Celebrating the 4th with nothing but bangers!

(upbeat music) - From NPR, NWB Easy Chicago, this is, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." The NPR news quiz, "Forget Uncle Sam, I'm the uncle you actually wanna hang out with." (laughing) I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studebrake Theater in the fine arts building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter, Sego. - Thank you, Alzo. Thank you all. - It's 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 just up like the founding fathers and saying, - Boo. (laughing) - 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 guy, John QSAC, who joined us on stage in March. (audience applauding) - Thanks for having me. I have a habit when I'm talking to 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 like ask you to either pretend to hold a moon box 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. (audience laughing) But there's been a strong reaction to that character at times. - And there, but there are no moon boxes anymore, so they just ask you to hold their iPhone up. - Yeah, so I told my wife that you were gonna be in the show, and I saw a look in her face, I've never seen before, and she's like, "John QSAC, really?" And she told me that your character, Lloyd, holding that moon box just absolutely blew her ways, almost romantic thing she had ever seen, and I pulled 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. LiveNation 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." (audience laughing) Now, I sort of had the look that you were-- - I know. - Well, you're thinking about my look, and you're a look, I'm thinking about that look my wife gave me, I mentioned earlier. (audience laughing) - But you had to go home. - Got to go, guys. - But the gentleman stopped, and then he said, "And I want to thank you from the bottle." (audience laughing) - And he literally dropped the mic, and I thought that kind of covers the whole gala. (audience laughing) - 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 Bing John Malkovich. Do you have a favorite? 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-- - Course point blank. - Yeah, that's a great one. (audience cheering) I think just 'cause that kind of black comedy doesn't seem 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, or-- - I think it was his-- - No, it was 10th. - 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-- (audience laughing) So there you're back, and by that time, I've very accomplished a well-known actor. And did you really say to yourself and discuss with your collaborators in the film, you know, it'd be really cool if I was a hitman. (audience laughing) - 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 gonna say you were inspired after going to your high school reunion, because when you went there, you were like, I can't stand any of these fools, you know? (audience laughing) - What this place needs is a hitman. (audience laughing) - You still live here in Chicago where you grew up, which I think is great, 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 LA? - I have. (audience laughing) Yeah. (audience cheering) - Yeah, I guess we don't really need to talk about that anymore. (audience laughing) - 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 Q.S.A." - Yeah, every once in a while. - Yeah, in a car. - Yeah, yeah. - And this is Chicago, they're going to be cool about it, right? - Everyone's so cool about it. - Yeah. (audience laughing) - Yeah. - They're basically, they just go like, "Oh, hey." (audience laughing) That's the Chicago one. (audience laughing) - What's I love about Chicago? - I heard this, I might get you resistant in trouble because we were talking about low-wents John Gettin, he always coming in as 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 for me. - They're really giving out to it. - But it's like, okay, so you're riding around your Vespa, and you're like, "Oh, I'm under the gas." Reach into the pocket, pull out the bottle, which is good. - Really? - I don't even know what I'm doing, it's legal, but, yeah. - Doesn't sound it. - Yeah. - Peter, you're a smitter. - I know, I don't want it. (audience laughing) It's so terrible. And if any members of this Chicago police are listening, remember, it's John Qsack, you're not going to follow it. - Yeah, I mean, I'm going to get my Vespa search. - Yeah, I can't remember. - Sorry, Qsack, we gotta search for Vespa. - That's a flammable cut, man. - Gotta see if you've got two tree bottles of gas in there. (audience laughing) You've written a graphic novel. - I grew up reading this kind of graphic novel, the very big in Europe. In your case, this graphic novel is 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, Antonine Arto. - So you've sold out and gone mainstream. (audience laughing) - Well, just think of a metaphysical crime movie mixed with like kind of a drug muole movie mixed with ET. So I think French connection meets ET, meets my dinner with Andre and meets Smoky and the Bandit. - Yeah. - meets the Mike Douglas show. - Right. - Another of those? - Yes. (audience laughing) - All right, got it, can. - It's the same to see an actor. - It becomes so derivative. (audience laughing) - Well, the origin of it was, I loved this artist, Arto. And then I thought, well, no one's gonna 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. (audience applauding) - 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, you started the iconic movie, say anything, so we thought we'd ask you about people who should have kept their mouths shut. (audience laughing) And so two or three questions about some unwise statements you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, also who is the legendary John Cusack playing for. - Jill Farrell of Beaverton, Oregon. - All right. - I'll do my best for you, Jill. - I'll be with 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? (audience laughing) 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?" (audience laughing) Or C, by saying, quote, "producing crap" is a universal part of the human experience. (audience laughing) - I'm gonna follow the wisdom of the good and great Jason Benetti. - Yes. - And all last week. - Always pick B. - And you and Jason are right. It is a fact that he, his plan was to put up a sign saying crap means cheap, reliable, and affordable prices. It did not work (laughing) and he had to step down from the company and to this day according to these one source we found in the United Kingdom saying something really stupid and self-destructive for no reason is still called pulling a ratner. (audience laughing) - Wow. - That was really good. Here's your next question. In 2005, former French President Jacques Chirac caused a diplomatic incident with a 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. (audience laughing) B, look, they were once conquered by us. How tough can they be? (audience laughing) Or C, they think they're all Winston Churchill but they're really just Benny Hill. (audience laughing) - Now, here's a problem. - Yeah. - Can I say what I want to pick? - You may, you may, you may. - 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, his French. Of course, he's got him in South Africa. - 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 hot mic incident that the only thing the British had contributed to agriculture was mad cow disease. (audience laughing) So you're doing really well. [BLANK_AUDIO] As your last question, a lot of sports broadcasts, 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 Mike 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, wow, I mean I want all of the 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, was hard to make out, but hopefully one of the ESPN announcers said, "They're chanting Sacred Heart has diarrhea." I'm sure he got a bonus. He did. Also, how did John Kusak do in our quiz? He said something, he got three out of three, he's a winner. Yeah. John Kusak is an actor, writer, and producer. His new graphic novel, Momo, is available now. He's also a proud Chicago guy. John Kusak, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much. John Kusak, everybody. When we come back, you got demons, no worries. We have a K-pop demon hunter. That's when we return with more, wait, wait, don't tell me, from NPO. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is, wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR news quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Stuttabake Theatre and the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Segold. Thank you, Alzo, thank you, everybody. It is America's 250th birthday, and I have to say America, you do not look a day over 200. Did you notice they both talks the coast of Maine? Is it 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 Farsad. Well, everyone, thanks so much for having me. Well, I have to be honest with you, like I have a love-hate relationship with Rumi, voice by you because I have a seven-year-old daughter, and I see where this is going. And I hear your voice all the time. Your 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? Rika. Okay, Rika. Well, Rumi says, "Better listen to Mama." Oh, my God. She would have her seat back. Oh, my God, I get up on replay for the rest of her life. That's what's going to happen for Rumi, well, I mean, Rumi, Arden, 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 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, and I think people are just, like, not expecting anything from me. Right? And then they're like, "Oh, she's not that bad." Oh, 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. And 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, Art, and you actually had some news recently that you got engaged, congratulations. Thank you, Dave. And then something else happened that day, right after you got engaged at the TSA pre-check line. You do tell us what happened? Oh, my goodness. It was so funny. Well, it was actually before we got engaged, my fiance now were flying to Hawaii, but we always, you know, get in together and 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. You weren't engaged yet. He was sneaking away because he was afraid that they'd take out the ring and that I would see it. Because people are flying for our friend's wedding. So I thought all of a sudden, he was being ultra competitive and seeing you go faster. And then, of course, the next day, he proposed and I was like, "Oh, everything makes sense." Right. Like, it 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 K-Mart, bargain hunter. Okay. That's right. We're going to ask you three questions about the late, great discount store K-Mart. 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 a trauma hearted. I'm quite credited. I shall try. All right. By the 2010s, K-Mart 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 used the phrase, "I can ship my pants 11 times," or was it C, an ad with a jingle that went K-Mart? It's K, K, K, K-Mart. Whoa. Do you remember? No. That is correct, me. It was ship my pants. They ran another ad for K-Mart with gas stations attached, talking about their big gas savings. So they were really doing it, K-Mart. All right. Here we go. In 2019, a man named Andrew Lippie was arrested for stealing $300 worth of goods from a K-Mart 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. For C, earlier that week, he had bought his own private island for $8 million. B! No, wrong it is C! Oh, see? Really? See, I thought it was C. Wow. Here's your last question. While K-Mart is all bought gone in the US, there are over 300 K-Mart 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? A! That's right! It was A! Wow! Oh my goodness! This line never been so nervous in my life! It went to the city that's new. Though this line was clearly a male and some toy designer was definitely trying to get fired. By 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! Yes! Arden, thank you so much for joining us. Arden show is the voice of Rumi in Netflix's K-Pop Demon Hunters, which is nominated for best animated film at this year's Oscars. Arden show! Thanks for joining us! Arden! Arden! 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, like sort of incognito, into these parties, and then someone would get killed, and one of the most infamous ones that I ever did was at an Orthodox Jewish meetup, they were trying to meet people to get married. Like 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, instead of themselves, you know what it would make us a really great eat, if somebody were a murder. And so I just remember that I was one of the other actors who I used to work with at the time, it was Connie Britton, and she was sort of chatting up this guy who I just remember was wearing a yellow suit, so they'll tell you everything about him, and she was really chatting him up, and he thought he had hit the jackpot, like this beautiful woman is talking to me, and then about 20 minutes into it, she was killed by that guy. I've had dates like that, you are going on Broadway in this revival of the Noel Coward play with the great Rose Byrne, among many others. The other thing you have coming out is a TV show in 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, is it?" No, no, no. It's about a man who has a scientist who has designed a sort of a serum that can miniaturize crops to come back climate change, so you know, Matthew McFaden, who I love from succession, and Elizabeth Banks, who I worked with many years ago in Williamstown, is literally six inches tall, 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 Ice Run for 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? 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 cut out of Elizabeth Banks, and they would sort of move her around, so to pretend like she was walking. One more question for you, like I said, at the beginning, I personally 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? That is true. 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, you know, that you write to your ex-girlfriend saying, "How you f*** up," you know, and I can't say that, can I say that? I'm writing this, and I get this call to come in 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 that can I come in tomorrow," and they said, "No, if you don't come in today, then it's done," so I literally just put on a suit, and I went in, and I honestly just had this 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," because he said to me, he said, "Have you ever performed in front of a live audience," and I said, "Look, I didn't, just being like, dude, I've been on Broadway." But I just did my best even co-bear 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, and we were like, "There's a guy on the show tonight, so I didn't even get to tell my family until after it was gone." Did it comfort you, maybe, given the circumstances 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-girlfriend that much. There you go! Lesson for you all, ladies and gentlemen. I said, "Modily, it's a pleasure to talk to you. We have asked you here today to play a game we're calling miniature wife, 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, but one of our listeners, the voice of their choice and their voice mail, Bill, who is Asif Manvi playing for it. Linda Evers of Collinsville, Illinois. All right. Ready to the plane? 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. 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 bride's pie? A savory pie filled with oysters, lamb and 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, because they just had a lot of potatoes at the time. No, it was actually A, the bride's pie. Ah. 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. That's true. That is true. You guys didn't come around until about the 1800s. Exactly true. Yeah. You have one more chance if you get this one when 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? The bride does it at 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, you think they got divorced? The audience thinks they got divorced. All right, I'll go with the audience. And they're right. The optimists are the audience are right. Yeah, how did us, if mine, be doing our quiz? I said I've got two right, and that makes him a winner. Congratulations. There's a little help, a little help. They're all here to help each other. It's a community. As if mine be what a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you, drummer for joining us. Take care, break legs on Broadway. Thank you. Take care. Bye, bye. 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 EGGOT and Emmy Golden Gloves Oscar and Tony. That's when we come back with more, wait, wait, don't tell me. From NPR. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is, wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR news quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studebricker Theatre and the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Sego. Thank you, Alzo. Thanks, everybody. We are celebrating America's 250th first day like most people by 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. (audience laughing) - That's significant events on the world stage, sure. But also way less to apologize for. (audience laughing) - 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 for our panelists that you have never heard before. Josh, yes, 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 'cause they've tightened those up. - Yes they have. - It's something that's happening two catchers. - Two catchers? - Yes. - More frequently than it used to. - Is batters hitting them with the bat? - Not with the, they're not getting hit with the bat. - But like, catch your interference? - No, no. - What are you getting hit? - I'm pyres hitting them. - No. (laughing) - Damn you, sir. - Damn you. - I know what you're doing. - Back of my hand to you, sir. - Getting slayed into? - No, I'll give you a hint. Sometimes after a foul ball, the catcher also ends up with fouled balls. - Oh. - Oh. - Catchers getting hit in the groin? - Yes, by baseballs. - 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. (laughing) I mean, it's great 'cause major league baseballs are working so long to make baseball more entertaining and they've finally done it. (laughing) 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 leg splaed 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. (laughing) 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've got to get out. - But then when you're doing your list of pros and cons, that would pretty much be the only one on the con list. - Less fatigue on one side. Hit repeatedly in the testicles with a 90 mile an hour fastball. - But then how are you gonna win America's funniest home videos? (laughing) - 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? - Was he used a baseball bat? (laughing) - No, no. (laughing) If, all right, I do this so I think it might be this, 'cause I never thought this was it. I put the toothpaste directly onto my tongue. - That's it. - And we're both great athletes. (laughing) - So this is amazing. 'Cause Bryce is doing this Get Ready With Me video and he just takes the toothpaste and he squeezes it into his mouth. - Yeah. - What's down the toothpaste? Grab the toothbrush and start scrubbing. - Yeah, we're both alphas. - Right, man, and everybody's like, this is so weird. Nobody else in the world does this. (laughing) And we right here have discovered the other human being who does this. (laughing) This is amazing. - Oh. - So, Shane. (laughing) - God. - I never thought I'd have something in common with someone who plays for Philly. (laughing) - So, what, Shane, is the advantage of squeezing the toothpaste onto your own tongue rather than placing it on the toothbrush as God intended? (laughing) - Well, 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. (laughing) - I don't think they're trying to hide it. (laughing) - And then I take my tongue and I press it to the roof of my mouth 'cause people brush their tongues. But people don't talk about brushing the roof of your mouth and I don't understand why you wouldn't 'cause it's still-- - What the heck I got to do with you putting that on your tongue? - I just like, it's an even application. - Oh, I see it. It's like you squeezing two pieces of bread together to get the sandwich all over. - Yes, okay. This is boy brushing teeth. - That is. (laughing) 'Cause y'all locked in immediately together. - I see the dishes. - Okay, does this seem insane? - Yes, it does. Because you get brushed the roof of your mouth if you wanted to do that, by putting it on the brush. - But now saying I'm really thinking about this, like, if you seem like we got a con brush. (laughing) - No, 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. - I think I never even thought about it. - You can add that to your reasons. - Thank you very much. (laughing) - Bryce Harper and I thank you. (laughing) - 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. (laughing) It's probably like a 4%. - I see what you mean. (laughing) - That's not it. - That's not it, no. - No? (laughing) - Like another kind of offering? - Another 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. - Not any. - That's why we thought we'd bring it up here. - Oh, they're going to sell tiny, genetically modified ponies. (laughing) - That is a, of course. - That'd be fun. - Yeah. - Tom, this is where you ask for a hint. - Oh, thank you. Bill never advised me like that. - No, I wanted to talk more about the tiny little ponies. - Me too, can I do that? - Sweet. - Well, hey, hey, hey. - Can I have a hint? - Yeah, well, I guess in response, Lululemon will start selling mortgages. - Oh, they're going to sell underpants. (laughing) - Athletic, athletic wear. - Athletic wear, athletic leisure wear. - Athletes wear. - The mortgage lender company rate. Launched their new spin-off company rate fit. Which sells, athletic leisure 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? (laughing) - 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. (laughing) - And you'll be able to pay it off by the time you turn to six. - 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. (laughing) (upbeat music) - Finally in January, we talked to an actor with a pretty unusual background, instead of theater or film school in New York or LA, she trained in a boxing gym in Providence, Rhode Island. - Kelly Reese was nominated for her role, opposite Jodie Foster, and true detective, Night Country, which came very soon after her transition to acting. - I built 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 did a. I played softball, I 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, nobody in my family box, it was kind of grown up. I wanted to be the karate kid. I wanted to be Bruce Lee, I was the self-sessed 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 really been dedicated to it. - Yeah, I was dedicated to, I mean, I was a little rough kid growing up. I wouldn't start fights, but I'd finish them. - Oh yeah. (laughing) - So, I didn't like to 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 facts, my father used to actually play with Marky Mark in the funky bunch. - Whoa! (audience applauding) - Really? - He was part of the bunch. - He was part of the bunch, she was the keyboard player, so there was good vibrations everywhere. - Wait a minute. (laughing) - You're a descendant of Marky Mark, you truly are. New England royalty, that is. (audience laughing) - I'll take that. - I know, that is amazing, and so, again, I stress how amazed I am that with the 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 into the acting world. But, isn't there an element of acting in boxing, like in the weigh-ins when you're like glaring at the opponent, you're like fronting a little bit, right? I mean, did that-- - Oh, it's not the same in business that the very core of it. I mean, we're up on a stage, we're performing, 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. So you, but there are people who build characters, big, charismatic, entertainment. You know, all that build up is really good for, for people to and 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 a 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 native or island accent would come out frequently enough that they figured they'd better write that into your character so that it would be explicable of 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 Ace of the Director. He decided to make my character part of it because I was, you know, working with the dialect coach and keep my quote-unquote accent at bay. I didn't want to sound like Peter Griff and Megan, you know, an investigation. You know what I mean? So I just-- I think you just sold the next hit series for XBO, by the way, hopefully with you and the lead. It was weird how your character always had a cup of Duncan in her hand. So in everything you've started 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 in, like, a different kind of part, like romantic lead in a hallmark movie? Presumably bad? I would love to. I would love to. I would love to. You know, I wanted to have one with 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 yet. I would love to take any, you know, whatever is meant for me. I don't want to just stick to it. I mean, I can't help if the bad assery just shines through. It does. I'm sorry. How about, 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. I got, I just, that's happened. It's fine. Oh. That's another show for HBO, we're all signing up projects for you. Well, well, well, Kayleigh Ries, it is a pleasure to talk to you, and we have Astru 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 ask you three questions about the CES consumer electronic show, past and present. If you get too right, you want a prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Kayleigh Ries playing for? Christopher Wolf of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All right. Hey, go birds! 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, be protective gear for when they banged into each other while playing the games, or see barf bags. See. You're right. You knew it. Yeah. And you're right. Yeah. Yeah. If you've 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 gonna go and see 'cause I hope that exists. It does. It's for, right, a tech company partnered with Charmin to create a new robot which you operate with your smartphone from the toilet. I need that. We all do. But here's the thing. So you have the, where with all the, the foresight to set up the robot in this 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. I just, I step children forget to put it in the bathroom and then you're stuck there with no toilet paper. That's what I mean. I'm just gonna say, I haven't seen all your projects as a performer, but I've never seen you more vulnerable than you were in that home. That's the, I just gave you like an audition of my vulnerable. I know, man. I am, 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 gonna 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. At this year's CES, one manufacturer introduced a new device with which you can enjoy music. What is it? A, a large case with two built-in stereo speakers known as an iBoombox. Be a lollipop that plays music inside your head when you suck on it or see a robot bassist complete with genuine bassist scent. Yeah. Um, what was being again? Be was a lollipop that plays music inside your head while you suck on it. I'm gonna go with Be because that sounds kinda cool. You're right again. I mean. Welcome. Your competence extends to everything. When you put lollipop's star, 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 gonna come down and beat the living hell out of this. Fortunately, I don't have to because she is perfect. Three in a row. There you go. Hey, man. 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. And wait, wait, don't tell me. 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 on WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord, Philip Gautica writes out in Limericks, "Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman, B.J. Heard him and composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Bernboss, and Lilian King. Special thanks to Lilian King. Peter Gwynn still gallantly streaming, our vibes curator is Emma Choi, technical directions from Lorna Whiter, CFO is Colin Miller. Our ops manager is Jaseera Vardek. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse, our senior producer is Ian Chilogue in the executive producer of "Wait, wait, don't tell me is Mike Danforth." Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week, all of our panelists, Alza Slade, our guests. And of course, Bill Curtis. And thanks to all of you for listening on Peter's Segal. And we'll see you next week. This is NPR.