A Charlie Brown Christmas Reunion: Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, Charleeeee

charlie brown as louie

Charlie Brown is always hot this time of year, making his story ripe for both a modern animated update and a Saturday Night Live reinterpretation of a famous Peanuts play. First, the folks at Animation Domination High Def created “A Charlie Brown Christmas Reunion,” imaging Charlie Brown returning to visit the Peanuts gang as an adult.

The video makes the connection that the child Charlie Brown we knew might grow up to be someone like Louis C.K.’s character in Louie, even copying the opening credits sequence from that show. And we have already seen Lincoln as Louie, so why not Charlie Brown?

This weekend, Saturday Night Live did its own interpretation of Peanuts by presenting an ad for a stage production of “You’re a Rat Bastard, Charlie Brown.” The segment imagines a Brooklyn version of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

In SNL’s reinterpretation of Peanuts, Al Pacino (Bill Hader) stars as Charlie Brown, with Guest Host Martin Short doing a spot-on Larry David playing Linus. Check it out.

What did you think of these new Charlie Brown versions? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Charlie Brown Returns to the Big Screen
  • When Is My Favorite Holiday Special or Film on TV?
  • A Three-Legged Dog & the Wisdom of “Louie”
  • “Louie” Returns For a New Season
  • “We’ve Got Another Holiday to Worry About”
  • Mahalia Jackson: “Silent Night”

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    In a School, a School, a Place Where We Send Our Precious Children

    So sad, so sad the news
    Come our way this morning;
    Like a bad bad dream,
    A dream that you’d never even talk about;
    In a school, a school
    A place where we send our precious children;
    The only place of innocence the world might ever let them know.

    kidsprayer

    As another heart-breaking story breaks today about a person with a gun shooting kids in a school right after there was another person shooting people in a mall, we see the usual pattern of questions being asked. How many? Who? Why? While we will eventually get some answers on the first two questions, we never find an answer for the last question.

    On days like this, I find some comfort in Dan Bern‘s beautiful song, “Kid’s Prayer.” In the song — written after the Thurston High School shooting in Springfield, Oregon in June 1998 — Bern asks the questions about what leads to such random violence but ultimately concludes that the only thing we can do comes down to taking care of our kids the best we can.

    There are things you know,
    Your kids will never know;
    There’s places they live,
    Where you will never go;
    So dance with your kids,
    Paint with your kids,
    Walk with your kids . . .

    The above Dan Bern performance is from Housing Works on March 26, 2004, available for free download at archive.org. And you may watch the video directed by Peter Franchella below.

    Be safe and hug your loved ones today.

    Leave your two cents in the comments. Picture via Copilot.

  • “The Voice” Brings Out Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” For Sandy Hook Tribute
  • Did That Voice Inside You Say I’ve Heard It All Before?
  • Dan Bern: “Merle, Hank, and Johnny”
  • Limitless Barry Bonds in the Asterisk Nation

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    2012 in Pop

    This mash-up “Pop Danthology 2012” puts together the pop hits of 2012. The music and video was put together by Daniel Kim. Yes, “Gangnam Style” makes an appearance. Check it out.

    It is interesting how well all of the songs work together seamlessly to sound like one song. Kim explains how he put together the music and video on his blog.

    What was your favorite song from 2012? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Every Number 1 Song

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    Paul McCartney & Members of Nirvana: “Cut Me Some Slack”

    The big story leading up the the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief last night was the news that Paul McCartney was going to play with the surviving members of Nirvana — Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear.  Although it might have first seemed like an odd pairing, remember that McCartney and the Beatles recorded songs like “Helter Skelter.”  Anyway, if you missed the performance, here the group plays a new song, “Cut Me Some Slack.”

    In addition to appearing on the concert’s soundtrack, “Cut Me Some Slack” will appear in Grohl’s upcoming film, Sound City Movie.

    What do you think of the performance?  Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Paul McCartney Carries that Weight at 2012 Grammys
  • Why Did Stephen Colbert Sing “Jump Up” With Elvis Costello on the Final “Late Show”?
  • The Latest and Last Beatles Song: “Now and Then”
  • Ringo Starr Records a John Lennon Song (with a little help from Paul McCartney)
  • “MTV Unplugged” Begins
  • Paul McCartney & Bruce Springsteen: “I Saw Her Standing There”
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    Buy from Amazon

    Pop Culture Roundup for December 2012

    Travolta Newton-John Christmas Amazon In case you were too busy getting ready for the holidays or trying to avoid a fiscal cliff the last few weeks, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed.

    — Movies —

    The Atlantic featured production storyboards from 15 beloved films.

    What if there were an animated series called “Clockwork Orange Babies“? Here’s what the promo posters would look like.

    The “Honest Trailer” for The Dark Knight Rises was released. Even though I liked the movie, the “Honest Trailer” is funny and captures a number of plot issues. (Thanks @PopcornJunkies.)

    Dan Aykroyd on Ghostbusters 3 in Esquire. (Thanks @ravenval.)

    Clerks III will be Kevin Smith’s last movie.

    — Music —

    The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are Albert King, Donna Summer, Heart, Public Enemy, Randy Newman, and Rush.

    E Online wrote about the 5 Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2013 Grammy Nominations.

    Eddie Van Halen remembered how he came to work on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’

    Q&A: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham Revealed Lingering Tensions in Fleetwood Mac.

    Radiohead’s Thom Yorke will release his new album February 25.

    A new book tells the story of the band the Smiths.

    Popdose chose its Best Pop And Rock Albums of 2012

    Read about the Monkee Magic of Micky Dolenz at Popdose.

    Actor James Franco has released a music video.

    Watch a video of Moses vs. Santa, Featuring Snoop Dogg.

    A couple broke up and then decided to sing about it.

    Kinky Friedman on Folk Music, Politics, Mass Murder, and His Bipolar Tour. (from No Depression)

    Beck is trying to revive the days of singing ‘round the piano.

    The A.V. Club wrote about how Townes Van Zandt’s song “Lungs” veers from platonic epistemology to magical realism. I can’t explain what that means. You’ll have to read the article.

    And then there is the strange new John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John holiday song video.

    Here is a list of the best (and best-worst) of new Christmas music.

    Batmobile Amazon — Television —

    Check out an interview with Martin Short about his upcoming return to Saturday Night Live as host.

    The original 1966 Batmobile is going up for auction.

    The Walking Dead took top honors at the Spike VGAs.

    David Chase talked about The Sopranos and that maddening finale.

    By chance, Newt Gingrich happened into a guest appearance on Parks and Recreation.

    Vanity Fair features an oral history of the awesome one-season series Freaks & Geeks.

    — Other Pop Culture News —

    Stephen Colbert is not going to be appointed to the Senate. But actress Ashley Judd may run for the U.S. Senate.

    Star Trek‘s George Takei is coming to Riverdale in Archie Comics’ Kevin Keller books.

    The Pope (@pontifex) is joining Twitter.

    Finally, the “IKEA Monkey” — a little monkey in a coat found outside an IKEA — became in Internet sensation and started a meme.

    What is your favorite recent pop culture story? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • This Week in Pop Culture Roundup (Nov. 5, 2011)
  • Willie Nelson & Ray Charles: Who are the “Seven Spanish Angels”?
  • Pop Culture Roundup (for Early February 2012)
  • Groundhog Day (and Ghostbusters?) 2012
  • Pop Culture Roundup (Mid-January 2012)
  • Why Did Stephen Colbert Sing “Jump Up” With Elvis Costello on the Final “Late Show”?

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