Hello, in the aftermath of the horrible Emmys—
Was that not the most boring show EVER? Bad choruses, bad speeches, bad presenters, bad bad bad bad. And I’m not even talking about Stephen losing, which was disappointing enough, even if I do love Jon. I’m referring to the broadcast’s glacial pace, awful writing, and poorly conceived show structure. No fun at all and few surprises. I mean—those terrible tenors ruining Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Oy.
For me, there were only a few good things about the evening: Jimmy and Jimmy wrestling. Ricky Gervais, as always. Jon’s sweet comments about Stephen, and the two embracing. Jane Lynch’s fab one-liner: “You know, a lot people are curious why I’m a lesbian…Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of Entourage!” I also welcomed the happy wins of the too-long overlooked Kyle Chandler for Friday Night Lights and Peter Dinklage for Game of Thrones. And, okay: Jon Hamm is always yummy to look at.
Well, we always have Stephen to look forward to. Let’s meet his guests: they’re all making their very first visit to The Colbert Report—and not one has been on The Daily Show, either!
Tuesday , 9/20: Jeffrey Kluger
Do you have brothers and sisters? Have they made a huge impact on your life? As we all know, Stephen is one of 11 children, so Jeffrey Kluger’s just-released book seems tailor-made for him. The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us takes a close look at how the most important people of our lives influence us, whether for good or for bad. (In my own case, it’s very positive. I adore my sister.) As this Washington Post review of the book points out, “siblings are witness to our whole shared journey.” Kluger explores a host of issues, including birth order (which I have always heard has a huge effect on our personality), the genetic factor, and family dynamics—or as Tommy Smothers used it put it: “Mom always liked you best!” (Okay, younger ones: if you don’t know who the Smothers Brothers are, I charge you with discovering them and their amazing show for yourself. Especially semi-regular cast member and “presidential candidate” Pat Paulsen.)
Kluger, a senior writer for TIME magazine who focuses on hard science and technology, is one of four brothers himself. If I am to judge by the Washington Post review, it seems as if Kluger’s personal reminiscences are the most powerful and affecting aspects of the book–even stronger than the science underlying his conclusions. His earlier publications include Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio and Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, either of which would have inspired an excellent discussion with Stephen, given his interest in both medicine and space. But this study should resonate with Colbert in a different way, and I’m really looking forward to his questions.
In the past, Kluger has written for Discover magazine, and he won the Whitman Bassow Award, given by the Overseas Press Club, for his work on global warming. Given his credentials and the success of his earlier books, I’m surprised he has never been a guest on either The Daily Show or The Colbert Report.
Here’s his TIME magazine bio, with links to several of his articles. Interestingly, one is titled: “World Too Confusing? Trust Your Gut.” Now, that ‘s a philosophy “Stephen” I bet can really get behind!
Follow Kluger on Twitter or subscribe to his RSS feed.
Like him on Facebook.
Hear Kluger discuss the 40th anniversary of the moon landing with Charlie Rose.
Read a review of The Sibling Effect from Kirkus Reviews, which calls the book: “An entertaining, enlightening and helpful handbook for familial relations from an author who’s been through them all.”
Wednesday, 9/21: Daniel Yergin
Last week Stephen had Nobel Prize winners galore; this week a Pulitzer Award winner gets his turn. Daniel Yergin received his Pulitzer for The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, a bestseller that inspired an eight-part PBS series. His newest book comes out just a day before his Report appearance, and it also concerns energy, the subject that’s Yergin’s specialty; in fact, it’s a sequel of sorts. The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World has already received glowing endorsements from a number of big names, including author Walter Isaacson, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Lawrence Summers (Obama’s former Treasury Secretary and also former controversial president of Harvard). Yergin’s interest lies in geopolitics: how our hunger and need for energy has transformed the political landscape and the global economy, and he examines a variety of energy sources, both traditional and green. At 816 pages, this work seems epic in scope.
Yergin is co-founder and chairman of Cambridge Energy Research and he has a stellar academic background: a BA from Yale and a PhD in International Relations from Cambridge University in England. He also serves as CNBC’s expert on global energy and was chair of the US Department of Energy’s Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development.
Hot off the press: a New York Times review of The Quest published today!
Visit his Simon & Schuster author page, which includes a video.
Here’s Yergin’s official website. You can listen to some of the book, read advance praise, and take a pop quiz.
Read a review of The Quest from USA Today.
Uh-oh. Yergin on” the promise of shale gas.” Otherwise known as fracking. Also known as tap water that goes up in flames. I don’t like this.
Watch a video of him discussing the recent turmoil in the Middle East and how it might affect oil markets. It’s from a little while ago, so you can judge his predictions a little.
Thursday, 9/22: Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley has his own eponymous talk show on PBS (and formerly on NPR, which he left in 2004). A bit like Charlie Rose, he tends to go one-on-one with his guests in close conversation. Smiley promotes it as “intelligent entertainment” because of his mix of serious people in the news and current events with lighter, sometimes celebrity-oriented fare. Smiley also potentially will go for the human interest story, speaking to someone without much fame who’s doing something interesting. Sounds like public television, yes? He has won several NAACP Image Awards for his show and is very involved in community activism—including The Tavis Smiley Foundation, formed to mentor at-risk and promising youth. The foundation does leadership training, encourages education, and has worked with corporations like Microsoft to provide low-income schools with much-needed technology.
Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure, published this past May, looks at a hot topic among today’s educators: how to help students gain the emotional wherewithal to confront and overcome failure, rather than let it derail them. Interestingly, The New York Times Magazine had an article this past weekend called “What If the Secret to Success Is Failure?” which covered similar ground from a different perspective. (Smiley discusses his own life and pitfalls; the Times’ article shows the educator’s point of view.) Among Smiley’s beliefs: that parents have to teach responsibility and not make excuses for their children—particularly young men.
Hailing from Gulfport, Mississippi, Smiley had a rather dramatic childhood himself: he was born to an 18-year-old single mother who later married a military man. After Smiley’s aunt was murdered, his mom and stepfather took in five nieces and nephews—this in addition to the eight biological children they had. And when he attended college, his parents wouldn’t even fill out the financial aid papers; Smiley had to handle everything himself. And that is only part of his story, more fully told in an autobiography, What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America. Let’s just say it includes protests against a friend’s killing, failed classes, and attempts to win political office. It also features some good-hearted people who reached out and lent a hand. So it seems clear that he has a first-hand understanding of his topic.
Tavis Smiley is currently on a tour, “An Evening with Tavis Smiley: Changing the World One Conversation at a Time,” celebrating his 20th anniversary in broadcasting. He also has joined up with Friend of the Show Cornel West on a radio venture.
Visit Smiley’s official website, which covers his many recent activities—TV, tour, book, and more.
He has recently complained that Obama is the first president not to invite him to the White House. (I assume since he’s become famous!)
Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
Here’s what he has to say about the upcoming 2012 presidential race.
Listen to Tavis Smiley Radio.
TIME magazine asks him 10 questions.
And Now, Let’s Check in with Our Good Friend Jon Stewart!
Tuesday, 9/20: Ron Suskind
Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Ron Suskind has a new book out this very day: Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President. The former Wall Street Journal reporter has two stories to tell. One chronicles Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency, his promise to demand more accountability from our “too big to fail” financial institutions, and his administration’s attempts to handle the stubbornly floundering economy. The other follows Wall Street’s crisis of confidence as big profits, gained in a time of deregulation, began to fall, endangering some of the most powerful players.
Ron Suskind’s other books include The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of its Enemies Since 9/11; The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill; and The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism.
Read an article on the book in Slate or one in The New York Times.
Visit Ron Suskind’s official website.
Watch him on The Daily Show in August 2008 and on The Colbert Report in 2006, where he discussed The One Percent Doctrine.
Wednesday, 9/21: Gov. Mitch Daniels
Frankly, when I see book endorsements by the likes of John Boehner and Jeb Bush, that volume is not likely to end up on my shelves. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is the author of Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans, and he comes to politics via business–including working as a senior executive in the Eli Lilly Corporation. Jeb Bush even calls him “the anti-Obama,” presumably for his dedication to lower taxes, fewer regulations, and privatization. Daniels’ book focuses on the danger of our huge national debt and of the importance of empowering average Americans to make good decisions.
Before becoming governor–he won his second term, which he is still serving, by a landslide–he did serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in George W. Bush’s cabinet. There is definitely some hope among Republicans that he will decide to enter the presidential race, although he has said he won’t, and US News and World Report even calls this book “a conservative blueprint” for national reform.
Visit the Governor’s personal “My Man Mitch” site, which has links to articles and video. (Am I the only one who gets suspicious of “friendly, average guy, nicknamey” website appelations? I don’t care if my politicians make good dinner guests. I want them to do a good job.)
Earlier this year, he clashed with Indiana Dems over collective bargaining.
Like him on Facebook.
Follow him on Twitter.
Thursday, 9/22: Jennifer Granholm
Jon’s giving equal time this week. Here’s another (former) governor, but from the Democratic Party. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm also has a new book, A Governor’s Story: The Fight for Jobs and America’s Economic Future. And she too has endorsements from top names, including former President Bill Clinton. She had quite a job in front of her, because as we know, her state used to be a manufacturing hub (especially for cars), and America doesn’t tend to make anything anymore. She had to make cuts, despite her belief in social services and early education–in fact, all education, which she believes necessary if people are going to have the skills to take on newly available jobs.
A former attorney general, the Canadian-born Granholm served as part of President Obama’s transition team–and during the election, she even “played” Sarah Palin in Joe Biden’s pre-debate practice sessions. There has been chatter that she might make a good Supreme Court justice, but she has begun teaching at Berkeley now that term limits have ended her governorship.
Read The New York Times article on her, which mentions the book.
Visit her official website, with news, videos, and book information.
She spoke out in defense of the auto industry bailout.
Listen to Granholm on public radio.
Like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
That’s it for now! Let me know who you’re most looking forward to seeing. And if you have any sibling stories–share! It’s time to praise (or otherwise) our sisters and brothers.
Have a great week.
Better Know a Guest: September 20 – 22, 2011
Hello, in the aftermath of the horrible Emmys—
Was that not the most boring show EVER? Bad choruses, bad speeches, bad presenters, bad bad bad bad. And I’m not even talking about Stephen losing, which was disappointing enough, even if I do love Jon. I’m referring to the broadcast’s glacial pace, awful writing, and poorly conceived show structure. No fun at all and few surprises. I mean—those terrible tenors ruining Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Oy.
For me, there were only a few good things about the evening: Jimmy and Jimmy wrestling. Ricky Gervais, as always. Jon’s sweet comments about Stephen, and the two embracing. Jane Lynch’s fab one-liner: “You know, a lot people are curious why I’m a lesbian…Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of Entourage!” I also welcomed the happy wins of the too-long overlooked Kyle Chandler for Friday Night Lights and Peter Dinklage for Game of Thrones. And, okay: Jon Hamm is always yummy to look at.
Well, we always have Stephen to look forward to. Let’s meet his guests: they’re all making their very first visit to The Colbert Report—and not one has been on The Daily Show, either!
Tuesday , 9/20: Jeffrey Kluger
Do you have brothers and sisters? Have they made a huge impact on your life? As we all know, Stephen is one of 11 children, so Jeffrey Kluger’s just-released book seems tailor-made for him. The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us takes a close look at how the most important people of our lives influence us, whether for good or for bad. (In my own case, it’s very positive. I adore my sister.) As this Washington Post review of the book points out, “siblings are witness to our whole shared journey.” Kluger explores a host of issues, including birth order (which I have always heard has a huge effect on our personality), the genetic factor, and family dynamics—or as Tommy Smothers used it put it: “Mom always liked you best!” (Okay, younger ones: if you don’t know who the Smothers Brothers are, I charge you with discovering them and their amazing show for yourself. Especially semi-regular cast member and “presidential candidate” Pat Paulsen.)
Kluger, a senior writer for TIME magazine who focuses on hard science and technology, is one of four brothers himself. If I am to judge by the Washington Post review, it seems as if Kluger’s personal reminiscences are the most powerful and affecting aspects of the book–even stronger than the science underlying his conclusions. His earlier publications include Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio and Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, either of which would have inspired an excellent discussion with Stephen, given his interest in both medicine and space. But this study should resonate with Colbert in a different way, and I’m really looking forward to his questions.
In the past, Kluger has written for Discover magazine, and he won the Whitman Bassow Award, given by the Overseas Press Club, for his work on global warming. Given his credentials and the success of his earlier books, I’m surprised he has never been a guest on either The Daily Show or The Colbert Report.
Here’s his TIME magazine bio, with links to several of his articles. Interestingly, one is titled: “World Too Confusing? Trust Your Gut.” Now, that ‘s a philosophy “Stephen” I bet can really get behind!
Follow Kluger on Twitter or subscribe to his RSS feed.
Like him on Facebook.
Hear Kluger discuss the 40th anniversary of the moon landing with Charlie Rose.
Read a review of The Sibling Effect from Kirkus Reviews, which calls the book: “An entertaining, enlightening and helpful handbook for familial relations from an author who’s been through them all.”
Wednesday, 9/21: Daniel Yergin
Last week Stephen had Nobel Prize winners galore; this week a Pulitzer Award winner gets his turn. Daniel Yergin received his Pulitzer for The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, a bestseller that inspired an eight-part PBS series. His newest book comes out just a day before his Report appearance, and it also concerns energy, the subject that’s Yergin’s specialty; in fact, it’s a sequel of sorts. The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World has already received glowing endorsements from a number of big names, including author Walter Isaacson, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Lawrence Summers (Obama’s former Treasury Secretary and also former controversial president of Harvard). Yergin’s interest lies in geopolitics: how our hunger and need for energy has transformed the political landscape and the global economy, and he examines a variety of energy sources, both traditional and green. At 816 pages, this work seems epic in scope.
Yergin is co-founder and chairman of Cambridge Energy Research and he has a stellar academic background: a BA from Yale and a PhD in International Relations from Cambridge University in England. He also serves as CNBC’s expert on global energy and was chair of the US Department of Energy’s Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development.
Hot off the press: a New York Times review of The Quest published today!
Visit his Simon & Schuster author page, which includes a video.
Here’s Yergin’s official website. You can listen to some of the book, read advance praise, and take a pop quiz.
Read a review of The Quest from USA Today.
Uh-oh. Yergin on” the promise of shale gas.” Otherwise known as fracking. Also known as tap water that goes up in flames. I don’t like this.
Watch a video of him discussing the recent turmoil in the Middle East and how it might affect oil markets. It’s from a little while ago, so you can judge his predictions a little.
Thursday, 9/22: Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley has his own eponymous talk show on PBS (and formerly on NPR, which he left in 2004). A bit like Charlie Rose, he tends to go one-on-one with his guests in close conversation. Smiley promotes it as “intelligent entertainment” because of his mix of serious people in the news and current events with lighter, sometimes celebrity-oriented fare. Smiley also potentially will go for the human interest story, speaking to someone without much fame who’s doing something interesting. Sounds like public television, yes? He has won several NAACP Image Awards for his show and is very involved in community activism—including The Tavis Smiley Foundation, formed to mentor at-risk and promising youth. The foundation does leadership training, encourages education, and has worked with corporations like Microsoft to provide low-income schools with much-needed technology.
Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure, published this past May, looks at a hot topic among today’s educators: how to help students gain the emotional wherewithal to confront and overcome failure, rather than let it derail them. Interestingly, The New York Times Magazine had an article this past weekend called “What If the Secret to Success Is Failure?” which covered similar ground from a different perspective. (Smiley discusses his own life and pitfalls; the Times’ article shows the educator’s point of view.) Among Smiley’s beliefs: that parents have to teach responsibility and not make excuses for their children—particularly young men.
Hailing from Gulfport, Mississippi, Smiley had a rather dramatic childhood himself: he was born to an 18-year-old single mother who later married a military man. After Smiley’s aunt was murdered, his mom and stepfather took in five nieces and nephews—this in addition to the eight biological children they had. And when he attended college, his parents wouldn’t even fill out the financial aid papers; Smiley had to handle everything himself. And that is only part of his story, more fully told in an autobiography, What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America. Let’s just say it includes protests against a friend’s killing, failed classes, and attempts to win political office. It also features some good-hearted people who reached out and lent a hand. So it seems clear that he has a first-hand understanding of his topic.
Tavis Smiley is currently on a tour, “An Evening with Tavis Smiley: Changing the World One Conversation at a Time,” celebrating his 20th anniversary in broadcasting. He also has joined up with Friend of the Show Cornel West on a radio venture.
Visit Smiley’s official website, which covers his many recent activities—TV, tour, book, and more.
He has recently complained that Obama is the first president not to invite him to the White House. (I assume since he’s become famous!)
Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
Here’s what he has to say about the upcoming 2012 presidential race.
Listen to Tavis Smiley Radio.
TIME magazine asks him 10 questions.
And Now, Let’s Check in with Our Good Friend Jon Stewart!
Tuesday, 9/20: Ron Suskind
Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Ron Suskind has a new book out this very day: Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President. The former Wall Street Journal reporter has two stories to tell. One chronicles Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency, his promise to demand more accountability from our “too big to fail” financial institutions, and his administration’s attempts to handle the stubbornly floundering economy. The other follows Wall Street’s crisis of confidence as big profits, gained in a time of deregulation, began to fall, endangering some of the most powerful players.
Ron Suskind’s other books include The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of its Enemies Since 9/11; The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill; and The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism.
Read an article on the book in Slate or one in The New York Times.
Visit Ron Suskind’s official website.
Watch him on The Daily Show in August 2008 and on The Colbert Report in 2006, where he discussed The One Percent Doctrine.
Wednesday, 9/21: Gov. Mitch Daniels
Frankly, when I see book endorsements by the likes of John Boehner and Jeb Bush, that volume is not likely to end up on my shelves. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is the author of Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans, and he comes to politics via business–including working as a senior executive in the Eli Lilly Corporation. Jeb Bush even calls him “the anti-Obama,” presumably for his dedication to lower taxes, fewer regulations, and privatization. Daniels’ book focuses on the danger of our huge national debt and of the importance of empowering average Americans to make good decisions.
Before becoming governor–he won his second term, which he is still serving, by a landslide–he did serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in George W. Bush’s cabinet. There is definitely some hope among Republicans that he will decide to enter the presidential race, although he has said he won’t, and US News and World Report even calls this book “a conservative blueprint” for national reform.
Visit the Governor’s personal “My Man Mitch” site, which has links to articles and video. (Am I the only one who gets suspicious of “friendly, average guy, nicknamey” website appelations? I don’t care if my politicians make good dinner guests. I want them to do a good job.)
Earlier this year, he clashed with Indiana Dems over collective bargaining.
Like him on Facebook.
Follow him on Twitter.
Thursday, 9/22: Jennifer Granholm
Jon’s giving equal time this week. Here’s another (former) governor, but from the Democratic Party. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm also has a new book, A Governor’s Story: The Fight for Jobs and America’s Economic Future. And she too has endorsements from top names, including former President Bill Clinton. She had quite a job in front of her, because as we know, her state used to be a manufacturing hub (especially for cars), and America doesn’t tend to make anything anymore. She had to make cuts, despite her belief in social services and early education–in fact, all education, which she believes necessary if people are going to have the skills to take on newly available jobs.
A former attorney general, the Canadian-born Granholm served as part of President Obama’s transition team–and during the election, she even “played” Sarah Palin in Joe Biden’s pre-debate practice sessions. There has been chatter that she might make a good Supreme Court justice, but she has begun teaching at Berkeley now that term limits have ended her governorship.
Read The New York Times article on her, which mentions the book.
Visit her official website, with news, videos, and book information.
She spoke out in defense of the auto industry bailout.
Listen to Granholm on public radio.
Like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
That’s it for now! Let me know who you’re most looking forward to seeing. And if you have any sibling stories–share! It’s time to praise (or otherwise) our sisters and brothers.
Have a great week.