Fantasy Colbert League: March 1-March 4

So, I guess it will be hard to follow-up on what we saw last week, but if anyone can do it, we know it’s Stephen.

Don Cheadle is an actor best known for his roles in Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, and Ocean’s 13, as well as his Oscar-nominated turn in Hotel Rwanda. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Cheadle eventually moved to Denver, and finally graduated from the California Institue of the Arts. In addition to roles in films such as Traffic, Talk to Me, and Out of Sight, Don will be appearing in the upcoming sequel, Iron Man 2. When he is not working on movies, Mr. Cheadle spends much time doing activist work for the people of Darfur and Rwanda. In fact, his sister, Cindy, works at a school outside of Washington D.C. which is involved in raising awareness of the genocide. For his work, he was presented a Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, along with George Clooney, who also campaigns for the same cause. As well as the Summit Peace Award, Don was named the BET Humanitarian of the Year for his work in Darfur and Rwanda.

Fract: According to the director of After the Sunset, one of Cheadle’s movies, Don is very good at playing the board game, Go, one of the oldest board games in history.

Tuesday, March 2: David Brooks

David Brooks is the author of Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There, a book about bourgeois bohemians, or Bobos for short. Brooks was born in Toronto, Canada, but was raised in New York City, graduating from Radnor High School in a suburb of Philadelphia, and finally earning his degree in History from the University of Chicago in 1983. He currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland and is a columnist for the New York Times. He also wrote the book, On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense, a “pseudo-sociological treatise” about America’s problems, which was released in 2004. In the past, David has written for the Washington Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as The Weekly Standard, Newsweek, and The Atlantic Monthly. Mr. Brooks has done commentary for NPR, and was a visiting professor at Duke University too.

Fract: Going against the grain? Although a conservative, Brooks came out in favor of same-sex marriage in 2003 in a column for the New York Times, and has shown support for Barack Obama as well.

Wednesday, March 3: Gary Wills

Gary Wills is the author of the new book, Bomb Power: The Modern Presidency and the National Security State. Educated at a Jesuit high school and two Jesuit universities (Xaiver and Saint Louis), Wills specializes in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as American politics, political history and ideology. Wills also received his Ph.D. from Yale University and currently is an emeritus professor at Stephen’s alma mater, Northwestern University, where he taught since 1980. Wills has written many books including What Jesus Meant, What the Gospels Meant, and What Paul Meant. For his book, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America, Gary won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction after its release in 1993. Writing extensively on Saint Augustine, Wills is one of the foremost Catholic authors today.

Fract: After the publishing of his book, Nixon Agonistes in 1970, Wills landed on Nixon’s master list of political opponents.

Thursday, March 4: Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is the author of the book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, which explains how the plethora of choices that we face in every day life may not really be that different after all. Educated at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, Schwartz is now the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Barry uses his research in the field of Psychology and applies it to current events and trends. He also studies the links between Economics and Psychology, and has written the book, The Costs of Living, where he argues that current economic objectives are turning social life into a jungle. Other, more academic, books by Barry Schwartz include: Learning and Memory, The Battle for Human Nature: Science, Morality and Modern Life, and Psychology of Learning and Behavior.

Fract: Along with his book, The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz has also given speeches for TED: Technology, Environment, Design, a small non-profit organization which devotes itself to “ideas worth sharing.”

Enjoy this week’s shows!