Better Know a Guest: May 5 – 8, 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.

Linds is away again, but don’t worry she will be back next week! In the meantime, the boys are back with a fantastic new week of shows featuring authors, actors, biologists, singers, athletes and journalists.

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and vote in our weekly favourite guest poll, and to let us know which news stories you hope are covered on the shows this week!!

Monday, May 5 (2014)
Edward O. Wilson (Biologist and Author: “A Window on Eternity: A Biologist’s Walk Through Gorongosa National Park”)

Edward O. Wilson an American researcher, theorist, naturalist, author and biologist who specialises in myrmecology – the study of ants – on which he is considered to be the world’s leading authority. In his long scientific career Wilson has become known as “the father of sociobiology”, and has transformed his field of research in the behavioral study of ants, and has applied his scientific perspective and experience to illuminate the human circumstance, including human origins, human nature, and human interactions. In addition to his position as the Pellegrino University Research Professor Emeritus in Entomology at Harvard, Wilson is also noted as being pioneer in spearheading efforts to preserve and protect the biodiversity of this planet. In his new book “A Window on Eternity”, Wilson combines prose and stunning photography to showcase the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, which was nearly destroyed during a brutal civil, but in its rebirth and evolution back to its original state, has become one of the most biologically rich places in Africa, and perhaps in the world.

Tuesday, May 6 (2014)
Bette Midler (Singer and Actress: “A View From a Broad”)

Bette Midler (“The Divine Miss M”) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, comedian, film producer and entrepreneur, who began her professional career in several Off-Off-Broadway plays. She rose to prominence in 1970 when she began singing at the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse, where she built up a core following. She has since gone on to release thirteen studio albums as a solo artist, with many becoming hits on the record charts. Most recently, her memoir “A View From a Broad”, first published in 1980, has recently been updated and re-released. In the book, Midler relives her career through photographs and heartwarming stories and memories of “endless rehearsals, her fear of flying, crazy schedules and wisdom she learned from Thai Gondoliers, with the trademark razor-blade wit that her fans have grown to know, love and expect.”

Follow: Website | @BetteMidler | Facebook | Instagram

Wednesday, May 7 (2014)
David Remnick (Journalist: “The New Yorker”)

David Remnick is an American journalist, writer and the current editor-in-chief of The New Yorker, a position he has held since 1998. Named ‘Editor of the Year’ by Advertising Age in 2000, Remnick previously worked as a reporter and the Moscow correspondent for The Washington Post, in addition to serving on the New York Public Library’s board of trustees. Most recently, Remnick appeared on NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage offering informative and context-rich commentary on what the Olympic Games and the opening ceremony meant to Vladimir Putin.

Born: October 29, 1958 (Hackensack, New Jersey, United States)
Education: Princeton University
Books: Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire | The Devil Problem: And Other True Stories | Resurrection: The Struggle for a New Russia | King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero | Reporting: Writings from The New Yorker | The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama

Thursday, May 8 (2014)
Ellen Page (Actress: “X-Men: Days of Future Past”)

Ellen Page is a Canadian actress who started her career with roles on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role as ‘Juno’ in 2007. Page reprises her role as Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, which acts as a sequel to both “X-Men: The Last Stand”, “X-Men: First Class”, as well as a follow-up to “The Wolverine”. The film features the ultimate X-Men ensemble which must fight a war for the survival of the species across two time periods, in the characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class” in an epic battle that must change the past to save the future. In the film, Page’s character Shadowcat possesses a “phasing” ability that allows her and the objects or people in which she is in contact to become intangible. The power will also disrupt any electrical field the she passes through, and lets her simulate levitation.

Follow: @EllenPage

And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at ‘The Daily Show’!

Monday, May 5 (2014)
Mariano Rivera (Athlete and Author: “The Closer”)

Mariano Rivera is a retired Panamanian baseball pitcher who played nineteen seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. The majority of his career was spent playing as a relief pitcher, and served as the Yankees’ closer for seventeen seasons. Within the world of baseball Rivera is regarded as one of the most dominant relievers in major league history, and is credited by fellow players as popularising the cut fastball. Along with his signature pitch, Rivera was known for his precise control, smooth pitching motion, and for his composure and reserved demeanor on the field. In his new book, Rivera tells the story of the championships, bosses, rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States, and how his faith and his family kept him grounded.

Follow: @MarianoRivera

Tuesday, May 6 (2014)
Peter Schuck (Professor and Author: “Why Government Fails So Often: And How It Can Do Better”)

Peter Schuck has held the held chair as the Simeon E. Baldwin Professor Emeritus of Law and Professor of Law at Yale Law School, since 1984, with his major fields of teaching and research centering on tort law, immigration, citizenship, refugee law, and administrative law. In his new book, “Why Government Fails So Often”, Schuck argues that Washington’s failures are due not to episodic problems or partisan bickering, but rather to deep structural flaws that undermine every administration, Democratic and Republican. To counteract each of these problems, Schuck proposes numerous achievable reforms, and examines successful policies, highlighting the factors that made them work.

Wednesday, May 7 (2014)
Seth Rogen (Actor and Comedian: “Neighbors”)

Seth Rogen is a Canadian actor, director, producer, screenwriter and key member of Judd Apatow’s comedy fraternity. “It’s breeders against bros” says The Hollywood Reporter of Rogen’s latest film, “Neignbors” (released internationally as “Bad Neighbours”), which sees him stars opposite Rose Byrne as a who are trying to convince themselves that a mortgage and newborn don’t make them uncool. The couple find their lives turn upside down when a fraternity house helmed by Zac Efron is established next door. The film has received mixed reviews, with Collider noting that the film “is light on character development, ridden with logic issues and doesn’t flow particularly well […] resulting in a feature that may not be particularly memorable, but is still a fun watch.” Variety furthers that the “boasts an almost oppressive volume of outrageous gags, and provided that audiences don’t mind the lack of anything resembling a coherent story arc, its commercial potential ought to be enormous.”

Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interviews – November 6, 2013 | September 27, 2011 | March 31, 2009 | August 5, 2008

Follow: @SethRogen

Thursday, May 8 (2014)
Katie Couric (Executive Producer: “Fed Up”)

Katie Couric is an American broadcast journalist, the Global Anchor of Yahoo News, the host of “Katie,” and a special correspondent for ABC News. Most recently, Couric served as the executive producer and narrator of the documentary, “Fed Up”, which focuses on the ways in which foods that contain sugar are affecting the health of America’s. The film premiered in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it received mostly positive reviews, with Robert Cameron Fowler from Indiewire calling the film “a glossy package that gets its warnings across loud and clear: we need to change what we eat.” Geoff Berkshire of Variety sees the film as “a formulaic and functional documentary that nevertheless proves effective at getting the message out about America’s addiction to unhealthy food.” Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter, however criticized the addition of details in the film, which “diminishes its central message with distracting details.”

Follow: Website | @KatieCouric | Facebook

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! Here’s to a great week of shows!

Better Know a Guest: May 5 – 8, 2014

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