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.
Hey there Hubsters! After a nice holiday break, your favorite fake newsmen are back! Hopefully all your holidays were enjoyable as well. A lot has happened since the show went on break, so they should have plenty of material. What events do you hope they discuss this week?
Stephen’s guests at the table this week are a Human Rights Watch Executive Director, a journalist from Al Jazeera , author Ishmael Beah, and the founder of Participant Media. Joining Jon guest for his first John Oliver-less week are two actors, an actress and the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Monday, January 6 (2014)
Ken Roth (Director: “Human Rights Watch”)
Ken Roth is an American attorney and the director of Human Rights Watch, an International human rights organization that operates in 90 countries worldwide. He was inspired to pursue international human rights by his own father’s fight to escape Nazi Germany in 1938. Since his appointment as executive director, Human Rights Watch has documented crimes in Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, ans Sierra Leone, and has focused on child soldiers. Human Rights Watch has been instrumental in the convictions of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, Peruvian leader Alberto Fujimori, and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Roth will appear on the show to discuss human rights issues in the news.
Education: Brown University | Yale Law School
Awards: Doctor of Humane Letters | Doctor of University, University of Ottawa | Doctor of Laws, Bowdoin College | William Rogers Award | Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interview – January 11, 2007
Follow: @KenRoth | @HRW
Tuesday, January 7 (2014)
John Seigenthaler (Journalist: “Al Jazeera”)
John Seigenthaler, Jr. is an anchorman for Al Jazeera America, and former anchor and journalist for NBC and MSNBC. Son of famed journalist John Lawrence Seigenthaler, he has hosted Lockup, MSNBC Investigates, and NBC Nightly News. Al Jazeera America (AJAM) is a news television channel owned by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media network and the Qatari government. Despite official statements that the network is editorially independent from the government, the claims have been disputed along with accusations launched at their support of the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring Revolutions. The channel launched in August of 2013 and is Al Jazeera’s first venture in American television news.
Born: December 21, 1955 (Nashville, Tennessee)
Education: Father Ryan High School | Duke University
Shows: Lockup | MSNBC Investigates | NBC Nightly News
Awards: Emmy Award | Robert F. Kennedy Award | National Headliner Award | American Bar Association Award | Iris Award
Follow: @AJam
Wednesday, January 8 (2014)
Ishmael Beah (Author: “Radiance of Tomorrow”)
Ishmael Beah is a former Sierra Leonian child soldier and author of the acclaimed autobiography A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. According to his own accounts, he was rescued from military service by UNICEF at the age of thirteen, and has since become a powerful voice against the use of child soldiers. He often discusses the difficulties of returning to society after being a child soldier, drawing on his own story to explain the psychological distress and guilt that come with the transition. His novel Radiance of Tomorrow follows the lives of two friends, Benjamin and Brockarie, as they return to their hometown of Imperi. They try to find ways to improve their hometown, while coming to terms with the uncertainty of their future.
Born:November 23, 1980 (Mogbwemo, Bonthe District, Sierra Leone)
Education: United Nations International School | Oberlin College
Books: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier | When Good Comes From Bad
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interview – February 14, 2007
Follow: The Ishmael Beah Foundation | @IshmaelBeah
Thursday, January 9 (2014)
Jeff Skoll (Director: “Participant Media”)
Jeff Skoll is a Canadian engineer, internet entrepreneur, and film producer. Formerly the first president of the internet auction site eBay, he used his wealth to embrace philanthropy, especially through his own foundation, the Skoll Foundation. He owns the independent production company Participant Media, which funds feature films and documentaries that promote social values, including An Inconvenient Truth, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Kite Runner, The Cove, Contaigion, The Help, and Lincoln.
Born: January 16, 1965 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Education: University of Toronto
Films Funded by PM: Syriana | Good Night and Good Luck | North Country | Murderball | An Inconvenient Truth | American Gun | Fast Food Nation \ The World According to Sesame Street | Charlie Wilson’s War | The Kite Runner | Angels in the Dust | Darfur Now | Man from Plains | The Visitor | Chicago 10 | Standard Operating Procedure | The Cove | The Crazies | Pressure Cooker | Oceans | Winged Migration | Waiting for “Superman” | Contaigion | The Help | Best Exotic | Marigold Hotel | Lincoln
Awards: Academy Award | Golden Globe Award | Screen Actors Guild Award
Follow: Website | @Jeffskoll | @_Participant
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!
Monday, January 6 (2014)
Oscar Isaac (Actor: “Inside Llewyn Davis”)
Oscar Isaac is a Guatemalan-American actor and singer, whose first major film role was starring opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes’s in The Nativity Story. Isaacs played small roles in films such as Guerilla and All About the Benjamins,, before gaining larger roles in Robin Hood, Drive, and 10 Years. On stage, he played Romeo in the Public Theater’s “Shakespeare in the Park” performance of Romeo and Juliet. In 2013, Isaac starred in the Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis as a folk singer in Greenwich village, singing all of his own numbers. The film has received generally positive reviews and generated much Oscar buzz, and has won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes film festival.
Born: January 5, 1980 (Guatemala)
Education: Julliard School
Filmography: All About the Benjamins | Law and Order: Criminal Intent | Pu-239 | The Nativity Story | The Life Before Her Eyes | Che: Part One | Body of Lies | Agora | Balibo | Robin Hood | Sucker Punch | W.E. | 10 Years | Drive | The Bourne Legacy
Awards: AACTA Award | Hamptons International Film Festival Award
Tuesday, January 7 (2014)
Steve Coogan (Actor / Co-Writer / Producer: “Philomena”)
Steve Coogan is English actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, writer and producer. His career began in the 1980s as a voice actor for the satirical puppet show Splitting Images, but he eventually turned to developing comedic characters in the 1990s, including Alan Partridge, a socially inept, politically incorrect radio host. His latest film is Philomena, in which he plays journalist Martin Sixsmith who helps Philomena (Dame Judi Dench) track down the son that she gave up for adoption as a young woman. Coogan also co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which has received critical acclaim, especially for Coogan and Dench’s performances.
Born: October 14, 1965 (Middleton, Lancashire, England, UK)
Education: Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School | Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre
Filmography: The Indian in the Cupboard | The Wind in the Willows | Ella Enchanted | The Parole Officer | Around the World in 80 Days | Happy Endings | A Cock and Bull Story | The Alibi | Night at the Museum | Marie Antoinette | Hot Fuzz | Tropic Thunder | Hamlet 2 | Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian | The Trip | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Our Idiot Brother | Despicable Me 2
Awards: BAFTA TV Award | British Comedy Award | Chlotrudis Award | Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Venice Film Festival Award
Wednesday, January 8 (2014)
Richard Cordray (Director: “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau”)
Richard Cordray is an American lawyer, politician for the Democratic Party and the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Solicitor General of Ohio, Ohio Treasurer, Ohio Attorney General, before he was appointed to his current position by President Barack Obama. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created to regulate consumer protection in the financial products and services market.
Born: May 3, 1959 (Columbus, Ohio, United States)
Education: Grove City High School | James Madison College, Michigan State University | University of Oxford | University of Chicago Law School
Positions and Appointments: Ohio House of Representatives | Ohio Solicitor General | Franklin County Treasurer | Ohio Treasurer | Ohio Attorney General
Thursday, January 9 (2014)
Scarlett Johansson (Actor: “Her”)
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model, and singer. She began her career as a child actress in the films North, Manny and Lo, The Horse Whisperer, and Ghost World. Later, she transitioned to adult roles through Lost in Translation and Girl With a Pearl Earring. Johansson has since appeared in many critically and commercially successful films. Her latest role sees her lending her voice to the Spike Jonze film Her as Samantha, an intelligent computer operating system that Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with.
Born: November 22, 1984 (New York City, New York, United States)
Education: P.S. 41 | Professional Children’s School
Filmography: North | Manny and Lo | Home Alone 3 | The Horse Whisperer | Ghost World | Lost in Translation | Girl with a Pearl Earring | A Love Song for Bobby Long | The Spongebob SquarePants Movie | Match Point | The Black Dahlia | The Prestige | The Other Boleyn Girl | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Iron Man 2 | We Bought a Zoo | The Avengers | Don Jon
Theater:A View from the Bridge | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Discography: Anywhere I Lay My Head | Break Up
Awards: BAFTA Award | MTV Movie Award | Walk of Fame Star
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: January 6 – 9, 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.
Hey there Hubsters! After a nice holiday break, your favorite fake newsmen are back! Hopefully all your holidays were enjoyable as well. A lot has happened since the show went on break, so they should have plenty of material. What events do you hope they discuss this week?
Stephen’s guests at the table this week are a Human Rights Watch Executive Director, a journalist from Al Jazeera , author Ishmael Beah, and the founder of Participant Media. Joining Jon guest for his first John Oliver-less week are two actors, an actress and the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Monday, January 6 (2014)
Ken Roth (Director: “Human Rights Watch”)
Ken Roth is an American attorney and the director of Human Rights Watch, an International human rights organization that operates in 90 countries worldwide. He was inspired to pursue international human rights by his own father’s fight to escape Nazi Germany in 1938. Since his appointment as executive director, Human Rights Watch has documented crimes in Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, ans Sierra Leone, and has focused on child soldiers. Human Rights Watch has been instrumental in the convictions of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, Peruvian leader Alberto Fujimori, and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Roth will appear on the show to discuss human rights issues in the news.
Education: Brown University | Yale Law School
Awards: Doctor of Humane Letters | Doctor of University, University of Ottawa | Doctor of Laws, Bowdoin College | William Rogers Award | Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interview – January 11, 2007
Follow: @KenRoth | @HRW
Tuesday, January 7 (2014)
John Seigenthaler (Journalist: “Al Jazeera”)
John Seigenthaler, Jr. is an anchorman for Al Jazeera America, and former anchor and journalist for NBC and MSNBC. Son of famed journalist John Lawrence Seigenthaler, he has hosted Lockup, MSNBC Investigates, and NBC Nightly News. Al Jazeera America (AJAM) is a news television channel owned by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media network and the Qatari government. Despite official statements that the network is editorially independent from the government, the claims have been disputed along with accusations launched at their support of the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring Revolutions. The channel launched in August of 2013 and is Al Jazeera’s first venture in American television news.
Born: December 21, 1955 (Nashville, Tennessee)
Education: Father Ryan High School | Duke University
Shows: Lockup | MSNBC Investigates | NBC Nightly News
Awards: Emmy Award | Robert F. Kennedy Award | National Headliner Award | American Bar Association Award | Iris Award
Follow: @AJam
Wednesday, January 8 (2014)
Ishmael Beah (Author: “Radiance of Tomorrow”)
Ishmael Beah is a former Sierra Leonian child soldier and author of the acclaimed autobiography A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. According to his own accounts, he was rescued from military service by UNICEF at the age of thirteen, and has since become a powerful voice against the use of child soldiers. He often discusses the difficulties of returning to society after being a child soldier, drawing on his own story to explain the psychological distress and guilt that come with the transition. His novel Radiance of Tomorrow follows the lives of two friends, Benjamin and Brockarie, as they return to their hometown of Imperi. They try to find ways to improve their hometown, while coming to terms with the uncertainty of their future.
Born:November 23, 1980 (Mogbwemo, Bonthe District, Sierra Leone)
Education: United Nations International School | Oberlin College
Books: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier | When Good Comes From Bad
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interview – February 14, 2007
Follow: The Ishmael Beah Foundation | @IshmaelBeah
Thursday, January 9 (2014)
Jeff Skoll (Director: “Participant Media”)
Jeff Skoll is a Canadian engineer, internet entrepreneur, and film producer. Formerly the first president of the internet auction site eBay, he used his wealth to embrace philanthropy, especially through his own foundation, the Skoll Foundation. He owns the independent production company Participant Media, which funds feature films and documentaries that promote social values, including An Inconvenient Truth, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Kite Runner, The Cove, Contaigion, The Help, and Lincoln.
Born: January 16, 1965 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Education: University of Toronto
Films Funded by PM: Syriana | Good Night and Good Luck | North Country | Murderball | An Inconvenient Truth | American Gun | Fast Food Nation \ The World According to Sesame Street | Charlie Wilson’s War | The Kite Runner | Angels in the Dust | Darfur Now | Man from Plains | The Visitor | Chicago 10 | Standard Operating Procedure | The Cove | The Crazies | Pressure Cooker | Oceans | Winged Migration | Waiting for “Superman” | Contaigion | The Help | Best Exotic | Marigold Hotel | Lincoln
Awards: Academy Award | Golden Globe Award | Screen Actors Guild Award
Follow: Website | @Jeffskoll | @_Participant
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!
Monday, January 6 (2014)
Oscar Isaac (Actor: “Inside Llewyn Davis”)
Oscar Isaac is a Guatemalan-American actor and singer, whose first major film role was starring opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes’s in The Nativity Story. Isaacs played small roles in films such as Guerilla and All About the Benjamins,, before gaining larger roles in Robin Hood, Drive, and 10 Years. On stage, he played Romeo in the Public Theater’s “Shakespeare in the Park” performance of Romeo and Juliet. In 2013, Isaac starred in the Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis as a folk singer in Greenwich village, singing all of his own numbers. The film has received generally positive reviews and generated much Oscar buzz, and has won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes film festival.
Born: January 5, 1980 (Guatemala)
Education: Julliard School
Filmography: All About the Benjamins | Law and Order: Criminal Intent | Pu-239 | The Nativity Story | The Life Before Her Eyes | Che: Part One | Body of Lies | Agora | Balibo | Robin Hood | Sucker Punch | W.E. | 10 Years | Drive | The Bourne Legacy
Awards: AACTA Award | Hamptons International Film Festival Award
Tuesday, January 7 (2014)
Steve Coogan (Actor / Co-Writer / Producer: “Philomena”)
Steve Coogan is English actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, writer and producer. His career began in the 1980s as a voice actor for the satirical puppet show Splitting Images, but he eventually turned to developing comedic characters in the 1990s, including Alan Partridge, a socially inept, politically incorrect radio host. His latest film is Philomena, in which he plays journalist Martin Sixsmith who helps Philomena (Dame Judi Dench) track down the son that she gave up for adoption as a young woman. Coogan also co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which has received critical acclaim, especially for Coogan and Dench’s performances.
Born: October 14, 1965 (Middleton, Lancashire, England, UK)
Education: Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School | Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre
Filmography: The Indian in the Cupboard | The Wind in the Willows | Ella Enchanted | The Parole Officer | Around the World in 80 Days | Happy Endings | A Cock and Bull Story | The Alibi | Night at the Museum | Marie Antoinette | Hot Fuzz | Tropic Thunder | Hamlet 2 | Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian | The Trip | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Our Idiot Brother | Despicable Me 2
Awards: BAFTA TV Award | British Comedy Award | Chlotrudis Award | Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Venice Film Festival Award
Wednesday, January 8 (2014)
Richard Cordray (Director: “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau”)
Richard Cordray is an American lawyer, politician for the Democratic Party and the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Solicitor General of Ohio, Ohio Treasurer, Ohio Attorney General, before he was appointed to his current position by President Barack Obama. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created to regulate consumer protection in the financial products and services market.
Born: May 3, 1959 (Columbus, Ohio, United States)
Education: Grove City High School | James Madison College, Michigan State University | University of Oxford | University of Chicago Law School
Positions and Appointments: Ohio House of Representatives | Ohio Solicitor General | Franklin County Treasurer | Ohio Treasurer | Ohio Attorney General
Thursday, January 9 (2014)
Scarlett Johansson (Actor: “Her”)
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model, and singer. She began her career as a child actress in the films North, Manny and Lo, The Horse Whisperer, and Ghost World. Later, she transitioned to adult roles through Lost in Translation and Girl With a Pearl Earring. Johansson has since appeared in many critically and commercially successful films. Her latest role sees her lending her voice to the Spike Jonze film Her as Samantha, an intelligent computer operating system that Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with.
Born: November 22, 1984 (New York City, New York, United States)
Education: P.S. 41 | Professional Children’s School
Filmography: North | Manny and Lo | Home Alone 3 | The Horse Whisperer | Ghost World | Lost in Translation | Girl with a Pearl Earring | A Love Song for Bobby Long | The Spongebob SquarePants Movie | Match Point | The Black Dahlia | The Prestige | The Other Boleyn Girl | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Iron Man 2 | We Bought a Zoo | The Avengers | Don Jon
Theater:A View from the Bridge | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Discography: Anywhere I Lay My Head | Break Up
Awards: BAFTA Award | MTV Movie Award | Walk of Fame Star
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!