The tradition of the biggest names in entertainment appearing on Sesame Street continues with Season 52 of Sesame Street, including Billie Eilish, tennis star Naomi Osaka, Emmy-winning pianist and composer Jon Batiste and more.

In this marvelous piece from the new season airing on HBO Max, Billie Eilish sits with the Count and sings about counting to two.

In the new season, shot during the height of the pandemic, Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, Jon Batiste and Anderson .Paak will sing some new songs with Elmo, Abby and the gang, with tennis star Naomi Osaka and poet Amanda Gorman also set to make guest appearances.

Jon Batiste will sing a pandemic-inspired rendition of the show’s classic tune “People In Your Neighborhood” and .Paak will perform a song for a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day episode. Additionally, Osaka plans to teach kids about the importance of sunscreen and explain how even though melanin protects skin from the sun, everyone needs to lather up, and Gorman helps Elmo write a poem.

“The pandemic has presented immense challenges for us all, but particularly for children as they experience this drastically different way of life in their formative years,” said Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president of curriculum and content Rosemarie Truglio in a statement. “In spite of those difficulties, we know that children are incredibly resilient.”

The new 35 episode season is streaming now on HBO Max, but it will also go to PBS KIDS in the fall of 2022.

Since the show’s debut in 1969, Sesame Street has been arguably the most important children’s educational programming in the world. By its 50th anniversary in 2019, there were over 150 versions of Sesame Street, produced in 70 languages.

One thing that has remained constant, though, is the show’s use of celebrities, all of whom are paid scale wages to appear in their segments. It’s considered a great honor to be asked.

Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization. The Workshop produces Sesame Street programs, seen in over 150 countries, and other acclaimed shows, including The Electric Company. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy and numeracy, emotional wellbeing, health and wellness, and respect and understanding. Learn more at http://www.sesamestreet.org.

Is The Count a real vampire? Some would say that since he’s a Muppet, that he doesn’t count. But I can assure you, he does.

Oh, he does.

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SCIFI Radio Staff

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