Peanuts Celebrates 60 Years
Saturday, October 2 marks the 60th anniversary of PEANUTS by Charles M. Schulz. First launched in only seven papers, the comic strip now appears in over 2,200 newspapers, in 75 countries and 21 languages. PEANUTS animated specials have become a seasonal tradition and thousands of consumer products are available in virtually all retail channels. Charlie Brown kicking the football, Linus and his blanket and Lucy leaning over Schroeder’s piano are images that live in everyone’s memory. Phrases such as “Security Blanket” and “Good Grief” have become a part of the global vernacular.
To honor the 60th anniversary of PEANUTS and the impact of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz on millions of people worldwide, celebrations have been held across the globe. The yearlong tribute culminates on October 2, the “birth date” of the beloved world of PEANUTS, with some noteworthy events that will be enjoyed by family, friends and fans nationwide.
- A photograph of PEANUTS creator Charles Schulz (1922–2000) will be presented to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in a ceremony for invited guests on October 1. The 1986 photograph, created by acclaimed portraitist Yousuf Karsh, is the Portrait Gallery’s first image of the famed cartoonist. In the image, Schulz is at his drawing board with pen in hand. Before him is a partially completed PEANUTS full-page comic featuring the perennially popular story line in which Lucy snatches the football away from Charlie Brown and sends him hurtling through the air. The photograph, with the accompanying original comic strip, will be on view to the public immediately following the ceremony in the museum’s “New Arrivals” exhibition.
- On October 2, the National Portrait Gallery will host a family-and-friends day with events for all ages: cartooning workshops; a screening of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown ; and guest appearances from Snoopy and Schulz friend Lee Mendelson, executive producer of all the classic PEANUTS specials.
- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will also mark the 60th anniversary of the PEANUTS strip with a case that will feature objects from Schulz, including drawing utensils, an animation cell from the television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and two comic panels that show the cartoon’s progression from rough pencil sketches to finished ink strips beginning October 1.
- Also this month, PEANUTS fans are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their favorite comic strip via the “Countdown to the Great Pumpkin” (www.greatpumpkincountdown.com) game. This online social media game invites Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Foursquare and YouTube users to join the Anniversary fun by completing a series of daily PEANUTS-themed “to-dos” from early September through Halloween. Players earn points for each task completed—such as sharing a PEANUTS quote with their friends or followers, or changing their profile picture to that of a PEANUTS character—and the winner will take home a special PEANUTS-loaded iPad and have a shot at an extra $25,000. Weekly winners receive prizes throughout the contest and members of the Schulz family—including Charles Schulz’s son Craig, daughter Jill, and widow, Jeannie—are playing along, offering their own PEANUTS memories and suggesting some of the daily to-dos.
Photo: FOX/Twitter.com/dizzyfeet
Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler Take Their Places At ‘American Idol’ Judges’ Table
For those wondering what it will look like when Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler take their spots next to Randy Jackson at the judges’ table on “American Idol” next season, Nigel Lythgoe is giving fans a sneak peek. On Tuesday, the “Idol” executive producer tweeted a photo of the new lineup.
The photo was taken at auditions in New Jersey, and in it Lythgoe seems to be directing Tyler, Lopez and Jackson, who all sit at their rightful spots at the judges’ table, as host Ryan Seacrest stands by. “It’s great to be back on American Idol,” Lythgoe wrote. “The judges were great.”
Earlier in the day, Lythgoe noted that the newbie judges were in a similar emotional state as many of the show’s singing hopefuls.
“On my way to New Jersey for Season Ten’s first audition in front of the new Judges,” he shared. “Good luck to everyone & remember, they’ll be nervous too. Very damp and gray here in New Jersey. Good luck to everyone auditioning today. Make sure you bring the ‘sunshine.’ We are just putting the final touches to the ‘set’ and lighting. The judges should be arriving in a moment. Outside is getting darker. Rain?”
So what sorts of judging styles will Lopez and Tyler bring to the show? “How tough will I be? I believe in tough love,” Lopez said. “But I don’t think I will ever, as an artist myself, I could never be cruel to another artist,” she added. “I think there are definitely better ways to get your point across. I’ve mentored on the show before, so I think people have seen that and kinda can feel how I’ll be — or maybe they’ll be surprised.”
As for Tyler, he said, “We’re sure going to send some people home with broken hearts. But with all that we’ve been through in our careers, living vicariously through the young talent out there, it’s going to be hard. But it’s also going to be fun, because they’re stepping up to the plate, and so are we.”
Photo Adam Rose/FOX
Britney Goes ‘Glee
Britney Spears helped “Glee” unleash its inner sexpot on Tuesday night (Sept. 28), as the show’s long-anticipated “Britney/Brittany” episode finally aired and saw the cast perform everything from “Toxic to “I’m a Slave 4 U” and more.
The premise: Kurt and his fellow glee club members are lobbying to perform Spears’ music, but Mr. Schuester rejects the idea, suggesting that the pop star’s musical impact hasn’t been all that significant. His view is surprisingly supported by Brittany, who reveals that her name is Brittany S. Pierce and says, “I’ve lived my entire life under Britney Spears’ shadow.”
Brittany changes her tune quickly, though, once she goes to see Dr. Carl Howell, a dentist (played by debuting guest star John Stamos) who also happens to be Emma’s new love interest since she broke up with Mr. Schue. As Carl gives Brittany a dose of anesthesia, the Cheerio dozes off into a Spears-fueled fantasy that finds her recreating the sexy dance moves of the “I’m a Slave 4 U” music video and donning some of the singer’s most iconic outfits, from her python-accessorized MTV VMA look to the sparkly nude stocking from her “Toxic” clip.
The fantasy is so alluring that Brittany goes back to the dentist for more, and this time she brings along her gal pal Santana. The pals recreates Britney and Madonna’s duet “Me Against the Music,” and it’s here that the real Spears make her first cameo to tell Brittany that she’s “sweet.” Back at school, the Cheerio tells everyone that she’s been changed forever: “Now I realize what a powerful woman I truly am…It’s Britney, bitch.”
