PETER SAGAL, HOST:
We want to remind everyone they can join us most weeks right here at the Chase Bank Auditorium here in Chicago. For tickets or more information go to wbez.org or you can find a link at our website, waitwait.npr.org. Right now, panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Tom, the Dalai Lama is getting up there in years, knows he can't Lama forever. In an interview with BBC, he said that if a woman were to be the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, she had better be what?
TOM BODETT: She had better be Tibetan?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I think it goes without saying.
BODETT: Yeah, OK.
SAGAL: But that's not what he pointed out.
BODETT: If a woman, she had better be - oh, not attractive?
SAGAL: Yes, attractive.
BODETT: Oh, seriously.
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SAGAL: Yes.
BODETT: The Dalai Lama said that?
SAGAL: The Dalai Lama said that.
BODETT: Oh, I'm going back to the pope.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Buddhism - Tibetan Buddhism - teaches us many things, peace comes from within, we must be free ourselves from earthly desires, and heaven must be missing an angel 'cause, girl, you are right here.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: So the Dalai Lama's being interviewed by the BBC. BBC says, well, what about a female Dalai Lama? He says, yeah, well, yes, but she'll have to be attractive. And the BBC reporter said, you're clearly joking or this is some sort of Buddhist metaphor, and the Dalai Lama said no, no, if it's a woman, she has to be attractive, quote, "otherwise she's not much use," unquote.
BODETT: Is the Dalai Lama celibate?
ILIZA SCHLESINGER: With that face, he has to be, yeah.
BODETT: I can understand why.
SAGAL: But how do you find an attractive successor? Do you find the Dalai Lama's female reincarnation by holding the first ever wet saffron robe contest? We're just amazed that a Tibetan Buddhist would be like this. Is there catcalling at Buddhist temples? It's like om-mama (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
LUKE BURBANK: You know how psyched China is about this because they were like we told you that guy was a jerk.
SAGAL: Yeah, see?
BURBANK: Like, for 40 years we've been judging them. They're like see, this is what we were taught. He's different when no one's around.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHLESINGER: You get a couple drinks in him.
BURBANK: Yeah.
BODETT: Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SAGAL: Coming up, our panelists get gainfully employed in our Bluff The Listener game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of WAIT WAIT ...DON'T TELL ME from NPR.
BILL KURTIS, HOST:
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