People think that I chose the books for Reading Rainbow, but that’s not entirely true. A man named Stewart Jacobson was responsible for many of the titles that we used from week to week. Mr. Jacobson, however, was convicted of several white collar crimes and sentenced to 8 years in a minimum security prison. Our producer, Don Feldman, decided it would be best if I took all the credit for book choices, and so I did. But I won’t say I felt right about it. [Tips hat to (now deceased) Stewart Jacobson.]
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I was originally cast to play Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, not Geordi LaForge. But I had a terrible reaction to the silver paint. I was nervous since my early struggles with acne had been the source of much of my teenage depression. I suggested a blind character to Gene Roddenberry, with a twist that he wear a pair of futuristic sunglasses, allowing him to see. The irony, which any fan will tell you, however, was that I could hardly see in those sunglasses. [Tips hat to (now deceased) Ray Charles.]
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After Roots aired people started saying MC instead of Master of Ceremonies. I’d like to think that I had a hand in changing the American lexicon for the better. That’s what I tell myself sometimes when I think that people forget about slavery. [Tips hat to Young MC.]
