David Beckham, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to grace Sesame Street’s 43rd season

New York, NY, United States (4E) – Football star David Beckam and Hollywood actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt are only two among the many stars to grace the 43rd season of the award-winning educational series “Sesame Street” to premier this September.

Aside from Beckham and Gordon-Levitt, the series’ newest season will also feature famous personalities such as Hollywood actors and actresses like Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Amy Ryan, Casey Affleck, Melissa McCarthy, Steve Carell, Jon Hamm, Eric Stonestreet, David Hyde Pierce, Timothy Olyphant, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Kristen Bell and Paula Patton; sports stars Blake Griffin and Matt Kemp; television hosts Mario Lopez and Wendy Williams; music stars Colbie Caillat, the band Train and rapper Common; and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Aside from the abundance of celebrity guests, “Sesame Street” season 43 is also incorporating the arts to its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum, making it into the new STEAM curriculum.

The show will also launch a new 11-minute segment called “Elmo: The Musical,” which, according to a press release, is “a math-filled adventure inviting kids to sing, dance, play and imagine along with Elmo.”

Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Senior Vice President of Education and Research at Sesame Workshop, said, “As STEM topics continue to be a critical area of a preschooler’s early education, it is important to allow children to explore these concepts through various channels, especially the arts. Incorporating the arts into our STEM curriculum was an exciting and natural addition, as Sesame Street has always used music, visual and performing arts as tools to educate and entertain children.”

Meanwhile, Carol-Lynn Parente, Sesame Street’s Executive Producer, said, “Creating ‘Elmo: The Musical’ was an exciting process both creatively and educationally. We took what everyone loves best about Elmo, his singing and dancing, and created imaginative mini-musicals that highlight a math curriculum in a really fun way. We think the format will have toe-tapping appeal for kids and adults alike.”

Aside from the traditional portions of the series, there viewers and patrons can expect some new twists, spoofs and parodies like “Upside Downton Abbey” and “The Voice.”

Season 43 of the “Sesame Street” is to air on September 24 on PBS.