Ask Me Another

As listeners of Ask Me Another know, not only do we force our VIPs to play games, but we also ask them to provide a grand prize. Actor Justin Long offered to be the voice of our champion's alarm clock, and, as you'll hear in this podcast-only bonus, he delivered. Now wake up!

(Episode 302) As the saying goes, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," and this week's Very Important Puzzler, actor Justin Long, knows this phrase all too well. While he's known for starring in romantic comedies like He's Just Not That Into You and Going the Distance, Long's knack for celebrity impersonations comes in handy for a game in which he brings Woody Allen, Michael J. Fox and others to life. Plus: channel your inner Gollum, rework some classic Disney tunes, and play a game that asks you to find the common denominator between four seemingly unrelated things.

Actor Justin Long has a knack for impressions, and lent his talents to a game he hosted in this week’s show, “A Little Impression Goes A Long Way.” In this podcast-only extra, hear some bonus material from Justin’s game: his impersonation of Christopher Walken. Hear the full episode with Justin Long starting November 14, 2013.

(Rebroadcast, Episode 219) Would you classify your high school self as an A/V nerd, band geek or mathlete? This week's show pays homage to them all. In the games, we'll spoil some famous films by not spoiling anything at all, teach you how to "put a Björk in it," and make an inordinate amount of cat jokes. And Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids and The Heat, discusses why funny women should be bigger stars, and reflects on the legacy of his beloved creation, the short-lived TV series Freaks and Geeks.

(Episode 301) Shake things up in our nation's capital with one of D.C.'s music legends. In this hour, recorded at the NPR Headquarters in Washington, our Very Important Puzzler is the prolific and outspoken Ian MacKaye. The front man of the D.C. punk bands Fugazi and Minor Threat shares tales from the road, and muses about what “punk” means today. Plus, try out your best Nicolas Cage impression, play a game that asks you to create new company names after imagined big-time mergers, and search for National treasures.

In this podcast-only extra, hear punk rocker Ian MacKaye tell Ask Me Another host Ophira Eisenberg about the time he was invited to support his fellow punks in the band Fear during their performance on Saturday Night Live in 1981. It involved John Belushi, lots of wild dancing, and an angry response from Eddie Murphy.  Hear the entire episode with V.I.P. Ian MacKaye starting November 1, 2013.

Happy Halloween from Ask Me Another! In this podcast-only extra, Jonathan Coulton performs his spooky song "Re: Your Brains" live at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. This song is best enjoyed if you sing along in a very scary zombie voice.

In this week’s show, recorded at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, play games about famous sets of twins, grammatically-incorrect song lyrics--and did you know that James Bond also has a “license to grill”? Pun alert! Our V.I.P. is the woman who helped add 13 hours of marathon-watching to our schedules: Piper Kerman. She's the author of Orange is the New Black, the memoir that inspired the hit Netflix series about life in a women’s prison. Plus, two Mystery Science Theater 3000 veterans riff on bad movies.

Piper Kerman spent about a year in a minimum security women’s prison, the details of which she shares in the memoir-turned-TV show, Orange Is the New Black. Prison food left much to be desired, so Piper and her friends took up the hobby of cooking on the sly with whatever ingredients, and methods, they could find. In this podcast-only extra, hear Piper share her recipe for Prison Cheesecake. (And it only calls for one contraband item!)   Hear the entire episode with V.I.P. Piper Kerman starting October 24, 2013.

You may know this week’s V.I.P. (Very Important Puzzler) Steve Guttenberg from such iconic films as Diner, Cocoon, and Three Men and a Baby. But he wears plenty of other hats – author, reality show contestant, even Guinness World Record holder. In this episode we’ll explore all things Gute. Plus, we’ll dine out on some soft rock, give movies the Randy Newman treatment, and find out that Mark Twain isn’t all he’s cracked up to be.