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.
Monday, November 16 (2015)
Bill Maher (Host – “Real Time with Bill Maher”)
Bill Maher is a comedian, actor, writer, and political satirist, who has been the host of ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’, since 2003. Maher is best known for his political commentary, and he does this during the panel segment of his show, where he invites approx. 3 guests each week to dive into the topic of discussion for that show. Maher has had many controversial views on religion, he has also strongly voiced his opinion on legalization of marijuana. Maher’s show ‘Real Time with Bill Maher,’ airs Friday’s at 10pm on HBO.
Capt. Florent Groberg (Recipient of the Medal of Honor)
Florent Groberg is a captain in the American military. On November 12, 2015 he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama, for his courageous actions in Afghanistan. In 2012 he was severely injured trying to stop a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. During the ceremony the President had this to say about Groberg, “That’s the nature of courage — not being unafraid, but confronting fear and danger and performing in a selfless fashion. He showed his guts, he showed his training, how he would put it all on the line for his teammates. That’s an American we can all be grateful for.” Groberg is now retired from the military.
Shepard Fairey (Street Artist and Founder of OBEY)
Shepherd Fairey is a street artist and founder of the OBEY clothing line. Fairey uses his OBEY line as a way to express his opinions on the media, and the ever changing culture of society today. In August Fairey had an art exhibition which featured his new paintings. These painting were titled “On Our Hands”, and The New York Times had this to say about his latest work, “The political concerns that have long spurred his work, from corruption and authority to the environment and universal personhood, are again strongly in evidence here.” Fairey is continuing to do more art work, and is working on new pieces for the OBEY clothing line.
Acro-Cats (Performing Cats)
The Acro-Cats is a cat based performance where trained cats do tricks such as, push a shopping cart, run through hoops, ring bells, and ride skateboards. The Acro-Cats show was founded by Samantha Martin, who is a longtime animal lover, and has studied animal behavior, and the use of clicker training with animals. Martin advocates and teaches the importance of clicker training with animals. In an article for The LA Times Martin had this to say about one of the reasons she does the Acro-Cats show, “That’s one of the things I want to do with the show: teach people to develop better relationships with their cats”. They recently performed at The Muse in New York, and they will be performing from December 4 -20 in New Orleans at The Theater at St. Claude.
Tuesday, November 17 (2015)
Julianne Moore (Actress – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2”)
Julianne Moore is an actress, and will be on the show to promote her third film of the year “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2”. Moore reprises her role as President Alma Coin in the film. Moore has had this to say in US Weekly about how she got into the ‘Hunger Games’ series, and her interest in the role of President Alma Coin, “I didn’t have anything to read on vacation, so I picked up their Hunger Games books and ended up tearing through all of them. I was like, ‘Who’s playing Coin in the movie?!’ I wanted to create the political arc for her. So really, my kids are responsible for me doing this.” The film has already been receiving great reviews, and will open in theaters November 21, 2015.
Burt Reynolds (Actor and Author – “But Enough About Me“)
Burt Reynolds is an actor, and has worked on numerous films for this year, ‘Pocket Listing’ which was released earlier this year. He will be on the show to promote his book ‘But Enough About Me’, which is a memoir. In People Magazine Reynolds had this to say about one of the reasons he chose to release this memoir, “I wanted to set the record straight, not only about my relationships with Dinah, Sally and Loni, but also about the things that people don’t know about me.” The book will be available to purchase on November 17, 2015.
Public Image Ltd. (Album – “What The World Needs Now“)
Public Image Ltd is an alternative rock/post punk band from England. The band was found by John Lydon, who was the lead singer of the ‘Sex Pistols’. Their latest album is “What The World Needs Now”. This is the band’s 10th album. In an article for Pop Matters they had this to say about the album, “What the World Needs Now … still has punch and variety. It has infectious tunes, roaring guitar work from Lu Edmonds, and a barely-aged vocal delivery form Lydon himself.” The album was released on September 4, 2015, and the band has also set tour dates for this year.
Cee Lo Green (Album – “Heart Blanche“)
Cee-Lo Green is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. His latest album is titled “Heart Blanche”, which features the songs “Music to My Soul”, “Sign of the Times”, and “Robin Williams”. In an interview with Billboard Cee Lo had this to say about the album, “I’m content with the album but I’m not complacent with the album. I can do more and I want to do more. I want to first be reintroduced, and I want the people to be reminded of who I am in an artistic capacity, and they will see my generosity, because my cup just runneth over with song: with melody, with harmony, with sentiment and a sweetness for all.”
Wednesday, November 18 (2015)
Sharon Stone (Actress – “Agent X”)
Sharon Stone is promoting her new show ‘Agent X’, which premiered on TNT on November 8, 2015. The show is an action drama about a secret government agent that has been created to help protect the country, this agent is not known to the president, and is used on very serious cases. In a recent article for The LA Times, Stone had this to say about her current acting career and projects she is working on, “I really like what I’m doing now. Being involved as an actor and as a producer is something that I’ve really wanted to do.” ‘Agent X’ airs on Sundays at 9pm on TNT.
Justin Theroux (Actor – “The Leftovers”)
Justin Theroux is an actor, director, and producer, who is currently starring on ‘The Leftovers’. The show is a drama that tells the story of a world where people are mysteriously disappearing, and how those that are left behind continue to live on and deal with these mysterious happenings. ‘The Leftovers’ is in it’s second season, and airs on Sunday nights on HBO.
James Taylor (Album – “Before This World“)
James Taylor is a legendary folk rock singer/songwriter, and a five time grammy winner. His latest album is ‘Before This World’, and features songs such as “Angels of Fenway”, “Today Today Today”, and “Far Afghanistan”. In an article for Rolling Stone they had this to say about the album, “The simplicity of the music matches Taylor’s nostalgic mood. With its renewed focus on his voice and guitar — both miraculously unscarred by time and excess — Before This World is the most direct studio record he has made in many years.”
Thursday, November 19 (2015)
Jane Fonda (Actress – “Grace and Frankie”)
Jane Fonda is currently starring in the Netflix comedy series ‘Grace and Frankie’, alongside Lily Tomlin and Martin Sheen. She has just finished filming season 2 of the series, which is about two women who find out that their husbands are much more than just law partners, these women were never friendly with each other, but are now forced to live together after divorcing their husbands, the journey continues for these two as they now have to deal with their new life situations. In an article for the LA Daily News they had this to say about the show, “It sounds far-fetched even for a TV series, but real emotions and laughs anchor the story. Add to that the talents of the stars and it’s a fascinating take on how rapidly relationships are changing today. As Fonda observes, until fairly recently it would have been impossible for the men to make such a move.” The series is now on Netflix, and season 2 will premiere in 2016.
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer – “School of Rock”)
Andrew Lloyd Webber is a composer from England, best know for his work as a composer of musical theatre, for shows such as ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, and ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’. Webber is part of a program called “Rock the Schools” in which he provided instruments for 20 public middle schools in New York. In an article written for his website Webber had this to say about the importance of music education in schools, “I have been passionate about the importance of music in education ever since I wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a school nearly 50 years ago. The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has pioneered a scheme in problem public schools in Britain where every child receives a free musical instrument and free music tuition for their entire school career. 3,000 children are now part of this scheme and their academic achievements as a result have been transformed.” His latest project is the ‘School of Rock’ musical, which will open on Broadway on December 6th.
Friday, November 20 (2015)
Sir Michael Caine (Actor – “The Last Witch Hunter” and “Youth”)
Michael Caine is an English actor, whose latest role is in the film “The Last Witch Hunter”. This film stars Vin Diesel as the “witch hunter”, whose job is to protect the world from the mysterious forces of the unknown. Caine’s character in the film is the 36th Dolan, and his job is to guide and aid the witch hunter. The film has received many mixed reviews including this one from critic Jordan Hoffman of Mashable, “There’s a surprisingly playful quality in The Last Witch Hunter, and the unveiling of the secret world around us is something like a mix of Men in Black and John Wick. Don’t get me wrong, the shooting style is very by-the-book, the final CGI-heavy fights go on way, way too long, and some of the mythology-rich backstory is impossible to follow, but it’s hard to feel too aggrieved when Vin Diesel is holding a prop and explaining that “elemental magic is neutral.”
Larry Wilmore (Host – “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore”)
Larry Wilmore is a comedian, writer, producer, and host of ‘The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore’ on ‘Comedy Central’. Wilmore’s show is a political satire show, and discusses many social and political issues during the panel segment of the show, with the most popular segment being “Keeping it 100”. In an interview for NPR, Wilmore discussed his struggles starting out as a host, “It was so difficult those first couple of months. I mean, you’re just in the middle of the storm, just trying to figure out how to do the show.” Wilmore has also voiced his importance on women’s issues on the show, and had this to say to NPR as well, “I think me being an ally for women’s issues is probably the most important thing that I feel I’m doing on the show.” ‘The Nightly Show’ airs on ‘Comedy Central’ Monday – Thursday at 11:30pm.
Boots (Album – “Aquaria“)
Boots is the stage name for Jordan Asher, a singer, songwriter, and music producer. He worked with Beyonce on her 2013 album, and was later signed with Jay Z’s company ROC Nation. His debut album is titled “Aquaria”. In an article for Consequence of Sound they had this to say about the album, “AQUARIA is uniquely Asher’s and probably unlike anything else you’ll hear this year — a mix of heavy, grinding industrial beats and quick, nimble lyrics that whiz by like the view of the landscape from a train window.” The album was released on November 13, 2015, and is now available for purchase.
Vulfpeck (Album – “Thrill of the Arts“)
Vulfepck is a funk music group that was formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their new album is called “Thrill of the Arts”, and has been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal as such “Thrill of the Arts” is gritty, in-your-face, not-prettified funk played with fire by Joe Dart on bass, Woody Goss on keyboards and vibraphone, and Theo Katzman and Mr. Stratton on guitars or drums.”
Better Know A Guest – November 16 – 20, 2015
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.
Monday, November 16 (2015)
Bill Maher (Host – “Real Time with Bill Maher”)
Bill Maher is a comedian, actor, writer, and political satirist, who has been the host of ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’, since 2003. Maher is best known for his political commentary, and he does this during the panel segment of his show, where he invites approx. 3 guests each week to dive into the topic of discussion for that show. Maher has had many controversial views on religion, he has also strongly voiced his opinion on legalization of marijuana. Maher’s show ‘Real Time with Bill Maher,’ airs Friday’s at 10pm on HBO.
Capt. Florent Groberg (Recipient of the Medal of Honor)
Florent Groberg is a captain in the American military. On November 12, 2015 he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama, for his courageous actions in Afghanistan. In 2012 he was severely injured trying to stop a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. During the ceremony the President had this to say about Groberg, “That’s the nature of courage — not being unafraid, but confronting fear and danger and performing in a selfless fashion. He showed his guts, he showed his training, how he would put it all on the line for his teammates. That’s an American we can all be grateful for.” Groberg is now retired from the military.
Shepard Fairey (Street Artist and Founder of OBEY)
Shepherd Fairey is a street artist and founder of the OBEY clothing line. Fairey uses his OBEY line as a way to express his opinions on the media, and the ever changing culture of society today. In August Fairey had an art exhibition which featured his new paintings. These painting were titled “On Our Hands”, and The New York Times had this to say about his latest work, “The political concerns that have long spurred his work, from corruption and authority to the environment and universal personhood, are again strongly in evidence here.” Fairey is continuing to do more art work, and is working on new pieces for the OBEY clothing line.
Acro-Cats (Performing Cats)
The Acro-Cats is a cat based performance where trained cats do tricks such as, push a shopping cart, run through hoops, ring bells, and ride skateboards. The Acro-Cats show was founded by Samantha Martin, who is a longtime animal lover, and has studied animal behavior, and the use of clicker training with animals. Martin advocates and teaches the importance of clicker training with animals. In an article for The LA Times Martin had this to say about one of the reasons she does the Acro-Cats show, “That’s one of the things I want to do with the show: teach people to develop better relationships with their cats”. They recently performed at The Muse in New York, and they will be performing from December 4 -20 in New Orleans at The Theater at St. Claude.
Tuesday, November 17 (2015)
Julianne Moore (Actress – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2”)
Julianne Moore is an actress, and will be on the show to promote her third film of the year “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2”. Moore reprises her role as President Alma Coin in the film. Moore has had this to say in US Weekly about how she got into the ‘Hunger Games’ series, and her interest in the role of President Alma Coin, “I didn’t have anything to read on vacation, so I picked up their Hunger Games books and ended up tearing through all of them. I was like, ‘Who’s playing Coin in the movie?!’ I wanted to create the political arc for her. So really, my kids are responsible for me doing this.” The film has already been receiving great reviews, and will open in theaters November 21, 2015.
Burt Reynolds (Actor and Author – “But Enough About Me“)
Burt Reynolds is an actor, and has worked on numerous films for this year, ‘Pocket Listing’ which was released earlier this year. He will be on the show to promote his book ‘But Enough About Me’, which is a memoir. In People Magazine Reynolds had this to say about one of the reasons he chose to release this memoir, “I wanted to set the record straight, not only about my relationships with Dinah, Sally and Loni, but also about the things that people don’t know about me.” The book will be available to purchase on November 17, 2015.
Public Image Ltd. (Album – “What The World Needs Now“)
Public Image Ltd is an alternative rock/post punk band from England. The band was found by John Lydon, who was the lead singer of the ‘Sex Pistols’. Their latest album is “What The World Needs Now”. This is the band’s 10th album. In an article for Pop Matters they had this to say about the album, “What the World Needs Now … still has punch and variety. It has infectious tunes, roaring guitar work from Lu Edmonds, and a barely-aged vocal delivery form Lydon himself.” The album was released on September 4, 2015, and the band has also set tour dates for this year.
Cee Lo Green (Album – “Heart Blanche“)
Cee-Lo Green is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. His latest album is titled “Heart Blanche”, which features the songs “Music to My Soul”, “Sign of the Times”, and “Robin Williams”. In an interview with Billboard Cee Lo had this to say about the album, “I’m content with the album but I’m not complacent with the album. I can do more and I want to do more. I want to first be reintroduced, and I want the people to be reminded of who I am in an artistic capacity, and they will see my generosity, because my cup just runneth over with song: with melody, with harmony, with sentiment and a sweetness for all.”
Wednesday, November 18 (2015)
Sharon Stone (Actress – “Agent X”)
Sharon Stone is promoting her new show ‘Agent X’, which premiered on TNT on November 8, 2015. The show is an action drama about a secret government agent that has been created to help protect the country, this agent is not known to the president, and is used on very serious cases. In a recent article for The LA Times, Stone had this to say about her current acting career and projects she is working on, “I really like what I’m doing now. Being involved as an actor and as a producer is something that I’ve really wanted to do.” ‘Agent X’ airs on Sundays at 9pm on TNT.
Justin Theroux (Actor – “The Leftovers”)
Justin Theroux is an actor, director, and producer, who is currently starring on ‘The Leftovers’. The show is a drama that tells the story of a world where people are mysteriously disappearing, and how those that are left behind continue to live on and deal with these mysterious happenings. ‘The Leftovers’ is in it’s second season, and airs on Sunday nights on HBO.
James Taylor (Album – “Before This World“)
James Taylor is a legendary folk rock singer/songwriter, and a five time grammy winner. His latest album is ‘Before This World’, and features songs such as “Angels of Fenway”, “Today Today Today”, and “Far Afghanistan”. In an article for Rolling Stone they had this to say about the album, “The simplicity of the music matches Taylor’s nostalgic mood. With its renewed focus on his voice and guitar — both miraculously unscarred by time and excess — Before This World is the most direct studio record he has made in many years.”
Thursday, November 19 (2015)
Jane Fonda (Actress – “Grace and Frankie”)
Jane Fonda is currently starring in the Netflix comedy series ‘Grace and Frankie’, alongside Lily Tomlin and Martin Sheen. She has just finished filming season 2 of the series, which is about two women who find out that their husbands are much more than just law partners, these women were never friendly with each other, but are now forced to live together after divorcing their husbands, the journey continues for these two as they now have to deal with their new life situations. In an article for the LA Daily News they had this to say about the show, “It sounds far-fetched even for a TV series, but real emotions and laughs anchor the story. Add to that the talents of the stars and it’s a fascinating take on how rapidly relationships are changing today. As Fonda observes, until fairly recently it would have been impossible for the men to make such a move.” The series is now on Netflix, and season 2 will premiere in 2016.
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer – “School of Rock”)
Andrew Lloyd Webber is a composer from England, best know for his work as a composer of musical theatre, for shows such as ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, and ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’. Webber is part of a program called “Rock the Schools” in which he provided instruments for 20 public middle schools in New York. In an article written for his website Webber had this to say about the importance of music education in schools, “I have been passionate about the importance of music in education ever since I wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a school nearly 50 years ago. The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has pioneered a scheme in problem public schools in Britain where every child receives a free musical instrument and free music tuition for their entire school career. 3,000 children are now part of this scheme and their academic achievements as a result have been transformed.” His latest project is the ‘School of Rock’ musical, which will open on Broadway on December 6th.
Friday, November 20 (2015)
Sir Michael Caine (Actor – “The Last Witch Hunter” and “Youth”)
Michael Caine is an English actor, whose latest role is in the film “The Last Witch Hunter”. This film stars Vin Diesel as the “witch hunter”, whose job is to protect the world from the mysterious forces of the unknown. Caine’s character in the film is the 36th Dolan, and his job is to guide and aid the witch hunter. The film has received many mixed reviews including this one from critic Jordan Hoffman of Mashable, “There’s a surprisingly playful quality in The Last Witch Hunter, and the unveiling of the secret world around us is something like a mix of Men in Black and John Wick. Don’t get me wrong, the shooting style is very by-the-book, the final CGI-heavy fights go on way, way too long, and some of the mythology-rich backstory is impossible to follow, but it’s hard to feel too aggrieved when Vin Diesel is holding a prop and explaining that “elemental magic is neutral.”
Larry Wilmore (Host – “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore”)
Larry Wilmore is a comedian, writer, producer, and host of ‘The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore’ on ‘Comedy Central’. Wilmore’s show is a political satire show, and discusses many social and political issues during the panel segment of the show, with the most popular segment being “Keeping it 100”. In an interview for NPR, Wilmore discussed his struggles starting out as a host, “It was so difficult those first couple of months. I mean, you’re just in the middle of the storm, just trying to figure out how to do the show.” Wilmore has also voiced his importance on women’s issues on the show, and had this to say to NPR as well, “I think me being an ally for women’s issues is probably the most important thing that I feel I’m doing on the show.” ‘The Nightly Show’ airs on ‘Comedy Central’ Monday – Thursday at 11:30pm.
Boots (Album – “Aquaria“)
Boots is the stage name for Jordan Asher, a singer, songwriter, and music producer. He worked with Beyonce on her 2013 album, and was later signed with Jay Z’s company ROC Nation. His debut album is titled “Aquaria”. In an article for Consequence of Sound they had this to say about the album, “AQUARIA is uniquely Asher’s and probably unlike anything else you’ll hear this year — a mix of heavy, grinding industrial beats and quick, nimble lyrics that whiz by like the view of the landscape from a train window.” The album was released on November 13, 2015, and is now available for purchase.
Vulfpeck (Album – “Thrill of the Arts“)
Vulfepck is a funk music group that was formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their new album is called “Thrill of the Arts”, and has been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal as such “Thrill of the Arts” is gritty, in-your-face, not-prettified funk played with fire by Joe Dart on bass, Woody Goss on keyboards and vibraphone, and Theo Katzman and Mr. Stratton on guitars or drums.”