- published: 21 Jan 2016
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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 various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the situation comedy The Bill Cosby Show. He was one of the major characters on the children's television series The Electric Company for 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 has also acted in a number of films.
During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in what is considered to be one of the decade's defining sitcoms, The Cosby Show, which aired eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. 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.
Mark Charles Ebner (born 1959) is an American investigative journalist and the host of TruTV's Rich and Reckless. Ebner writes primarily about issues in the Los Angeles area, including pit bull fighting in South Central, Scientology, and celebrity scandal. He has covered celebrity culture for Spy, Rolling Stone, Details, and Salon.com. He has been featured as a guest or contributor on VH1, The Daily Show, South Park, CourtTV, and Fox News.
Ebner graduated from Bard College in 1982, where he edited the Bard Times.
In 2002 he co-authored Ain't It Cool?: Hollywood's Redheaded Stepchild Speaks Out with Harry Knowles. With Andrew Breitbart, he wrote the New York Times and Los Angeles Times 2005 best-seller Hollywood, Interrupted. In early 2006, Ebner joined Tucker Max's Rudius Media as a blogger and celebrity journalist.
Ebner was a consultant on South Park's controversial Trapped in the Closet episode that was eventually nominated for an Emmy Award.
In mid-2007, Ebner broke that actor and activist Sean Penn was frequenting a Hawaiian resort in the center of a controversial debate between natives and visitors over an ancestral burial ground. Ebner also broke an investigative story implicating Bill Cosby on allegations of sexual assault, a story that People Magazine originally planned to publish, but buried.
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedienne, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family Vacations.
Raised Roman Catholic, O'Donnell lost her mother to cancer as a pre-teen and has stressed the importance of protecting children and supporting families throughout her career. O'Donnell started her comedy career while still a teenager and her big break was on the talent show Star Search in 1984. A TV sitcom and a series of movies introduced her to a larger national audience and in 1996 she started hosting The Rosie O'Donnell Show which won multiple Emmy awards.
During her years on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, she wrote her first book, a memoir called Find Me and developed the nickname "Queen Of Nice" as well as a reputation for philanthropic efforts. She used the book's $3 million advance to establish her own For All Kids foundation and promoted other charity projects encouraging other celebrities on her show to also take part. O'Donnell came out stating "I'm a dyke!" two months before finishing her talk show run, saying that her primary reason was to bring attention to gay adoption issues. O'Donnell is a foster—and adoptive—mother. She has since continued to support many LGBT causes and issues.