Welcome to The Dinner Party. This is your icebreaker.

Here's my joke. Why did the son put his father in a freezer?

Because he wanted a frozen pop.

I'm Rico Galliano. I'm Brendan Francis Nuneum, and from APM American Public Media, this is The Dinner Party, the culture show that gives you an edge in your weekend conversations.

You just got a joke from Lionel Boyce from the Rap Collective Odd Future.

That'll help break the ice.

Later in your future, you'll learn some things you didn't know from David Cronenberg, director of the new film,

A Dangerous Method. Also, Grand Dame of Broadway, Elaine Stritch is here to answer etiquette questions.

Yes. Comedian Dmitri Martin shares his diet, and writer-director Miranda July teaches us what she learned from the original Craigslist. Here's a hint. It involves actual paper. Actual paper.

All that. Plus, the band Real Estate sends us a postcard from Paris.

But first, as at any dinner party, we start with Small Talk.

This week, you may have heard these cultural headlines.

The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1 scored a whopping $283.5 million worldwide opening.

Winning multiple AMAs, reigning queen, Taylor Swift.

Development in one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries, the death of Natalie Wood.

Now for something you might not have heard.

We are speaking with Rehan Harmansey.

She is culture editor at the Bay Citizen in San Francisco.

Rehan, what story are you going to be talking about at your dinner parties this weekend?

Well, given that this is Thanksgiving week, there's going to be big dinner parties.

I'm going to be talking about a story I saw in Smithsonian Magazine that dealt with a variety of research around sarcasm.

Oh, that sounds great.

...