Welcome to the dinner party. This is your icebreaker.

You've probably heard this before, but what did the Zen Buddhist say to the hot dog guy?

I don't know.

Make me one with everything.

I'm Brendan Francis Nuneum.

I'm Rico Gagliano. I'm 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 author and greatest Jeopardy contestant of all time Ken Jennings.

That will help break the ice.

We'll be speaking with him later.

Also coming up, actor Jamie Fox, star of the new Quentin Tarantino film, Django Unchained.

Plus, chart-topping hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis suggest tunes to play at your

holiday party. Splendid table host Lynn Rosetto Casper reveals she wasn't always the best host. And

spoiler alert, the new film The Hobbit uses special effects. We will hear from the four-time Oscar-winning artist who supervised them.

Visual effects on the radio.

They're much easier to pull off here.

Fun.

Also, we learn about one order Ulysses S. Grant preferred not to be remembered for.

But first, as at any dinner party, we start with small talk.

All week long, you've been hearing these headlines.

The fiscal cliff negotiations were close to a deal, but progress appears to have stalled.

Robert Bork, one of the most famous conservatives, has died at the age of 85.

South Korea has its first female president ever.

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