Did You Know?

We have all heard the phrase, “You learn something new every day”, and I would have to agree with this statement for the most part.  Life is chocked full of learning experiences, but that doesn’t mean that everything you learn will be useful – learning how to walk is important, finding out that “jiffy” is an actual unit of time (1/100th of second) isn’t.  While the first type of learning is important and essential to life, I actually prefer mundane, useless tidbits of information that can be picked up on a daily basis.  Here are a few things that I learned this week that are far from groundbreaking, but they still brought a smile to my face:

• Do the Puddin’ Pop -  Bill Cosby is an internationally known comic/actor who has been in the entertainment business for well over 40 years.  He was the central figure in iconic programs like Fat Albert and The Cosby Show, had top selling comedy albums like Bill Cosby: Himself, and pushed products like Kodak, Coke, and Jell-O.  Throughout all of this, Cosby maintained his family man image and accomplished everything without the use of vulgar language.  Which makes the news that he is coming out with a rap album seem somewhat peculiar.  That’s right, Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnerati: State of Emergency was released on iTunes this past Tuesday, and will sit on music store shelves nationwide beginning November 24th.  Whereas other rappers are making millions from songs about bling and pimpin’, Cosby’s profanity-free album will focus on issues like proper parenting, teen pregnancy, and the importance of flossing every day – ok, I made that last one up, but it wouldn’t surprise me.  This will be Cosby’s 35th album, and I will venture a guess and say it will be his worst seller to date.  If November is too long of a wait, you can go to his website to download the full album, or listen to the first three tracks for free.  I hope it’s as good as the Pokemon rap he released a while back, but I have my doubts.
• A Creed That Doesn’t Suck - I have said on here a few times that NBC’s The Office is one of my favorite shows – even though this season has been less than stellar so far.  While Steve Carrell is credited as being the star of the series, I would say the secondary characters are what drives the show’s success.  My personal favorite happens to be Creed Bratton, the tactless quality assurance director who is played by Creed Bratton.  I knew the character had the same name as the actor portraying him, but I didn’t know that it was a role loosely based on his life as a 60′s folk rock star.  That’s right, Creed was born into a family of musicians in Los Angeles, picked up the guitar at age 13, and was a professional musician by age 17.  He joined a group called the Young Californians in the 60′s, and they would go on to tour Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.  In 1966, he returned to the US and began playing guitar with the third incarnation of a group called The Grass Roots; the group would attain their first Top 10 hit with Bratton, and would also set a record for being on the Billboard charts for 307 consecutive weeks.  Bratton was asked to leave the band in 1969, because he felt they had abandoned their folk rock roots for a chart-friendly, pop sound.  Creed continues to play music in his free time, and has released four solo albums since 2001.  Here is a look back at Scranton’s finest in the prime of his life (he perfoms a seven second solo from 1:49-1:56):