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! Anna here, your new Better-Know-a-Guest-er. I’ve been lurking around the site for about a month now, and it’s been fun to watch the Colbert Report with more knowledge about who these interviewees are. I do too much research on the news anyway (usually just to procrastinate doing laundry, or my actual job), and I figured it’s time to put that habit to some use. So hi.
This week in America, we’re seeing continued confusion over the ISIS situation. As disgusting stories of torture and beheading continue to come out, the Obama administration has declared war, sort of, promising increased airstrikes but not wanting to exactly call it a war or to exactly call it Syria. Meanwhile, today (Sunday) in Iowa, Senator Tom Harkin is about to hold his final Iowa Steak Fry after 37 years. The event will be headlined by Bill and Hillary Clinton, who are
expected to sort-of-but-not-officially campaign. In stupid news, the week saw members of the Palin family get into a fistfight at something called a “snowmobile party”, the return of crazy South Carolina congressman Mark Sanford with an epic Facebook rant about his ex-wife, and an Olive Garden investor complaining in a 294-page Powerpoint presentation that the company serves too many bread sticks, too much salad, expensive take out bags, and not enough salt in its pasta water.
Stephen’s guests this week are an actress/showrunner, a young Metal band, an actor, and a filmmaker; Jon hosts a documentarian, two actors, and (as of Sunday) a mystery guest.
Let us know who you’re excited for and what you’d like to see covered this week!
Monday, September 15 (2014)
Mindy Kaling (Creator/Writer/Actress: “The Mindy Project“)
Mindy Kaling is a comedy writer, an actress, and the creator of the sitcom ‘The Mindy Project’, in which she plays OBGYN Mindy Lahiri. Kaling began her career in comedy as a college intern on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’, at which she was the self-described “worst intern that’s ever worked on the program”. After graduating from Dartmouth she wrote and co-starred in ‘Matt and Ben’, a play about the bromance between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (Kaling played Matt
Damon). She joined the American reboot of ‘The Office’ in 2005 as both a writer and actress, playing boy-crazy customer service rep Kelly Kapoor (who, on her first day of filming, had to slap ‘Daily Show’ alum Steve Carell across the face). After a wildly successful 8 years, Kaling left ‘The Office’ to develop her own sitcom ‘The Mindy Project’. The show, a workplace comedy about the employees of an OBGYN clinic, often satirizes the themes of romantic comedy movies. Kaling is also the author of the autobiography ‘Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)’ and is working on a book of essays entitled ‘Why Not Me?’. Season 3 of ‘The Mindy Project’ premieres September 16 on FOX.
Born: June 24, 1979 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States)
Education: Dartmouth college
Filmography: The 40 Year Old Virgin | License to Wed | The Office | Night at the Museam: Battle of the Smithsonian | Despicable Me | No Strings Attached | The Five-Year Engagement | Wreck-It Ralph | This Is The End | The Mindy Project
Books: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Awards: Gracie Allen Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Writers Guild Award
Follow: Website | @MindyKaling | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr
Tuesday, September 16 (2014)
Unlocking the Truth (Band: “Unlocking the Truth“)
Unlocking the Truth is a heavy metal band from Brooklyn, NY, comprised of Malcolm Brickhouse (guitar), Alec Atkins (bass) and Jared Dawkins (drums). The trio gained notoriety from their performances in Times Square and from the fact that all three of them are in middle school. They write their own lyrics and are currently recording their first EP, which is being crowd-funded on PledgeMusic. Last year, Unlocking the Truth won the first round of Afropunk 2013’s Battle of the Bands and this year became the youngest band ever to perform on the main stage at Coachella (they will also become the youngest ever interviewees on the
Colbert Report, beating out then-16-year-old magazine editor Tavi Gevinson). The group has signed with Sony and are currently touring the US, most recently as part of the prestigious Warped Tour. They are getting ready to release their first single, Monster, along with their EP this fall.
Follow: @UTTBand | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | PledgeMusic
Wednesday, September 17 (2014)
Viggo Mortenson (Actor: “The Two Faces of January“)
Viggo Mortenson is an actor, musician, writer, publisher, and artist. He has been making movies since playing Moses Hochleitner in 1985’s ‘Witness’, and rose to mainstream fame in the early 2000s by playing Aragorn in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. While the ‘Lord of the Rings’ was a huge commercial success, Mortensen has generally favored more independent and art-type films, two of which – ‘Jauja’ and ‘Far From Men’ – premiered last week at the Toronto Film Festival. He visits the show this week to promote ‘The Two Faces of January’, a film based on the 1994 novel by Patricia Highsmith about a couple of American tourists (Colette, played by Kirsten Dunst, and Chester, played by Mortensen) and a tour guide who go on the run after Chester murders someone in their hotel. The movie will be released on September 26th. Mortensen is particularly known for his mastering of many languages on screen; he has spoken Spanish, Danish, Arabic, French, Russian, Swedish, German, Lakota (the language of the Native American Sioux tribes) and, of course, Elvish. Aside from his impressive film credits, Mortensen is also a published writer, photographer, painter, and poet. He has recorded 17 albums, both on his own and in collaboration with other artists including the guitarist Buckethead. In 2002 he founded Perceval Press publishing house to showcase his art and the talent of other writers and artists. This is his first interview on the Colbert Report, although Jon Stewart once played him a rant by Stephen about Aragorn’s background, to which Mortensen responded, “I actually had heard about him.” In 2007, Mortensen presented Stephen with Aragorn’s sword Anduril as a sign that he should run for president.
Born: October 20, 1958 (Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States)
Education: St. Lawrence University
Filmography: Witness | Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III | Boiling Point | Carlito’s Way | American Yakuza | Gospel According to Harry | The Crew | The Prophecy | Crimson Tide | The Portrait of a Lady | Albino Alligator | Daylight | Vanishing Point | G.I. Jane | A Perfect Murder | Psycho | A Walk on the Moon | 28 Days | The Lord of the Rings trilogy | Hidalgo | A History of Violence | Captain Alatriste | Eastern Promises | Appaloosa | The Road | A Dangerous Method | On the Road | Everybody Has a Plan | The Two Faces of January | Jauja | Far from Men
Discography: Don’t Tell Me What to Do | One Less Thing to Worry About | Recent Forgeries | The Other Parade | One Man’s Meat | Live at Beyond Baroque | Pandemoniumfromameria | Live at Beyond Baroque II | Please Tomorrow | This, That, and The Other | Intelligence Failure | 3 Fools 4 April | Time Waits for Everyone | At All | Canciones de Invierno | Reunion | Acá Books: Ten Last Night | Recent Forgeries | Errant Vine | Hole in the Sun | SignLanguage | Coincidence of Memory | Mo Te Upoko-o-te-ika/For Wellington | 45301 | Un Hueco en el Sol | Miyelo | Nye Falsknerier | The Horse is Good | Linger | I Forget You For Ever | Skovbo | Sadanset | Canciones de Invierno
Awards: Gold Medal of the Province and City of Leon | Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ appearance(s): Stephen for President – Answering the Call
Previous ‘Daily Show’ appearance(s): Interview – September 27, 2005
Thursday, September 18 (2014)
Terry Gilliam (Writer/Director: “The Zero Theorem”)
Terry Gilliam is a comedian, writer, director, and animator, best known as part of the sketch comedy group Monty Python and as the creator of their animated shorts. He began his career in the early 60s as a cartoonist for the satire magazine Help!, before moving to Britain and creating animated transitions for the children’s TV show ‘Don’t Adjust Your Set’, where he met future Python colleagues Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. He joined Monty Python at first as an animator and then quickly became a regular cast member for its entire run. Gilliam later became a writer and movie director, making movies with frequent themes of defying authority and order in society. He has spoken about his disenchantment with the American government and police in the 60s, and renounced his American citizenship in 2006. Gilliam’s latest film is ‘The Zero Theorem’, a satirical look at corporations, technology, and the meaning of life. The film is centered around a computer programmer name Qohen Leth (played by Cristoph Waltz), who works from home in an old church and is assigned by his giant corporation to find a formula proving that life is meaningless. ‘The Zero Theorem’ will be released in the US on September 19.
Born: November 22, 1940 (Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States)
Education: Occidental College
Filmography (Actor): And Now for Something Completely Different | Monty Python: International Philosophy | Monty Python’s Flying Circus | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | Life of Brian | The Meaning of Life | Spies like Us Filmography (Writer/Director): Storytime | Miracle of Flight | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | Jabberwocky | Time Bandits | The Crimson Permanent Assurance | Brazil | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | The Fisher King | 12 Monkeys | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | The Brothers Grimm | Tideland | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | The Legend of Hallowdega | The Wholly Family | The Zero Theorem
Awards: BAFTA Awards | Annie Award | Art Directors Guild award | Camerimage Award | Capri Award | Lifetime Achievement, Dubai International Film Festival | Empire award | European Film Award | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award
Better Know a Guest: September 15 – 18, 2014
Hello, Colbert News Hub! Anna here, your new Better-Know-a-Guest-er. I’ve been lurking around the site for about a month now, and it’s been fun to watch the Colbert Report with more knowledge about who these interviewees are. I do too much research on the news anyway (usually just to procrastinate doing laundry, or my actual job), and I figured it’s time to put that habit to some use. So hi.
This week in America, we’re seeing continued confusion over the ISIS situation. As disgusting stories of torture and beheading continue to come out, the Obama administration has declared war, sort of, promising increased airstrikes but not wanting to exactly call it a war or to exactly call it Syria. Meanwhile, today (Sunday) in Iowa, Senator Tom Harkin is about to hold his final Iowa Steak Fry after 37 years. The event will be headlined by Bill and Hillary Clinton, who are
expected to sort-of-but-not-officially campaign. In stupid news, the week saw members of the Palin family get into a fistfight at something called a “snowmobile party”, the return of crazy South Carolina congressman Mark Sanford with an epic Facebook rant about his ex-wife, and an Olive Garden investor complaining in a 294-page Powerpoint presentation that the company serves too many bread sticks, too much salad, expensive take out bags, and not enough salt in its pasta water.
Stephen’s guests this week are an actress/showrunner, a young Metal band, an actor, and a filmmaker; Jon hosts a documentarian, two actors, and (as of Sunday) a mystery guest.
Let us know who you’re excited for and what you’d like to see covered this week!
Monday, September 15 (2014)
Mindy Kaling (Creator/Writer/Actress: “The Mindy Project“)
Mindy Kaling is a comedy writer, an actress, and the creator of the sitcom ‘The Mindy Project’, in which she plays OBGYN Mindy Lahiri. Kaling began her career in comedy as a college intern on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’, at which she was the self-described “worst intern that’s ever worked on the program”. After graduating from Dartmouth she wrote and co-starred in ‘Matt and Ben’, a play about the bromance between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (Kaling played Matt
Damon). She joined the American reboot of ‘The Office’ in 2005 as both a writer and actress, playing boy-crazy customer service rep Kelly Kapoor (who, on her first day of filming, had to slap ‘Daily Show’ alum Steve Carell across the face). After a wildly successful 8 years, Kaling left ‘The Office’ to develop her own sitcom ‘The Mindy Project’. The show, a workplace comedy about the employees of an OBGYN clinic, often satirizes the themes of romantic comedy movies. Kaling is also the author of the autobiography ‘Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)’ and is working on a book of essays entitled ‘Why Not Me?’. Season 3 of ‘The Mindy Project’ premieres September 16 on FOX.
Born: June 24, 1979 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States)
Education: Dartmouth college
Filmography: The 40 Year Old Virgin | License to Wed | The Office | Night at the Museam: Battle of the Smithsonian | Despicable Me | No Strings Attached | The Five-Year Engagement | Wreck-It Ralph | This Is The End | The Mindy Project
Books: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Awards: Gracie Allen Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Writers Guild Award
Follow: Website | @MindyKaling | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr
Tuesday, September 16 (2014)
Unlocking the Truth (Band: “Unlocking the Truth“)
Unlocking the Truth is a heavy metal band from Brooklyn, NY, comprised of Malcolm Brickhouse (guitar), Alec Atkins (bass) and Jared Dawkins (drums). The trio gained notoriety from their performances in Times Square and from the fact that all three of them are in middle school. They write their own lyrics and are currently recording their first EP, which is being crowd-funded on PledgeMusic. Last year, Unlocking the Truth won the first round of Afropunk 2013’s Battle of the Bands and this year became the youngest band ever to perform on the main stage at Coachella (they will also become the youngest ever interviewees on the
Colbert Report, beating out then-16-year-old magazine editor Tavi Gevinson). The group has signed with Sony and are currently touring the US, most recently as part of the prestigious Warped Tour. They are getting ready to release their first single, Monster, along with their EP this fall.
Follow: @UTTBand | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | PledgeMusic
Wednesday, September 17 (2014)
Viggo Mortenson (Actor: “The Two Faces of January“)
Viggo Mortenson is an actor, musician, writer, publisher, and artist. He has been making movies since playing Moses Hochleitner in 1985’s ‘Witness’, and rose to mainstream fame in the early 2000s by playing Aragorn in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. While the ‘Lord of the Rings’ was a huge commercial success, Mortensen has generally favored more independent and art-type films, two of which – ‘Jauja’ and ‘Far From Men’ – premiered last week at the Toronto Film Festival. He visits the show this week to promote ‘The Two Faces of January’, a film based on the 1994 novel by Patricia Highsmith about a couple of American tourists (Colette, played by Kirsten Dunst, and Chester, played by Mortensen) and a tour guide who go on the run after Chester murders someone in their hotel. The movie will be released on September 26th. Mortensen is particularly known for his mastering of many languages on screen; he has spoken Spanish, Danish, Arabic, French, Russian, Swedish, German, Lakota (the language of the Native American Sioux tribes) and, of course, Elvish. Aside from his impressive film credits, Mortensen is also a published writer, photographer, painter, and poet. He has recorded 17 albums, both on his own and in collaboration with other artists including the guitarist Buckethead. In 2002 he founded Perceval Press publishing house to showcase his art and the talent of other writers and artists. This is his first interview on the Colbert Report, although Jon Stewart once played him a rant by Stephen about Aragorn’s background, to which Mortensen responded, “I actually had heard about him.” In 2007, Mortensen presented Stephen with Aragorn’s sword Anduril as a sign that he should run for president.
Born: October 20, 1958 (Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States)
Education: St. Lawrence University
Filmography: Witness | Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III | Boiling Point | Carlito’s Way | American Yakuza | Gospel According to Harry | The Crew | The Prophecy | Crimson Tide | The Portrait of a Lady | Albino Alligator | Daylight | Vanishing Point | G.I. Jane | A Perfect Murder | Psycho | A Walk on the Moon | 28 Days | The Lord of the Rings trilogy | Hidalgo | A History of Violence | Captain Alatriste | Eastern Promises | Appaloosa | The Road | A Dangerous Method | On the Road | Everybody Has a Plan | The Two Faces of January | Jauja | Far from Men
Discography: Don’t Tell Me What to Do | One Less Thing to Worry About | Recent Forgeries | The Other Parade | One Man’s Meat | Live at Beyond Baroque | Pandemoniumfromameria | Live at Beyond Baroque II | Please Tomorrow | This, That, and The Other | Intelligence Failure | 3 Fools 4 April | Time Waits for Everyone | At All | Canciones de Invierno | Reunion | Acá Books: Ten Last Night | Recent Forgeries | Errant Vine | Hole in the Sun | SignLanguage | Coincidence of Memory | Mo Te Upoko-o-te-ika/For Wellington | 45301 | Un Hueco en el Sol | Miyelo | Nye Falsknerier | The Horse is Good | Linger | I Forget You For Ever | Skovbo | Sadanset | Canciones de Invierno
Awards: Gold Medal of the Province and City of Leon | Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog
Previous ‘Colbert Report’ appearance(s): Stephen for President – Answering the Call
Previous ‘Daily Show’ appearance(s): Interview – September 27, 2005
Thursday, September 18 (2014)
Terry Gilliam (Writer/Director: “The Zero Theorem”)
Terry Gilliam is a comedian, writer, director, and animator, best known as part of the sketch comedy group Monty Python and as the creator of their animated shorts. He began his career in the early 60s as a cartoonist for the satire magazine Help!, before moving to Britain and creating animated transitions for the children’s TV show ‘Don’t Adjust Your Set’, where he met future Python colleagues Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. He joined Monty Python at first as an animator and then quickly became a regular cast member for its entire run. Gilliam later became a writer and movie director, making movies with frequent themes of defying authority and order in society. He has spoken about his disenchantment with the American government and police in the 60s, and renounced his American citizenship in 2006. Gilliam’s latest film is ‘The Zero Theorem’, a satirical look at corporations, technology, and the meaning of life. The film is centered around a computer programmer name Qohen Leth (played by Cristoph Waltz), who works from home in an old church and is assigned by his giant corporation to find a formula proving that life is meaningless. ‘The Zero Theorem’ will be released in the US on September 19.
Born: November 22, 1940 (Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States)
Education: Occidental College
Filmography (Actor): And Now for Something Completely Different | Monty Python: International Philosophy | Monty Python’s Flying Circus | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | Life of Brian | The Meaning of Life | Spies like Us Filmography (Writer/Director): Storytime | Miracle of Flight | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | Jabberwocky | Time Bandits | The Crimson Permanent Assurance | Brazil | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | The Fisher King | 12 Monkeys | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | The Brothers Grimm | Tideland | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | The Legend of Hallowdega | The Wholly Family | The Zero Theorem
Awards: BAFTA Awards | Annie Award | Art Directors Guild award | Camerimage Award | Capri Award | Lifetime Achievement, Dubai International Film Festival | Empire award | European Film Award | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award