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 again, Hubsters! After a week off, The Late Show is back and raring to go! Stephen kicks off the week with Tom Hiddleston who portrays music legend Hank Williams in his new movie. This brand new week of shows also brings us Daily Show alumnus Jason Jones, a special David Bowie tribute from The Flaming Lips, Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany, the magnificent Steve Buscemi, a performance from the Broadway cast of American Psycho, and so much more.
Which guest(s) are you looking forward to? Join in the conversation and let us know in the comment section. Don’t forget to take our weekly poll!
Monday, March 28th (2016)
Tom Hiddleston (Actor – “I Saw the Light”)
Tom Hiddleston is an English actor, best known for his role as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World. His other films include War Horse, The Deep Blue Sea, and Midnight in Paris. Hiddleston is currently starring in the six-part mini-series The Night Manager, which premiered on BBC One on February 21st and will premiere in the U.S. on April 19th on AMC. He has acted in several stage productions including Coriolanus, Ivanov, Othello, and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for Cymbeline. Hiddleston stars as country music legend Hank Williams in his latest project, I Saw the Light. The film tells the story of the famed singer, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. I Saw the Light chronicles Williams’ rise to fame and its tragic effect on his health and personal life. Rolling Stone praised Hiddleston’s performance, but not the overall movie, saying, “Hiddleston gives the role his considerable all, including singing Hank Williams hits in a voice that persuasively suggests the real thing. Hiddleston is not what’s wrong with this movie. But damn near everything else is.” And Time Out said, “Perhaps inevitably, the film as a whole doesn’t stack up to its superb central performances.” I Saw the Light opened in theaters on March 25th.
Laura Benanti (Actress – “She Loves Me”)
Laura Benanti is an American stage and screen actress, who played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Benanti has appeared in many Broadway productions including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Swing!, Into the Woods, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), and Nine. In 2015, she joined the cast of CBS’s Supergirl, with a recurring role as Alura Zor-El, the mother of Kara (aka Supergirl). Benanti is currently starring on Broadway in the lead role of Amalia Balash in the 2016 Roundabout Theatre Company revival of She Loves Me. The musical follows Amalia and Georg, two parfumerie clerks who aren’t quite the best of friends. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, the sparring co-workers can’t seem to find common ground. But little do they know the anonymous pen pals they have both been falling for happen to be each other. The New York Times describes She Loves Me as “Sumptuous. Rapturous. Transcendent.” The Wall Street Journal raves, “Pure delight! The most romantic of all Broadway musicals.” And Variety says, “Absolutely flawless. Roundabout’s enchanting revival is so charming, you wish it would follow you home.” She Loves Me opened at Studio 54 on March 17th for a limited engagement through June 12th.
Frightened Rabbit (Album – “Painting of a Panic Attack”)
Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. The line-up currently consists of Scott Hutchison, Grant Hutchison, Billy Kennedy, Andy Monaghan, and Simon Liddell. Since 2004 the band has been based in Glasgow. Frightened Rabbit’s newest project is their fifth studio album, Painting of a Panic Attack. On February 19th the band released the song “Death Dream”, the first track on their new album.Consequence of Sound said, “Opening with the ghostly hum of a piano, the song maintains a steady ambiance of funereal beauty, frontman Scott Hutchinson leading the way with an almost choir-like croon.” Painting of a Panic Attack will be released on April 8th and is available for pre-order. Frightened Rabbit will kick off their U.S. tour with the band Caveman on April 21st.
Tuesday, March 29th (2016)
Adam Driver (Actor – “Midnight Special” and “Girls”)
Adam Driver is an American actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a wide range of films including Lincoln, Frances Ha, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Driver gained worldwide attention and acclaim for playing the villain Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens; a role which he is set to reprise in future Star Wars films. For his supporting part as Adam Sackler in the HBO comedy-drama series Girls, Driver has received three consecutive nominations for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Girls is currently in its fifth season. His latest film, Midnight Special, is directed by Jeff Nichols and tells the story of a father and his eight-year-old son who go on the lam upon discovering that the boy possesses mysterious powers. The government and a group of religious extremists pursue the father and son. Driver plays quirky NSA Agent, Paul Sevier, who is called in to help figure out who or what the child is. “Midnight Special, a beautifully strange and stirring sci-fi adventure about a boy with special powers, was written and directed by Jeff Nichols, a storyteller with special powers of his own,” raves The Wall Street Journal. And Rolling Stone says, “In this spellbinding sci-fi chase movie, UFOs take a back seat to identifiable human emotions. Go with it. Let director Jeff Nichols turn your head around.” Midnight Special opened in theaters on March 18th. Girls airs Sundays at 10:00pm on HBO.
Rachel Bloom (Actress – “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”)
Rachel Bloom is an American actress, comedian, writer, and musician. Bloom wrote and sang the song, “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury”, which gained a cult following when it was released on Ray Bradbury’s 90th birthday in 2010. The song was inspired by her favorite Ray Bradbury book, The Martian Chronicles. In 2013 she released two musical comedy albums – Please Love Me and Suck It, Christmas (A Chanukah Album). Bloom worked as a television writer on Allen Gregory and Robot Chicken. She also voiced various characters on Robot Chicken, as well as BoJack Horseman. She co-created, writes, produces, and plays the lead role of Rebecca Bunch on The CW television series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an hour-long romantic musical comedy-drama with elements of dark comedy and satire. The show incorporates original songs in every episode and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Original Television Soundtrack was released in February. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has received high critical acclaim. Variety raves, “Perhaps foremost, the series almost immediately establishes a distinctive voice, and sets up Bloom as a talent to be reckoned with.” And the AV Club calls the show “A smart, dark, and inventive musical comedy…” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Mondays at 8:00pm on The CW.
Savages (Album – “Adore Life”)
Savages are a London-based post-punk rock band, formed in 2011, consisting of band members Jehnny Beth, Gemma Thompson, Ayse Hassan, and Fay Milton. Adore Life, their second studio album, was released on January 22nd. Consequence of Sound says, “Adore Life is many things, but the thing it feels most like is a celebration. On one level, it’s a celebration of the fact that guitar-driven rock music is probably here to stay. But it’s also a celebration of life at its strangest, messiest, and most vital.” And Rolling Stone states, “The album’s striking title track could almost be a steely soul ballad. ‘Maybe I will die, maybe tomorrow, so I need to say I adore life,’ Beth sings with glorious resolve against an eerie rumble. It’s what Joy Division’s Eighties might’ve sounded like if Ian Curtis had found the right anti-depressants.” Savages kick off their U.S. tour on March 27th.
Wednesday, March 30th (2016)
Eric Stonestreet (Actor – “Confirmation” and “Modern Family”)
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, best known for portraying Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy series Modern Family. He has received critical acclaim for this performance, including two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and a further three nominations. Stonestreet has had many guests roles on television shows including ER, The West Wing, and The Mentalist. He had a small role in Almost Famous and has appeared in other films such as Bad Teacher, Identity Thief, and The Loft. Stonestreet’s latest project is the HBO film Confirmation, which is about the 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, and the controversy that unfolded when Anita Hill came forward to say she was a victim of Thomas’ sexual harassment. Stonestreet plays Kenneth Duberstein, a slick political advisor, who coached Thomas through the hearings. Confirmation premieres April 16th at 8:00pm on HBO. Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9:00pm on TBS.
Jason Jones (Actor and Co-Creator – “The Detour”)
Jason Jones is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 2005 to 2015. Jones had a supporting role in the 2009 movie All About Steve. He also made cameo appearances in Pitch Perfect, The Art of the Steal, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, and The Night Before. Jones played himself in Jon Stewart’s 2014 directorial debut, Rosewater. Jones’ newest project is The Detour, a comedy television series created for TBS by Jones and his wife, Samantha Bee. The Detour is about a family vacation road trip and is based on the real life couple’s own experiences with family vacations. “The core of it is how I speak to my children, which is in a very honest and blunt fashion. I don’t see that on television a lot,” said Jones on stage at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour of the concept for the show, adding, “When you throw in a close, cramped quarters on a trip, it gets even more open and honest.” The Detour premiers April 11th at 9:00pm on TBS.
Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts Senator)
Elizabeth Warren is an American academic and politician, who is the senior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was previously a Harvard Law School professor specializing in bankruptcy law. Warren is a leading figure in the Democratic Party and is popular among American progressives. She was frequently mentioned by political pundits as a potential 2016 presidential candidate. However, Warren has repeatedly stated that she has no intention of running for president. On March 21st Warren took to Twitter, sending several Tweets calling Donald Trump “a loser”, such as [email protected] knows he’s a loser. His insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, flagrant narcissism.” While visiting a Quincy, MA health center on March 26th, Warren took a question on who she voted for in the DNC primary and whether Bernie Sanders should drop out. After deflecting a question about who she planned to vote for in the primary by saying she already voted in Massachusetts on March 1st, Warren said she will not share who she voted for. “I haven’t endorsed a candidate and I’m not going to do a backdoor endorsement that way,” she snapped, referring to the location. When asked if she thought Sanders should drop out, she said, “I’m still cheering Bernie on.”
Thursday, March 31st (2016)
Sarah Paulson (Actress – “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson”)
Sarah Paulson is an American film, stage, and television actress. Her film credits include What Women Want, Down With Love, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and 12 Years a Slave. Paulson received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her performance as Nicolle Wallace in the HBO movie Game Change. She has had roles on television shows such as Jack and Jill, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Grey’s Anatomy. In 2011, Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series American Horror Story, playing different characters in each of the show’s five seasons. On March 20th, Paulson was part of the American Horror Story Paleyfest panel, where they discussed season five, American Horror Story: Hotel. Paulson is currently starring as head prosecutor, Marcia Clark, on FX’s 10-episode miniseries, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, which is a behind-the-scenes retelling of the infamous mid-90s O.J. Simpson murder trial. The show has received rave reviews. “American Crime Story is a meticulously crafted, powerfully resonant docudrama that crackles with timely issues — race, sexism, privilege, celebrity, broken justice, media manipulation, and more,” proclaims Entertainment Weekly. And the AV Club praises, “I was more than pleasantly surprised by this series… What’s more, I was completely enthralled by it, itching to talk about the show with anybody.” American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson airs Tuesdays at 10:00pm on FX.
Tatiana Maslany (Actress – “The Other Half” and “Orphan Black”)
Tatiana Maslany is a Canadian actress, who has starred in television series such as The Nativity, Being Erica, Heartland, and Orphan Black. Her film credits include Picture Day, Diary of the Dead, and Eastern Promises. Maslany’s latest film, The Other Half, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 12th. She stars as Emily, a bipolar woman, who meets the grief-stricken Nickie and together they struggle to forge a simple life. Variety says, “What might have seemed pro forma on paper — a man, suffering the effects of long-term grief, forges a deep bond with a young woman with bipolar disorder — overcomes its occasionally studied stylistic tics to become a troubled, anguished love story that neither exaggerates nor soft-pedals the demons on display.” The Other Half opened in theaters on March 12th. Maslany is currently starring in Orphan Black, a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series. She portrays several identical people who are clones. Her character, Sarah Manning, is a woman who assumes the identity of one of her fellow clones, Elizabeth Childs, after witnessing Childs’ suicide. The series raises issues about the moral and ethical implications of human cloning, and its effect on issues of personal identity. Maslany has received widespread critical acclaim for her role, winning two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, a TCA Award, and three Canadian Screen Awards, in addition to receiving Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations. Season four of Orphan Black premieres April 14th at 10:00pm on BBC America.
Wynton Marsalis, Lil Buck, and Jared Grimes (Concert – “Spaces”)
Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, teacher, music educator, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Marsalis composed the concert Spaces, which will attempt to recapture the natural fascination we have with the sounds and movements of animals. Spaces will feature two extraordinary dance geniuses who will convey how essential movement is to jazz and how it reflects a natural expression of life itself: Charles “Lil Buck” Riley, a groundbreaking young artist who specializes in a style of street dance called jookin’; and Jared Grimes, a tap dancer who won the 2014 Fred Astaire Award. Marsalis specifically invited Lil Buck and Grimes to perform in Spaces because he considers them to be “the latest inheritors of the long tradition of dancers, picking up where other greats such as William Henry Lane (a.k.a. Master Juba), Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, and Sammy Davis Jr. left off, and who are as relevant to the art form as other present-day masters such as Savion Glover.” Spaces will have its world premiere on April 1st & 2nd at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Friday, April 1st (2016)
Steve Buscemi (Actor – “Horace and Pete“)
Steve Buscemi is an American actor and film director, who has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including Reservoir Dogs, Desperado, Con Air, Armageddon, Big Fish, and The Sopranos. He is also known for his appearances in many films by the Coen brothers: Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski. From 2010 to 2014, he portrayed Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in the critically acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire, which earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe. Buscemi has directed films and numerous episodes of TV shows, including The Sopranos, Oz, 30 Rock, Nurse Jackie, and Portlandia. He also appeared in several episodes of The Sopranos, 30 Rock, and Portlandia. He hosted the Emmy Award-nominated web series Park Bench with Steve Buscemi. His latest project is Horace and Pete, a comedy-drama web series created by Louis CK. Buscemi stars as Pete Whittell who owns a bar with his cousin Horace Whittell, played by CK. The run-down Irish bar, located in Brooklyn, has been owned by the Whittell family since 1916. Horace and Pete has the feel of a stage play but is filmed using cuts and camera zooms. “This series isn’t going to be for everyone, but all of the disorientation and ingenuity certainly make it one of the most thrilling things to come along in some time,” raves The Guardian. And The Boston Globe states, “It’s a comedy, mostly, sort of, but a comedy that aims to capture the shifting tones of real life, the pathos and the existential aches as much as the laughter and the absurdities.” Horace and Pete is available for purchase on Louis CK’s website in the above link.
Benjamin Walker (Actor – “American Psycho: The Musical”)
Benjamin Walker is an American actor and stand-up comedian known for his title role in the 2012 film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, as well as his appearances in the films Kinsey and Flags of Our Fathers, and his critically acclaimed role as Andrew Jackson in the off-Broadway musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Walker has performed stand-up comedy at Caroline’s, Comedy Village, and The Comedy Store. His comedy show, Find the Funny, features comics and taped short narratives and skits. Walker is now on Broadway as the lead in the musical American Psycho, based on the 1991 best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Set in 1980s Manhattan, this hit musical tells the story of Patrick Bateman (Walker), a young and handsome Wall Street banker with impeccable taste and unquenchable desires. Patrick and his elite group of friends spend their days in chic restaurants, exclusive clubs and designer labels. But at night, Patrick takes part in a darker indulgence, and his mask of sanity is starting to slip. “A carnal carnival of song and dance. Benjamin Walker has the charisma and polish to rule any stage,” raves The New York Times. And The Guardian says, “Confirms the mythic power of Easton Ellis’s story and leaves us all dangerously entertained.” American Psycho is currently in previews and opens on April 21st at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
Broadway Cast of “American Psycho”
The Broadway cast of American Psycho will give a performance on The Late Show. Directed by Rupert Goold, who also helmed the acclaimed London production, American Psycho features music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, choreography by Lynne Page, and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Benjamin Walker stars as Patrick Bateman, a 1980s New York banker who leads a double life as a murderer. Also in the cast are Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley as Patrick’s Mother/Mrs. Wolfe; Heléne Yorke as Evelyn Williams, Patrick’s girlfriend; Tony Award nominee Jennifer Damiano as Jean, Patrick’s secretary; Drew Moerlein as Paul Owen; Krystina Alabado as Vandan; Dave Thomas Brown as David van Patten and many more. “I think audiences will come in expecting one thing and leave experiencing so much more than they expected,” says Yorke, who plays Bateman’s girlfriend Evelyn Williams. “Which is to laugh, to be scared, and to run the gamut of emotions.” The cast took the stage for a press preview on February 18th at the New 42nd Street Studios. Entertainment Weekly raved that it was a “highly vibrant performance” adding, “Perhaps the most surprising revelation from those seeing the performance for the first time was the fact that, for a gory story, the musical takes an even more humorous approach than the film.”
Better Know a Guest – March 28 – April 1, 2016
Hello again, Hubsters! After a week off, The Late Show is back and raring to go! Stephen kicks off the week with Tom Hiddleston who portrays music legend Hank Williams in his new movie. This brand new week of shows also brings us Daily Show alumnus Jason Jones, a special David Bowie tribute from The Flaming Lips, Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany, the magnificent Steve Buscemi, a performance from the Broadway cast of American Psycho, and so much more.
Which guest(s) are you looking forward to? Join in the conversation and let us know in the comment section. Don’t forget to take our weekly poll!
Monday, March 28th (2016)
Tom Hiddleston (Actor – “I Saw the Light”)
Tom Hiddleston is an English actor, best known for his role as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World. His other films include War Horse, The Deep Blue Sea, and Midnight in Paris. Hiddleston is currently starring in the six-part mini-series The Night Manager, which premiered on BBC One on February 21st and will premiere in the U.S. on April 19th on AMC. He has acted in several stage productions including Coriolanus, Ivanov, Othello, and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for Cymbeline. Hiddleston stars as country music legend Hank Williams in his latest project, I Saw the Light. The film tells the story of the famed singer, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. I Saw the Light chronicles Williams’ rise to fame and its tragic effect on his health and personal life. Rolling Stone praised Hiddleston’s performance, but not the overall movie, saying, “Hiddleston gives the role his considerable all, including singing Hank Williams hits in a voice that persuasively suggests the real thing. Hiddleston is not what’s wrong with this movie. But damn near everything else is.” And Time Out said, “Perhaps inevitably, the film as a whole doesn’t stack up to its superb central performances.” I Saw the Light opened in theaters on March 25th.
Laura Benanti (Actress – “She Loves Me”)
Laura Benanti is an American stage and screen actress, who played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Benanti has appeared in many Broadway productions including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Swing!, Into the Woods, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), and Nine. In 2015, she joined the cast of CBS’s Supergirl, with a recurring role as Alura Zor-El, the mother of Kara (aka Supergirl). Benanti is currently starring on Broadway in the lead role of Amalia Balash in the 2016 Roundabout Theatre Company revival of She Loves Me. The musical follows Amalia and Georg, two parfumerie clerks who aren’t quite the best of friends. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, the sparring co-workers can’t seem to find common ground. But little do they know the anonymous pen pals they have both been falling for happen to be each other. The New York Times describes She Loves Me as “Sumptuous. Rapturous. Transcendent.” The Wall Street Journal raves, “Pure delight! The most romantic of all Broadway musicals.” And Variety says, “Absolutely flawless. Roundabout’s enchanting revival is so charming, you wish it would follow you home.” She Loves Me opened at Studio 54 on March 17th for a limited engagement through June 12th.
Frightened Rabbit (Album – “Painting of a Panic Attack”)
Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. The line-up currently consists of Scott Hutchison, Grant Hutchison, Billy Kennedy, Andy Monaghan, and Simon Liddell. Since 2004 the band has been based in Glasgow. Frightened Rabbit’s newest project is their fifth studio album, Painting of a Panic Attack. On February 19th the band released the song “Death Dream”, the first track on their new album.Consequence of Sound said, “Opening with the ghostly hum of a piano, the song maintains a steady ambiance of funereal beauty, frontman Scott Hutchinson leading the way with an almost choir-like croon.” Painting of a Panic Attack will be released on April 8th and is available for pre-order. Frightened Rabbit will kick off their U.S. tour with the band Caveman on April 21st.
Tuesday, March 29th (2016)
Adam Driver (Actor – “Midnight Special” and “Girls”)
Adam Driver is an American actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a wide range of films including Lincoln, Frances Ha, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Driver gained worldwide attention and acclaim for playing the villain Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens; a role which he is set to reprise in future Star Wars films. For his supporting part as Adam Sackler in the HBO comedy-drama series Girls, Driver has received three consecutive nominations for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Girls is currently in its fifth season. His latest film, Midnight Special, is directed by Jeff Nichols and tells the story of a father and his eight-year-old son who go on the lam upon discovering that the boy possesses mysterious powers. The government and a group of religious extremists pursue the father and son. Driver plays quirky NSA Agent, Paul Sevier, who is called in to help figure out who or what the child is. “Midnight Special, a beautifully strange and stirring sci-fi adventure about a boy with special powers, was written and directed by Jeff Nichols, a storyteller with special powers of his own,” raves The Wall Street Journal. And Rolling Stone says, “In this spellbinding sci-fi chase movie, UFOs take a back seat to identifiable human emotions. Go with it. Let director Jeff Nichols turn your head around.” Midnight Special opened in theaters on March 18th. Girls airs Sundays at 10:00pm on HBO.
Rachel Bloom (Actress – “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”)
Rachel Bloom is an American actress, comedian, writer, and musician. Bloom wrote and sang the song, “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury”, which gained a cult following when it was released on Ray Bradbury’s 90th birthday in 2010. The song was inspired by her favorite Ray Bradbury book, The Martian Chronicles. In 2013 she released two musical comedy albums – Please Love Me and Suck It, Christmas (A Chanukah Album). Bloom worked as a television writer on Allen Gregory and Robot Chicken. She also voiced various characters on Robot Chicken, as well as BoJack Horseman. She co-created, writes, produces, and plays the lead role of Rebecca Bunch on The CW television series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an hour-long romantic musical comedy-drama with elements of dark comedy and satire. The show incorporates original songs in every episode and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Original Television Soundtrack was released in February. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has received high critical acclaim. Variety raves, “Perhaps foremost, the series almost immediately establishes a distinctive voice, and sets up Bloom as a talent to be reckoned with.” And the AV Club calls the show “A smart, dark, and inventive musical comedy…” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Mondays at 8:00pm on The CW.
Savages (Album – “Adore Life”)
Savages are a London-based post-punk rock band, formed in 2011, consisting of band members Jehnny Beth, Gemma Thompson, Ayse Hassan, and Fay Milton. Adore Life, their second studio album, was released on January 22nd. Consequence of Sound says, “Adore Life is many things, but the thing it feels most like is a celebration. On one level, it’s a celebration of the fact that guitar-driven rock music is probably here to stay. But it’s also a celebration of life at its strangest, messiest, and most vital.” And Rolling Stone states, “The album’s striking title track could almost be a steely soul ballad. ‘Maybe I will die, maybe tomorrow, so I need to say I adore life,’ Beth sings with glorious resolve against an eerie rumble. It’s what Joy Division’s Eighties might’ve sounded like if Ian Curtis had found the right anti-depressants.” Savages kick off their U.S. tour on March 27th.
Wednesday, March 30th (2016)
Eric Stonestreet (Actor – “Confirmation” and “Modern Family”)
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, best known for portraying Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy series Modern Family. He has received critical acclaim for this performance, including two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and a further three nominations. Stonestreet has had many guests roles on television shows including ER, The West Wing, and The Mentalist. He had a small role in Almost Famous and has appeared in other films such as Bad Teacher, Identity Thief, and The Loft. Stonestreet’s latest project is the HBO film Confirmation, which is about the 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, and the controversy that unfolded when Anita Hill came forward to say she was a victim of Thomas’ sexual harassment. Stonestreet plays Kenneth Duberstein, a slick political advisor, who coached Thomas through the hearings. Confirmation premieres April 16th at 8:00pm on HBO. Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9:00pm on TBS.
Jason Jones (Actor and Co-Creator – “The Detour”)
Jason Jones is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 2005 to 2015. Jones had a supporting role in the 2009 movie All About Steve. He also made cameo appearances in Pitch Perfect, The Art of the Steal, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, and The Night Before. Jones played himself in Jon Stewart’s 2014 directorial debut, Rosewater. Jones’ newest project is The Detour, a comedy television series created for TBS by Jones and his wife, Samantha Bee. The Detour is about a family vacation road trip and is based on the real life couple’s own experiences with family vacations. “The core of it is how I speak to my children, which is in a very honest and blunt fashion. I don’t see that on television a lot,” said Jones on stage at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour of the concept for the show, adding, “When you throw in a close, cramped quarters on a trip, it gets even more open and honest.” The Detour premiers April 11th at 9:00pm on TBS.
Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts Senator)
Elizabeth Warren is an American academic and politician, who is the senior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was previously a Harvard Law School professor specializing in bankruptcy law. Warren is a leading figure in the Democratic Party and is popular among American progressives. She was frequently mentioned by political pundits as a potential 2016 presidential candidate. However, Warren has repeatedly stated that she has no intention of running for president. On March 21st Warren took to Twitter, sending several Tweets calling Donald Trump “a loser”, such as [email protected] knows he’s a loser. His insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, flagrant narcissism.” While visiting a Quincy, MA health center on March 26th, Warren took a question on who she voted for in the DNC primary and whether Bernie Sanders should drop out. After deflecting a question about who she planned to vote for in the primary by saying she already voted in Massachusetts on March 1st, Warren said she will not share who she voted for. “I haven’t endorsed a candidate and I’m not going to do a backdoor endorsement that way,” she snapped, referring to the location. When asked if she thought Sanders should drop out, she said, “I’m still cheering Bernie on.”
Thursday, March 31st (2016)
Sarah Paulson (Actress – “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson”)
Sarah Paulson is an American film, stage, and television actress. Her film credits include What Women Want, Down With Love, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and 12 Years a Slave. Paulson received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her performance as Nicolle Wallace in the HBO movie Game Change. She has had roles on television shows such as Jack and Jill, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Grey’s Anatomy. In 2011, Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series American Horror Story, playing different characters in each of the show’s five seasons. On March 20th, Paulson was part of the American Horror Story Paleyfest panel, where they discussed season five, American Horror Story: Hotel. Paulson is currently starring as head prosecutor, Marcia Clark, on FX’s 10-episode miniseries, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, which is a behind-the-scenes retelling of the infamous mid-90s O.J. Simpson murder trial. The show has received rave reviews. “American Crime Story is a meticulously crafted, powerfully resonant docudrama that crackles with timely issues — race, sexism, privilege, celebrity, broken justice, media manipulation, and more,” proclaims Entertainment Weekly. And the AV Club praises, “I was more than pleasantly surprised by this series… What’s more, I was completely enthralled by it, itching to talk about the show with anybody.” American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson airs Tuesdays at 10:00pm on FX.
Tatiana Maslany (Actress – “The Other Half” and “Orphan Black”)
Tatiana Maslany is a Canadian actress, who has starred in television series such as The Nativity, Being Erica, Heartland, and Orphan Black. Her film credits include Picture Day, Diary of the Dead, and Eastern Promises. Maslany’s latest film, The Other Half, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 12th. She stars as Emily, a bipolar woman, who meets the grief-stricken Nickie and together they struggle to forge a simple life. Variety says, “What might have seemed pro forma on paper — a man, suffering the effects of long-term grief, forges a deep bond with a young woman with bipolar disorder — overcomes its occasionally studied stylistic tics to become a troubled, anguished love story that neither exaggerates nor soft-pedals the demons on display.” The Other Half opened in theaters on March 12th. Maslany is currently starring in Orphan Black, a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series. She portrays several identical people who are clones. Her character, Sarah Manning, is a woman who assumes the identity of one of her fellow clones, Elizabeth Childs, after witnessing Childs’ suicide. The series raises issues about the moral and ethical implications of human cloning, and its effect on issues of personal identity. Maslany has received widespread critical acclaim for her role, winning two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, a TCA Award, and three Canadian Screen Awards, in addition to receiving Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations. Season four of Orphan Black premieres April 14th at 10:00pm on BBC America.
Wynton Marsalis, Lil Buck, and Jared Grimes (Concert – “Spaces”)
Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, teacher, music educator, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Marsalis composed the concert Spaces, which will attempt to recapture the natural fascination we have with the sounds and movements of animals. Spaces will feature two extraordinary dance geniuses who will convey how essential movement is to jazz and how it reflects a natural expression of life itself: Charles “Lil Buck” Riley, a groundbreaking young artist who specializes in a style of street dance called jookin’; and Jared Grimes, a tap dancer who won the 2014 Fred Astaire Award. Marsalis specifically invited Lil Buck and Grimes to perform in Spaces because he considers them to be “the latest inheritors of the long tradition of dancers, picking up where other greats such as William Henry Lane (a.k.a. Master Juba), Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, and Sammy Davis Jr. left off, and who are as relevant to the art form as other present-day masters such as Savion Glover.” Spaces will have its world premiere on April 1st & 2nd at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Friday, April 1st (2016)
Steve Buscemi (Actor – “Horace and Pete“)
Steve Buscemi is an American actor and film director, who has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including Reservoir Dogs, Desperado, Con Air, Armageddon, Big Fish, and The Sopranos. He is also known for his appearances in many films by the Coen brothers: Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski. From 2010 to 2014, he portrayed Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in the critically acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire, which earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe. Buscemi has directed films and numerous episodes of TV shows, including The Sopranos, Oz, 30 Rock, Nurse Jackie, and Portlandia. He also appeared in several episodes of The Sopranos, 30 Rock, and Portlandia. He hosted the Emmy Award-nominated web series Park Bench with Steve Buscemi. His latest project is Horace and Pete, a comedy-drama web series created by Louis CK. Buscemi stars as Pete Whittell who owns a bar with his cousin Horace Whittell, played by CK. The run-down Irish bar, located in Brooklyn, has been owned by the Whittell family since 1916. Horace and Pete has the feel of a stage play but is filmed using cuts and camera zooms. “This series isn’t going to be for everyone, but all of the disorientation and ingenuity certainly make it one of the most thrilling things to come along in some time,” raves The Guardian. And The Boston Globe states, “It’s a comedy, mostly, sort of, but a comedy that aims to capture the shifting tones of real life, the pathos and the existential aches as much as the laughter and the absurdities.” Horace and Pete is available for purchase on Louis CK’s website in the above link.
Benjamin Walker (Actor – “American Psycho: The Musical”)
Benjamin Walker is an American actor and stand-up comedian known for his title role in the 2012 film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, as well as his appearances in the films Kinsey and Flags of Our Fathers, and his critically acclaimed role as Andrew Jackson in the off-Broadway musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Walker has performed stand-up comedy at Caroline’s, Comedy Village, and The Comedy Store. His comedy show, Find the Funny, features comics and taped short narratives and skits. Walker is now on Broadway as the lead in the musical American Psycho, based on the 1991 best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Set in 1980s Manhattan, this hit musical tells the story of Patrick Bateman (Walker), a young and handsome Wall Street banker with impeccable taste and unquenchable desires. Patrick and his elite group of friends spend their days in chic restaurants, exclusive clubs and designer labels. But at night, Patrick takes part in a darker indulgence, and his mask of sanity is starting to slip. “A carnal carnival of song and dance. Benjamin Walker has the charisma and polish to rule any stage,” raves The New York Times. And The Guardian says, “Confirms the mythic power of Easton Ellis’s story and leaves us all dangerously entertained.” American Psycho is currently in previews and opens on April 21st at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
Broadway Cast of “American Psycho”
The Broadway cast of American Psycho will give a performance on The Late Show. Directed by Rupert Goold, who also helmed the acclaimed London production, American Psycho features music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, choreography by Lynne Page, and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Benjamin Walker stars as Patrick Bateman, a 1980s New York banker who leads a double life as a murderer. Also in the cast are Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley as Patrick’s Mother/Mrs. Wolfe; Heléne Yorke as Evelyn Williams, Patrick’s girlfriend; Tony Award nominee Jennifer Damiano as Jean, Patrick’s secretary; Drew Moerlein as Paul Owen; Krystina Alabado as Vandan; Dave Thomas Brown as David van Patten and many more. “I think audiences will come in expecting one thing and leave experiencing so much more than they expected,” says Yorke, who plays Bateman’s girlfriend Evelyn Williams. “Which is to laugh, to be scared, and to run the gamut of emotions.” The cast took the stage for a press preview on February 18th at the New 42nd Street Studios. Entertainment Weekly raved that it was a “highly vibrant performance” adding, “Perhaps the most surprising revelation from those seeing the performance for the first time was the fact that, for a gory story, the musical takes an even more humorous approach than the film.”