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.
Hello, Colbert News Hub! As the show approaches its final weeks, all eyes are the guests gracing the interview table. This election week features Chuck Todd, the new Meet The Press anchor (who is definitely not Jon Stewart) for a little pre-game analysis. Veteran TCR-guest Andrew Sullivan will be on hand for Tuesday’s exciting live midterm special. The week finishes up with NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and science author Steven Johnson. Jon will chat with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, RNC Chair Reince Preibus for his election night special, actor and Monty Python-er John Cleese, and investigative journalist James Risen.
Are you guys excited about the live midterm shows? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Let’s discuss in the comments.
Monday, November 3 (2014)
Chuck Todd (Anchor: “Meet the Press”)
Charles “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist and television reporter who currently serves as the 12th moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press”. Prior to entering the world of political reporting and analysis, Todd got his start working on political campaigns in Florida and various national campaigns in Washington DC where he earned practical political experience. From there Todd moved onto the National Journal, becoming the editor-in-chief of their political news digest The Hotline. Todd then moved onto to host MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown and serve as their Chief White House correspondent, prior to taking the helm of Meet the Press. Debuting on November 6th, 1947, Meet the Press is currently the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, though its current format bears little resemblance to that which aired in 1947. Under host Tim Russert, Meet the Press was the highest-rated Sunday morning talk show in America in 2006, but by the end of 2013 its ratings had dropped leaving it ranked third and NBC questioning the future of the series.
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Satellite Interview – January 21, 2013
Follow: @ChuckTodd
Tuesday, November 4 (2014)
Andrew Sullivan (Political Blogger: “The Dish“)
Andrew Sullivan, the British born author, editor and blogger retuns to The Report’s live election night coverage, having previously appeared on 2012’s election night coverage to gloat over Obama’s victory. Despite being born and raised in Britain, Sullivan first came to the United States in the early 1980’s where he earned his MA and PhD at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Having long expressed a desire to become a permanent US citizen, it wasn’t until 2011 that Sullivan became a permanent resident, showing his Green Card on ‘The Chris Matthews Show’. Previously he was barred from applying for permanent citizenship due to his HIV-positive status. Having covered American politics for many years, Sullivan identifies as being Conservative, but has a Liberal perspective on a number of social issues, including progressive taxes, ObamaCare, and gay marriage (which he is). Having previously written for Newsweek,The Daily Beast and The Atlantic, with essays regularly appearing in the New York Times Magazine, Sullivan left a successful career in traditional media in 2011, Sullivan began blogging at The Daily Beast, before announcing in 2013 that he was leaving to launch The Dish as a stand-alone website.
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interviews – Brendan Eich’s Forced Resignation | United Nations on Syria Conflict | November 6, 2012 | August 8, 2012 | British Election Couverage | November 3, 2009 | November 3, 2008 | Democratic Change | January 17, 2006
Follow: @SullyDish
Wednesday, November 5 (2014)
Kirsten Gillibrand (Author: “Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World“)
Kirsten Gillibrand is an American politician, Senator, and member of the Democratic Party, whose memoir Off the Sideline details the beginning of her career in politics, from her first realization of the importance of women’s voices in Washington to her rise as Senator of New York. Gillibrand hopes that the book inspires women to become more active in politics and in their community, as she believes that doing so will shift the national conversation towards issues that are important to women, like affordable daycare, paid medical leave, and equal pay. The memoir also includes personal stories like her childhood in Albany, New York, the lessons she learned from her politically active mother and grandmother, what it was like to be a young woman in Washington politics, as well as her political highs and lows as a member of the US Congress. Gloria Steinem praised the book as “one of the most helpful, readable, down-to-earth, and truly democratic books ever to come out of the halls of power”, while Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg noted that “she [Gillibrand] urges women to get off the sidelines and start changing the world.”
Born: December 9, 1966 (Albany, New York)
Education: Emma Willard School │ Darmouth College │ University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Congressional Committees: House Committee on Armed Services | House Committee on Agriculture | Senate Committee on Public Works | Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Senate Committee on Armed Services | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works | Senate Committee on Foreign Relations | Senate Special Committee on Aging
Previous Daily Show Appearance(s): Interviews – 9 August, 2013 | 6 September, 2012 | 5 January, 2011 | September 9, 2014
Follow: Website | @SenGillibrand
Thursday, November 6 (2014)
Steven Johnson (Host: “How We Got to Now with Steven Johnson”)
Steven Johnson is an author of books and articles about popular science, history, and innovation – specifically how different events and trends have influenced inventors throughout history. He gave a popular TED talk in 2010 about how people’s best ideas come slowly over time by bouncing ideas around in groups, rather than in single “eureka” moments. He has written on subjects ranging from how a cholera outbreak led to medical innovations to how pop culture is making people smarter, because it is increasingly complex and makes everyone think. Johnson’s new book “How We Got to Now”, about the history of inventions, will be released September 30th. It has been developed into a 6-part miniseries airing on PBS this fall.
Born: June 6, 1968
Education: Brown University | Colombia University
Books: Interface Culture | Emergence | Mind Wide Open | Everything Bad is Good for You | The Ghost Map | The Invention of Air | Where Good Ideas Come From | The Innovator’s Cookbook | Future Perfect | How We Got to Now
Awards: Newhouse School Mirror Award | Entertainment Weekly’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of 2006
Previous “Colbert Report” Appearance(s): Interview – March 5, 2009
Previous “Daily Show” Appearance(s): Interview – June 7, 2005 | September 25, 2014
Follow: Website | @StevenBJohnson
And now let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at the Daily Show!
Monday, November 2 (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Actor: “Nightcrawler“)
Jake Gyllenhaal is an American actor, who began acting at the age of ten, with a breakout role in the indie film Donnie Darko . Gyllenhaal has appeared in many films since then, the most famous (and controversial) being Brokeback Mountain. The performance earned him an Academy Award nomination and widespread praise. He is active in politics and has campaigned for Rock the Vote and the American Civil Liberties Union and has an interest in environmental issues. His latest film is Dan Gilroy’s thriller “Nightcrawler” which centres on an amateur freelance cameraman or “nightcrawler” who roams Los Angeles in search of stories he can sell to television stations, while deceiving, manipulating and exploiting everyone who stands in his way. Jonathan Romney of The Guardian notes that “the insights about the moral vacancy of TV news are hardly novel, but what gives Nightcrawler its class is Gyllenhaal’s unnerving, sometimes icily comic performance as the deluded antihero, forever blankly spouting affirmative management-manual rhetoric. But beneath the eager-beaver brightness is a feral soul, made visible in Gyllenhaal’s weird appearance – grease-slicked hair, the gauntness of an insomniac ascetic and a glare that seems painted on to his eyelids, as if Lou is a recording device permanently switched on.”
Born: December 19, 1980 (Los Angeles, California, United States)
Filmography: Donnie Darko | The Day After Tomorrow | Brokeback Mountain | Jarhead | Zodiac | Prince of Persia: Sands of Time | Love and Other Drugs | Source Code
Awards: Young Hollywood Award | Chlotrudis Award | National Board of Review Award | MTV Movie Award | BAFTA Award | Palm Springs International Film Festival Award | National Arts Award
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interviews – October 7, 2002 | February 28, 2007 | October 17, 2007 | March 30, 2011 | September 18, 2013
Tuesday, November 3 (2014)
Reince Priebus (Chairman: Republican National Committee)
After receiving a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami, Priebus became a member of the State Bar, and subsequently joined the Wisconsin law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, where he was eventually made a partner. He served in the firm’s government and public policy division before running for election in the Wisconsin State Senate in 2004, where he lost to Democrat Robert Wirch. Having served on the RNC’s general counsel, Priebus annouced on December 5, 2010 that he was stepping down, annoucning his candidacy for chairman the next day. In his bid, Priebus declared that “I will keep expenses low. I will put in strong and serious controls. We will raise the necessary funds to make sure we are successful. We will work to regain the confidence of our donor base and I will personally call our major donors to ask them to rejoin our efforts at the RNC.” After seven rounds of voting Priebus was elected chairman of the RNC on January 14, 2011.
Follow: @Reince
Wednesday, November 5 (2014)
John Cleese (Author: “So Anyway…”)
John Cleese is a writer, actor, tall person and member of Britain’s comedy royal. In his new memoir “So Anyway …” Cleese details his rise through the entertainment industry, from his humble beginnings as an only child in England, to his early days in comedy as a member of the Footlights at Cambridge University where he met writing partner and fellow Python, Graham Chapman, up until to the founding of Monty Pyton and how his first true love actress Connie Booth transformed him into a world class actor. Perhaps most surprising, is Christopher Maume of The Independent’s review which calls the book “unfunny” , noting that Cleese ” seems unable to enjoy anything very much” and “drags the reader down with him”. While Nicholas Barber of the Express sees “the author’s account of life before he was famous is vivid, ridiculously entertaining, and, at times, explosively funny.” But more importantly, he reminds readers that as so many of Cleese’s “scripts in collaboration with Graham Chapman, Connie Booth and others, it is possible to under-value him as a solo writer. Not any more. ”
Follow: Website | @JohnCleese | Facebook
Thursday, November 6 (2014)
James Risen (Author: “Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War”)
James Risen is an investigative journalist for The New York Times and author of the new book “Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War”. Risen has been a face of the struggle between the government and investigative journalists; he has been pressed not to release certain stories about the NSA, and he is currently being asked to testify against an alleged source (he has refused). In “Pay Any Price”, Risen argues that the War on Terror has led to even less journalistic freedom. Newsweek calls Risen “the finest national security reporter of this generation”, while Rom Ricks of The New York Times adds that Risen “certainly makes the case in this book that America has lost much in its lashing out against terrorism, and that Congress and the people need to wake up and ask more questions about the political, financial, moral and cultural costs of that campaign.”
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interview – January 10, 2006
Follow: @JamesRisen
Don’t forget to vote in our weekly favourite guest poll!! See you all next week!!
Better Know A Guest, November 3 – 6, 2014
Hello, Colbert News Hub! As the show approaches its final weeks, all eyes are the guests gracing the interview table. This election week features Chuck Todd, the new Meet The Press anchor (who is definitely not Jon Stewart) for a little pre-game analysis. Veteran TCR-guest Andrew Sullivan will be on hand for Tuesday’s exciting live midterm special. The week finishes up with NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and science author Steven Johnson. Jon will chat with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, RNC Chair Reince Preibus for his election night special, actor and Monty Python-er John Cleese, and investigative journalist James Risen.
Are you guys excited about the live midterm shows? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Let’s discuss in the comments.
Monday, November 3 (2014)
Chuck Todd (Anchor: “Meet the Press”)
Charles “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist and television reporter who currently serves as the 12th moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press”. Prior to entering the world of political reporting and analysis, Todd got his start working on political campaigns in Florida and various national campaigns in Washington DC where he earned practical political experience. From there Todd moved onto the National Journal, becoming the editor-in-chief of their political news digest The Hotline. Todd then moved onto to host MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown and serve as their Chief White House correspondent, prior to taking the helm of Meet the Press. Debuting on November 6th, 1947, Meet the Press is currently the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, though its current format bears little resemblance to that which aired in 1947. Under host Tim Russert, Meet the Press was the highest-rated Sunday morning talk show in America in 2006, but by the end of 2013 its ratings had dropped leaving it ranked third and NBC questioning the future of the series.
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Satellite Interview – January 21, 2013
Follow: @ChuckTodd
Tuesday, November 4 (2014)
Andrew Sullivan (Political Blogger: “The Dish“)
Andrew Sullivan, the British born author, editor and blogger retuns to The Report’s live election night coverage, having previously appeared on 2012’s election night coverage to gloat over Obama’s victory. Despite being born and raised in Britain, Sullivan first came to the United States in the early 1980’s where he earned his MA and PhD at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Having long expressed a desire to become a permanent US citizen, it wasn’t until 2011 that Sullivan became a permanent resident, showing his Green Card on ‘The Chris Matthews Show’. Previously he was barred from applying for permanent citizenship due to his HIV-positive status. Having covered American politics for many years, Sullivan identifies as being Conservative, but has a Liberal perspective on a number of social issues, including progressive taxes, ObamaCare, and gay marriage (which he is). Having previously written for Newsweek,The Daily Beast and The Atlantic, with essays regularly appearing in the New York Times Magazine, Sullivan left a successful career in traditional media in 2011, Sullivan began blogging at The Daily Beast, before announcing in 2013 that he was leaving to launch The Dish as a stand-alone website.
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance(s): Interviews – Brendan Eich’s Forced Resignation | United Nations on Syria Conflict | November 6, 2012 | August 8, 2012 | British Election Couverage | November 3, 2009 | November 3, 2008 | Democratic Change | January 17, 2006
Follow: @SullyDish
Wednesday, November 5 (2014)
Kirsten Gillibrand (Author: “Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World“)
Kirsten Gillibrand is an American politician, Senator, and member of the Democratic Party, whose memoir Off the Sideline details the beginning of her career in politics, from her first realization of the importance of women’s voices in Washington to her rise as Senator of New York. Gillibrand hopes that the book inspires women to become more active in politics and in their community, as she believes that doing so will shift the national conversation towards issues that are important to women, like affordable daycare, paid medical leave, and equal pay. The memoir also includes personal stories like her childhood in Albany, New York, the lessons she learned from her politically active mother and grandmother, what it was like to be a young woman in Washington politics, as well as her political highs and lows as a member of the US Congress. Gloria Steinem praised the book as “one of the most helpful, readable, down-to-earth, and truly democratic books ever to come out of the halls of power”, while Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg noted that “she [Gillibrand] urges women to get off the sidelines and start changing the world.”
Born: December 9, 1966 (Albany, New York)
Education: Emma Willard School │ Darmouth College │ University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Congressional Committees: House Committee on Armed Services | House Committee on Agriculture | Senate Committee on Public Works | Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Senate Committee on Armed Services | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works | Senate Committee on Foreign Relations | Senate Special Committee on Aging
Previous Daily Show Appearance(s): Interviews – 9 August, 2013 | 6 September, 2012 | 5 January, 2011 | September 9, 2014
Follow: Website | @SenGillibrand
Thursday, November 6 (2014)
Steven Johnson (Host: “How We Got to Now with Steven Johnson”)
Steven Johnson is an author of books and articles about popular science, history, and innovation – specifically how different events and trends have influenced inventors throughout history. He gave a popular TED talk in 2010 about how people’s best ideas come slowly over time by bouncing ideas around in groups, rather than in single “eureka” moments. He has written on subjects ranging from how a cholera outbreak led to medical innovations to how pop culture is making people smarter, because it is increasingly complex and makes everyone think. Johnson’s new book “How We Got to Now”, about the history of inventions, will be released September 30th. It has been developed into a 6-part miniseries airing on PBS this fall.
Born: June 6, 1968
Education: Brown University | Colombia University
Books: Interface Culture | Emergence | Mind Wide Open | Everything Bad is Good for You | The Ghost Map | The Invention of Air | Where Good Ideas Come From | The Innovator’s Cookbook | Future Perfect | How We Got to Now
Awards: Newhouse School Mirror Award | Entertainment Weekly’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of 2006
Previous “Colbert Report” Appearance(s): Interview – March 5, 2009
Previous “Daily Show” Appearance(s): Interview – June 7, 2005 | September 25, 2014
Follow: Website | @StevenBJohnson
And now let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart over at the Daily Show!
Monday, November 2 (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Actor: “Nightcrawler“)
Jake Gyllenhaal is an American actor, who began acting at the age of ten, with a breakout role in the indie film Donnie Darko . Gyllenhaal has appeared in many films since then, the most famous (and controversial) being Brokeback Mountain. The performance earned him an Academy Award nomination and widespread praise. He is active in politics and has campaigned for Rock the Vote and the American Civil Liberties Union and has an interest in environmental issues. His latest film is Dan Gilroy’s thriller “Nightcrawler” which centres on an amateur freelance cameraman or “nightcrawler” who roams Los Angeles in search of stories he can sell to television stations, while deceiving, manipulating and exploiting everyone who stands in his way. Jonathan Romney of The Guardian notes that “the insights about the moral vacancy of TV news are hardly novel, but what gives Nightcrawler its class is Gyllenhaal’s unnerving, sometimes icily comic performance as the deluded antihero, forever blankly spouting affirmative management-manual rhetoric. But beneath the eager-beaver brightness is a feral soul, made visible in Gyllenhaal’s weird appearance – grease-slicked hair, the gauntness of an insomniac ascetic and a glare that seems painted on to his eyelids, as if Lou is a recording device permanently switched on.”
Born: December 19, 1980 (Los Angeles, California, United States)
Filmography: Donnie Darko | The Day After Tomorrow | Brokeback Mountain | Jarhead | Zodiac | Prince of Persia: Sands of Time | Love and Other Drugs | Source Code
Awards: Young Hollywood Award | Chlotrudis Award | National Board of Review Award | MTV Movie Award | BAFTA Award | Palm Springs International Film Festival Award | National Arts Award
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interviews – October 7, 2002 | February 28, 2007 | October 17, 2007 | March 30, 2011 | September 18, 2013
Tuesday, November 3 (2014)
Reince Priebus (Chairman: Republican National Committee)
After receiving a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami, Priebus became a member of the State Bar, and subsequently joined the Wisconsin law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, where he was eventually made a partner. He served in the firm’s government and public policy division before running for election in the Wisconsin State Senate in 2004, where he lost to Democrat Robert Wirch. Having served on the RNC’s general counsel, Priebus annouced on December 5, 2010 that he was stepping down, annoucning his candidacy for chairman the next day. In his bid, Priebus declared that “I will keep expenses low. I will put in strong and serious controls. We will raise the necessary funds to make sure we are successful. We will work to regain the confidence of our donor base and I will personally call our major donors to ask them to rejoin our efforts at the RNC.” After seven rounds of voting Priebus was elected chairman of the RNC on January 14, 2011.
Follow: @Reince
Wednesday, November 5 (2014)
John Cleese (Author: “So Anyway…”)
John Cleese is a writer, actor, tall person and member of Britain’s comedy royal. In his new memoir “So Anyway …” Cleese details his rise through the entertainment industry, from his humble beginnings as an only child in England, to his early days in comedy as a member of the Footlights at Cambridge University where he met writing partner and fellow Python, Graham Chapman, up until to the founding of Monty Pyton and how his first true love actress Connie Booth transformed him into a world class actor. Perhaps most surprising, is Christopher Maume of The Independent’s review which calls the book “unfunny” , noting that Cleese ” seems unable to enjoy anything very much” and “drags the reader down with him”. While Nicholas Barber of the Express sees “the author’s account of life before he was famous is vivid, ridiculously entertaining, and, at times, explosively funny.” But more importantly, he reminds readers that as so many of Cleese’s “scripts in collaboration with Graham Chapman, Connie Booth and others, it is possible to under-value him as a solo writer. Not any more. ”
Follow: Website | @JohnCleese | Facebook
Thursday, November 6 (2014)
James Risen (Author: “Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War”)
James Risen is an investigative journalist for The New York Times and author of the new book “Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War”. Risen has been a face of the struggle between the government and investigative journalists; he has been pressed not to release certain stories about the NSA, and he is currently being asked to testify against an alleged source (he has refused). In “Pay Any Price”, Risen argues that the War on Terror has led to even less journalistic freedom. Newsweek calls Risen “the finest national security reporter of this generation”, while Rom Ricks of The New York Times adds that Risen “certainly makes the case in this book that America has lost much in its lashing out against terrorism, and that Congress and the people need to wake up and ask more questions about the political, financial, moral and cultural costs of that campaign.”
Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance(s): Interview – January 10, 2006
Follow: @JamesRisen
Don’t forget to vote in our weekly favourite guest poll!! See you all next week!!