archive
The Salt
Sandwich Monday: The Saltwich
May 20, 2013 For this week's Sandwich Monday, we celebrate an expert panel's recommendations about salt intake by taking in as much salt as we can, with The Saltwich.
Television
Mel Brooks: 'I'm An EGOT; I Don't Need Any More'
May 20, 2013 The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks, who is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, is the subject of a new documentary on PBS.
Sunday Puzzle
Put On Your Thinking Hat
May 19, 2013 Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with H-A and the second word starts with T.
Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
Not My Job: Three Headless Chicken Questions For Alice Cooper
May 18, 2013 We've invited the heavy metal rocker to answer three questions about Mike, a chicken in the 1940s who lost his head and still went on to achieve fame and fortune.
Ask Me Another
The 'Ophira Plays Favorites' Edition
May 17, 2013 This week, Ask Me Another leaves the decision making up to host Ophira Eisenberg, as we revisit some of her favorite games from the past two seasons. Ophira's motto: the weirder, the better. We'll analyze literary classics and bestsellers based on one-star Amazon reviews, flip through the pages of etiquette manuals published in the early 1960s, and even attempt the impossible: play Pictionary...on the radio! Plus: a tribute to a Billy Joel classic, reading advertising slogans like Valley Girls, and a quiz all about Starchild, Demon, Space Ace, and Catman — otherwise known as the rock band KISS. It's a trip down Ophira's memory lane — no flashback sequence necessary.
The Salt
Sandwich Monday: Tamale Spaceship
May 13, 2013 Now we know why it takes astronauts three hours to get into their spacesuits.
Sunday Puzzle
This One Is For You, Ma
May 12, 2013 You are given two words starting with M-A. The answer is a third word that can follow the first one and precede the second one, in each case to complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase.
Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Plays Not My Job
May 11, 2013 We use Google to search for just about everything, so we've invited Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt to answer three questions about things that are un-Googleable.
Ask Me Another
I Left My Heart In Boston
May 10, 2013 Jonathan Coulton is wicked stoked to pay tribute to Boston in the best way he knows how: by substituting the names of Boston neighborhoods into the lyrics of well-known songs about other cities. Can you name the original towns? Or do you prefer a "Roslindale State of Mind"?
Ask Me Another
Name Brand Names
May 10, 2013 It may take a lifetime to develop your fashion sense, but only a few trendsetters can boast clothing items actually named in their honor. Puzzle Guru Art Chung asks contestants about couture that carries the name of its inventor or inspiration.
Ask Me Another
Banned In Boston
May 10, 2013 To close our Boston road show, play along as the final five contestants play a game comprised of words, phrases and names that begin with the letters B-A-N.
Ask Me Another
Hahd-Cawr Pun
May 10, 2013 We kick off our show with a game dedicated to the stereotypical Boston dialect—you know, the one that tells you to "Pahk your cah in Hahvahd Yahd"? Host Ophira Eisenberg has a little punny fun with phrases and names that take on whole new meanings when you drop the "r's" in certain words.
Ask Me Another
'Plus One' With Wesley Morris
May 10, 2013 In this game, Jonathan Coulton pits Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Wesley Morris against a fellow cinephile. They must add "1" to a numerical movie title to create its fictitious sequel. For instance, Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell try to recapture their magic in Five Weddings and Two Funerals.
Ask Me Another
Barney Frank: The Comedian's Politician
May 10, 2013 This week's Very Important Puzzler talks about his political family, his accomplishments in Congress and the role of comedy in politics. Plus, we challenge him to identify the speaker of some notable quotes: Was it Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, rapper Kanye West ... or Barney Frank?
Ask Me Another
Frankly, We Heart Boston
May 10, 2013 In this rousing hour, taped live in Boston, we poke a little 'pun' at the local accent, imagine famous songs as if they had been written about Boston neighborhoods, and sing everyone's favorite Fenway Park anthem. Plus, play games with three hometown heroes: film critic Wesley Morris, young adult author Lois Lowry, and the wit of Capitol Hill—former Congressman Barney Frank.
