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.
Hello, Hubsters! Welcome to this week’s Better Know A Guest.
I hope this first week without Stephen on your TV hasn’t been too tough to get through. If it was, well, I have good news for you: the wait is finally over. A remarkable and diversified line-up of guests – both a Presidential candidate and a satanic-themed heavy metal band are featured! – is here to help you recover.
But before I begin telling you all about that, let me quickly introduce the newest addition to the Hub’s staff: myself.
My name is Claudia and I come from the land of pizza and questionable political decisions. (Italy, I’m talking about Italy.) I’m a 22-year-old University student who enjoys sleeping and late night shows, which are things I realize can never successfully fit. I also care a lot about superheroes and, honestly, I’d say that pretty much sums me up. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s focus on the impressive week of guests the show has in store for us.
Feel free to leave us a comment letting us know who you are most excited to see on the show this week!
Monday, October 26 (2015)
Sienna Miller (Actress – “Burnt“)
Sienna Miller stars in the new comedy-drama “Burnt”, directed by John Wells. The film tells the story of a chef, Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper), who lost his restaurant due to his drug addiction and his temper. In order to one day open a restaurant in Paris worthy of three Michelin stars, Jones tries to rebuild his career in London. Miller plays the sous-chef Helene, who will eventually gain the chef’s attention and affection. “Burnt” will open on October 30 and has unfortunately received generally negative reviews so far.
Miller recently spoke out against the wage gap in Hollywood, revealing that she turned down a role in Broadway after she found out about the disparity between her wage and her male co-star’s.
Melissa Benoist (Actress – “Supergirl“)
Melissa Benoist stars as 24-year-old Kara Danvers in the upcoming CBS show “Supergirl”, based on the character created by DC Comics. Kara, also known as Kara Zor-El, is in fact Clark Kent’s biological older cousin. She was sent to Earth when she was thirteen to protect the infant, but ended up arriving when Superman was already known as the “Man of Steel”. The Kryptonian was then adopted by the Danvers, who taught Kara to control her superpowers and allowed her to grow up as an ordinary girl, until one unexpected disaster causes the heroine to reveal her abilities to the world. Benoist has been praised by critics for her ability to give her character “utter likeability”, and for being “convincing and charming in the lead role”.
Once the trailer for “Supergirl” first came out in May, it fueled some skepticism for its resemblance to SNL’s “Black Widow: Age of Me” sketch, which used a made-up rom-com trailer starring Scarlett Johansson’s Marvel character to satirize the treatment of female superhero characters in movies. The pilot, however, has received favorable reviews and be “an exciting start to a series that will hopefully grow into something amazing with time”, according to IGN. “Supergirl” will debut on October 26 on CBS at 8.30/7:30c.
Chance the Rapper (Musician – “Family Matters“)
Chance the Rapper, a.k.a. Chancelor Bennet, is a 22-year-old American rapper from Chicago. He is part of the band “Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment” and in May, they released the free LP “Surf”, which has been extremely well received by music critics.
In July, Chance announced the collaboration album “Free Based Freestyle Mixtape” with Lil B, which debuted the following month and was highly praised.
More recently, on October 13, the young rapper released the video for the song “Family Matters”, which is based on Kanye West’s 2004 song “Family Business”. “Family Matters” is also the name of the tour which started on October 11 and will hit 27 North American cities.
Tuesday, October 27 (2015)
Hillary Clinton (Politician)
Hillary Clinton is currently one of the most prominent candidates running for the 2016 Presidential elections. I’m sure you heard about that. On October 13 she attended the first Democratic Presidential debate and was crowned as the winner by many news outlets, although others have criticized her for using her gender as a shield from giving actual answers or criticized the media for being biased.
In March 2015 a controversy arose when news broke about Clinton using personal emails on a privately-owned, non-Government server during her office as Secretary of State (2009-2013). She has also been accused of breaking Federal laws and State Department procedures when she deleted nearly 32,000 emails. In August, Clinton handed over the server to the Department of Justice for an investigation regarding the classified information included in the emails.
Emails were also acquired by the Benghazi Committee (or, the House Select Committee on Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, if you prefer) which was formed in 2014 to investigate the attack occurred in Benghazi, Lybia, on September 11, 2012. The Committee has been accused of being partisan, especially after Republican Kevin McCarthy essentially commended it for making Clinton’s look untrustworthy in the eyes of the voters and for, consequently, being the reason why her numbers “are dropping”. On October 22, Clinton testified in a hearing held by the Benghazi committee, which investigated the attack, the former Secretary of State’s emails regarding Libya, and whether or not she should be held responsible. According to several media outlets, Clinton came out of the hearing as the winner.
Clinton has also been notoriously struggling with her perceived public imagine and has been trying to appear more spontaneous – I’m sure you remember Stephen’s bit about that – and to appeal to a younger demographic.
Anthony Bourdain (Chef, Author and TV Personality – “Parts Unknown“)
Anthony Bourdain is an American chef known for his books and TV shows. In 2013, Bourdain started collaborating with CNN for the show “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”, which finds the chef traveling to little-known destinations and exploring other cultures. The show’s sixth season premiered on September 27 and will feature nine episodes which will find Bourdain traveling from Cuba to South Carolina, passing through different and amazing places such as France, Turkey and Ethiopia.
Carrie Brownstein (Musician, Actor and Writer – “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl“)
Carrie Brownstein has had quite the busy year. Her indie-punk band Sleater-Kinney released the album “No Cities to Love” in January 2015, followed by a tour which ended in May after hitting 41 cities. Her character Syd Feldman is recurring on Amazon Studios’ “Transparent”, which began in 2014. “Portlandia”, a satirical sketch comedy TV show she co-created and in which she stars with Fred Armisen, aired its fifth season between January and March 2015. Brownstein also starred in the 2015 romantic-drama “Carol” and in two episodes of the adult animated TV show “Archer”.
However, Brownstein will be on the show promoting her new memoir “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl” (titled after the 2005 song “Modern Girl”), which centers on the rocker’s relationship with music and with her turbulent family, touching subjects such as her relationship with her father and his struggle with homosexuality. The autobiography will hit the bookshelves on October 27.
Lianne La Havas(Musician – “Blood”)
Lianne La Havas is a 26-year-old British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (she plays guitar, piano, and bass), who released her second album “Blood” on July 31 . “Blood” was conceived after the musician traveled to Jamaica with her mother. As a matter of fact, many tracks on the album come from Lianne’s reconnection with her Jamaican and Greek ancestry.
The record earned generally favorable reviews: “Standouts like ‘Unstoppable’ and ‘What You Don’t Do’ make the case for La Havas as a cosmic soul queen, recalling the daydream music Aretha Franklin made in the mid-Seventies”, says Rolling Stone, giving “Blood” three and a half stars.
Lianne La Havas is currently on tour to promote the new record, although the North American leg ends in Nashville on October 26. Lianne will sit in with Jon Baptiste and Stay Human throughout the episode.
Wednesday, October 28 (2015)
Julianna Margulies (Actor and Producer – “The Good Wife”)
Julianna Margulies stars as Alicia Florrick in CBS political and legal drama “The Good Wife”, which began its seventh season on October 4 at 9/8c. The TV show began centered on Alicia who, after her husband is jailed for political corruption and a sex scandal, returns to her job as a lawyer to provide for her children, trying to leave behind her image of the “good wife” and to climb the career ladder. Season 7 finds Alicia returning to work in a law firm in attempt to revive her career after being caught up in an electoral fraud scandal and being forced by circumstances to resign from office as State’s Attorney, even though she is innocent.
Jonathan Franzen (Author – “Purity: A Novel“)
Jonathan Franzen is an award-winning American writer, particularly known for his novels and essays. “Purity” is Franzen’s fifth novel and it’s the story of Pip, whose real name is Purity, swamped by college debt and burdened by a quasi-insane mother who refuses to disclose the identity of Pip’s father.
While Pip is the protagonist, the novel presents a structure typical to other Franzen’s stories, such as “The Corrections” (2001) and “Freedom” (2010): we follow for a while the course of action of one character, until the book moves its focus onto another one, only to reconnect with the initial character later in the plot.
As a matter of fact, Pip crosses paths with self-obsessed, fame-craving, and computer-hacking Andreas Wolf, head of the Sunlight Project (think WikiLeaks), and Tom Aberant, who runs an investigative journalism website from Denver.
In this novel “Franzen can be piercingly brilliant at deconstructing myths the culture tells about itself” (The Guardian), touching themes such as identity, murder, and surveillance, as characters and subplots intertwine.
Alabama Shakes (Album – “Sound & Color“)
Alabama Shakes is a band from Athens, Alabama, whose soulful rock brought them to fame in 2010. On April 21, the band released their second studio album “Sound & Color”, which debuted at number one in the United States. The record scored positive reviews, with The Telegraph calling the band a “powerful and original force” and Rolling Stone praising lead vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard’s “hurricane of a voice”.
Thursday, October 29 (2015)
Seth MacFarlane (Writer, Actor and Singer – “No One Ever Tells You“)
Seth MacFarlane is an American screenwriter and actor, particularly known as the creator of “Family Guy” and co-creator of “American Dad!” and “The Cleveland Show”, not to mention his work as a writer and director on t films “Ted”, “Ted 2”, and “A Million Ways to Die in the West”.
MacFarlane is also an accomplished singer who trained his baritone voice with the vocal coaches of Barba Streisand and Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra is, in fact, a great inspiration for his music: on October 22, MacFarlane performed at the Grammy Museum with Michael Bublé and saxophonist Mindi Abair, celebrating the legendary late singer who was honored with the Architects of Sound award.
Although MacFarlane is set to release his third jazz album, “No One Ever Tells You”, on October 30, the record – which includes both originals and covers – already topped the charts when it was released digitally on September 30.
Neil deGrasse Tyson (Astrophysicist, Author, Podcast and Host – “StarTalk”)
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator, not to mention the Director of the Hayden Planetarium and founder of the Department of Astrophysics, both parts of the American Museum of Natural History. Tyson is also well-known personality on American television. In 2014 he hosted the TV show “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odissey”, of which the other guest of the night, Seth MacFarlane, was an executive producer.
National Geographic Channel’s first late-night talk show, “StarTalk”, debuted on April 20, starring Tyson as the host. The show is based on Tyson’s popular astronomy podcast of the name same, which “bridges the intersection between Pop Culture and Science with clarity, humor and passion”. he talk show “StarTalk” began its second season on October 25 and it welcomed former President Bill Clinton as first guest.
Tyson will certainly be a familiar face for Stephen Colbert’s fans. Recently, he even appeared in a YouTube video for the Late Show, where he discussed Pluto with Stephen. A little over a little week ago, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tyson called Stephen “the most scientifically literate person in pop culture” he ever met.
Friday, October 30 (2015)
Charlie Rose (Journalist – “CBS This Morning”)
Charlie Rose has been the host of the talk show “Charlie Rose” since 1991 and the co-anchor of “CBS This Morning” and presenter of the TV program “Person to Person” since 2012. Moreover, he substitutes for Scott Pelley when the host of “CBS Evening New with Scott Pelley” is unavailable.
The journalist has interviewed many personalities, and has even won a Peabody Award for his interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2013. On October 19, Rose was honored with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism from Arizona State University.
In a review for the LSSC debut, The Atlantic suggested that Stephen could be the heir of Charlie Rose rather than David Letterman, due to the particular choice of guests and to Colbert’s flavor of comedy, which is “notable not just for its satire, but for its intellectualism”.
Stacy Schiff (Author – “The Witches: Salem, 1692”)
“The Witches: Salem, 1692” is the new book of Pulitzer Prize Award winner and nonfiction author Stacy Schiff, who is also a guest columnist for the New York Times. In “The Witches” Schiff reconstructs the events of the Salem witch trials, which began in 1692 in Massachusetts and lasted one year, period during which twenty people were executed. Schiff was able to tell this story of religious intransigence by examining in depth historical witness accounts and records of infractions, and by analyzing the circumstances which created a fertile ground for the paranoia that ignited this legendary witch hunt. “The Witches: Salem, 1692”, which is due to be released on October 27, and is called a “must-read” and “the fall’s biggest history title” by critics and fellow authors.
Ghost (Album – “Meliora“)
Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band, famous for their stage presence and the recurring satanic theme. The latter has indeed created some difficulties for the band, especially in the United States, where their music has often been banned by chain stores and late-night TV shows. Their appearance on the Late Show is in fact quite unprecedented.
The actual identities of the rockers are secret: the frontman’s stage character, Papa Emeritus, is a Satanic priest, the other members of the band are the Nameless Ghouls, while Ghost’s song-writer is simply known as Ghost Writer. This secrecy even allowed Foo Fighters’s Dave Grohl to perform with them in the past and go unnoticed.
Ghost’s third full-length album, “Meliora”, was released on August 21 and it marked the retirement of lead-vocalist Papa Emeritus II, who was substituted by younger brother Papa Emeritus III. “Meliora’s” main theme is the absence of God and, as a Nameless Ghoul describes it, “the band is basically portrayed as the religious party that comes in there with a guiding hand. We offer the one place in the world that is spiritual”.
The record debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart and was welcomed by critics with generally positive reviews that praised the record for being a “meticulously executed, artful collection of black-souled retro doom-pop” and the band for “remind[ing] us that classic heavy metal is still alive and well”.
The Zombies (Album – “Still Got That Hunger“)
Though The Zombies formed in 1961, “Still Got That Hunger” is the English rock band’s sixth studio album, due to several breaks taken during the years. The record was released on October 9 after being crowdfunded on the website PledgeMusic, reaching 143% of the goal. “Still Got That Hunger” received mixed reviews so far, although the musicians’ technique and passion have been broadly praised. The Zombies will sit in with Jon Baptiste and Stay Human.
Better Know A Guest – October 26 – 30, 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.
Hello, Hubsters! Welcome to this week’s Better Know A Guest.
I hope this first week without Stephen on your TV hasn’t been too tough to get through. If it was, well, I have good news for you: the wait is finally over. A remarkable and diversified line-up of guests – both a Presidential candidate and a satanic-themed heavy metal band are featured! – is here to help you recover.
But before I begin telling you all about that, let me quickly introduce the newest addition to the Hub’s staff: myself.
My name is Claudia and I come from the land of pizza and questionable political decisions. (Italy, I’m talking about Italy.) I’m a 22-year-old University student who enjoys sleeping and late night shows, which are things I realize can never successfully fit. I also care a lot about superheroes and, honestly, I’d say that pretty much sums me up. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s focus on the impressive week of guests the show has in store for us.
Feel free to leave us a comment letting us know who you are most excited to see on the show this week!
Monday, October 26 (2015)
Sienna Miller (Actress – “Burnt“)
Sienna Miller stars in the new comedy-drama “Burnt”, directed by John Wells. The film tells the story of a chef, Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper), who lost his restaurant due to his drug addiction and his temper. In order to one day open a restaurant in Paris worthy of three Michelin stars, Jones tries to rebuild his career in London. Miller plays the sous-chef Helene, who will eventually gain the chef’s attention and affection. “Burnt” will open on October 30 and has unfortunately received generally negative reviews so far.
Miller recently spoke out against the wage gap in Hollywood, revealing that she turned down a role in Broadway after she found out about the disparity between her wage and her male co-star’s.
Melissa Benoist (Actress – “Supergirl“)
Melissa Benoist stars as 24-year-old Kara Danvers in the upcoming CBS show “Supergirl”, based on the character created by DC Comics. Kara, also known as Kara Zor-El, is in fact Clark Kent’s biological older cousin. She was sent to Earth when she was thirteen to protect the infant, but ended up arriving when Superman was already known as the “Man of Steel”. The Kryptonian was then adopted by the Danvers, who taught Kara to control her superpowers and allowed her to grow up as an ordinary girl, until one unexpected disaster causes the heroine to reveal her abilities to the world. Benoist has been praised by critics for her ability to give her character “utter likeability”, and for being “convincing and charming in the lead role”.
Once the trailer for “Supergirl” first came out in May, it fueled some skepticism for its resemblance to SNL’s “Black Widow: Age of Me” sketch, which used a made-up rom-com trailer starring Scarlett Johansson’s Marvel character to satirize the treatment of female superhero characters in movies. The pilot, however, has received favorable reviews and be “an exciting start to a series that will hopefully grow into something amazing with time”, according to IGN. “Supergirl” will debut on October 26 on CBS at 8.30/7:30c.
Chance the Rapper (Musician – “Family Matters“)
Chance the Rapper, a.k.a. Chancelor Bennet, is a 22-year-old American rapper from Chicago. He is part of the band “Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment” and in May, they released the free LP “Surf”, which has been extremely well received by music critics.
In July, Chance announced the collaboration album “Free Based Freestyle Mixtape” with Lil B, which debuted the following month and was highly praised.
More recently, on October 13, the young rapper released the video for the song “Family Matters”, which is based on Kanye West’s 2004 song “Family Business”. “Family Matters” is also the name of the tour which started on October 11 and will hit 27 North American cities.
Tuesday, October 27 (2015)
Hillary Clinton (Politician)
Hillary Clinton is currently one of the most prominent candidates running for the 2016 Presidential elections. I’m sure you heard about that. On October 13 she attended the first Democratic Presidential debate and was crowned as the winner by many news outlets, although others have criticized her for using her gender as a shield from giving actual answers or criticized the media for being biased.
In March 2015 a controversy arose when news broke about Clinton using personal emails on a privately-owned, non-Government server during her office as Secretary of State (2009-2013). She has also been accused of breaking Federal laws and State Department procedures when she deleted nearly 32,000 emails. In August, Clinton handed over the server to the Department of Justice for an investigation regarding the classified information included in the emails.
Emails were also acquired by the Benghazi Committee (or, the House Select Committee on Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, if you prefer) which was formed in 2014 to investigate the attack occurred in Benghazi, Lybia, on September 11, 2012. The Committee has been accused of being partisan, especially after Republican Kevin McCarthy essentially commended it for making Clinton’s look untrustworthy in the eyes of the voters and for, consequently, being the reason why her numbers “are dropping”. On October 22, Clinton testified in a hearing held by the Benghazi committee, which investigated the attack, the former Secretary of State’s emails regarding Libya, and whether or not she should be held responsible. According to several media outlets, Clinton came out of the hearing as the winner.
Clinton has also been notoriously struggling with her perceived public imagine and has been trying to appear more spontaneous – I’m sure you remember Stephen’s bit about that – and to appeal to a younger demographic.
Anthony Bourdain (Chef, Author and TV Personality – “Parts Unknown“)
Anthony Bourdain is an American chef known for his books and TV shows. In 2013, Bourdain started collaborating with CNN for the show “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”, which finds the chef traveling to little-known destinations and exploring other cultures. The show’s sixth season premiered on September 27 and will feature nine episodes which will find Bourdain traveling from Cuba to South Carolina, passing through different and amazing places such as France, Turkey and Ethiopia.
Carrie Brownstein (Musician, Actor and Writer – “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl“)
Carrie Brownstein has had quite the busy year. Her indie-punk band Sleater-Kinney released the album “No Cities to Love” in January 2015, followed by a tour which ended in May after hitting 41 cities. Her character Syd Feldman is recurring on Amazon Studios’ “Transparent”, which began in 2014. “Portlandia”, a satirical sketch comedy TV show she co-created and in which she stars with Fred Armisen, aired its fifth season between January and March 2015. Brownstein also starred in the 2015 romantic-drama “Carol” and in two episodes of the adult animated TV show “Archer”.
However, Brownstein will be on the show promoting her new memoir “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl” (titled after the 2005 song “Modern Girl”), which centers on the rocker’s relationship with music and with her turbulent family, touching subjects such as her relationship with her father and his struggle with homosexuality. The autobiography will hit the bookshelves on October 27.
Lianne La Havas(Musician – “Blood”)
Lianne La Havas is a 26-year-old British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (she plays guitar, piano, and bass), who released her second album “Blood” on July 31 . “Blood” was conceived after the musician traveled to Jamaica with her mother. As a matter of fact, many tracks on the album come from Lianne’s reconnection with her Jamaican and Greek ancestry.
The record earned generally favorable reviews: “Standouts like ‘Unstoppable’ and ‘What You Don’t Do’ make the case for La Havas as a cosmic soul queen, recalling the daydream music Aretha Franklin made in the mid-Seventies”, says Rolling Stone, giving “Blood” three and a half stars.
Lianne La Havas is currently on tour to promote the new record, although the North American leg ends in Nashville on October 26. Lianne will sit in with Jon Baptiste and Stay Human throughout the episode.
Wednesday, October 28 (2015)
Julianna Margulies (Actor and Producer – “The Good Wife”)
Julianna Margulies stars as Alicia Florrick in CBS political and legal drama “The Good Wife”, which began its seventh season on October 4 at 9/8c. The TV show began centered on Alicia who, after her husband is jailed for political corruption and a sex scandal, returns to her job as a lawyer to provide for her children, trying to leave behind her image of the “good wife” and to climb the career ladder. Season 7 finds Alicia returning to work in a law firm in attempt to revive her career after being caught up in an electoral fraud scandal and being forced by circumstances to resign from office as State’s Attorney, even though she is innocent.
Jonathan Franzen (Author – “Purity: A Novel“)
Jonathan Franzen is an award-winning American writer, particularly known for his novels and essays. “Purity” is Franzen’s fifth novel and it’s the story of Pip, whose real name is Purity, swamped by college debt and burdened by a quasi-insane mother who refuses to disclose the identity of Pip’s father.
While Pip is the protagonist, the novel presents a structure typical to other Franzen’s stories, such as “The Corrections” (2001) and “Freedom” (2010): we follow for a while the course of action of one character, until the book moves its focus onto another one, only to reconnect with the initial character later in the plot.
As a matter of fact, Pip crosses paths with self-obsessed, fame-craving, and computer-hacking Andreas Wolf, head of the Sunlight Project (think WikiLeaks), and Tom Aberant, who runs an investigative journalism website from Denver.
In this novel “Franzen can be piercingly brilliant at deconstructing myths the culture tells about itself” (The Guardian), touching themes such as identity, murder, and surveillance, as characters and subplots intertwine.
Alabama Shakes (Album – “Sound & Color“)
Alabama Shakes is a band from Athens, Alabama, whose soulful rock brought them to fame in 2010. On April 21, the band released their second studio album “Sound & Color”, which debuted at number one in the United States. The record scored positive reviews, with The Telegraph calling the band a “powerful and original force” and Rolling Stone praising lead vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard’s “hurricane of a voice”.
Thursday, October 29 (2015)
Seth MacFarlane (Writer, Actor and Singer – “No One Ever Tells You“)
Seth MacFarlane is an American screenwriter and actor, particularly known as the creator of “Family Guy” and co-creator of “American Dad!” and “The Cleveland Show”, not to mention his work as a writer and director on t films “Ted”, “Ted 2”, and “A Million Ways to Die in the West”.
MacFarlane is also an accomplished singer who trained his baritone voice with the vocal coaches of Barba Streisand and Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra is, in fact, a great inspiration for his music: on October 22, MacFarlane performed at the Grammy Museum with Michael Bublé and saxophonist Mindi Abair, celebrating the legendary late singer who was honored with the Architects of Sound award.
Although MacFarlane is set to release his third jazz album, “No One Ever Tells You”, on October 30, the record – which includes both originals and covers – already topped the charts when it was released digitally on September 30.
Neil deGrasse Tyson (Astrophysicist, Author, Podcast and Host – “StarTalk”)
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator, not to mention the Director of the Hayden Planetarium and founder of the Department of Astrophysics, both parts of the American Museum of Natural History. Tyson is also well-known personality on American television. In 2014 he hosted the TV show “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odissey”, of which the other guest of the night, Seth MacFarlane, was an executive producer.
National Geographic Channel’s first late-night talk show, “StarTalk”, debuted on April 20, starring Tyson as the host. The show is based on Tyson’s popular astronomy podcast of the name same, which “bridges the intersection between Pop Culture and Science with clarity, humor and passion”. he talk show “StarTalk” began its second season on October 25 and it welcomed former President Bill Clinton as first guest.
Tyson will certainly be a familiar face for Stephen Colbert’s fans. Recently, he even appeared in a YouTube video for the Late Show, where he discussed Pluto with Stephen. A little over a little week ago, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tyson called Stephen “the most scientifically literate person in pop culture” he ever met.
Friday, October 30 (2015)
Charlie Rose (Journalist – “CBS This Morning”)
Charlie Rose has been the host of the talk show “Charlie Rose” since 1991 and the co-anchor of “CBS This Morning” and presenter of the TV program “Person to Person” since 2012. Moreover, he substitutes for Scott Pelley when the host of “CBS Evening New with Scott Pelley” is unavailable.
The journalist has interviewed many personalities, and has even won a Peabody Award for his interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2013. On October 19, Rose was honored with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism from Arizona State University.
In a review for the LSSC debut, The Atlantic suggested that Stephen could be the heir of Charlie Rose rather than David Letterman, due to the particular choice of guests and to Colbert’s flavor of comedy, which is “notable not just for its satire, but for its intellectualism”.
Stacy Schiff (Author – “The Witches: Salem, 1692”)
“The Witches: Salem, 1692” is the new book of Pulitzer Prize Award winner and nonfiction author Stacy Schiff, who is also a guest columnist for the New York Times. In “The Witches” Schiff reconstructs the events of the Salem witch trials, which began in 1692 in Massachusetts and lasted one year, period during which twenty people were executed. Schiff was able to tell this story of religious intransigence by examining in depth historical witness accounts and records of infractions, and by analyzing the circumstances which created a fertile ground for the paranoia that ignited this legendary witch hunt. “The Witches: Salem, 1692”, which is due to be released on October 27, and is called a “must-read” and “the fall’s biggest history title” by critics and fellow authors.
Ghost (Album – “Meliora“)
Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band, famous for their stage presence and the recurring satanic theme. The latter has indeed created some difficulties for the band, especially in the United States, where their music has often been banned by chain stores and late-night TV shows. Their appearance on the Late Show is in fact quite unprecedented.
The actual identities of the rockers are secret: the frontman’s stage character, Papa Emeritus, is a Satanic priest, the other members of the band are the Nameless Ghouls, while Ghost’s song-writer is simply known as Ghost Writer. This secrecy even allowed Foo Fighters’s Dave Grohl to perform with them in the past and go unnoticed.
Ghost’s third full-length album, “Meliora”, was released on August 21 and it marked the retirement of lead-vocalist Papa Emeritus II, who was substituted by younger brother Papa Emeritus III. “Meliora’s” main theme is the absence of God and, as a Nameless Ghoul describes it, “the band is basically portrayed as the religious party that comes in there with a guiding hand. We offer the one place in the world that is spiritual”.
The record debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart and was welcomed by critics with generally positive reviews that praised the record for being a “meticulously executed, artful collection of black-souled retro doom-pop” and the band for “remind[ing] us that classic heavy metal is still alive and well”.
The Zombies (Album – “Still Got That Hunger“)
Though The Zombies formed in 1961, “Still Got That Hunger” is the English rock band’s sixth studio album, due to several breaks taken during the years. The record was released on October 9 after being crowdfunded on the website PledgeMusic, reaching 143% of the goal. “Still Got That Hunger” received mixed reviews so far, although the musicians’ technique and passion have been broadly praised. The Zombies will sit in with Jon Baptiste and Stay Human.