Hello, Hubsters!
Happy October! I hope everyone is well–and that most of you have had the chance to watch Oprah’s interview with Stephen. Although much of the information was familiar to to his true fans, it’s always fun to see Stephen as himself. Besides, we also got home video plus a rare appearance by Evie. (Who, judging from the wedding picture, hasn’t changed even a tiny bit in 19 years. I’d ask where the portrait was hanging, but she seems too lovely for that.)
This week, Stephen welcomes musical guests two days out of four. That should make his life a little easier as he begins his round of book events and TV appearances—and as we know from the recent taping report, last week Stephen recorded some extra material, so that also should help him, too.
So let’s go!
Monday, 10/1: Ben Folds Five
I know that we have a Hubster who’s really looking forward to this guest – yes CNHelper? The Ben Folds Five actually consists of three musicians: Ben Folds (singer and piano), Robert Sledge (bass), and Darren Jessee (drums). Apparently, Folds liked the sound of the “five” better than the sound of “three,” which probably means he has a taste for alliteration. The trio originally formed in 1994 and broke up in 2000, but now the alt-rock band is back again, after a 13-year break. Their new recording, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, came out September 14th, and although Sony is distributing it, the group raised the money to do make the album themselves, on their own terms. Their plan seems to have worked very well: according to the news on their website, this one debuted more strongly than any previous release, making it into the Billboard Top 10. Congratulations!
The North-Carolina born Folds and his two mates put out their eponymous first album in 1994, followed by Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997, which yielded their big hit “Brick.” They released their final album in 2001, after which Folds pursued a solo career, including a collaboration with novelist Nick Hornby, whose books, like High Fidelity, frequently focus on music. The “five” had a brief reunion in 2008, and then, in 2011, Folds created a retrospective of his entire musical career, which included one new song with his former group. That led to this new album, and the current international tour. Despite the Colbert Report appearance, they’re not playing in New York City right now, as they opened the NYC ComicCon on September 21st. Not a very usual appearance!
Visit the band’s official website. There is a shop where you can buy all their music (some even in vinyl, if you’re old school!).
Watch a fun video of the band’s newest song, “Do it Anyway.” Then go behind the scenes to see what happened during the recording!
They had some special guests for their Nashville gig.
Hear a story about the group on NPR.
Read an article on the reunion in Huff Post.
Slate has an article on the band, too. Here’s an interesting line: “By combining petulant rebellion and slacker indifference, Folds articulated what it was like to be unhappy without really having much to complain about.” The article is a bit critical at some points, but I’d be interested to hear reactions from Folds’s fans. (I don’t actually know his work terribly well.)
Read about the new album in Rolling Stone.
Like the band on Facebook.
Follow Ben Folds (individually, not the band) on Twitter.
Tuesday, 10/2: Jorge Ramos
Welcome back “the most trusted name in news that I can’t understand.” (Or, as the Wall Street Journal would have it, the “Star newscaster of Hispanic TV” and “Hispanic TV’s No. 1 correspondent and key to a huge voting bloc.”] I suspect this particular guest will be fascinating, especially in light of the current election season, with the Latino vote playing a crucially important role in deciding who goes to the White House. Since 1986, Jorge Ramos has been a news anchor at Univision, the Spanish-language network that airs throughout the US, as well as the host of the public affairs program Al Punto. Ramos’s work has earned him eight Emmy® awards as well as the Maria Moors Cabot Award for Journalism. He’s actually visiting the show for the second time in about four years; his previous appearance coincided with the 2008 election. So perhaps we should expect to see him again in 2016? Certainly Esteban Colberto would enjoy seeing him on more often!
The Mexican-born Ramos immigrated to the US after one of his reports on Mexican TV was censored, and he has succeeded wildly, making guest visits on numerous American news shows, including the TODAY show, Nightline, Real Time with Bill Maher, and yes—even FOX News and Papa Bear’s The O’Reilly Factor. He’s also written ten books, including the bestselling autobiography, No Borders: a Journalist’s Search for Home, and started the first-ever TV book club for Latino viewers. In addition, Ramos writes a weekly column, creates three commentaries a day for Univision Radio, and also participates in Univision’s website (univision.com). Through the years, he has interviewed some of the most prominent figures in politics and culture, in both the English- and Spanish-speaking worlds, from Obama, the Bushes, and the Clintons to Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.
Visit Ramos’s website, which has both English and Spanish versions.
CBS News had a piece on No Borders.
Here’s the publisher page where you can find out about more about some of Ramos’s books, and buy them if you wish.
Politico wrote this article about Ramos and a recent interview of Obama. Problem about him going hard on Obama for his immigration policies? Romney would be worse. Huff Post also covered the same interview. I think both these articles also provide excellent information on Ramos and his position in the Latino community.
He spoke to Forbes about why Latinos need their own presidential debate.
Follow Ramos on Twitter.
He interviewed Romney as well as Obama.
TIME magazine had 10 questions for him.
Wednesday, 10/3: Kenny Rogers
You gotta know how to hold ‘em, know how to fold ‘em, know how to walk away, and know how to run…. Music star Kenny Rogers is gambling on a good time when he comes to the Report to talk about his new book, Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir, which came out on the 2nd. But maybe he’ll sing, too. (Maybe even with Stephen?) The Texas-born Rogers grew up in poverty, began his career as a bassist, then later went on to perform with various doo-wop, folk, and pop groups, including The New Christy Minstrels and First Edition. He later switched to country, where he found his permanent niche—although his songs have crossed genres to achieve mainstream popularity. Throughout his musical career, the gravel-voiced singer has won a passel of awards, including three Grammys, eighteen American Music Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards, and five Country Music Association Awards. His most famous songs include “Lucille,” “Lady,” and of course, his huge hit, “The Gambler.” He has sold more than 120 million records, and in 1986 he came up tops in USA Today and People magazine polls for favorite male singer.
Now, after more than 50 years in the business, Rogers continues to keep up with the times in some surprising ways including appearing with Phish just this past June to join them in (what else?) “The Gambler.”
Visit his official website.
Like him on Facebook.
Follow him on Twitter.
Rogers has done some good in the world: he’s given lots of support to a children’s center that helps severely disabled kids.
What did he leave out of the book? Kenny spills the beans.
Watch a video of Rogers singing “The Gambler.”
Thursday, 10/4: Dr. George Church
And now, for this week’s science expert! Dr. George Church is coauthor (with Ed Regis) of the intriguingly titled Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves. Here is the opening line of the publisher’s description: “Imagine a future in which human beings have become immune to all viruses, in which bacteria can custom-produce everyday items, like a drinking cup, or generate enough electricity to end oil dependency.” Actually, it sounds to me like a Star Trek: The Next Generation replicator, but I know that’s way too simplistic. Regis and Church set out to examine the potential effects of gene technology, and posit that it can alter or reverse nature’s course. We might even be able to bring back extinct creatures, which—to cite another sci-fi text—reminds me of Jurassic Park. More importantly, it seems as if the book puts a positive spin on these developments, rather than presenting them as a possible nightmare. After all, who could quibble with better health, longer life, and greater intelligence? Hmmm. Sorry, I can’t help it. Too many visions of futuristic fictions dance in my head.
A professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Church also serves at the director of PersonalGenomes.org, which offers open access to genetic data, and director of the NIH Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. Among his many honors and awards, he was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. He received his PhD from Harvard, and wrote on gene sequencing, barcoding, and beyond, and works in tandem with a number of commercial organizations interested in what he might uncover. It’s also clear from his bio that Church is concerned with maintaining the privacy of this information (unless freely made public), which one can assume will become more available and more shareable.
Visit Dr. Church’s Harvard web page.
Watch a webisode of “The Future Is Now,” with Church.
Dr. Church is dyslexic. Hear him speak about it in this video.
You can download his online course—free.
Follow him on Twitter.
Regenesis was the first book to be encoded in DNA!
Read an article on him in the New York Times. My favorite line? “Maybe one day we’ll make Neanderthals.”
He’s about to appear at the 4th Consumer Genetics Conference.
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart!
I’ll post information about these guests later, but for now, here’s the list. You actually do know all of them, don’t you? It’s quite a conservative week on TDS, so I’m sure my temper will explode more than once!
Monday, 10/1: Arnold Schwarzenegger
He has a new book–and plenty to confess.
Tuesday, 10/2: Liam Neeson
The Irish actor has a film to promote–Taken 2.
Wednesday 10/3: Sen. Rand Paul
The uber-conservative thinks that the federal government is a big bully–and he wrote a book to tell us why. My blood pressure is rising already….
Thursday, 10/4: Bill O’Reilly
A pre-rumble visit from Papa Bear.
That’s all for now! Enjoy the week, and be sure to let me know which guests you’re most looking forward to seeing.
Cheers!
Better Know a Guest: October 1 – 4, 2012 | Colbert News Hub
Hello, Hubsters!
Happy October! I hope everyone is well–and that most of you have had the chance to watch Oprah’s interview with Stephen. Although much of the information was familiar to to his true fans, it’s always fun to see Stephen as himself. Besides, we also got home video plus a rare appearance by Evie. (Who, judging from the wedding picture, hasn’t changed even a tiny bit in 19 years. I’d ask where the portrait was hanging, but she seems too lovely for that.)
This week, Stephen welcomes musical guests two days out of four. That should make his life a little easier as he begins his round of book events and TV appearances—and as we know from the recent taping report, last week Stephen recorded some extra material, so that also should help him, too.
So let’s go!
Monday, 10/1: Ben Folds Five
I know that we have a Hubster who’s really looking forward to this guest – yes CNHelper? The Ben Folds Five actually consists of three musicians: Ben Folds (singer and piano), Robert Sledge (bass), and Darren Jessee (drums). Apparently, Folds liked the sound of the “five” better than the sound of “three,” which probably means he has a taste for alliteration. The trio originally formed in 1994 and broke up in 2000, but now the alt-rock band is back again, after a 13-year break. Their new recording, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, came out September 14th, and although Sony is distributing it, the group raised the money to do make the album themselves, on their own terms. Their plan seems to have worked very well: according to the news on their website, this one debuted more strongly than any previous release, making it into the Billboard Top 10. Congratulations!
The North-Carolina born Folds and his two mates put out their eponymous first album in 1994, followed by Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997, which yielded their big hit “Brick.” They released their final album in 2001, after which Folds pursued a solo career, including a collaboration with novelist Nick Hornby, whose books, like High Fidelity, frequently focus on music. The “five” had a brief reunion in 2008, and then, in 2011, Folds created a retrospective of his entire musical career, which included one new song with his former group. That led to this new album, and the current international tour. Despite the Colbert Report appearance, they’re not playing in New York City right now, as they opened the NYC ComicCon on September 21st. Not a very usual appearance!
Visit the band’s official website. There is a shop where you can buy all their music (some even in vinyl, if you’re old school!).
Watch a fun video of the band’s newest song, “Do it Anyway.” Then go behind the scenes to see what happened during the recording!
They had some special guests for their Nashville gig.
Hear a story about the group on NPR.
Read an article on the reunion in Huff Post.
Slate has an article on the band, too. Here’s an interesting line: “By combining petulant rebellion and slacker indifference, Folds articulated what it was like to be unhappy without really having much to complain about.” The article is a bit critical at some points, but I’d be interested to hear reactions from Folds’s fans. (I don’t actually know his work terribly well.)
Read about the new album in Rolling Stone.
Like the band on Facebook.
Follow Ben Folds (individually, not the band) on Twitter.
Tuesday, 10/2: Jorge Ramos
Welcome back “the most trusted name in news that I can’t understand.” (Or, as the Wall Street Journal would have it, the “Star newscaster of Hispanic TV” and “Hispanic TV’s No. 1 correspondent and key to a huge voting bloc.”] I suspect this particular guest will be fascinating, especially in light of the current election season, with the Latino vote playing a crucially important role in deciding who goes to the White House. Since 1986, Jorge Ramos has been a news anchor at Univision, the Spanish-language network that airs throughout the US, as well as the host of the public affairs program Al Punto. Ramos’s work has earned him eight Emmy® awards as well as the Maria Moors Cabot Award for Journalism. He’s actually visiting the show for the second time in about four years; his previous appearance coincided with the 2008 election. So perhaps we should expect to see him again in 2016? Certainly Esteban Colberto would enjoy seeing him on more often!
The Mexican-born Ramos immigrated to the US after one of his reports on Mexican TV was censored, and he has succeeded wildly, making guest visits on numerous American news shows, including the TODAY show, Nightline, Real Time with Bill Maher, and yes—even FOX News and Papa Bear’s The O’Reilly Factor. He’s also written ten books, including the bestselling autobiography, No Borders: a Journalist’s Search for Home, and started the first-ever TV book club for Latino viewers. In addition, Ramos writes a weekly column, creates three commentaries a day for Univision Radio, and also participates in Univision’s website (univision.com). Through the years, he has interviewed some of the most prominent figures in politics and culture, in both the English- and Spanish-speaking worlds, from Obama, the Bushes, and the Clintons to Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.
Visit Ramos’s website, which has both English and Spanish versions.
CBS News had a piece on No Borders.
Here’s the publisher page where you can find out about more about some of Ramos’s books, and buy them if you wish.
Politico wrote this article about Ramos and a recent interview of Obama. Problem about him going hard on Obama for his immigration policies? Romney would be worse. Huff Post also covered the same interview. I think both these articles also provide excellent information on Ramos and his position in the Latino community.
He spoke to Forbes about why Latinos need their own presidential debate.
Follow Ramos on Twitter.
He interviewed Romney as well as Obama.
TIME magazine had 10 questions for him.
Wednesday, 10/3: Kenny Rogers
You gotta know how to hold ‘em, know how to fold ‘em, know how to walk away, and know how to run…. Music star Kenny Rogers is gambling on a good time when he comes to the Report to talk about his new book, Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir, which came out on the 2nd. But maybe he’ll sing, too. (Maybe even with Stephen?) The Texas-born Rogers grew up in poverty, began his career as a bassist, then later went on to perform with various doo-wop, folk, and pop groups, including The New Christy Minstrels and First Edition. He later switched to country, where he found his permanent niche—although his songs have crossed genres to achieve mainstream popularity. Throughout his musical career, the gravel-voiced singer has won a passel of awards, including three Grammys, eighteen American Music Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards, and five Country Music Association Awards. His most famous songs include “Lucille,” “Lady,” and of course, his huge hit, “The Gambler.” He has sold more than 120 million records, and in 1986 he came up tops in USA Today and People magazine polls for favorite male singer.
Now, after more than 50 years in the business, Rogers continues to keep up with the times in some surprising ways including appearing with Phish just this past June to join them in (what else?) “The Gambler.”
Visit his official website.
Like him on Facebook.
Follow him on Twitter.
Rogers has done some good in the world: he’s given lots of support to a children’s center that helps severely disabled kids.
What did he leave out of the book? Kenny spills the beans.
Watch a video of Rogers singing “The Gambler.”
Thursday, 10/4: Dr. George Church
And now, for this week’s science expert! Dr. George Church is coauthor (with Ed Regis) of the intriguingly titled Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves. Here is the opening line of the publisher’s description: “Imagine a future in which human beings have become immune to all viruses, in which bacteria can custom-produce everyday items, like a drinking cup, or generate enough electricity to end oil dependency.” Actually, it sounds to me like a Star Trek: The Next Generation replicator, but I know that’s way too simplistic. Regis and Church set out to examine the potential effects of gene technology, and posit that it can alter or reverse nature’s course. We might even be able to bring back extinct creatures, which—to cite another sci-fi text—reminds me of Jurassic Park. More importantly, it seems as if the book puts a positive spin on these developments, rather than presenting them as a possible nightmare. After all, who could quibble with better health, longer life, and greater intelligence? Hmmm. Sorry, I can’t help it. Too many visions of futuristic fictions dance in my head.
A professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Church also serves at the director of PersonalGenomes.org, which offers open access to genetic data, and director of the NIH Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. Among his many honors and awards, he was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. He received his PhD from Harvard, and wrote on gene sequencing, barcoding, and beyond, and works in tandem with a number of commercial organizations interested in what he might uncover. It’s also clear from his bio that Church is concerned with maintaining the privacy of this information (unless freely made public), which one can assume will become more available and more shareable.
Visit Dr. Church’s Harvard web page.
Watch a webisode of “The Future Is Now,” with Church.
Dr. Church is dyslexic. Hear him speak about it in this video.
You can download his online course—free.
Follow him on Twitter.
Regenesis was the first book to be encoded in DNA!
Read an article on him in the New York Times. My favorite line? “Maybe one day we’ll make Neanderthals.”
He’s about to appear at the 4th Consumer Genetics Conference.
And now, let’s check in with our good friend Jon Stewart!
I’ll post information about these guests later, but for now, here’s the list. You actually do know all of them, don’t you? It’s quite a conservative week on TDS, so I’m sure my temper will explode more than once!
Monday, 10/1: Arnold Schwarzenegger
He has a new book–and plenty to confess.
Tuesday, 10/2: Liam Neeson
The Irish actor has a film to promote–Taken 2.
Wednesday 10/3: Sen. Rand Paul
The uber-conservative thinks that the federal government is a big bully–and he wrote a book to tell us why. My blood pressure is rising already….
Thursday, 10/4: Bill O’Reilly
A pre-rumble visit from Papa Bear.
That’s all for now! Enjoy the week, and be sure to let me know which guests you’re most looking forward to seeing.
Cheers!