Coming in at number five we have none other than:
Bill Cosby
Origin: William Henry Cosby, Jr. (born July 12, 1937 Philadelphia, PA.) Left high school without earning his diploma and joined the U.S. Navy in 1956. While enlisted he passed a high school equivalency exam, and after his discharge he received an athletic scholarship to Temple University in Philadelphia in 1961. During his sophomore year he left Temple to entertain at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, New York City, where he began to establish a trademark comedic style characterized by a friendly and accessible stage persona and a relaxed, carefully timed delivery that put white people at ease. During the 1960s Cosby toured major U.S. and Canadian cities, as he gained popularity he commanded higher performance fees. In 1965 he stared in the espionage series I Spy (1965-68) playing the black sidekick to Robert Culp, making him the first black actor to perform in a starring dramatic role on network television.
Cosby's subsequent projects for television included the series of Bill Cosby Specials (1968-71, 1975), the situation comedy The Bill Cosby Show (1969-71), the variety show The New Bill Cosby Show (1972-73), and the successful cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-84, 1989). By 1984 Cosby had infiltrated the system to a such an extent that he the power to produce a show in where a successful black doctor was married to a equally successful black woman lawyer and support a family of 5 in Brooklyn. The Cosby Show convinced white people that black folks could be just as normal as they could.
First Appearance: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (1963)
Powers: Lots and lots of money, and good public speaking skills.
Potential for Danger: If Cosby became more militant he would not be the most dangerous, but he would certainly make more of a dent in the system. Bill Cosby is one of the few wealthy black men in America who actively gives back to the community, by sending countless young men and women to college. In the 1990's he made an attempt to buy NBC. If that deal went through Arsenio Hall would still be on late night TV til today. Imagine what the progaming would have been like. I'll tell you one thing the casts of Friends and Seinfeld would have been a little more colorful. Today Cosby's message is one of self improvement and reinforcing education. Imagine if black people actually listened to what he's saying and acted upon it? The results would be astounding.
Weaknesses: Loose women and jello pudding, in that order.
Group Affiliations: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.
5 comments:
Hasn't Cosby been militant lately? He talked about black kids not being able to speak English, and said some harsh things about parenting. That's pretty hard core.
Cosby is only number five. I'm trying to create a "What If" type scenario in where we imagine the people on my list turn militant over night.
Re: Cosby owning NBC: It wouldn't turn NBC into a Benetton ad, for a reason you gave as one of his powers - money. Arsenio wouldn't be on the air; he wouldn't make as much money. Friends wouldn't be black; it would be throwing away a ton of money. No one is color blind to green.
Cosby seems like a very hands on type of guy. If Cosby did end up buying NBC I don't think a show like Friends would even be on the air. Back in the 80's Cosby was all about promoting positive images of black people so I disagree.
RE: Aresenio Hall being on late night TV. I don't think that would have happened Cosby would have probably kept Johnny around a little longer after all Johnny gave him his start.
"Weaknesses: Loose women and jello pudding, in that order."
Sounds like he has his priorities straight.
-Some Guy
Post a Comment