Bonus episode: The Indicator plays... movie business trivia!

0:00NPR.

0:11This is The Indicator from Planet Money. I'm Darian Woods. And I'm Adrian Ma. And I'm Waylon Wong. And today we have a special Sunday treat to cap off our series on the movie business. And we're joined by our summer fellow, Ella Feldman, who I heard has a game prepared for us. That's right. This is not your typical indicator episode. Instead, we're going to play a little game in honor of Hollywood Week. Today on the show, I'll be testing your knowledge of movies, specifically movie businesses. Waylon's going to win. I can call it already. I would put my money on Whalen as well. I've also had so much cold brew this morning, so I'm like over-caffeinated.

0:53Performance-enhancing drugs, Whalen. I know. Don't tell HR. So here's how this game is going to work. I will describe a business featured in a movie, and the first one of you to guess the movie will receive one point. If you're stumped, I'll give you one hint. I'll then ask a follow-up trivia question about the movie for an additional point. Simple enough. Sounds good. Are these businesses real-world businesses that have product placement in movies, or are they in-universe fictional businesses, or a mix of both? They're in-universe, but the universe might overlap with our universe, is all I'll say.

1:32Whoa, whoa, blowing my mind. Okay, okay, let me do it. All right, well, we'll get to the game after the break.

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3:05Just a few clicks can tailor your tone and writing so you come across exactly as you intend. Get time back to focus on your high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free at grammarly.com slash podcast. That's grammarly.com slash podcast. Let's get right to it. Our first movie business description is a scrappy science-based extermination company with a specialized skill set. This unconventional team uses homemade technology and unorthodox methods to tackle frightening disturbances. Ghostbusters! Something about Ghostbusters! In New York City! It is Ghostbusters! I'm impressed with myself, having never watched that movie.

3:46Really? Parts of it. Well, there you go. That is one point for Darian Woods. You haven't seen the movie, but have you tried calling Ghostbusters? Is that why? I saw an actual Ghostbusters car outside the New York Public Library a couple of years ago. It may have been a promotional stunt, but maybe this is the overlapping of real world. Did Heisey Ecto Cooler ever make it to New Zealand as a sugary drink that your parents probably would not have allowed you to have in the house? Not that I'm aware of. Should I try to dig it up on eBay? Is it still good? Is that what you're drinking right now, Waylon?

4:21Yeah, I'm high on Ecto Cooler. Adrian, do you remember Ecto Cooler? I've heard of it. I don't think I've ever had it, though. I mean, I don't either. I mean, we weren't really allowed to have that stuff in the house. No ghostly sugary drinks. But it was like bright green. It was bright green. Terrifying. Okay, I have a follow-up question for you all. This is a trivia question. What refurbished building did the Ghostbusters operate out of? Firehouse. That's correct. One point for Waylon Wong. Moving on to question two. An energy company that generates its power from an alternative source. This company relies on highly trained professionals to harvest the energy, while also being sure to avoid any contact with the energy source due to fears of contamination.

5:08The Matrix? The energy source being Keanu Reeves' body? Incorrect. Is this vibranium? Nope. Ugh, God. Could we hear the description one more time? Sure. This is an energy company that generates its power from an alternative source. This company relies on highly trained professionals to harvest the energy, while also being sure to avoid any contact with the energy source due to fears of contamination. I mean, we're not talking about TV series here. It's not something about Stranger Things. This is movie week, Darian. Man, I really should have seen more movies. There's always a hint if you're stumped.

5:51I want to hear a hint. So your hint is, a really important ingredient in this energy extraction is doors. Doors. Oh, is this Monsters, Inc.? Oh, Monsters, Inc. Well done. Yes, the energy sourcing question are children's screams. And they power Monster City? Monstropolis? Your follow-up question is, what is the name of the top scarer at Monsters, Inc.? Oh, it's John Goodman's character, right? It's not Joel. Did I hear Joel? Yeah. Not Joel. It's not Mike Wazowski, right? It's the other one. That's correct. But I need a name. You're thinking of the... You know, he's like the turquoise and purple furry monster.

6:36What is his name? Is it like Lenny Warner? Billy? Sully! Correct! Correct. Well done, Waylon. All right. Wait, wait. What was the answer? I missed it. Sully. Sully, yes. Sully. You were really close to Billy, though. You were super, super close. I'm just trying to build up the drama where I, you know, make a dramatic comeback at the end. So enjoy the points while they last. A full name of this monster is James P. Sullivan, but he's better known as Sully. All right. Question three. This is a giant food business known for its secretive manufacturing plant. This empire has been closed off to the public for years.

7:19Willy Wonka! Correct!

7:24Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or if you're a child of the 2000s like me, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That is the correct answer. So one point for Waylon. Yay! So your follow-up question is, how many golden tickets did Willy Wonka give out? Eight. Incorrect. Seven. Five. Also incorrect. Correct. The right answer is five. I had to go through all the kids. Can you name them all? That's not a question. I'm just curious. Charlie Bucket, Violet Beauregard, Mike TV, Veruca Salt, and Augustus Gloop. Whoa. We are getting stable. I think we underestimated one contestant. Adrian, we need to join forces against Waylon's incredibly encyclopedic pop culture knowledge.

8:07Can we do that? Can we, like, pool our points? You guys, guess who played Augustus Gloop's mother in a fourth grade production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Willy Wonka? Yes. I had to stuff like a pillow under my dress. And then I had to say things like, no, Augustus. Your German accent makes a lot of sense. I worked with the dialect coach. All right. We are halfway through. So I'm going to do a quick recap of the points. In third place, we have Adrian Ma with zero points. Bronze. But that's the best place to start a comeback. I'm still on, listen, I'm on the podium. So I'm happy. You're on the board.

8:49In second place, we have Darian Woods with one point. I'll hold on to that for dear life. And in first place with five points, we have Waylon Wong. Yay. But that could all change as we move into question four. This is a sleek corporate empire at the helm of a beloved plastic product. Behind the polished image is a boardroom where control over everything, from branding to messaging, is taken very seriously. It is Mattel. Wow. This is the one where you said it would intersect with the real world because they had the fictional Mattel and the Barbie movie, but obviously it's a real company. Overlap with our real world indeed.

9:35The answer is Barbie. What was I made for? To play this game, Ella. Game, a.k.a. Waylon destroys her colleagues. Waylon teased the trivia question, which is name one song on Barbie's official companion album. Anyone? I actually had the soundtrack because I know that Charlie XCX did a song. Charlie XCX did have a song for that. There was this Grammy Award, wasn't it? Was he nominated or something like... But what's the name, Darian? Just a Ken. Just a Ken? I'm just a Ken. You've said all the words, so I think we should give it to you. Ken. You haven't quite said them in the right order. Some permutation and combination of I'm a Ken, we're a Ken, we're all Ken, so there's a Ken here.

10:18Just a Ken. I'm just Ken. I'm just kidding. I'm pretty sure I said something very close to that. There we go. One point for Darian. Moving on to question five. This is an elite publication with a global influence. Known for its demanding work culture and cutthroat environment, it's the ultimate training ground for anyone who wants to be successful. We plan it? In this industry. No, it is not. No? Oh. Let me know if you want one more read. Can we have a clue? Already? No guesses? Let me hear it one more time, please. All right, one more read. An elite publication with a global influence. Known for its demanding work culture and cutthroat environment, it's the ultimate training ground for anyone who wants to be successful in this industry.

11:07The spotlight with the Boston Globe? It is not the Boston Globe. The Devil Wears Prada. Yes! Oh, amazing! Ding, ding, ding! Okay. I didn't, I was like, how did I know that? I've never seen The Devil Wears Prada. You haven't? No. You have to fix that tonight. It's so good. You would like it. But I know it takes place at a magazine, and what is it? Anne Hathaway is like working their way up at the magazine. That's like kind of what I understand about the movie. And Meryl Streep is her grueling boss. It's a really, really good movie. Yeah. Okay. I broke the drought. All right. One point for Adrian Ma.

11:49And the follow-up question. What is the magazine that, it's based on a real magazine, right? It's based on Vogue. And Meryl Streep's character, Miranda Priestly, is based on Anna Wintour. And then the magazine is called Runway, but it's based on Vogue. Okay. All right. May I just osmosis to this into my brain somehow from it being in the culture? Once again, Waylon Wong has said an answer to a question before we asked her. What is the name of the magazine from the movie? Wait a second. Can she get the point if you haven't asked the question? Two points for Waylon. Wow, incredible work, Waylon.

12:23I'm going to just make some popcorn and watch Waylon answer all these questions. I don't think you can get a point to a question that hasn't been asked yet. Because it appears Waylon is the only host who knew the name of the magazine, I'm ruling in her favor. Waylon rightfully got that correct. You deserve that extra point. All right. And now on to our final business. This family-owned business offers personalized at-home services, including tutoring and housecleaning for wealthy clientele. Yes! The correct answer is Parasite. Oh, so good! That's South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's incredible 2019 movie, which clinched Best Picture at the Oscars.

13:06That's really good. Great job, Darian. And our follow-up question is, what allergy is exploited by the Kim family to secure a housekeeper job for Chung Sook? Cat. I don't know. Milk. Was it like cat or milk? Was it stone fruit? That's too specific. It was some kind of, it was like food, right? It was something. What was it? Peanut. The kind of food was said by one Weyland Wong. Stone fruit. Apricot. Peach. It is a stone fruit. It is peach. A peach allergy. We just listed lots of foods, but I'll take it. It was a stone fruit. The minute it was a stone fruit, I was like, that sounds too specific.

13:52It's a peach. There's a flick of the peach fuzz very dramatically. Oh, it's a peach fuzz. Interesting. Well, the time has come to tally up everyone's points and determine our winner. In third place, we had Adrian Ma with one point. Woo! Bronze, bronze, bronze. In second place. I'm on the podium. That's, uh, then, you know, I could have easily not placed, so it's an honor. In second place, we have Darian Woods with three points.

14:28Thank you. Thank you. And in first place, with eight points, we have...

14:37Weyland Wong. Pop culture queen! Oh, thank you. I'd like to thank the Academy. Well, congratulations to Waylon, and we hope all of you listeners enjoyed playing along. Listen to our Hollywood series if you haven't, and we'll see you next time with your regularly scheduled Indicator. This episode was produced by Corey Bridges and me, Ella Feldman. It was engineered by Gilly Moon and was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Kate Kincannon is our editor and The Indicator is a production of NPR.

15:35I didn't hear. I just saw your mouth moving. I was trying to imitate a blue jay. Oh, I don't know what a blue jay sounds like. I only know what color it is. What's my, like, trivia category? I feel like music. I might be better at music than movies. Food and drink. I feel like you're really good at, like, food and drink. I do eat a lot. No, I feel like you know your way around, like, interesting cocktails and, like, you know. So we just need a way. we need to, maybe we could just do a Sunday brunch and that'll be the new episode. Oh, that sounds really nice, Sunday brunch. We'll put brunch on NPR's dime every weekend.

16:12I can get behind that.

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