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From Jay-Z to 30 Rock: The Annie Invasion in Popular Culture

Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff

| New York City |

November 8, 2012

Jay-Z
Jay-Z
(© Joseph Marzullo/WENN)

Tonight, Broadway celebrates the opening of James Lapine’s production of the classic Annie. The legendary musical has been seen all over the world and sampled in countless media. In that spirit, we’ve compiled five must-see examples of the Annie invasion in popular culture.

1. If you’ve ever wondered what scruffy bearded Zach Galifianakis would look like in Annie’s classic red and white dress, look no further than his comedy concerts, where he’s been doing this bit of lip-syncing for quite some time.

2. Leave it to Tina Fey‘s 30 Rock to twist the wholesome message of Annie‘s Star-to-Be into something, well, twisted. Credit here goes to actress Sarah Schenkkan, who delivers one of the series’ funniest punch lines ever.

3. We don’t have video of this Family Guy classic, but the music is good enough. Just imagine a freakin’ sweet house.

4. The very first episode of the long-running series Boston Legal found James Spader‘s ruthless lawyer Alan Shore taking on the case of a young African-American girl denied the opportunity to play Annie. When the going got tough during the trial, Shore called on one of his friends — none other than the Reverend Al Sharpton — to deliver a rousing speech and make sure that the sun comes out TODAY.

5. All we have to say about this is “Who knew Jay-Z liked musicals?”

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