Bill Cosby

Toward the end of Jamie Foxx's show Sunday night at the Borgata, he came on stage in an elaborate production number looking, acting and performing like Ray Charles. The skit represented the convergence of all of the different facets of Jamie Foxx - the film and TV actor, the musician with the sense of history and exuberant style, and, yes, the comedian, since many in the audience were in hysterics at Foxx's dead-on impression of Charles. At the beginning of the show, Foxx uttered the phrase that, on more than one level, underlines, to the man himself and to many of his fans, his guiding philosophy as an entertainer: "I'm an Oscar winner . . . but I'm a n- too!"

I FOUND IT somewhat ironic that Bill Cosby, while preaching to his admirerers last week, would use the phrase "put a body on them" to describe how to handle some of their out-of-control children. If nothing else, at least Mr. Cosby is consistent. It seems to be the same policy he used while dealing with many of his female associates. John B. Hall Philadelphia

For most kids, moving from watching Sesame Street to tuning into The Electric Company was a pretty big deal. One day, it was cute, fuzzy puppets explaining rudimentary relationships with letters, numbers and morals. Then the next day, with help from an astounding cast, the way words and numbers were used became more complex, the music was funkier, and for the first time, hints of irony and sarcasm crept into TV skits for children. The first Best of The Electric Company DVD came out earlier this year, and we wanted to write about it. With the second volume hitting shelves this week, we are making amends.

Bill Cosby and the former Temple University employee who accused the entertainer of drugging and groping her "have resolved their differences," and the woman's civil lawsuit against him has been dismissed, according to a statement released yesterday. Details were not disclosed. The two-sentence release from attorneys in the case said simply that Cosby and Andrea Constand "have resolved their differences, and, therefore, the litigation has been dismissed pursuant to local court rule.

John Chaney was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. Yesterday, he was back with Temple University and an old friend to have a good old time. The Hall of Fame unveiled a special exhibit honoring Temple as well as Coach Chaney, who attended the event with longtime friend and comedian Bill Cosby. Chaney and Cosby revealed one display at center court of the Hall of Fame as current Temple coach Fran Dunphy and athletic director Bill Bradshaw unveiled the other.

Lettice Campbell, whose daughter was graduating yesterday from Camden's Hatch Middle School, appreciates frank talk. So when surprise guest Bill Cosby told students that they'd be "a nobody living amongst nobodies" if they didn't work hard to use their brains and "become geniuses," she gave him a nod. "He's good," Campbell said in the school's half-empty auditorium. "He talks to them on their level so they can understand. It's the best awards ceremony I've been to. " Cosby appeared at what many thought would be simply a morning awards ceremony for Hatch students who are moving on to high schools.

For generations of African Americans, Cooley High, the 1975 coming-of-age drama about high school friends living in impoverished Chicago in the '60s, was one of the few films that reflected their realities. With streetwise dialogue and a Motown soundtrack, Cooley High was their American Graffiti, their Breakfast Club. So it was particularly unsettling to read that Eric Monte, who wrote Cooley High and cocreated the '70s sitcom Good Times, was living in a homeless shelter near East L.A., recovering from a series of strokes and crack addiction.

'Is there some kind of conspiracy to get the black male?" That question, asked by Philadelphia Urban League president Patricia A. Coulter in an Inquirer article Sunday, has been thought, if not spoken, by others. Genocide has even been used to describe what is happening to black men. They die younger and faster than most U.S. demographics, often as a result of violence. Yet the lack of public policies to specifically address the problems of black men nationally raises another question: Who cares?

For fish-in-a-barrel humor opportunities, you probably won't be able to top Khasro Goran's visit to Philadelphia. Goran, you see, is leading a three-person delegation from Iraq, in town to learn about . . . drumroll, please . . . good government. He's here because he befriended a Philadelphian who served in an Army Reserve civil-affairs unit that helped administer Iraq's first municipal elections. The reservist, Pat Dugan, was until last month a lawyer in the office of City Councilman Rick Mariano, who's been in federal custody since a corruption conviction last week.

A federal judge ruled yesterday that comedian Bill Cosby - in response to a sexual-assault suit - will have to answer questions about alleged sexual affairs and use of prescription and controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno's order provided the first hint that the case may extend beyond the 10 anonymous women who have been named as "Jane Doe" witnesses in court documents. Robreno wrote in his 27-page ruling that Cosby would have to answer questions about other alleged "victims of sexual misconduct by defendant beyond the already self-identified . . . Jane Doe witnesses.