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Chris Pine admits needing to tone down his William Shatner-style acting in Star Trek (2009) to make the role his own. J.J. Abrams directed Pine to embody Captain Kirk with "less Shatner" to avoid mimicking the original actor too closely. Pine acknowledges the challenge of balancing homage to William Shatner's Kirk while also bringing his own flair to the character.

Chris Pine reveals J.J. Abrams' biggest direction when filming Star Trek (2009) was "less Shatner." Pine took over the role of Captain James T. Kirk in Abrams' rebooted Star Trek movie trilogy, which includes 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond. To play Kirk, Pine researched William Shatner's iconic performances as the original Captain Kirk, and he may have adopted too many "Shatnerisms" at the onset of Star Trek (2009).

Chris Pine appeared on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! podcast to promote Poolman, a new film he wrote and directed.

Patrick Somerville, creator of the HBO series “Station Eleven” and the Netflix show “Maniac,” was among a slew of Hollywood writers to weigh in late Monday after the Writers Guild of America went on strike, saying the union’s negotiating points firmly lined up with reason — and the studios knew it.

“We’re going to do this because our guild is strong enough to do it,” said Somerville, who had changed his Twitter ID to “Strikerick Somverville” in an apparent writerly flourish. “The ask is level-headed, and even they know that we’re right. Collective action is the one place they can’t win.”

We’re going to do this because our guild is strong enough to do it. The ask is level-headed, and even they know that we’re right. Collective action is the one place they can’t win. https://t.co/E8Zy6TIlVO

— Strikerick Somerville (@patrickerville...

Diane Warren, Brian Wilson, Sheryl Crow and Emmy-winning screenwriter Larry Karaszewski are among the stars remembering Burt Bacharach.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer died Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 94.

Through his partnership with Hal David, Bacharach brought swanky sophistication to pop music in the ’60s.

He won three Oscars and eight Grammys and composed the music for roughly 50 top 10 hits, including “Walk on By,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “What’s New Pussycat?” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

Crow, who performed Bacharach’s song “Dancing With My Shadow,” from the 2016 film A Boy Called Po, for which he also wrote his first score in 16 years, called getting to know him, “one of the great thrills and honors” of her life.

“There will never be...

P.J. O’Rourke, the political satirist and journalist who served as foreign-affairs desk chief at Rolling Stone until 2005 and wrote for numerous publications, has died. He was 74. His death was confirmed by NBC News.

“Our dear friend and cherished Grove Atlantic author P.J. O’Rourke passed away this morning from complications of lung cancer,” Deb Seager, a vice president and spokeswoman at his publisher Grove Atlantic, said in a statement to NBC.

Respected for his wit and storytelling by people across the political spectrum, O’Rourke’s early essays suggested...

P. J. O’Rourke, the political satirist, NPR panelist and bestselling author whose early work with National Lampoon included contributions to the influential Lemmings show, died today of lung cancer. He was 74.

His death was confirmed by his publisher Grove Atlantic, United Talent Agency and by Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me program. O’Rourke served as a regular panelist on the NPR program.

O’Rourke, who began his journalism career as a left-leaning Gonzo journalist before moving toward conservative libertarianism during the 1980s, wrote for such publications as Playboy, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, where he served for a time as foreign-affairs desk chief. In 1996, he was the conservative commentator in the point-counterpoint segment of 60 Minutes.

In 2008, O’Rourke covered the presidential election as a “Real Time Real Reporter” for HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.

In recent years, O’Rourke wrote for The Atlantic Monthly,...

One of America’s biggest radio shows is the long-running NPR news quiz “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” the Peter Sagal-hosted fixture with a nationwide listenership across radio, streaming, and podcast. Guest panelists riff on the week’s news stories, be they headlines that were plastered across newspapers the world over or ones relegated to the “news of the weird” corner.

Despite that show’s continued success, it’s been decades since a TV panel show in the U.S. reached that same level of quality, viewership, or place in the public consciousness. Even if you’re not a regular listener, “Wait, Wait” still exists as a shortcut — along with “This American Life” — to a certain kind of public radio programming and the listenership that keeps it afloat.

There’s still room for charismatic, inquisitive comic personalities to help build something that exists outside of any promotional cycle,...

SXSW is ramping up for its 2020 conference and has announced their first wave of keynote and featured speakers. Former President and COO of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aimé and artist and musician Kim Gordon have been set as keynote speakers while a huge roster of artists, musicians, tech leaders and storytellers have been added as featured speakers. The 34th edition of the South by Southwest Conference and Festival is slated for March 13-22, 2020.

The initial lineup of featured speakers includes a conversation between Sin City and Alita Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez and iconic actor and comedian Cheech Marin, Fixer Upper‘s Chip & Joanna Gaines, IMDb Founder and CEO Col Needham, writer Roxane Gay, legendary musician Nile Rogers and more.

“We’re kicking off the 2020 season with a captivating group of speakers. From Keynotes Reggie Fils-Aimé, who oversaw Nintendo of America during its most successful era, and Kim Gordon, a...

Juliette Harrisson Jun 28, 2019

Audiences are preoccupied by how much of HBO's Chernobyl really happened. Here's how the drama approached accuracy...

In the wake of HBO’s phenomenally successful mini-series Chernobyl, a slew of articles have appeared along the lines of ‘Facts vs Fiction’, ‘Moments the show got wrong’, ‘How much of Chernobyl is true?’ ‘What the mini-series gets right’ ‘Separating fact from fiction’, and so on. How can a series that talks so much about truth and lies take so many liberties with ‘truth’? Why are there so many apparent inaccuracies and what is inaccurate about it?

Well, ‘truth’ is a complicated thing – and it doesn’t always fit in to a five part television series. That’s partly why writer Craig Mazin sat down with Peter Sagal to record The Chernobyl Podcast, a series in which he goes through each episode in detail, explaining what his sources were...

It makes sense that a story as enduring and wide-reaching as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster can’t be contained to a single medium. On Thursday HBO, the network behind the upcoming limited series “Chernobyl,” announced that it will be releasing a podcast to accompany the TV show’s weekly installments.

“The Chernobyl Podcast” will be co-hosted by a pair of podcast veterans: series creator Craig Mazin and “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” host (and unwitting ill-advised sequel generator) Peter Sagal. Mazin currently serves alongside fellow screenwriter John August as the ongoing co-host of the ScriptNotes podcast.

Thursday’s announcement explained that this new audio venture will take “an in-depth look at adapting the true stories that shaped the scenes, characters and themes depicted in the miniseries.”

New episodes of the podcast will be available wherever podcasts can be found following the airing of each episode of the television series.

Nrp’s popular radio show/podcast, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me,” is coming to television.

NBCUniversal’s unscripted studio, Wilshire Studios, is developing a TV adaptation of the Peter Sagal-hosted series with Storied Media.

The weekly show is a funny and fast-paced game of provocative questions and snappy answers about current events, with celebrity guests — most recently, Candace Bergen was a guest. The TV adaptation is an hour-long current events trivia game featuring three celebrity panelists who will compete in a series of comedic challenges, earning points as they correctly answer questions about the week’s news. The panelist who earns the most points will earn a cash prize for the charity of his or her choice.

No host has been picked yet for the TV version.

Also Read: NBCUniversal Taps 'Steve Harvey' Vet Alex Duda to Run Kelly Clarkson's Upcoming Daytime Show

“We are...

Exclusive: The popular radio show/podcast Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! is headed to television. NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment’s Wilshire Studios has teamed with Storied Media Group to develop a TV series based on the long-running NPR program.

Hosted by Peter Sagal, NPR’s weekly news-themed radio panel show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! is a funny and fast-paced game of provocative questions and snappy answers about current events. It features celebrity guests, which have ranged from Jordan Peele, Stephen Colbert, Guy Richie, and Greta Gerwig to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The TV adaptation will stay true to the original while delivering bigger, visual and variety-themed games that can’t be captured on the radio. It will be an hour-long current events trivia game featuring three celebrity panelists who will compete in a series of comedic challenges, earning points as they correctly answer questions about the week’s news.

Carl Kasell, a career radio man who anchored NPR newscasts for more than 30 years and was a longtime fan favorite on its quiz show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, died today of Alzheimer’s complications in Potomac, MD. He was 84.

Starting out at 16 as a late-night music DJ on his hometown station, Kasell spent a lifetime behind the microphone. He liked to tell the story of how he’d hide behind the family’s radio and try to fool people into thinking he was on the air. He joined NPR in 1975 as a part-time announcer for Weekend All Things Considered and made his weekday-mornings debut four years later on the then-nascent Morning Edition, where he remained until 2009. During those decades, Kasell became one of the pubcaster’s most familiar voices.

In early 1998, the usually stoic Kasell took a lighter turn, becoming the judge and scorekeeper for a wacky new...

NPR newscaster Carl Kasell, who worked as a radio personality for more than 40 years, most recently on quiz show “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” died Tuesday from complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Potomac, Md. He was 84.

NPR journalist Don Gonyea tweeted that it was “a sad day at NPR,” writing he was “a Great journalist, he gave this network early credibility. Later, on WaitWaitDon’tTellMe the world learned something we already know — just how hysterically funny he is! Rip Carl. Godspeed.”

Gonyea also tweeted an image of buttons featuring Kasell’s face and one that said “Carl Kasell is my press secretary.”

A sad day at NPR. Rip to our colleague and friend Carl Kasell at 84. A Great journalist he gave this network early credibility. Later, on WaitWaitDon'tTellMe the world learned something we already know — just how hysterically funny he is! Rip Carl. Godspeed.

— Don Gonyea NPR (@DonGonyea...

President Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, is drawing ridicule after he said Americans can buy a new car with a $1,000 tax cut.

The former Goldman Sachs president — who is worth an estimated $266 million, according to the Huffington Post — made the comment during a White House press briefing on Thursday in which he discussed what Republicans’ proposed tax reform plan would mean for middle-class Americans.

Cohn said that “a typical family earning $100,000 with two children … can expect a tax cut of about $1,000.”

“If we allow a family to keep another thousand dollars of their income, what does that mean?...

With several tomes’ worth of backstory, enough screen time to fill up two and a half straight days of TV watching and a list of characters the size of Wun Wun (Rip, big fella), “Game of Thrones” might be the perfect TV show for the podcast era. Any of style of show works well in this universe: review show, obsessive deep dive, cultural criticism.

Some hosts can recite passages from “A Dance with Dragons” like scripture, while others are book agnostic. But the thing that ties them all together is this gargantuan television show that demands parsing out in other forums.

So we took a look at the shows in the top charts to see what makes each of them worth listening to. As the world gears up for Season 7, this is the perfect time to hop into a potential new TV podcast obsession.

Binge Mode

Hosts: Mallory Rubin and...

Tom Hanks is, arguably, the biggest movie star in the world. His films have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars and won him two Oscars and four Golden Globes. He also recently nabbed a Presidential Medal Of Freedom from President Obama just for being a stand-up guy.

Why, then, would Tom Hanks take precious time out of his rich-guy Hollywood schedule to host a public radio show? Probably because that show, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! isn’t just a public radio show—it’s the public radio show. Now in its 20th season, Wait Wait is NPR’s flagship product, drawing almost four million listeners weekly when it’s broadcast on more than 700 member stations. (The podcast version is also downloaded more than 700,000 times a week.)

A wry, slightly self-satisfied game show, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me is normally hosted by Peter Sagal. Each ...

Sneak Peek footage, images and synopsis from "The Simpsons" episode "Pay Pal":

"...'Marge' swears off befriending any more couples when 'Homer' offends their charming new British neighbors. But when 'Lisa' declares that she, too, doesn’t need friends, Marge reconsiders..."

Guest voices include Peter Sagal as himself, Carl Kasell as himself and John Oliver as 'Booth Wilkes-John'.

Regular voice cast includes Dan Castellaneta as 'Homer Simpson', Julie Kavner as 'Marge Simpson', Nancy Cartwright as 'Bart Simpson' and 'Nelson', Yeardley Smith as 'Lisa Simpson', Harry Shearer as 'Skinner', Hank Azaria as 'Moe', Pamela Hayden as 'Milhouse' and 'Jimbo' and Tress MacNeille as 'Dolph'.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Simpsons: Pay Pal"...

If you look at the headlines of a newspaper or news website in a given month, it's entirely clear that just because our forefathers outlined the basic guaranteed rights of American citizens in the first ten amendments of the Constitution, it doesn't mean issues regarding those rights have a universally agreed upon answer when at the heart of a contemporary conflict. And the explanation for this is pretty simple: the far-ranging intent and limitations of the Constitution are open to interpretation. To get a grasp on just how widely those interpretations vary, Peter Sagal goes on a four-part road-trip, which he's titled Constitution USA with Peter Sagal, across the country to learn about the history of this historic document as well as gauge how it factors into modern issues and how contemporary society perceives its messages. Thanks to its likeable host, Constitution USA proves just as entertaining as it is educational,...

Three of the most majestic, certainly most democratic, words in English are the start of the United States Constitution: "We the people."

To see how the Constitution continues to be brought to life, Peter Sagal of National Public Radio's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" sets out on a red, white and blue Harley-Davidson and interviews people. The result is PBS' four-week series "Constitution USA With Peter Sagal," beginning Tuesday, May 7 (check local listings).

"The great thing about 'Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!' is it treats everything with no respect," Sagal tells Zap2it. "This was the opportunity to talk about something I care about without having to make a joke."

What comes through is how seriously people take the Constitution.

"It's epic!" says Akhil Amar, professor of law and political science at Yale University. "It's actually the most democratic deed in the history of planet Earth."

Sagal examines the...

By Jacqueline Cutler Three of the most majestic — certainly the most democratic — words in the English language are the start of the United States Constitution: “We the people.” To see how the Constitution continues to be brought to life, Peter Sagal (pictured) of NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! news quiz show sets out across the country on a customized red, white and blue Harley-Davidson, interviewing various people along the way. The result is PBS’ four-week series Constitution USA With Peter Sagal. “The great thing about Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! is it treats everything with [...]

The post PBS’ “Constitution USA” breathes new life into the historic document appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Sure, Sunday tends to be overcrowded with high-end TV, including "Mad Men," "Veep," "The Borgias," "Game of Thrones," "Nurse Jackie" and more, but what to watch the rest of the time? Every Monday, we bring you five noteworthy highlights from the other six days of the week. "Independent Lens": "Seeking Asian Female" Monday, May 6 at 10pm on PBS Hoping to explore the idea of Asian fetishism, filmmaker Debbie Lum focused on twice-divorced sexagenarian Steven Bolstad, whose obsession with Chinese women leads him to a relationship with a mail-order bride from Anhui who doesn't speak English. The documentary, which premiered at SXSW last year, finds Lum getting increasingly involved in the domestic dramas of the couple as she ends up serving as translator and counselor in addition to filmmaker, eventually finding some of her own assumptions about the pair challenged. "Constitution USA with Peter Sagal": Series Premiere Tuesday, May...

NPR trivia staple "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" is leaping from the radio to the movie theater tonight with a live cinecast, bringing the show's dorky, lovable news quiz to theaters around the country. Vulture caught up with host Peter Sagal to ask him all of the super-fan questions that have been plaguing us for years. Like, Why don't all of the panelists prepare? Seriously, guys, read the front page of Yahoo news or something.Okay, I have a nuts-and-bolts-y question. Do you think it's more fun when the panelists study or don't study? It entirely depends on the panelist. I'd much rather, for example, have Mo Rocca not know the answer. And I'd much rather have Paula Poundstone know the answer. When Mo doesn't know the answer, he's so hilarious about his attempting to guess it, and Paula is awesome because she will always have something interesting to say.

After spray-tanning away their Chicago winter complexions, the cast of NPR.s Wait Wait. Don.t Tell Me! is ready for its close up with comedy.s .Wild and Crazy Guy.. From NPR NPR announced today that comedian Steve Martin and musical guest Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings will join host Peter Sagal and official judge and scorekeeper Carl Kasell on Thursday, May 2 in the show.s big screen debut, Wait Wait. Don.t Tell Me! . Live. The event, broadcast to more than 600 select movie theaters across the country Live from New York University.s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at 8Pm Et / 7Pm Ct and tape delayed at 7Pm Mt / 8Pm Pt, also features panelists Paula Poundstone, Mo...

Fans of answering machine messages and Paula Poundstone will be pleased to know that NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is coming to movie theaters nationwide. The questionably comedic news-quiz show will be beamed into theaters live on May 2, giving scores of white people the long-awaited chance to check out Peter Sagal’s radio face in two-dimensions. The performance will be coming out of NYC’s Skirball Center For The Performing Arts and will be streamed as part of a partnership with Fathom Events. Panelists for the show will include the aforementioned Poundstone, as well as show ...

It's hard to believe that HBO's "Game of Thrones" has only been on the air for two seasons; it feels as though we've been living with the show for much longer.

Of course, the creator of the "Game of Thrones" book series, George R.R. Martin, has been conjuring the world of Westeros for more than two decades. The first book in the series came out 16 years ago, so the long-standing attachment many people have to that world isn't too odd. But there's no denying that the HBO show, which debuted in 2011, brought Martin's saga to a much wider audience.

Why is that saga so resonant, on screen or on the page? What is it about the novels and the TV show that make those Medieval-esque fantasy worlds so compelling to people who live in societies that appear to be very different? What techniques and strategies does Martin use to bring...

"Constitution USA with Peter Sagal" is one of several new programs announced by PBS at the TCA Summer Press Tour this past weekend. While something that aims to breathe "new life into the traditional civics lesson" may not sound like the obvious stuff of which compelling television is made, Peter Sagal, the host of NPR game show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!," is a witty and very smart presence who might even be able to liven up a road trip exploration of one of our founding government documents. PBS promises that the show will be structured around Sagal's travelling the country on a Harley Davidson "to find out where the Constitution lives, how it works and how it doesn’t... how it unites us as a nation, and how it has nearly torn us apart." The series will air in the spring of 2013, coinciding with the ratification's 225th anniversary. PBS...

Beverly Hills, Calif. -- PBS says a Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelt family is in the works for 2014.

"The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" is a seven-part documentary that runs 14 hours long. It will focus on three members of the political family: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, and President Theodore Roosevelt.

Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti and Edward Herrman will provide the voices of Eleanor and cousins Theodore and Franklin.

In 2013, PBS will air "Constitution USA with Peter Sagal," a road trip by the National Public Radio host to see the document in action.

PBS also announced Saturday that Viking River Cruises has extended its sponsorship of "Masterpiece," the home of shows including the hit drama "Downton Abbey." Viking will sponsor the showcase for two more years.

Beverly Hills, Calif. -- PBS says a Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelt family is in the works for 2014.

"The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" is a seven-part documentary that runs 14 hours long. It will focus on three members of the political family: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, and President Theodore Roosevelt.

Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti and Edward Herrman will provide the voices of Eleanor and cousins Theodore and Franklin.

In 2013, PBS will air "Constitution USA with Peter Sagal," a road trip by the National Public Radio host to see the document in action.

PBS also announced Saturday that Viking River Cruises has extended its sponsorship of "Masterpiece," the home of shows including the hit drama "Downton Abbey." Viking will sponsor the showcase for two more years.

Diane Haithman contributes to Deadline’s TV coverage. PBS president/CEO Patricia Kerger touted PBS’ commitment to children’s programming at today’s TCA sessions, but was questioned about why more of the network’s children’s series do not have lead female characters. Kerger said the network is planning a series about mathematics with a girl character in the lead. She declined to reveal details about the show. The network has also added two programs to its 2012 election lineup this fall: America by the Numbers: Clarkson Georgia with Maria Hinojosa, exploring demographic changes in America, and Constitution USA with Peter Sagal. Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me, will travel across the country on a Harley Davidson to see how the American Constitution is, and isn’t, working.

Tune in alert as PBS brings Constitution USA with Peter Sagal, the NPR star who takes to the road for a fresh and surprising journey through the 4,418 words . and 27 amendments . that made America. Peter Sagal, host of NPR.s popular .Wait, Wait . Don.t Tell Me. travels across country on a Harley Davidson to find out where the Constitution lives, how it works and how it doesn.t . how it unites us as a nation, and how it has nearly torn us apart. .The Constitution was, and is, an imperfect document, and its strength lies in the ongoing arguments about its meaning, as much as what.s in the original text,. Sagal says. .I.m looking...

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly entertainment news column that keeps it brief, kicks it into high gear without mercy and delivers all the news that you may or may not have seen elsewhere, depending upon how hard you’ve been looking. We begin this evening with Zombie Spock. No, there’s not much of a good reason for it. It was found via /Film and can be purchased on a t-shirt, which you can then wear around and show off to your friends. Don’t ever say that we don’t provide valuable public service announcements. And now on to Game of Thrones. Two things. Both of them involve Pajiba’s Joanna Robinson. Don’t deny that you, like me, have a nerd crush. Okay, so maybe it’s just me. Anyway, she’s written a delightful list of 41 Reasons Why We’ll Miss Game of Thrones. There...

Washington -- NPR's quiz show "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me" is making the leap from radio to television.

The show debuts Friday evening on BBC America. The first show will be a year-in-review special. Host Peter Sagal, scorekeeper Carl Kasell and a panel including Paula Poundstone and Alonzo Bodden will discuss the year's events.

They promise to delve into 2011's biggest scandals, from former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner to the phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's media empire and the Occupy Wall Street protests.

The show will also broadcast on NPR stations this weekend. It was taped Dec. 2 in front of an audience in Chicago.

"Wait Wait" is in its 14th season on NPR and draws a weekly audience of 3.2 million listeners on 595 public radio stations.

Washington -- NPR's quiz show "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me" is making the leap from radio to television.

The show debuts Friday evening on BBC America. The first show will be a year-in-review special. Host Peter Sagal, scorekeeper Carl Kasell and a panel including Paula Poundstone and Alonzo Bodden will discuss the year's events.

They promise to delve into 2011's biggest scandals, from former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner to the phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's media empire and the Occupy Wall Street protests.

The show will also broadcast on NPR stations this weekend. It was taped Dec. 2 in front of an audience in Chicago.

"Wait Wait" is in its 14th season on NPR and draws a weekly audience of 3.2 million listeners on 595 public radio stations.

Washington (AP) — NPR's quiz show "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me" is making the leap from radio to television.

The show debuts Friday evening on BBC America. The first show will be a year-in-review special. Host Peter Sagal, scorekeeper Carl Kasell and a panel including Paula Poundstone and Alonzo Bodden will discuss the year's events.

They promise to delve into 2011's biggest scandals, from former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner to the phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's media empire and the Occupy Wall Street protests.

The show will also broadcast on NPR stations this weekend. It was taped Dec. 2 in front of an audience in Chicago.

"Wait Wait" is in its 14th season on NPR and draws a weekly audience of 3.2 million listeners on 595 public radio stations.

BBC America and NPR announced today that the Peabody Award-winning radio quiz show, Wait Wait. Don.t Tell Me!, will make its television debut on BBC America with a .2011 Year in Review. special on Friday, December 23, 8:00pm Et/Pt. The year-end special will also broadcast on NPR stations on that weekend, December 24 and 25. The Wait Wait... Don.t Tell Me! special will be produced by BBC America, NPR, and Chauncey Street Productions, with Albie Hecht and Doug Berman serving as executive producers. Host Peter Sagal, along with official judge and scorekeeper Carl Kasell, will lead a panel of both Us and UK talent, including comedians Paula Poundstone and Alonzo Bodden, through 2011.s biggest events. The special...

New York — NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me" is coming to TV for the first time.

The comedic radio quiz show will debut on BBC America with a year-in-review special Dec. 23. Host Peter Sagal, scorekeeper Carl Kasell and a panel including Paula Poundstone and Alonzo Bodden will discuss 2011's biggest events.

When "Wait Wait" would ever make the leap to television has long been a point of conjecture. Now in its 14th season, the show draws 3.2 million listeners weekly on 595 NPR member public radio stations.

BBC Worldwide Americas General Manager Perry Simon calls the TV debut "long overdue."

"Wait Wait" creator Doug Berman says it would be a typical show, "except NPR has to add a budget line for pants."

___

Online:

http://www.npr.org/waitwait...

I was going through all my bookmarks and I came along this one that I have not shared with you all yet! Shame on me! Courtesy of GeekDad.

Whether you’ve been using Twitter since 2006, are determined never to use it unless dragged kicking and screaming, or are somewhere in between, you probably know that it’s wildly popular with all sorts of people. In addition to the celebrities who make a big deal about Twitter (e.g., Ashton Kutcher), there are tons of people, both famous and not, who tweet about lots of interesting things.

Here's a updated list of people to follow on Twitter.

Name Twitter ID Why They’re Listed Here Phil Plait BadAstronomer The Bad Astronomer himself; a source for great space-related info and a dose of healthy skepticism. James Urbaniak JamesUrbaniak The voice of Dr. Venture on The Venture Brothers, and a very funny tweeter.

As a white, liberal thirty-something stereotype, I obviously listen to a lot of National Public Radio (and American Public Media). Besides the Internet, it's where I get most of my news. It's also the best way to educate yourself for daily games of @Qrank. I spend a lot of time with these people, and over the years, I've developed certain relationships (Note: I am not about to ask you to donate). For instance, I don't give a damn about business and finance news, but Kai Rysdall is my favorite public radio personality. If I spend any time in the car over the weekend, I look forward to listening to "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me," and for reasons that escape me, I usually end up listening to "Car Talk," too, even though I have no interest at all. If Terry Gross is not interviewing a jazz musician or a novelist writing...

Jesse Eisenberg has admitted that he wasn't telling the truth when denying that he has a Facebook account, revealing that he once created one under the guise of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! host Peter Sagal. While appearing on the NPR show, the Social Network star claimed that although he has never permanently had a Facebook account, he did temporarily sign up for one to see what it was like. "I had never seen Facebook and then I was rehearsing for the movie and I was, my character was discussing all of these things that I didn't know anything about," Eisenberg explained. "So I got a Facebook page while I was listening to this (more)...

Best Actor Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg has been asked again and again throughout awards season if he has a Facebook page, a question "The Social Network" star always replied "no" to.

But it turns out, he wasn't quite telling the truth.

In an appearance on this weekend's NPR show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!", Jesse revealed to the news quiz's host, Peter Sagal, that yes, he did make a Facebook account while preparing for "The Social Network," only it was in the radio man's name.

"I had never seen Facebook and then I was rehearsing for the ...

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

We're into the Mlb postseason which I'm sure means something out there to some of you, but it means absolutely nothing to me. I've been known to watch baseball live, but watching it on TV does absolutely nothing for me, and the intricacies of the stats just makes my eyes glaze over and I feel like a bad American. Still, it's happening for those of you out there who want to watch and if you've got the time to get down to Tampa Bay, last I heard was the Devil Rays were literally giving away tickets to try and fill their stands since they have absolutely no fan base, so you could get a chance to see a division playoff game on the cheap. Although you probably don't want to go to Tampa anyway, I haven't heard great things. Here's tonight's game and the rest of Wednesday night TV:

8:...