Welcome to part three of my four-part retrospective of Sesame Street on the occasion of it hitting the big 4-0. If you missed it, be sure to also check out part one and part two.
As I’ve mentioned before, Sesame Street is everywhere on television and in pop culture (Scrubs, The West Wing, Angel… need I go on?) but it’s pretty safe to say that Sesame Street is just as hip and relevant as the shows that allude to it are. After all, what other program that isn’t news can boast to hosting not one, but two different first ladies? Not only did Michelle Obama recently have a very publicized appearance talking about healthy eating and exercise habits, but Barbara Bush also appeared in the ’80s to promote literacy.
And neither of them are alone. Going through old Sesame Street episodes is like trawling a who’s who of famous people. Musicians, actors, and athletes have all showed up on Sesame Street for various reasons, most of them delightfully goofy and entirely undignified. Frankly, it sort of makes me wish I was famous enough to be on Sesame Street. Not that I have a goal or reason for why I want to be famous, it’s just on my bucket list: “Become famous enough to be on Sesame Street,” right under “become famous enough to be a crossword puzzle clue.” (Again, how will I become famous? Who knows/cares? The important part is that I will be on Sesame Street.)
I have a love/hate relationship going on with James Blunt. Like, I love his songs (off his first album, anyways) and hate his falsetto and admitting that I love his songs. And I think his music videos are kind of terrible. And his falsetto is annoying. And basically it’s an exercise in self-loathing until I remember this bit of magic. How can you feel bad about liking a dude who sings about triangles? I mean, really now.
My street cred and authority is already questionable when I babysit. Not because I’m bad with kids –I’m really good with them, actually. It’s more because I’m usually their height and so while they recognize that I am an authority figure, they also usually like to point out that height-wise, not so much. Normally if I watch toddlers, this is not an issue. Or it wasn’t an issue, until one fine day last fall when I was babysitting our family friends’ twin girls and they watched a DVR’d episode of Sesame Street. My mother, who was watching them with me, spent the entire time rhapsodizing about how the ability to DVR changed the face of child-rearing forever, and I got so excited when Anderson Cooper came on that even though the girls were done and totally bored with Sesame Street, I stayed and laughed the entire time.
And that’s the story of how I became uncool even for two-year-olds.
Holy crap, Billy Crystal was around before When Harry Met Sally, and on Sesame Street of all places. Count my mind as officially boggled.
Since I have two ears, Harvey Fierstein’s voice annoys the piss out of me. But that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize that a) this segment introduces kids to showtunes and b) it’s adorable. Plus it comes CliqueClack staffer recommended, so that’s even more overwhelmingly in its favor.
Tina Fey. As a pirate. Let me repeat that, in case the pure awesome hasn’t sunk in for you. Tina Fey as a pirate.
You’re welcome.
Following up Tina Fey as a pirate is an exceedingly daunting task. Luckily for this sampling, “Harris” came next after “Fey” in the alphabet, so next you get — and brace yourself — Neil Patrick Harris as the singing shoe fairy. Legen … wait for it … dary! (Also, even as the shoe fairy, he suits up. How awesome is that? Super awesome.)
Poor Larry King has had to interview the likes of Paris Hilton, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the letter W is a definite upgrade.
I’ve always had an extreme fondness for Yo Yo Ma (the man lives in Belmont, so what up, fellow Bostonian), who is probably the only cellist that a) I can name and b) I don’t find inherently boring. The fact that he was on Sesame Street playing jazz cello only makes him cooler, as far as I’m concerned, but I probably am the wrong person to be defining “cool.”
Have you ever had a secret yearning to see Picard/Professor X perform slightly modified Shakespearian soliloquies on the second letter of the alphabet? Because if so, say thank you to Sesame Street. Again.
Clacked by Julia Hass 
on Jun 18, 2009 @ 12:30 EST5EDT
