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thehill.com

Clay Aiken: Rep. Ellmers is "an Idiot"

April 27, 2015, 03:34 pm

Clay Aiken: Rep. Ellmers is 'an idiot'

By Judy Kurtz

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Getty Images

Clay Aiken is “not a fan” of his former political opponent, Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), calling the congresswoman a “b----” and an "idiot" in a Monday interview.

The Republican incumbent defeated the former “American Idol” contestant, a Democrat, to win her third term in November.

Aiken appeared on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show on Monday to promote his Esquire Network docu-series “The Runner-Up,” which follows his failed congressional campaign.

“You should see the second episode, because she’s a b----,” Aiken told Stern, referring to Ellmers.

“She’s an idiot,” Aiken said of the 51-year-old lawmaker, “And I think her self-esteem is just in the floor, under the floor.”

At another point in the wide-ranging interview, Aiken, 36, referred to the lawmaker with a derogatory slang term for the female anatomy. “I’m not a fan of the person I ran against in Congress, obviously,” Aiken later said.

An Ellmers spokeswoman said the insults help Aiken live up to the name of his show.

“Mr. Aiken’s crude language and disrespectful demeanor towards the Congresswoman has proven to the American people why he is a runner up,” Blair Ellis told ITK.

When asked by Stern if he’ll make another political run, Aiken replied, “Not right now. Probably before six years. You know, within the next decade, I will again.”

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whatelseison.com

The Runner-Up Episode 4: I Approve This Message

The Runner-Up Episode 4: I Approve This Message

by MIKE MCCOMB • APRIL 29, 2015

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The Runner-Up (Photo: Lightbox Entertainment / Esquire)

The season finale of The Runner-Up picks up in the last two weeks of Clay Aiken’s campaign for the second congressional district of North Carolina. Along with the gay marriage issue and iffy/absent support from the DCCC, the North Carolina senate race between democrat Kay Hagan and republic challenger Thom Tillis was dominating political attention. The race was the most expensive in history–more than $100 million spent–and was a determining factor in which party would control the Senate. As a result, the voter turnout was expected to be much, much higher than in most mid-term elections.

As if there wasn’t enough political advertising happening during the Senate campaign, Clay’s campaign was able to scrape together enough nickels for one ad buy. The question: should the ad be positive or negative? Tucker, the communications director, wants to go negative to reiterate how incumbent Renee Ellmers has failed her district. Clay says he would rather do a positive ad, one that promotes why people should vote for him rather than against Ellmers. I think Clay’s instinct is right here: not voting for Ellmers is not the same as voting for Clay, as there is the option of not voting at all. Ellen is the tie-breaker and the campaign decides to go negative. Here’s the ad:

The other problem with doing a negative campaign: accusations will be scrutinized. The group FactCheck.org contacted Tucker shortly after the ad aired to follow the logic trail of some of their claims.That did not work in the campaign’s favor.

Election day arrives and Clay heads to his polling station as the last stop of his bus tour. Unfortunately, the real last stop was a mile or so from the station, as the bus stalled out on the road. Sad trombone. As the votes come in, there is about five minutes when Clay is in the lead before the rest of the mostly-republican district gave Ellmers another term as their representative.

It would be easy to say that Aiken was over his head, or that his ad was a misfire, or the inability to fundraise was what caused him to lose. I disagree, and suspect that had his primary opponent Keith Crisco advanced1 the outcome would have been the same. Perhaps not as lopsided as the 59/41 outcome, but certainly not a win for the democrat. The incumbency advantage is real and nearly impossible to overcome. Had this been an open seat race, Aiken or Crisco may have stood a chance. However, it comes down to acting like an incumbent, which is antithetical to the “new voice in Washington” campaign Aiken was trying to run.

Although it was nine months of hard work, uncomfortable situations, and a less-than-ideal outcome, I’m glad Aiken agreed to participate in this documentary. If you haven’t checked in with The Runner-Up, you should take an afternoon and watch it.

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huffingtonpost.com (posted on their Politics, Entertainment, and Gay Voices pages)

How Clay Aiken Turned His 'American Idol' Loss Into A Bid For Congress

Lauren Duca

How Clay Aiken Turned His 'American Idol' Loss Into A Bid For Congress

Posted: 04/30/2015 9:22 am EDT Updated: 8 minutes ago

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It can be difficult to take Clay Aiken seriously. He's best known as the spiky-haired red-head, who lost to Ruben Studdard on "American Idol" in 2004 --

? -- and then went on to sing about
and be the butt of
. But he insists running for congress is not some sort of publicity stunt. It's just how he's using the microphone now.

To his fans, it may seem strange that Aiken would give up singing. As he sees it, fame was never part the plan. Growing up, he thought he might like to be a teacher or assistant principal. "I didn’t really want to be a principal," he told The Huffington Post Entertainment. "I liked the assistant principal thing." Of course, that was long before being a public figure became what he calls his "new normal."

Aiken only seriously started thinking about a political career in 2010. Frustrated with the gerrymandering in his home state of North Carolina, he started toying with the idea of running for Congress. He wasn't truly convinced it was the right move until a friend pushed him to use his name for change.

"Who was the friend?" I asked him.

"Oh, it was Rosie O'Donnell," he responded, totally casual.

Aiken was hesitant to take on a docu-series for Esquire in association with his campaign, until he realized an inevitable benefit of the film-making process based on O'Donnell's advice. The point of running was to use his name to spread his ideas, and whether he wins or loses, his role in "The Runner Up" will be a way to do just that.

"I think I realized over the years that sometimes being in Congress is less effective than not being in Congress," he said.

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Aiken's biggest causes are education and campaign funding. When asked if gay rights were part of his platform, Aiken replied with a diplomatic, "I've gotta run to represent everybody in the district."

He sees two forms of activism as important: advocacy and normalization. "I appreciate those folks like Michelangelo Signorile and Dan Savage, the people who have been the squeaky wheel to get the grease," he said. "But at the same time, you also have to have people who remind us everyday that I’m just like the person next door. In my opinion, Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris Harris have probably been two of the most impactful people when it comes to promoting gay rights ... They allow people to see they're no different than anybody else."

Aiken publicly came out in 2008, when he became a father at age 29. At the time, he felt it was important to set an example for his newborn son, Parker, rather than providing some sort of answer for all the speculation over his sexuality. Now, he leans toward the NPH model of visibility. Although, for the most part, he's given up caring what people think either way.

"Look, I am openly gay," he said. "I don’t think there is anyone in the country, except maybe Stevie Wonder, who can’t figure that out."

The democratic primary was too close to call in May of 2014, when Aiken heard the news that his opponent, Keith Crisco, had died. "I don't think I've ever been speechless, "Aiken says in "The Runner Up," recounting his reaction to Crisco's death. "The phrase mixed emotions, I think I understood it for the first time, because there was a period where I didn't like him."

Aiken went on to face Renee Ellmers in the general election that November,once again finding himself in second place. Now, Aiken is up against Ellmers again and this time he has been quite vocal about not liking his opponent (calling her an "idiot" and a "bitch" on a recent episode of his docu-series.)

"The person who I am running against could not find Bear Creek, North Carolina, with a map with one road on it," he told HuffPost. "She’s never been, she doesn’t know where it is, she doesn’t know where half her constituents live and that’s because they don’t have money to give her."

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On "The Runner Up," Aiken is similarly candid, just with more cursing --way more cursing than we would expect from the Aiken we saw on "Idol" more than ten years ago. He's honest to the point of being blunt and says drops a lot of F-bombs. In a way "The Runner Up" has served to redefine his public perception, as he sets up a political career by revealing a side of himself most politicians might work to hide.

Perhaps, though he's set on leaving it behind, that's where Aiken's background as an entertainer can set him apart. He's dealt with the blows to his reputation, and built a sense of confidence, bolstered by years of exposure to scrutiny. He's lost "American Idol," "The Apprentice" and his first attempt at a seat in Congress, but doesn't care what anyone has to say about him in any of those races. He carries a "what you see is what you get" mentality that could only have been cultivated by his experiences in the spotlight and, with any luck, will bring him victory in this next election.

"Listen, I didn’t necessarily approach my political campaign in a way that was any different than I approached my entertainment career," he said. "Now, I have that microphone. I’ve used it for singing for years, but I sure as hell can use it for something better than that."

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Clay Aiken on 'American Idol' Ending: 'It Was About The Kid Next Door Making it Big'

Clay Aiken on 'American Idol' Ending: 'It Was About The Kid Next Door Making it Big'

4:20 PM EDT, May 11, 2015

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One of American Idol's most famous alums, Clay Aiken, reacted to the big news that the show is coming to an end.

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He told INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander, "It had a good run for 10 to 15 years. The ratings have declined."

Fox announced Monday that the network is canceling Idol next year.

Clay Aiken is a testament to the power of the show. He was runner-up on the second season, losing to Ruben Studdard. But he went on to huge success. Last year, he even ran for Congress in North Carolina.

Alexander asked Aiken, "What did American Idol do for you?"

He replied, "What did it not? I said to someone earlier that there is no contestant and no former contestant on American Idol who can begin to claim that they would be where they are today if it weren't for that show."

At its most popular, in 2006, the show drew an incredible 36 million viewers. Compare that to this year when a series-low of nine million viewers who tuned in.

Alexander asked Aiken, "Why do you think viewership declined?"

"I think when we were on it, it was fresher. I think at the same time, it was also a little bit more about the kid next door making it big when there is no reason that I should have," he said.

Over the years, the show has inspired plenty of imitators like The Voice and America's Got Talent.

Famous faces from Jennifer Lopez to Ellen DeGeneres have headlined the show as judges.

Who could forget Mariah Carey's on-air feud with Nicki Minaj?

Paula Abdul’s antics were also infamous.

And Idol made Simon Cowell, aka “Mr. Nasty,” a household name.

The American Idol honor roll includes the first winner, Kelly Clarkson and 2005 winner Carrie Underwood.

Jennifer Hudson didn't win Idol but she went on to earn an Oscar fo rDream Girls!

But who won the last season of Idol? Or the one before that? It was actually Caleb Johnson and Candice Glover.

Alexander spoke to Glover and asked, "Anything you notice, whether in your season or in another season, where you did think, 'Gosh, it is just not there anymore?"

She replied, "I think as a contestant we never think that. I think that we are always excited. It doesn't matter if the views are down or what happens."

Aiken concluded, "I think the show was about the authenticity and about the innocence of the contestants. It has in year's past become more about the flash."

But Idol will go down in TV history for ruling the airwaves for years as the first musical competition of its kind.

Producers say the final season, which will premiere next January, will be "a celebratory event."

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npr.org

Not My Job: Singer Clay Aiken Gets Quizzed on Claymation

Not My Job: Singer Clay Aiken Gets Quizzed On Claymation

MAY 23, 2015 9:30 AM ET

Clay Aiken was once a well-behaved, religious kid from Raleigh, N.C., who wanted to work with kids. Then, on a whim, he walked into the auditions for Season 2 ofAmerican Idol with his spiky hair and stripey shirt, and got a ticket to Hollywood.

We've invited Aiken, the founder of Clay Nation, to answer three questions about claymation — the animation technique that gave us Gumby and Davey and Goliath and a bunch of other shows we watched as kids because they were the only thing on.

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

And now the game where we put people to the test even though nobody cares if they fail. It's called Not My Job.

So Clay Aiken was a very well behaved, very religious kid who grew up in Raleigh, and he wanted to work with kids. Then on a whim, he walked into the auditions for season two of "American Idol," wearing his little glasses and his spiky hair a stripy shirt, and he got a ticket to Hollywood. He came in second that year, but went on to have a fantastic career. We are so excited to see him compete yet again, this on our show. Clay Aiken, welcome to WAIT WAIT ...DON'T TELL ME.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Now what I read is true, that you actually didn't want to audition for "American Idol"? You were going to audition for another reality show?

CLAY AIKEN: Well, I considered it. I don't know if I would've wanted to come in second on that one or not. I was going to go out for "Amazing Race" 'cause I just love that show and I...

SAGAL: Sure.

AIKEN: ...I had not actually watched "American Idol" before.

SAGAL: Now I saw just recently your audition on video for American Idol. Apparently it is very famous. And for those who haven't seen it, can you describe how you look when you walk into that audition?

AIKEN: I feel like I have suppressed that memory, so I'm not sure if I can comment.

SAGAL: Well, I can - so you're this skinny kid. You look about 16 years old.

AIKEN: I had gone to the Guess store at Crabtree Valley Mall, which is in Raleigh.

(APPLAUSE)

AIKEN: And I thought - I mean, I thought I was walking in this high-fashion place and I had no idea how to dress myself. And so I went to one of the people working at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh and said, you know fashion. Pick out an outfit for me.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Oh my God. So you have this sort of baggy, stripy shirt and you got these tiny glasses. And describe your hair at that time.

AIKEN: Well, it was self-done. That's all I can say.

SAGAL: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: So you walk in...

AIKEN: Suck cut like "Wayne's World."

SAGAL: Exactly. And you walk in...

AIKEN: Use the vacuum...

SAGAL: ...And there's Simon Cowell, the meanest man in show business and Randy Jackson. And they're sitting there. And I have to say, Simon Cowell gives you a look of such disdain. And I believe he says to you something like, what are you doing here? And then you sing, and he's sort of staring at you with kind of suspicious wonder, 'cause he's obviously very impressed.

AIKEN: The way everyone looks at me. That's the way I look at myself.

SAGAL: Really?

ADAM FELBER: With suspicious wonder.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Yeah. And did you feel - do you say to yourself, I showed you, Simon Cowell?

AIKEN: Well, in fact, they tell you if you watch the whole, the raw footage, I believe I actually said - he said do you think you could be the next American Idol? And I said, you had some good talent last year, but I think I could be up there, number one, number two at least. And...

(LAUGHTER)

AIKEN: ...That's the secret for you right there, speak it into existence, and that's exactly what I did. I came in second like I told I would.

SAGAL: Well, you - after you finished "American Idol," you got a record deal and you had a great career. And we heard that your fans are known as Claymates, part of the Claynation. Is that right?

AIKEN: Yeah, but they have called themselves that a few times in the past, and I have trademarked it just in case I want to use it.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Really? You have trademarked the term Claynation?

AIKEN: Yes I have.

SAGAL: OK. Do I have to give you 14 cents now?

AIKEN: Don't want anyone to grab it away from me.

SAGAL: And Claymate? How about Claynadians?

AIKEN: Claymate is trademarked, yeah.

SAGAL: Clay...

FAITH SALIE: They're Claysians too.

SAGAL: Claysians?

SALIE: Yeah. His Asian fans.

SAGAL: Your Asian fans are called Claysians?

(LAUGHTER)

FELBER: That's fantastic.

SAGAL: Are people who steal your records called Clayptomaniacs?

(LAUGHTER)

AIKEN: Hey.

SAGAL: Hey.

SALIE: So do you feel comfortable with this America's favorite loser tag? Are you going to run for office again? What's, I mean...

SAGAL: Well, I should say...

AIKEN: Am I ever going to win? Is that what you want to ask?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: For people who don't know, in - I think it was 2012, right? Clay ran for Congress...

AIKEN: 2014, last year.

SAGAL: 2014, excuse me. Of course, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Time goes on. Against...

FELBER: Renee Ellmers.

SAGAL: ...Renee Ellmers, who we now called Representative Renee Ellmers, so you know what happened. And it was in the second district here in...

AIKEN: That's not all we call her.

SAGAL: Yeah, OK.

(LAUGHTER)

BILL KURTIS, BYLINE: Still running.

SAGAL: Let me ask you a question - given the choice, would you rather go through "American Idol" again or a congressional race? Which was more pleasant?

AIKEN: (Laughter). That's pretty easy. I, you know, I certainly - Idol was certainly more enjoyable.

SAGAL: Yes.

AIKEN: But I think the congressional race was more important.

SAGAL: Right.

AIKEN: So, you know, they both have their benefits and they both have their...

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: What is - we've heard about, you know, having to raise money all the time and giving the same speech all the time. What is like the most annoying thing about running for Congress that we don't know about?

AIKEN: The fact that everywhere you go, people have food for you and it is fried. And if you don't eat it, you're rude. So I gained 30 pounds while I was...

SAGAL: Really?

AIKEN: Seriously. I have since lost it, thank God. But, you know, the district that I ran in, which the people in the audience will know, a lot of the food in those parts of the state is damn good I ate all of it. It is - everything is fried or it's battered or something and it's delicious. And I indulged completely.

(LAUGHTER)

FELBER: Clay, let me ask you - what are the odds that you're going to run again?

AIKEN: I think that I will probably run again for something at some points in North Carolina.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Yeah, do you - and I think.

SALIE: He just declared on our show.

SAGAL: And your campaign slogan should be finally, let him win something.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Well, Clay Aiken, we are delighted to talk to you. We've asked you here to play a game we're calling...

KURTIS: Claynation Meet Claymation.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Since you're the founder of Claynation - registered trademark - we thought we'd ask you about claymation, that's the animation technique that gave us "Gumby" and "Davey and Goliath" and lots of other shows I watched as a kid because they were the only things on. We'll ask you three questions about the wonderful world of claymation. Answer two of them and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners - Carl Kasell's voice on their voicemail. Bill, who is Clay Aiken playing for?

KURTIS: Will Walker of Raleigh, N.C.

SAGAL: There you go.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Neighbor, potential voter. So we'll start out with "Gumby," that's the big, green, slant headed character famous in the 60s. Although off the air for decades, his legacy lives on, as when which of these happened? A, the late 90s fad called "Gumby" yoga, in which you trained to bend yourself as if you were entirely made of rubber; B, in 2011, at man tried to rob a San Diego 7-11 dresses as Gumby, but failed when his giant rubber hands kept him from grabbing his gun; Or C, "Gumby" has inspired a hot new fashion trend, which are plastic hair extensions that make you look like your head is flat, a foot high, and slanted to the right.

AIKEN: (Laughter). I'm pretty - I'm going to go with B. That's the kind of stupid thing a criminal would do.

SAGAL: You're right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: In fact, that's what happened. We featured it on this show when it did. All right, another famous claymation character was the Noid. He appeared in a lot of Domino's Pizza ads in the '80s. The Noid was a little creature and his mission in life was to ruin Domino's Pizza. But he was suddenly pulled from the ads when what happened? A, Domino's discovered that most people hated their pizza so much they were rooting for the Noid; B, back in '89, a man named Kenneth Noid - upset that the character was making fun of him - took several Domino's employees hostage; Or C, Domino's was successfully sued by exercise guru Richard Simmons for stealing his likeness for the Noid.

(LAUGHTER)

AIKEN: I feel like I've - I feel like I've heard about this guy named Noid, so I'm going to go with B.

SAGAL: You're right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: It was, in fact, what happened. A guy named Kenneth Noid took patrons hostage, demanded free pizza. They captured him and took him away. So you have one more question. This is a really great bit of claymation trivia. We remember, perhaps, some of the most famous claymation characters - those were the California Raisins. I don't know if you remember this - Priority Records had their first number one hit with a cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," get it? The grapevine. What did Priority Records put out next? A, nothing. The head of the label said, I'm sorry what I've done to music, and folded the label; B, they had a failed attempt to capitalize on the claymation character craze - a cover of "I'm Too Sexy," by a claymation group called the Oklahoma Wheat Berries; Or C, NWA's "Straight Outta Compton"?

AIKEN: I feel like C would be the most preposterous and therefore may be the right answer.

SAGAL: Is that the one you're going to go for?

AIKEN: I think I'm going to go with C.

SAGAL: You're right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SALIE: Oh my gosh.

SAGAL: Priority Records went right immediately from California raisins to gangster rap. They did NWA's "Straight Outta Compton," they released Ice Cube's record. Snoop Dogg became their creative director.

Bill, how did Clay Aiken do on our quiz?

KURTIS: Finally, Clay...

(LAUGHTER)

KURTIS: You won big. You're a champ.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Does someone have a tiara for the man? Come now.

AIKEN: Please.

SAGAL: Clay Aiken is...

AIKEN: I've got plenty of my own, don't worry.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Clay Aiken is a star who got his start on "American Idol." You can see his documentary about his life and work, "The Runner-Up" on esquiretv.com. Clay Aiken, thank you so much for joining us.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MEASURE OF A MAN")

AIKEN: (Singing) And one day you discover him, broken down he's lost everything.

SAGAL: In just a minute, Bill introduces us to his favorite photographer, Annie Schnauzerwitz. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of WAIT WAIT ...DON'T TELL ME from NPR.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.

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“Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” on May 21st at DPAC Was a Fantastic Evening of Fun and Games!

“Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” on May 21st at DPAC Was a Fantastic Evening of Fun and Games!

Posted by Pamela Vesper and Kurt Benrud+ • May 25th, 2015

During the Golden Age of Radio, sometime between the 1920s and 1950s, folks would spend their evenings gathered around the radio listening to their favorite programs. These ran the gamut from mystery, adventure and detective serials, to soap operas, variety hours, plays, and quiz shows. The invention of the television killed this radio tradition, and soon the joys of listening to stories and using your imagination were forgotten.

That is, unless you listen to the offerings of NPR (National Public Radio) and WUNC 91.5. They still provide the listening public with a variety of radio programming, including the Car Talk, This American Life with Ira Glass, The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, and Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!. These shows are a reminder of how much fun it can be to sit back, relax, and enjoy listening to a great radio show.

So, we were excited to hear that Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me! was taking its show on the road and would arrive at the Durham Performing Arts Center on May 21st. Hosted by Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis (who is also the narrator on “Cold Case Files” on A&E) the show features a series of quirky games centered on events in the weekly news. Each show stars a panel of guests who riff on the news and who compete against each other as well as call-in guests playing along. It’s good clean, silly fun. (Click here to listen to a podcast of the May 21st show.)

The DPAC panelists included actor and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait; actor, comedian, and radio and TV personality Faith Salie, who appeared in a few episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on CBS; and television writer and satirist Adam Felber. There was also a call-in visit from North Carolina’s very own Clay Aiken.

Hosts, guest panelists, and the show’s producers were all on stage, with the Bill Kurtis and Peter Sagal standing at podiums and the panelists sitting at a table to the right. Since they were recording the show, the producers sat at a table in the back and periodically gave Peter mysterious hand signals as the show went on.

Guests joked about the recent shootout at Waco, where we learn that the gangs hid guns in the toilets as well as in their food. We also learned that trophy wives in New York get year-end bonuses from their filthy-rich husbands. And we found out that Clay Aiken gained 30 lbs. during his run for Congress. Add to all of this the “Listener Limerick Challenge,” in which the caller has to fill in the blank in a poem read by Bill, the “Lightning Fill in the Black” round, during which panelists try to quickly answer a series of questions about the news, and “Bluff the Listener” segment, during which the caller listens to three stories and tries to decide which one is the real one, and you have a lot of laughs.

The audience was clearly full of fans of the show, as the energy was high and there was a ton of applause. Equally funny was their attempts to pronounce “Durham.” Faith Salie told Bill Kurtis that he had added an additional syllable to the word, and that it should be pronounced “Durm. — Like Dermatologist”. Thereafter, Kurtis’ attempts to pronounce our city’s name led to laughs, stumbles, and guffaws — much to the delight of everyone.

Clay Aiken was a trooper when teased about always coming in second. So, when Clay won the game that he was playing, the crowd went wild. Clay showed his comedic chops when he said that he was going to try to gerrymander it, so that DPAC was his district so he could get elected.

It was an unusual thing to watch radio. It felt like peeking behind the Wizrd of Oz’s curtain or getting a behind-the-scenes tour. It was such a pleasure that we gave it a standing ovation. Yes, we gave a radio program a standing ovation. That’s how good it was!

SECOND OPINION: May 24th Durham, NC Indy Week review by Brian Howe: http://www.indyweek....es-to-sigh-durm.

WAIT WAIT… DON’T TELL ME!, with host Peter Sagal (Durham Performing Arts Center, May 21st).

SHOW: http://www.DPACnc.co...it-dont-tell-me and https://www.facebook...25012331052179/.

PODCAST OF THE SHOW: http://www.npr.org/p...t-don-t-tell-me.

PRESENTER/VENUE: http://www.DPACnc.com/, https://www.facebook.com/DPACNC, https://twitter.com/DPAC, and http://en.wikipedia....ing_Arts_Center.

OTHER LINKS:

Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (NPR & WBEZ Chicago radio quiz show): http://www.npr.org/p...t-dont-tell-me/ (official website), https://www.facebook.com/nprwaitwait (Facebook page), https://twitter.com/waitwait/ (Twitter page), and http://en.wikipedia...._Don't_Tell_Me! (Wikipedia).

Peter Sagal (host): http://petersagal.com/ (official website), http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0755969/ (Internet Movie Database), https://twitter.com/petersagal (Twitter page), andhttp://en.wikipedia....iki/Peter_Sagal (Wikipedia).

Bill Kurtis (judge and scorekeeper): http://www.kurtispro...ons.com/bk.html (official website), http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0475997/ (Internet Movie Database),https://twitter.com/billkurtis1 (Twitter page), and http://en.wikipedia....iki/Bill_Kurtis (Wikipedia).

Bobcat Goldthwait (panelist): http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001281/ (Internet Movie Database), https://twitter.com/bcgoldthwait (Twitter page), andhttp://en.wikipedia....bcat_Goldthwait (Wikipedia).

Faith Salie (panelist): http://faithsalie.com/ (official website), http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0758276/ (Internet Movie Database), https://www.facebook.com/faith.salie.1 (Facebook page),https://twitter.com/faith_salie (Twitter page), and http://en.wikipedia....iki/Faith_Salie (Wikipedia).

Adam Felber (panelist): http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0270885/ (Internet Movie Database), https://www.facebook.com/adam.felber (Facebook page), https://twitter.com/adamfelber (Twitter page), and http://en.wikipedia....iki/Adam_Felber (Wikipedia).

Clay Aiken (“Not My Job” guest): http://www.clayaiken.com/ (official website), http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=470642 (Internet Broadway Database), http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1341750/(Internet Movie Database), https://www.facebook.com/clayaiken (Facebook page), https://twitter.com/clayaiken (Twitter page), and http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Clay_Aiken (Wikipedia).

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Pamela Vesper has been a Raleigh resident for more than 20 years. A local attorney for licensed professionals, when she’s not in court, Pam can be found watching or participating in local theater productions or enjoying the vibrant Raleigh music and craft beer scene. She also loves indie and foreign films and was an anchor on the local cable show, Movie Minutes. Pam has an opinion on just about everything; just ask her. Kurt Benrud is a graduate of Cary High School and N.C. State University, and he has taught English at both. He first became involved in local theater in 1980. He has served on the board of directors for both the Cary Players and the Cary Playwrights’ Forum. He is also a volunteer reader with Triangle Radio Reading Service. Click here to read their reviews forTriangle Review and Triangle Arts and Entertainment

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