Episode 193: Journey to the Center of the Bear

Outline
00:45 - Intro - All star comedy special impressions

03:01 - It's my birthday today and at some point during the afternoon a bar of fancy birthday chocolate appeared on my desk. The problem is I don't know who in the office it's from. When I asked the primary suspects they denied it being from them. The question is this: do I have to wait until I identify who the gift is from before begin enjoying the chocolate? -- Sweet Tooth in San Francisco

07:49 - Y - Sent in by Adam Doyle, from Yahoo! Answers user Strawberry, who asks: "I'am to slow at work, how do i move my hands faster?(fast food wendys)? So, this is my 1st job and its only my 4th day, yet i got told I have to be faster, but sadly that's as fast as i can go since I have never worked, so i was wondering is there something i can do to move faster? (hamburger/fry and fire/nugget lines, sometimes i have to go to the bk to re stock ) soo please help me!! like advice on how to move faster Additional Details: I was told to go faster too. Additional Details 2: like i got in trouble because i was going slow"

16:50 - MaxFunDrive donations pledge

17:43 - Sad Libs

24:20 - My husband and I have a toddler and we occasionally like to go out on date nights while she is asleep. We pay a long time friend and neighbor to basically just watch TV on our couch while the baby sleeps. The problem is that when we get home we are generally feeling ready to settle in for the night ;) and the babysitter's ready to chat. We are in a bind because we don't trust many people to stay with the baby and we need to get out occasionally. Any advice for how to encourage her speedy departure upon on our return -- Trying to Avoid Lingering in Los Angeles

29:45 - Y - Sent in by James Walsh, from Yahoo! Answers user John Sameul, who asks:"Can ghosts hurt dogs? Can ghosts hurt dogs? please explain thanks"

40:15 - I just started a new job and I love it. It's in a small office and I can already tell that I will soon become quite close with my co-workers. Here is the problem: I'm getting married in September and normally we wouldn't consider inviting people I met only a few weeks ago but by the time the wedding comes around I will have spent quite a lot of time with my co-workers and I worry they will be offended if the nuptials come and go without me asking them to join us. Should I invite them and add to already bloated guest list or risk becoming the office pariah --Nervous in Nashville

44:49 - MaxFunDrive donations pitch

50:37 - World premiere of "Fugue for Brotherhorns" by Lin-Manuel Miranda, based on "Fugue for Tinhorns" from Guys and Dolls

52:16 - Guestspert Lin-Manuel Miranda

57:36 - Is it Kosher to sing musical theater at karaoke? I imagine it's more nuanced than yes/no. What sorts of musical theater work at karaoke? I wonder if it's about some sort of irony like a step of removal from just belting a ballad? Sometimes Les Mis group numbers have worked well, but like, Oklahoma, that seems like bad news. What are your guestspert's thoughts? --An Alto Who Can't Belt For Shit

62:10 - Sir do you have any advice for an actor trying to keep his voice healthy and working on stage? I get so much conflicting information that i'm not sure what is and is not good for my singing. For instance, I have a professor that swears by milk and a voice teacher that says not to touch any dairy near a performance date. What rituals have you done to keep in working order? -- Singing the Blues at Swine Palace

65:38 - What would be the worst Hollywood hit to adapt into a musical? I would've said Rocky but it looks like that's moot. -- Thomas

72:20 - Theater is my passion, but my passion does not pay the bills. I have found some success in stage managing locally, but it's not enough to support my lifestyle, namely eating and having a roof over my head. I have a full time career, but it's not fulfilling and often prevents me from doing more theater projects. How do I find balance between needing money to live and living for the arts? -- It's a Hard Knock Life in North Cornwall Township, PA

77:23 - I was at a function I didn't really want to be at recently everyone was wearing ties and fresh haircuts. The subject of musicals was brought up whereupon I mentioned that I love them. When asked what I like, I said that Singin' in the Rain and Phantom of the Opera are two of my favorites. These selections were met with a certain amount of eye-rolling and dismissal. Obviously I've seen other musicals but I feel that these are famous and frequent favorites for a reason. Still I was phased out of a conversation where musicals were discussed almost exclusively by lyricists/composers. Brothers, guestspert, what is the most obnoxiously obscure Broadway musicals I could spring on snooty theater know-it-all's? -- Petty Perspective Playbill Pedant

84:26 - Housekeeping

89:12 - FY - Sent in by Alan Black, from Yahoo! Answers user Cory James, who asks:"Did Dinosaurs Have Scrotum's?"

Trivia
