Welcome to Better Know a Guest, your weekly guide to the wonderful and diverse array of personalities appearing on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ each week.
Welcome back to shows! After a week break, team LSSC is bringing out the big guns in terms of guest bookings. We kick off the week with one of the most famous women in the world, Hillary Rodham Clinton, looking for a Colbert bump in her quest to win the New York primary.
The week also features big, crowd-pleasing stars like Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It’s going to be fun! Read on and let us know who you are looking forward to seeing this week!
Monday, April 18th (2016)
Hillary Clinton (Democratic Presidential Candidate)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton continues to maintain a lead over Bernie Sanders, with 1,758 delegates to Sanders’ 1,076. However, that total includes “super delegates,” and not actual primary voter results. The non-super delegate race is much closer, with Clinton at 1,289 and Sanders not far behind with 1,076. As a result, states not normally relevant to primary races are very much in play.
Clinton visits the ‘Late Show’ hoping for a boost for the upcoming New York primary on April 19th. The primary in her home state is full of Clinton establishment supporters, but the extreme wave of excited voters “Feeling the Bern” is challenging her ability to take the state. New York could be a pivotal moment for the Clinton campaign.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Actor – “Fully Committed”)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor best known for his role as Mitchell Pritchett on ‘Modern Family’ (ABC). Currently, he can be seen on Broadway starring in the one-man comedy ‘Fully Committed’, directed by Jason Moore. The play offers a look into a day at the hottest new restaurant in New York, where getting a seat is nearly impossible. Ferguson takes on the roles of more than forty different characters, including the chef, patrons on the phone, flustered socialites, celebrity assistants, and wannabe foodies, but his main role is that of Sam Callahan, a struggling actor who works at the restaurant as a reservationist who mans the endlessly ringing phones. For its Broadway revival, writer Becky Mode has updated the script from its debuted in 1999, to reflect today’s ever more obsessive food culture. The play opens for a limited run on April 25, 2016 at the Lyceum Theater, New York.
Katharine McPhee (Actress – “Scorpion”)
Katharine McPhee is an American actress, singer and songwriter who first came to attention as the runner-up on season five of American Idol. Since appearing on Idol, McPhee has released four albums, and has also established a successful acting career. Currently, she can be see as Paige Dineen a single mother to nine-year old Ralph on ‘Scorpion’ (CBS), an action drama series is loosely based on the life of computer expert Walter O’Brien. In the show, O’Brien and a team of outcasts are recruited by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to form Scorpion, a last line of defense against high-tech complex threats from around the globe.
Sturgill Simpson (Album – “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth“)
John Stugill Simpson is a Grammy Award nominated American country music and roots rock singer-songwriter. His first two albums, ‘High Top Mountain’ and ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ were released independently, with the later being named among Rolling Stone’s and NPR’s best albums of 2014. Released this month, Simpsons third album ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ is a collection of life-lesson songs penned as a letter to his young son. Inspired by the likes of Motown and Memphis, and featuring a cover of Nirvana’s ‘Bloom’, the album has received critical acclaim.
Tuesday, April 19th (2016)
Paul Ryan (Actor – “54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives”)
[Newly Added]
Kevin Spacey (Actor – “Elvis & Nixon”)
Kevin Spacey is an American Academy Award winning actor, director, producer, singer, comedian and impressionist, best known for his role as President Frank Underwood in ‘House of Cards’ (Netflix). His latest film is the comedy-drama ‘Elvis & Nixon’, in which he stars as President Richard Nixon alongside Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley. The film is a semi-fictional take on one of the most surreal photographs in American history, that of President Nixon shaking hands with Elvis Presley at the White House in December 1970. It is reported that Elvis requested a meeting with the President, so that he could be sworn in as an undercover agent in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The film is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and has thus far received mixed reviews.
Thomas Middleditch (Actor – “Silicon Valley”)
Thomas Middleditch is a Canadian actor, comedian and television writer, who currently stars as Richard Hendricks in ‘Silicon Valley’ (HBO). The show focuses on six young men who found a startup company in the Silicon Valley. Currently entering its third season, the tech parody picks up where season two left off, with Hendricks having been pushed out of the CEO at his own company, he is now trying to regain his rightful position.The show has received mixed reviews with Business Insider praising its evolution from “sharp satire of the tech world … into a sometimes tense, yet always hilarious thriller,” while Slate criticises the show for honing in on its satirical targets with a “butter knife instead of scalpel,” calling the show “an upscale ‘Big Bang Theory’ that gets its laughs from a mural of Pakistani guy penetrating the Statue of Liberty”.
The Flaming Lips (Cover – “Space Oddity“)
The Flaming Lips are an American rock band acclaimed for their elaborate live shows and their psychedelic rock arrangements. They are one of many musical acts around the world to have paid tribute to David Bowie following his passing in January 2016. After performing ‘Life on Mars’ at a pair of tribute concerts in New York, the group have released the video for a cover of Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. On his Instagram account lead singer Wayne Coyne described the video, saying “It has 2 nuns in it … One is very sad and her friend helps her through it.”
Wednesday, April 20th (2016)
Dennis Quaid (Actor – “Fortitude”)
[Newly Added]
Matt Walsh (Actor – “Veep”)
In addition to being an American comedian, director, actor and writer, Matt Walsh is also one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational sketch comedy troupe. Currently, Walsh can be seen starring as Mike McLintock in the comedy series ‘Veep’ (HBO), which is set in the office of fictional Vice President, and subsequent President, Selina Meyer played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Entering its fifth season, the show has won several major awards, and has received critical acclaim with Ben Travers of Indiewire writing that “Veep is incomparable in comedy” and that “the HBO comedy has crafted a style so unique the series itself is entirely its own beast.”
Charles Bradley (Album – “Space Oddity“)
Charles Bradley is an American funk, soul and R&B singer, and subject of the 2012 documentary ‘Soul of America’. Released this month, his third album ‘Changes’ has received positive reviews with Jay Balfour of Pitchfork commenting that “Bradley’s underdog narrative has remained as genuinely endearing” and “his third album, feels like his straightforward best to date … Bradley now seems to command ownership of his songs like never before.” Mark Deming of All Music adds “Bradley has developed a greater sense of self and more confidence in his own musical personality. On Changes, the rough-hewn power of Bradley’s voice is at its most powerful, and there’s a fierce sense of longing and need in this music that’s almost tactile in its realism.”
Thursday, April 21st (2016)
Tom Hanks (Actor – “A Hologram for the King”)
Tom Hanks is an American actor, writer, producer, and director, who latest film is the German-American comedy-drama, ‘A Hologram for the King’. The film, based on the novel of the same name written by Dave Eggers, features Hanks as Alan Clay, a washed-up and desperate American businessman who’s career has seen little success, who travels to Saudi Arabi to secure the IT contract for and to propose a large new business complex to be built in the middle of the desert. Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, the film has received mixed reviews with The Guardians Nigel M. Smith calling the film “a meandering mess of half-baked storylines that amount to little. Hanks’s affable presence keeps it all afloat.” Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter however, states that even “though it isn’t without its awkward missteps … writer-director Tom Tykwer wisely accentuates the allegorical story’s absurdist slant. He translates the clear-cut prose into strong visuals, while the perfectly cast Tom Hanks delivers a poignant turn as a man facing his own obsolescence.”
Leslie Odom Jr (Actor – “Hamilton” and Single – “Good For You“)
Leslie Odom, Jr. is an American actor and singer, who currently stars as Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Award winning Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’. In addition to his work as an actor, Odom Jr. released a self-titled jazz album in 2014. He recently took time out during an intermission of ‘Hamilton’ to release a cover of ‘Good for You’ by Selena Gomez with fellow cast mate Daveed Diggs.
The Strumbellas (Album – “Hope“)
The Strumbellas are six-piece band from Canada, whose music has been described as alternative country, indie rock, and folk popgrass. Their third album ‘Hope’ released this month, sees the band “looking for a bigger sound”, one that will likely expose them to a whole new legion of fans, after their recent signing with Glassnote Records. It seems the bands new direction has paid off with Sandra Sperounes of The Edmonton Journal saying, “bigger, bolder and better. The Strumbellas go for the gusto on their third effort and nail it without losing their heart or soul in the process.” The Musics Tim Kroenert calls the album “fun, captivating and more diverse than you might expect.”
Friday, April 22nd (2016)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Actress – “Veep”)
[Coming Soon]
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Actor – “Game of Thrones”)
[Coming Soon]
Sam Morril (Comedy Album – “Class Act“)
[Coming Soon]
Better Know a Guest — April 18 – 22, 2014
Welcome back to shows! After a week break, team LSSC is bringing out the big guns in terms of guest bookings. We kick off the week with one of the most famous women in the world, Hillary Rodham Clinton, looking for a Colbert bump in her quest to win the New York primary.
The week also features big, crowd-pleasing stars like Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It’s going to be fun! Read on and let us know who you are looking forward to seeing this week!
Monday, April 18th (2016)
Hillary Clinton (Democratic Presidential Candidate)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton continues to maintain a lead over Bernie Sanders, with 1,758 delegates to Sanders’ 1,076. However, that total includes “super delegates,” and not actual primary voter results. The non-super delegate race is much closer, with Clinton at 1,289 and Sanders not far behind with 1,076. As a result, states not normally relevant to primary races are very much in play.
Clinton visits the ‘Late Show’ hoping for a boost for the upcoming New York primary on April 19th. The primary in her home state is full of Clinton establishment supporters, but the extreme wave of excited voters “Feeling the Bern” is challenging her ability to take the state. New York could be a pivotal moment for the Clinton campaign.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Actor – “Fully Committed”)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor best known for his role as Mitchell Pritchett on ‘Modern Family’ (ABC). Currently, he can be seen on Broadway starring in the one-man comedy ‘Fully Committed’, directed by Jason Moore. The play offers a look into a day at the hottest new restaurant in New York, where getting a seat is nearly impossible. Ferguson takes on the roles of more than forty different characters, including the chef, patrons on the phone, flustered socialites, celebrity assistants, and wannabe foodies, but his main role is that of Sam Callahan, a struggling actor who works at the restaurant as a reservationist who mans the endlessly ringing phones. For its Broadway revival, writer Becky Mode has updated the script from its debuted in 1999, to reflect today’s ever more obsessive food culture. The play opens for a limited run on April 25, 2016 at the Lyceum Theater, New York.
Katharine McPhee (Actress – “Scorpion”)
Katharine McPhee is an American actress, singer and songwriter who first came to attention as the runner-up on season five of American Idol. Since appearing on Idol, McPhee has released four albums, and has also established a successful acting career. Currently, she can be see as Paige Dineen a single mother to nine-year old Ralph on ‘Scorpion’ (CBS), an action drama series is loosely based on the life of computer expert Walter O’Brien. In the show, O’Brien and a team of outcasts are recruited by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to form Scorpion, a last line of defense against high-tech complex threats from around the globe.
Sturgill Simpson (Album – “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth“)
John Stugill Simpson is a Grammy Award nominated American country music and roots rock singer-songwriter. His first two albums, ‘High Top Mountain’ and ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ were released independently, with the later being named among Rolling Stone’s and NPR’s best albums of 2014. Released this month, Simpsons third album ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ is a collection of life-lesson songs penned as a letter to his young son. Inspired by the likes of Motown and Memphis, and featuring a cover of Nirvana’s ‘Bloom’, the album has received critical acclaim.
Tuesday, April 19th (2016)
Paul Ryan (Actor – “54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives”)
[Newly Added]
Kevin Spacey (Actor – “Elvis & Nixon”)
Kevin Spacey is an American Academy Award winning actor, director, producer, singer, comedian and impressionist, best known for his role as President Frank Underwood in ‘House of Cards’ (Netflix). His latest film is the comedy-drama ‘Elvis & Nixon’, in which he stars as President Richard Nixon alongside Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley. The film is a semi-fictional take on one of the most surreal photographs in American history, that of President Nixon shaking hands with Elvis Presley at the White House in December 1970. It is reported that Elvis requested a meeting with the President, so that he could be sworn in as an undercover agent in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The film is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and has thus far received mixed reviews.
Thomas Middleditch (Actor – “Silicon Valley”)
Thomas Middleditch is a Canadian actor, comedian and television writer, who currently stars as Richard Hendricks in ‘Silicon Valley’ (HBO). The show focuses on six young men who found a startup company in the Silicon Valley. Currently entering its third season, the tech parody picks up where season two left off, with Hendricks having been pushed out of the CEO at his own company, he is now trying to regain his rightful position.The show has received mixed reviews with Business Insider praising its evolution from “sharp satire of the tech world … into a sometimes tense, yet always hilarious thriller,” while Slate criticises the show for honing in on its satirical targets with a “butter knife instead of scalpel,” calling the show “an upscale ‘Big Bang Theory’ that gets its laughs from a mural of Pakistani guy penetrating the Statue of Liberty”.
The Flaming Lips (Cover – “Space Oddity“)
The Flaming Lips are an American rock band acclaimed for their elaborate live shows and their psychedelic rock arrangements. They are one of many musical acts around the world to have paid tribute to David Bowie following his passing in January 2016. After performing ‘Life on Mars’ at a pair of tribute concerts in New York, the group have released the video for a cover of Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. On his Instagram account lead singer Wayne Coyne described the video, saying “It has 2 nuns in it … One is very sad and her friend helps her through it.”
Wednesday, April 20th (2016)
Dennis Quaid (Actor – “Fortitude”)
[Newly Added]
Matt Walsh (Actor – “Veep”)
In addition to being an American comedian, director, actor and writer, Matt Walsh is also one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational sketch comedy troupe. Currently, Walsh can be seen starring as Mike McLintock in the comedy series ‘Veep’ (HBO), which is set in the office of fictional Vice President, and subsequent President, Selina Meyer played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Entering its fifth season, the show has won several major awards, and has received critical acclaim with Ben Travers of Indiewire writing that “Veep is incomparable in comedy” and that “the HBO comedy has crafted a style so unique the series itself is entirely its own beast.”
Charles Bradley (Album – “Space Oddity“)
Charles Bradley is an American funk, soul and R&B singer, and subject of the 2012 documentary ‘Soul of America’. Released this month, his third album ‘Changes’ has received positive reviews with Jay Balfour of Pitchfork commenting that “Bradley’s underdog narrative has remained as genuinely endearing” and “his third album, feels like his straightforward best to date … Bradley now seems to command ownership of his songs like never before.” Mark Deming of All Music adds “Bradley has developed a greater sense of self and more confidence in his own musical personality. On Changes, the rough-hewn power of Bradley’s voice is at its most powerful, and there’s a fierce sense of longing and need in this music that’s almost tactile in its realism.”
Thursday, April 21st (2016)
Tom Hanks (Actor – “A Hologram for the King”)
Tom Hanks is an American actor, writer, producer, and director, who latest film is the German-American comedy-drama, ‘A Hologram for the King’. The film, based on the novel of the same name written by Dave Eggers, features Hanks as Alan Clay, a washed-up and desperate American businessman who’s career has seen little success, who travels to Saudi Arabi to secure the IT contract for and to propose a large new business complex to be built in the middle of the desert. Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, the film has received mixed reviews with The Guardians Nigel M. Smith calling the film “a meandering mess of half-baked storylines that amount to little. Hanks’s affable presence keeps it all afloat.” Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter however, states that even “though it isn’t without its awkward missteps … writer-director Tom Tykwer wisely accentuates the allegorical story’s absurdist slant. He translates the clear-cut prose into strong visuals, while the perfectly cast Tom Hanks delivers a poignant turn as a man facing his own obsolescence.”
Leslie Odom Jr (Actor – “Hamilton” and Single – “Good For You“)
Leslie Odom, Jr. is an American actor and singer, who currently stars as Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Award winning Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’. In addition to his work as an actor, Odom Jr. released a self-titled jazz album in 2014. He recently took time out during an intermission of ‘Hamilton’ to release a cover of ‘Good for You’ by Selena Gomez with fellow cast mate Daveed Diggs.
The Strumbellas (Album – “Hope“)
The Strumbellas are six-piece band from Canada, whose music has been described as alternative country, indie rock, and folk popgrass. Their third album ‘Hope’ released this month, sees the band “looking for a bigger sound”, one that will likely expose them to a whole new legion of fans, after their recent signing with Glassnote Records. It seems the bands new direction has paid off with Sandra Sperounes of The Edmonton Journal saying, “bigger, bolder and better. The Strumbellas go for the gusto on their third effort and nail it without losing their heart or soul in the process.” The Musics Tim Kroenert calls the album “fun, captivating and more diverse than you might expect.”
Friday, April 22nd (2016)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Actress – “Veep”)
[Coming Soon]
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Actor – “Game of Thrones”)
[Coming Soon]
Sam Morril (Comedy Album – “Class Act“)
[Coming Soon]