Fantasy Colbert League Weekly: April 21 – 24

Welcome to No Fact Zone’s weekly roundup of ‘Colbert Report’ guests, created in the spirit of the oft-enjoyed Fantasy Colbert League. While we can’t start up the online version of the game again, we can make it so that you can get the information you need about the guests before they come on the show.

Just like you, we want to be it-getters before the interviews start. So we’ve compiled brief bios, issues or events that Stephen might bring up during the interview, and a fun Fract (Freedom Fact) to impress your fellow viewers during the commercial breaks. Read, enjoy, and see if you can anticipate how Stephen might nail each of the following guests!

Editor’s Note: As always, these guests are subject to change.

Monday, 4/21: Fr. James Martin, Senator Bernie Sanders

Father James Martin, an author and the acting publisher of the Jesuit magazine ‘America,’ has studied, discussed, and explored the concept of sainthood for nearly his entire life. His book, ‘My Life With the Saints,’ describes how Martin discovered saints as a child – starting with “St. Jude of the sock drawer.” Father Martin stopped by The Colbert Report on September 13, 2007 to discuss Mother Teresa with Stephen.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is one of two Independent senators in the Senate (the other is Joe Lieberman). He serves on a number of environmental committees as well as the Committee on Health, Labor and Pensions. Look for Stephen to argue with Sanders over Bush’s new environmental bill; the senator believes it is too little, too late, and comes prepared to defend his point.

• Fract: Senator Sanders has a regular segment on the Thom Hartmann radio talk show called ‘Brunch with Bernie,’ and also has his own Myspace page.

Tuesday, 4/22: Susan Jacoby

Author Susan Jacoby’s latest book, ‘The Age of American Unreason,’ is a New York Times bestseller about anti-intellectualism. She is also the director of New York branch of the the Center for Inquiry, an educational organization that promotes evidence-based inquiry into paranormal and fringe science claims, alternative medicine, religion, and secular ethics.

• Fract: Jacoby writes in the Washington Post, “The problem is not just the things we do not know (consider the one in five American adults who, according to the National Science Foundation, thinks the sun revolves around the Earth); it’s the alarming number of Americans who have smugly concluded that they do not need to know such things in the first place.”

Wednesday, 4/23: Mitch Albom

Author Mitch Albom brings with him the paperback release of his novel, ‘For One More Day.’ He explores an idea that many of us struggle with: what would you do if you had one more day with a loved one you’ve lost? His first novel, ‘The Five People You Meet in Heaven,’ is the most successful U.S. hardback first novel ever, selling over 8 million copies worldwide. He is also known for his series, ‘>Tuesdays with Morrie,’ a tale of his time spent with a dying college professor that was made into a television movie. Albom has the potential to crack Stephen’s shell and maybe – possibly – get him a little emotional.

• Fract: Albom plays with the The Rock Bottom Remainders, a band made up of writers – including Steven King, Dave Barry, Scott Turrow, Amy Tan and Ridley Pearson. The Remainders raise money for literacy projects through their performances.

Thursday, 4/24: Maria Shriver

California First Lady Maria Shriver has a new children’s book, titled ‘What’s Happening to Grandpa?‘ With this storybook, she hopes to teach kids about Alzheimer’s disease and how it can affect everyone in a family. Shriver is the daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of the late President John F. Kennedy. She has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president, while her husband Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorses Senator John McCain. As a journalist, Shriver reported and anchored for CBS and NBC and has won Peabody and Emmy awards.

• Fract: Shriver has recently become involved in a scandal at the UCLA Medical Center where staff have viewed confidential patients’ records without the consent of the patients.

• Fantasy Colbert League: October 26-October 29
• Fantasy Colbert League: October 12-October 15
• Fantasy Colbert League Weekly: September 21-24
• Fantasy Colbert League Weekly! August 3rd-7th