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! With another week of shows on the way, it’s time for this week’s “Better Know a Guest”! Even though our favorite shows go on break every weekend, everyone knows that the news never does. Based on some of the guests, it looks like we’ll hear about education policy, the controversy surrounding Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, and child immigrants. Of course, there’s a lot more time on the show than just the interviews, so let us know what events you hope will be covered, as well as your favorite guests, in the comments below!
Stephen’s guests this week include a musician, a band, an actor, and a news reporter.
Jon’s guests this week are an author, a news reporter, and two actresses.
Monday, July 28 (2014)
Beck (Musician: “Morning Phase”)
Beck (Bek David Campbell) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and instrumentalist, whose latest album is Morning Phase, was released in February 2014 by Capitol Records. The alternative/folk rock/country rock album is a companion piece to his earlier work on Sea Change, with many of the same musicians returning to record for Morning Phase. It received critical acclaim upon its release, including a 4.5 stars from Rolling Stone, 4 stars from The Guardian, The Independent, and Slant Magazine, with Clash Music calling the album, “a delicate triumph”.
Born: 8 July 1970 (Los Angeles, California, United States)
Discography: Golden Feelings | Stereopathetic Soulmanure | Mellow Gold | One Foot in the Grave | Odelay | Mutations | Midnite Vultures | Sea Change | Guero | The Information | Modern Guilt
Awards: Grammy Award
Follow: Website | @Beck
Tuesday, July 29 (2014)
Jon Batiste and Stay Human (Musicians: “Social Music”)
Jon Batiste is an American musician, entertainer, educator, and the bandleader of Stay Human, which includes his Juilliard friends: bassist Phil Kuehn, drummer Joe Saylor, saxophonist Eddie Barbash, and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba. The band is known for starting performances in unusual places to further the appreciation of live musical performance and increase accessibility. The group’s latest album, and full-length debut, is Social Music, which has been hailed for its modern take on the jazz genre.
Born: 11 November, 1986 (Kenner, Louisiana, United States)
Education: Juilliard School
Discography: Times in New Orleans | Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art | In the Night | The Amazing Jon Batiste | MY NY Jonathan Batiste and the Stay Human Band
Follow: Website | @JonBatiste | Facebook
Wednesday, July 30 (2014)
James Franco (Director/Actor: “Child of God”)
James Franco is an American actor, director, producer, teacher, and author, who directs and stars in the upcoming film, Child of God, based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The film tells the story of Lester Ballard, an extremely violent man who leaves society behind to live on his own in the forests of Sevier County, Tennessee. He eventually develops a survivalist mentality, as well as some other, more disturbing habits that bring him into onflict with the local law enforcement. Thus far, the film has received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its acting and faithfulness to the novel and others noting that the movie is plagued by its slow pace. Variety notes that, “Franco has emerged with an extremely faithful, suitably raw but still relatively hemmed-in adaptation that compares favorably with his earlier films, yet falls short of achieving a truly galvanizing portrait of social and sexual deviance.”
Born: 19 April 1978 (Palo Alto, California, United States)
Education: Palo Alto High School | University of California, Los Angeles | Columbia University | New York University, Tisch School of the Arts | Brooklyn College | Warren Wilson College | Yale University | Rhode Island School of Design
Filmography: James Dean | Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3 | Pineapple Express | Milk | 127 Hours | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Spring Breakers | Oz the Great and Powerful | This is the End
Written Works: A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art | Just Before the Black | Palo Alto: Stories
Awards: Golden Globe Award | National Society of Film Critics Award | Independent Spirit Award |
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interviews – 5 April 2011 | 5 March 2013
Follow: Website | @JamesFrancoTV
Thursday, July 31 (2014)
Campbell Brown (Founder: Partnership for Educational Justice)
Campbell Brown in an American journalist, television news reporter, and the founder of the non-profit organization Partnership for Educational Justice. The organization seeks to increase the quality of public education in the US through a variety of initiatives, mostly by challenging unfair education policy through legal action and advocacy. Currently, it is fighting laws in New York that allow poorly-performing teachers to keep their jobs. In addition to her work with the Partnership for Educational Justice, Brown is also the founder of the Parents’ Transparency Project.
Follow: Website | @Campbell_Brown
And now, let’s check in with our good friend over at ‘The Daily Show’ – Jon Stewart!
Monday, July 28 (2014)
Sonia Nazario (Author: “Enrique’s Journey”)
Sonia Nazario is an American journalist for the Los Angeles Times. Her book Enrique’s Journey is based on a series of articles she wrote for the Times in 2002, and follows 17 year-old Enrique as he sets out from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to find his mother in the US eleven years after she first left to find a job and support her family. Originally released to great acclaim in 2006, Nazario’s work has come back into the spotlight after recent political struggles over immigration reform and debate over child immigrants who cross the border alone. The San Francisco Chronicle praises the book for covering “both positive and negative effects of immigration, illuminating the problem’s complexity”, while The Washington Post sees the book “among the best border books yet written.”
Born: Madison, Wisconsin (United States)
Education: Williams College | University of California, Berkeley
Awards: Pulitzer Prize | George Polk Award | Grand Prize, Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award | Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award of Overall Excellence
Follow: @SLNazario
Tuesday, July 29 (2014)
Sara Firth (Former Journalist: Russia Today)
Sara Firth is a British journalist and news reporter who formerly worked for Russia Today until she voluntarily left the news outlet in July of 2014. She departed in protest of the outlet’s “disrespect for facts” surrounding the shooting down of Malayasian Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine. While most international news outlets indicated that the plane had been shot down by a missile of Russian origin, coverage from Russia Today insisted that the missiles were Ukrainian in origin. Firth alleged that this was in line with the outlet’s bias against Ukraine, and that she could no longer work for the network. Her accusations are in line with the concerns of many that Russia Today is a platform for espousing views of the Russian government.
Follow: @Sara_Firth
Wednesday, July 30 (2014)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Actress: “The Honorable Woman”)
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an American actress, whose latest project is The Honourable Woman, a British spy thriller co-produced for the BBC and Sundance TV which began airing on 3 July, 2014. The miniseries follows the conflicts that surround Nessa Stein (Gyllenhaal), a British-Israeli woman who inherits her father’s arms business yet continues to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. The Hollywood Reporter calls the miniseries “a career-defining performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal,” one that “also happens to be incredibly timely,” as the eight-episode miniseries “boldly seeks to explore the notion of Israeli and Palestinian differences and the internecine history that makes even the smallest bit of progress impossible.”
Born: November 16, 1977 (Lower East Side, New York, United States)
Education: Columbia University | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Filmography: A Dangerous Woman | Donnie Darko | Secretary | Mona Lisa Smile | Sherrybaby | The Dark Knight | Crazy Heart | White House Down
Awards: People’s Choice Award | Prism Award | Gotham Award
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearances: Interviews – June 25, 2013 | June 13, 2012 | January 7, 2010| July 17, 2008 | September 11, 2006 | July 28, 2005 | December 15, 2003
Thursday, July 31 (2014)
Aubrey Plaza (Actress: “Life After Beth”)
Aubrey Plaza is an American actress and comedian, who stars in the upcoming zombie comedy Life After Beth. In the film, teenager Zach (Dane DeHaan) is left emotionally distraught when his girlfriend Beth (Plaza) dies. However, she miraculously rises from the dead, and he sets out to do everything he wanted to do with Beth before she died. His plans are jeopardized by the fact that Beth has returned as a zombie, out for human flesh. The film has received mixed reviews from critics, though many praise Plaza for her commitment to the role, but others find the movie only an average addition to the zombie-movie genre.
Born: 26 June, 1984 (Wilmington, Delaware, United States)
Education: Ursuline Academy | Tisch School of the Arts
Filmography: Funny People | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Safety Not Guaranteed | 10 Years | Charlie Countryman
Televison: Parks and Recreation | Portlandia | Welcome to Sweden
Internet: The Jeannie Tate Show | Keith Powell Directs a Play | Mayne Street | Daria: The Movie
Awards: ALMA Award | Young Hollywood Award
Follow: @EvilHag
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: July 28 – 31, 2014
Hey there Hubsters! With another week of shows on the way, it’s time for this week’s “Better Know a Guest”! Even though our favorite shows go on break every weekend, everyone knows that the news never does. Based on some of the guests, it looks like we’ll hear about education policy, the controversy surrounding Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, and child immigrants. Of course, there’s a lot more time on the show than just the interviews, so let us know what events you hope will be covered, as well as your favorite guests, in the comments below!
Stephen’s guests this week include a musician, a band, an actor, and a news reporter.
Jon’s guests this week are an author, a news reporter, and two actresses.
Monday, July 28 (2014)
Beck (Musician: “Morning Phase”)
Beck (Bek David Campbell) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and instrumentalist, whose latest album is Morning Phase, was released in February 2014 by Capitol Records. The alternative/folk rock/country rock album is a companion piece to his earlier work on Sea Change, with many of the same musicians returning to record for Morning Phase. It received critical acclaim upon its release, including a 4.5 stars from Rolling Stone, 4 stars from The Guardian, The Independent, and Slant Magazine, with Clash Music calling the album, “a delicate triumph”.
Born: 8 July 1970 (Los Angeles, California, United States)
Discography: Golden Feelings | Stereopathetic Soulmanure | Mellow Gold | One Foot in the Grave | Odelay | Mutations | Midnite Vultures | Sea Change | Guero | The Information | Modern Guilt
Awards: Grammy Award
Follow: Website | @Beck
Tuesday, July 29 (2014)
Jon Batiste and Stay Human (Musicians: “Social Music”)
Jon Batiste is an American musician, entertainer, educator, and the bandleader of Stay Human, which includes his Juilliard friends: bassist Phil Kuehn, drummer Joe Saylor, saxophonist Eddie Barbash, and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba. The band is known for starting performances in unusual places to further the appreciation of live musical performance and increase accessibility. The group’s latest album, and full-length debut, is Social Music, which has been hailed for its modern take on the jazz genre.
Born: 11 November, 1986 (Kenner, Louisiana, United States)
Education: Juilliard School
Discography: Times in New Orleans | Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art | In the Night | The Amazing Jon Batiste | MY NY Jonathan Batiste and the Stay Human Band
Follow: Website | @JonBatiste | Facebook
Wednesday, July 30 (2014)
James Franco (Director/Actor: “Child of God”)
James Franco is an American actor, director, producer, teacher, and author, who directs and stars in the upcoming film, Child of God, based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The film tells the story of Lester Ballard, an extremely violent man who leaves society behind to live on his own in the forests of Sevier County, Tennessee. He eventually develops a survivalist mentality, as well as some other, more disturbing habits that bring him into onflict with the local law enforcement. Thus far, the film has received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its acting and faithfulness to the novel and others noting that the movie is plagued by its slow pace. Variety notes that, “Franco has emerged with an extremely faithful, suitably raw but still relatively hemmed-in adaptation that compares favorably with his earlier films, yet falls short of achieving a truly galvanizing portrait of social and sexual deviance.”
Born: 19 April 1978 (Palo Alto, California, United States)
Education: Palo Alto High School | University of California, Los Angeles | Columbia University | New York University, Tisch School of the Arts | Brooklyn College | Warren Wilson College | Yale University | Rhode Island School of Design
Filmography: James Dean | Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3 | Pineapple Express | Milk | 127 Hours | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Spring Breakers | Oz the Great and Powerful | This is the End
Written Works: A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art | Just Before the Black | Palo Alto: Stories
Awards: Golden Globe Award | National Society of Film Critics Award | Independent Spirit Award |
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interviews – 5 April 2011 | 5 March 2013
Follow: Website | @JamesFrancoTV
Thursday, July 31 (2014)
Campbell Brown (Founder: Partnership for Educational Justice)
Campbell Brown in an American journalist, television news reporter, and the founder of the non-profit organization Partnership for Educational Justice. The organization seeks to increase the quality of public education in the US through a variety of initiatives, mostly by challenging unfair education policy through legal action and advocacy. Currently, it is fighting laws in New York that allow poorly-performing teachers to keep their jobs. In addition to her work with the Partnership for Educational Justice, Brown is also the founder of the Parents’ Transparency Project.
Follow: Website | @Campbell_Brown
And now, let’s check in with our good friend over at ‘The Daily Show’ – Jon Stewart!
Monday, July 28 (2014)
Sonia Nazario (Author: “Enrique’s Journey”)
Sonia Nazario is an American journalist for the Los Angeles Times. Her book Enrique’s Journey is based on a series of articles she wrote for the Times in 2002, and follows 17 year-old Enrique as he sets out from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to find his mother in the US eleven years after she first left to find a job and support her family. Originally released to great acclaim in 2006, Nazario’s work has come back into the spotlight after recent political struggles over immigration reform and debate over child immigrants who cross the border alone. The San Francisco Chronicle praises the book for covering “both positive and negative effects of immigration, illuminating the problem’s complexity”, while The Washington Post sees the book “among the best border books yet written.”
Born: Madison, Wisconsin (United States)
Education: Williams College | University of California, Berkeley
Awards: Pulitzer Prize | George Polk Award | Grand Prize, Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award | Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award of Overall Excellence
Follow: @SLNazario
Tuesday, July 29 (2014)
Sara Firth (Former Journalist: Russia Today)
Sara Firth is a British journalist and news reporter who formerly worked for Russia Today until she voluntarily left the news outlet in July of 2014. She departed in protest of the outlet’s “disrespect for facts” surrounding the shooting down of Malayasian Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine. While most international news outlets indicated that the plane had been shot down by a missile of Russian origin, coverage from Russia Today insisted that the missiles were Ukrainian in origin. Firth alleged that this was in line with the outlet’s bias against Ukraine, and that she could no longer work for the network. Her accusations are in line with the concerns of many that Russia Today is a platform for espousing views of the Russian government.
Follow: @Sara_Firth
Wednesday, July 30 (2014)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Actress: “The Honorable Woman”)
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an American actress, whose latest project is The Honourable Woman, a British spy thriller co-produced for the BBC and Sundance TV which began airing on 3 July, 2014. The miniseries follows the conflicts that surround Nessa Stein (Gyllenhaal), a British-Israeli woman who inherits her father’s arms business yet continues to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. The Hollywood Reporter calls the miniseries “a career-defining performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal,” one that “also happens to be incredibly timely,” as the eight-episode miniseries “boldly seeks to explore the notion of Israeli and Palestinian differences and the internecine history that makes even the smallest bit of progress impossible.”
Born: November 16, 1977 (Lower East Side, New York, United States)
Education: Columbia University | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Filmography: A Dangerous Woman | Donnie Darko | Secretary | Mona Lisa Smile | Sherrybaby | The Dark Knight | Crazy Heart | White House Down
Awards: People’s Choice Award | Prism Award | Gotham Award
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearances: Interviews – June 25, 2013 | June 13, 2012 | January 7, 2010| July 17, 2008 | September 11, 2006 | July 28, 2005 | December 15, 2003
Thursday, July 31 (2014)
Aubrey Plaza (Actress: “Life After Beth”)
Aubrey Plaza is an American actress and comedian, who stars in the upcoming zombie comedy Life After Beth. In the film, teenager Zach (Dane DeHaan) is left emotionally distraught when his girlfriend Beth (Plaza) dies. However, she miraculously rises from the dead, and he sets out to do everything he wanted to do with Beth before she died. His plans are jeopardized by the fact that Beth has returned as a zombie, out for human flesh. The film has received mixed reviews from critics, though many praise Plaza for her commitment to the role, but others find the movie only an average addition to the zombie-movie genre.
Born: 26 June, 1984 (Wilmington, Delaware, United States)
Education: Ursuline Academy | Tisch School of the Arts
Filmography: Funny People | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Safety Not Guaranteed | 10 Years | Charlie Countryman
Televison: Parks and Recreation | Portlandia | Welcome to Sweden
Internet: The Jeannie Tate Show | Keith Powell Directs a Play | Mayne Street | Daria: The Movie
Awards: ALMA Award | Young Hollywood Award
Follow: @EvilHag
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!