Fantasy Colbert League Weekly: September 29 – October 2

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, 9/29: Paul Begala

Raise your hand if you remember Paul Begala as the quieter half of ‘Crossfire’! He used to host the fiery CNN debate show at the George Washington University with Tucker Carlson until mean Jon Stewart dropped by in 2004 and smacked them down. Now, he’s a political contributor for CNN, appearing on ‘The Situation Room’ and other programs. He worked with President Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and served as a counselor to the president during his terms. His latest book is titled ‘Third Term: Why George W. Bush (Hearts) John McCain.’

• Fract: On September 25, Begala called President Bush a “high-functioning moron” on CNN.

Tuesday, 9/30: James Taylor

Grammy-winning musician James Taylor is a singer-songwriter and guitarist with a new album titled ‘Covers.’ His musical career spans five decades, and his gentle songs have long-lasting appeal. You may know ‘You’ve got a Friend’ or ‘Your Smiling Face.’ Taylor has been an active environmentalist and went on tour in 2004 with the “Vote for Change” tour, organized by MoveOn.org, to support John Kerry’s campaign.

• Fract: Taylor was the headlining artist at Governor Eliot Spitzer’s inaugural concert on January 1, 2007.

Wednesday, 10/1: Dave Levin

New Yorker David Levin got his start in Teach For America in Houston, TX, going on to found the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) in 1994. KIPP started as a small program for students in a couple of Houston schools and now serves over 700 students in the South Bonx, NY and Houston. With KIPP, Levin has dramatically increased students’ reading and math scores, school attendance, and college enrollment. KIPP has won a number of educational awards and is now a nationwide program.

EDIT:
According to a representative from KIPP, “KIPP did start as a small program for students and Houston, but it has now grown to a national network of KIPP schools serving over 16,000 students (not 700) in low-income communities in 19 states and Washington, DC ( including schools in NY and Houston).” Wow! Even better than we thought!

• Fract: Levin has a number of mottos for KIPP charter schools, including ‘Team Always Beats Individual,’ ‘Work Hard,’ and ‘Be Nice.’

Thursday, 10/2: Naomi Klein

Author Naomi Klein is a journalist and columnist for The New York Times. Her book ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism‘ was first published in 2007 and has its own six-minute film, created by ‘Children of Men’ director Alfonso Cuaron. Klein spends her words analyzing corporate globalization movements and criticizing brand-oriented consumer culture.

• Fract: In 2005, Klein ranked 11th in an internet poll of the top 100 global intellectuals, as compiled by Prospect magazine and Foreign Policy magazine.