Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Carl reads three holiday letters from this year's newsmakers, including a family with a son on Wall Street; a man who can't stop bragging, and an annoyed media baron.

Our panelists answer questions about some of the biggest stories in 2011 ... Social Media claims another victim.

More questions for the panel about 2011's news: Crash Test Dummies Hit the Drive-Thru, My First Body Scanner, J-E-L-L-Uh, Oh.

Our panelists tell three stories about health care in the UK.

Carl reads three limericks about the big stories from the UK this year: An Abduction, A Tasteless Story, and The Best Excuse Ever.

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Now, Panel, who will be Time's Person of the Year in 2012? Paula Poundstone?

PAULA POUNDSTONE: I think it's going to be Pat from Sheboygan because if all goes right, she's going to give us health and wealth.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Jessi Klein?

Transcript

CARL KASELL, HOST:

From NPR and WBEZ-Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME!, the NPR News quiz. I'm Carl Kasell, and here is your host, at the Chase Bank Auditorium in downtown Chicago, Peter Sagal.

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Thank you, Carl.

(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Hey, we want to remind everybody to check out the first ever WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME! TV special airing Friday night, December 23rd at 8:00/7:00 Central on BBC America. We have invited some special guests across the pond and help us review our favorite stories of 2011.

Watch the show Friday night on BBC America, then tune into the radio show on Saturday and Sunday to hear us play all the bits too racy for cable. That's BBC America's WAIT WAIT TV special next Friday, December 23rd, 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central.

Transcript

CARL KASELL, HOST:

From NPR and WBEZ-Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME!, the NPR News quiz. I'm Carl Kasell. We're playing this week with Jessi Klein, Paula Poundstone and Maz Jobrani. And here again is your host, at the Chase Bank Auditorium in downtown Chicago, Peter Sagal.

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Thank you. Thank you so much.

(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: In just a minute, Carl's got rhyme-nuts roasting on an open fire in the Listener Limerick Challenge.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Coming up, it's Lightning Fill in the Blank. But first, it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-Wait-Wait. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can click the contact us link on our website waitwait.npr.org, there you can find out about attending our weekly live shows here at the Chase Bank Auditorium in Chicago.