Hello, Hubsters!
Well, have you had your fill of Stephen yet, after the week of tasty extras we’ve enjoyed, all thanks to his book release hoopla? No? I didn’t think so! More, more, more.
In my opinion, last week’s shows were brilliant. Rather than showing exhaustion from everything going on, Stephen gave us bracing, energetic, searing performances. I must particularly point out the incredibly sharpness of his interview with Jim Garlow about “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.” Mr. Colbert came out guns blazing and never let up. I thought it was breathtaking, and he has never been as savage. “George Will’s Post-Racial Journalism” blew me away, too. I hope we have more of the same next week. I also have to say, after last week’s debate debacle, I was grateful to Jon and Stephen for making me laugh.
I hope we’ll have more of the same.
Now, let’s see who’s on the schedule….
Monday, 10/8: Mark Kelly
When Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, brutally shot by a madman in January 2011, appeared at the Democratic convention to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, there probably wasn’t a dry eye in the house. That she not only survived but has improved so much is nothing less than amazing. Tonight’s guest is her husband, renowned former astronaut Mark Kelly. In the past, he and Giffords co-wrote a book about the horrific assassination attempt: Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope. Now, Kelly has his own new book, and it’s about something a lot happier. Like Stephen, he’s joined the ranks of kids’ book writers with Mousetronaut. Mice did actually travel to space, and the hero of Kelly’s story was actually inspired by a real animal. Not only does mousetronaut’s dreams of going where few rodents have gone before come true, but when things go wrong, only he can save the day.
Kelly has a prestigious background, having served with distinction in the military and in NASA. He earned his BS in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and an MS in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Both he and his twin brother Scott work for NASA, and both men have gone into space. In July 2011, he served as commander on the very last journey made by the shuttle Endeavor. The shuttle took a little Arizona detour so that Gabby could see it.
Prior to NASA, Kelly flew combat missions for the navy during Desert Storm, and earned numerous awards including (but definitely not limited to): the Defense Superior Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross; Navy Commendation Medal; NASA Exceptional Service Medal; and NASA Space Flight Medal (with three bronze service stars). He has since retired in order to help his wife recover.
Follow him on Twitter.
Read his bio on the NASA site.
Like him on Facebook.
Kelly has appeared on The Daily Show.
He commented on the recent shootings in Aurora, Colorado, saying he was “horrified.”
In 2011, he was honored as one of Esquire‘s Americans of the year.
The Christian Science Monitor wrote an article on Mousetronaut.
He spoke to ABC News about the days following the shooting.
Kelly retired from both the Navy and NASA to stay by Giffords’s side.
Tuesday, 10/9: Morrissey
Musician, songwriter, and singer (Steven Patrick) Morrissey is on tour—and stopping by the Report along the way. Despite the lack of a new record, he’s about to play several shows in New York City, both at the huge Radio City Music Hall and the more informal Terminal 5. (Last I saw, tickets were still available for Terminal 5.)
After an early career as a punk rocker with The Nosebleeds, Morrissey gained fame in the 80s as a member of The Smiths; the group released such albums as The Queen Is Dead (Sex Pistols influence, anybody?) and Shoplifters of the World Unite. In 1987, the group disbanded, and he embarked upon an extremely successful solo career. Innovative, influential, outspoken, and with plenty of indie cred, he also managed to top the charts right from the start: his first release, Viva Hate, reached number one very quickly. In the ensuing years, there were plenty of feuds and court fights over royalties (with two members of The Smiths), as well as some tragedies. He lost three very close friends in 1994, including his manager and his video director. Perhaps that led him to switch directions the next year, when he created Southpaw Grammar, filled with lengthy songs as a sample from a Shostakovich symphony. Morrissey eventually took a break from recording, only returning to the studio in 2000. The person who wrote his Wikipedia bio suggests that he’s shopping around a book and that publishers are interested, so that’s something for fans to look forward to.
Just so you know: he doesn’t like Madonna, he really hates Elton John, and he’s had a number of very critical things to say about various musicians, politicians (yay—he attacked Margaret Thatcher and George W.), and faux-websites that pretend to be official. He’s been accused of racism, which he strongly and angrily denies. He does campaign for animal rights, however, and has been coy about revealing his sexual preference. As for awards, he was nominated once for a Grammy, but they didn’t show him much love. He didn’t win.
Visit Morrissey’s website – even though the last release listed—a compilation of his greatest hits–is dated April 2011. There’s still plenty to listen to, videos to enjoy, and info.
Here’s an unofficial fan site, with forums.
He still has a MySpace page.
You can watch some videos on his YouTube page.
Not that long ago, he helped a woman who collapsed in New York’s famed Strand bookstore.
Follow him on Twitter.
Like him on Facebook.
Here’s a page the BBC site has for him.
Visit the iTunes page with Morrissey’s music.
Wednesday, 10/10: Naomi Wolf
Okay, THIS ought to be FUN. Author and essayist Naomi Wolf has a new book out called . . . Vagina. Should we have a drinking game for every time Stephen blushes? Although he has certainly done some very funny sketches on the subject before, he doesn’t usually have to address it with a female guest. We shall see.
Vagina is actually subtitled “A New Biography,” and Wolf uses both scientific discourse and personal storytelling to discuss the way what Stephen might call “women parts” have been understood through history and also to examine the connection between sexuality and creativity. Rather controversially, she concludes that the vagina is more than flesh; it connects with the brain and that good sex transforms the female consciousness. Wolf also posits that hostility to female sexuality has had a widespread negative social and political effect. I should point out that the impetus for the work came from Wolf’s own medical crisis: she lost her orgasm. Yes, she did, because of a pinched pelvic nerve. I shouldn’t joke; it seriously must have been traumatic.
Wolf debuted with The Beauty Myth, a huge bestseller that established her as a feminist force. Her writing frequently appears in The New Yorker, as well as in Esquire, the Washington Post, and the New York Times; in addition to feminist issues, she’s tackled the current US political situation and done an investigative report on Guantánamo Bay for the London Times. She graduated from Yale and attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship.
Read the New York Times interview with her. The newspaper of record also has a review, written by former New York City Ballet dancer-turned-author Toni Bentley. She savages it. Keep in mind, Bentley is the woman who wrote an entire book about her discovery of the pleasures of anal sex. So she is neither a prude nor a stranger to sexually oriented writing.
Wolf defends Vagina in Slate.
Visit her website.
Like her on Facebook.
Follow her on Twitter.
She’s appeared on The Colbert Report before, in 2007.
Ariel Levy discusses the book in The New Yorker.
TIME magazine looked at the science in Wolf’s book—and beyond.
Thursday, 10/11: Chrystia Freeland
There’s lots of talk about the 1%. But what about the even smaller percentage: the .1%? Who are they—the crème de la crème who dwarf even Mitt Romney, not just in America, but around the world? Chrystia Freeland turns a sharp on the wealthiest-of-the-wealthy in her book Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else. I’m not sure about you, but I’m quite certain that I’m part of the “everyone else.” What’s clear is that huge gaps between the haves and the have-nots that used to define un- or under-developed nations has now come to characterize the “first world.” One thing Freeland seems to suggest, if I am reading the commentary about the book correctly, is that these elites—who have mostly earned, rather than inherited, their money—feel they deserve their trillions and also feel more connected to others who share their level of wealth. National allegiances take a back seat to class alliances, and this group controls a great deal of the world’s money. I do have a friend who likes to say, “Class warfare? There’s no class warfare. The war is over and the rich have won.” I’m scared to think he’s right.
Freeland, a journalist, serves as the global editor-at-large of Britain’s Reuters news agency; she previously managed the Financial Times in New York. The Canadian-born writer earned her degree from Harvard and, like Wolf, attended Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. An earlier work, Sale of the Century, examined Russia’s shift from communism to capitalism. She’s appeared on many TV shows, including Bill Maher’s Real Time, and this is her second visit to TCR.
Follow her on Twitter.
Read her blog on Reuters.
Like her on Facebook.
New York magazine did an article on Freeland.
She and the New York Times Nobel Award-winning economist Paul Krugman had a chat.
The Observer had an article about Plutocrats.
The rich don’t like Obama, Freeland says. She discusses the situation in the New Yorker.
Download her podcasts from iTunes. They’re free!
She thinks the middle class is dead. RIP.
And now, let’s check in with our good friend, Jon Stewart!
Fresh from the rumble, Mr. Stewart welcomes a week’s worth of amazing guests. (NOW–updated to include all four visitors.)
Monday, 10/8: Pete Townshend
You’re not going to ask WHO is he (ooh-ooh, oooh-ooh) are you? Actually, you can, because the name of his new memoir is Who I Am.
Read a review of the book in the New York Times.
Rolling Stone said it might be “the most conflicted rock memoir of all time.”
Visit the Who’s website.
Tuesday, 10/9: Ben Affleck
The award-winning actor, director, and writer–and Matt Damon BFF–has a new film out: Argo, based on a true story that occurred during the Iran hostage crisis. He’s married to Jennifer Garner, and by the way, the info on The Daily Show site isn’t quite up to date: he not only has two daughters, now he and Garner also have a baby boy.
He’s visited The Daily Show six times. This is his most recent appearance; the rest can be found on the Jon’s guest page.
Follow him on Twitter.
And I couldn’t resist: you remember what’s going on between him and Jimmy Kimmel, don’t you? Here’s the video!
After some rough career patches, Affleck is now going strong again. He addressed the reasons for his “resurrection” in the Huffington Post.
Wednesday, 10/10: Magic Johnson
Jon will have someone towering over him once again! Hall of Fame basketball player Magic Johnson enjoyed an incredible career that included three MVP awards. Now, he’s a businessman and head of the Magic Johnson Foundation, which he established after being diagnosed as HIV-Positive. (Amazingly he shows no sign of the disease–and he got ill before AZT and all the other retroviral drugs.)
Visit his website.
Follow him on Twitter.
You can view his stats and find out more about his achievements in basketball at the NBA site.
He’s promoting a new at-home HIV test, which might be more comfortable for some people.
Thursday, 10/11: Paul Thomas Anderson
Anderson has just directed the buzz-worthy The Master, allegedly based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Tom Cruise–whom he directed in Magnolia–is probably not pleased.
He spoke about the film on NPR.
Read an interview with him in the Washington Post.
Scientology? What scientology? Anderson discusses its influence on The Master in Rolling Stone.
His other films include Boogie Nights and the Oscar®-winning There Will Be Blood. Visit his IMDB page to learn more.
That’s all for this week, folks! Let me know who you’re excited to see.
Cheers!
Better Know a Guest: October 8 – 11, 2012
Hello, Hubsters!
Well, have you had your fill of Stephen yet, after the week of tasty extras we’ve enjoyed, all thanks to his book release hoopla? No? I didn’t think so! More, more, more.
In my opinion, last week’s shows were brilliant. Rather than showing exhaustion from everything going on, Stephen gave us bracing, energetic, searing performances. I must particularly point out the incredibly sharpness of his interview with Jim Garlow about “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.” Mr. Colbert came out guns blazing and never let up. I thought it was breathtaking, and he has never been as savage. “George Will’s Post-Racial Journalism” blew me away, too. I hope we have more of the same next week. I also have to say, after last week’s debate debacle, I was grateful to Jon and Stephen for making me laugh.
I hope we’ll have more of the same.
Now, let’s see who’s on the schedule….
Monday, 10/8: Mark Kelly
When Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, brutally shot by a madman in January 2011, appeared at the Democratic convention to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, there probably wasn’t a dry eye in the house. That she not only survived but has improved so much is nothing less than amazing. Tonight’s guest is her husband, renowned former astronaut Mark Kelly. In the past, he and Giffords co-wrote a book about the horrific assassination attempt: Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope. Now, Kelly has his own new book, and it’s about something a lot happier. Like Stephen, he’s joined the ranks of kids’ book writers with Mousetronaut. Mice did actually travel to space, and the hero of Kelly’s story was actually inspired by a real animal. Not only does mousetronaut’s dreams of going where few rodents have gone before come true, but when things go wrong, only he can save the day.
Kelly has a prestigious background, having served with distinction in the military and in NASA. He earned his BS in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and an MS in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Both he and his twin brother Scott work for NASA, and both men have gone into space. In July 2011, he served as commander on the very last journey made by the shuttle Endeavor. The shuttle took a little Arizona detour so that Gabby could see it.
Prior to NASA, Kelly flew combat missions for the navy during Desert Storm, and earned numerous awards including (but definitely not limited to): the Defense Superior Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross; Navy Commendation Medal; NASA Exceptional Service Medal; and NASA Space Flight Medal (with three bronze service stars). He has since retired in order to help his wife recover.
Follow him on Twitter.
Read his bio on the NASA site.
Like him on Facebook.
Kelly has appeared on The Daily Show.
He commented on the recent shootings in Aurora, Colorado, saying he was “horrified.”
In 2011, he was honored as one of Esquire‘s Americans of the year.
The Christian Science Monitor wrote an article on Mousetronaut.
He spoke to ABC News about the days following the shooting.
Kelly retired from both the Navy and NASA to stay by Giffords’s side.
Tuesday, 10/9: Morrissey
Musician, songwriter, and singer (Steven Patrick) Morrissey is on tour—and stopping by the Report along the way. Despite the lack of a new record, he’s about to play several shows in New York City, both at the huge Radio City Music Hall and the more informal Terminal 5. (Last I saw, tickets were still available for Terminal 5.)
After an early career as a punk rocker with The Nosebleeds, Morrissey gained fame in the 80s as a member of The Smiths; the group released such albums as The Queen Is Dead (Sex Pistols influence, anybody?) and Shoplifters of the World Unite. In 1987, the group disbanded, and he embarked upon an extremely successful solo career. Innovative, influential, outspoken, and with plenty of indie cred, he also managed to top the charts right from the start: his first release, Viva Hate, reached number one very quickly. In the ensuing years, there were plenty of feuds and court fights over royalties (with two members of The Smiths), as well as some tragedies. He lost three very close friends in 1994, including his manager and his video director. Perhaps that led him to switch directions the next year, when he created Southpaw Grammar, filled with lengthy songs as a sample from a Shostakovich symphony. Morrissey eventually took a break from recording, only returning to the studio in 2000. The person who wrote his Wikipedia bio suggests that he’s shopping around a book and that publishers are interested, so that’s something for fans to look forward to.
Just so you know: he doesn’t like Madonna, he really hates Elton John, and he’s had a number of very critical things to say about various musicians, politicians (yay—he attacked Margaret Thatcher and George W.), and faux-websites that pretend to be official. He’s been accused of racism, which he strongly and angrily denies. He does campaign for animal rights, however, and has been coy about revealing his sexual preference. As for awards, he was nominated once for a Grammy, but they didn’t show him much love. He didn’t win.
Visit Morrissey’s website – even though the last release listed—a compilation of his greatest hits–is dated April 2011. There’s still plenty to listen to, videos to enjoy, and info.
Here’s an unofficial fan site, with forums.
He still has a MySpace page.
You can watch some videos on his YouTube page.
Not that long ago, he helped a woman who collapsed in New York’s famed Strand bookstore.
Follow him on Twitter.
Like him on Facebook.
Here’s a page the BBC site has for him.
Visit the iTunes page with Morrissey’s music.
Wednesday, 10/10: Naomi Wolf
Okay, THIS ought to be FUN. Author and essayist Naomi Wolf has a new book out called . . . Vagina. Should we have a drinking game for every time Stephen blushes? Although he has certainly done some very funny sketches on the subject before, he doesn’t usually have to address it with a female guest. We shall see.
Vagina is actually subtitled “A New Biography,” and Wolf uses both scientific discourse and personal storytelling to discuss the way what Stephen might call “women parts” have been understood through history and also to examine the connection between sexuality and creativity. Rather controversially, she concludes that the vagina is more than flesh; it connects with the brain and that good sex transforms the female consciousness. Wolf also posits that hostility to female sexuality has had a widespread negative social and political effect. I should point out that the impetus for the work came from Wolf’s own medical crisis: she lost her orgasm. Yes, she did, because of a pinched pelvic nerve. I shouldn’t joke; it seriously must have been traumatic.
Wolf debuted with The Beauty Myth, a huge bestseller that established her as a feminist force. Her writing frequently appears in The New Yorker, as well as in Esquire, the Washington Post, and the New York Times; in addition to feminist issues, she’s tackled the current US political situation and done an investigative report on Guantánamo Bay for the London Times. She graduated from Yale and attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship.
Read the New York Times interview with her. The newspaper of record also has a review, written by former New York City Ballet dancer-turned-author Toni Bentley. She savages it. Keep in mind, Bentley is the woman who wrote an entire book about her discovery of the pleasures of anal sex. So she is neither a prude nor a stranger to sexually oriented writing.
Wolf defends Vagina in Slate.
Visit her website.
Like her on Facebook.
Follow her on Twitter.
She’s appeared on The Colbert Report before, in 2007.
Ariel Levy discusses the book in The New Yorker.
TIME magazine looked at the science in Wolf’s book—and beyond.
Thursday, 10/11: Chrystia Freeland
There’s lots of talk about the 1%. But what about the even smaller percentage: the .1%? Who are they—the crème de la crème who dwarf even Mitt Romney, not just in America, but around the world? Chrystia Freeland turns a sharp on the wealthiest-of-the-wealthy in her book Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else. I’m not sure about you, but I’m quite certain that I’m part of the “everyone else.” What’s clear is that huge gaps between the haves and the have-nots that used to define un- or under-developed nations has now come to characterize the “first world.” One thing Freeland seems to suggest, if I am reading the commentary about the book correctly, is that these elites—who have mostly earned, rather than inherited, their money—feel they deserve their trillions and also feel more connected to others who share their level of wealth. National allegiances take a back seat to class alliances, and this group controls a great deal of the world’s money. I do have a friend who likes to say, “Class warfare? There’s no class warfare. The war is over and the rich have won.” I’m scared to think he’s right.
Freeland, a journalist, serves as the global editor-at-large of Britain’s Reuters news agency; she previously managed the Financial Times in New York. The Canadian-born writer earned her degree from Harvard and, like Wolf, attended Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. An earlier work, Sale of the Century, examined Russia’s shift from communism to capitalism. She’s appeared on many TV shows, including Bill Maher’s Real Time, and this is her second visit to TCR.
Follow her on Twitter.
Read her blog on Reuters.
Like her on Facebook.
New York magazine did an article on Freeland.
She and the New York Times Nobel Award-winning economist Paul Krugman had a chat.
The Observer had an article about Plutocrats.
The rich don’t like Obama, Freeland says. She discusses the situation in the New Yorker.
Download her podcasts from iTunes. They’re free!
She thinks the middle class is dead. RIP.
And now, let’s check in with our good friend, Jon Stewart!
Fresh from the rumble, Mr. Stewart welcomes a week’s worth of amazing guests. (NOW–updated to include all four visitors.)
Monday, 10/8: Pete Townshend
You’re not going to ask WHO is he (ooh-ooh, oooh-ooh) are you? Actually, you can, because the name of his new memoir is Who I Am.
Read a review of the book in the New York Times.
Rolling Stone said it might be “the most conflicted rock memoir of all time.”
Visit the Who’s website.
Tuesday, 10/9: Ben Affleck
The award-winning actor, director, and writer–and Matt Damon BFF–has a new film out: Argo, based on a true story that occurred during the Iran hostage crisis. He’s married to Jennifer Garner, and by the way, the info on The Daily Show site isn’t quite up to date: he not only has two daughters, now he and Garner also have a baby boy.
He’s visited The Daily Show six times. This is his most recent appearance; the rest can be found on the Jon’s guest page.
Follow him on Twitter.
And I couldn’t resist: you remember what’s going on between him and Jimmy Kimmel, don’t you? Here’s the video!
After some rough career patches, Affleck is now going strong again. He addressed the reasons for his “resurrection” in the Huffington Post.
Wednesday, 10/10: Magic Johnson
Jon will have someone towering over him once again! Hall of Fame basketball player Magic Johnson enjoyed an incredible career that included three MVP awards. Now, he’s a businessman and head of the Magic Johnson Foundation, which he established after being diagnosed as HIV-Positive. (Amazingly he shows no sign of the disease–and he got ill before AZT and all the other retroviral drugs.)
Visit his website.
Follow him on Twitter.
You can view his stats and find out more about his achievements in basketball at the NBA site.
He’s promoting a new at-home HIV test, which might be more comfortable for some people.
Thursday, 10/11: Paul Thomas Anderson
Anderson has just directed the buzz-worthy The Master, allegedly based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Tom Cruise–whom he directed in Magnolia–is probably not pleased.
He spoke about the film on NPR.
Read an interview with him in the Washington Post.
Scientology? What scientology? Anderson discusses its influence on The Master in Rolling Stone.
His other films include Boogie Nights and the Oscar®-winning There Will Be Blood. Visit his IMDB page to learn more.
That’s all for this week, folks! Let me know who you’re excited to see.
Cheers!