Welcome to Better Know a Guest, your weekly guide to the wonderful and diverse array of personalities appearing on ‘The Colbert Report’ and ‘The Daily Show’ each week.
Linds is hard at work with her studies, so this weeks BKAG is a Hub Staff team effort.
It’s been a busy weekend in the world of news, current affairs and celebrity with LA Clippers owner David Sterling in hot water over racism remarks, tornadoes cause widespread damage and death across the Midwest, eternal bachelor George Clooney put a ring on it, and Instagram playboy Dan Bilzerian threw a naked porn star off a roof.
Meanwhile in the world of fake news, friend of the show Audra McDonald returns to The Report along with a political science professor, director and slam poet / broadway actor. Over at The Daily Show Jon will sit down to chat with Met hall of famer, an author, two college professors and a stand-up comedian returning to his roots.
Let us know which guests you’re most looking forward to this week, have a vote in our weekly poll, and share some of the news stories you are hoping the shows tackle this week.
Monday, April 28 (2014)
Michael McFaul (Political Science Professor at Stanford University)
Michael McFaul is the former United States Ambassador to Russia. He was nominated ambassador by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2011. McFaul resigned from his post in Russia shortly after the Sochi Olympics, on February 4, 2014. After his tenure as ambassador to Russia, he returned to Stanford University, where he is a professor of Political Science. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Most recently, McFaul has endorsed John F. Tefft as a ‘fantastic ambassador’ and the ‘perfect candidate’ to elected as the head of the US Embassy in Moscow. And has also published an op-ed piece in The New York Times, entitled “Confronting Putin’s Russia”.
Born: 1 October 1963 (Glasgow, Montana, United States)
Education: Stanford University | Leningrad State University | Moscow State University | Oxford University
Books: Russia’s Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin | Between Dictatorship and Democracy: Russian Post-Communist Political Reform | Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine’s Democratic Breakthrough
Follow: @McFaul | Facebook
Tuesday, April 29 (2014)
Robert Rodriguez (Director, Producer and Screenwriter: “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series”)
Robert Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA. At a very young age he showed an interest in cartooning and film making and devoted all of his time towards developing this fascination. Finally, it paid off, resulting in him in making real movies; and just the first of them – El Mariachi (1992) – made him the legend of independent, ultra-low budget film making. His career is a sign for young filmmakers that even the wildest dreams may come true if you are brave enough to follow your own path. In 1998, Rodriquez directed Jon Stewart in ‘The Faculty’, with his most recent project being “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” which is the first original show to air on ‘El Rey Network, his own English-language cable channel that is targeted toward Latino audiences. The series is not a sequel to the film, but instead a remake that follows the original story line adding in material, characters and scenes, something that was lacking in the original film, despite its A-list cast. The series, recently picked up for a second season, has received mixed reviews with critics questioning casting choices, acting ability and the series own ability to build-upon the films and sustain audience interest for multiple episodes given the slow drawn out nature of the film.
Born: June 20, 1968 (San Antonio, Texas, United States)
Education: St. Anthony High School | University of Texas
Filmography: E Mariachi | Desperado | Four Rooms | From Dusk Till Dawn | The Faculty | Spy Kids 1 – 4| Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Sin City 1 – 2| Planet Terror | Machete | Machete Kills
Awards: Deauville American Film Festival Award | Sundance Film Festival Award | Independent Spirit Award | Saturn Award | Golden Satellite Award | Cannes Film Festival Award
Follow: @Rodriguez | Facebook
Wednesday, April 30 (2014)
Audra McDonald (Actress and Singer: “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”)
Audra McDonald is a Broadway singer and actress currently starring as Billie Holiday in the play ‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill’, which has received much a-buzz for Tony nods this year. Of course, we know her as friend-of-the-show and Shutdown Nuptials artist supplying the most inventive rendition of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” ever seen. McDonald began training at a young age, attending Roosevelt School of the Arts in Fresno, California and later studying at New York’s famed Julliard. In addition to her many stage appearances—which include roles in Carousel, Ragtime, and Master Class—for several years McDonald had a recurring role in the TV show ‘Private Practice’. She also regularly gives concerts, performing both classical and popular music, and has sung at Carnegie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic. Her achievements have been amply acknowledged: by the time she was 28 years old, she had racked up three Emmy awards. McDonald then won a fourth for her non-singing part in ‘Raisin in the Sun’, which was recorded for ABC TV.
Born: July 3, 1970 (Berlin, Germany)
Education: Theodore Roosevelt High School | Julliard
Television: Homicide | Law & Order: SVU | The Bedford Diaries | Kidnapped | A Raisin in the Sun | Grey’s Anatomy | Private Practice | The Good Wife | The Sound of Music Live!
Film: Seven Servants | The Object of My Affection | Cradle Will Rock | Wit | It Runs in the Family | The Best Thief in the World | Rampart
Stage: The Secret Garden | Carousel | Something Wonderful | Ragtime | Marie Christine | Henry IV | A Raisin in the Sun | 110 in the Shade | Twelfth Night
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interview: 5 March, 2012 | “Summertime” (Duet) | Sign Off – Audra McDonald – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Follow: Website | @AudraEquilityMC | Facebook
Thursday, April 30 (2014)
Saul Williams (Poet, Musician and Actor: “Holler If Ya Hear Me”)
While many would describe Saul Williams as a poet, musician and performer, Saul determines who he is and what he does based on his varying mood and form of expression. While dodging labels and the classifications placed upon him, Saul freely carries that of being an artist. He declares acting as his ‘first love’, and can next be seen starring in the Broadway musical “Holler if Ya Hear Me”, which is inspired by the lyrics of Tupac Shakur and tells a ‘riveting, non-biographical story about friendship, love, change, family and hope’. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair, calls the musical ‘a great way to bring new audiences to the music of Tupac, and an opportunity for the more homogenous audience to see something different.’
Born: February 29, 1972 (Newburgh, New York, United States)
Education: Newburgh Free Academy | Morehouse College | New York University
Music: Volcanic Sunlight | Saul Williams | The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust | Amethyst Rockstar | Not in Our Name
Film: Tey (Today) | Slam | Slam Nation | Downtown 81 | Lackawanna Blues | K-Pax
Books: Chorus: A Literary Mixtape | The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teaching of Hip Hop | , Said the Shotgun to the Head | , dit le Fusil de Chasse a la Tete | The Seventh Octave | She
Awards: Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s Grand Slam Champion
Follow: Website | @SaulWilliams | Facebook | Instagram
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!
Monday, April 28 (2014)
Mookie Wilson (Former Baseball Player & Author: “Mookie: Life, Baseball, and the 86 Mets”)
William Hayward “Mookie” Wilson was an MLB player and coach. In the 1980s, Wilson played center field for the New York Mets, and helped them win the World Series in 1986 when he famously hit the ground ball that went under Red Sox player Bill Buckner’s legs. After playing for the Mets, he went on to play to the Toronto Blue Jays. After retiring as a player, he became the first base coach for the Mets. In 1996, he was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. He will be on the program to talk about his new book, “Mookie: Life, Baseball and the ’86 Mets.” Sports Broadcaster Gary Cohen praises ‘Mookie’s relentlessly honest portrayal of his career’, one that ‘further elevates his status as a Mets icon’ and ‘establishes him as one of the foremost chroniclers of a baseball life.’ Broadcaster Howie Rose furthers, that his ‘candor and honesty will undoubtedly deepen your respect and admiration for a man who is about so much more than a ground ball to first base.’
Born: 9 February 1956 (Bamberg, South Carolina, United States)
Education: Spartanburg Methodist College | University of South Carolina
Teams: The University of South Carolina Gamecocks | New York Mets | Toronto Blue Jays
Follow: @MookieWilsonNY1
Tuesday, April 29 (2014)
William Cohan (Author: “The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities”)
William D. Cohan is a best selling American author of business and economics, and is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Prior to becoming a journalist, Cohan spent seventeen years working on Wall Street, with positions at Lazard Frères, then Merrill Lynch & Co., JP Morgan Chase and GE Capital. His new book, The Price of Silence” presents a stunning new account of the Duke lacrosse team scandal that reveals the pressures faced by America’s elite colleges and universities and examines the larger issues of sexual misconduct, underage drinking, and bad-boy behavior prevalent on campuses across the country. The New York Times book review urges that ‘every parent planning to send a child to an “elite” college dominated by an overly powerful athletic program’ to buy the book. And for those with children thinking of Duke, calls it ‘required reading.’
Born: February 20, 1960 (Worcester, Massachusetts, United States)
Education: Duke University | Columbia University
Books: The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co. | House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street | Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World
Awards: Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award
Follow: Website | @WilliamCohan
Wednesday, April 30 (2014)
Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page (Political Science Professors: “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens”)
Martin Giles is a professor of politics at Princeton University, and the author of “Affluence & Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America”. Benjamin Page is the Gordon S. Fulcher Professor of Decision Making at Northwestern University, and has written authored over ten books, including “Living with the Dragon: How the American Public Views the Rise of China”. With a shared interest in public policy, public opinion and mass media, the two professors co-authored, “Testing Theories of American Politics” which examines the theoretical traditions in the study of American politics and their influence over public policy. Using a unique data set measuring variables for 1779 policy issues, their multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.
Thursday, May 1 (2014)
David Spade (Stand-Up Comedian and Actor: “David Spade: My Fake Problems”)
David Spade is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and television personality, who rose to fame as a cast member of ‘Saturday Night Live’ during the 1990’s. After starring in a series of successful television sitcoms – ‘Just Shoot Me!’, ‘8 Simple Rules’ and ‘Rules of Engagement’ – Spade returns to his roots, with “My Fake Problems”, his first stand-up special in over a decade. The special will ‘cover many exotic topics with his trademark snarky delivery, including doing gymnastics to the tune of “Macho Man” and the time Chris Farley bought him 10 lap dances in a row.’
Born: July 22, 1964 (Birmingham, Michigan, United States)
Education: Saguaro High School | Scottsdale Community College | Arizona State University
Television: The Facts of Life | Baywatch | Alf | Saturday Night Live | The Larry Sanders Show | Beavis and Butt-Head | Just Shoot Me! | 8 Simple Rules | Rules of Engagement
Film: Police Academy 4 | Coneheads | Reality Bites | Tommy Boy | A Very Brady Sequel | Senseless | The Rugrats Movie | Lost & Found | Loser | Joe Dirt | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Racing Stripes | The Benchwarmers | I Now Pronouce You Chuck and Larry | Grown Ups 1 – 2 | Jack & Jill
Awards: MTV Movie Award | Razzie Award
Follow: @DavidSpade | Facebook
Please remember to vote in our weekly favourite guests polls, and don’t forget to let us know which guests you’re looking forward to! Here’s to a great week of shows!
Better Know a Guest: April 28 – May 1, 2014
Welcome to Better Know a Guest, your weekly guide to the wonderful and diverse array of personalities appearing on ‘The Colbert Report’ and ‘The Daily Show’ each week.
Linds is hard at work with her studies, so this weeks BKAG is a Hub Staff team effort.
It’s been a busy weekend in the world of news, current affairs and celebrity with LA Clippers owner David Sterling in hot water over racism remarks, tornadoes cause widespread damage and death across the Midwest, eternal bachelor George Clooney put a ring on it, and Instagram playboy Dan Bilzerian threw a naked porn star off a roof.
Meanwhile in the world of fake news, friend of the show Audra McDonald returns to The Report along with a political science professor, director and slam poet / broadway actor. Over at The Daily Show Jon will sit down to chat with Met hall of famer, an author, two college professors and a stand-up comedian returning to his roots.
Let us know which guests you’re most looking forward to this week, have a vote in our weekly poll, and share some of the news stories you are hoping the shows tackle this week.
Monday, April 28 (2014)
Michael McFaul (Political Science Professor at Stanford University)
Michael McFaul is the former United States Ambassador to Russia. He was nominated ambassador by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2011. McFaul resigned from his post in Russia shortly after the Sochi Olympics, on February 4, 2014. After his tenure as ambassador to Russia, he returned to Stanford University, where he is a professor of Political Science. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Most recently, McFaul has endorsed John F. Tefft as a ‘fantastic ambassador’ and the ‘perfect candidate’ to elected as the head of the US Embassy in Moscow. And has also published an op-ed piece in The New York Times, entitled “Confronting Putin’s Russia”.
Born: 1 October 1963 (Glasgow, Montana, United States)
Education: Stanford University | Leningrad State University | Moscow State University | Oxford University
Books: Russia’s Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin | Between Dictatorship and Democracy: Russian Post-Communist Political Reform | Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine’s Democratic Breakthrough
Follow: @McFaul | Facebook
Tuesday, April 29 (2014)
Robert Rodriguez (Director, Producer and Screenwriter: “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series”)
Robert Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA. At a very young age he showed an interest in cartooning and film making and devoted all of his time towards developing this fascination. Finally, it paid off, resulting in him in making real movies; and just the first of them – El Mariachi (1992) – made him the legend of independent, ultra-low budget film making. His career is a sign for young filmmakers that even the wildest dreams may come true if you are brave enough to follow your own path. In 1998, Rodriquez directed Jon Stewart in ‘The Faculty’, with his most recent project being “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” which is the first original show to air on ‘El Rey Network, his own English-language cable channel that is targeted toward Latino audiences. The series is not a sequel to the film, but instead a remake that follows the original story line adding in material, characters and scenes, something that was lacking in the original film, despite its A-list cast. The series, recently picked up for a second season, has received mixed reviews with critics questioning casting choices, acting ability and the series own ability to build-upon the films and sustain audience interest for multiple episodes given the slow drawn out nature of the film.
Born: June 20, 1968 (San Antonio, Texas, United States)
Education: St. Anthony High School | University of Texas
Filmography: E Mariachi | Desperado | Four Rooms | From Dusk Till Dawn | The Faculty | Spy Kids 1 – 4| Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Sin City 1 – 2| Planet Terror | Machete | Machete Kills
Awards: Deauville American Film Festival Award | Sundance Film Festival Award | Independent Spirit Award | Saturn Award | Golden Satellite Award | Cannes Film Festival Award
Follow: @Rodriguez | Facebook
Wednesday, April 30 (2014)
Audra McDonald (Actress and Singer: “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”)
Audra McDonald is a Broadway singer and actress currently starring as Billie Holiday in the play ‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill’, which has received much a-buzz for Tony nods this year. Of course, we know her as friend-of-the-show and Shutdown Nuptials artist supplying the most inventive rendition of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” ever seen. McDonald began training at a young age, attending Roosevelt School of the Arts in Fresno, California and later studying at New York’s famed Julliard. In addition to her many stage appearances—which include roles in Carousel, Ragtime, and Master Class—for several years McDonald had a recurring role in the TV show ‘Private Practice’. She also regularly gives concerts, performing both classical and popular music, and has sung at Carnegie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic. Her achievements have been amply acknowledged: by the time she was 28 years old, she had racked up three Emmy awards. McDonald then won a fourth for her non-singing part in ‘Raisin in the Sun’, which was recorded for ABC TV.
Born: July 3, 1970 (Berlin, Germany)
Education: Theodore Roosevelt High School | Julliard
Television: Homicide | Law & Order: SVU | The Bedford Diaries | Kidnapped | A Raisin in the Sun | Grey’s Anatomy | Private Practice | The Good Wife | The Sound of Music Live!
Film: Seven Servants | The Object of My Affection | Cradle Will Rock | Wit | It Runs in the Family | The Best Thief in the World | Rampart
Stage: The Secret Garden | Carousel | Something Wonderful | Ragtime | Marie Christine | Henry IV | A Raisin in the Sun | 110 in the Shade | Twelfth Night
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interview: 5 March, 2012 | “Summertime” (Duet) | Sign Off – Audra McDonald – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Follow: Website | @AudraEquilityMC | Facebook
Thursday, April 30 (2014)
Saul Williams (Poet, Musician and Actor: “Holler If Ya Hear Me”)
While many would describe Saul Williams as a poet, musician and performer, Saul determines who he is and what he does based on his varying mood and form of expression. While dodging labels and the classifications placed upon him, Saul freely carries that of being an artist. He declares acting as his ‘first love’, and can next be seen starring in the Broadway musical “Holler if Ya Hear Me”, which is inspired by the lyrics of Tupac Shakur and tells a ‘riveting, non-biographical story about friendship, love, change, family and hope’. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair, calls the musical ‘a great way to bring new audiences to the music of Tupac, and an opportunity for the more homogenous audience to see something different.’
Born: February 29, 1972 (Newburgh, New York, United States)
Education: Newburgh Free Academy | Morehouse College | New York University
Music: Volcanic Sunlight | Saul Williams | The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust | Amethyst Rockstar | Not in Our Name
Film: Tey (Today) | Slam | Slam Nation | Downtown 81 | Lackawanna Blues | K-Pax
Books: Chorus: A Literary Mixtape | The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teaching of Hip Hop | , Said the Shotgun to the Head | , dit le Fusil de Chasse a la Tete | The Seventh Octave | She
Awards: Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s Grand Slam Champion
Follow: Website | @SaulWilliams | Facebook | Instagram
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!
Monday, April 28 (2014)
Mookie Wilson (Former Baseball Player & Author: “Mookie: Life, Baseball, and the 86 Mets”)
William Hayward “Mookie” Wilson was an MLB player and coach. In the 1980s, Wilson played center field for the New York Mets, and helped them win the World Series in 1986 when he famously hit the ground ball that went under Red Sox player Bill Buckner’s legs. After playing for the Mets, he went on to play to the Toronto Blue Jays. After retiring as a player, he became the first base coach for the Mets. In 1996, he was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. He will be on the program to talk about his new book, “Mookie: Life, Baseball and the ’86 Mets.” Sports Broadcaster Gary Cohen praises ‘Mookie’s relentlessly honest portrayal of his career’, one that ‘further elevates his status as a Mets icon’ and ‘establishes him as one of the foremost chroniclers of a baseball life.’ Broadcaster Howie Rose furthers, that his ‘candor and honesty will undoubtedly deepen your respect and admiration for a man who is about so much more than a ground ball to first base.’
Born: 9 February 1956 (Bamberg, South Carolina, United States)
Education: Spartanburg Methodist College | University of South Carolina
Teams: The University of South Carolina Gamecocks | New York Mets | Toronto Blue Jays
Follow: @MookieWilsonNY1
Tuesday, April 29 (2014)
William Cohan (Author: “The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities”)
William D. Cohan is a best selling American author of business and economics, and is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Prior to becoming a journalist, Cohan spent seventeen years working on Wall Street, with positions at Lazard Frères, then Merrill Lynch & Co., JP Morgan Chase and GE Capital. His new book, The Price of Silence” presents a stunning new account of the Duke lacrosse team scandal that reveals the pressures faced by America’s elite colleges and universities and examines the larger issues of sexual misconduct, underage drinking, and bad-boy behavior prevalent on campuses across the country. The New York Times book review urges that ‘every parent planning to send a child to an “elite” college dominated by an overly powerful athletic program’ to buy the book. And for those with children thinking of Duke, calls it ‘required reading.’
Born: February 20, 1960 (Worcester, Massachusetts, United States)
Education: Duke University | Columbia University
Books: The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co. | House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street | Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World
Awards: Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award
Follow: Website | @WilliamCohan
Wednesday, April 30 (2014)
Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page (Political Science Professors: “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens”)
Martin Giles is a professor of politics at Princeton University, and the author of “Affluence & Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America”. Benjamin Page is the Gordon S. Fulcher Professor of Decision Making at Northwestern University, and has written authored over ten books, including “Living with the Dragon: How the American Public Views the Rise of China”. With a shared interest in public policy, public opinion and mass media, the two professors co-authored, “Testing Theories of American Politics” which examines the theoretical traditions in the study of American politics and their influence over public policy. Using a unique data set measuring variables for 1779 policy issues, their multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.
Thursday, May 1 (2014)
David Spade (Stand-Up Comedian and Actor: “David Spade: My Fake Problems”)
David Spade is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and television personality, who rose to fame as a cast member of ‘Saturday Night Live’ during the 1990’s. After starring in a series of successful television sitcoms – ‘Just Shoot Me!’, ‘8 Simple Rules’ and ‘Rules of Engagement’ – Spade returns to his roots, with “My Fake Problems”, his first stand-up special in over a decade. The special will ‘cover many exotic topics with his trademark snarky delivery, including doing gymnastics to the tune of “Macho Man” and the time Chris Farley bought him 10 lap dances in a row.’
Born: July 22, 1964 (Birmingham, Michigan, United States)
Education: Saguaro High School | Scottsdale Community College | Arizona State University
Television: The Facts of Life | Baywatch | Alf | Saturday Night Live | The Larry Sanders Show | Beavis and Butt-Head | Just Shoot Me! | 8 Simple Rules | Rules of Engagement
Film: Police Academy 4 | Coneheads | Reality Bites | Tommy Boy | A Very Brady Sequel | Senseless | The Rugrats Movie | Lost & Found | Loser | Joe Dirt | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Racing Stripes | The Benchwarmers | I Now Pronouce You Chuck and Larry | Grown Ups 1 – 2 | Jack & Jill
Awards: MTV Movie Award | Razzie Award
Follow: @DavidSpade | Facebook
Please remember to vote in our weekly favourite guests polls, and don’t forget to let us know which guests you’re looking forward to! Here’s to a great week of shows!