Hello, Hubsters!
Welcome back for another week of fun. I’m hoping we will see that promised dressage sequence in the next few days–I was pretty disappointed it didn’t air on Thursday. I also imagine there will be plenty more Mittster speeches and interviews to mock, because… well, because there will be. He’s very dependable at saying something mind-boggling, and I’m sure that the Middle East will bring out the worst in him as he panders in hopes of winning the Jewish vote. Well, he won’t get mine, that’s for sure.
I’ve been Olympics-watching non-stop and most distressed and NBC’s coverage. Stephen and Jon (this is your thing, really), please mock! I’m especially angry that the network chose to cut a dance by the British choreographer Akram Khan from the opening ceremonies; it honored the victims of terrorism and was stunning. In this 50th anniversary of the Munich Olympics massacre, as well as an honor to those who died in London on 7/7, it was especially appropriate.
The week ahead looks excellent, with one of America’s foremost acerbic comediennes, an artist who’s also involved in education, and a writer who asks what’s happened to our meritocracy and elite institutions. Also…there’s one mystery guest. Let’s have fun: let me know who you would love to see if you could program Wednesday with anyone!
Now, let’s go to the guests…
Monday, 7/30: Joan Rivers
Can we talk? Of course you can! Fans of Joan Rivers (née Joan Alexandra Molinsky) will certainly remember her tag line—and I’m hoping that on Monday she’ll be dishy, bitchy, and funny. While I’m not always pleased with what Rivers does on the red carpet—forgetting names, not having basic information, asking really awkward questions—she is a groundbreaker who forged the way for women in comedy. Comediennes today still have it tough, and I can’t imagine what it was like for Rivers to succeed in those even more macho days. When The Tonight Show was the biggest and (really) only thing around, she practically became Johnny Carson’s second-in-command, filling in during his absences—until she got her own show in the same time slot. A little cutting, a little self-deprecating, and VERY, VERY opinionated, she rose to the top when the term “female comic” was considered an oxymoron. As her bio says: she’s “a force of nature and one of the hardest-working celebrities in the world.” (You can download that bio at her official website.) I’m expecting that Stephen will lose it at least once during the interview. (Or blush at least once, whichever comes first.)
The occasion of her TCR visit is a new autobiography, I Hate Everyone…Starting with Me, released this past June. (It’s also available in audio, with Rivers reading it, which could definitely up the ante.) The New York Times describes it as “An encyclopedia of kvetches…with more punch lines per paragraph than any book I’ve read in years.” One would expect nothing less from La Rivers.
Incidentally, Rivers did spend some time in Stephen’s comedy alma mater, Second City. And in her first theatrical appearance, she played a lesbian lover to no less than Barbra Streisand in a play called Driftwood. I try to imagine the Brooklyn accents and my mind boggles. And by the way—I AM a Brooklyn-born girl, so I’m allowed to say that! Rivers has authored bestsellers, won a Grammy® for best comedy album, and written TV movies.
Like her on Facebook.
Follow her on Twitter.
Although Ms. Rivers has never technically appeared on TCR, she did “atone phone” Stephen for Yom Kippur 2010. (You blow a mean shofar, Mr. Colbert!) Also she rated a mention for her speculation on those days when Stephen unexpectedly cancelled his tapings. Plastic surgery, anyone? Well yes—but Joan, not Stephen. Now she REALLY has something to atone for!
She recently announced she’ll be hosting a comedy show in New Orleans. (Interesting aside here on her calling in a Voodoo priestess to cleanse her haunted apartment.)
Vintage Joan: on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. (For you young ‘uns: that was a hugely popular Sunday night variety show, watched by all of America when all of America still did anything together.)
She has a line of jewelry and stuff on QVC.
Rivers appeared on NPR to discuss the new book.
She also discussed the autobiography on the Huffington Post—and dissed Glee at the same time. (“I’m sick of seeing happy homosexuals in high school… The gay guys, who I adore, were not running around in high school singing and dancing. They were hiding, frightened they would be beaten to a pulp.”) Also revealed: where the book is banned!
If you haven’t seen the documentary about her—Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work—do so immediately! It’s absolutely entertaining, fascinating, and touching. You can watch the trailer here.
Tuesday, 7/31: Jeff Koons
Is he kitch? Is he great? Jeff Koons’s artworks have opened a huge critical divide—although his commercial success is undisputed. Koons uses everyday items such as vacuum cleaners, light fixtures, and, notably, balloons as material for his conceptual art. There are even inflatable bunnies. And, in a very postmodernist dismissal of the artist as unique genius, he doesn’t craft his work by himself. Koons more accurately conceives of the piece rather than executes it. He has an “assembly line” staffed by assistants who actually produce the finished product to his exact specifications.
Whatever you think of Koons’s creations, they’re definitely unintimidating and fun, so perhaps it’s no surprise that he’s very interested in bringing his art to children. He plays an active role in the Studio in a School program, which offers art education to New York City public schools, as well as to daycare and community organizations. High-school-age students can even get internships. I think it’s wonderful; these days, schools have so little money for anything other than the core curriculum that art, along with music, dance, and other creative endeavors often go on the chopping block first. Yet art is one of the most powerful ways to foster creative thinking, and can help keep kids in school and on target. I expect Stephen to be right on-board with this.
Koons studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he earned his BFA, as well as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which gave him an honorary doctorate. He’s won numerous awards and honors, including the Lotus Award of Distinction, the National Arts Club Medal of Honor, and the Woolaston Award from the Royal Academy of Arts—which also made an honorary member in 2010. He’s published several books, with the eponymous Jeff Koons upcoming at the end of August.
Now, from his attendance at an auction and his semiotic analyses, we all know that Stephen is a connoisseur of art. Didn’t he prove it to Steve Martin? This could be a grand encounter.
Follow Koons on Twitter, where he calls himself an “artist provocateur.”
Like him on Facebook, where you can also see some of his sculptures on the page.
Visit his website.
Read an interview with him in the Journal of Contemporary Art. Here’s what he has to say about art: “Art to me is a humanitarian act, and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to affect mankind, to make the word a better place (this is not a cliche!).”
Here’s an article on Koons’s work in The Economist.
The New York Times detailed his collection.
Take a look at what The Daily Beast had to say about Koons and his contemporaries.
Wednesday, 8/1: John M. Grunsfeld
Late-breaking announcement! The “surprise” guest, John Grunsfeld, is NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Grunsfeld has been on five shuttle flights and has helped repair or upgrade the Hubble telescope several times during these missions. (If you’ve read Neil DeGrasse Tyson–and you have, haven’t you?–you know how crucial that telescope is to our gathering knowledge.) In other words, he’s spent a lot of time walking in space.
Grunsfeld received his BA in physics from MIT, and ultimately earned his PhD from the University of Chicago. He’s a Senior Research Fellow in Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and the recipient of numerous medals, honors, and awards. From NASA alone, he has the Distinguished Service Medal, three Exceptional Service Medals, and four Space Flight Medals. Oh, and because all that’s not enough, he’s the only astronaut to have climbed Mount McKinley. Guess reaching the highest spot in North America was the next best thing to being out of this world. (He was researching altitude sickness at the time, by the way.)
We all know how much Stephen enjoys interviewing scientists, so I am very much looking forward to this. It should be a wonderful interview.
Visit his website.
Follow him on Twitter.
There’s a public page you can “Like” on Facebook.
He testified in front of the House on space weather forecasting.
Grunsfeld was on PBS’s NOVA, talking about the Hubble telescope. (He calls himself a “Hubble hugger.”)
Thursday, 8/2: Chris Hayes
What institution do you trust anymore? Not Congress for sure. The Catholic Church? Nuh-huh: not with the child molestation scandal. Sports figures? Well, the Olympics is inspiring, but if you’re anything like me, you’re waiting to hear that someone’s been doping. (And in the sports arena, that doesn’t even begin to deal with the disaster of Penn State’s famed football franchise.) In short, there doesn’t seem to be much left to believe in. Chris Hayes’s newest book, Twilight of the Elites tackles that topic, looking at why, in recent years, we’ve become a people with very little faith in the existence of meritocracy, fairness, and equal opportunity.
Hayes has two big regular gigs: as the editor-at-large of The Nation and as host of the MSNBC-TV show Up with Chris Hayes, which airs on weekends. The Bronx-born political pundit, who attended New York’s elite Hunter High School (elite in quality, not cost—it’s public, but you must test in), received his BA from Brown University; although he majored in philosophy, Hayes also worked with the school’s theater group. He has since gone on to become a fellow at Harvard’s Edmond J Safra Foundation for Ethics; a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at New America Foundation, and a Schumann Writing Fellow. His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, The New Republic, The Guardian, and many other journals.
Follow him on Twitter. Condolences to him; from one of his tweets, I gather his grandmother has died this past weekend.
Read an article on his new book in Rolling Stone.
On Politico, Hayes compares MSNBC and FOX News—and finds that they are not mirror images of one another.
Kirkus Reviews raved about this “forcefully written debut.”
The New York Times profiled Hayes.
Like the Facebook page for the book.
Watch a video of Hayes discussing how the elites rig the system in their favor.
Read a commentary in the Atlantic.
And now, let’s check in with our good friend, Jon Stewart!
Monday, 7/30: Rashida Jones
Jones starred in The Office, so she’s got a strong Jon connection through Steve Carell. Now she’s a regular in Parks and Recreation and has a new film coming out with Andy Samberg, Celeste and Jesse Forever. Jones co-wrote the film, which follows a couple who marry young but gradually drift apart as she becomes successful…while he’s unemployed. Is divorce the answer?
Follow her on Twitter.
She writes comic books too! Find out about Frenemy of the State.
Jones is on the board of Peace First, which develops games and strategies to build children’s communication and teamwork skills.
Tuesday, 7/31: Dambisa Moyo
Dambisa Moyo is one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and an author with a new book, Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What it Means for the World. The Zambian-born writer is a renowned economist and former World Bank consultant who earned degrees at Washington University, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and Oxford University.
Visit her website.
Follow her on Twitter.
Read a review of Winner Take All in USA Today.
Bloomberg News reviews the book too—and as an extra, you’ll get a review of the book by Joseph Stiglitz, Jon’s guest last week.
Wednesday, 8/1: Fred Guterl
Will the human race continue to exist—or will we go the way of the dinosaurs? Fred Guterl, executive editor of Scientific American, tackles the question in his newest book, The Fate of the Species: Why the Human Race May Cause Its Own Extinction and How We Can Stop It.
Visit the Scientific American website; Guterl has led the magazine to a 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
Follow him on Twitter.
Read his article in the Huffington Post on how we could cause our extinction—and heed his warning.
Thursday, 8/2: Jessica Biel
Actress (and Justin Timberlake fiancée) Jessica Biel first came to the country’s attention in the wholesome, family TV show 7th Heaven before departing the series for a film career. Her newest movie is the remake of Total Recall, based on the fantastic Philip K. Dick’s SF story, “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.” The original starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone; Biel’s co-stars include Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale.
Follow her on Twitter.
Visit her IMDB page.
She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live—and Huffington Post didn’t say yes to the dress.
Biel discusses her upcoming nuptials.
Let me know which guest you’re most looking forward to! And have a happy week, everyone.
Cheers!
Better Know a Guest: July 30 – August 2, 2012
Hello, Hubsters!
Welcome back for another week of fun. I’m hoping we will see that promised dressage sequence in the next few days–I was pretty disappointed it didn’t air on Thursday. I also imagine there will be plenty more Mittster speeches and interviews to mock, because… well, because there will be. He’s very dependable at saying something mind-boggling, and I’m sure that the Middle East will bring out the worst in him as he panders in hopes of winning the Jewish vote. Well, he won’t get mine, that’s for sure.
I’ve been Olympics-watching non-stop and most distressed and NBC’s coverage. Stephen and Jon (this is your thing, really), please mock! I’m especially angry that the network chose to cut a dance by the British choreographer Akram Khan from the opening ceremonies; it honored the victims of terrorism and was stunning. In this 50th anniversary of the Munich Olympics massacre, as well as an honor to those who died in London on 7/7, it was especially appropriate.
The week ahead looks excellent, with one of America’s foremost acerbic comediennes, an artist who’s also involved in education, and a writer who asks what’s happened to our meritocracy and elite institutions. Also…there’s one mystery guest. Let’s have fun: let me know who you would love to see if you could program Wednesday with anyone!
Now, let’s go to the guests…
Monday, 7/30: Joan Rivers
Can we talk? Of course you can! Fans of Joan Rivers (née Joan Alexandra Molinsky) will certainly remember her tag line—and I’m hoping that on Monday she’ll be dishy, bitchy, and funny. While I’m not always pleased with what Rivers does on the red carpet—forgetting names, not having basic information, asking really awkward questions—she is a groundbreaker who forged the way for women in comedy. Comediennes today still have it tough, and I can’t imagine what it was like for Rivers to succeed in those even more macho days. When The Tonight Show was the biggest and (really) only thing around, she practically became Johnny Carson’s second-in-command, filling in during his absences—until she got her own show in the same time slot. A little cutting, a little self-deprecating, and VERY, VERY opinionated, she rose to the top when the term “female comic” was considered an oxymoron. As her bio says: she’s “a force of nature and one of the hardest-working celebrities in the world.” (You can download that bio at her official website.) I’m expecting that Stephen will lose it at least once during the interview. (Or blush at least once, whichever comes first.)
The occasion of her TCR visit is a new autobiography, I Hate Everyone…Starting with Me, released this past June. (It’s also available in audio, with Rivers reading it, which could definitely up the ante.) The New York Times describes it as “An encyclopedia of kvetches…with more punch lines per paragraph than any book I’ve read in years.” One would expect nothing less from La Rivers.
Incidentally, Rivers did spend some time in Stephen’s comedy alma mater, Second City. And in her first theatrical appearance, she played a lesbian lover to no less than Barbra Streisand in a play called Driftwood. I try to imagine the Brooklyn accents and my mind boggles. And by the way—I AM a Brooklyn-born girl, so I’m allowed to say that! Rivers has authored bestsellers, won a Grammy® for best comedy album, and written TV movies.
Like her on Facebook.
Follow her on Twitter.
Although Ms. Rivers has never technically appeared on TCR, she did “atone phone” Stephen for Yom Kippur 2010. (You blow a mean shofar, Mr. Colbert!) Also she rated a mention for her speculation on those days when Stephen unexpectedly cancelled his tapings. Plastic surgery, anyone? Well yes—but Joan, not Stephen. Now she REALLY has something to atone for!
She recently announced she’ll be hosting a comedy show in New Orleans. (Interesting aside here on her calling in a Voodoo priestess to cleanse her haunted apartment.)
Vintage Joan: on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. (For you young ‘uns: that was a hugely popular Sunday night variety show, watched by all of America when all of America still did anything together.)
She has a line of jewelry and stuff on QVC.
Rivers appeared on NPR to discuss the new book.
She also discussed the autobiography on the Huffington Post—and dissed Glee at the same time. (“I’m sick of seeing happy homosexuals in high school… The gay guys, who I adore, were not running around in high school singing and dancing. They were hiding, frightened they would be beaten to a pulp.”) Also revealed: where the book is banned!
If you haven’t seen the documentary about her—Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work—do so immediately! It’s absolutely entertaining, fascinating, and touching. You can watch the trailer here.
Tuesday, 7/31: Jeff Koons
Is he kitch? Is he great? Jeff Koons’s artworks have opened a huge critical divide—although his commercial success is undisputed. Koons uses everyday items such as vacuum cleaners, light fixtures, and, notably, balloons as material for his conceptual art. There are even inflatable bunnies. And, in a very postmodernist dismissal of the artist as unique genius, he doesn’t craft his work by himself. Koons more accurately conceives of the piece rather than executes it. He has an “assembly line” staffed by assistants who actually produce the finished product to his exact specifications.
Whatever you think of Koons’s creations, they’re definitely unintimidating and fun, so perhaps it’s no surprise that he’s very interested in bringing his art to children. He plays an active role in the Studio in a School program, which offers art education to New York City public schools, as well as to daycare and community organizations. High-school-age students can even get internships. I think it’s wonderful; these days, schools have so little money for anything other than the core curriculum that art, along with music, dance, and other creative endeavors often go on the chopping block first. Yet art is one of the most powerful ways to foster creative thinking, and can help keep kids in school and on target. I expect Stephen to be right on-board with this.
Koons studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he earned his BFA, as well as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which gave him an honorary doctorate. He’s won numerous awards and honors, including the Lotus Award of Distinction, the National Arts Club Medal of Honor, and the Woolaston Award from the Royal Academy of Arts—which also made an honorary member in 2010. He’s published several books, with the eponymous Jeff Koons upcoming at the end of August.
Now, from his attendance at an auction and his semiotic analyses, we all know that Stephen is a connoisseur of art. Didn’t he prove it to Steve Martin? This could be a grand encounter.
Follow Koons on Twitter, where he calls himself an “artist provocateur.”
Like him on Facebook, where you can also see some of his sculptures on the page.
Visit his website.
Read an interview with him in the Journal of Contemporary Art. Here’s what he has to say about art: “Art to me is a humanitarian act, and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to affect mankind, to make the word a better place (this is not a cliche!).”
Here’s an article on Koons’s work in The Economist.
The New York Times detailed his collection.
Take a look at what The Daily Beast had to say about Koons and his contemporaries.
Wednesday, 8/1: John M. Grunsfeld
Late-breaking announcement! The “surprise” guest, John Grunsfeld, is NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Grunsfeld has been on five shuttle flights and has helped repair or upgrade the Hubble telescope several times during these missions. (If you’ve read Neil DeGrasse Tyson–and you have, haven’t you?–you know how crucial that telescope is to our gathering knowledge.) In other words, he’s spent a lot of time walking in space.
Grunsfeld received his BA in physics from MIT, and ultimately earned his PhD from the University of Chicago. He’s a Senior Research Fellow in Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and the recipient of numerous medals, honors, and awards. From NASA alone, he has the Distinguished Service Medal, three Exceptional Service Medals, and four Space Flight Medals. Oh, and because all that’s not enough, he’s the only astronaut to have climbed Mount McKinley. Guess reaching the highest spot in North America was the next best thing to being out of this world. (He was researching altitude sickness at the time, by the way.)
We all know how much Stephen enjoys interviewing scientists, so I am very much looking forward to this. It should be a wonderful interview.
Visit his website.
Follow him on Twitter.
There’s a public page you can “Like” on Facebook.
He testified in front of the House on space weather forecasting.
Grunsfeld was on PBS’s NOVA, talking about the Hubble telescope. (He calls himself a “Hubble hugger.”)
Thursday, 8/2: Chris Hayes
What institution do you trust anymore? Not Congress for sure. The Catholic Church? Nuh-huh: not with the child molestation scandal. Sports figures? Well, the Olympics is inspiring, but if you’re anything like me, you’re waiting to hear that someone’s been doping. (And in the sports arena, that doesn’t even begin to deal with the disaster of Penn State’s famed football franchise.) In short, there doesn’t seem to be much left to believe in. Chris Hayes’s newest book, Twilight of the Elites tackles that topic, looking at why, in recent years, we’ve become a people with very little faith in the existence of meritocracy, fairness, and equal opportunity.
Hayes has two big regular gigs: as the editor-at-large of The Nation and as host of the MSNBC-TV show Up with Chris Hayes, which airs on weekends. The Bronx-born political pundit, who attended New York’s elite Hunter High School (elite in quality, not cost—it’s public, but you must test in), received his BA from Brown University; although he majored in philosophy, Hayes also worked with the school’s theater group. He has since gone on to become a fellow at Harvard’s Edmond J Safra Foundation for Ethics; a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at New America Foundation, and a Schumann Writing Fellow. His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, The New Republic, The Guardian, and many other journals.
Follow him on Twitter. Condolences to him; from one of his tweets, I gather his grandmother has died this past weekend.
Read an article on his new book in Rolling Stone.
On Politico, Hayes compares MSNBC and FOX News—and finds that they are not mirror images of one another.
Kirkus Reviews raved about this “forcefully written debut.”
The New York Times profiled Hayes.
Like the Facebook page for the book.
Watch a video of Hayes discussing how the elites rig the system in their favor.
Read a commentary in the Atlantic.
And now, let’s check in with our good friend, Jon Stewart!
Monday, 7/30: Rashida Jones
Jones starred in The Office, so she’s got a strong Jon connection through Steve Carell. Now she’s a regular in Parks and Recreation and has a new film coming out with Andy Samberg, Celeste and Jesse Forever. Jones co-wrote the film, which follows a couple who marry young but gradually drift apart as she becomes successful…while he’s unemployed. Is divorce the answer?
Follow her on Twitter.
She writes comic books too! Find out about Frenemy of the State.
Jones is on the board of Peace First, which develops games and strategies to build children’s communication and teamwork skills.
Tuesday, 7/31: Dambisa Moyo
Dambisa Moyo is one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and an author with a new book, Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What it Means for the World. The Zambian-born writer is a renowned economist and former World Bank consultant who earned degrees at Washington University, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and Oxford University.
Visit her website.
Follow her on Twitter.
Read a review of Winner Take All in USA Today.
Bloomberg News reviews the book too—and as an extra, you’ll get a review of the book by Joseph Stiglitz, Jon’s guest last week.
Wednesday, 8/1: Fred Guterl
Will the human race continue to exist—or will we go the way of the dinosaurs? Fred Guterl, executive editor of Scientific American, tackles the question in his newest book, The Fate of the Species: Why the Human Race May Cause Its Own Extinction and How We Can Stop It.
Visit the Scientific American website; Guterl has led the magazine to a 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
Follow him on Twitter.
Read his article in the Huffington Post on how we could cause our extinction—and heed his warning.
Thursday, 8/2: Jessica Biel
Actress (and Justin Timberlake fiancée) Jessica Biel first came to the country’s attention in the wholesome, family TV show 7th Heaven before departing the series for a film career. Her newest movie is the remake of Total Recall, based on the fantastic Philip K. Dick’s SF story, “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.” The original starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone; Biel’s co-stars include Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale.
Follow her on Twitter.
Visit her IMDB page.
She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live—and Huffington Post didn’t say yes to the dress.
Biel discusses her upcoming nuptials.
Let me know which guest you’re most looking forward to! And have a happy week, everyone.
Cheers!