A most scrumtrulescent birthday to James Lipton!

[Cue James Lipton's voice]

On this day in September, in the year Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-Six, right here in Michigan... MAGIC HAPPENED. An artist was born in Detroit that would rival Leonardo DaVinci or Michelangelo.

But his tools would not be pen. Nor brush. Nor chisel. Nor palette. His tools would be an enduring devotion to enunciation and HIS SOUL.

So please, a moment, for the greatest performer to have ever graced this earth: JAMES LIPTON.

And to his essential sidekick, the CUE CARD.

And to his sense of humor.

"No, no. It was brilliant. No, no, no, no. There is no word to describe its perfection. So I'm forced to make one up. And I'm going to do so right now: SCRUMTRULESCENT."

[End cue]

Lipton grew up in Detroit,

worked as a copy boy for The Detroit Times,

as an actor for the Catholic Theatre of Detroit,

and went to Wayne State (go Tartars!). 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lipton. I gotta believe Will Ferrell owes part of his career to you.