PETER SAGAL, HOST:
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME, the NPR news quiz. I'm Bill Kurtis. We're playing this week with Faith Salie, Jordan Carlos and Adam Felber. And here again is your host at the Chase Bank Auditorium in downtown Chicago, Peter Sagal.
(CHEERING)
SAGAL: Thank you. In just a minute, Bill performs his favorite songs from Rhyme-ilton (ph)...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Right here, in the rhyme where it happened.
FAITH SALIE: (Laughter).
SAGAL: It's the Listener Limerick Challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT - that's 1-888-924-8924.
Right now, panel, some more questions for you from the week's news. Faith, this week, HBO unveiled a new product that they're aiming at TV viewers who do not live alone. What is this product?
SALIE: Who?
ADAM FELBER: What?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: People who don't live alone, who might have roommates, don't have a lot of privacy.
SALIE: Wait, who's directing this...
SAGAL: HBO.
SALIE: H - Home Box Office.
SAGAL: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
JORDAN CARLOS: The same.
SALIE: The Home Box Office.
CARLOS: Exactly.
SAGAL: You're such a sophisticated New Yorker.
SALIE: Is...
(LAUGHTER)
SALIE: Is...
SAGAL: You've heard of them. Yes.
CARLOS: Heard of them...
SALIE: Is...
CARLOS: ...Home Box Office.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: HBO, or, as we call it, Home Box Office...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Anyway...
SALIE: OK.
SAGAL: Back to it. So HBO is making - not TV shows - an actual physical product, and it's available to people who like...
SALIE: It's a physical product.
SAGAL: It's a physical product - not a TV show.
SALIE: But it comes from HBO.
SAGAL: It does.
SALIE: And it's not a remote control.
CARLOS: It's for people who do not live alone.
SAGAL: Yes.
SALIE: It's, like, a viewing tent.
SAGAL: Close enough - it's a viewing box...
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: ...As is appropriate for Home Box Office.
SALIE: Home Box Office, like I said.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Exactly. It's called the HBO Box, and it is a giant cardboard box that you get inside of to watch TV. It's not TV. It's solitary.
(LAUGHTER)
SALIE: It's made of cardboard.
SAGAL: Yeah, it's cardboard. You assemble it. You put it on your bed, presumably - and that's where a lot of people watch TV these days. And you you get in it, and you put it around it.
SALIE: Keeps it nice and dark.
SAGAL: The reviews of this thing early on are mixed, some people saying that this privacy box might not be used to watch premium cable, if you know what I mean...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Others saying it will definitely not be used to watch premium cable.
SALIE: Is it your aubergine peach box?
SAGAL: It kind of is.
FELBER: Are you saying...
SAGAL: Absolutely...
FELBER: ...If this box is a-rocking...
SAGAL: If the box is a-rocking.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I was - Adam, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson received mixed reviews this week for their new, updated lyrics to what classic Christmas song?
FELBER: "Baby, It's Not Warm Outside."
SAGAL: That's the one...
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in the classic version. That, of course, is one of our most jazzy and date-rapey holiday classics.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: It's been problematic, so Legend...
FELBER: Yeah.
SAGAL: ...Gave it new lyrics. The new version of the song is no longer about a pushy brute insisting his lady doing something mixed up over there by Bill Cosby.
(LAUGHTER)
FELBER: That's the most problematic part of this song.
SAGAL: It really is. But now it's about a young man respectfully calling his date an Uber. This is true. When Clarkson sings, I've got to go away, instead of singing, baby, it's cold outside, Legend sings, I can call you a ride - really.
FELBER: Nice.
CARLOS: Yeah.
SAGAL: But it's an UberPool, so it's still kind of skeezy (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: So, I mean, people are saying, OK, the song was maybe problematic, product of its time, but you've gone a little bit too far. For example - this is all true - her line has been changed from, the neighbors might think - say, what's in this drink to, what will my friends think if I have one more drink. To which he replies, I think they should rejoice. It's your body and your choice.
(LAUGHTER)
CARLOS: But who says that after it's, like, you know, do you want one more drink? It's, like, I'm going to get a car. Oh, hey - your body, your choice.
SAGAL: That's...
(LAUGHTER)
FELBER: I think they're - I think they missed a - because they should have given it a - more personality. Like, OK. So you don't have to be pushy, but what if he was passive-aggressive?
(LAUGHTER)
FELBER: You know, I really should go. My mom died last year.
(LAUGHTER)
FELBER: Something like that would - I mean, that would be entertaining.
SAGAL: That's possibly true.
FELBER: Yeah.
CARLOS: I think I'm "Dreaming Of A Woke Christmas" after...
SAGAL: Yeah, I know.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Passive-aggressive would be more, like, I really should go. It's fine if you do. I don't care.
(LAUGHTER)
SALIE: I'll just stay here by myself.
SAGAL: By myself in the dark.
FELBER: I'll sit in the dark. Yeah. That's great.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE")
KELLY CLARKSON: (Singing) I really can't stay.
JOHN LEGEND: (Singing) Baby, it's cold outside.
CLARKSON: (Singing) I've got to go 'way.
LEGEND: (Singing) I can call you a ride.
CLARKSON: (Singing) This evening has been...
LEGEND: (Singing) I'm so glad...
CLARKSON: (Singing) So glad... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.