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Live Programming & Events

Go Fact Yourself LIVE with Cory Doctorow and Aida Rodriguez

Thursday, June 20, 2024
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • The Crawford, 474 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena
$0-$20
A promotional graphic with faint circles and a line pattern on a black background with circle icons that show a question mark, a brain icon, a microphone, and a lightbulb. The overlaying text reads, "Go Fact Yourself LIVE with special guests Cory Doctorow and Aida Rodriguez". In 4 circles are headshots of each of the two hosts, J. Keith Straaten a white male and Helen Hong an Asian female, and the two guests, Cory Doctorow a white male and Aida Rodriguez, a brown tone female.
Upcoming Go Fact Yourself live event
(
LAist Design
/
Go Fact Yourself
)

Go Fact Yourself – “the podcast where we quiz the smartest celebrities we know, and find out why they love what they love” – is back at The Crawford! The show will be recorded as a podcast, but you'll be able to see and hear it weeks before the rest of the world.

Hosts J. Keith van Straaten (he/him) and guest co-host Helen Hong (she/her) will welcome science fiction author and journalist Cory Doctorow (he/him) and comedian, writer, actor and author Aida Rodriguez (she/her), plus super-secret special experts to try to stump them in their self-proclaimed areas of expertise.

Register for free for general admission or reserve a guaranteed seat for $20. Concessions available starting at 6 p.m.
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ABOUT CORY DOCTOROW
Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently THE BEZZLE (a followup to RED TEAM BLUES) and THE LOST CAUSE, a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. His most recent nonfiction book is THE INTERNET CON: HOW TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF COMPUTATION, a Big Tech disassembly manual. Other recent books include RED TEAM BLUES, a science fiction crime thriller; CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM, nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; the LITTLE BROTHER series for young adults; IN REAL LIFE, a graphic novel; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

ABOUT AIDA RODRIGUEZ
Aida Rodriguez is a comedian, writer, actor and author—a favorite of critics and fans alike. Esquire Magazine declared of her, “This is Rodriguez's genius—using comedy to turn pain into progress, to give voice to the voiceless, and to laugh instead of cry.” Aida's comedy special “Fighting Words” is streaming on HBO Max and she was a standout on the Netflix, Tiffany Haddish produced hit series, “They Ready.”

She is a key collaborator on the platform’s HBO Entre Nos franchise, which features the brightest up-and-coming comedy talent. Aida was not only a breakout star of the series early in her career, she also recently stepped behind the camera to direct its current batch of specials. She is a guest writer for Buzzfeed and Oprah Daily as well as a regular commentator on The Young Turks. Her Harper Collins memoir “Legitimate Kid” was just released and is making its rounds with critics and the everyday people she wrote it for.

ABOUT J. KEITH VAN STRAATEN
J. Keith van Straaten is a content producer/writer for TV game shows, including The Hustler, Master Minds, Funny You Should Ask and In the USA Today, and wrote trivia questions for Bally Sports. He was also a longtime senior writer on NPR’s Ask Me Another.

Previously, he wrote many of the games on GSN’s Chain Reaction and the iPhone trivia app Arena. He created and hosted the live matchmaking show The Fix-Up Show, as well as hosting What’s My Line? – Live On Stage and Comedy Central’s Beat The Geeks.

J. Keith has appeared on Best Week Ever, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Beverly Hills, 90210, and a deleted scene in Gilmore Girls.

As a journalist, J. Keith has written about COVID and comedy for the Los Angeles Times, points and miles for ThePointsGuy.com, and theatre for tdf Stages magazine.

J. Keith has two cats and is an avid Angels fan.

ABOUT HELEN HONG
A fan favorite on the hit NPR podcast Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Helen Hong also co-hosts the celebrity trivia game show podcast Go Fact Yourself. Helen's acting credits include roles on Never Have I Ever, Silicon Valley, the Jennifer Garner Christmas movie Family Switch, and 5 seasons of The Thundermans on Nickelodeon.

A long-time touring standup comedian, Helen's comedy special Well Hong was co-produced by Comedy Dynamics and Tribeca Film Festival, and is streaming now on Amazon Prime & Apple TV+. Audiences love Helen's lightning quick crowdwork which can be seen on her Instagram and TikTok @funnyhelenhong.

A breast cancer survivor, Helen makes light of her cancer experience (and her "fresh new boobies") onstage. She also brings light to Asian-American issues with her family's YouTube channel "Old Korean Dad Stories."

If you bring Helen a Topo Chico and a mini Snickers bar, she will love you FOREVER.

ACCOMMODATIONS
LAist is committed to providing access and accommodation for individuals with disabilities at our events. To request accommodations, please email events@laist.com or call us at (626) 583-5222 at least 7 days in advance of the event.
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