks, you will be a winner. You ready to go? All right. Yep. Here we go. Here we go.

Here is your first limerick. As I swim in the barrier reefs, bulky trunks often cause many griefs. Though some might feel wimpy in suits that are skimpy, I'm eager to sport tiny... Briefs. Right, tiny briefs according to Summer Runways and Swimwear Collections. Tiny speedo-style swimsuits are back in for men. GQ Magazine says skimpy swim briefs are going to have a quote, breakout summer, which is actually why most men are terrified to wear them.

This makes sense. I heard recently that the new beauty standard for men is butts. Did you read this? I did not read this. Tell me more, Karen. I've been telling everybody that I read it in the Atlantic and that I couldn't find it in the Atlantic. But I swear it's a- Wait a minute, wait a minute.

The Atlantic, the literary journal going back to the mid 19th century. I'm really certain I read it on some, you know. The cover of the Atlantic, you're telling me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A new analysis of Trumpian foreign policy and men butts. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was like the new beauty standard is booty standard.

For men. Yeah. I believe it because it rhymes. Thank you. Thank you so much. Are you excited about that, if it were true? Oh, respectfully, yes. What about, wait, what are we looking for?

Oh, I think we're just like making sure they're there. No, like, Fred, you're down a cheek. You're not gonna get a date for weeks. Listen, you're all laughing at me, but then you go home and Google Butts Atlantic, it's gonna come up. Actually, that's a different magazine. All right, here is your next limerick.

When I pout, I look trouty and carpy, kind of fish-like, and not like a harpy. Much plumper and darker with permanent marker. I'm lining my lips with a... Sharpie. Sharpie, yes, beauty influencers are recommending pink Sharpies to highlight your lips, taking inspiration from the unsupervised toddler community. According to one influencer, it's great to do this.

Sharpies are great because they're quote, super pretty and non-toxic. Which fun fact, they're not. Ingesting Sharpie ink can lead to side effects like nausea, staining of your teeth, and posting videos of yourself with marker on your face. Looking like you went to sleep at a frat house party on the couch. This is actually advice given by an under the influencer, common misconception. Here, Jennifer, is your last limerick. Ormelt has just claimed a big lossage as a food engineer made a cross switch.

as a food engineer made a cross switch. Now competitors' worst went from last place to first. They stole secrets from making a sausage. Yes this week two Hormel employees were accused of selling Hormel's secret recipes to competitor Johnsonville Brats. But how much damage can this actually do to the makers of Hormel Chili and Dinty Moore Beef Stew? Their entire brand is just wet cat food for single men. It's a disturbing accusation of corporate espionage, but not nearly as disturbing as the fact that the sausage secret that was stolen is

We don't know what's in it either. I was hoping it would be like we have to make it with love Bill how did Jennifer do in our quiz? We got a winner from Texas 3-0 Congratulations Jennifer, thanks. Thank you, guys. Take care. It all starts with listening. To the person in front of you and the person you'll never meet. To the person living a story and the journalist who helps you see it in a new light. The NPR network is built on listening.

With microphones in every region so where there any time a voice or sound demands to be heard. Hear stories in the first person, hear the bigger picture on NPR. On NPR's Wild Card podcast, Michelle Obama says she's reinventing herself. I don't know if my ambition has ever fully been able to actualize itself.

I think I'm now at a stage in my life where all my choices are mine. I'm Rachel Martin. Listen to Wild Card for a conversation about balancing family and personal growth with Michelle Obama. Now it is time for our final game, Lightning Fill in the Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many Fill in the Blank questions as they can.

Each correct answer is now worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores? Josh and Paula each have three. Karen has two. All right. So Josh and Paula are tied for first. Karen, you're in second place, so you're going to start us off. The clock will start when they begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, Zoran Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary in blank. New York City. Right. On Monday, courts blocked a Louisiana law requiring blank

to be displayed in all the classrooms. And Parenthood brochures? No, the 10 commandments. On Thursday, lawyers gave their closing arguments in the case against disgraced hip hop artist Blank. Did he? Right. This week, RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisors

rescinded recommendations for some blank vaccines. Oh, the good ones. I'm going to give it to you. Yes, the ones that were. In order to avoid costly payouts in any future divorce settlement, one NBA player insisted on including the phrase blank in his prenuptial agreement. I'm sorry in advance. Almost. He said the phrase was, according to the Wall Street Journal, NBA players

are known to have affairs. Oh. Oh my heavens. On Tuesday, Bumble, an online blanking app, announced it was laying off hundreds of its workers. Dating. Right. On Monday, paleontologists announced

they discovered a new species of blank. Dinosaur. Right. This week, protesters in Venice forced Jeff Bezos to change the location of his wedding reception by threatening to fill the canals with blank. Poop. Right. This week protesters in Venice forced Jeff Bezos to change the location of his wedding reception by threatening to fill the canals with blank. Poop. No.

Amazon employees. No. I'm afraid I have to tell you that you didn't get it. And give me the answer, which was inflatable crocodiles. Bezos announced in the face of these protests he would move his party from a majestic 16th century building to quote a historic complex of shipyards surrounded by fortified walls. And yes, it was because protesters were going to fill the canals around the original site

with inflatable crocodiles. It was a protest that had people around the world saying, brilliant, I love it. Wait, inflatable? Bill, how did Karen do in our quiz? Five right, 10 more points, total of twelve, puts her in the lead. Pretty well done. All right, I'm going to arbitrarily pick Josh to go next. Josh, please fill in the blank.

On Wednesday, world leaders gathered in the Netherlands for the blank summit. NATO. Right. On Monday, tropical storm Andrea became the first named weather system of the 2025 blank season. Hurricane? Right. This week, the White House announced plans to limit the amount of classified information it shares with blank. The public? Congress.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration scrambled to rehire thousands of federal employees fired by blank. Elon Musk? Right. Doge, yes. Trying to look on the bright side, the climate minister of New Zealand said that a nationwide gas shortage would definitely help blank. It would lower carbon emissions? Yeah. On Wednesday, Cooper Flagg became the number one overall pick at the blank.

NBA draft. Right. On Thursday, astronaut Shupanshu Shukla became the first Indian woman to visit the blank. International space station? Right. This week, an advertising campaign won an award for the slogan, New Zealand, the best place in the world visit the blank. International Space Station? Right. This week an advertising campaign won an award for the slogan, New Zealand, the best place in the world to blank. Never come back from.

No, New Zealand, the best place in the world to have herpes. The slogan that was part of an awareness campaign along with its campaign won the top prize at the Cannes Lions Award, which recognizes excellence in advertising. But, okay, I know what you're all thinking, okay, that's great, but will someone please tell me where the best place in the world to get herpes is? Bill, how did Josh do in our quiz? Yeah, believe it or not, Josh is on a roll. Set right. Twelve more points. Fifteen puts him in the lead. Wow. All right.

How many does Paula need to win? Well, six to tie gives her seven to win. Here you go, Paula. This is for the game. Okay. On Tuesday, disgraced former Trump lawyer Blank was named to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Oh, no.

It was Giuliani. It was Giuliani. Right was Giuliani, right. On Wednesday, the Senate held a hearing and a proposed plan that would cut funding on NPR and blank. NPR and PBS. Right. This week, power outages were reported across the country thanks to record-breaking blank. Right.

According to new data on cardiac illness, U.S. deaths from blanks have dropped 90%. Heart attacks? Right. This week, firefighters in Utah are under scrutiny after a photo was taken of them blanking at the scene of a fire. Smoking? No, having a barbecue. On Monday, a new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback blank

said this season would be his last. Oh, the new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback? Yes. Joe Namath. No, Aaron Rodgers. This week a beekeeper in Spain who was pulled over for a DUI attempted to get out of it by blanking. By releasing bees.

Exactly right. According to police, after they pulled him over, the man refused to breathalyze her, walked calmly to the back of his van, opened the door, and sicced his bees on the officers. Police assumed he was drunk because he was driving erratically down the road, but did they ever consider he was swerving because the van was filled with bees? Bill did Paula do well enough to win? She's competitive. Five right, ten more points, but 13 is too short of Josh, who's our champion.

Yay, Josh Solomon! In just a minute we're going to ask our panelists to predict, after La Boo Boo's, what will be the next collecting craze. But first, let me tell you all that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions, Doug Berman Benevolent Overlord. Philip Godica writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman.

Our tour manager is Shayna Donald. Special thanks this week to our old friend Patrick Murray and our new friend, Sina La Freida. Thanks to the staff and crew here at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland. This is Shayna Donald. Special thanks this week to our old friend, Patrick Murray, and our new friend, Sina LaFredo. It's thanks to the staff and crew here at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland. B.J. Litterman, composer at Themed, our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King.

Special thanks to Vinnie Thomas and Monica Hickey. Our first round draft pick is Peter Gwynn. 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 Chilog, and the executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

is Mike Danforth. Now, panel, what will be the next big collecting craze? Paula Poundstone. Uh, uh, Rabab and raccoon pals. A collection of raccoons that shouldn't be pet. Karen Chi. Um, Cuomoca, is there photos of Andrew Cuomo losing to Zeron Moppeni? collection of raccoons that shouldn't be pet. Karen Chi. Cuomoca, is there photos of Andrew Cuomo

losing to Zoran Mombani? And Josh Gondelman. You've heard of LeBouBou, now it's time for StebouBou. They are whimsical animal figurines that all have the face of Steve Buscemi. Well, if any of that happens, we're gonna ask you about it on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.

Thank you, Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Karen G., Josh Gobelman, and Paula Poundstone. Thanks to Corey Morrissey and everybody at Maine Public and our fabulous audience here in Portland, Maine. I am Peter Sagal. We'll see you next week. This is NPR. Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR's easy breezy laid back pop culture podcast has brought

you the best in culture for the past 15 years. That means we spent the last 15 years talking about what exactly? Bad reality TV, actually good Marvel movies. Actually awful Marvel movies. Reboots, pop music, prestige dramas, Netflix slop. That's 15 years of buzzy pop culture chit chat and here's to many more with you along for the ride. Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Electric vehicles are supposed to be the future, fast, clean and everywhere. But now even automakers are pulling back. What happened? The pace of electrification was not going to be as fast as everybody thought. On the Sunday story from Up First, hear how shifting politics and changing demand are slowing down the EV revolution. Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First podcast from NPR.