You know, when a party has a guest list that includes Kermit the Frog, the Black Eyed Peas, Retta, and Raven-Symoné, it’s going to be a good time. It’s only made better by the fact that these folks have teamed up to celebrate one of the most popular children’s shows of all time: Schoolhouse Rock!
To celebrate its golden anniversary, ABC brought the educational series back with a new special that aired Wednesday night. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the Schoolhouse Rock! The 50th Anniversary singalong featured familiar faces singing beautifully catchy classics like “I’m Just a Bill” (sung by Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen in full costume) and “Figure Eight” (accompanied by a classic dance number performed by Derek Hough). ).
While neither number lived up to the retro animation style of the 1970s series, it was nice to see the timeless tunes being adapted for a more contemporary audience. I fear for the wear and tear of my old schoolhouse skirt! VHS tapes – I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to keep them safe and secure – so pressing play on an ABC special allowed me to relive my childhood memories without ruining them.
One of the cutest performances came midway through the special, with the lesser-known song “Unpack Your Adjectives.” The novelty here was the performer: Kermit the Frog joins in to sing the song to a room full of students. What a wonderful crossover; The Muppet Show meets Schoolhouse Rock!
There’s another crossover when Lisa Ann Walter and Quinta Brunson from the Abbott Elementary set step in to celebrate the series’ legacy. Now get Bluey out of there – we need an episode of Abbott where the students are all obsessed with “Conjunction Junction,” Walter’s favorite schoolhouse rock! Song.
But by far the best moment came at the end of the special. About halfway through the celebration, we got a taste of the Black Eyed Peas as they sang “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla” — which, in case you don’t remember, is all about the use of pronouns — but they also got the final bill . The trio aptly sang “Three Is A Magic Number” and even changed the lyrics to suit their group: “Black Eyed Peas are made up of three and that’s a magic number.” (Sorry, Fergie.)
However, some of the numbers were botched. So if you want to watch the sing-alongs, I highly recommend finding clips on YouTube. Julianne Hough tried to reach for the sky with her rendition of “Interplanet Janet” but she fell with a crash – we’ll need a better diva to pull this off next time. The whole show was cheesy, with young dancers dancing around like they were in a Broadway production of The Prom. You better stick with Kermit and the Black Eyed Peas.
But all in all, it’s nice that ABC put together a special for one of their best educational programs, especially to keep the memory alive as new people discover Schoolhouse Rock! The series is dedicated to the memory of George Newall, one of the show’s original creators, a touching tribute to the legacy of the series as a whole and the brilliant minds behind it.
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