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Billies Seen

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0007:36repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser 1 to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST: 

Now, let's meet our next two contestants 2. First up, Stephanie Hagadorn, you work with Watson the supercomputer.

STEPHANIE HAGADORN: I do.

EISENBERG: OK. So if you don't know, Watson the supercomputer is the supercomputer that played "Jeopardy 3" and won. Do you think Watson will one day wake up and the computers will take over the world?

HAGADORN: Yes.

EISENBERG: OK.

HAGADORN: I'll just say yes.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

HAGADORN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

JONATHAN COULTON: Thanks for thinking about it at least.

EISENBERG: But you're working with the supercomputers. Now, I don't work with supercomputers. That sounds like a very intense thing. I work with, like, a stupid handheld, at the very best. But a supercomputer is a whole different...

COULTON: I'm right here, Ophira.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Your nickname is handheld.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I can't - I can't tell that story right now.

EISENBERG: But Watson is still emotionally stunted 4, you would say?

HAGADORN: He can perceive emotion really well and, like, how people write and speak. But he's not so funny himself...

EISENBERG: Good.

HAGADORN: ...At the moment.

EISENBERG: Good. Yeah, I don't...

HAGADORN: Hilarious 5.

EISENBERG: I don't need competition from Watson.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Your opponent is Alyssa Sable 6. You recently just switched jobs and now you work at a babysitting agency.

ALYSSA SABLE: Yeah, I do a nanny agency in Austin.

EISENBERG: Alyssa, you own two dogs. That's - OK, as a dog lover, I love knowing that, but they are both deaf and you've taught them sign language.

SABLE: Yes and no.

EISENBERG: OK.

SABLE: I mean (laughter), both of them were rescue dogs, so they came to us with a little bit of sign language knowledge. But for the things that we want them to know then, yeah, we definitely go through and try to teach new things.

EISENBERG: OK, so what are some of the newer commands?

SABLE: So we have a Great Pyrenees and we do this for crate 7.

EISENBERG: Crossing you're wrists.

SABLE: Crossing our wrists and so she'll just go straight into her kennel 8. And then she does this for sit. It's kind of complicated because we've got...

EISENBERG: Kind of pursing your fingers together and pulling down.

SABLE: Yeah, pursing your fingers. And then if you do a fist forward that's it for the other one. So it's a little bit (laughter)...

EISENBERG: Oh, they have different signs.

COULTON: They speak different languages.

(LAUGHTER)

SABLE: They speak totally different languages. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

EISENBERG: Well, your first game is a music parody 9 game called Other Billies Who Are Also Not My Lover.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Jonathan Coulton, what is this about?

COULTON: Well, we rewrote Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" to be about other famous people and fictional 10 characters named Billie. So buzz in to guess which Billie I'm singing about, and the winner will be one step closer to the final round at the end of the show. You ready?

SABLE: Yes.

COULTON: OK. Here we go. (Singing) Such a singer, a music queen from the New York scene, sang jazz and blues 11 and what's in between, like "God Bless The Child," "Strange Fruit," nicknamed Lady Day.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

HAGADORN: Billie Holiday?

COULTON: That's right, Billie Holiday.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Just a side bonus question that is not worth any points at all, do you know Billie Holiday's real name?

HAGADORN: I do not.

EISENBERG AND COULTON: William Holiday.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: We've been working together too long, Ophira.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: (Singing) Long Island where his career began, 50-year-long span. He said to call him the piano man. He might be right. Always in a New York state of mind.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy Joel.

COULTON: Yeah, you got it.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: (Singing) This guy played Gale 12 Sayers' best friend in "Brian's Song." He advertised for Colt 45. Used to own the Falcon 13, then he gambled it away. But on his feet he'll land, oh, his name's Calrissian.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy Dee?

COULTON: Billy Dee...

HAGADORN: Williams.

COULTON: Yes.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: I feel most of the listeners are hearing that clue would go, what - what? Oh. Yeah. They're just, like, who, what, what. Oh, yeah, Lando. Yeah.

COULTON: (Singing) That coal miner's kid does ballet. He's just a boy in England, give him a chance 'cause the kid just wants to dance.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy Elliot.

COULTON: Oh, yeah.

(APPLAUSE)

SABLE: I'm not fast enough (laughter).

COULTON: (Singing) Outlaw 14 from the 19th century, man of infamy 15. When Sheriff Garrett caught up with him his hand was grim. Boyish face, he was dead at 22.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy the Kid?

COULTON: You got it.

(APPLAUSE)

SABLE: I think Stephanie's up (laughter).

COULTON: I think Stephanie's got Watson in her buzzer 16 thumb.

(LAUGHTER)

HAGADORN: Practice.

COULTON: It's nice being friends with a supercomputer when you go on a game show, huh?

HAGADORN: It's pretty good, pretty good.

COULTON: Pretty good.

SABLE: I'm blaming it on Watson (laughter).

COULTON: (Singing) She was a singer at age 15, British music scene. She switched to acting 17 and scored a coup 18 on "Doctor Who," where she played a companion named Rose.

EISENBERG: Oh, this is where we find...

COULTON: We found a chink in the armor...

EISENBERG: ...The little pockets.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Rose? Rose on "Doctor Who," no?

HAGADORN: Never seen it.

SABLE: I know, me too. I've never watched it.

(LAUGHTER, BOOING)

SABLE: We got booed.

HAGADORN: Booed.

COULTON: Oh, boy.

HAGADORN: Just take it in.

SABLE: I like "Harry 19 Potter" a lot though, does that help?

EISENBERG: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Who is it, everybody? Billie Piper is the name of the actor.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: You guys don't care?

EISENBERG: Take it in.

COULTON: You hate "Doctor Who."

EISENBERG: Take it in.

COULTON: You hate Dr. Who and everything he stands for.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: They literally 20 are saying, Doctor Who?

COULTON: Dr. Who?

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: That's - yeah, exactly.

COULTON: This is your last clue. (Singing) "SNL," then he played Harry. In "City Slickers," rode a horse with no fuss 'cause he still looks marvelous.

(LAUGHTER, SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Alyssa.

SABLE: OK, I know it starts with Billy.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: You're halfway 21 there, Alyssa.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: (Laughter).

SABLE: I thought it'd come to me.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: (Laughter) I want you to get this so badly.

SABLE: (Laughter) I do, too. I just want one.

EISENBERG: It's like Billy and then something. And if I were to add, it could be, like, Billy something light or Billy something meth or...

(LAUGHTER)

SABLE: Oh, Billy Crystal.

COULTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: Yes.

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

COULTON: I knew it was in there. I knew it was in there. I'm glad we stuck with it. Thank you, Alyssa.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

COULTON: Art Chung, I think I know the answer, but how did our contestants do?

(LAUGHTER)

ART CHUNG: Stephanie, well done. You're one step closer to the final round.

(APPLAUSE, SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)