I just returned from Chicago (a funny one this week, I do believe), received some snazzy new toys via FedEx, and was unexpectedly given tickets to see Tony Bennett tonight at the Hollywood Bowl. So… their won’t be much blogification today. Talk amongst yourselves.
One note: Peter Sagal will be going on vacation in a week, leaving yrs trly at the helm of “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.” That’s right, on August 25th you can come down to the Bank One Auditorium and watch me destroy everything that Peter has worked so hard to build over these last seven years. If you’re in Chicago, get your tickets now. If you’re not in Chicago, make your airline reservations now. Wally Pipp - er, I mean “Peter” - would have wanted it that way.
Fanny Roborat
37 comments
Lily
August 12, 2005 at 5:59 pm
1Do get to the show at Bank One auditorium kids. We made the trip down from northern Wisconsin in June and it was well worth it. The show took about 2 hours to tape, so on our drive home we made predictions as to what segments would be cut. We were mostly wrong…so much for our editing skills. (Not one word of Adam’s was cut, since he’s always so concisely witty.)
Anyway, I just checked and there are only about 80 tickets left for the show! So do not dawdle.
:-) Lily
Pete IVDL
August 12, 2005 at 6:31 pm
2Hey Adam, what time (WWDTM local taping time) does the show start? I’ve always wanted to call in, but it’s really hard when the show I’m listening to is a week old (or more). No bastard will answer the phone.
Which reminds me : don’t be too good a replacement for Pete - we need you here more, and anyway, he can pick up the pieces later.
Hope you enjoy Monsieur Bennett. I got a copy of “Duets” for Christmas, and it was a lotta fun.
Now. To stir things up. GOD EXISTS! Only kidding - (s)he doesn’t… No, I was thinking more along the lines of coming up with an FA alternative to ID. Maybe Stupid Design? Or Mentally Deficient Design? (These would at least explain the current administration(s)). Or Permanently Vegetative Design? Or what about Lo-Salt, 97% Fat Free, Environmentally Friendly, Genetically Modified Design? (Prick of an acronym, though).
Raymond Chen
August 12, 2005 at 7:41 pm
3Pete: I believe it’s like Car Talk - you call any time and leave your info on an answering machine. If they choose you, they’ll let you know when they’re taping.
tess
August 12, 2005 at 8:32 pm
4Sweet! You’re hosting? Can you belittle PJ O’Rourke? He bugs me.
Elliott
August 12, 2005 at 8:36 pm
5Pete IDVL,
I was on the show a few years ago (and won because I chose adam’s reply on bluff the listener) and it is exactly as raymond wrote. Call or e-mail (posted on thw wwdtm web site) and if selected, they call you before the taping. It’s a as fun as a barrel full of monkeys, so try to get on. Adam even recognized me as an occasional or irregular commenter.
Cheers,
Elliott
ice weasel
August 12, 2005 at 9:12 pm
6Adam,
Enjoy Tony. I saw him about eight years live and he was amazing. Simply amazing.
As for WWDT, best of luck! I wish I could get to Chicago to see you host. That would be fantastic.
dee
August 12, 2005 at 10:19 pm
7Well I am happy as a clam at high tide because I have a ticket for the Chapel Hill show in September. I want to get Carl to autograph the tape cassette he recorded my phone message on.
Adam - are you coming to the NC show? If you do, I’ll be the rotund redhead holding the bottle of Maker’s Mark aloft. I’ll wait till the taping is over, though. Wouldn’t want any distractions.
cooper
August 12, 2005 at 11:02 pm
8Ya know, I’ve always liked to hear Tony Bennett sing, I just couldn’t take his rugs.
Murray
August 12, 2005 at 11:16 pm
9Dee,
Get your tickets early.
NC is not THAT far from Grouseland. Hmmmm…
Just thinking….
Murray
August 12, 2005 at 11:31 pm
10Great, just great.
Here I am in Milwaukee visiting my latest grandchild, and then back to Grouseland on Monday. I’m not sure how I can make it back to Chicago in two weeks,,, maybe if I forget something,, yea, I’ll have to come back for it. That’s it. It might work.
madbard
August 13, 2005 at 12:22 am
11twice i have gone to see the show taped, and twice i have been twarted from confronting the adam.
curses, foiled again.
cooper
August 13, 2005 at 8:58 am
12madbard,
Try staking out the stage door in the alley. It works in the movies.
cooper
August 13, 2005 at 9:14 am
13Let’s try to get some sort of discussion going here, what do you say? How about we look at the headlines of today’s Charlotte Observer for topics? Ok, here goes:
“Outdoor ads for liquor get OK”. Lead headline; we are in the Bible Belt…
“Lost Boy finds wife, needs cattle”. Nah, old school.
“Ex-Panther tied to physician in steriod probe”. Man that’s got to get old after a while.
“2-county pursuit of suspects ends in fatal crash”. NASCAR country.
“I heard the rumble and looked…I can’t even describe it”. Public skuuls, tsk, tsk.
“Sultan insulted in Melee Melee”. Adam, come back soon!!!
dee
August 13, 2005 at 10:03 am
14Murray!! Just hop on that bike and peddle on down!
And I have my ticket. I feel like the kid in the OLD Willy Wonka movie — “I’ve got a golden ticket”
Now just try and get that song out of your head.
dee
August 13, 2005 at 11:17 am
15Okay — I’ve had coffee.
Make that “pedal” on down, Murray.
Mike Z
August 13, 2005 at 2:53 pm
16I’m all set for the Boulder show next week.
Adam: I’ll be the average, nondescript guy sitting somewhere in the middle.
Auros
August 13, 2005 at 4:36 pm
17I’ll second the “make fun of PJ” request. *g*
BTW, does anybody keep track of “all-time win ratios”? I know that Adam, Roxanne, and Susan seem to dominate, when they’re on, compared to PJ, Roy, or poor Paula, who finally got her first win recently…
Emmarie
August 13, 2005 at 7:10 pm
18I can’t be there, but I could imagine I am. If I could get someone to draw a picture of me on paper and bring it, I would. But I’m going to have to stick with vague-non-substantive-support.
Steve
August 13, 2005 at 8:35 pm
19We were privileged to attend the recent San Diego (actually El Cajon, to be Geographically Correct) taping of WWDTM and it was a whole load of fun.
Since we coughed up the Big Bucks for the “VIP” (Very Indulgent Payer) tickets we were privileged to attend an after show reception of the cast. Adam and his wife were absolutely charming, as were Roy Bount, Junior, and Paula Poundstone. I’m sure Peter Sagal was charming, too, but he was surrounded by a bevy of Large Donors and local public radio honchos, so we never got to exchange even a nod.
cooper
August 13, 2005 at 9:16 pm
20Tess/Auros,
I agree with you as far as P.J.’s politics go, however he is a FUNNY guy and has been one of my favorites for decades. Besides, I think he’s just tweaking the collective Liberal nose. That’s been his modus operandi since his Lampoon days. And he’s gotten in a few zingers at the expense of the Republicans from time to time. His humor is often quite self-deprecating - read “The CEO of the Sofa”. Check it out of the library, if the thought of enriching P.J. makes your teeth itch. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Allison in Santa Cruz (a biology geek)
August 13, 2005 at 10:23 pm
21Madbard — Did you go to the taping in Pacific Grove last November? I got to meet Adam at that one. There certainly wasn’t anyone keeping us groundlings from mingling with the stars; in what way were you thwarted?
Pete — Keep on calling! I had to call/e-mail several times before I got to play. I think the trick is to make yourself sound interesting, even if you have to lie, like I did.
Dee — You’re going to have a blast!
Murray
August 13, 2005 at 10:48 pm
22At the Baltimore taping last fall, Adam invited me to crash the VIP wine and cheese party afterward. Don’t be shy.
Tom from Santa Clara
August 14, 2005 at 6:18 pm
23An especially funny WWDTM this week, and Adam, you did good and were very funny too!
Good luck with your fill-in-for-Peter activities, I’ll be listening here.
For all who have never been to a recording (I’m hesistant to call it a ‘taping’ since I found out that the ‘tape’ copy is only there for backups since the show is recorded to computer) it is a blast, takes a good couple of hours! At the Pacific Grove session November 2004 I walked right up to Adam and shook his hand, met Jeanne, met Carl, met Sue, and took some of the local ‘good bottled stuff’ to the crew backstage. Met Allison in Santa Cruz too…and since we were the only two ‘prior contestants’ that we knew of, we were the only ones with the custom-made ‘Previous Contestant on WWDTM’ name tags made by moi! And Allison brought the Maker’s Mark!
tess
August 15, 2005 at 3:15 am
24Cooper,
He still irks me, in the same way that I like to annoy my rabbit by squeezing her haunches.
Pete IVDL
August 15, 2005 at 4:51 am
25Dee, you gotta be careful - the Rabbit’s Haunchmen might pay you a visit… (you lead a very interesting - or at least very eclectic- life, by the way. Between men in bars on dialysis machines and your poor bunny’s squished legs, I’m sure all your neighbours are talking aboutcha.
Oooh, gotta run, Mythbusters is on. yay for geeks!
Pete IVDL
August 15, 2005 at 4:52 am
26Sorry, that should have been Tess, not Dee. Still, I’m sure Dee has fun with bunnies too. Right?
Ken... Just Ken
August 15, 2005 at 6:43 am
27So Adam,
I guess if no one else is gonna jump in and ask…
Toys via Fed Ex? What did ya get?
dee
August 15, 2005 at 8:19 am
28Boy for a minute there I was leading quite the exciting life.
Mary
August 15, 2005 at 9:42 am
29Rats!! I’ll be missing yet another Felber extravaganza. Don’t think I have forgotten you, Adam, just because my “Felber in 04″ buttons didn’t sell. We will meet again. Consider yourself warned.
As for discussing politics, I haven’t had enough coffee yet ;-D
Whalu
August 15, 2005 at 10:10 am
30“Their” will be? I think you’ve been on teh intarnets too long, Adam.
IshMEL
August 15, 2005 at 12:18 pm
31Adam, I’m worried about the future of WWDTM. What will happen when every NPR listener in America has Carl Kassel’s voice on their answering machine? What then?
Harold
August 15, 2005 at 1:12 pm
32Maybe NPR can go for the big-time corporate donations by offering Carl Kassel’s voice on corporate voice-mail systems!
“Hello, this is Carl Kassel. If you know the number of the party you are trying to reach, please enter it at any time. For a company directory, press 1. For directions to our facility, press 2. To speak to an operator, press 0. This is Carl Kassel.”
Landis
August 15, 2005 at 5:49 pm
33If they had that, maybe I’d actually listen to the phone tree instead of repeatedly pushing zero until I got to talk to someone!
Snazz
August 15, 2005 at 8:42 pm
34Hey Adam,
I just found this and thought it was the kind of thing you might write. Apparently, the Incredible Hulk has a blog, although he calls it “HULK’S DIARY THAT IS ON THE INTERNET”. The entry on Karl Rove was worth the trip to me:
http://incrediblehulk.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_incrediblehulk_archive.h tml#112377459718525848
PS Loved your winning answer on Wait Wait re: why men have difficulty hearing women. It’s for moments like that that I love that show.
Thompson
August 16, 2005 at 2:04 pm
35Simple, IshMEL. They’ll immediately turn to another famous NPR host or personality and use that person’s voice to give answering machines. It will probably involve blackmail of some sort. My bet’s on Bob Siegel. Given how many times they’ve gotten him on the show, they’ve got to have some SERIOUS dirt on him already…
Auros… all time win ratios? Hm. That’s a wonderful excuse to listen through the archives again… I’ll try to scrape those together for you before October if no one has the good sense to stop me…
Adam Felber
August 17, 2005 at 5:05 am
36So many questions to answer….
Okay: I think when everyone’s got Carl on their machine, we’ll switch to Charlie. Soon after that, the nation will be deaf and we’ll be done with it. I received a new iMac and a new iPod (both were dyin’ here, from age and overuse). Yes, I misused “their.” I’d just been given TONY TICKETS!! Tony was terrific. Sounded like he wasn’t a day over 75 (kidding - 45).
Um, did I miss anything?
Neesy
August 18, 2005 at 9:23 pm
37Has anyone seen the bit about the open letter to the Kansas School Board, demanding that if they instruct on Intelligent Design, they need to include the “religion” based on the belief that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the Universe?? I think this is funny as hell…
Check it out: www.venganza.com