New York, May 19-21 – America’s breakfast-mate Katie Couric delivered the commencement address at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The Today Show host told the 250 graduates that unlike television, they were forced to listen to her -“You can’t change the channel on me”, she quipped. Couric said that despite her celebrity status, she wants to be known more for what’s in her head than for what’s on it. (Ironically, the comment made everyone stare at her cap…) She’s put her brains and fame to good use, noting that the colorectal cancer initiative she started has resulted in a 20% increase in testing for the disease. The response has been so great that someone mailed her a photograph of his colon. “What’s next, stool samples?” she wondered.

Health care is honorable, but since our highly talented offspring will no doubt be the toast of La Scala, Broadway and Hollywood (probably all three), we were thrilled that Dame Judi Dench addressed Julliard School graduates on Thursday. We snagged the British actress’s business card so that we can contact her for that letter of recommendation as soon as Junior learns to talk.