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In a candid interview with Stephen Colbert, Vice President Joe Biden gave a moving testimony about his faith amid the pain of recently losing his son to brain cancer. In the past, both Colbert and Biden have been open about their Catholic faith, but in this moment both men found themselves reflecting upon how they have struggled with their faith after losing loved ones very close to them.

The post Seeing in the dark: Catholic theology and Søren Kierkegaard appeared first on OUPblog.

The outside world doesn’t always get kidlit and YA lit. Children’s books are cute and easy and anyone with a vague sense that children are charming can write them, right? And anyone can write silly fluff for young adults. Especially anyone with a famous name.

That’s a common attitude, anyway. But there are celebrities who don’t think that way. Like Stephen Colbert.

Back in 2012, Colbert interviewed the late, great Maurice Sendak on his old show Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report. Going in, I figured that interview would be amusing, but I also figured some of the amusement would stem from a celeb’s typical ignorance of everything that goes into creating a children’s book. Boy, was I wrong. The whole point of the two-part “Grim Colberty Tales” segment was to parody the very attitude I’d expected to see. It’s also a great interview, and it resulted in Colbert’s spoofy picture book, I Am a Pole (And So Can You!) (Grand Central Publishing, May 2012), which was coincidentally released with Sendak’s blurb (“The sad thing is, I like it!”) the same day that Sendak passed away. Highly recommended if you need a good laugh. Warning: Colbert Report-style silliness; Sendak-style crotchetiness; NSFW.

“Grim Colberty Tales” made another appearance or two with other authors before Colbert left the Report for CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But the change in venue doesn’t mean Colbert’s become too cool for books for young people (or books in general, for that matter). On the contrary, his new show has a recurring segment firmly rooted in YA: the Hungry for Power Games. As candidates have dropped out of the presidential election, Colbert has bid each “tribute” farewell with his best Caesar Flickerman impression. (Warning: contains politics.)

And of course, the man is a certified Tolkien nerd. This, right here, is what it looks like when someone cares about a story. Not a bad thing to show on TV.

I still think Ellen would be a perfect interviewer for the Newbery and Caldecott winners. But if Stephen beats her to it (ALAYMA 2017, anyone?), that’d be pretty cool, too.

The post Stephen Colbert: kidlit after dark appeared first on The Horn Book.

There were few dry eyes across America as Stephen Colbert wrapped up his nine year run on The Colbert Report—and staying in character, instead of breaking the wall and getting sentimental, he went gonzo fantasy, defeating Grimmy, his long time nemesis, or Death himself, and gaining immortality. Immortality has perks, such as assembling a zeitgeist all-stat lineup of pals from Bryan Cranston to George Lucas to Cyndi Lauper and James Franco who came out to sing the closing song from Dr Strangelove, “We’ll Meet Again. ” Although it was hard to spot all the celebs in the chorus, among them was two-time guests, Marvel CCO Joe Quesada:

Thanks to @StephenAtHome for the invite. It was a honor to be at the show and amongst such amazing people. What a night!!!

— JoeQuesada (@JoeQuesada) December 19, 2014

As I watched the show, I wondered what would become of the Captain America shield prominently displayed behind Colbert. It’s been a fixture of the Colbert set since it was given to him in 2007 after Captain America died in a storyline, and Colbert was deemed worthy to carry it. The actual shield is one that was owned by late Marvel editor Mark Gruenwald, and held a lot of residual mojo for Marvel fans. To my surprise, it made a starring role in the finale of the show, as Colbert wonders what t do with his new found immortality, and is whisked off to Valinor* in a sleigh with Santa, Abraham Lincoln and Alex Trebek.

You could actually see some dents in the shield on the close-ups—it’s a real life horcrux, and I hope it goes to some dignified resting place.

Colbert had a bunch of comics folks on his Report over the years—The Late Show is a bigger venue, but I have a feeling he’ll sneak in a few nerd icons along the way.

* Since Colbert is such a Tolkien scholar, you KNOW it was Valinor! In real life, however, Valinor is CBS, where Colbert will take over The Late Show in May, 2015.

Screen cap via KEvin Melrose

In celebration of The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies movie, The Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert dressed up as Bilbo Baggins, Legolas Greenleaf, and Gandalf the Grey for the cover of Entertainment Weekly. In the video embedded above, he talks about the experience.

Besides The Hobbit photos, this issue also features an essay where Colbert talks about his long-time infatuation with J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and an interview between Colbert and director Peter Jackson. Follow this link to watch a behind-the-scenes footage of the cover shoot.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Bluewater Productions has created a biographical comic book profiling The Colbert Show host Stephen Colbert.

According to the press release, Hal Hilden wrote the story and Kelly Brine created the artwork.

For Hilden, the “goal was to write a fun little biography, mixing fact with fiction, that hopefully one of Stephen Colbert’s many personas would enjoy reading.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

.
Game over, man, game over.

Amazon and Simon & Schuster have established a new multi-year print and digital agreement. The previous contract was scheduled to expire in two months.

Here’s more from The Wall Street Journal: “Simon & Schuster, whose recently published works include Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators and Colm Toibin’s Nora Webster, will set the consumer prices of its digital books, and Amazon will be able to discount titles in certain situations, according to one person familiar with the agreement. Simon & Schuster titles also will be well promoted on Amazon’s website, the person said.”

Many speculate that this development will put more pressure on Hachette to wrap up the ongoing dispute. Several writers have publicly spoken about the situation including Stephen Colbert, John Green, and Malcolm Gladwell. Earlier this week, economist Paul Krugman wrote a New York Times article criticizing Amazon’s business practices. How do you predict this will affect the conflict between Amazon and Hachette?

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Many members of the literary community have shown great concern about the Amazon vs. Hachette dispute. In an interview with the Financial Times weekend magazine, Malcolm Gladwell spoke out in disapproval of the online retail giant’s retaliatory actions.

While Gladwell did not voice an opinion about the actual feud, he objects to Amazon’s practice of making Hachette’s books unavailable for purchase and delaying order shipments. Gladwell “thought Amazon wanted to be nice to me. I thought their endgame was to woo authors. So, then why are they sabotaging us?”

(more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

During an appearance on The Colbert Report, many shenanigans were exchanged between the host and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In the clip embedded above, Stephen Colbert criticized Clinton’s new book, Hard Choices, for excessive “name dropping.”

Clinton then came on stage and the two engaged in a “name drop” battle. Towards the end of this heated conversation, she threatened to not appear on the show if Colbert refused to promote her book and it worked.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As part of his battle with Amazon, Stephen Colbert has been promoting the book California by first time novelist Edan Lepucki.

His goal was to help Lepucki land on The New York Times bestsellers list – a rare occurrence for a first time novel – even though the book was not available for sale on Amazon due to fierce negotiations with her publisher Hachette. The push worked and the title has landed the third spot on the list, despite not being available through the nation’s largest online book site.

To celebrate the success, Lepucki was on The Colbert Show last night to discuss her success. On the show, she recommended the debut novel Sweetness No. 9 by Stephan Eirik Clark, another Hachette book that is currently not available on Amazon. We’ve embedded the clip above for you to enjoy.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Amazon has made a controversial new offer to Hachette in its ongoing battle with the publisher. The retailer says that it will restock Hachette’s books and pay writers all revenues from the digital sales of their books.

However, there is a catch for the publisher. The Washington Post has the scoop:

“If Hachette agrees, for as long as this dispute lasts, Hachette authors would get 100 percent of the sales price of every Hachette e-book we sell,” Amazon said in a letter sent to authors and literary agents. “Both Amazon and Hachette would forego all revenue and profit from the sale of every e-book until an agreement is reached.”

Hachette has not agreed to this offer. The author-friendly proposal comes after Amazon has faced a huge backlash from authors and readers, including the “I Didn’t Buy It on Amazon” campaign launched by Hachette author Stephen Colbert.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Last night, John Green appeared on The Colbert Report TV show. During the interview, Stephen Colbert shared his definition for “young adult novel” which is: “a regular novel that people actually read.”

How would you rank Colbert’s interpretation for accuracy? The video embedded above contains the entire conversation where the two also discussed all the tears and “feels” that The Fault in Our Stars induces, the popular movie adaptation, and the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel that John oversees with his brother Hank.

Recently, both Colbert and Green have spoken up for the traditional publishing industry as Hachette continues to negotiate with Amazon in the ongoing dispute. Neither party mentioned this issue during their chat. Where do you stand on this matter? (via Shelf Awareness)

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Due to the ongoing dispute between Amazon and Hachette, consumers cannot pre-order Edan Lepucki's debut novel, California, on Amazon. When comedian Stephen Colbert first launched his war against Amazon, he asked his followers to buy a copy from Powell's Books online shop. We've embedded a clip from The Colbert Report TV show where Colbert announced that 6,400 purchases have been made and Lepucki's book currently occupies the #1 spot on the Powell's bestseller list. Now, he has issued a new challenge for his fans; purchase California from your local bookstore and help it become a New York Times bestseller. In addition to Colbert, several members of the literary community have publicly shared their opinions about Amazon vs. Hachette feud including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian author Sherman Alexie, The Fault in Our Stars author John Green and The Ocean at the End of the Lane author Neil Gaiman. Where do you stand on this matter? (via Latin Post)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Comedian & Hachette author Stephen Colbert has joined Hachette's fight with Amazon. The author spoke criticized the online retailer on his show Wednesday night, giving the finger to the company. "I’m not just mad at Amazon. I’m Mad Prime," he said. On the show showed off stickers which read, 'I Didn't Buy it on Amazon'. Colbert encouraged viewers to download the stickers from his site and add them to their books. Follow this link to watch the episode. Colbert's 2012 book America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t is one of many Hachette titles which has experienced delayed ship times. However, the book is currently listed in stock on the site.  

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Stanford University assistant professor of history Jennifer Burns had the great fortune to talk about her writing on both The Colbert Report and The Daily Show.

Over at the Oxford University Press blog, she compared the differences between the shows–some handy intelligence for writers who hope to be on the show someday. Burns is the author of Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right. Follow this link to watch The Daily Show interview. We’ve embedded the Colbert interview above.  Check it out:

The biggest difference, of course, is Jon vs. Stephen, but I had an unexpected reaction. Where most people seem to think Stephen Colbert would be a more difficult interview, I actually found him to be personally warmer and easier to talk to than Jon Stewart. Some of this was because I felt more confident the second time around. But the interview itself was also less serious and more of a performance, whereas on The Daily Show I felt I was being grilled by a formidable intellect …The Colbert producer also did a great job of helping me understand what would create a good interview. Her top piece of advice (which I also heard at The Daily Show): “Don’t be funny!”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The legendary children's author's media appearances in recent years included a memorable two-part interview with Stephen Colbert.

There was no question in my mind which video to begin with today.  I cannot help but think that meeting Quentin Blake must be akin to meeting Roald Dahl.  The man is a living legend and this video is a true treasure.  Would that every illustrator were half so thorough when discussing the preservation, creation, and process that goes into their art.  A very big thank you to Jonathan Cape Graphic Novels for the link.

Mind you, Quentin had some stiff competition for the top video of the day.  He only narrowly beat out this Reading Rainbow remix.

I’ve been trying to identify all the books in the video but it is incredibly tough.  I can account for Carl Hiaasen’s Flush, Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton, and what appears to be a Civil Rights book that I can never quite catch the title of.  Other spotted books are welcome.  Mention them!  And thanks to mom for the link.  Probably the only time you’ll ever see the New Orleans Bounce on this blog, I’d wager.

Benefit books come out occasionally but rarely do they incorporate Broadway stars.  Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project is benefiting breast cancer research.  You’ve got big name vocalists singing songs from big name composers with a book illustrated by big name artists (for the most part).  Here’s the roster:

” . . . the project’s book component also features a distinctive cover illustration by fabled cartoonist/playwright Jules Feiffer, along with a foreword written by stage and screen legend Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. Among the award-winning illustrators lending their talents are Selina Alko, Lynne Avril, Paulette Bogan, Beowulf Boritt, Lauren Castillo, R. Gregory Christie, Seymour Chwast, Jane Dyer, Richard Egielski, Daniel Glucksman, Julia Gran, Ying-Hwa Hu, Genevieve LeRoy-Walton, Betsy Lewin, Anna Louizos, Victor Mays, Emily Arnold McCully, Wendell Minor, Barry Moser, Jon J Muth, Sean Qualls, Peter H. Reynolds, Marc Simont, Javaka Steptoe, Melissa Sweet, Cornelius Van Wright, Neil Waldman, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Tony Walton, Gary Zamchick, and Paul O. Zelinsky.”

I had no idea Jules Feiffer was a fable.  And here I was convinced he was a real person.  In any case, impressive list of names!  A couple I don’t know but most I do. And here, on a related note, is a glimpse at one of the songs.

Thanks to Rich Michelson for the info.

Speaking of Julie Andrews, I’m sure you’ve all seen Stephen Colbert’s interview with her in conjunction with his own picture book release of

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Stephen Colbert will release his first children’s book on May 8th, and actor Tom Hanks will read the audiobook–complete with “interruptions” from the The Colbert Report star.  

You can see the cover of I Am A Pole (And So Can You!) at Amazon. Above, we’ve embedded a video of Colbert talking about the book: “the inspirational story of a pole trying to find his place in the world.” Both Hanks and Colbert will donate proceeds from the audiobook to U.S. Vets.

The kid’s book began as a comic moment during Colbert’s interview with  came about as a result of a two-part interview with Maurice Sendak.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James debuted on TIME magazine’s TIME 100 list this year, joining comedians turned writers and Steve Jobs’ biographer on the prestigious list.

TIME editor-at-large Brenda Luscombe wrote: “Six months ago she was Erika Leonard, a mother of two who dabbled in saucy stories for the Web. Now she’s E.L. James, publishing phenomenon, whose Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has deeply stirred booksellers, Hollywood and, apparently, many, many mothers. Reading may never be the same.”

The TIME 100 list also included features about Ann Patchett (written by Elizabeth Gilbert), Walter Isaacson (written by Madeleine Albright), Stephen Colbert (written by Garry Trudeau), Chelsea Handler (written by Kathy Griffin), and Asghar Farhadi (written by Richard Corliss).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James debuted on TIME magazine’s TIME 100 list this year, joining comedians turned writers and Steve Jobs’ biographer on the prestigious list.

TIME editor-at-large Brenda Luscombe wrote: “Six months ago she was Erika Leonard, a mother of two who dabbled in saucy stories for the Web. Now she’s E.L. James, publishing phenomenon, whose Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has deeply stirred booksellers, Hollywood and, apparently, many, many mothers. Reading may never be the same.”

The TIME 100 list also included features about Ann Patchett (written by Elizabeth Gilbert), Walter Isaacson (written by Madeleine Albright), Stephen Colbert (written by Garry Trudeau), Chelsea Handler (written by Kathy Griffin), and Asghar Farhadi (written by Richard Corliss).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fun Fact: Remember that Re-Seussification Project I posted?  And how it happened to come out the day before the birthday of the good doctor himself?  Total coincidence.  I had no idea.  At the same time The Lorax has come out in theaters.  Know how I know?  Because every other minute there’s an ad on my television featuring the Lorax.  Seems he’ll sell anything these days.  Chaps my hide.  Chaps Stephen Colbert’s too, I’m happy to report.

Full credit to this next link.  This compilation of Judy Blume pop culture references has earned my respect, partly because it included the two I already knew of (Sawyer reading her book on LOST and the Saturday Night Live skit).  Very fun to watch.

Which, naturally, leads to this.  And I suppose it isn’t workplace appropriate.  But it is sweet.

That was recorded almost half a year ago.  I assume they’ve met by now, yes?  I mean, she is married to a Newbery winner.

I think this is applicable to our usual subject matter today.  After all, I suspect that there are a few authors out there for kids that still use typewriters.  I used one as recently as 2006 in conjunction with my job.  Plus this is a great little piece.

Thanks to Playing By the Book for the link.

I’ve shown the video of Christopher Walken reading The Three Little Pigs before.  This one, though, is new to me.  We never see him who I’m not wholly convinced it’s actually him.  It’s a possibility, though.  A distinct possibility.

Thanks again to Playing By the Book for the link.

And finally, for our off-topic video, what can I say?

Baby otters.

Thanks to Dan McCoy for the link.

As I’m sure many of you heard Jan Berenstain, half of The Berenstain Bears, passed away recently. The Gothamist called us up at NYPL and wondered if we had any Berenstain goodies in our collection. We don’t but we knew who did. You can read their obit here. The SLJ obit is also well worth seeing since they managed to work in that crazy What Dr. Freud Didn’t Tell You book the Berenstains worked on years ago and full credit to Leila at bookshelves of doom for discovering THAT gem. In fact, Leila has posted what may be the cutest picture of the Berenstain humans I’ve ever seen. A-dor-able.

• Meanwhile the good folks at TimeOut Kids New York gave me an impossible challenge: Come up with the Top 50 Best Books for Kids. And while I’m at it, balance the classics with some contemporary stuff. Just to be cheeky I added some nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels and works by people of color. The result is a list you will enjoy but not entirely agree with. I think that that’s sort of the point, don’t you? Everyone has their own list. This one’s mine.

• Let me just put it this way: If I were in the publishing business and I saw this (created by the hugely talented Kate Beaton of Hark, A Vagrant) I would run, not walk, to the nearest cell phone and put in a call with her agent. Stat.

• I think we’ve all seen at least one dead-to-irony Lorax ad by this point, yes? Seems to me that about the time you have a Lorax shilling for SUVs it’s time to throw in the towel. Or, at the very least, to try to wrest the Seuss rights from the widow (fat chance). And we thought the Cat in the Hat movie was the low point! Ha! Rocco Staino translates his disgust into a Huffington Post piece that speculates on what other famous children’s book characters might want to get some lucrative corporate sponsorship going.

• I like illustrator Scott Campbell anyway but when I saw him illustrate the cast of one of my favorite movies, that just clinched it. Check it out. The man does a darn good Elijah Wood.

• Re: Hunger Games, I only advise you to look at Capitol Couture if you have a couple hours to kill. Darn thing sucked me in and was mighty reluctant to let me go. Had to break out the pruning shears to make my escape. True story. Thanks to Marci for the link.

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