We become friends and neighbors with Olivia Munn

23:03But a woman who's bad at the assignment desk leaves town Oh my gosh, she sounds great so you you are famously in the show newsroom What was it like to do that kind of like Aaron Sorkin dialogue? Can you say it while walking? I could one second

23:32my first scene that you see me it's a big long walk and talk I remember um my first take and I I speak fast normally I just and then you can make me nervous and I'm like really really fast talking and then they cut and the AD came over and was like uh director just wants you to just talk a little slower and then I was like oh okay then Sorkin pops up and he was like no no no no no, no. He's like, talk faster, talk faster. This is great. Like too slow for Aaron Sorkin. I know. That doesn't make any sense. And I was like, and he was like, no, he's like, it means like I can get her to say more things.

24:06This is great. Like he didn't realize that moment that I could talk really fast. And then I was like, am I the only person in the history of Sorkin to be told to slow down Sorkin? And he was like, yes. Well, you're, you're now on friends and neighbors. And John Hamm's character takes to robbing his friends on that show, which made me question, which of your friends or neighbors would you like to rob? Ooh, yes. Yeah. So, such a good question. You know, when I'm in New York, there are so many more, like, cool, rich, artsy people around. And, I mean, he's not, he's my friend through my husband. so I just have to say that when I say but like don't be like oh she's name dropping because he's not my friend but I've been in his house and like Steve Martin has like like the best art that you can imagine and like when I go around in his place I'm like looking he's explaining stuff and I'm like I only know like a few phrases to sound smart or with art and I go like oh I love the use of negative space

25:20there's only one other thing i say go it's really interesting how they collapse three dimensions into two what that means i heard somebody say it once no but you're an actor so i really bought it i mean yeah i also love how like you immediately had an answer because you have scoped out that joint like steve martin better look out you are right because we were over there for the new year's eve party i was like said my husband like let's go into the office i was like he's got really cool stuff i'm trying and he was like okay we go in there but you know it's just like it's like the coolest stuff like it's really um he's just like as cool as you think he would be like everything's cool and curated in this and and like the stuff is like right there and i'm like i can just i have that thing where i'm just like um like when i used to go to church when i was a kid i really wanted to just get up and be like ah and so like oh close I'm like eating a kebab like right next to like some like ridiculously expensive painting and I just want to go like that you want to touch it with your kebab I want to feel what it feels like like that something else it's something you know what I should go You can't ask me about that.

26:38I'm just literally. Well, Olivia, we've asked you here to play a game we're calling. Our Friends and Neighbors. You star in the show Your Friends and Neighbors, but what do you know about the NBC sitcom Friends and the Australian soap opera Neighbors? Answer two out of three questions correctly, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of their choice on their voicemail. Bill, who is Olivia playing for? Melissa Hosey of Greensboro, North Carolina. All right.

27:15All right, well, we'll start with Friends. Here's your first question. The barista at Central Perk, where the Friends hung out, was Gunther, played by James Michael Tyler. Gunther was only supposed to appear in a single episode, but the producers kept him around. Why? Was it A, because Tyler was a huge Knicks fan, so the writers would ask him how to make Joey sounds like a real Knicks fan? Was it B, a network executive thought the way Tyler answered the phone was the funniest thing in the show? Or was it C, Tyler was the only one who knew how to use the espresso machine?

27:57Just so you guys know, B and C sound a lot alike. They're saying E. I need to say banana or cat. Okay, just so you know.

28:14I do believe they said cat. Banana and cat sound a lot. Sounds very similar. Keep going. Okay, they were saying C. Yeah, I feel like that's what they were saying. Okay, C. That's right, the answer is C.

28:35I don't know why he wasn't miming using the espresso machine, but anyway, there it was. He actually knew how to use the espresso machine. All right, let's jump over to Neighbors. Here's your next question. In a 2013 episode of Neighbors, bad boy Kyle Channing became temporarily blind after staring directly at an eclipse. What circumstance led him to look straight at the sun? Was it A, his kidnappers held his eyes open and pointed them at the sun? Was it B, a dog stole his eclipse glasses and ran away with them? Or was it C, he was trying to win$10 ,000 in an eclipse staring contest? Okay, The Neighbors is a soap opera, right?

29:20Yeah. I'm going to guess it's B. That's right, it's B. How did you know? the dog stole his glasses and he just looked anyway so all right back to friends lisa kudrow won an emmy for playing phoebe on friends but she always had a backup plan ready in the same year that the show premiered kudrow also did what was it a published a study in a neurological journal testing if left-handed people are more likely to get migraines was it b completed an internship at the three Michelin star restaurant, the French Laundry, or was it C, received a patent for a leash that lets you walk five dogs at once? It's A.

30:04I can go that one. It's A. That's right. It was A.

30:13Bill, how did Olivia do on our quiz? Olivia was perfect. Three right.

30:24Olivia Munn is an actor who you can see on Apple TV Plus as your friends and neighbors. Season 2 premiered this week. Olivia Munn, thanks so much for joining us. It's been so much fun.

30:41In just a minute, Bill tricks out his new car in the grossest way possible. It's the Listener Limerick Challenge. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

31:17nearest Warby Parker store or head to warbyparker.com. This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com slash switch. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. This message comes from Northwestern Mutual. Their financial professionals will build a tailored plan based on your goals, looking out for blind spots and new opportunities. Get started at nm.com, the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

31:59From 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 Rachel Custer, Peter Gross, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, the Yid Farsad. Thanks, Bill.

32:22In just a minute, we're going to absolutely blow your mind with a huge curveball, our listener limerick challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. But now, panel, I have more questions from this week's news. Rachel, researchers at Cornell have announced that by manipulating low frequency sound waves they have found a revolutionary way to do what? Telling by getting Yeah. Can I have a hint please? Yes. Banana peels really respond to the sound of Al Green. Sexy music makes plants grow. Plants? Just answer it actually. Okay. I'll just tell you, the sound waves can wash fruit.

33:18So we've all been praying for a new way to wash fruit. Obviously, a complicated process that can take up to 10 seconds. These researchers found that if you drunk the fruit in water, inject bubbles in the water, and then add sound, the fruit gets 90 % cleaner than just rinsing it and 100 % cleaner than just rubbing it on your shirt. Honestly, who are we all kidding with that? I feel like it's probably good to get all the minerals from the outside of fruits. Minerals? It's good for your immune system to just be ingesting stuff all the time, even if it's not necessarily what you meant to. You wear your shoes on the bed?

34:03No, no. No, no. You wear your shoes on the bed. But they're okay on the couch. Right? Right. How do you eject the bubbles? Like with a soda stream? No, what I'm picturing is that if you want to get yourself extra clean, you run a nice bubble bath, and then you dunk your head underwater, and you just start screaming. And then you're just so clean. I understand why the left and the right don't get along. The right is probably like, the left is putting music in the water. And apparently we are. Yeah, of course. Peter, Patreon is an online platform where you can support struggling artists by paying a monthly subscription for exclusive content.

34:47So it makes sense that who started a Patreon this week? I would assume the government or Donald Trump. Here's a hint. Don't think twice about this answer. Wait, is that a reference to a... Bob Dylan, don't think twice. Yes, Bob Dylan. Good job. Yeah.

35:09This week, struggling artist Bob Dylan posted a mysterious message on Instagram promoting his new Patreon page. Fans were shocked when they heard the news taking to message boards to be like, wait, Bob Dylan knows how to use Instagram? So for just$5 a month, Dylan is offering fans the exclusive content that the legendary songwriter knows they want from him. this is true a 70 minute essay about aaron burr read by an ai voice i'm sorry i mean right i mean just checking here but can the nobel committee take away someone's prize just after he write it and then ai's reading it out loud yeah for 70 minutes lin-manuel miranda's right there he would read that yeah exactly it's better than bob doing it he'd just be coughing and wheezing up but will take two hours.

36:06No, but he's always been like that. Yeah, I feel like he started out as a coughing man. All right, I'll try to make this quick. I saw Bob Dylan with some friends July 4th, 1989 at Tanglewood. And it was four. No, we were at camp. We went to go see him on a day off when we were a counselor. We were writing down the list of songs he was playing, and we were kind of far away, but not that far away. And we didn't know the name of one of the songs. and based on what he was saying, we wrote down Chubba Chubba Sawsaw as the name of the song. So he's not the clearest singer. I would like to back up Rachel.

36:45Coming up, it's Lightning Fill in the Blank, but first, it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you want to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can see us most weeks here at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago, and catch us on the road. We'll be in Austin, Texas on June 4th. And let me tell you about something we have cooking up our comedy grab bag stand-up show at the Bell House in Brooklyn on April 24th. It's stand-up and games. Our panelist Josh Gondelman is hosting and he'll be joined by our very own Peter Gross and other special guests.

37:20I've been there. It's so fun. For tickets and info to all of our live events, go to nprpresents.org. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi there. This is Ivan from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Hey, Ivan. What are you doing, Cherry Hill? Well, I'm a retired lawyer, and now I'm a full-time musician. Oh, all right. I didn't see that coming. What's your instrument? Clarinet and saxophone, depending on the group I'm playing in. Oh, were you in the marching band, Ivan? I was in the marching band. Me too, baby. Yeah, clarinet and marching band. Nice. Well, I love that. Welcome to the show, Ivan. and Bill Curtis is going to read you three news-related limericks with the last word or phrase missing from each.

38:05If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly on two limericks, you're a winner. Okay, let's go. All right, here's your first limerick. My smartphone I frequently check. So from chin to my chest, I'm a wreck. Crags and deep wrinkles are scattered, not sprinkled. All my tech use is aging my... Neck. Yes. That's right. Neck it is. There's a new part of your body to feel weird about. Your neck. According to beauty experts, the more you look at your phone, the worse your neck looks. And oh, for the love of God, just let me live. Where are you supposed to find out how to fix your neck if not looking down at your phone?

38:52Have you guys ever tried laying down and reading with your hand held up? That's supposedly one of the positions you're supposed to do. That's how you lose a tooth.

39:06Good point.

39:11All right, here's your next limerick. Because I'm not a natural jock, I give muscles a jolt till I squawk. To lift weights, I'm unable So I strap on some cables My muscles will get a quick Shock Shock, that's right The latest fitness trend is a workout Where you do bodyweight exercises While electricity, quote Zaps your major muscle group Simultaneously for 20 minutes Ooh, I wonder if when you look in the mirror You can see your skeleton like in a cartoon but also for the love of God, just let me live.

39:59The shocks are delivered via a, quote, damp suit covered in electrodes. And by the way, you had me at damp suit. Yeah. What if we already wear a damp suit to the gym? Can we just strap some of our own homemade electrodes to it? It sounds terrible. Well, and if you don't want to go to the gym, you can get the same workout at home, by doing one squat thrust and putting a fork in the socket.

40:26Here's your last limerick. This car's creepy. Don't make me get in. The seats have a sunburn built in. I really abhor the hair and the pores. I am sitting on fake human... Skin. Skin. That's right. In order to raise awareness about the importance of wearing sunscreen while driving, an Australian company reupholstered the seats of a Toyota Camry with simulated human skin that gets sunburn and also, for some reason, has hair. So yeah, this simulated skin burns when exposed to too much sun, which is a good reminder to take care of yourself, I guess. But it doesn't matter how great your skin is. nobody's talking to you when you drive a human skin car.

41:19Or if they are, they're not people that you want to talk back to. Hey, I got a car like that. Made it myself. Nice. It's nice to see another person with a skin car driving around. It was a cover-up. A guy who already had a skin car was like, oh, it's for science. I had a plan for this, actually. It's fake stuff. It's all fake. Yeah, no, no. It's for It's to warn people about skin cancer. Skin cancer, right, right, right. Definitely why I made it. You're in a town without mailmen anymore. Sorry. Bill, how did Ivan do? Ivan got them all right. Congratulations. Good job, Ivan. Thank you, Ivan. Thanks much.

42:04Bye, Ivan. Support for NPR and the following message come from Warby Parker, the one-stop shop for all your vision needs. They offer expertly crafted prescription eyewear, plus contacts, eye exams, and more. For everything you need to see, visit your nearest Warby Parker store or head to warbyparker.com. This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com slash switch. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Now on to our final game, Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank.

42:48Each player will have 60 seconds to answer as many fill-in-the-blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores? Do you know we have a three-way tie? Ooh, three-way. Everybody has two. And we'll have to fight it out to the end. All right, I'm going to randomly select Joyelle to go first. So, Joyelle, the clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Wednesday, President Trump gave a primetime address to talk about the war in blank. Iran. Right. On Monday, airport wait times dropped significantly as many blank workers received their first paycheck in over a month.

43:21TSA. Right. On Thursday, Trump fired his attorney general blank. Pamela Bondi. Right. This week, Connecticut was the only school whose men and women's teams both made it to the final four of the blank. Oh, um, March Madness, NCAA somebody, sports ball. Right. This week, a group of thieves in Europe who stole 12 tons of Kit Kats were publicly praised by blank. Donald Trump? No, by Kit Kat, who said the thieves had excellent taste. Nice. This week, police in Michigan are facing criticism after a woman they arrested handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser was able to blank. Ooh, get out of the handcuffs?

44:01She was able to wiggle out of the half-open car window and escape without any of the cops noticing. The woman who was being arrested for a parole violation was caught on camera squeezing herself through the cruiser's half-open window, wiggling her way to the ground and making a run for it as four cops stood nearby and not a single one of them noticed. It's just one of those rare cases where I'm like, yeah, you guys should definitely delete the body cam footage because this is embarrassing. Fun fact about me, y 'all. I got the only thing dainty about me is my wrists. And I could get out of handcuffs.

44:39Wow. Nice. Bill, how did our favorite little criminal do? Four right. Eight more points. Tuttle to ten. And Joyelle is leading. All right. So that means, Rachel, you're up next. Yes. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, a federal judge halted construction on Trump's proposed addition to the blank. Ballroom. Right. White House. This week, average blank prices in the U.S. rose above$4 a gallon. Right. On Wednesday, Russia said it would continue trying to provide blank with oil despite the U.S. blockade. I'm not sure. Cuba. Cuba. Thanks to a hacker, people who called the White House this week noticed that it came up as blank on their caller ID.

45:28Papa John's. At Steens Island. Following years of health setbacks, beloved Canadian diva Blank announced her return to the stage. Celine Dion. Right. Oh, my God. This week, a town in Missouri complained of a, quote, unforgettable odor after a truck spilled 40 ,000 pounds of Blank nearby. Fish. 40 ,000 pounds of tofu. The spilled tofu sat for three weeks before cleanup began, blanking the town with an unforgettable and unavoidable stink. According to the local fire chief, quote, it was probably one of the worst smells I've ever smelled in my life, and I've smelled some nasty stuff. Okay, brag. Bill, how did Rachel do?

46:15We're stuck in a loop. Rachel got exactly the same score as Royale. Really? Yeah, both of them have 10. Thank you. So that leaves you, Peter. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado's ban on blank therapy likely violates the First Amendment. Conversion therapy. Right. On Wednesday, sources reported that private space company blank had filed papers to go public. SpaceX? Right. On Tuesday, the FDA approved the second blank pill for weight loss. Like a Zempec or something? The GLP-1 pill. GLP, that category. This week auctioneers estimated that one of Bob Marley's blanks would sell for over$30 ,000.

46:57Old joints. One of his dreadlocks. Following a rollover crash, golf legend blank pled not guilty to driving under the influence. Tiger Woods. Right. This week a new study proved that blank could be classified as a musical instrument. The recorder.

47:21Sorry, second graders. It's already really real. So close. I don't know. Mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is a musical instrument. According to a study by Northumbria University, mayonnaise fits the official definition of a musical instrument, something that can produce or modify sound in a controlled and intentional way. This is revolutionary news for musicians and marks the first time that you can get sick from listening to music that's been left out too long in the sun. All right, Bill, how did Peter do? Well, in my 12 years here, we have never had a three-way tie.

48:05Oh, you guys are just equally mediocre at this game. Equally yoked. It's really hard. Coming up, our panelists predict after his visit to the Supreme Court this week, what'll be the next surprising place Donald Trump will show up. But first, let me tell you that Wait, wait, don't tell me. It's a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord. Philip Godega writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theatre. B.J. Liederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King.

48:44Special thanks to Blythe Roberson, Monica Hickey, and Travis Hagen. It's been one week since Peter Gwynn looked at me. Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction, Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillag. The executive producer of Way, Way, Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Now panel, where will Trump show up next? Joyelle. A gold-plated platinum-lined diamond-encrusted prison cell.

49:21Rachel in his children's lives.

49:28And Peter Gross. Driving down Pennsylvania Avenue in a car made of human skin.

49:37All right. If any of those show up, you're going to hear about them on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you, Bill Curtis. By the way, you can see me doing stand-up at the Lost Church in San Francisco on April 29th, and the Muslims are coming with equally threatening friends. Hope to see you there. In the meantime, thanks to Joyelle, Nicole Johnson, Peter Gross, and Rachel Koster. I'm Nageen Farsad, and we'll see you next week.

50:25guitar solo

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