美国国家公共电台 NPR Cliffhanger Ending

Cliffhanger Ending

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0017:34repeat 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: 

You're listening to ASK ME ANOTHER from NPR and WNYC. I'm Ophira Eisenberg and with me is house musician Jonathan Coulton. And this week, we're hitting the small screen - no, not your phone - your television. It is our special TV favorites episode. But the next game is not a rerun, no. We have a contestant 2 on the line to play a brand new game. Hello. You're on ASK ME ANOTHER.

ADAM KIVEL: Hi. This is Adam Kivel from Chicago.

EISENBERG: Hello, Adam. How's Chicago?

KIVEL: Oh, it's nicer than it was about a month ago.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) I think people in Chicago say that every day.

KIVEL: (Laughter).

EISENBERG: Now, you're a music journalist, but I love the fact that you once organized a charity event called Prom Hanks.

KIVEL: Yeah, that's true.

EISENBERG: Prom Hanks. And everyone had to dress up as their favorite Tom Hanks movie character. OK - amazing idea. Which character did you dress as?

KIVEL: I dressed as Sid, the psychotic boy neighbor from Toy Story. I'm 6-and-a-half feet tall, and my girlfriend at the time was rather short, so she dressed as Woody. And it made for some pretty good sight gags.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) Was there anyone else dressed in the same costume?

KIVEL: No. Luckily, that was a...

EISENBERG: Wow.

KIVEL: ...Bit of an obscure one, yeah.

EISENBERG: Good, good. You're smart. You're unique. I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out with the short girlfriend.

KIVEL: Well, you know, probably for the best - my back's a lot better now.

EISENBERG: All right. Your game is called First Name Basis. Now, we all know Cheers is the bar where everyone knows your name. So in this game, we're going to give you the first names of four characters from a popular television show, and all you have to do is name the show.

JONATHAN COULTON: For example, if we give you Sam, Diane, Cliff and Norm, you would say "Cheers." And if you need a little help, we will give you a hint because we want everybody to be happy and win all the time.

EISENBERG: And just to remind you that the stakes are very high because if you do well enough, we're going to send you an ASK ME ANOTHER Rubik's Cube.

KIVEL: Awesome 3.

EISENBERG: If you don't do well enough, we will send you an ASK ME ANOTHER Rubik's Cube.

KIVEL: (Laughter).

EISENBERG: So remember, the stakes are high. Are you ready?

KIVEL: I'm ready. OK. Here you go.

EISENBERG: Selina, Gary, Jonah and Amy.

KIVEL: That's my favorite show on TV currently, "Veep."

EISENBERG: It's the best, right?

KIVEL: Absolutely.

EISENBERG: Not safe for work.

COULTON: No, not really. Here's another one - Lillian, Titus, Jacqueline and Kimmy.

KIVEL: That's "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

EISENBERG: Are you watching that?

KIVEL: I haven't seen the second season yet, no.

EISENBERG: Me neither. So excited. I'm so excited.

KIVEL: Time to catch up.

EISENBERG: I know. We have a date. Jeff...

KIVEL: (Laughter).

EISENBERG: Here's your next one, Jeff, Abed, Annie and Pierce.

KIVEL: That's "Community."

EISENBERG: Yes. Oh, you watch a lot of television, I think.

KIVEL: Unfortunately so.

EISENBERG: OK, good.

COULTON: You know what? There's nothing wrong with it. Good for you. You do what you enjoy in your spare time.

KIVEL: Yeah, but now this is on the radio. People are going to know.

COULTON: (Laughter) Yeah, people are going to listen to the radio and they're going to be like, that guy Adam watches TV.

EISENBERG: That guy on the radio watches television. What a sell-out.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Here's another one for you - James, Kat, Cara and Winn.

KIVEL: Oh no.

EISENBERG: Ah-ha. Just when you got all confident.

COULTON: Would you like a little hint?

KIVEL: I would love one.

COULTON: It is one of about 700 live-action superhero shows on right now. But this one mentions the hero's gender 4 in the title.

KIVEL: Oh, is it "Supergirl"?

COULTON: It is "Supergirl." Well done.

KIVEL: Oh, thanks.

EISENBERG: Maura, Josh, Shelley and Allie.

KIVEL: This one's not ringing any bells, unfortunately, either.

EISENBERG: All right. How about a hint?

KIVEL: I would love one.

EISENBERG: It's a family drama starring Jeffrey Tambor.

KIVEL: Oh, "Transparent 5."

EISENBERG: That's right.

COULTON: Michaela...

KIVEL: ...Another one I need to catch up on.

COULTON: I haven't seen it either. They say it's good.

EISENBERG: But sometimes don't you just, you know, 17 seasons later in a show that everyone's watching, don't you just go, you know what? There'll be another one. (Laughter) I'm just going to let it go.

COULTON: It's true. I tend to resist if a show is really beloved and everybody talks about how great it is, I tend to resist watching it.

EISENBERG: Yeah, me, too.

COULTON: I don't know why.

EISENBERG: I'm like, oh, that's what you're - everyone's into? Well, then I definitely will not be into that. That's right, we will never have shared conversation. Good luck.

KIVEL: (Laughter).

COULTON: Here's one. Michaela, Wes, Connor and Annalise.

KIVEL: Oh, boy. I was on a roll at the beginning, but I need another hint on this.

COULTON: We're getting a little harder. This is produced by Shonda Rhimes.

KIVEL: "Scandal"? Is that a Shonda Rhimes?

EISENBERG: That is a Shonda Rhimes, but another one.

KIVEL: I wish I knew more Shonda Rhimes at this moment.

EISENBERG: This one - Viola Davis? No?

KIVEL: No (laughter).

EISENBERG: OK.

COULTON: I'll tell you what it is. It's "How To Get Away With Murder."

KIVEL: (Laughter) Oh, too bad.

EISENBERG: Yeah, I guess you don't watch that one.

KIVEL: No.

EISENBERG: I do.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: And let me tell you, it is like a delicious piece of candy that is not good for you.

COULTON: Yeah, that's the good kind of television.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) All right, it's getting harder - Dev, Arnold, Rachel and Denise.

KIVEL: Dev was the first name?

EISENBERG: Dev, D-E-V.

KIVEL: Dev, that sounds so familiar. I would love a hint.

EISENBERG: It's Aziz Ansari's comedy.

KIVEL: Oh, "Master Of None."

EISENBERG: That is correct.

KIVEL: Yes.

COULTON: Well done. This is your last clue - Glenn, Daryl, Carl and Rick.

KIVEL: That is "The Walking Dead."

COULTON: It certainly is. You're right.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) That is amazing. You did fantastic. We, as promised, are going to send you an ASK ME ANOTHER Rubik's Cube. Thank you so much for playing and talking with us, Adam.

KIVEL: Oh, thank you so much. Have a nice day.

EISENBERG: You, too.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PINBALL NUMBER COUNT")

THE POINTER SISTERS: (Singing) One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12...

EISENBERG: Now, critics say we're in the golden age of television, but I don't know. I think pretty fondly of the '80s. The '80s graced us with some classics, like "Hill Street Blues," "Full House," "The A-Team." Do you have a favorite '80s television show, Jonathan Coulton?

COULTON: Favorite '80s show.

EISENBERG: Yup.

COULTON: They were all so good. It was the perfect era for formulaic television.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) It was.

COULTON: It was so good. If you were a kid, you knew what was going to happen on every show. You know, "Dukes Of Hazzard" - I was a big "Dukes Of Hazzard" fan.

EISENBERG: Oh, me too.

COULTON: Those Duke brothers always got into a lot of trouble.

EISENBERG: And I just loved the little VO every time they, like, jumped off a cliff and they had to go to a commercial.

COULTON: (Laughter) Cliffhanger before every commercial - you kidding me?

EISENBERG: (Laughter) It was awesome.

COULTON: Fantastic.

EISENBERG: I liked "A Different World." That's like - that was so playing to exactly who I wanted to be.

COULTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: But there was clunkers - lots of clunkers.

COULTON: (Laughter) There were some clunkers. I think my favorites were ultimately kind of clunkers.

EISENBERG: Probably. There was one called "She's The Sheriff." It was starring Suzanne Somers because clearly they were like, Suzanne Somers will sell any project.

COULTON: That's right.

EISENBERG: So she was a young widow who takes over her deceased husband's job as a sheriff in a Nevada town. What could go wrong?

COULTON: I bet hilarity 6 ensued.

EISENBERG: Oh, I'm pretty sure there was cliffhangers.

COULTON: Yeah. In this next game called The Tin Age Of Television, contestants 7 Mary Kenah and Jason Hall travel back to the '80s to revisit some of those forgotten gems 8. Totally tubular is the thing that kids used to say in the '80s.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) That rolled off your tongue.

COULTON: (Laughter) Just so you know, this game was taped at Central Park SummerStage with puzzle guru Art Chung.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

EISENBERG: The '80s had a lot of high concept television shows like a car that talks or an alien who eats cats or Miami cops who fight crime without wearing ties or socks. I know, how did they do it?

COULTON: In this game, we're going to read you short descriptions of '80s TV shows and you have to tell us if these were actual shows or shows we made up. And there's no need to buzz in because we will just alternate between the two of you.

EISENBERG: OK, so let's start with you, Mary. "Manimal" - handsome, wealthy Dr. Jonathan Chase fights crime using his superpower. He can shape-shift into any animal he chooses, and because special effects in the '80s sucked, any animal meant a hawk 9 or a panther.

(LAUGHTER)

MARY KENAH: It was a show.

EISENBERG: You're saying that was a real show?

KENAH: Yeah.

EISENBERG: Yes, it was.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: "Mr. Smith" - an experimental potion gives Cha Cha the orangutan the ability to talk and an IQ of 256. So naturally, he goes to Washington, D.C., to become a political adviser 10, which is a weird 11 and complete waste of such a high IQ, but there you go.

JASON HALL: That sounds pretty fake. I'm going to say that's fake.

COULTON: It does sound fake, but it is real. I'm sorry.

EISENBERG: I know.

COULTON: It's a real show.

EISENBERG: I know, the chimp's name's Cha Cha, it has a super high IQ, and it changes its name to Mr. Smith. Doesn't seem possible, right?

HALL: It seems insane. Why would you drop Cha Cha?

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Right.

COULTON: Right, right.

HALL: You were born with Cha Cha.

COULTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: "I Married Dora," Mary. Single dad Peter Farrell depends on his housekeeper 12 Dora, who's in the country illegally, to keep his family together. When she's about to be deported 13, he does the only thing he can do - he marries her.

KENAH: Not a show.

EISENBERG: Ho, ho, that was a show. That was a show. Illegals were hilarious 14 in the '80s.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Jason, this is for you. "Fish Out Of Water" - Lawrence Fish is a high-powered attorney in Malibu with a cigarette boat who gets disbarred after sleeping with his client's wife. Disgraced, he is forced to move to his hometown of Omaha where he takes over his family's furniture business.

HALL: I'm going to say that's real. I think that sounds real.

COULTON: It does not sound real, and it is fake.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I'm sorry.

EISENBERG: Mary, "Home Before Dinner" - stay-at-home dad Charlie Sanders invents a time machine from spare parts in his garage. When Freckles 15, the family dog, activates 16 it by accident, Charlie and his twin girls, Holly 17 and Jamie, go on the adventure of several lifetimes, featuring Don Rickles as the insulting voice of Freckles the dog.

KENAH: That was a show.

EISENBERG: That's not a show.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: That's fake. I'm sorry, that was fake. We made that one up, but I love that you wanted it to be a show.

KENAH: Don Rickles, man.

EISENBERG: Don Rickles as a dog just insulting everyone.

COULTON: (Laughter) That's insulting for you, Don Rickles. Yeah, everyone loves Don Rickles. All right, Jason, "Mr. Merlin" - if King Arthur's trusted wizard were alive today, where would he be? According to this sitcom 18, he's an auto 19 mechanic in San Francisco saddled with a bumbling apprentice 20 named Zac. Can Merlin teach Zac to use his magic wisely?

HALL: The apprentice's name is Zac?

COULTON: That's right, Zac.

HALL: Totally fake.

EISENBERG: (Laughter).

COULTON: Oh, I'm sorry, that's a real show.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: So just to be clear, in "Mr. Merlin," Merlin is hiding himself by calling himself Mr. Merlin.

COULTON: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: They're like, are you the wizard? He's like, no, no.

EISENBERG: No, no, no.

COULTON: I am Mr. Merlin.

EISENBERG: Mary, "The B-Team" - a spinoff of "The A-Team," most notable for the absence of its stars Mr. T and George Peppard, remaining team members Face and Murdock run a detective agency out of an alligator 21 farm in Tallahassee.

KENAH: Yes, that was a show.

EISENBERG: I'm sorry, that was not a show.

KENAH: Come on.

COULTON: OK, Jason, this is for you. "Automan" - that is short for "The Automatic Man." Automan is an artificial intelligence program that can create a hologram of itself and fight crime.

EISENBERG: (Laughter).

COULTON: Let me finish. Automan's best buddy 22 is Cursor, a floating polyhedron that can create objects out of light, like, for instance, the autocopter, the autoplane, and the redundantly 23 named autocar.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Is that real or fake, Jason?

HALL: I'm going to say that's fake.

COULTON: It is real. It is a real show.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I cannot believe what has happened.

ART CHUNG: Amazing.

COULTON: Well, Mary won that game if you can call answering one clue correct winning, which I guess in this case we're going to.

EISENBERG: (Laughter).

COULTON: Listen, that's public radio. We want everybody to be happy. Everybody's a winner on public radio.

EISENBERG: Now it's time to turn off the tube and get back to work. In this final round led by puzzle guru Art Chung, we ask - who's the boss? And just like when they switched the actress who played Becky on "Roseanne," these are different contestants than the ones that you've heard throughout the episode, so good luck following.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

EISENBERG: Now we're going to crown this week's grand champion. Let's bring back Tony, Justin, Jennifer, Ben and Chris to play our Ask Me One More final round.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Our puzzle guru, Art Chung, will lead this final round called Who's The Boss.

CHUNG: In Tony Danza's classic sitcom "Who's The Boss?" it wasn't always clear whether Tony or Angela was in charge. But in this round, I'll give you some fictional 24 employees and you have to tell me the boss best associated with those characters. So if I said Homer Simpson, the answer would be Montgomery Burns. We're playing this spelling bee-style, so one wrong answer and you're out. You'll only have a few seconds to give me that answer and the last person standing 25 is our ASK ME ANOTHER grand winner. For your prize, you'll receive a pack of Yo La Tengo albums from Matador 26 Records and a complete autographed collection of Adrian Tomine's books, including his latest, "Killing 27 And Dying," so great prize.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Here we go. Tony - Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer 28.

TONY DAVIDSON: Santa.

CHUNG: Yep, Santa's his boss. Good job. Justin - communications officer Uhura and science officer Spock.

JUSTIN COLLINS: Captain James T. Kirk.

CHUNG: That's right.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Jennifer - Sir Lancelot.

JENNIFER BERMAN: King Arthur.

CHUNG: You got it.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Ben - the oompa loompas.

BEN MOOSHER: Willy Wonka.

CHUNG: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: And Chris - C.J. Cregg.

CHRIS CALOGERO: President Bartlet.

CHUNG: That's right, from "The West Wing."

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Back to Tony - James Bond.

DAVIDSON: Q.

CHUNG: No, I'm sorry. That's incorrect. Justin?

COLLINS: M.

CHUNG: M is the right letter. Sorry, thank you, Tony.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Jennifer - Liz Lemon.

BERMAN: Jack 29 Donaghy.

CHUNG: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Ben - Mr. Carson and Mr. Bates.

MOOSHER: I don't know.

CHUNG: (Laughter) Oh, all right, step aside. Chris?

CALOGERO: I don't know.

CHUNG: You don't know, all right, step aside. Let's see if Justin knows.

COLLINS: The Earl of Grantham.

(LAUGHTER)

CHUNG: That's right, Lord Grantham. Chris and Ben, you're out. We're quickly down to two players, Jennifer and Justin.

COULTON: I can't - I can't decide if that or James T. Kirk was nerdier. I don't know which.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: On the fence.

EISENBERG: The cadence 30 was perfect 'cause they had a little, like, I know this and shame on you for not knowing it.

(LAUGHTER)

CHUNG: All right, Jennifer - Carla Tortelli and Diane Chambers 31.

BERMAN: Sam Malone.

CHUNG: You got it.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: Justin - Shakespeare's Iago.

COLLINS: Othello.

CHUNG: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

CHUNG: I'm really glad you got that one, Justin, 'cause, Jennifer, Disney's Iago.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: Oh, my God, I can see him.

CHUNG: I'm going to have to call three seconds.

(SOUNDBITE OF WHISTLE)

CHUNG: All right, Justin, if you know the answer, you'll be our grand prize winner.

COLLINS: Mickey Mouse.

(LAUGHTER)

CHUNG: That was close. The answer was Jafar from "Aladdin." So, Jennifer, you're still in the game. Jennifer - Christopher Moltisanti and Silvio Dante. These characters ring a bell. You're giving me a look. No? I'm sorry. All right, Justin, if you know the answer, you're our winner.

COLLINS: Tony Soprano.

CHUNG: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: That's our show. Thank you so much for listening. Check out our podcast on iTunes or Stitcher, and you can find us on Facebook or Twitter at @NPRAskMeAnother. Check out our bonus games and audio clips. And you should come see us live, or even be a contestant. Go to amatickets.org.

ASK ME ANOTHER's house musician is Jonathan Coulton.

ALEJANDRA VASQUEZ, BYLINE 32: Hey, his name anagrams to thou jolt 33 a canon.

EISENBERG: Our senior supervising producer is Art Chung...

VASQUEZ: Narc thug.

EISENBERG: ...With additional puzzle writing by Eric Feinstein, Lina Misitzis and senior writers Karen Lurie (ph) and Kyle Beekley (ph). ASK ME ANOTHER's produced by Kiana Fitzgerald...

VASQUEZ: Giant fake lizard 34.

EISENBERG: ...Mike Katzif.

VASQUEZ: Mi tikka fez.

EISENBERG: ...Travis Larchuck...

VASQUEZ: Sick hurt larva.

EISENBERG: ...Julia Melfi...

VASQUEZ: I'm jail fuel.

EISENBERG: ...Denny Shin...

VASQUEZ: End his inns.

EISENBERG: ...And our intern 35 Alejandra Vasquez...

VASQUEZ: That's me, real Zen java squad 36.

EISENBERG: ...Along with Anya Grundmann.

VASQUEZ: A damn angry nun 37.

EISENBERG: We'd like to thank our production partner, WNYC.

VASQUEZ: C-Y-N-W.

EISENBERG: I'm her ripe begonias.

VASQUEZ: Ophira Eisenberg.

EISENBERG: And this was ASK ME ANOTHER from NPR.