Bill Cosby

1. “He relies on his facial expressions and, more importantly, his voice to add to the story.” -Michelle Mills Bill Cosby My Writer is… A very successful actor, comedian, and writer. He’s the ultimate entertainer. He writes about a lot of his life experiences and writes about lessons he had to learn in order to become the man he is today. He adds so much comedy to his work and it makes it very enjoyable to read. He is not afraid to make fun of anyone (including himself) and isn’t afraid to say what he truly thinks because he’s Bill Cosby. “Bill Cosby is a cultural icon, but these days he's much more than an entertainer. He's an educator and an activist with a powerful message for blacks to take more responsibility for their lives.” -anonymous My writer is like… Chelsea Handler because both write very funny things and both talk about various personal experiences that can turn into a comedic story. Both are not afraid to say what they really think. Both will blatantly say what they think and will cut to the chase. Both are very blunt and too the point, while being hilarious and not caring about what anyone thinks of them, because of what they say. William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at the ”Hungry I” in San Francisco and various other clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own sitcom,,The Bill Cosby show. He was one of the major performers on the children's television seriesThe Electric Company during its first two seasons, and created the educational cartoon comedy series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby also acted in a number of films. During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in one of the decade's defining sitcoms, The Cosby Show, which aired eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. It was the number one show in America for five straight years. The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. He also produced the spin-off sitcom A Different World, which became second to The Cosby Show in ratings. He starred in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons. Cosby has written numerous books about his own life and his own personal experiences with a comedy twist added in. recently he writes about the opportunities for young black boys and advocates for the success of black people. As I read his pieces I thought… How can anyone be this funny? He incorporated a lot of humor in the books he wrote, like Fatherhood,Cosbyologyand many more. I also thought about he was so blunt and dry when it came time for him to spill his beliefs and how he put all of it out there. I was curious if he jut says whatever because he’s famous and beloved by many or because he’s old and doesn’t care what people think about him. Most of all I thought about his viewpoints on life because he is old and can share valuable information on life and I think it can apply to everyone. Bill’s famous 5 subjects: Jokes Family/ friends Black Experiences/ opportunities Values/beliefs Life Lessons

2. Excerpt From “Come On People” by Bill Cosby In 1950, we still feared our parents and respected them. We know that for a fact because we were both in our early teens that year and were both testing our limits. We and the others in our generation weren't saints. We'll be the first to admit that. We were filled with piss and vinegar like many teenage boys—white, black, and otherwise. If we saw something we wanted and didn't have any money—and trust us, few of us ever had money—we thought about taking it, sure. But something called "parenting," something that had wormed its way into our heads from the time we were still in the womb, said to us, If you get caught stealing it, you're going to embarrass your mother. The voice didn't say, You're going to get your butt kicked.We knew that and expected that from experience. No, that inner voice said, You're going to embarrass your mother. You're going to embarrass your family. As we became older and grew more interested in girls, our hormones raged just as boys' hormones rage today. The Internet may be new. Cell phones may be new. But sex, we don't need to tell you, has been around since Adam and Eve. So has shame. We knew that if one of us got a girl pregnant, not only would she have to go visit that famous "aunt in South Carolina," but young Romeo would have to go too, not to South Carolina maybe, but somewhere. It would be too embarrassing for Romeo's family for him to just sit around in the neighborhood with a fat Cheshire cat smile on his face. And there was something else we understood: that girl likely had a daddy in the home. And he'd be prepared to wipe that grin off Romeo's face permanently. This was what parenting was about. It wasn't always pretty, but it could be pretty effective. Parenting works best when both a mother and a father participate. How to write like Bill Cosby: If you want to write like Bill Cosby, all you need is to follow these three steps. First off you have to have a comedic tone. Nearly all of his writing involves some form of comedy that puts a smile on the reader’s face regardless of their mood. Second, you need to incorporate personal experiences in order to get your point across. Again this is very prevalent in all his writing and when he tells a story its specific, so you need to have specific events and make them descriptive. Also you can use those experiences and make them comedic, especially since he does that all the time. Lastly, you need to express your opinion and not care what others will think. He is a very opinionated writer and you need to be one to if you want to write like he does. You need to write it as if only you are reading it, so you can say everything you believe in to make it more like Bill Cosby. Some mothers can do it on their own, but they need help. A house without a father is a challenge. A neighborhood without fathers is a catastrophe, and that's just about what we have today. Can we fix this? Can we change it? We don't have a choice. We have to take our neighborhoods back. We have to go in there and do it ourselves. We saw what happened in New Orleans when people waited for the government to help. "Governments" are things. Governments don't care. People care, and no people care like parents do—well, except maybe grandparents and other caregivers, and thank God for them.