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.
Hi there Hubsters! My name is Lindsey, and this is my first post as one of the newest members of the Colbert News Hub Staff. I’ll be posting periodically for “Better Know a Guest”. This week’s guest list for the Report features Hugh Laurie, Ashton Kutcher, and Colum McCann. Also, Tuesday is everyone’s favourite music event of the summer — Colbchella ’013, featuring Daft Punk!
Monday, August 5 (2013)
Hugh Laurie (Musician: “Didn’t It Rain”)
Hugh Laurie, OBE, is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He first gained fame as part of the Fry and Laurie comedy duo, along with his close friend and partner in comedy, Stephen Fry. The two later joined the BBC show Blackadder (1987) and the ITV show Jeeves and Wooster (1987). His most famous role is that of the brilliant but troubled Dr. Gregory House of FOX’s medical drama, House,which he played from 2004 to 2012. In 2011, he was named the highest-paid television actor in a drama by the Guinness Book of World Records, earning $409,000 per episode of House. Laurie has appeared in movies, most notably Sense and Sensibility (1995), 101 Dalmatians (1996), and the Stuart Little movies (1999, 2002, and 2006). His musical endeavours include two albums, Let Them Talk (2011) and his newest release, Didn’t It Rain (2013). The latter is a mix of blues, R&B, tango, and jazz, drawing inspiration from the music of the Southern US and South America. Laurie plays guitar, piano, and provides vocals, while the Copper Bottom Band plays additional instruments. He has just wrapped up the Didn’t It Rain tour which played around the UK and Europe.
Born: June 11, 1959 (Oxford, England)
Education: Dragon School │ Eton College │ Cambridge University
Filmography: Blackadder │ Sense and Sensibility │ Stuart Little │ House │ Street Kings
Discography: Let Them Talk │ Didn’t It Rain
Awards: Golden Globe │ Satellite │ SAG │ TCA │ People’s Choice Award
Follow: Website │ @HughLaurieBlues
Tuesday, August 6 (2013)
Daft Punk (Musicians: “Random Access Memories”)
Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo made up of musicians Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. The duo originated in Paris and rose to popularity in France in the late 90′s, releasing their critically-acclaimed début album Homework in 1997. They subsequently released the albums Discovery (2001), Human After All(2005), Alive (2007), the Tron: Legacy soundtrack (2010) which they composed, and Random Access Memories (2013). Some of their most popular singles are “One More Time”, “Digital Love”, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”, “Robot Rock”, “Technologic”, and “Get Lucky”. The pair have been praised for their contributions to house music and exhilarating live performances, and have been nominated for eight Grammys — winning two — and four BRIT Awards. The duo is noted for its elaborate live shows, in which visual elements and effects are incorporated with the music, with an emphasis on visual, and story components associated with their musical productions. Daft Punk is also known for its use of disguises, particularly the ornate robot costumes, while in public and/or performing. In a rare public appearance, the duo are to be the featured musical act at the highly anticipated Colbchella ’013.
Genre: House │ Electro
Labels: Soma │ Virgin │ Columbia
Discography: Homework │ Human After All │ Alive │ Tron: Legacy │ Random Access Memories
Awards: Grammy │ BRIT Award
Follow: Website │ Facebook
Wednesday, August 7 (2013)
Ashton Kutcher (Actor: ”Jobs”)
Ashton Kutcher is an American actor, producer, and model. His first acting role — and one of his most famous — was that of Kelso in FOX’s popular sitcom That 70′s Show. Kutcher has remained active in television following his departure from the show in 2006. He produced and hosted the hidden camera prank show Punk’d, and produced several other reality series including Beauty and the Geek and Adventures in Hollywood. Since 2011, the actor has starred as Walter Schmidt on Two and a Half Men as a replacement for Charlie Sheen’s character Charlie after Sheen left the show. He has appeared in the films Dude, Where’s My Car?, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, Guess Who, The Guardian, and No Strings Attached. His most recent film is Jobs, in which he plays the late Steve Jobs. The movie is a biographical drama that follows Job’s life from 1971 to 2000. ‘The Guardian’ notes that casting a figure of such social and cultural importance was always going to be challenging, but Kutch – who was not the film-makers first choice – delivers a surprisingly strong performance as Jobs, even capturing his awkward posture and voice. The film, however, has not been met with as strong appraisal, regularly gaining review scores averaging 40 – 50%.
Born: February 7, 1978 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Education: Amana High School │ University of Iowa
Filmography: Dude, Where’s My Car? │ Cheaper By the Dozen │ Just Married │ Guess Who │ The Guardian │ No Strings Attached
Awards: Teen Choice Award │ Kid’s Choice Award │ Critic’s Choice Award
Follow: @aplusk │ Facebook
Thursday, August 8 (2013)
Colum McCann (Author: “TransAtlantic”)
Colum McCann is an Irish author and professor of creative writing at Hunter College in New York state. His novels include Songdogs, This Side of Brightness, Dancer, Zoli, and Let the Great World Spin. His latest novel, TransAtlantic, fuses the historical events of transatlantic fliers Alcock and Brown, Frederick Douglass’s visit to Ireland, and the negotiation of the Irish peace process with the fictional narratives of various women. The story spans two centuries and examines Irish-US relations.
Born: February 28, 1965 (Dublin, Ireland)
Education: College of Commerce (now Dublin Institute of Technology)
Written Work: The New York Times │ The Atlantic Monthy │ GQ │ The Times The Irish Times
Awards: Pushcart Prize │ Rooney Prize │ Irish Novel of the Year Award │ International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
Follow: Website
And now, let’s check in with our good friend John Oliver over at ’The Daily Show!’
Monday, August 5 (2013)
Neal Thompson (Author: “A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley”)
Neal Thompson is an American author and journalist, and instructor at the University of North Carolina’s Great Smokies Writing Program. He is a prolific writer, and has contributed to ESPN, The History Channel, NPR, Outside Magazine, Esquire, Backpacker, Men’s Health, and Sports Illustrated. Thompson has also written four novels: Driving with the Devil, Light This Candle, and Hurricane Season. His fourth and latest book, A Curious Man, is a biography of American cartoonist, entrepreneur, and anthropologist Robert Ripley. Ripley is famously known as the creator of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! franchise.
Born: January 16, 1965 (New Jersey)
Reporter: Baltimore Sun │ The Bergen Record │ The St. Petersburg Times │ The Roanoke Times & World-News │ Philadelphia Inquirer
Literary Works: Driving with the Devil │ Light This Candle │ Hurricane Season │ A Curious Man
Follow: Website │ @NealThompson │ Facebook │ tumblr
Tuesday, August 6 (2013)
Liam Hemsworth (Actor: ”Paranoia”)
Liam Hemsworth is the youngest brother of Australian actors Chris Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, who got his start in one of Australia’s most popular television soapies, Neighbours, and guest roles on Home and Away and McCleod’s Daughters His breakout roles came in 2010, when he appeared in The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone and The Last Song opposite real life partner, Miley Cyrus. He was later given the role of Gale Hawthorn in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, a role which has made him a household name. Hemsworth is set to reprise the role in the sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. His latest film Paranoia features the actor as a young businessman caught in the middle of billionaire rivals (played by Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman).
Born: January 13, 1990 (Melbourne, Australia)
Filmography: The Expendables │ The Last Song │ The Hunger Games │ Paranoia
Awards: Nickelodeon Australian Kids’ Choice Awards
Follow: @LiamHemsworth
Wednesday, August 7 (2013)
TBD
Thursday, August 8 (2013)
Kirsten Gillibrand (Senator: New York)
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democrat who represents the state of New York. Prior to being appointed to the Senate by New York’s Governor David Paterson in 2009, she was elected twice to the House of Representatives, representing New York’s 20th congressional district. In the Senate, she has supported gay rights, gun control measures, and immigration reform. She has worked toward both the repeal of DADT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and the adoption of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Gillibrand’s latest work focuses on rape cases in the US military and changing the way these sexual assault cases are reported.
Born: December 9, 1966 (Albany, New York)
Education: Emma Willard School │ Darmouth College │ University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Follow: Website │ @SenGillibrand
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! Also please try to comment with any tips or suggestions that you have for this post. Thanks! Here’s to a great week of shows! That’s all for this week Hubsters! See you next time!
Better Know a Guest: August 5 – 8, 2013
Hi there Hubsters! My name is Lindsey, and this is my first post as one of the newest members of the Colbert News Hub Staff. I’ll be posting periodically for “Better Know a Guest”. This week’s guest list for the Report features Hugh Laurie, Ashton Kutcher, and Colum McCann. Also, Tuesday is everyone’s favourite music event of the summer — Colbchella ’013, featuring Daft Punk!
Monday, August 5 (2013)
Hugh Laurie (Musician: “Didn’t It Rain”)
Hugh Laurie, OBE, is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He first gained fame as part of the Fry and Laurie comedy duo, along with his close friend and partner in comedy, Stephen Fry. The two later joined the BBC show Blackadder (1987) and the ITV show Jeeves and Wooster (1987). His most famous role is that of the brilliant but troubled Dr. Gregory House of FOX’s medical drama, House,which he played from 2004 to 2012. In 2011, he was named the highest-paid television actor in a drama by the Guinness Book of World Records, earning $409,000 per episode of House. Laurie has appeared in movies, most notably Sense and Sensibility (1995), 101 Dalmatians (1996), and the Stuart Little movies (1999, 2002, and 2006). His musical endeavours include two albums, Let Them Talk (2011) and his newest release, Didn’t It Rain (2013). The latter is a mix of blues, R&B, tango, and jazz, drawing inspiration from the music of the Southern US and South America. Laurie plays guitar, piano, and provides vocals, while the Copper Bottom Band plays additional instruments. He has just wrapped up the Didn’t It Rain tour which played around the UK and Europe.
Born: June 11, 1959 (Oxford, England)
Education: Dragon School │ Eton College │ Cambridge University
Filmography: Blackadder │ Sense and Sensibility │ Stuart Little │ House │ Street Kings
Discography: Let Them Talk │ Didn’t It Rain
Awards: Golden Globe │ Satellite │ SAG │ TCA │ People’s Choice Award
Follow: Website │ @HughLaurieBlues
Tuesday, August 6 (2013)
Daft Punk (Musicians: “Random Access Memories”)
Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo made up of musicians Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. The duo originated in Paris and rose to popularity in France in the late 90′s, releasing their critically-acclaimed début album Homework in 1997. They subsequently released the albums Discovery (2001), Human After All(2005), Alive (2007), the Tron: Legacy soundtrack (2010) which they composed, and Random Access Memories (2013). Some of their most popular singles are “One More Time”, “Digital Love”, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”, “Robot Rock”, “Technologic”, and “Get Lucky”. The pair have been praised for their contributions to house music and exhilarating live performances, and have been nominated for eight Grammys — winning two — and four BRIT Awards. The duo is noted for its elaborate live shows, in which visual elements and effects are incorporated with the music, with an emphasis on visual, and story components associated with their musical productions. Daft Punk is also known for its use of disguises, particularly the ornate robot costumes, while in public and/or performing. In a rare public appearance, the duo are to be the featured musical act at the highly anticipated Colbchella ’013.
Genre: House │ Electro
Labels: Soma │ Virgin │ Columbia
Discography: Homework │ Human After All │ Alive │ Tron: Legacy │ Random Access Memories
Awards: Grammy │ BRIT Award
Follow: Website │ Facebook
Wednesday, August 7 (2013)
Ashton Kutcher (Actor: ”Jobs”)
Ashton Kutcher is an American actor, producer, and model. His first acting role — and one of his most famous — was that of Kelso in FOX’s popular sitcom That 70′s Show. Kutcher has remained active in television following his departure from the show in 2006. He produced and hosted the hidden camera prank show Punk’d, and produced several other reality series including Beauty and the Geek and Adventures in Hollywood. Since 2011, the actor has starred as Walter Schmidt on Two and a Half Men as a replacement for Charlie Sheen’s character Charlie after Sheen left the show. He has appeared in the films Dude, Where’s My Car?, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, Guess Who, The Guardian, and No Strings Attached. His most recent film is Jobs, in which he plays the late Steve Jobs. The movie is a biographical drama that follows Job’s life from 1971 to 2000. ‘The Guardian’ notes that casting a figure of such social and cultural importance was always going to be challenging, but Kutch – who was not the film-makers first choice – delivers a surprisingly strong performance as Jobs, even capturing his awkward posture and voice. The film, however, has not been met with as strong appraisal, regularly gaining review scores averaging 40 – 50%.
Born: February 7, 1978 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Education: Amana High School │ University of Iowa
Filmography: Dude, Where’s My Car? │ Cheaper By the Dozen │ Just Married │ Guess Who │ The Guardian │ No Strings Attached
Awards: Teen Choice Award │ Kid’s Choice Award │ Critic’s Choice Award
Follow: @aplusk │ Facebook
Thursday, August 8 (2013)
Colum McCann (Author: “TransAtlantic”)
Colum McCann is an Irish author and professor of creative writing at Hunter College in New York state. His novels include Songdogs, This Side of Brightness, Dancer, Zoli, and Let the Great World Spin. His latest novel, TransAtlantic, fuses the historical events of transatlantic fliers Alcock and Brown, Frederick Douglass’s visit to Ireland, and the negotiation of the Irish peace process with the fictional narratives of various women. The story spans two centuries and examines Irish-US relations.
Born: February 28, 1965 (Dublin, Ireland)
Education: College of Commerce (now Dublin Institute of Technology)
Written Work: The New York Times │ The Atlantic Monthy │ GQ │ The Times The Irish Times
Awards: Pushcart Prize │ Rooney Prize │ Irish Novel of the Year Award │ International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
Follow: Website
And now, let’s check in with our good friend John Oliver over at ’The Daily Show!’
Monday, August 5 (2013)
Neal Thompson (Author: “A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley”)
Neal Thompson is an American author and journalist, and instructor at the University of North Carolina’s Great Smokies Writing Program. He is a prolific writer, and has contributed to ESPN, The History Channel, NPR, Outside Magazine, Esquire, Backpacker, Men’s Health, and Sports Illustrated. Thompson has also written four novels: Driving with the Devil, Light This Candle, and Hurricane Season. His fourth and latest book, A Curious Man, is a biography of American cartoonist, entrepreneur, and anthropologist Robert Ripley. Ripley is famously known as the creator of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! franchise.
Born: January 16, 1965 (New Jersey)
Reporter: Baltimore Sun │ The Bergen Record │ The St. Petersburg Times │ The Roanoke Times & World-News │ Philadelphia Inquirer
Literary Works: Driving with the Devil │ Light This Candle │ Hurricane Season │ A Curious Man
Follow: Website │ @NealThompson │ Facebook │ tumblr
Tuesday, August 6 (2013)
Liam Hemsworth (Actor: ”Paranoia”)
Liam Hemsworth is the youngest brother of Australian actors Chris Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, who got his start in one of Australia’s most popular television soapies, Neighbours, and guest roles on Home and Away and McCleod’s Daughters His breakout roles came in 2010, when he appeared in The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone and The Last Song opposite real life partner, Miley Cyrus. He was later given the role of Gale Hawthorn in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, a role which has made him a household name. Hemsworth is set to reprise the role in the sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. His latest film Paranoia features the actor as a young businessman caught in the middle of billionaire rivals (played by Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman).
Born: January 13, 1990 (Melbourne, Australia)
Filmography: The Expendables │ The Last Song │ The Hunger Games │ Paranoia
Awards: Nickelodeon Australian Kids’ Choice Awards
Follow: @LiamHemsworth
Wednesday, August 7 (2013)
TBD
Thursday, August 8 (2013)
Kirsten Gillibrand (Senator: New York)
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democrat who represents the state of New York. Prior to being appointed to the Senate by New York’s Governor David Paterson in 2009, she was elected twice to the House of Representatives, representing New York’s 20th congressional district. In the Senate, she has supported gay rights, gun control measures, and immigration reform. She has worked toward both the repeal of DADT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and the adoption of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Gillibrand’s latest work focuses on rape cases in the US military and changing the way these sexual assault cases are reported.
Born: December 9, 1966 (Albany, New York)
Education: Emma Willard School │ Darmouth College │ University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Follow: Website │ @SenGillibrand
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! Also please try to comment with any tips or suggestions that you have for this post. Thanks! Here’s to a great week of shows! That’s all for this week Hubsters! See you next time!