Fantasy Colbert League: December 7-December 10

We are inching closer and closer to the Holidays, which for me means the end of the semester. Between all the wrapping up of school work, and preparing for finals, it is nice to have a little laughter every night. And I am happy I get my laughs from the show. So here is what lies ahead this next week.

Bill T. Jones is an American choreographer and dancer. He recently debuted his new work, Fela!, on Broadway. The show, which Jones co-created, directed, and choreographed, chronicles Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s controversial life as an artist, activist, and musician. Prior to Fela!, Jones won a Tony award for his work in the popular musical, Spring Awakening!, but he is not just known for his work on Broadway. Through his dance company, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Jones has created more than 100 works. Arnie Zane was Bill Jones’ partner until Zane’s death in the 1980′s. In 2000, Bill was named a Dance Heritage Coalition’s “Irreplaceable Dance Treasure,” and has appeared on television in PBS’s Great Performances, among other appearances. He has received honorary doctorates from the Art Institute of Chicago, Bard College, Columbia College, Juilliard, and Swarthmore College, as well as the SUNY Binghamton Distinguished Alumni Award. In 1995, Jones also released a memoir called, Last Night on Earth.

His dance company’s main website can be found here.

Fract: Long before Stephen was not honored, Bill T. Jones won a MacArthur “Genius” Award in 1994.

Tuesday, December 8: Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving in the House of Representatives for 16 years prior. He is the first person elected to the Senate to identify as a socialist, but caucuses with the Democratic party. He is a major supporter of a single-payer healthcare system, and is a leader in calling for media reform. The senator began his political career when he joined the anti-Vietnam War Liberty Union Party in 1971, though he failed to win Senate elections in 1972 and 1974 as a member of the party. In 1981 he became the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and successfully revitalized the city’s downtown area. He began his congressional career in 1991 when he was elected to the House, where he became the longest serving independent congressman. Sanders was an open opponent of the Bush administration, but received support from then-Senator Barack Obama during his successful senate campaign in 2006. As a senator, Bernie serves on committees for energy, transportation, and veteran affairs. Sanders was a guest on the show in 2008.

Fract: In addition to his political work, Senator Sanders has ties to the world of academia. He previously taught at Hamilton College and Harvard University, while his wife, Jane O’Meara, is the president of Burlington College.

Andy Schlafly

Andy Schlafly is the founder and owner of Conservapedia. He is a noted conservative lawyer, and is also a social studies teacher for his mother, Phyllis Schlafly’s, Eagle Forum. Andy started Conservapedia because he felt that Wikipedia had a “liberal, anti-Christian, and anti-American” bias. With statements like these, he has come under much scrutiny. After earning a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton, Andy went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Harvard at the same time President Barack Obama attended the school. He has made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, and supported Mike Huckabee in the 2008 Primary.

Disclaimer: I am very excited for this interview.

Fract: Talk about teaching – throughout his time as a home-school teacher, Schalfly has taught over 185 students in 13 courses.

Wednesday, December 9: Matt Taibbi

Matt Taibbi is coming to The Report for the third time. He first appeared in 2005 and again in 2008. He is a journalist for Rolling Stone. He writes the print column “Road Rage” and the online column “The Low Post.” Known for this coverage of the 2004 US presidential election, Matt is also famous for a piece, written in 2009, blaming Goldman Sachs for “every major market manipulation since the Great Depression.” In 1992, Matt moved to Uzbekistan, but was forced to leave after writing columns criticizing the country’s president, and has also worked in Russia and Mongolia until his return to the United States in 2002. Taibbi won a 2008 National Magazine Award in “Columns and Commentary” for his work at Rolling Stone as well. He writes a blog, “Taibblog” for True/Slant. He released the book The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the beginning of this year which explores the black comedy of the American polis.

You can check out Matt blog here.

Fract: Taibbi might be a familiar sounding name. Matt’s father is Mike Taibbi, the NBC television reporter.

Thursday, December 10: Lara Logan

Lara Logan is a television and radio journalist who is currently serving as the Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent for CBS. She appeared on the show earlier this year. Born in South Africa, Logan attended high school and college in her home country, where she majored in Commerce. She has spent extensive time in the Middle East, and was the only journalist from an American network present when the U.S. military invaded Baghdad. Lara has earned American Women in Radio and Television Gracie Awards for her work, which she began as a producer for Reuters Television. She speaks four languages: English, French, Afrikaans, and Portuguese, and won an Emmy for her Iraq report titled, Ramadi: On the Front Line. She also received the 2008 “David Bloom Award” from the Radio & Television Correspondents Association for excellence in enterprise reporting.

You can check out Lara’s official Facebook page here.

Fract: Lara Logan is only 38 years old, but has been reporting from war zones for 17 years. You do the math!

That’s it for now, my fellow Zoners. Have an awesome week!