Fantasy Colbert League Weekly: July 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, guests are subject to change.

Monday, 7/21: Senator Jim Webb

Virginia Senator Jim Webb is veteran of the Vietnam War, going on to serve as the Secretary of the Navy in 1987. He won the 2006 Senate race in Virginia and has worked tirelessly for military family and veteran aid during his time in office. His son is a U.S. Marine and recently served a term in Iraq. During that time, Webb and President Bush had a slightly tense conversation over Webb’s son that was picked up by the media. Webb has written a number of fiction and nonfiction books; his latest is ‘A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America.’ He’s a filmmaker as well, and has won an Emmy Award in 1983 for his PBS coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut. Although he has been considered for a Vice Presidential candidate position with Barack Obama, he has stated that he does not intend to seek the position.

• Fract: James Webb wrote the screenplay for the 2000 movie ‘Rules of Engagement,’ starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson.

Tuesday, 7/22: Margaret Spellings

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is the first mother of school-aged children to serve as Secretary. She was nominated to the Secretary post in 2005, and has served as Senior Advisor to Governor George W. Bush. She is an author and strong proponent of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In 2005, she created the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, a group focused on formulating a strategy for post-secondary education and the preparation of students for the workforce. She visited Jon Stewart at The Daily Show on May 22, 2007.

• Fract: A charming 2006 Washington Post article on Spellings states that she’s been called a ‘bulldog on details’ by Karl Rove and she lives by the motto, ‘Put on your big-girl panties and deal with it.’

Wednesday, 7/23: Nas

Rapper Nasir Jones, aka Kid Wave, aka Nasty Nas, aka Nas, grew up in the Queensbridge projects in New York City. He absorbed the hip-hop musical style there and overcame a tough childhood and the murder of his first DJ and partner to secure a record deal with Columbia Records in 1992. His debut album, ‘Illmatic,’ was followed by a number of records characterized by his unique lyrics and signature poetic style. In September 2007, Nas garnered the attention of Bill O’Reilly by performing at Virginia Tech University. O’Reilly was outraged at the violence of Nas’s lyrics were allowed there after the shooting on campus earlier that year. Nas’s latest album is untitled, though he had originally titled it using an N-word that’s not quite blog-friendly. He garnered intense controversy – both anger and support – but decided to rename the album so it would not be banned from stores.

• Fract: Nas called Bill O’Reilly a ‘chump’ onstage at the Virginia Tech concert and has since publicly criticized him, stating that he does not understand ‘the younger generation.’

Thursday, 7/24: Garrett Reisman

NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman is back on terra firma! You may remember the awesome interview Stephen did with him – in space! – this past May. Reisman holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and was selected for a mission specialist position with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1998. He spent a couple of weeks on the bottom of the sea in June 2003 and completed his first space flight in 2008, serving a three-month tour of duty in space on the International Space Station. During that time, he filmed a segment called ‘A Day In the Life of a Space Station Crew Member,’ introduced the WristStrong campaign to the rest of the universe, and made Stephen Colbert completely geek out on camera.

• Fract: Garrett Reisman is the first Jewish crew member on the International Space Station.

• 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