PAULA POUNDSTONE Biography
Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, PAULA POUNDSTONE is famous for her razor-sharp wit and spontaneity. The Boston Globe said, “Poundstone improvises with a crowd like a Jazz musician…swinging in unexpected directions without a plan, without a net.” Paula is so quick and unassuming that audience members at her live shows often leave complaining that their cheeks hurt from laughter and debating whether the random people she talked to were “plants”.
Paula grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts and by the time she was nineteen was traveling on a Greyhound bus across the country – stopping in at open mic nights at comedy clubs as she went. She credits her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Bump, with being the first one to spot her comedic talents. Bump wrote in a letter to Paula’s parents: “I have enjoyed many of Paula’s humorous comments about our activities.”
In 1979 Paula began nurturing her standup comedy talent as part of the Boston comedy scene, and then moved to San Francisco where she continued to flourish. By 1990 she’d relocated to Los Angeles and had starred in several comedy specials for HBO, as well as appeared on Saturday Night Live when friend and mentor Robin Williams hosted the show. Paula’s first one- hour HBO special, “Cats, Cops, and Stuff.” made her the first woman to ever receive the Cable ACE for best standup comedy special. She also starred in a self-titled talk show series for HBO (for which she won her second Cable ACE Award for Best Program Interviewer, beating out other, more recognized names in that field.)
In 1992, Poundstone forsook what she considered the ‘staid’ 5-minute standup set on late night talk-shows for something she thought would be more real with the audience and filed memorable field commentary of the Presidential Election for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This led to her own show on ABC, aptly named, “The Paula Poundstone Show”, and behind-the- scenes coverage of that year’s EMMY Awards for which she was critically acclaimed. During this time, she also became the first woman to perform at the White House Correspondents dinner.
By the mid-90’s, Poundstone had shifted her performances from comedy clubs to performing arts centers and theatres where her interactions with the crowd became the stuff of legend. In 1996, Paula taped her second hour special for HBO, “Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard,” - the first time that elite university has ever allowed its name to be used in the title of a television show. The Boston Globe also said about Paula, “You know Poundstone’s a great comic the way you know any fine performer when you see one—there's a disarming ease in her craft, an immediate sense that she's so quick on her feet you need never worry about the possibility of something going wrong.”
Paula’s off-kilter sensibility and impeccable timing made her a perfect fit for NPR’s “oddly informative”, weekly news quiz program, “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” which she joined as a regular panelist seven years ago. Hosted by Peter Segal, the show is broadcast in 50 states and gives Paula a chance to match wits with some of today’s leading pundits – not to mention interact with some of the people at the forefront of our nation’s eyes, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. The show tapes weekly before a live audience at the Chase Auditorium in Chicago, or on location.
It took Paula eight years to write her first book, There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say. (Harmony Books, a division of Random House, Hardcover pub: November 2006, with foreword by Mary Tyler Moore) “That’s because I was writing it in real time,” Poundstone jokes. Part memoir, part monologue, Paula’s unique laugh-out-loud book features biographies of legendary historical figures including Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc and Sitting Bull, among others, from which she can’t help digressing to tell her own. The paperback edition hit the bookshelves in November 2007.
BRAVO premiered Paula’s standup comedy special: “Paula Poundstone: Look What the Cat Dragged In.” The show was taped before a live audience in Los Angeles at the landmark Orpheum Theatre. Other credits include: Frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor's “A Prairie Home Companion;” Voice of Judge Stone on ABC’s Saturday Morning “Science Court” aka “Squigglevision”, and “Paula”, the mom in Cartoon Network’s “Home Movies. Paula has made numerous appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman;” ”Sesame Street;” “To Tell The Truth” and “Comic Relief.” Paula won an EMMY Award for her field pieces on PBS’s “Life & Times,” and is also the author, along with her high school math teacher, Faye Ruopp, of three math text books for children published by Heinemann Press: The Sticky Problem of Parallelogram Pancakes; Venn Can We Be Friends? and You Can't Keep Slope Down Paula’s published several magazine articles, and for five years wrote a back-page column in Mother Jones.
An avid reader, Paula is national spokesperson for the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, which unities Friends chapters all over the country that help raise money for their local libraries children’s summer reading programs, author events, special book collections, equipment, and whatever else they might need.
Paula began fostering children in the early 1990’s, and went on to become a parent to three children of her own, Toshia, Allison, and Thomas E. The family lives in Santa Monica, California.
For more information visit Paula’s website at www.paulapoundstone.com or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PaulaPoundstone
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What people are saying about Paula’s shows…
"Poundstone has never been funnier…...off with a standing ovation!” The Boston Globe - Nick Zaino III
“At the top of her game” The San Francisco Chronicle
“Funnier than Seinfeld at 1/4 the price.” Joseph LeMay, Danbury, Ct.
"Insightful, thought-provoking humor… "The Chicago Tribune - Allan Johnson
“An anecdote-rich evening that incites sympathy and laughter very funny. She had the crowd all but collapsing in laughter.” Matt Weitz, Dallas Morning News
“A comedic genius...a masterful stand-up. Her style remains unscripted, with audience participation required. This approach is, of course, skipping around a minefield, but Poundstone does it with grace.” Hollywood Insiders - Jorie Parr
“Poundstone's observational/improvisational comedy seemed to bode especially well with a college audience. On a night of woeful weather in the Black Mountains she swept everyone's cares away for a few hours…in the finest tradition of some of her most respected colleagues, like George Carlin or Lewis Black. Alexander Choman, Citizens Voice
“A consummate professional at the height of her powers.” The Maui News
“I think this is going to be a 3-Aleve night for me...... no, no, not from drinking or anything, but from laughing NONSTOP for nearly two and a half hours at the Paula Poundstone concert.” Claire Keaveney, New York, NY
LOOK WHERE THE CAT IS DRAGGING PAULA POUNDSTONE:
Ferguson Hall @ Tampa Bay PAC - Tampa, FL Lensic Performing Arts Center - Santa Fe, NM Commonwealth Club - San Francisco, CA Ohio Theater Playhouse Square - Cleveland, OH McCallum Theatre f/t Performing Arts - Palm Desert, Ironhorse - North Hampton, MA CA Paramount Center of the Arts - Peekskill, NY Raue Center of the Arts - Crystal Lake, IL Carolina Theatre - Greensboro, NC Centre East Theatre - Skokie, IL Ferst Theatre - Atlanta, GA Fitzgerald Thtr - St. Paul, MN Rosebud Theatre - Effingham, FL Stone Mt. Arts Center - Brownfield, ME Crest Theatre - Sacramento, CA The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA Lake Michigan College - Bent Harbor, MI Zilka Hall @the Hobby Center - Houston, TX Palace Theatre - Albany, NY Alladin Theatre - Portland, OR Amaturo Theatre - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA State Theatre - St Petersburg, FL Carlisle Theatre - Carlisle, PA Eccles Center - Park City, UT Long Wharf Theatre - Sag Harbor, NY Penn’s Landing - Philadelphia, PA Bass Performance Hall - Ft. Worth, TX Rehoboth Beach Convention Center - Rehoboth Bch WMAC Perf Studios - Albany, NY De Tennessee Performing Arts Center - Nashville, TN Yavapai College - Prescott, AZ Stoneham Theatre - Stoneham, MA UC Berkeley - Berkeley, CA One World Theatre - Austin, TX Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall - Sarasota, FL Mohegan Sun Casino Wolf Den - Uncasville, CT Carnival Concert Hall/Miami Perf Arts Ct - Miami, Orpheum Theatre - Phoenix, AZ FL College Misericordia - Dallas, PA Center for the Arts - Natick, MA. Palace Theatre - San Fran, CA Humboldt State U, John Van Duzer Theatre - Arcata, Benecia HS Auditorium - Benicia, CA CA Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts - Strand Capitol PAC - York, PA Schaumburg, IL Sunset Theatre - Carmel, CA Tupelo Music Hall - Londonderry, NH Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me - Chicago, IL Gallagher Bluedorn Perf Arts Ctr - Cedar Falls, IA McAninch Arts Center - Glen Ellyn, IL Meyer Theatre - Green Bay, WI 4th & B - San Diego, CA Riverside Theatre - Vero Beach, FL Strand Theatre - Rockland, ME Rizza Auditorium - Vallejo, CA Rams Head On Stage - Annapolis, MD Macomb Center for the Performing Arts - Clint Englert Civic Center - Iowa City, IA Twnshp, MI The Moore - Seattle, WA George E. Potter PAC - Jackson, MI Lyman Center f/the Performing Arts - New Haven, River Run Centre - Guelph, Ont, Canada CT Sunrise Theatre - Fort Pierce, FL Rio Theatre - Santa Cruz, CA Montage Grill - Rochester, NY Sellersville Theatre - Sellersville, PA McGlohon Theatre @ Spirit Square - Charlotte, NC Count Bassie Theatre - Red Bank, NJ Boulton Center for the Performing Arts - Bay Shore, Jonathan’s - Ogunquit, ME NY Criterion Theatre - Bar Harbor, ME Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ Colonial Theatre - Pittsfield, MA Newman Center for the Performing Arts - Denver, UU Meeting House Theatre - P-town, MA CO Ridgefield Playhouse - Ridgefield, CT So. Orange Performing Arts Center - So. Orange, NJ Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheatre - Reno, NV Sanders Theatre, Harvard University - Cambridge, James Lumber Center for the Arts - Grayslake, IL MA Lincoln Theatre PAC - Yountville, CA Providence Perf Arts Cntr - Providence, RI Kingsbury Hall/Univ of Utah - Salt Lake
WAIT, WAIT…DON’T TELL ME!
Comedienne Paula Poundstone is a staple on National Public Radio, serving as a panelist on the popular quiz show, “Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me!” In the past two years, the show has dramatically increased its visibility -- booking huge guests including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, Salman Rushdie and Tom Hanks. It’s become the “in” thing to participate in the “Not My Job” segment where guests are pressed to talk about something they know nothing about. That’s how Justice Stephen Breyer had to answer questions about the lifestyles of famous Rock and Rollers and Dennis Kucinich was quizzed on the life of Bunny Allen: big game hunter extraordinaire.
WWDTM tapes weekly in front of a live audience at the Chase Auditorium in Chicago, or on location. The show is now broadcast in 50 states on 440 public radio stations with a weekly listenership of 2.5 million. The podcast consistently ranks in the iTunes Today’s Top Podcasts list.
Guests don’t actually win anything. They are playing on behalf of a listener. But the main idea is to have fun bantering with host Peter Sagal, and a stellar panel of three of our nation’s foremost pundits. Besides Paula, they include Roxanne Roberts of the Washington Post, author and humorist Roy Blount Jr., Tom Bodett, P.J. O’Rourke, writer-at-large for Esquire Magazine Charlie Pierce, and personality Mo Rocca,
Each show features eight quizzes based on events from the week's news. Four of the games include listeners who call in to win the most coveted prize in public radio --Carl Kasell, (veteran NPR newsman, also announcer and scorekeeper) recording the greeting on their home answering machine.
WWDTM is a funny, irreverent look at the news, Viewers are tuning in to hear what the panelists have to say that week the same way they might to the Jay Leno monologue, or the Jon Stewart Show. They also have a chance to test their knowledge about current events. For more information, or to hear the show on- line, visit the WWDTM website at http://waitwait.npr.org. You can also download the show via iTunes.
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Excerpts from
There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say
Being a Mom: • “I’ve never found a job harder than parenting, partly because there are so many self- appointed experts. Even when something goes right, I’m sure I did it wrong. One day seven- year-old Thomas E had a huge tantrum while we walked to school, and eleven-year-old Alley looked at me and said, ‘He didn’t get that way by himself.’”
• “I found Toshia’s report card in her pants pocket when I was putting the laundry pile in the washing machine, because not only was she not going to show it to me, she was going to ruin a whole load of laundry with it. She had turned a D-minus into a D-plus by putting a vertical line through the minus sign. I wasn’t so much upset with her as I was fascinated. I said, ‘Exactly how different was my reaction going to be to a D-minus?’ I showed her how to make a D into a B and asked that, in the future, she aim higher and have a little self-respect.”
Relationships: • “My kids once asked me if some recently divorced friends of ours would be coming to a party we were giving. I explained that whichever parent had their kids that weekend would likely bring them. After they sat quietly taking that in for a minute, Toshia ventured, with great concern, ‘I hope that never happens to us.’ I said, ‘Toshia, I think we’re in the clear there, I’m single. It’s one of the few perks of having me for a mom. I’m not likely to break up with me.’ Through it all, my love endures.”
Pets: • “I spend much of my life trying to keep my vicious cat-eating dog away from my cats, but the night before she died Balou kept walking over to the dog. I think, since my cats are indoor cats and haven’t the opportunity to go off into the woods to die, she was doing the closest thing, which was to drag herself over to the dog-shark and whisper, ‘For God’s sake, just eat me.’”
Human Frailty: • “Once, when I was nineteen, on the subway in Boston I lost my balance slightly and bumped into an elderly woman. I quickly apologized and she replied, “Well, hold on to something, stupid.” There it is. That’s it in a nutshell. I don’t want to sound negative, but I think every fetus should be shown a film of that incident, maybe projected up on the uterine wall, and then asked if it wants to come out. I am a strong believer in a woman’s right to choose, but I also think that in the last trimester, the kid should be given every opportunity to back out.”
Religion: • “Thomas E and I were reading All About the Sun in the library with his first grade class when one of his classmates came over and started telling us that the sun was going to explode during the Rapture. I said, ‘I guess it’s not important to decide if Thomas E should brown-bag or have hot lunch next week, then.’”
Air-Conditioning in Florida: • “If it were as cold outside in the winter as they make it inside in the summer, they'd put the heat on. It makes no sense.”
What People Are Saying About Paula’s Book
“I finished reading your book last night. I could have finished it sooner but I hated to see it end.” Joyce, Woonsocket, RI.
“Bought the book. Loved the book. I would read a chapter and think to myself - No way the next chapter can be this great - It has to go downhill from here. It never went downhill. There wasn't even a little dip.” Sherry Moore, Santa Rosa, California
“Poundstone makes self-involvement entertaining... an excuse for a hilarious, stream-of-consciousness confessional.” Publishers Weekly
“I loved the book. I made my kid eat cereal for dinner because I didn't want to get up and stop reading. She's fine.” Anne, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
“Just finished your book and all I can say is I LOVED IT! I couldn't put it down and found myself sitting alone in my house laughing out loud. I have already passed it on to a friend who has called me to say that SHE is laughing out loud as she reads.” Carol, Port Huron, Michigan
“She sparks this sad but ultimately triumphal story by uproariously comparing and contrasting herself and famous people.” Booklist
“Just finished your latest book-on-CD. It was both hysterical and touching. Those who can count you as a friend are truly lucky. PS You are the highlight of Wait Wait!” Jim Hebert, San Francisco, Calif.
Paula Poundstone Resume
Television - Specials Radio (Cont’d) Look What The Cat Dragged In (BRAVO) Westwood One Radio Network Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard (HBO) Air America Cats, Cops and Stuff (HBO) Sirius Satellite Radio Comic Relief I – VIII (HBO) XM Satellite Radio 63rd Prime Time Emmy Awards 50 Years of Funny Females Books: A Gala for the President at Ford’s Theatre There’s Nothing in This Book…To Say One Night Stand Sticky Problem of the Parallel Pancakes Women of the Night Venn Can We Be Friends The Eighth Annual Young Comedians Show Can’t Keep Slope Down
Television – Series: Other Writing Credits: Real Time w/Bill Maher Look What The Cat Dragged In The Late Late Show with Crag Ferguson Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard The Late Show with David Letterman Cats, Cops and Stuff The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Mother Jones (Column) Larry King Live Glamour The View Body+Soul Dateline LA Times Sunday Calendar Hollywood Squares Entertainment Weekly To Tell The Truth (series regular) The Rosie O’Donnell Show (recurring) Awards: Science Court (series regular) EMMY Award - PBS Life & Times The 62nd Annual Emmy Awards ACE – Standup Comedy Special The Paula Poundstone Show (ABC) Program Interviewer Jeopardy American Comedy Award: Female Standup Regis & Kathie Lee Good Morning America Contacts: Late Night w/Ted Koppel Personal Publicity: Debbie Keller The Paula Poundstone Show (HBO) 12831 S. 71st Street Sesame Street (guest star) Tempe, AZ 85284 Cybill (recurring) PH: 480-839-9474 FX: 480-839-6575 Stick to It (PBS ID’s) [email protected] PBS Story Time The Tonight Show w/Johnny Carson Management:Bonnie Burns Saturday Night Live Burns & Burns PH: 310-474-5983 FX: 310-475-0790 Radio Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me! (NPR) (Regular) Personal Appearances: Garrison Keillor’s – A Prairie Home Companion David Snyder Talk of the Nation (NPR) William Morris ABC Radio Network Agency Fox Radio Network 151 El Camino Premiere Radio Network Beverly Hills, CA 90212 USA Radio Network PH: 301-859-4000 Sign up for Paula Poundstone’s e-mail list:
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