Whose Sound Is It Anyway?

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Say hello to our next two contestants, Jen Keefe and Pam Tishman.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Jen, I love knowing that you love reunions.

JEN KEEFE: I do.

EISENBERG: High school reunions?

KEEFE: Specifically, yes.

EISENBERG: OK, listeners not - may not be able to see this, but you look extraordinarily young. How many high school reunions have you been to?

KEEFE: One.

EISENBERG: One? Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Was it - 10 year?

KEEFE: Five.

EISENBERG: Five year? That doesn't count, A - so what is that about that? Isn't Facebook the reunion of now?

KEEFE: I guess you could say that...

EISENBERG: Yeah.

KEEFE: But it's sort of a lost art. I don't know. I - my spirit animal is the dog from "Up," and for that reason I...

EISENBERG: That's very specific.

KEEFE: ...I don't know, I thrive in an environment where no one knows each other and I'm sort of like awkwardly friendly. So it's just a great time for me.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Pam, do you like reunions?

PAMELA TISHMAN: I hate reunions.

EISENBERG: Really?

TISHMAN: But I've been to more than one.

EISENBERG: You have - high school reunions or...

TISHMAN: High school. I went to my 10th, I went to my 25th, but I guess I told you about how old I am, so...

EISENBERG: And how was the 25th?

TISHMAN: Not as many people showed up as the 10th because I think the only people who show up are people who are happy where their life is right now.

(LAUGHTER)

JONATHAN COULTON: I'm getting so depressed over here.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: This is amazing, yeah. So hey, you went. So that's great, that means you have a happy life.

TISHMAN: I do.

EISENBERG: That's fantastic.

COULTON: Hey, on the plus side, a lot of those people might be dead, so...

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Yep.

COULTON: I'm trying to cheer everybody up.

EISENBERG: Jonathan optimist Coulton.

COULTON: Just trying to cheer everybody up.

EISENBERG: The bourbon's half-full. All right, so this round is called "Whose Sound Is It Anyway." There are sounds and melodies that have become so associated with a brand or company that they have actually been trademarked. For example, this sound...

(SOUNDBITE OF LION ROAR)

EISENBERG: You know that's the MGM lion. Jen nodded. Pam, is that from...

TISHMAN: Yeah, more or less. Sure, why not?

EISENBERG: Yes, that is actually - that is trademarked. So if a lion roars they have to pick a different key or they'll be sued. So we are going to play a few sound marks - that's what they're called - and you have to identify the company or product. Let's give it a shot. Here's the first one.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EISENBERG: Jen.

KEEFE: Tickle Me Elmo.

(LAUGHTER)

KEEFE: Am I wrong?

EISENBERG: You're not right. But I...

COULTON: That's a totally reasonable guess, though. I mean...

EISENBERG: Yeah, it's a totally reasonable guess. Pam?

TISHMAN: The toucan from Fruit Loops.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: It's the Pillsbury Doughboy. Can we hear that again?

(SOUNDBITE OF PILLSBURY DOUGHBOY)

EISENBERG: Oh God. All right, let's see if you guys know this one.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EISENBERG: Jen.

KEEFE: The Harlem Globetrotters.

EISENBERG: Yes.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right, maybe you know this one.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You've got mail.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Jen.

KEEFE: AOL.

EISENBERG: AOL, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

TISHMAN: I knew that.

EISENBERG: Pam, you knew that one?

TISHMAN: I did know that one.

EISENBERG: Did you have - do you have an AOL account or did you have an AOL account? Most people have given there's up, except for my husband.

TISHMAN: No, I don't have one. And I never did.

EISENBERG: You never did. Yeah, that was back when we thought online was two words. Isn't that amazing? Let's see if this takes you back.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EISENBERG: Pam.

TISHMAN: Mr. Softee or Good Humor.

EISENBERG: Yes, exactly. That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right, I'm very curious to see how this next one goes.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

COULTON: They both look mad.

EISENBERG: Yeah. How about a hint, Mary Tobler?

MARY TOBLER: You've heard this sound a million times if you like watching sports on TV.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EISENBERG: Jen.

KEEFE: "SportsCenter."

EISENBERG: Sportscenter?

TOBLER: Yeah, we'll accept that.

EISENBERG: We'll go with that, ESPN "SportsCenter" theme, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: None of our listeners will get that, don't worry.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: This is your last question.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EISENBERG: Pam.

TISHMAN: Green Giant.

EISENBERG: Green Giant is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Puzzle guru Mary Tobler, how did our contestants do?

TOBLER: A well-played game. Jen is our winner, so you'll be coming back for our final round at the end of the show.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Coming up, we'll talk to our VIP, "Scrubs" and "Happy Ending" star Eliza Coupe about playing a down-and-out attorney in her new USA network sitcom "Benched," so stick around. I'm Ophira Eisenberg and this is NPR's ASK ME ANOTHER. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.