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.
Hey there Hubsters! Here’s to hoping all your weekends were fantastic, and that we’ll have an enjoyable week of shows ahead of us. As an announcement, due to extra work for my senior year of undergrad (senior thesis, anyone?), I unfortunately have to give up the BKAG posts to keep up with academic assignments. If anyone is interested in taking up the posts, get in touch with Katt at [email protected] The Hub staff are very busy, and would appreciate the addition of a new staff member.
Based on one of the guests this week, I’m expecting a discussion of pressing international issues (particularly unrest in Ukraine, the ebola crisis in West Africa, a conflict that broke out in South Sudan over the weekend between rebels and the government, and more). Of course, we’ve had some interesting news in the US as well, including the stalling of immigration policy reform, new developments in the Michael Brown case, the mysterious crash of an American couple’s plane near Jamaica, request for the Supreme Court to consider state’s rights to outlaw gay marriage, and an American anti-federalist group that is sending a message of complaint to Washington via horseback. As always, let us know what you hope our hosts will discuss in this week’s round of shows!
Stephen’s guests this week are two actors, an author, and an American diplomat.
Jon’s guests this week are a US Senator, a UN official, and an author.
Monday, September 8 (2014)
John Lithgow (Actor: “Love is Strange“)
John Lithgow is an American author and actor of film, television, and stage. His latest starring role is in the Ira Sachs film Love Is Strange as Ben, a man who has finally married his partner George (Alfred Molina) after 39 years together. The two live happily in their Manhattan apartment until their life is complicated by George’s work: the Catholic school where George teaches music finds out about their relationship and fires George. The sudden loss of salary forces them to move out of their apartment, depend on friends and family for shelter, and causes them to separate. Ben move in with his nephew Eliot (Darren Burrows) and his wife Kate (Marisa Tomei), while George lives with gay cops Roberto (Manny Perez) and Ted (Cheyenne Jackson). Indie Wire calls the film, “a sophisticated take on contemporary urbanity infused with romantic ideals and the tragedy of their dissolution.” While Under the Gun’s James Shotwell, says “I cannot remember the last time I felt as emotionally involved in a film […] It may very well be the best film of 2014. It’s a simple story about life, love, and the way the world can sometimes feel like it’s working against us told with universal appeal. You will laugh, cry, and long to find a partner to grow old with, even if you don’t know where the two of you will end up. It’s everything Hollywood needs more of these days.”
Born: 19 October 1945 (Rochester, New York, United States)
Education: Harvard University
Filmography: Footloose | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Terms of Endearment | Harry and the Hendersons | Raising Cain | The Pelican Brief | The Tuskegee Airmen | Shrek | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Shrek the Third | Dreamgirls
Television: 3rd Rock from the Sun | Freedom: A History of Us | Nova | Twenty Good Years | Dexter | 30 Rock | The National Parks: America’s Best Idea | How I Met Your Mother | Prohibition | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | Drunk History
Stage: Comedians | Anna Christie | One in a Lifetime | Once in a Lifetime | Division Street | Beyond Therapy | Requiem for a Heavyweight | The Front Page | M. Butterfly | Sweet Smell of Success | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Twelfth Night | All My Sons | The Magistrate | King Lear
Bibliography: Remarkable Farkle McBride | Marsupial Sue | Micawber | I’m a Manatee | A Lithgow Palooza | Carnival of the Animals | Lithgow Party Paloozas!: 52 Unexpected Ways to make a Birthday, Holiday, or Any Day a Celebration for Kids | Lithgow Paloozas!: Boredom Blasters | Marsupial Sue Presents “The Runaway Pancake” | Mahalia Mouse Goes to College | I Got Two Dogs
Awards: Tony Award | Saturn Award | Emmy Award | American Comedy Award | Golden Globe Award | Satellite Award | Screen Actors Guild Award
Previous Colbert Report Appearance(s): Newt Gingrich Press Release | Atone Phone | Interview – 4 October 2011
Follow: Website | @JohnLithgow
Tuesday, September 9 (2014)
Jason Segel (Author: “Nightmares!“)
Jason Segel is an American actor, screenwriter, and author, who will be on the show to present his young adult novel Nightmares!, the first in a series he is co-authoring with New York Times best-selling author Kirsten Miller. The book follows young Charlie Laird as he navigates a series of changes in his life that take a turn for the supernatural, including his father marrying a woman he believes is actually a witch, having to move into her house (which is purple and scary), and his nights being ruined by awful nightmares. Eventually, things become even more terrifying when his nightmares start to seep out of his dreams and into the real world. Publishers Weekly calls the book, “Coraline meets Monsters”, while Kirkus Reviews notes that the book “succeeds at scaring and amusing in equal measure” and is “sweet, charming, and imaginative.”
Born: 18 January 1980 (Los Angeles, California, United States)
Education: St. Matthew’s Parish School | Harvard-Westlake School
Filmography: Slackers | Knocked Up | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | I Love You, Man | Despicable Me | Get Him to the Greek | Friends with Benefits | The Muppets | This is 40 | This is the End | Sex Tape
Television: Freaks and Geeks | Undeclared | How I Met Your Mother | Family Guy | Saturday Night Live
Awards: Critics Choice Award
Follow: @JasonSegel
Wednesday, September 10 (2014)
Henry Kissinger (Author: “World Order“)
Henry Kissinger is an American diplomat, political scientist, and former US Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Gerald Ford. His latest book is World Order recounts the lessons he has learned about global politics over the course of his diplomatic career and what he believes is the pressing challenge of the 21st century: how to create international order in a world where extremism, differing perspectives, conflict, and new technology challenge peace. He also writes a historical survey of international relations, noting that in all of history there has never been a “world order” universally agreed upon by all peoples. In today’s world, he believes that historical conceptions of world order from around the globe — including China, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East — are clashing more than ever to create a world with rising tensions. World Order tries to give readers a sense of what outcomes to expect. In her Washington Post review, Hillary Clinton calls the book “vintage Kissinger” and sees his analyses of the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East as being “particularly valuable [..] given today’s challenges.” While TIME notes that the, “91-year-old statesman strikes a note of humility.”
Born: 27 May 1923 (Fürth, Bavaria, Germany)
Education: George Washington High School | Harvard University
Offices Held: United States Secretary of State | United States National Security Advisor
Bibliography: The White House Years | Years of Upheaval | Years of Renewal | A World Restored | Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy | The Necessity for Choice | The Troubled Partnership | American Foreign Policy | For the Record | Observations | Diplomacy | Kissinger Transcripts | Does America Need a Foreign Policy | Vietnam: A Personal History of America’s Involvement in and Extrication from the Vietnam War | Crisis: The Anatomy of Two Major Foreign Policy Crises | On China
Awards: Nobel Peace Prize | John Heinz Award | Presidential Medal of Freedom | National Book Award | Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire | Sylvanus Thayer Award | Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service | Ewald von Kleist Award | McCloy Lifetime Achievement Award | President’s Medal, Israel | Henry A. Grunwald Award
Previous Colbert Report Appearance(s): Interview – 13 June 2011 | August 6, 2013 – StePhest Colbchella ‘013
Follow: Website
Thursday, September 11 (2014)
Lonn Taylor (Author: “The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon“)
Lonn Taylor is an American historian who serves as the lead historian for the Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project. His book The Star-Spangled Banner recounts the story of our flag, the song it inspired, and its defining role in American patriotism. The book also tells the story of the Smithsonian museum’s quest to preserve the original flag that inspired the anthem by Francis Scott Key and includes a variety of interesting stories and illustrations.
Born: 1940
Education: Texas Christian University | University of Texas
Bibliography: Texas Furniture: The Cabinetmakers and Their Work | The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem
Awards: Fulbright Fellowship
And now, let’s check in with our good friend over at ‘The Daily Show’ – Jon Stewart!
Monday, September 8 (2014)
Rerun: Adam Levine (R 9/4/14)
Tuesday, September 9 (2014)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Author: “Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World“)
Kirsten Gillibrand is an American politician, Senator, and member of the Democratic Party, whose memoir Off the Sideline details the beginning of her career in politics, from her first realization of the importance of women’s voices in Washington to her rise as Senator of New York. Gillibrand hopes that the book inspires women to become more active in politics and in their community, as she believes that doing so will shift the national conversation towards issues that are important to women, like affordable daycare, paid medical leave, and equal pay. The memoir also includes personal stories like her childhood in Albany, New York, the lessons she learned from her politically active mother and grandmother, what it was like to be a young woman in Washington politics, as well as her political highs and lows as a member of the US Congress. Gloria Steinem praised the book as “one of the most helpful, readable, down-to-earth, and truly democratic books ever to come out of the halls of power”, while Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg noted that “she [Gillibrand] urges women to get off the sidelines and start changing the world.”
Born: December 9, 1966 (Albany, New York)
Education: Emma Willard School │ Darmouth College │ University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Congressional Committees: House Committee on Armed Services | House Committee on Agriculture | Senate Committee on Public Works | Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Senate Committee on Armed Services | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works | Senate Committee on Foreign Relations | Senate Special Committee on Aging
Previous Daily Show Appearance(s): Interviews – 9 August 2013 | 6 September 2012 | 5 January 2011
Follow: Website | @SenGillibrand
Wednesday, September 10 (2014)
Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary-General: United Nations)
Ban Ki-Moon is a South Korean diplomat and the 8th and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. Based on recent news, we might expect Ban Ki-Moon to speak about international issues, including the Ebola crisis in West Africa, the aftermath of the Israel-Gaza conflict, issues in Ukraine, rising tensions in South Sudan as rebels clash with the government, and more.
Born: 13 June 1944 (Eumseong County, South Korea)
Education: Seoul National University | Harvard University
Awards: Order of Service Merit, South Korea | Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star, Austria | Order of Rio Branco, Brazil | Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, Peru | James A. Van Fleet Award | National Order of Merit, Algeria | Grand Cross with Silver Star, El Salvador | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Sikatuna, Philippines | Order of Friendship, Kazakhstan | Order of Ismoili Samoni, Tajikistan | Grand Cross of the National Order of Burkina Faso | Grand Officer of the National Order of Ivory Coast | Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles, Monaco | Grand Golden Order of the City of Vienna, Austria
Follow: @SecGen
Thursday, September 11 (2014)
Tavis Smiley (Author: “Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year“)
Tavis Smiley is an American television host, political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate, philanthropist and author whose new book, Death of a King recounts the final 365 days of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life. Little is remember of King’s final year alive before his assassination in 1968, but Smiley’s new book reveals the minister’s trials and tribulations — denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country’s black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics — all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy American democracy. Barnes & Noble note that, “Smiley paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before” and provides “an exceptional glimpse into King’s life — one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.”
Born: 13 September 1964 (Gulfport, Mississippi, United States)
Education: Maconaquah High School | Indian University Bloomington
Bibliography: Just a Thought: The Smiley Report | Doing What’s Right: How to Fight for What You Believe–And Make a Difference | Hard Left | Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing, and Hope from Black America | How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out | On Air: The Best of Tavis Smiley on the Tom Joyner Morning Show | The Covenant with Black America | What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America | Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise | The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto
Awards: NAACP Image Award | Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award | Du Bois Medal | Interdependence Day Prize | Star on the Hollywood of Fame
Follow: Website | Tavis Smiley Foundation | @TavisSmiley | Facebook
Please remember to vote in our weekly favourite guests polls, and don’t forget to let us know which guests you’re looking forward to! Also please try to comment with any tips or suggestions that you have for this post. Thanks! Here’s to a great week of shows! That’s all for this week Hubsters! See you next time!
Better Know a Guest: September 8 – 11, 2014
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.
Hey there Hubsters! Here’s to hoping all your weekends were fantastic, and that we’ll have an enjoyable week of shows ahead of us. As an announcement, due to extra work for my senior year of undergrad (senior thesis, anyone?), I unfortunately have to give up the BKAG posts to keep up with academic assignments. If anyone is interested in taking up the posts, get in touch with Katt at [email protected] The Hub staff are very busy, and would appreciate the addition of a new staff member.
Based on one of the guests this week, I’m expecting a discussion of pressing international issues (particularly unrest in Ukraine, the ebola crisis in West Africa, a conflict that broke out in South Sudan over the weekend between rebels and the government, and more). Of course, we’ve had some interesting news in the US as well, including the stalling of immigration policy reform, new developments in the Michael Brown case, the mysterious crash of an American couple’s plane near Jamaica, request for the Supreme Court to consider state’s rights to outlaw gay marriage, and an American anti-federalist group that is sending a message of complaint to Washington via horseback. As always, let us know what you hope our hosts will discuss in this week’s round of shows!
Stephen’s guests this week are two actors, an author, and an American diplomat.
Jon’s guests this week are a US Senator, a UN official, and an author.
Monday, September 8 (2014)
John Lithgow (Actor: “Love is Strange“)
John Lithgow is an American author and actor of film, television, and stage. His latest starring role is in the Ira Sachs film Love Is Strange as Ben, a man who has finally married his partner George (Alfred Molina) after 39 years together. The two live happily in their Manhattan apartment until their life is complicated by George’s work: the Catholic school where George teaches music finds out about their relationship and fires George. The sudden loss of salary forces them to move out of their apartment, depend on friends and family for shelter, and causes them to separate. Ben move in with his nephew Eliot (Darren Burrows) and his wife Kate (Marisa Tomei), while George lives with gay cops Roberto (Manny Perez) and Ted (Cheyenne Jackson). Indie Wire calls the film, “a sophisticated take on contemporary urbanity infused with romantic ideals and the tragedy of their dissolution.” While Under the Gun’s James Shotwell, says “I cannot remember the last time I felt as emotionally involved in a film […] It may very well be the best film of 2014. It’s a simple story about life, love, and the way the world can sometimes feel like it’s working against us told with universal appeal. You will laugh, cry, and long to find a partner to grow old with, even if you don’t know where the two of you will end up. It’s everything Hollywood needs more of these days.”
Born: 19 October 1945 (Rochester, New York, United States)
Education: Harvard University
Filmography: Footloose | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Terms of Endearment | Harry and the Hendersons | Raising Cain | The Pelican Brief | The Tuskegee Airmen | Shrek | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Shrek the Third | Dreamgirls
Television: 3rd Rock from the Sun | Freedom: A History of Us | Nova | Twenty Good Years | Dexter | 30 Rock | The National Parks: America’s Best Idea | How I Met Your Mother | Prohibition | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | Drunk History
Stage: Comedians | Anna Christie | One in a Lifetime | Once in a Lifetime | Division Street | Beyond Therapy | Requiem for a Heavyweight | The Front Page | M. Butterfly | Sweet Smell of Success | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Twelfth Night | All My Sons | The Magistrate | King Lear
Bibliography: Remarkable Farkle McBride | Marsupial Sue | Micawber | I’m a Manatee | A Lithgow Palooza | Carnival of the Animals | Lithgow Party Paloozas!: 52 Unexpected Ways to make a Birthday, Holiday, or Any Day a Celebration for Kids | Lithgow Paloozas!: Boredom Blasters | Marsupial Sue Presents “The Runaway Pancake” | Mahalia Mouse Goes to College | I Got Two Dogs
Awards: Tony Award | Saturn Award | Emmy Award | American Comedy Award | Golden Globe Award | Satellite Award | Screen Actors Guild Award
Previous Colbert Report Appearance(s): Newt Gingrich Press Release | Atone Phone | Interview – 4 October 2011
Follow: Website | @JohnLithgow
Tuesday, September 9 (2014)
Jason Segel (Author: “Nightmares!“)
Jason Segel is an American actor, screenwriter, and author, who will be on the show to present his young adult novel Nightmares!, the first in a series he is co-authoring with New York Times best-selling author Kirsten Miller. The book follows young Charlie Laird as he navigates a series of changes in his life that take a turn for the supernatural, including his father marrying a woman he believes is actually a witch, having to move into her house (which is purple and scary), and his nights being ruined by awful nightmares. Eventually, things become even more terrifying when his nightmares start to seep out of his dreams and into the real world. Publishers Weekly calls the book, “Coraline meets Monsters”, while Kirkus Reviews notes that the book “succeeds at scaring and amusing in equal measure” and is “sweet, charming, and imaginative.”
Born: 18 January 1980 (Los Angeles, California, United States)
Education: St. Matthew’s Parish School | Harvard-Westlake School
Filmography: Slackers | Knocked Up | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | I Love You, Man | Despicable Me | Get Him to the Greek | Friends with Benefits | The Muppets | This is 40 | This is the End | Sex Tape
Television: Freaks and Geeks | Undeclared | How I Met Your Mother | Family Guy | Saturday Night Live
Awards: Critics Choice Award
Follow: @JasonSegel
Wednesday, September 10 (2014)
Henry Kissinger (Author: “World Order“)
Henry Kissinger is an American diplomat, political scientist, and former US Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Gerald Ford. His latest book is World Order recounts the lessons he has learned about global politics over the course of his diplomatic career and what he believes is the pressing challenge of the 21st century: how to create international order in a world where extremism, differing perspectives, conflict, and new technology challenge peace. He also writes a historical survey of international relations, noting that in all of history there has never been a “world order” universally agreed upon by all peoples. In today’s world, he believes that historical conceptions of world order from around the globe — including China, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East — are clashing more than ever to create a world with rising tensions. World Order tries to give readers a sense of what outcomes to expect. In her Washington Post review, Hillary Clinton calls the book “vintage Kissinger” and sees his analyses of the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East as being “particularly valuable [..] given today’s challenges.” While TIME notes that the, “91-year-old statesman strikes a note of humility.”
Born: 27 May 1923 (Fürth, Bavaria, Germany)
Education: George Washington High School | Harvard University
Offices Held: United States Secretary of State | United States National Security Advisor
Bibliography: The White House Years | Years of Upheaval | Years of Renewal | A World Restored | Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy | The Necessity for Choice | The Troubled Partnership | American Foreign Policy | For the Record | Observations | Diplomacy | Kissinger Transcripts | Does America Need a Foreign Policy | Vietnam: A Personal History of America’s Involvement in and Extrication from the Vietnam War | Crisis: The Anatomy of Two Major Foreign Policy Crises | On China
Awards: Nobel Peace Prize | John Heinz Award | Presidential Medal of Freedom | National Book Award | Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire | Sylvanus Thayer Award | Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service | Ewald von Kleist Award | McCloy Lifetime Achievement Award | President’s Medal, Israel | Henry A. Grunwald Award
Previous Colbert Report Appearance(s): Interview – 13 June 2011 | August 6, 2013 – StePhest Colbchella ‘013
Follow: Website
Thursday, September 11 (2014)
Lonn Taylor (Author: “The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon“)
Lonn Taylor is an American historian who serves as the lead historian for the Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project. His book The Star-Spangled Banner recounts the story of our flag, the song it inspired, and its defining role in American patriotism. The book also tells the story of the Smithsonian museum’s quest to preserve the original flag that inspired the anthem by Francis Scott Key and includes a variety of interesting stories and illustrations.
Born: 1940
Education: Texas Christian University | University of Texas
Bibliography: Texas Furniture: The Cabinetmakers and Their Work | The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem
Awards: Fulbright Fellowship
And now, let’s check in with our good friend over at ‘The Daily Show’ – Jon Stewart!
Monday, September 8 (2014)
Rerun: Adam Levine (R 9/4/14)
Tuesday, September 9 (2014)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Author: “Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World“)
Kirsten Gillibrand is an American politician, Senator, and member of the Democratic Party, whose memoir Off the Sideline details the beginning of her career in politics, from her first realization of the importance of women’s voices in Washington to her rise as Senator of New York. Gillibrand hopes that the book inspires women to become more active in politics and in their community, as she believes that doing so will shift the national conversation towards issues that are important to women, like affordable daycare, paid medical leave, and equal pay. The memoir also includes personal stories like her childhood in Albany, New York, the lessons she learned from her politically active mother and grandmother, what it was like to be a young woman in Washington politics, as well as her political highs and lows as a member of the US Congress. Gloria Steinem praised the book as “one of the most helpful, readable, down-to-earth, and truly democratic books ever to come out of the halls of power”, while Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg noted that “she [Gillibrand] urges women to get off the sidelines and start changing the world.”
Born: December 9, 1966 (Albany, New York)
Education: Emma Willard School │ Darmouth College │ University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Congressional Committees: House Committee on Armed Services | House Committee on Agriculture | Senate Committee on Public Works | Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Senate Committee on Armed Services | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works | Senate Committee on Foreign Relations | Senate Special Committee on Aging
Previous Daily Show Appearance(s): Interviews – 9 August 2013 | 6 September 2012 | 5 January 2011
Follow: Website | @SenGillibrand
Wednesday, September 10 (2014)
Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary-General: United Nations)
Ban Ki-Moon is a South Korean diplomat and the 8th and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. Based on recent news, we might expect Ban Ki-Moon to speak about international issues, including the Ebola crisis in West Africa, the aftermath of the Israel-Gaza conflict, issues in Ukraine, rising tensions in South Sudan as rebels clash with the government, and more.
Born: 13 June 1944 (Eumseong County, South Korea)
Education: Seoul National University | Harvard University
Awards: Order of Service Merit, South Korea | Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star, Austria | Order of Rio Branco, Brazil | Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, Peru | James A. Van Fleet Award | National Order of Merit, Algeria | Grand Cross with Silver Star, El Salvador | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Sikatuna, Philippines | Order of Friendship, Kazakhstan | Order of Ismoili Samoni, Tajikistan | Grand Cross of the National Order of Burkina Faso | Grand Officer of the National Order of Ivory Coast | Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles, Monaco | Grand Golden Order of the City of Vienna, Austria
Follow: @SecGen
Thursday, September 11 (2014)
Tavis Smiley (Author: “Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year“)
Tavis Smiley is an American television host, political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate, philanthropist and author whose new book, Death of a King recounts the final 365 days of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life. Little is remember of King’s final year alive before his assassination in 1968, but Smiley’s new book reveals the minister’s trials and tribulations — denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country’s black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics — all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy American democracy. Barnes & Noble note that, “Smiley paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before” and provides “an exceptional glimpse into King’s life — one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.”
Born: 13 September 1964 (Gulfport, Mississippi, United States)
Education: Maconaquah High School | Indian University Bloomington
Bibliography: Just a Thought: The Smiley Report | Doing What’s Right: How to Fight for What You Believe–And Make a Difference | Hard Left | Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing, and Hope from Black America | How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out | On Air: The Best of Tavis Smiley on the Tom Joyner Morning Show | The Covenant with Black America | What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America | Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise | The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto
Awards: NAACP Image Award | Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award | Du Bois Medal | Interdependence Day Prize | Star on the Hollywood of Fame
Follow: Website | Tavis Smiley Foundation | @TavisSmiley | Facebook
Please remember to vote in our weekly favourite guests polls, and don’t forget to let us know which guests you’re looking forward to! Also please try to comment with any tips or suggestions that you have for this post. Thanks! Here’s to a great week of shows! That’s all for this week Hubsters! See you next time!