There's no such thing as a stupid question. Or is there?
Reporters are expected to be knowledgeable of their subjects before an interview begins. Perhaps, not to an encyclopedic level, but you surely need enough material that you can get reasonably good answers from the interviewee.
Occasionally however - and for various reasons - that doesn't happen. And the results are predictably comical.
Former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger officially joined Chicago Fire during the week, and during a press conference, he fielded a rather bizarre question.
A video journalist asked him if he thought the American side could win the World Cup, a question which led to some confusion and of course some laughter.
He later explained to The Telegraph that his question referred to the Club World Cup. Perhaps not a silly question due to an absence of knowledge, but you would have to mark him down for the delivery.
With Wednesday's episode in mind, here's a collection of other moments when the egg and a reporter's face were in alignment:
Serena Williams - T-shirt inquiries
During a post-match press conference, Serena Williams was seen donning a t-shirt carrying the caption of, 'Are You Looking At My Titles?'
It doesn't take too much deciphering to read between the lines here, and if you've ever seen that Simpsons episode where Ned Flanders shields his children's eyes from a lewd slogan on a rotating cap, that should clear things up for you.
In any case, Williams was asked about the garment, to which she replied:
"Well, this shirt is available in Nike stores, if you wanna go get one. I thought last night, when I was getting my stuff together, I thought, 'well if I win, I'll wear this,' cos I'll have 11 titles. And I wouldn't know if you guys were looking at my titles, or my Gatorade bottle."
Brian Cody - Dresses down Marty Morrissey
Kilkenny had collected their fourth All-Ireland title in 2009, and manager Brian Cody was obliging his post-match media duties with Marty Morrissey of The Sunday Game.
The Cats earned the victory by a five-point margin, which included a goal from a controversial penalty. After some general observations about the game, Morrissey led the discussion towards the second half penalty, and asked Cody whether he thought it should have been awarded.
Cody's response left Morrissey in a heap:
"Dermot Kirwan (referee) certainly gave a penalty. If you want to start wondering about all of the frees over the course of the game, you'll have a fairly busy time. Did you think yourself it was penalty Marty?
"I have no idea Marty, did you check all the other frees as well to see were they dodgy? Maybe you should, maybe you should."
Morrissey, to his cost, persisted with the line of questioning about the referee's performance. Cody was not for budging.
"We're meant to say nothing about referees. I make a habit of saying absolutely nothing about referees. Dermot Kirwan, I'm certain in my head, was going out to be the very best he possibly could be. You seem to have a problem with him, you tell me!"
Roy Keane - Do your homework
Roy Keane has been known to cut reporters apart, without even rising his voice to a threatening decibel. One such occasion took place last year, when an Irish journalist asked Keane a question that provoked a cutting response.
The question was in relation to Ireland's James McCarthy and whether or not he had fallen out of favour at Everton. Roy clinically picked the question apart and mortified the reporter at a press conference that was aired on Sky Sports.
Image: ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
"I don't know if that's true. Did he not start against West Brom? And he was injured for the game against Stoke? Well if that's a player out of his manager's plans, then what about all the other players who started against West Brom?"
The journalist then suggested that things might be looking grim for McCarthy because he was linked with a move away.
"Well everyone gets linked with stuff," Keane replied. "Just, do your homework. Obviously they've kept him on, they've not sold him have they? Maybe the manager does like him..... Nonsense."
Phil Mickelson - 'Dumbass question'
Playing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2013, Phil Mickelson was talking to a reporter from the Golf Channel, when he revealed the most idiotic question he was ever asked.
"So Phil, are you looking forward to Augusta? What kind of dumbass question is that?"
Considering that Mickelson is a three-time Masters champion at the iconic venue, you can appreciate that his assessment of the question is somewhat justified.
Bryce Harper - Clown question
After a game in Canada, 19-year-old Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals was asked by a reporter if he was going to have a drink, on account of the lower drinking age of 19, compared with 21 in America.
Harper was not impressed by the question and dismissed him by saying:
"I'm not answering that. That's a clown question, bro."
Harper's response transformed him into an internet sensation for a time, with his answer trending on Twitter, and appearing on t-shirts.
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