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.
I present to you this week’s guests! As you will see, there are only three new episodes this week due to Thanksgiving in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving, American Hubsters, and a wonderful week to all. Let’s delve right in!
Monday, November 23 (2015)
Sylvester Stallone (Actor and Producer – “Creed“)
Sylvester Stallone is an an American actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for playing the iconic Philadelphia underdog boxer, Rocky Balboa. The Rocky franchise produced six films from 1976 to 2006. Stallone’s latest project is the movie Creed. Michael B. Jordon stars as Adonis Johnson Creed, son of Apollo Creed, world heavy weight champion and rival turned best friend and trainer of Rocky Balboa. Apollo Creed was killed during a boxing match in Rocky IV in 1985. His son Adonis was born after the death of his father and therefore, never met him. Following in his father’s footsteps, Adonis becomes a boxer. He travels to Philadelphia, where he meets Rocky Balboa and requests that the elder boxer train him. Andrew Barker of Variety said, “Not only lives up to the best of its predecessors, but also respectfully forges its own path.” And Susan Granger of SSG Syndicate declares, “Albeit familiar, Sylvester Stallone in this redemptive, crowd-pleasing spin-off could even be a Best Supporting Actor Oscar contender. Wouldn’t that be a knockout punch?” Creed hits cinemas on November 25th.
Ted Koppel (Journalist and Author – “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath“)
Ted Koppel is an American broadcast journalist, best known for anchoring Nightlight from 1980 to 2005. Koppel is currently a senior news analyst for NPR and a contributing analyst to BBC World News America. His new book is Lights Out. In this New York Times bestselling investigation, Ted Koppel reveals that a major cyberattack on America’s power grid is not only possible but likely, that it would be devastating, and that the United States is shockingly unprepared. Anderson Cooper states, “Ted Koppel’s unparalleled reporting skills are on full display in Lights Out. A fascinating and frightening look at just how vulnerable we are to a cyberattack.” Tom Brokaw raves, “Lights Out is a timely warning about the vulnerability of America to a massive cyberattack that would cripple all we take for granted – electricity, communication, transportation. This is not science fiction. Hats off to Ted Koppel for putting us all on alert.”
My Morning Jacket (Album – “The Waterfall“)
My Morning Jacket is an American rock band whose sound is rooted in rock and country, and is often experimental and psychedelic. The band currently consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The Waterfall is their seventh studio album. Danny Clinch of Rolling Stone, proclaimed, “A breakup LP that lands somewhere near acceptance, The Waterfall might be the band’s sunniest, and trippiest, album.” And Sheldon Pearce of Consequence Of Sound states, “The Waterfall is a My Morning Jacket crash course. It’s where indie folk meets alt country head-on. It’s Jim James hopscotching his way through past records with a far more lush, scenic destination in mind. There’s a sort of idealistic, rustic vibe, the kind associated with the landscapes on postcards or ‘America the Beautiful’.”
Tuesday, November 24 (2015)
Spike Lee (Director – “Chi-Raq“)
Spike Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. Lee’s films (aka “joints”) explore race relations, colorism in the black community, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. The Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning director is known for such films as Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. His latest film is the satire, Chi-Raq, which is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play ‘Lysistrata’ by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago. Chi-Raq is portmanteau of “Chicago” and “Iraq,” used by residents to describe the the South Side as a war zone due to its high crime rates. The movie depicts women abstaining from sex to persuade their significant others to end gang violence in Chicago. Chi-Raq has caused some controversy. Members of the City Council of Chicago and city residents have requested that Lee change the name of the film, going as far as to threaten the tax credits that the film maker will receive from the city. Chi-Raq opens in theaters on December 4th.
Carly Simon (Musician and Author – “Boys in the Trees: A Memoir“)
Carly Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and author. Simon has a new book called “Boys in the Trees: A Memoir.” The memoir recalls a childhood enriched by music and culture, but also one shrouded in secrets, as well as romantic entanglements with some of the most famous men of the day that fueled her confessional lyrics. Simon will also release a double-disc musical companion to the long-awaited memoir, “Songs From The Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection)“. The CD includes 31 songs and features two unreleased tracks.
Justin Bieber (Album – “Purpose“)
Justin Bieber is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. His latest album is Purpose. Reviews for this album have not been well-received. Andrew Unterberger of Spin states, “With Purpose, the answer is clear by the end of the second track. ‘My life is a movie, and everyone’s watching,’ Bieber teases in the opening line to I’ll Show You, underlining his typical braggadocio with insecurity and quiet paranoia.” Janine Schaults of Consequence Of Sound blasts, “Apologies aren’t fun. Neither is Justin Bieber’s fourth studio album. One wonders why the Canadian pop star didn’t just schedule a very serious and very special sit-down with Oprah to expunge his contrite soul instead of letting music serve as his mea culpa.” However, even with negative reviews, Purpose smashed the record for first week streaming on Spotify. It was streamed 205 million times since its release, with 77 million of the streams in the United States.
Wednesday, November 25 (2015)
Gloria Estefan (Singer/Songwriter and Recipient of the Medal of Freedom)
Gloria Estefan is a Cuban American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. She started off her career as the leading vocalist in the group called Miami Latin Boys which was eventually known as Miami Sound Machine. This Tuesday, November 24th, President Obama will present the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to 17 individuals. The multiple Grammy-winning singer Estefan is on the list, who is cited for crossing over between English and Spanish language music, “paving the way for countless other Latin artists to follow.” Estefan is on the panel of the reality-show The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep, which is an American hour-long reality series on The CW television network that consists of a music competition to find new talent. The winner of the competition will receive a recording contract with Atlantic Records.
Eric Greitens (Republican Candidate for Governor of Missouri)
Eric Greitensis a nonprofit leader, author, speaker, and United States Navy SEAL who lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He is currently running for Governor of Missouri as a Republican candidate. As a self-proclaimed conservative outsider and former Navy SEAL, Greitens is on a mission to turn Missouri around. He served four tours of duty overseas, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. After coming home, he founded The Mission Continues, a Missouri-based non-profit that helps returning veterans get back on their feet and give back to their communities. On November 17th, Greitens called into Kilmeade & Friends on Fox News, saying, “Americans are a compassionate people, but we can’t bring refugees in right now because this administration has not only no plan to fight ISIS, but we have no plan to screen refugees. We have always been a land of liberty for those people who are fleeing from tyranny, but in order for us to do that, the president has to have a plan in place to actually screen refugees for their ties to radical Islamic terrorists.”
Jake Wood (Co-Founder and CEO of Team Rubicon)
Jake Wood is the Co-Founder and CEO of Team Rubicon, a nationwide nonprofit that provides military veterans with the opportunity to continue their service by responding to natural disasters and global crises. As a leading veteran advocate, Wood speaks around the country on issues facing returning veterans and is a member of numerous national committees on the topic. Wood is also the co-founder of POS REP, the first mobile, proximity-based social network designed exclusively for the veteran community. Prior to Team Rubicon, Wood served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, with deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a Scout Sniper.
Daniel Boulud (French Chef)
Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with award-winning restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Palm Beach, Miami, Montreal, Toronto, London, Singapore, and Boston. Boulud also owns the Feast & Fêtes catering company. While he hails from Lyon, France, it is in New York that he has truly mastered the dining scene and is today considered one of America’s leading culinary authorities. Boulud has been named “Chef of the Year” by the Culinary Institute of America and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government.
Thursday, November 26 (2015)
Repeat
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 – Jack Black, Nick Woodman, Michelle Dorrance
Friday, November 27 (2015)
Repeat
Wednesday, November 4, 2015 – Daniel Craig, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eugenia Cheng
Better Know A Guest – November 23 – 25, 2015
I present to you this week’s guests! As you will see, there are only three new episodes this week due to Thanksgiving in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving, American Hubsters, and a wonderful week to all. Let’s delve right in!
Monday, November 23 (2015)
Sylvester Stallone (Actor and Producer – “Creed“)
Sylvester Stallone is an an American actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for playing the iconic Philadelphia underdog boxer, Rocky Balboa. The Rocky franchise produced six films from 1976 to 2006. Stallone’s latest project is the movie Creed. Michael B. Jordon stars as Adonis Johnson Creed, son of Apollo Creed, world heavy weight champion and rival turned best friend and trainer of Rocky Balboa. Apollo Creed was killed during a boxing match in Rocky IV in 1985. His son Adonis was born after the death of his father and therefore, never met him. Following in his father’s footsteps, Adonis becomes a boxer. He travels to Philadelphia, where he meets Rocky Balboa and requests that the elder boxer train him. Andrew Barker of Variety said, “Not only lives up to the best of its predecessors, but also respectfully forges its own path.” And Susan Granger of SSG Syndicate declares, “Albeit familiar, Sylvester Stallone in this redemptive, crowd-pleasing spin-off could even be a Best Supporting Actor Oscar contender. Wouldn’t that be a knockout punch?” Creed hits cinemas on November 25th.
Ted Koppel (Journalist and Author – “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath“)
Ted Koppel is an American broadcast journalist, best known for anchoring Nightlight from 1980 to 2005. Koppel is currently a senior news analyst for NPR and a contributing analyst to BBC World News America. His new book is Lights Out. In this New York Times bestselling investigation, Ted Koppel reveals that a major cyberattack on America’s power grid is not only possible but likely, that it would be devastating, and that the United States is shockingly unprepared. Anderson Cooper states, “Ted Koppel’s unparalleled reporting skills are on full display in Lights Out. A fascinating and frightening look at just how vulnerable we are to a cyberattack.” Tom Brokaw raves, “Lights Out is a timely warning about the vulnerability of America to a massive cyberattack that would cripple all we take for granted – electricity, communication, transportation. This is not science fiction. Hats off to Ted Koppel for putting us all on alert.”
My Morning Jacket (Album – “The Waterfall“)
My Morning Jacket is an American rock band whose sound is rooted in rock and country, and is often experimental and psychedelic. The band currently consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The Waterfall is their seventh studio album. Danny Clinch of Rolling Stone, proclaimed, “A breakup LP that lands somewhere near acceptance, The Waterfall might be the band’s sunniest, and trippiest, album.” And Sheldon Pearce of Consequence Of Sound states, “The Waterfall is a My Morning Jacket crash course. It’s where indie folk meets alt country head-on. It’s Jim James hopscotching his way through past records with a far more lush, scenic destination in mind. There’s a sort of idealistic, rustic vibe, the kind associated with the landscapes on postcards or ‘America the Beautiful’.”
Tuesday, November 24 (2015)
Spike Lee (Director – “Chi-Raq“)
Spike Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. Lee’s films (aka “joints”) explore race relations, colorism in the black community, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. The Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning director is known for such films as Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. His latest film is the satire, Chi-Raq, which is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play ‘Lysistrata’ by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago. Chi-Raq is portmanteau of “Chicago” and “Iraq,” used by residents to describe the the South Side as a war zone due to its high crime rates. The movie depicts women abstaining from sex to persuade their significant others to end gang violence in Chicago. Chi-Raq has caused some controversy. Members of the City Council of Chicago and city residents have requested that Lee change the name of the film, going as far as to threaten the tax credits that the film maker will receive from the city. Chi-Raq opens in theaters on December 4th.
Carly Simon (Musician and Author – “Boys in the Trees: A Memoir“)
Carly Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and author. Simon has a new book called “Boys in the Trees: A Memoir.” The memoir recalls a childhood enriched by music and culture, but also one shrouded in secrets, as well as romantic entanglements with some of the most famous men of the day that fueled her confessional lyrics. Simon will also release a double-disc musical companion to the long-awaited memoir, “Songs From The Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection)“. The CD includes 31 songs and features two unreleased tracks.
Justin Bieber (Album – “Purpose“)
Justin Bieber is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. His latest album is Purpose. Reviews for this album have not been well-received. Andrew Unterberger of Spin states, “With Purpose, the answer is clear by the end of the second track. ‘My life is a movie, and everyone’s watching,’ Bieber teases in the opening line to I’ll Show You, underlining his typical braggadocio with insecurity and quiet paranoia.” Janine Schaults of Consequence Of Sound blasts, “Apologies aren’t fun. Neither is Justin Bieber’s fourth studio album. One wonders why the Canadian pop star didn’t just schedule a very serious and very special sit-down with Oprah to expunge his contrite soul instead of letting music serve as his mea culpa.” However, even with negative reviews, Purpose smashed the record for first week streaming on Spotify. It was streamed 205 million times since its release, with 77 million of the streams in the United States.
Wednesday, November 25 (2015)
Gloria Estefan (Singer/Songwriter and Recipient of the Medal of Freedom)
Gloria Estefan is a Cuban American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. She started off her career as the leading vocalist in the group called Miami Latin Boys which was eventually known as Miami Sound Machine. This Tuesday, November 24th, President Obama will present the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to 17 individuals. The multiple Grammy-winning singer Estefan is on the list, who is cited for crossing over between English and Spanish language music, “paving the way for countless other Latin artists to follow.” Estefan is on the panel of the reality-show The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep, which is an American hour-long reality series on The CW television network that consists of a music competition to find new talent. The winner of the competition will receive a recording contract with Atlantic Records.
Eric Greitens (Republican Candidate for Governor of Missouri)
Eric Greitensis a nonprofit leader, author, speaker, and United States Navy SEAL who lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He is currently running for Governor of Missouri as a Republican candidate. As a self-proclaimed conservative outsider and former Navy SEAL, Greitens is on a mission to turn Missouri around. He served four tours of duty overseas, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. After coming home, he founded The Mission Continues, a Missouri-based non-profit that helps returning veterans get back on their feet and give back to their communities. On November 17th, Greitens called into Kilmeade & Friends on Fox News, saying, “Americans are a compassionate people, but we can’t bring refugees in right now because this administration has not only no plan to fight ISIS, but we have no plan to screen refugees. We have always been a land of liberty for those people who are fleeing from tyranny, but in order for us to do that, the president has to have a plan in place to actually screen refugees for their ties to radical Islamic terrorists.”
Jake Wood (Co-Founder and CEO of Team Rubicon)
Jake Wood is the Co-Founder and CEO of Team Rubicon, a nationwide nonprofit that provides military veterans with the opportunity to continue their service by responding to natural disasters and global crises. As a leading veteran advocate, Wood speaks around the country on issues facing returning veterans and is a member of numerous national committees on the topic. Wood is also the co-founder of POS REP, the first mobile, proximity-based social network designed exclusively for the veteran community. Prior to Team Rubicon, Wood served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, with deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a Scout Sniper.
Daniel Boulud (French Chef)
Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with award-winning restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Palm Beach, Miami, Montreal, Toronto, London, Singapore, and Boston. Boulud also owns the Feast & Fêtes catering company. While he hails from Lyon, France, it is in New York that he has truly mastered the dining scene and is today considered one of America’s leading culinary authorities. Boulud has been named “Chef of the Year” by the Culinary Institute of America and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government.
Thursday, November 26 (2015)
Repeat
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 – Jack Black, Nick Woodman, Michelle Dorrance
Friday, November 27 (2015)
Repeat
Wednesday, November 4, 2015 – Daniel Craig, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eugenia Cheng