美国国家公共电台 NPR Not My Job: Jamie Lee Curtis Gets Quizzed On Unlikely Inventions

Not My Job: Jamie Lee Curtis Gets Quizzed On Unlikely Inventions

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0010:03repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. PETER SAGAL, HOST: 

And now the game where we invite A-listers to spend some time with the other parts of the alphabet. It's called Not My Job. Jamie Lee Curtis was a struggling actress in Hollywood back in the '70s when she got a job as the last girl left alive in the seminal² horror movie "Halloween." Starting from there, she starred in dozens of movies from "True Lies" to "Freaky Friday" and managed to become a bestselling author and a member of the British House of Lords. It just goes to show if you don't get stabbed to death in the first hour, you'll be fine. Jamie Lee Curtis, welcome to WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.

(APPLAUSE)

JAMIE LEE CURTIS: Hey.

SAGAL: You have had such an amazing career for so long doing so many different things. Is there one thing that you're most known for that most people say, oh, you're Jamie Lee Curtis. You...

CURTIS: Well, it's coming up. You know, it's September. It comes up in October, a certain day in October.

SAGAL: Oh, really?

CURTIS: Oh, yeah.

SAGAL: 'Cause "Halloween" - and "Halloween" was, like, the first of, like, these modern slasher movies, and you were the young screaming girl - that was, like, 1978, wasn't it?

CURTIS: It wasn't like 1978, it actually was frickin' 1978.

(LAUGHTER)

CURTIS: Darling.

SAGAL: But I'm amazed because you've done so many amazing things since then. For example...

CURTIS: And I'm not dead yet.

SAGAL: No. But no one comes up and says, oh, Jamie Lee Curtis, you were such a badass in "True Lies." That was great, for example.

CURTIS: Yes, but it's really "Halloween."

MO ROCCA: How do you celebrate Halloween? What do you get dressed as, yourself?

(LAUGHTER)

CURTIS: Well, that would be just easy. You know, I don't have to do much. We live in a dark neighborhood. We get no kids.

SAGAL: That's important.

ROCCA: Oh, wait, wait. I have a horror question since we're on the subject. How old were you before you were allowed to watch your mother in the shower scene in "Psycho?"

SAGAL: Oh, I should establish - because, I don't know, you have such a wonderful career, people may not know that your parents were two very famous actors - Janet Leigh from "Psycho," among many other movies, and, of course, Tony Curtis. So just wanted to point that out.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Back to Mo's question.

ROCCA: Well, yeah, how old were you before you were allowed to watch that scene?

CURTIS: So let me just remind you young people.

SAGAL: Yes.

CURTIS: The movies were in the movie theaters.

ROCCA: Right.

SAGAL: Yes, I've heard of them.

CURTIS: And then they weren't in the movie theaters.

AMY DICKINSON: So you didn't have access.

CURTIS: So basically, as a child, I would have had no way to actually watch "Psycho" because it wouldn't - I mean, it's not going to be on network television.

DICKINSON: I just picture Alfred Hitchcock, like, having a screening room and inviting⁴ you over.

CURTIS: And inviting children?

DICKINSON: Yes, that's exactly what I picture.

MAZ JOBRANI: Come over, little Jamie.

CURTIS: Yes, it was lovely.

SAGAL: Was it a little odd that you were the daughter of a woman who - among many other roles, I should say, she was in "Bye Bye Birdie," many other movies - she was perhaps most famous for being stabbed to death, and then your first big movie was the movie in which you were the only person not stabbed to death? Were you showing her up?

CURTIS: Very intense analysis of that. Thank you, guys.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: It takes...

CURTIS: I'm going to really unpack⁵ that one.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Let's talk about something else.

CURTIS: OK.

SAGAL: You, in addition to being the child of Hollywood royalty⁶, you are actual British aristocracy. Is this the...

CURTIS: Well, let me just say this...

SAGAL: Yes.

CURTIS: ...About that.

SAGAL: Please.

CURTIS: My husband inherited a title from his father...

SAGAL: Yes.

CURTIS: ...When his father passed away. And therefore, it made my husband Lord Haden-Guest and it made me, by marriage, Lady Haden-Guest.

DICKINSON: Wow.

SAGAL: And what - yeah?

CURTIS: So when Tony Blair was elected - and basically one of the things he talked about in his campaign was to do away with hereditary⁷ peerage, which was the correct thing to do, it basically took it away forever from my husband's family forever.

SAGAL: Right.

CURTIS: So my husband retains his title.

SAGAL: Yes.

CURTIS: I am still Lady Haden-Guest. But it will then end after.

SAGAL: Really? You don't pass it on to your children?

CURTIS: It - that's what hereditary peerage means.

SAGAL: I see.

(LAUGHTER)

CURTIS: Yeah.

SAGAL: You are, of course, probably the most famous...

CURTIS: Probably?

SAGAL: ...And successful of the actresses turned children's book writers. You've been writing children's books now for a long time. Is there a particular secret to it? Because many people attempt it and aren't very good at it.

CURTIS: Yes, here's my secret.

SAGAL: What is it?

CURTIS: OK, my secret is this - I believe that parents are the ones who are going to read these books to children.

SAGAL: That's very true.

CURTIS: So you have to give the parents something. So, for instance, I did a book called "Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery..."

SAGAL: Yeah.

CURTIS: ...Which is about what happens when you let go of a balloon. So one of the stanzas⁸ of that book is where do they go when they float far away? Do they ever catch cold or need somewhere to stay? Now, where do you think the balloon is going to stay in the illustration in the book?

SAGAL: I don't know.

CURTIS: Bates Motel.

DICKINSON: Oh.

SAGAL: Oh.

CURTIS: And the kids don't have a clue.

SAGAL: That's very sneaky.

JOBRANI: That's nice.

SAGAL: That's very sneaky.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Well, Jamie Lee Curtis, it is a pleasure to talk to you.

CURTIS: Yes, thank you.

SAGAL: And we have asked you here to play a game today. This time, we're going to call it...

BILL KURTIS: Eureka.

SAGAL: Now, in addition to everything else we've talked about that you've done, we didn't even get to the fact that you're an inventor.

CURTIS: Yes, I am.

SAGAL: You invented, if I understand, the diaper-wipe combo. It's got the wipe right in the diaper, right?

CURTIS: Yes, it's called Dipe and Wipes (ph). So when - before you take off the diaper, you peel off the tape, reach in, pull out the wipes, undo⁹ the diaper, check out whatever's going on, take the wipes, boom, boom, boom, Bob's your uncle, done.

SAGAL: That is a brilliant idea.

CURTIS: Thank you.

SAGAL: Because...

ROCCA: And can we use it on Bob, your uncle?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: We thought how much do you know about other impressive inventions and their inventors? So we're going to ask you three questions about inventions. Answer two of them correctly, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. They will get Carl Kasell's voice on their voicemail, a wonderful invention if ever there was one. Bill, who is Jamie Lee Curtis playing for?

KURTIS: Tyler Norton of Columbus, Ohio.

SAGAL: All right, you ready to play?

CURTIS: Fingers crossed, Tyler.

SAGAL: OK.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: The invention of the humble¹⁰ fire hydrant has an interesting history. Which of these is true? A - it was originally designed as an urban dog relief station and only later did somebody realize it could also pump water to put out fires; B - the original patent for the fire hydrant was lost because the patent office holding it burned down; or C - the inventor stipulated¹¹ that all fire hydrants should be placed such that you always think there's a parking space until you get right up to it.

(LAUGHTER)

CURTIS: I'm going with the burned down.

SAGAL: You're going to go with the burned down. You are right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: That's what happened.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: In fact, the other two things we made up could be true. We don't know. The patent office burned up in 1836. All right, here's your next question. Just this week, we saw a major innovation in food. An Australian man has invented what amazing new food product? A - the pork smoothie; B - the shrimp-cicle (ph); or C - the hamdog - that's a hot dog-hamburger combination.

CURTIS: Hamdog.

SAGAL: You're right. You're absolutely right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

DICKINSON: Well, that sounds so awesome¹².

SAGAL: Did you know that?

CURTIS: No.

SAGAL: You just knew it. You just - it's something that you saw the world needed.

ROCCA: What does it look like?

SAGAL: Well, what it looks like is it is a hamburger patty with sort of a hot dog extension. It looks like a snake that swallowed a hamburger if you can imagine that. And then you take a hamburger patty and you separate it and you put a hot dog down the middle the two halves, and you put it under bun and there you go. You got both.

JOBRANI: Do they have ketchup¹³ that's mustard, like, you know, mustup (ph)?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: All right, here is the last question, and it's about somebody you actually may know - Francis Ford¹⁴ Coppola. He invented an incredibly useful device, and this is real, what was it? A - a portable static generator¹⁵ to fake a bad phone line so you can get off the phone if you don't want to be on the phone anymore; B - a shirt with a numbered grid¹⁶ on the back so you can indicate to someone exactly where to scratch your itch³; or C - beer goggles¹⁷ goggles, which reverse the effect of inebriation¹⁸ on visual perception.

CURTIS: Say them again.

SAGAL: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: First one is a little handheld portable static generator. You hold it up to the phone, it fakes a bad phone line so you can get off the phone if you don't want to be on the phone anymore.

ROCCA: Uh oh.

CURTIS: Static generator.

SAGAL: You sure about that?

ROCCA: That's the one she wants.

(LAUGHTER)

DICKINSON: Right about now.

SAGAL: Yeah.

DICKINSON: Jamie Lee is busy inventing it right now.

SAGAL: So you're going to choose that one?

CURTIS: I am.

SAGAL: I'm afraid it was actually, amazingly enough, the shirt with the numbered grid on the back.

DICKINSON: No.

JOBRANI: Hilarious¹⁹.

SAGAL: Francis Ford Coppola has a patent for this. The idea is you wear the shirt, you hold a card with the same grid, somebody scratches. You're like, no, F-8, and they scratch you on F-8 and they get your itch. It's a great idea. Bill, how did Jamie Lee Curtis do on our quiz?

KURTIS: Jamie...

CURTIS: She did very well because she won.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

JOBRANI: We love you.

KURTIS: Jamie?

CURTIS: Yes?

KURTIS: Ditto.

SAGAL: Yeah.

CURTIS: Thank you.

CURTIS: Jamie Lee Curtis has a new children's book called "This Is Me." It is out now. Go pick it up. Jamie Lee Curtis, thank you so much for joining us on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.

CURTIS: Thank you, guys. It was fun.

SAGAL: Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

CURTIS: Bye.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SAGAL: In just a minute, we crack open a cold one in our Listener Limerick Challenge game. 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.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 seminal   

adj.影响深远的；种子的

参考例句：

• The reforms have been a seminal event in the history of the NHS.这些改革已成为英国国民保健制度史上影响深远的一件大事。
• The emperor's importance as a seminal figure of history won't be diminished.做为一个开创性历史人物的重要性是不会减弱的。

3 itch   

n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望

参考例句：

• Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。
• He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。

4 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

5 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

6 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

7 hereditary   

adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的

参考例句：

• The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
• In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。

8 stanzas   

节，段( stanza的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poem has six stanzas. 这首诗有六小节。
• Stanzas are different from each other in one poem. 诗中节与节差异颇大。

9 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

10 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

11 stipulated   

vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的

参考例句：

• A delivery date is stipulated in the contract. 合同中规定了交货日期。
• Yes, I think that's what we stipulated. 对呀，我想那是我们所订定的。 来自辞典例句

12 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

13 ketchup   

n.蕃茄酱，蕃茄沙司

参考例句：

• There's a spot of ketchup on the tablecloth.桌布上有一点番茄酱的渍斑。
• Could I have some ketchup and napkins,please?请给我一些番茄酱和纸手巾？

14 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

15 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

16 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

17 goggles   

n.护目镜

参考例句：

• Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.滑雪者都戴上护目镜使眼睛不受阳光伤害。
• My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.我的护目镜一直有水雾，所以我看不见。

18 inebriation   

n.醉，陶醉

参考例句：

• His practice of inebriation was lamentable. 他的酗酒常闹得别人束手无策。 来自辞典例句
• Poor Tom lamentably disgraced himself at Sir Charles Mirable's table, by premature inebriation. 可怜的汤姆在查尔斯·米拉贝尔爵士的宴会上，终于入席不久就酩酊大醉，弄得出丑露乖，丢尽了脸皮。 来自辞典例句

19 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。