In Soviet Russia...Degree Masters You

Comedian Yakov Smirnoff finishing master’s degree in positive psychology
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — It’s no joke — standup comedian Yakov Smirnoff is getting an Ivy League graduate degree in psychology.
What a country!
Smirnoff, who is also working on a new humour-and-self-help book titled, Living Happily Ever Laughter, is finishing up his master’s degree in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Smirnoff told The Philadelphia Inquirer he plans to use his newfound knowledge in his act and his books to create what he calls the Age of Enlaughterment — a period when love and laughter heal psychic scars.
In his Cold War heyday, the Ukranian-born comedian appeared with Robin Williams in the movie Moscow on the Hudson and was invited to perform at the White House.
Smirnoff, 55, says he plays 230 shows for 250,000 fans a year. Thirteen years ago, he built his own theatre in Branson, Mo.
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On the Net:
http://www.yakov.com
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu