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.
Hello, Hubsters! Itʼs time to gear up for another week of The Late Show. Stephen has some great television stars coming our way along with music legends, a Civil Rights Activist, an NFL player, a podcast host, and an array of musicians. Who are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comment section and don’t forget to take our poll! Have a wonderful week!
Monday, January 18th (2016)
Patricia Heaton (Actress – “The Middle”)
Patricia Heaton is an American actress, best known for portraying Debra Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond”, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards. Since 2009, Heaton has played Frankie Heck on the sitcom “The Middle”, which is in its 7th season. You can watch “The Middle” on ABC on Wednesdays at 8:00pm EST.
Quincy Jones (N90Q Headphones)
Quincy Jones is an American record producer, conductor, arranger, composer, musician, television producer, film producer, instrumentalist, magazine founder, entertainment company executive, and humanitarian. Jones been nominated for a record 79 Grammys and won more Grammys than any living musician (27). Jones produced the song “Believe” by Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Jones recently designed the N90Q headphones, which are state of the art, flagship level headphones that represent the ultimate in acoustic performance and audio customization.
DeRay McKesson (Civil Rights Activist)
DeRay Mckesson is an American civil rights activist. He is a member of the organizations “We The Protesters” and “Camp Zero” which organizes protests that center on African-American people and police accountability. He helped organize demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo. and around the country in response to police shootings. Last year he and other activists met with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, pushing both to focus on racial inequities. On January 14th he met with Rep. Donna Edwards as part of the center of her Senate campaign.
Grace (EP – “Memo“)
Grace Sewell (known simply as Grace) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She is best known for “You Donʼt Own Me”, a cover version of the 1963 Lesley Gore song, produced by Quincy Jones and featuring G-Eazy. The song, a single from her debut EP “Memo” was a Spotify top 10 most viral track and Australian number 1 hit. Nizza Munoz from the The Indiependent says, “In its entirety the EP is a fantastic first release, it’s confident, sassy and has a real edge to it that makes you curious for the things to come from the talented musician.”
Tuesday, January 19th (2016)
Charlie Day (Actor – “Itʼs Always Sunny In Philadelphia”)
Charlie Day is an American actor, musician, producer, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and for his roles in “Horrible Bosses”, “Pacific Rim”, and “The Lego Movie.” “Itʼs Always Sunny in Philadelphia” kicked off its 11th season on January 6th. You can watch “Always Sunny” on FXX on Wednesdays at 10pm EST.
Colin Hanks (Actor – “Life in Pieces”)
Colin Hanks is an American actor and eldest son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. He is known for starring in the 2002 film “Orange County” and the 2010 Fox TV series “The Good Guys.” He currently plays Greg on the new CBS sitcom, “Life in Pieces.” You can watch “Life in Pieces” on Mondays on CBS.
Margo Price (Album – “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter“)
Margo Price is an American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee, who will release her debut solo album, “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter”, on Third Man Records in March, 2016. The Fader has called her “country’s next star,” while Rolling Stone have named the album amongst the ’35 Most Anticipated Country Albums of 2016′. Interestingly, the album “was rejected by every label in Nashville except Jack White’s Third Man Records, and they likely snatched it up for the same reason the others passed: it’s unapologetic, radio-be-damned classic country anchored by whip-smart songwriting and a taste for the devilish side of life.”
Wednesday, January 20th (2016)
James Spader (Actor – “The Blacklist”)
[Just Added]
Brandon Marshall (New York Jets Wide Receiver and Panelist – “Inside the NFL”)
Brandon Marshall is an NFL wide receiver for the New York Jets. During his NFL career, Marshall has been nicknamed “The Beast.” He is one of only five players in NFL history to catch at least 100 passes in three consecutive seasons. Marshall was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and spreads awareness about the illness which affects 2-5% of the population at some stage during their lives. People affected by BPD frequently experience distressing emotional states, difficulty in relating to other people, and self-harming behaviour.
Sarah Koenig (Host and Executive Producer – “Serial” Podcast)
Sarah Koenig is an American journalist, public radio personality, staff producer of the television and radio program “This American Life”, and the host and executive producer of the acclaimed podcast “Serial.” “Serial” tells one true story over the course of a season. Season 2 focuses on the case of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl who had been a prisoner of the Taliban in Afghanistan for almost five years. President Obama announced Bergdahl’s return in the Rose Garden, with the soldier’s parents at his side. Bergdahl’s hometown of Hailey, Idaho, planned a big celebration to welcome him home, but within days of his rescue public reaction to his return changed. Soldiers from his unit stated the he had deliberately walked away from their small outpost in eastern Afghanistan into hostile territory, calling him a deserter and a traitor who should not be celebrated.
Rev Run (Host – “Itʼs Not You, Itʼs Men”)
Joseph Ward Simmons, known by the stage name Rev Run or DJ Run, is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Run–DMC. He is also a practicing minister, known as Reverend Run. Run-DMC will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this yearʼs Grammy Awards. They will be the first rappers to receive this award. His newest project is a show on the OWN Network called “Itʼs Not You, Itʼs Men.” The show will feature Tyrese Gibson and Rev Run, bringing viewers their insight on everything from men and love to relationships and marriage. “Itʼs Not You, Itʼs Men” premieres on OWN on January 23rd at 9pm EST.
Thursday, January 21st (2016)
Christian Slater (Actor – “Mr Robot”)
Michael Slater is an American actor, who currently stars as the title character in “Mr Robot” (USA Network). The show follows Elliot Alderson, a young computer programmer who suffers from social anxiety disorder and forms connections through hacking. He is recruited by the mysterious anarchist Mr. Robot, the leader of an underground hacking group that recruits him to destroy the firm he is paid to protect. Michael Hogan of The Telegraph calls ‘Mr Robot’ one of “US TV’s most talked-about new dramas of 2015,” and that “the brilliant conspiracy drama made most other dramas look pedestrian and positively prehistoric.”
Josh Radnor (Actor – “Mercy Street”)
Josh Radnor is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter, who is best known for playing Ted Mosby in “How I Met Your Mother” and currently stars as Dr. Jed Foster in “Mercy Street” (PBS). “Mercy Street” is an American medical drama set during the Civil War, and follows two volunteer nurses, New England abolitionist Mary Phinney and Confederate supporter Emma Green who both work at Mansion House Hospital in Virginia. The show has received mixed reviews from fans and critics, with Maureen Ryan of Variety noting that the series “offers a number of enticements for aficionados of period pieces and 19th century history”, but it “tries to be a lot of things at once: It’s a historical exploration of the divided loyalties of the Civil War, a costume drama with mild comic elements, an occasionally harrowing medical saga, and a coming-of-age story for several of its lead protagonists” and that at times “the show’s attempts to knit these strands into a unified whole get tangled or frayed”.
Iggy Pop (Album – “Post Pop Depression“)
Iggy Pop is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, who has secretly teamed up with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age to independently write and record the album “Post Pop Depression”, which is scheduled to be released in March 2016. Due to the surprise nature its announcement, the album has yet to be reviewed, but the duo will perform a new song from the album.
Friday, January 22nd (2016)
Steven Tyler (Janie’s Fund)
Steven Tyler is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and lead singer of Aerosmith. In addition to his work as a musician, Tyler is the founder of “Janie’s Fund”.Created in partnership with “Youth Villages”, “Janie’s Fund” is a philanthropic initiative that works to bring hope and healing to vulnerable girls who have suffered trauma from abuse and neglect. Named after Aerosmith’s 1989 song, “Janie’s Got a Gun”, Tyler tells TIME that “since writing the song about a girl who kills her abusive father […] I’ve been overwhelmed by the thousands of fans who have sent me letters, telling me their stories and how ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’ affected and inspired them. We can’t undo what’s been done by abuse in this country, but we CAN let these girls know they are loved, get them the help they need, and assure them that there is MUCH LIGHT at the end of the tunnel.”
Gaby Hoffman (Actress- “Transparent“)
Gabriella Hoffmann is an American film and television actress who currently stars as Alexandria “Ali” Pfefferman in “Transparent” (Amazon). The series centres around the Pfefferman family and follows their lives after their father Mort (Jeffrey Tambor) reveals that he is transgender and embarks on a new life as Maura. Speaking on the shows second season, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic says that “‘Transparent’s’ second season shocked me. It feels like a deep questioning of some of the central tenets of progressive society. The show is very interested in the way that following one’s own truth, rewriting old social rules, and practicing radical honesty can harm others and destabilize one’s life. It’s constantly looking for the line between self-actualization and mere selfishness. And its characters use politics as a pretext for making ungenerous choices, and thereby risk undermining the credibility of those politics in general. This allows Transparent to be more bracing, more challenging, and more compelling than most any other show on TV.”
Låpsley (Album – “Long Way Home“)
Holly Lapsley Fletcher is a British singer-songwriter and electronic music artist. Following a stellar 2015 which saw the release of her well-received EP “Understudy”, 206 will mark the release of her debut album “Long Way Home”. The album offers fans an intimate look at the past twelve months of her increasingly successful career, which she elaborates on in this official statement, “It’s an autobiography of my emotions and events over the past year. Everything that’s happened, I’ve channeled in some way into a song – whether that’s the theme of a long distance relationship, or something that he’s said, or the way that I’ve felt, or an argument. I only revisit the memories of that relationship when I go into the studio. I think it’s helped me, to be able to collect everything for those moments when I’m writing. I think that’s what’s driven this album.”
Better Know a Guest – January 18 – 22, 2016
Hello, Hubsters! Itʼs time to gear up for another week of The Late Show. Stephen has some great television stars coming our way along with music legends, a Civil Rights Activist, an NFL player, a podcast host, and an array of musicians. Who are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comment section and don’t forget to take our poll! Have a wonderful week!
Monday, January 18th (2016)
Patricia Heaton (Actress – “The Middle”)
Patricia Heaton is an American actress, best known for portraying Debra Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond”, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards. Since 2009, Heaton has played Frankie Heck on the sitcom “The Middle”, which is in its 7th season. You can watch “The Middle” on ABC on Wednesdays at 8:00pm EST.
Quincy Jones (N90Q Headphones)
Quincy Jones is an American record producer, conductor, arranger, composer, musician, television producer, film producer, instrumentalist, magazine founder, entertainment company executive, and humanitarian. Jones been nominated for a record 79 Grammys and won more Grammys than any living musician (27). Jones produced the song “Believe” by Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Jones recently designed the N90Q headphones, which are state of the art, flagship level headphones that represent the ultimate in acoustic performance and audio customization.
DeRay McKesson (Civil Rights Activist)
DeRay Mckesson is an American civil rights activist. He is a member of the organizations “We The Protesters” and “Camp Zero” which organizes protests that center on African-American people and police accountability. He helped organize demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo. and around the country in response to police shootings. Last year he and other activists met with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, pushing both to focus on racial inequities. On January 14th he met with Rep. Donna Edwards as part of the center of her Senate campaign.
Grace (EP – “Memo“)
Grace Sewell (known simply as Grace) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She is best known for “You Donʼt Own Me”, a cover version of the 1963 Lesley Gore song, produced by Quincy Jones and featuring G-Eazy. The song, a single from her debut EP “Memo” was a Spotify top 10 most viral track and Australian number 1 hit. Nizza Munoz from the The Indiependent says, “In its entirety the EP is a fantastic first release, it’s confident, sassy and has a real edge to it that makes you curious for the things to come from the talented musician.”
Tuesday, January 19th (2016)
Charlie Day (Actor – “Itʼs Always Sunny In Philadelphia”)
Charlie Day is an American actor, musician, producer, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and for his roles in “Horrible Bosses”, “Pacific Rim”, and “The Lego Movie.” “Itʼs Always Sunny in Philadelphia” kicked off its 11th season on January 6th. You can watch “Always Sunny” on FXX on Wednesdays at 10pm EST.
Colin Hanks (Actor – “Life in Pieces”)
Colin Hanks is an American actor and eldest son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. He is known for starring in the 2002 film “Orange County” and the 2010 Fox TV series “The Good Guys.” He currently plays Greg on the new CBS sitcom, “Life in Pieces.” You can watch “Life in Pieces” on Mondays on CBS.
Margo Price (Album – “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter“)
Margo Price is an American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee, who will release her debut solo album, “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter”, on Third Man Records in March, 2016. The Fader has called her “country’s next star,” while Rolling Stone have named the album amongst the ’35 Most Anticipated Country Albums of 2016′. Interestingly, the album “was rejected by every label in Nashville except Jack White’s Third Man Records, and they likely snatched it up for the same reason the others passed: it’s unapologetic, radio-be-damned classic country anchored by whip-smart songwriting and a taste for the devilish side of life.”
Wednesday, January 20th (2016)
James Spader (Actor – “The Blacklist”)
[Just Added]
Brandon Marshall (New York Jets Wide Receiver and Panelist – “Inside the NFL”)
Brandon Marshall is an NFL wide receiver for the New York Jets. During his NFL career, Marshall has been nicknamed “The Beast.” He is one of only five players in NFL history to catch at least 100 passes in three consecutive seasons. Marshall was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and spreads awareness about the illness which affects 2-5% of the population at some stage during their lives. People affected by BPD frequently experience distressing emotional states, difficulty in relating to other people, and self-harming behaviour.
Sarah Koenig (Host and Executive Producer – “Serial” Podcast)
Sarah Koenig is an American journalist, public radio personality, staff producer of the television and radio program “This American Life”, and the host and executive producer of the acclaimed podcast “Serial.” “Serial” tells one true story over the course of a season. Season 2 focuses on the case of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl who had been a prisoner of the Taliban in Afghanistan for almost five years. President Obama announced Bergdahl’s return in the Rose Garden, with the soldier’s parents at his side. Bergdahl’s hometown of Hailey, Idaho, planned a big celebration to welcome him home, but within days of his rescue public reaction to his return changed. Soldiers from his unit stated the he had deliberately walked away from their small outpost in eastern Afghanistan into hostile territory, calling him a deserter and a traitor who should not be celebrated.
Rev Run (Host – “Itʼs Not You, Itʼs Men”)
Joseph Ward Simmons, known by the stage name Rev Run or DJ Run, is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Run–DMC. He is also a practicing minister, known as Reverend Run. Run-DMC will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this yearʼs Grammy Awards. They will be the first rappers to receive this award. His newest project is a show on the OWN Network called “Itʼs Not You, Itʼs Men.” The show will feature Tyrese Gibson and Rev Run, bringing viewers their insight on everything from men and love to relationships and marriage. “Itʼs Not You, Itʼs Men” premieres on OWN on January 23rd at 9pm EST.
Thursday, January 21st (2016)
Christian Slater (Actor – “Mr Robot”)
Michael Slater is an American actor, who currently stars as the title character in “Mr Robot” (USA Network). The show follows Elliot Alderson, a young computer programmer who suffers from social anxiety disorder and forms connections through hacking. He is recruited by the mysterious anarchist Mr. Robot, the leader of an underground hacking group that recruits him to destroy the firm he is paid to protect. Michael Hogan of The Telegraph calls ‘Mr Robot’ one of “US TV’s most talked-about new dramas of 2015,” and that “the brilliant conspiracy drama made most other dramas look pedestrian and positively prehistoric.”
Josh Radnor (Actor – “Mercy Street”)
Josh Radnor is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter, who is best known for playing Ted Mosby in “How I Met Your Mother” and currently stars as Dr. Jed Foster in “Mercy Street” (PBS). “Mercy Street” is an American medical drama set during the Civil War, and follows two volunteer nurses, New England abolitionist Mary Phinney and Confederate supporter Emma Green who both work at Mansion House Hospital in Virginia. The show has received mixed reviews from fans and critics, with Maureen Ryan of Variety noting that the series “offers a number of enticements for aficionados of period pieces and 19th century history”, but it “tries to be a lot of things at once: It’s a historical exploration of the divided loyalties of the Civil War, a costume drama with mild comic elements, an occasionally harrowing medical saga, and a coming-of-age story for several of its lead protagonists” and that at times “the show’s attempts to knit these strands into a unified whole get tangled or frayed”.
Iggy Pop (Album – “Post Pop Depression“)
Iggy Pop is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, who has secretly teamed up with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age to independently write and record the album “Post Pop Depression”, which is scheduled to be released in March 2016. Due to the surprise nature its announcement, the album has yet to be reviewed, but the duo will perform a new song from the album.
Friday, January 22nd (2016)
Steven Tyler (Janie’s Fund)
Steven Tyler is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and lead singer of Aerosmith. In addition to his work as a musician, Tyler is the founder of “Janie’s Fund”.Created in partnership with “Youth Villages”, “Janie’s Fund” is a philanthropic initiative that works to bring hope and healing to vulnerable girls who have suffered trauma from abuse and neglect. Named after Aerosmith’s 1989 song, “Janie’s Got a Gun”, Tyler tells TIME that “since writing the song about a girl who kills her abusive father […] I’ve been overwhelmed by the thousands of fans who have sent me letters, telling me their stories and how ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’ affected and inspired them. We can’t undo what’s been done by abuse in this country, but we CAN let these girls know they are loved, get them the help they need, and assure them that there is MUCH LIGHT at the end of the tunnel.”
Gaby Hoffman (Actress- “Transparent“)
Gabriella Hoffmann is an American film and television actress who currently stars as Alexandria “Ali” Pfefferman in “Transparent” (Amazon). The series centres around the Pfefferman family and follows their lives after their father Mort (Jeffrey Tambor) reveals that he is transgender and embarks on a new life as Maura. Speaking on the shows second season, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic says that “‘Transparent’s’ second season shocked me. It feels like a deep questioning of some of the central tenets of progressive society. The show is very interested in the way that following one’s own truth, rewriting old social rules, and practicing radical honesty can harm others and destabilize one’s life. It’s constantly looking for the line between self-actualization and mere selfishness. And its characters use politics as a pretext for making ungenerous choices, and thereby risk undermining the credibility of those politics in general. This allows Transparent to be more bracing, more challenging, and more compelling than most any other show on TV.”
Låpsley (Album – “Long Way Home“)
Holly Lapsley Fletcher is a British singer-songwriter and electronic music artist. Following a stellar 2015 which saw the release of her well-received EP “Understudy”, 206 will mark the release of her debut album “Long Way Home”. The album offers fans an intimate look at the past twelve months of her increasingly successful career, which she elaborates on in this official statement, “It’s an autobiography of my emotions and events over the past year. Everything that’s happened, I’ve channeled in some way into a song – whether that’s the theme of a long distance relationship, or something that he’s said, or the way that I’ve felt, or an argument. I only revisit the memories of that relationship when I go into the studio. I think it’s helped me, to be able to collect everything for those moments when I’m writing. I think that’s what’s driven this album.”