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.
International news events loom large this week, most notably that all the world is mourning the death of Nelson Mandela. For the first time in recent memory, four U.S. Presidents and world leaders from 70 countries will be on hand to pay homage to Mandiba in South Africa this week, making it one of the largest events ever to be held in Africa. In other, smaller world news, the U.S. soccer team got one of the toughest possible draws for 2014, obtaining the “Group of Death”: tough (and far-flung) competitors Germany, Ghana, and Portugal.
Against this backdrop of world events, the Report welcomes a climate scientist, an NPR financial correspondent, a best selling novelist, and a journalist who writes a scathing portrayal of the fraying elements of American society. Jon’s guests include a healthy roster of actors for some of the biggest movies concluding 2013, including a timely Mandela film. Also, friend of both shows Reza Aslan appears. Let’s take a closer look and this week’s guests, and let us know who you are looking forward to seeing!
Monday, December 9 (2013)
David Keith (Author: “A Case for Climate Engineering”)
Canadian born environmental scientist David Keith has worked in the fields of climatic sciences, energy technology and public policy for the past two decades. Keith’s achievemens in environmental sciences have been recognised by Canadian Geographic where he was named as the Environmental Scientist of the Year in 2006, and was listed as one of TIME Magazine’s ‘Heroes of the Environment’ in 2009. Keith’s academic appoinment see him split his time between Boston where he is Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School; and Calgary, where he helps lead Carbon Engineering a company developing technology to capture of CO2 from ambient air. Keith’s newest publication “A Case for Climate Engineering” argues that after decades of little progress being made toward reducing carbon emissions, it is time to responsibly consider climatic engineering as a method of slowing global warming. The extremely controversial technology has seen Keith’s book meet with mixed reviews, especially by those who question Keith’s omission artificial cloud creation and jet engine emissions.
Follow: Website | Google Scholar
Tuesday, December 10 (2013)
Alex Blumberg (Contributing Editor: NPR’s “Planet Money”)
Alex Blumberg is an American producer for public radio and television, a contributing editor for NPR’s ‘Planet Money’, and is currently an adjunct Professor of Journalism at Columbia University. Blumberg has served as the producer for the public radio show ‘This American Life’ since 1999, where his stories are reguarly featured on the show. In 2007 Blumberg joined the television version as an executive producer. Blumberg will be appearing on the show to discuss NPR’s ‘Public Money’ which aims to discuss the economy in a ‘friends at bar’ type setting.
Education: Oberlin College
Radio: This American Life | Planet Money | Savvy Traveller | Chicago Public Radio
Television: This American Life
Awards: Third Coast International Audio Festival | Public Radio News Directors Incorporated Award (Best Radio Documentary) | George Polk Award in Radio Reporting
Follow: @abexlumberg
Wednesday, December 11 (2013)
Elizabeth Gilbert (Author: “The Signature of All Things”)
Elizabeth Gilbert is an American author, memoirist, essayist and novelist. Her best known work is “Eat, Pray, Love” (2006), which chronicled her journey alone around the world, looking for solace after a difficult divorce. The book was adapted to the big screen in 2010, but failed to live up to the expectations of the books fans, despite its all-star cast, with Julia Roberts playing Gilbert. Her latest book, “The Signature of All Things”, is a work of fiction set in the 19th century that is filled with eclectic characters that take the reader on a journey across the globe from London to Philadelphia to Tahiti. O Magazine named it “the novel of a lifetime”, and The Wall Street Journal called it “the most ambitious and purely-imagined work of (Gilbert’s) twenty-year career.” She currently lives in New Jersey and runs an imports store with her husband (more widely known as “That Brazilian Guy” from EPL) called ‘Two Buttons’.
Born: July 18, 1969 (Waterbury, Connecticut)
Education: New York University
Journalist: Spin | GQ | The New York Times Magazine
Novels: Stern Men | The Signature of All Things
Memoirs: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia | Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Biographies: The Last American Man
Short Collections: Pilgrims
Awards: Pushcart Prize
Follow: Website | @GilbertLiz | Facebook
Thursday, December 12 (2013)
George Packer (Author: “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America”)
George Packer is an American journalist, novelist, playwright, and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 2003. Packer served in the Peace Corps in Togo before beginning a career as a writer and columnist for Mother Jones. In 2004 Packer, a former supporter of the War in Iraq, wrote ‘The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq’ which analyses the events that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and reports on subsequent developments in that country, which are largely based on interviews with ordinary Iraqis. Named his most ambitious work to date, “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” is an examination of a nation in crisis, a superpower in serious danger of coming apart at seams as elites and institutions fail the American people who are left to improvise their own success and salvation. The book focuses on the ways in which America has changed from 1978 – 2012, by journey through the lives of individuals from varying backgrounds.
Born: August 13, 1960 (Santa Clara, California)
Education: Yale College | American Academy in Berlin
Articles: Boston Review | The Nation | World Affairs | Harper’s | The New York Times | The New Yorker
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!
Monday, December 10 (2013)
Husain Haqqani (Author: “Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding”)
Husain Haqqani is a Pakistani political author, journalist, scholar, educator and the former Ambassador of Pakistan to Sri Lanka (1992–1993) and the United States (2008–2011). Haqqani currently serves as the Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute and co-edits the journal ‘Current Trends in Islamist Ideology’ published by Hudson Institute’s Center for Islam, Democracy and Future of the Muslim World. Ambassador Haqqani is also Director of the Center of International Relations, and Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University. In his latest book “Magnificant Delusions” Haqqani uses his wealth of personal experience to present a detailed account of the genesis and evolution of teh relationship between the United States and Pakistan over the last 60 years.
Born: 1 July 1956 (Karachi, Pakistan)
Education: University of Karachi
Follow: Website | @HusainHaqqani
Tuesday, December 10 (2013)
Amy Adams (Actress: “American Hustle”)
Amy Adams is a four-time Academy Award nominated Italian-born American actress and singer. Adams interest in performing developed while growing up in Colorado where she was a member of her high school choir and as an apprentice in a local dance company. After performing on stage in dinner theatres, Adams made her screen debut in the black comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous, which led to a number of television guest appearance and B-Movies. Her breakthrough role and first Academy Award nomination came in 2005, in the independent film Junebug. In her new film American Hustle Adams plays Sydney Prosser, the mistress of mobster Irving Rosenfeld, in the film based on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s. The film is noted for having one of the best ensemble casts of the year.
Born: August 20, 1974 (Vicenza, Italy)
Education: Douglas County High School
Television: King of the Hill | The Office
Film: Drop Dead Gorgeous | Catch Me If You Can | Junebug | Enchanted | Charlie Wilson’s War | Julie & Julia | Man of Steel | American Hustle
Awards: National Society of Film Critics Award | Independent Spirit Award | Screen Actors Guild Award | Saturn Award | Academy Award
Wednesday, December 11 (2013)
Reza Aslan (Writer and Scholar: “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”)
Reza Aslan is an Iranian-Americana writer and scholar who frequently comments on news, religion and culture in the Middle East. He is currently on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside and a contributing editor for The Daily Beast, a news/opinion site launched in October 2008. As an author he has written No God But God:The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, an international best seller, which has been translated into thirteen different languages. He has recently been in the news discussing the Iranian nuclear deal and speaking out on comments made by Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin against Pope Francis.
Born: May 3, 1972 (Tehran, Iran)
Education: Santa Clara University | Harvard Divinity School | University of California, Santa Barbara | University of Iowa
Writer: The Christian Science Monitor | Los Angeles Times | The New York Times | Slate | The Boston Globe | The Washington Post | The Guardian | Chicago Tribune | The Nation
Member: Council on Foreign Relations | Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities | Pacific Council on International Policy
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance: Interview – April 21, 2005 | January 24, 2006 | August 21, 2006 | May 10, 2007 | April 20, 2009 | June 24, 2009 | April 5, 2010 | July 17, 2013
Follow: Website | @RezaAslan and @AslanMedia | Facebook
Thursday, December 12 (2013)
Evangeline Lilly (Actress: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”)
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress and aspiring author of children’s book. Best known for her role as Kate Austen in ABC’s Lost, Lilly’s Christian upbringing has seen her take great interest in humanitarian causes and global development, where she uses her earnings as an actress to further humanitarian efforts and support non-profit organisations. Lilly stars as Tauriel, a tough-yet-tender elf warrior created by the films screenwriters as the only female character ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Lilly recent showed of her ability to speak Elvish on Conan, while her male cast mates, despite their excitement at having a girl on set, failed to identify her bare feet in a fun interview with Yahoo Movies.
Born: August 3, 1979 (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada)
Education: W. J. Mouat Secondary School | University of British Columbia
Television: Smallville | Kingdom Hospital | Lost
Film: The Lizzie McGuire Movie The Hurt Locker | Real Steel | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | The Hobbit: There and Back Again
Awards: Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Follow: Website | @EvangelineLilly |
Better Know a Guest: December 9 – 12, 2013
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.
International news events loom large this week, most notably that all the world is mourning the death of Nelson Mandela. For the first time in recent memory, four U.S. Presidents and world leaders from 70 countries will be on hand to pay homage to Mandiba in South Africa this week, making it one of the largest events ever to be held in Africa. In other, smaller world news, the U.S. soccer team got one of the toughest possible draws for 2014, obtaining the “Group of Death”: tough (and far-flung) competitors Germany, Ghana, and Portugal.
Against this backdrop of world events, the Report welcomes a climate scientist, an NPR financial correspondent, a best selling novelist, and a journalist who writes a scathing portrayal of the fraying elements of American society. Jon’s guests include a healthy roster of actors for some of the biggest movies concluding 2013, including a timely Mandela film. Also, friend of both shows Reza Aslan appears. Let’s take a closer look and this week’s guests, and let us know who you are looking forward to seeing!
Monday, December 9 (2013)
David Keith (Author: “A Case for Climate Engineering”)
Canadian born environmental scientist David Keith has worked in the fields of climatic sciences, energy technology and public policy for the past two decades. Keith’s achievemens in environmental sciences have been recognised by Canadian Geographic where he was named as the Environmental Scientist of the Year in 2006, and was listed as one of TIME Magazine’s ‘Heroes of the Environment’ in 2009. Keith’s academic appoinment see him split his time between Boston where he is Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School; and Calgary, where he helps lead Carbon Engineering a company developing technology to capture of CO2 from ambient air. Keith’s newest publication “A Case for Climate Engineering” argues that after decades of little progress being made toward reducing carbon emissions, it is time to responsibly consider climatic engineering as a method of slowing global warming. The extremely controversial technology has seen Keith’s book meet with mixed reviews, especially by those who question Keith’s omission artificial cloud creation and jet engine emissions.
Follow: Website | Google Scholar
Tuesday, December 10 (2013)
Alex Blumberg (Contributing Editor: NPR’s “Planet Money”)
Alex Blumberg is an American producer for public radio and television, a contributing editor for NPR’s ‘Planet Money’, and is currently an adjunct Professor of Journalism at Columbia University. Blumberg has served as the producer for the public radio show ‘This American Life’ since 1999, where his stories are reguarly featured on the show. In 2007 Blumberg joined the television version as an executive producer. Blumberg will be appearing on the show to discuss NPR’s ‘Public Money’ which aims to discuss the economy in a ‘friends at bar’ type setting.
Education: Oberlin College
Radio: This American Life | Planet Money | Savvy Traveller | Chicago Public Radio
Television: This American Life
Awards: Third Coast International Audio Festival | Public Radio News Directors Incorporated Award (Best Radio Documentary) | George Polk Award in Radio Reporting
Follow: @abexlumberg
Wednesday, December 11 (2013)
Elizabeth Gilbert (Author: “The Signature of All Things”)
Elizabeth Gilbert is an American author, memoirist, essayist and novelist. Her best known work is “Eat, Pray, Love” (2006), which chronicled her journey alone around the world, looking for solace after a difficult divorce. The book was adapted to the big screen in 2010, but failed to live up to the expectations of the books fans, despite its all-star cast, with Julia Roberts playing Gilbert. Her latest book, “The Signature of All Things”, is a work of fiction set in the 19th century that is filled with eclectic characters that take the reader on a journey across the globe from London to Philadelphia to Tahiti. O Magazine named it “the novel of a lifetime”, and The Wall Street Journal called it “the most ambitious and purely-imagined work of (Gilbert’s) twenty-year career.” She currently lives in New Jersey and runs an imports store with her husband (more widely known as “That Brazilian Guy” from EPL) called ‘Two Buttons’.
Born: July 18, 1969 (Waterbury, Connecticut)
Education: New York University
Journalist: Spin | GQ | The New York Times Magazine
Novels: Stern Men | The Signature of All Things
Memoirs: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia | Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Biographies: The Last American Man
Short Collections: Pilgrims
Awards: Pushcart Prize
Follow: Website | @GilbertLiz | Facebook
Thursday, December 12 (2013)
George Packer (Author: “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America”)
George Packer is an American journalist, novelist, playwright, and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 2003. Packer served in the Peace Corps in Togo before beginning a career as a writer and columnist for Mother Jones. In 2004 Packer, a former supporter of the War in Iraq, wrote ‘The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq’ which analyses the events that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and reports on subsequent developments in that country, which are largely based on interviews with ordinary Iraqis. Named his most ambitious work to date, “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” is an examination of a nation in crisis, a superpower in serious danger of coming apart at seams as elites and institutions fail the American people who are left to improvise their own success and salvation. The book focuses on the ways in which America has changed from 1978 – 2012, by journey through the lives of individuals from varying backgrounds.
Born: August 13, 1960 (Santa Clara, California)
Education: Yale College | American Academy in Berlin
Articles: Boston Review | The Nation | World Affairs | Harper’s | The New York Times | The New Yorker
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!
Monday, December 10 (2013)
Husain Haqqani (Author: “Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding”)
Husain Haqqani is a Pakistani political author, journalist, scholar, educator and the former Ambassador of Pakistan to Sri Lanka (1992–1993) and the United States (2008–2011). Haqqani currently serves as the Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute and co-edits the journal ‘Current Trends in Islamist Ideology’ published by Hudson Institute’s Center for Islam, Democracy and Future of the Muslim World. Ambassador Haqqani is also Director of the Center of International Relations, and Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University. In his latest book “Magnificant Delusions” Haqqani uses his wealth of personal experience to present a detailed account of the genesis and evolution of teh relationship between the United States and Pakistan over the last 60 years.
Born: 1 July 1956 (Karachi, Pakistan)
Education: University of Karachi
Follow: Website | @HusainHaqqani
Tuesday, December 10 (2013)
Amy Adams (Actress: “American Hustle”)
Amy Adams is a four-time Academy Award nominated Italian-born American actress and singer. Adams interest in performing developed while growing up in Colorado where she was a member of her high school choir and as an apprentice in a local dance company. After performing on stage in dinner theatres, Adams made her screen debut in the black comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous, which led to a number of television guest appearance and B-Movies. Her breakthrough role and first Academy Award nomination came in 2005, in the independent film Junebug. In her new film American Hustle Adams plays Sydney Prosser, the mistress of mobster Irving Rosenfeld, in the film based on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s. The film is noted for having one of the best ensemble casts of the year.
Born: August 20, 1974 (Vicenza, Italy)
Education: Douglas County High School
Television: King of the Hill | The Office
Film: Drop Dead Gorgeous | Catch Me If You Can | Junebug | Enchanted | Charlie Wilson’s War | Julie & Julia | Man of Steel | American Hustle
Awards: National Society of Film Critics Award | Independent Spirit Award | Screen Actors Guild Award | Saturn Award | Academy Award
Wednesday, December 11 (2013)
Reza Aslan (Writer and Scholar: “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”)
Reza Aslan is an Iranian-Americana writer and scholar who frequently comments on news, religion and culture in the Middle East. He is currently on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside and a contributing editor for The Daily Beast, a news/opinion site launched in October 2008. As an author he has written No God But God:The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, an international best seller, which has been translated into thirteen different languages. He has recently been in the news discussing the Iranian nuclear deal and speaking out on comments made by Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin against Pope Francis.
Born: May 3, 1972 (Tehran, Iran)
Education: Santa Clara University | Harvard Divinity School | University of California, Santa Barbara | University of Iowa
Writer: The Christian Science Monitor | Los Angeles Times | The New York Times | Slate | The Boston Globe | The Washington Post | The Guardian | Chicago Tribune | The Nation
Member: Council on Foreign Relations | Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities | Pacific Council on International Policy
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance: Interview – April 21, 2005 | January 24, 2006 | August 21, 2006 | May 10, 2007 | April 20, 2009 | June 24, 2009 | April 5, 2010 | July 17, 2013
Follow: Website | @RezaAslan and @AslanMedia | Facebook
Thursday, December 12 (2013)
Evangeline Lilly (Actress: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”)
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress and aspiring author of children’s book. Best known for her role as Kate Austen in ABC’s Lost, Lilly’s Christian upbringing has seen her take great interest in humanitarian causes and global development, where she uses her earnings as an actress to further humanitarian efforts and support non-profit organisations. Lilly stars as Tauriel, a tough-yet-tender elf warrior created by the films screenwriters as the only female character ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Lilly recent showed of her ability to speak Elvish on Conan, while her male cast mates, despite their excitement at having a girl on set, failed to identify her bare feet in a fun interview with Yahoo Movies.
Born: August 3, 1979 (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada)
Education: W. J. Mouat Secondary School | University of British Columbia
Television: Smallville | Kingdom Hospital | Lost
Film: The Lizzie McGuire Movie The Hurt Locker | Real Steel | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | The Hobbit: There and Back Again
Awards: Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Follow: Website | @EvangelineLilly |