The popular NPR news quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me recorded this week’s episode at the Mahalia Jackson Theater last night in front of a packed house. The episode will air at 10 a.m. Saturday on WWNO 89.9 FM.

Host Peter Sagal and judge/scorekeeper Carl Kasell (pictured) were joined by panelists Mo Rocca, Roy Blount Jr. (author of Feet on the Street: Rambles Around New Orleans) and Amy Dickinson. George Porter Jr. was the celebrity guest tested on an area of knowledge totally unrelated to his expertise. He also was quizzed about the meaning of Mardi Gras Indian and Meter song titles (but it seemed no one briefed Sagal on how amicable the Meters breakup was). Tune in to hear the secret of a professional musician staying married for 43 years; what Dickinson thinks Houston is for; thoughts on the tickling and nudist habits of congressional members; and Mo Rocca’s bold prediction about Drew Brees’ greatest secret.

From the Failing Up Dept.: Seems that Michael “Brownie” Brown has been given his own three-hour evening talk show on KOA radio in Denver, which seems to be the Mile-High City’s version of WWL-AM minus some of the Hebert-Deke-DelGiornoisms.

But why Brownie? Let’s ask Clear Channel honcho Kris Olinger:

Regarding the notoriety Brown earned from his Katrina actions, Olinger says, “I think it’s a definite positive. He has great insight into what happened in New Orleans and how government works. He takes responsibility where he needs to, but he’s also pretty candid about other things that went wrong. I think people get the inside story from him.”

And here’s Brownie showing how he takes responsibility later in the same story:

“People get beaten up and thrown under the bus all the time,” he notes. “You’ve got the choice of letting the bus run over you three times, and wallowing in that, or getting up and moving. And my choice was to get up and keep moving.”

If your radio doesn’t pick up signals from Denver, you’ll have to wait until June, when Brownie’s book Deadly Indifference: Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Disease Pandemics and the Failed Politics of Disasters hits bookshelves. And if you’re shaking your head that Michael “FEMA” Brown would actually have the temerity or boneheadedness to write a Katrina book called Deadly Indifference, you don’t know Brownie.

New Orleans has a blues circuit, but it’s made up of below-radar neighborhood bars, including Joe’s House of Blues, the Young at Heart Lounge and The Place to Be. In conjunction with a radio documentary project by Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman of Durham, N.C., there’s a free blues show featuring local talent at the Mother-in-Law Lounge at 7 p.m. Friday. Performers include guitarist/vocalist John T. Lewis (pictured), keyboardist Rico Watts (who used to play with Ernie K-Doe), R&B singers Tommy Singleton and C.P. Love, bassist Richard “Tricky Dick” Dixon, saxophonist Lloyd Givens and drummer Ben Sandmel, who’s played with the Hackberry Ramblers for years and used to back-up local bluesman Boogie Bill Webb. The Millennium Band also performs.

WWL-AM, like most AM talk stations in the country, will never been mistaken for MSNBC. And “The Big 870″ has a variety of hosts, but none of them is likely to be mistaken for Keith Olbermann, either — much less Rachel Maddow, since the station’s sole female host, Monica Pierre, decamped a few months back and is now working with the Mitch Landrieu campaign for mayor.

All of this is preamble to what Garland Robinette, the station’s least predictable talker, chose to discuss during his “Think Tank” show this morning. The transcript of Garland’s remarks is up on WWL-AM’s site, and it begins:

I have one opinion on the gay rights controversy, and I know my opinion is correct, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Those of you actively fighting against gay marriage have waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands.

I don’t believe your real reason for fighting gay marriage is because you are sooooooooooooooo concerned about the threat to the institute of marriage. If you were, you’d be protesting people like me. I have been married three times. Elizabeth Taylor and me are the biggest threats ever faced by the sacred institute of marriage.

Let’s not be a hypocrite…you don’t want gay marriage, because you don’t like gays. It’s that simple. You’re frightened by those icky things they do with their sexual parts. But, here’s another hypocritical part…have you ever seen what them-thar “heterosexuals” do with their private parts? Whoa, talk about icky!!!!!

How do I know you’re being hypocritical in your “great concern about the pristine institute of marriage?” Well, that’s simple. If you have the ability to take time out from making groceries, taking care of your children, making dinner, worrying about two wars, the economy, crime, schooling, how to pay your bills and Angelina and Brad…then you certainly have time to picket in streets about divorce. You should be screaming to the high hills…ordering the powers-that-be to make marriage as difficult as divorce. I ain’t seen one of you on TV with that sign…with that protest.

Judging from the responses, Garland’s callers were not happy with this viewpoint:

WELL YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED THREE TIMES MAYBE YOU ARE CONSIDERING BECOMING GAY!!!!!!

Where is the blue link to report this news story as being offensive!

I always wonder why Angela left him. I may now have a slight hint.

The fact is that gay marriage is a joke and will never constitute the the definition of marriage because marriage is inherently between one man and one woman. You piece is ludicrous and shouldn’t have been allowed on this site!

He had almost lost me months ago. Now I will not listen, the guy is simply wierd. WWL you really should let this guy move on, maybe to a nursing home.

It’s the most surprising local defense of gay marriage since Saints linebacker Scott Fujita came out in favor of same-sex marriage back in September. (Though I’ll wager no one talked like that to Fu, because he’s a bit more intimidating than Garland.)

But, hey, Garland: Fujita might be an interesting guest for you if you want to pursue the topic. Think your callers could handle it?

Anthony Bourdain, role model for a generation of bad-boy (and wannabe bad-boy) chefs. Garrison Keillor, the rumpled personification of folksy humor. And David Sedaris, one of the funniest people on earth. They’re all coming to the Mahalia Jackson Theater next year as the inaugural wordsmiths of the New Orleans Speaker Series, a new endeavor that’s being “welcomed by” public radio station WWNO-FM.

Individual tickets to the shows will soon be available, but right now the Speaker Series is pitching a subscription model and “limited priority offer for supporters of the Mahalia Jackson Theatre,” with tix to all three shows available for $120-$172.50. The offer’s not on the Web site yet, but you can order tickets now by calling 888-614-2929.

Here’s the schedule (all shows at 7:30 p.m.):

• Thu., Jan. 7, 2010: Anthony Bourdain

• Tue., Feb. 9, 2010: Garrison Keillor

• Thu. Apr. 29, 2010: David Sedaris

The timing is odd — Keillor’s appearance is exactly one week before Fat Tuesday, and Sedaris’s comes during the second weekend of Jazz Fest — but how often do you get to see them? Snap up the tickets before everyone hears about ‘em.

iPhone users who are planning to check out the Voodoo Music Experience would do well to download the official Voodoo app from the iTunes Music Store — it has schedules, biographies, and all kinds of Voodoophernalia for the music lover.

And for those who aren’t going but dig being able to listen to WWOZ wherever or whenever — the Louisiana jazz and heritage station now has its own dedicated app for 24-7 listening. Take a look at the screenshots below, or just go ahead and download both of them — they’re free.

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Photographs courtesy of Greg Rhoades

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John Georges hasn’t officially come out and said that he’s running for mayor — he came just barely shy of saying so on the radio — but considering his actions of late, you could pretty much count on it. See that picture up there? That’s Georges with Jazzfest founder Quint Davis (far left in white jacket) on the back of a car at the head of the Young Olympia 125th Anniversary Second Line back on Sunday. See that bag Georges is holding in his lap? Well they were full of these:

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He was also handing out plastic cups and Mardi Gras beads with the same slogans on them. Oh, and GeorgesforMayor.com has been booked, meaning somebody (probably Georges) has bought the rights to the URL and is creating a site for it.

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We were there filming second line footage for our brass band documentary and noticed Georges handing out the trinkets. With all the people that were out on Sunday (not sure on the actual count but it had to be in the thousands) I can’t think of a better grassroots effort than giving out plastic cups at a second line — most of which were promptly filled with booze.

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Now far be it from me, a humble sports and entertainment writer, to do any political prognosticating. But when someone who has already run for governor of Louisiana is talking about his possible platform on the radio on one day and is then handing out “Georges for Mayor” trinkets on the next, it’s a good chance that that person is most likely running for mayor. Official announcement or not.

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Oh, and it always helps to have a guy like Quint Davis on your side. That should keep people from making any references to Tommy Carcetti from “The Wire” (though he did become Mayor of Baltimore and then Governor, so that may not be a bad thing).

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By bashing New Orleans on his radio show, of course:

On Sept. 11, 2009, he produced what may be his most confusing, conjecture-filled tirade yet. This time, he has somehow “connected” the dots, tying community organization ACORN, an international employees union, the City of New Orleans and former Obama green jobs director Van Jones into the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

After spinning this web of “wouldn’t it be convenient,” Beck suggests that he’s “not going to get into the conspiracy,” then in one run-on sentence ties ACORN, SEIU, Van Jones and the City of New Orleans into being somehow, quite inexplicably responsible for the failure of the levees.

“They knew the whole time,” said Beck. “How do I know that? Because I knew it a year before … That’s weeeeeird.”

His guest agreed. She added: “It’s almost like you’re a local, Glenn!”

“It doesn’t take a genius!” he laughed. “I just, I just go to New Orleans for the hookers.”

Stay classy, Glenn. Happy 9/11.

Mayor Ray Nagin is in Australia, where he’s scheduled to speak at the United States Studies Centre at Sydney University on the topic of ’sustainable globalisation.’ He took time for a radio interview with ABC Australia’s Mark Colvin on the state of New Orleans. A few highlights of what Hizzoner had to tell the Aussies about the city:

On economic development: There is a tremendous amount of growth, entrepreneurism moving to our city. New construction and engineering companies are opening up because of all the activity.

On Dr. Ed Blakely: Invaluable guy who came on the scene when we needed him the most. We had multiple plans in place; we were kind of floundering a little bit. He put clarity to that; helped us implement our initial implementation strategies, if you will, identified 17 key areas, and if you look at those areas today, for every $1 of public investment we get $88 of private investment. He has earned his money.

On crime and drugs: Well, you know, crime has always been a challenge for us in the city of New Orleans. It’s a historic thing that dates back, you know, 20, 30 years ago. Unfortunately we do have a port that brings in a lot of drugs into our community. We know have post-Katrina stress disorders that are starting to manifest themselves in many, many ways, where our citizens are self-medicating. In certain sections of the city we do have violent crime but the overall violent crime rate in New Orleans is down substantially.

To read the transcript, go here … or just listen to the show:

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Anyone else see this promo for WDSU news the other night? It has sound clips from an interview that reporter Travers Mackel gave to Rush Radio morning hosts Caster & Walensky, who were full of praise for Mackel’s coverage of the City Hall e-maelstrom. Nothing new about a station tooting its own horn, of course, but it’s the last few seconds of the interview that surprised me (and, yes, made me laugh out loud):

Castner: I think Travers is now our favorite investigative reporter. I do, I do! I think … what’s the dude who’s over at –

Wolensky: Lee Zurik!

Castner: Yeah. I think you’ve just replaced him!

Yo! Zurik! You’ve been called out! Obviously the only way to solve this is with an old-fashioned bare-knuckled newscaster parking lot brawl, a la Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: