WWDTM: Rhea Seehorn

22:41And I ran upstairs. I was like, I can't believe you kept this for me. And he did. And he even kept it from his wife who watched it. Really? Watched it when it aired and was like, what? I should pause and explain that Patrick Fabian played a character, a lawyer, who, again, like your character, is not in Breaking Bad. Yes. And so thus the same speculation. And in his case, boy, did he get whacked. Wow. And you're saying that the actor did not, Patrick Fabian did not even tell his wife. So he's like sitting at home and the episode just dropped and he's like, well, honey. Well, he's a wonderful father to, at that time, much younger girls and a great husband.

23:22So he would fly back and forth a lot for any episodes he's not in. And he wasn't in all of them. So it wasn't unusual for her to see him come home, you know, for a couple of episodes. but she didn't realize that he was shot and killed. This isn't my situation, or it doesn't sound like kids, but I can't imagine being in a marriage where you're like, how does she react when she sees me die? I was just thinking that. Just watching to see if there's like an unconscious grin. Did you just giggle? Yeah, a little part of like force majeure. That's right. We have to talk about Pluribus, which I love. and I'm just so excited when every episode comes.

24:04One of the things - Thank you. I hear Paula won't watch it. Yeah. It's not that I won't watch it.

24:13I, listen, I love Ray Sehorne to death and I would watch anything you were in. I would watch like a cleaning product commercial with you, but I don't know how to do streaming or any kind of paid television. so I watched Better Call Saul so many times that I know so much more about it than what any of you are saying because I watched it on DVD so if it doesn't come out on DVD or there's not like a puppet show version of it I'm going to buy you an Apple TV and then paint it to look like a VCR oh it could also come out on VHS Ray because I still have a VCR. I was just with Vince this morning doing an interview and told him I was coming on.

25:06He says hi. He also loves this show. And literally said, Paula, he's going to find out if there's a way for us to make VHS tapes of the show. Oh, thank you. In addition to being a huge fan of yours, I respect you immensely because you spent a lot of times in the trenches in theater and doing what work you could. And I wondered if you knew at this juncture what your first listed credit on imdb.com is. What does IMDB say? IMDB says your first credit as a professional actor was playing the tutorial sorceress in the Magic the Gathering video game. That was a very early job, yes. Yes. So in the original game, in the original length, it was software of the game, of the card game, but it came with a tutorial, and on the back of the box, it would be like a teeny tiny window on your screen would be the tutorial about how to navigate through the game.

26:01And me and an actor named Reggie, we were playing sorcerer and sorceress, and it was so low budget that they didn't have shoes, but they wanted us to look like we were wearing kind of gladiator sorcerer boots or whatever. So we're just wearing tube socks with electrical tape in crisscross fashion. Oh, wow. If you look carefully at gladiator, that's what Russell Crowe wore. That's true. So yes, you and this other actor, because you know what? And quit show business. You do this. You constantly are talking to the camera and telling in sort of magical deep voices, and this is how you do this. And then you do that.

26:40And then you do that. It's very entertaining. It's on YouTube. You can watch the whole thing as I did. If you are a Ray Seahorn completist, it's out there for you. Have you ever actually played the Magic the Gathering video game? I was so excited that my photo was on the back that I went to Best Buy, and I couldn't afford whatever the game was back then. It was like$45 or something. And I showed them the picture on the back, and I was like, this is me. I did that. Would you give me a copy? And now I bet they wish they had. Probably not. Yeah. I'm just imagining all these aging nerds who bought that video game watching your show and going, do I know her?

27:24Well, Ray Seahorn, it is such a joy to talk to you, and we have in fact asked you here to play a game. We are calling it this time... It's Christmas Carol. So as everybody on earth in pluribus knows, your character's name is Carol. So we thought, given the season, we'd ask you about Christmas carols. Answer two or three questions, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone. They might choose giving holiday greetings on their voicemail. So Bill, who is Ray Sehorne playing for? Alex Johnson of Seattle, Washington Alright, first question Just this year, a famous person Tried to put their own trademark On a new Christmas carol Was it A.

28:05Tyra Banks' song Santa Smize B. Dwayne the Rock Johnson's Can You Smell What Santa Is Cooking Or C. Rick Astley's I'm Never Gonna Give You Gifts Okay, I'm going with A. You're going with A. Tyra Banks' song, Santa Smize. You're right. Wow.

28:31Named by the Washington Post as one of the five worst Christmas carols of the year. All right. That was very good and instinctual and very good. All right. Next question. In 1953, a child singer named Gala Peavy recorded and released a song called I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Big hit. What was the result? A, the response to the song was so negative, she eventually became a nun and took a vow of silence. B, stuffed hippos were going in the black market for$5 ,000 in today's money. Or C, somebody actually gave her a hippo. I think C. You're right, it was C, yes. It was a huge hit. She sang it on the Ed Sullivan Show, and somebody gave her a hippo, and she eventually donated said hippo to the Oklahoma City Zoo.

29:21Okay, you're being perfect in this, as you have been in all things. Here's your last question. John Denver put out a Christmas album once, Rocky Mountain Christmas, which included which of these less-than-merry Christmas songs? A, please, Daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas. B, my gift for you is my love, parentheses, because that's all I can afford. Or C, poisoned by the mistletoe. Wow.

29:56I'm going to do it with A. You're going to do it with A. Again, please, Daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas. You're right again. That is pretty impressive. Yeah, that was one of the songs. We were going to play you a sample of the song, Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas, but it is ridiculously sad. It's good. I love that song. Do you really? Yeah. We found it really difficult. Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas. You don't like that? Wow. That was very impressive. Thank you. I totally think people that are caroling should add that John Denver song. Yeah. I think it'll bring some issues to the forefront.

30:36I think honesty is what we need. Bill, how did Ray Sehorne do in our quiz? She was perfect. She got them all right. Ray Sehorne is nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in Pluribus. I am betting the first of many such nominations. You can stream it on Apple TV now. It's amazing. Don't read a word about it. Watch it. Ray Sehorne, thank you so much for being with us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. We're such big fans. Thank you, guys. This is a dream come true. Thank you. It was for us. It's such a wonderful show. Take care. Bye. Love you, Ray.

31:13In just a minute, Bill takes it all off for the holidays in our Listener Limerick Challenge. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

31:29From 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 Josh Gondelman, Hari Kondabolu, and Paula Poundstone. And here we go to show host at the East Toot-Baker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sago. Thank you, Bill. In just a minute, coming down through the chimney is good old St. Limerick. If you'd like to play, even after I said that, give us a call at 1-888-8888. Wait, that's 1-888-924-8924. Right now, panel, some more questions for you from the week's news. Josh, the New York Times published a helpful guide for getting along with your in-laws while you visit during the holidays.

32:14And they say if nothing else works, they finally suggest that after dinner, you should just do what? Put on the TV. No. Okay. Well, they have a different strategy than I do. Okay. Can I have a hint? Yes, you can. Just say you just can't function without your nightly 14 hours of sleep. Oh, just retire to bed early. Just go to bed. Have you... That's right. Have you already made fun of all your partner's baby pictures and reached the point where saying more about the weather would just be weird? Just go to bed. It's a great way to make sure you never have to say, oh, yeah, your grandpa tells great stories.

32:50You always know everybody's race.

32:58So that's what the whites are doing. Yeah, exactly. All right, I get it now. One woman says she sets up early bedtime to avoid having to talk to anybody anymore by telling everyone she's a, quote, early bird. But be careful if you're married into a fitness family, that can backfire. Great, we'll see you for the 5 a.m. run. The sleep thing is good, but it gets a little dangerous because after a while you start applying it to every part of your life, not wanting to deal with life on a day-to-day level so you just constantly keep napping and eventually you just hope you don't wake up. Geez, that reminds me of a John Denver show.

33:36Yeah. Oh, boy, that is harsh. My in-laws are lovely, but they're also very sleepy. So I'm always, I feel like I'm, or they're trying to avoid me. That's what I think might be happening. I'm realizing in real time that's what's going on. I saw that light switch click for you. You visit your in-laws and your mother-in-law is like, well, guess I need to go to bed. And you're like, mama, we just had lunch. I'm on to you, Susan. We're having coffee at 5 p.m. next time I visit. Yeah, two can play at that game. Hari, singles sick of managing their online profiles are letting who step in to help? Jesus Christ.

34:19Sort of like, is my co-pilot, you know. Their parents. Yes, indeed, their parents, or specifically their moms. According to the Wall Street Journal, burned-out singles are now letting their moms swipe on the dating apps for them. These moms are known as MILFs, moms I'd let flirt for me. Honestly, this is probably a great idea. Moms know best until it comes to knowing what emojis not to use in the chat. Your mom's like, well, doesn't peach just mean you're a peach of a person? What does peach mean?

34:58Can it not be explained? Josh is whispering It's a butt polo Oh And yet they're so healthy Wait a second So the whole thing is that parents Are helping to pick Potential partners For their children Wow what an original idea You know what I should tell my mom and dad About this idea You think they'll be surprised They met on their wedding day. Did they? Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. And are they still together? Surprisingly, yes. Wow. I thought the big jeans were retro. We've come all the way back around to arranged marriages. That's true. I guess it's fine to do this, but your parents should disclose who they are when you match, right?

35:49Otherwise you run the risk of your mom winning the heart of a man for you, but it's actually his mom too, right? And they're both like, wait, you like white wine and novels about Cape Cod too?

36:08Coming 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-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can see us most weeks here at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, or you can catch us on the road. We will be in Bloomington, Indiana on February 26th. Yes. the campus of the University thereof, Indiana. For tickets and information to all our live events, go to nprpresents.org. Hi, Aaron. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, this is Cynthia calling from Los Angeles, California. How are things in LA?

36:39Oh, it's really, really warm. Oh, to hell with you. Sorry, that was reflexive. It's been cold this week in Chicago. And what do you do there? I am a project manager for a fashion company called Rails. Rails? I have one of your company's shirts. Great work. Really? Is it like modern renditions of old train conductor outfits? Because that's what I would want. Is that what you think I dress like? Well, you do have that nifty waistcoat with your pocket watch, I assume. Well, Cynthia, welcome to the show. Bill Curtis is going to read for you three news-related limericks with a last word or phrase missing from each.

37:18If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly in two of the limericks, you'll be a winner. Are you ready to play? Yep, let's go. Let's go. Here's your first limerick. Our stockings were hung with much care, but our tree remained stark with no flair. This year, there's no fights about tinsel or lights, because this year our tree will stay... Bear? Yes, bear! If you have not gotten around to decorating your Christmas tree this year, you're not lazy, you are on trend. Celebrities and influencers are swearing by their, quote, naked trees. That's when you decorate your tree with nothing at all.

37:56It's that chic straight from the Menards parking lot look. So it's just a tree in your house? Yes. So instead of it, you bring in a Christmas tree, your standard evergreen, right? Instead of like covering it with like tinsel and ornaments and all that stuff, you either leave it completely bare or just a single, maybe two strands of white lights. That's the idea. I probably should have done that this year. I'm not having a tree this year because I have kittens. Right. And I just... Paula, you've had kittens for as long as I've known you, sometimes in double digits. Yeah. But, you know, so I don't want to be mad at them all the time, right?

38:34And it's natural for them to want to play in the tree. Right. And so I just thought, you know, maybe I'll just skip a You've had enough kittens so you could put glitter on them, invite them to jump into the tree and boom, decorate it. Yeah. All right, Cynthia, here is your next limerick. Scaly reptiles caught a fair shake because Zootopia gave them a break. Now everyone's hyper for venomous vipers. Young kids want a poisonous snake. Snake, yes. If you're not familiar with it, Zootopia 2 is an animated erotic thriller about a rabbit and your hot fox boyfriend. And there's also this friendly snake, sort of a legless third wheel.

39:19In China, though, inspired by this movie, fans have been buying venomous Indonesian pit vipers to keep as pets. It's terrible, people. Adopt, don't shop. I enjoyed Snagglepuss, and I didn't get a saber-toothed tiger. With kind of a lisp. This happens all the time, though, right? Whenever there's a new 101 Dalmatians movie, kids are clamoring for Dalmatians. And when Shrek came out, I was like, I just got to have a donkey. and an ogre. Yeah, I was about to say, I went for the ogre. To keep the donkey company. All right, here is your last limerick. Pop music once had a bright spark. Think of Saturdays spent in the park.

40:02But basses grew boomy and lyrics got gloomy. Now pop songs are stressed out and... Dark? Dark, yes. A new study of American pop music has found that over the past 50 years, the lyrics of pop songs have become progressively more stressed out and gloomy. Personally, I think this underestimates how stressful it was realizing that nobody, not one person alive, knew who put the bump in the bump-de-bomp-de-bomp. Nor who let the dogs out. True. A lot of unanswered questions. Cold cases, if you will. An analysis of lyrics of over 250 ,000 hit songs, released between 1973 and 2023, found that over that span, the presence of words related to stress, anxiety, and pressure increased by 81%.

40:49Because before 1973, as I'm sure some of you remember, 100 % of song lyrics were about riding a bicycle with your sweetie. Bill, how did Cynthia do in our quiz? Cynthia was so perfect, she got three in a row. Congratulations, Cynthia. Good job, Cynthia. And thank you for Josh's always fashionable look. Thank you. And I'm just guessing here that Josh would not mind a gig as a catalog model, in case you're looking for one. I'll keep that in mind. Keep that in mind. Okay, thank you so much, Cynthia. Thank you for that patronizing. I will keep that in mind.

41:41Now onto 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 worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores? Josh and Hari each racking up three apiece. And Paula, one. Oh, my goodness. Huh. Anyone's game. Okay. Paula, that means you are in second place. So I am going to start with you. The clock will start when they begin your first question. Fill in the blank. During a primetime address on Wednesday, blank again blamed Joe Biden for inflation. Trump. Right. On Monday, Ford announced it was dramatically scaling back its production of blanks.

42:18Cars. What kind of cars? Pintos. No. It's about time, but they finally gave up. Yeah, they did. EVs. Electric vehicles. This week, the White House added 20 new countries to the list of those with blank restrictions into the U.S. Immigration. Right, travel. According to the CDC, the blank outbreaks in Utah and South Carolina are getting worse. Measles. Right. This week, a woman sued the IRS claiming that she should be able to claim blank as her dependent. Trump. No, her dog. On Tuesday, the president's son, blank, got engaged to a Palm Beach socialite. Don Jr. Right. On Thursday, the jackpot for the blank rose above$1.5 billion.

42:57For the lottery. Yeah, the Powerball. This week, a man sued a casino in Las Vegas after he woke up the morning after a night out there and found himself blank. Ooh, morning after a night out there and found himself on the roof. He was on the roof. No, he found himself in jail and in debt to the casino for$75 ,000. Wow. And he wasn't able to remember how either of those things happened. The 64-year-old man says he was incapacitated the evening before and that the signatures on several casino markers only loosely resemble his own. He says the casino should not have allowed him to continue gambling while he was drunk, which is absolutely reasonable because when I walk into a casino, my first thought is always, finally, a place with a strong moral compass.

43:45All right, Bill, how did Paula do in our quiz? Six more, five right. She has a total of 11 in the lead. All right.

43:58Harry and Josh are tied, so I'm just going to choose Harry to go next. Fill in the blank, Harry. Here we go. On Wednesday, the Academy Awards announced they were moving from ABC to streaming live on blank in 2029. You too. Right. This week, the White House announced that most members of the blank would receive checks before Christmas. Of the working class. No, the military. On Wednesday, at least four people were killed in the latest U.S. blank strike. Bombing of Venezuela? I'll give it to you. The bombing of their boats. After discovering he did not win the Heisman Trophy, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia displayed true sportsmanship and blanked.

44:32Did a crotch chop? No, he cussed out the Heisman voters on Twitter. This week, a megachurch in Houston is apologizing after a woman was injured by blank during their Christmas Spectacular pageant. Flying raccoon. No, she was injured by a camel kicking her in the head. Oh, no. The camel was being led onto stage through the audience when it kicked out and knocked a woman right in the head. The church has apologized, and as a gift is giving, the woman front row seats to see the Rockettes.

45:02Oh, no. Bill, how did Harry do in our quiz? Two right. Four more points, total of seven. However, leaves Paula in the lead. How many, then, does Josh need to win? Four to tie, five to win. Here we go, Josh. This is for the game. Name, on Tuesday, a new federal law required the Justice Department to release more of their files on blank. Jeffrey Epstein? Right. Claiming a documentary they produced had defamed him, Donald Trump sued the blank for$10 billion. The BBC? Right. This week, the House narrowly passed a package aimed at lowering blank costs. Medical? Yeah, medical, right, health care costs.

45:38This week, President Trump signed an executive order classifying blank as a Schedule 3 narcotic. Marijuana. Right. This week, a woman in the UK was arrested for trying to rob a city bus using blank. A banana. No, the frozen leg of lamb she'd just shoplifted. According to a new study, eating blank might lower your dementia risk. Crossword puzzles. Eating crossword puzzles? Oh, God, I've been doing them wrong. Cheese. On Monday, Merriam-Webster announced that their word of the year was blank. Slop? Right. After a dance instructor in China fainted while teaching a class this week, her students blanked.

46:13Her students also made as if they were fainting? Yes, they all fainted in perfect sync because they thought it was part of the dance. Wow. This video is incredible. The whole class is swinging their head rhythmically along with the instructor, and then she stumbles and falls to the ground, so the whole class does that too. Oh, my gosh. It's amazing to see. They're great students. It's even more amazing when they somehow coordinate 10 different EMTs to take them all to the hospital at the same time. Incredible teacher. I think Josh did well. Did he do well enough for him? Oh, he got six right. Twelve more points, and his 15 gives him the win.

46:46Congratulations, Josh Goldman. There it is. Congrats. Thank you.

46:57Coming up, our panelists predict what will be the big Christmas present this year. Around that tree. But first, let me tell you that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBE's The 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 Shane and Donald. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theater, and very special thanks to Barry Sorkin and everybody at Smoke Barbecue for catering our holiday party. B.J. Lederman composed our theme.

47:24Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Special thanks to Mohanad Elshaki and Monica Hickey. Our Frosty the Snow Gwynn is Peter Gwynn. Our visual host is Emma Choi. Technical director is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chilock. And the executive producer, wait, wait, don't tell me, is Michael Danforth. Now panel, what'll be this year's big Christmas gift, Josh Gondelman. For those cold, lonely winter nights on the road with your hockey team, it's a heated rivalry body pillow.

47:58Hari Kondabolu. Barbie's dream house now with unnecessary ballroom.

48:08That's good. And Paula Poundstone. Hot chocolate with mushrooms, a party in a cup. And if any of that happens, panel, we'll ask you about it on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you so much, Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Hari Kondabolu, Paula Founsco, Josh Konderman. Thanks to our fabulous audience here who joined us at the Studebaker Theater. We appreciate your warmth. Thank you all for listening wherever you may be. I'm Peter Sagan. We'll see you next week.

48:54This is NPR. Support for NPR and the following message come from Jarl and Pamela Moan, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.