A Star-Studded Week

One of the great things about going to Penn is that prominent speakers and celebrities are always coming to campus! Last week I set aside some time to forget about all of my reading and writing and had the opportunity to see not one, but TWO of my favorite TV stars - Matthew Perry and Bill Cosby!

Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry is best known for playing the sarcastic Chandler Bing on the show "Friends", which just so happens to be my favorite television show of all time! I own all ten seasons on DVD and have seen every episode AT LEAST ten times! (My sister and I are champions of obscure "Friends" trivia!) If you haven't seen the show before, you're really missing out! If you need thirty minutes or three hours of entertainment look it up on YouTube or Netflix, or just turn on any one of the five channels that plays re-runs of the show. Matthew Perry is also the star of the more recently cancelled show "Go On" (or "goon" as my dad likes to call it) about a man who is attending a grief counseling group after his wife passes away. The show was really good, but evidently the network didn't agree...

Matthew was here at Penn to talk about his prior struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. Nearly a decade later, he is able to spin his natural sarcastic humor into the situation, but the primary message of his speech was clear - Addiction is not something that you should be ashamed of or try to hide. He encourages people to speak up and get help for themselves rather than trying to hide their problems. He was really inspirational and his impact as an activist is evident through his work with various organizations and the federal government.

Dr. Bill Cosby

I had the chance to see Bill Cosby - a Philadelphia-native and Temple University alum - speak at the Palestra (the arena on campus where the basketball team plays) after the men's basketball tip-off last Saurday which was also amazing! I grew up watching re-runs of the Cosby show and have always thought Bill Cosby was hilarious! (I especially like his old sweaters!) He's doing a tour for his new book so he talked a lot about being a parent, dealing with your children, and specifically recounted stories from his daughter's time in college. It was incredible to see a legend like Bill Cosby in person!
*Bonus fact for all of us education folks: Bill Cosby has an Ed.D. (doctorate of education) from UMass-Amherst!

My advice for all you future Quakers out there - take advantage of all the events and speakers that Penn offers! I don't know when I'll ever have the opportunity to see Chandler Bing or Cliff Huxtable again so I'm glad I did it now! I can't wait to see who will show up later in the school year!!