Reading Rainbow’s LaVar Burton Reads ‘Go The F**k To Sleep’ [VIDEO]
You read that right. Former Reading Rainbow star LeVar Burton did a live reading of the 2011 best-selling book Go The F**k To Sleep, and it’s just as awesome as it sounds.
Burton read from the book as part of a charity event to benefit Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. The event wound up raising $240,000 for the organization. LeVar read the entire book for the telethon event.
Go The F**k To Sleep was written by Adam Mansbach after the author had posted a Facebook status venting about being unable to get his children to go to sleep. LeVar’s reading was part of a live stream for the charity via Rooster Teeth’s Extra Life.
“The cats nestle close to their kittens”, Burton read. “The lamps, they lay down with the sheep. You’re cozy and warm in your bed, my dear — so please, go the f*ck to sleep.”
Mansbach’s book was a massive hit upon its release, and there was even an audio book version released narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. The book spawned a sequel a year after the original was released, titled Seriously, Just Go To Sleep.
Burton recently made news for relaunching Rainbow, thanks to an enormously successful Kickstarter campaign. In the campaign’s mission statement, LeVar described the show’s revitalization as a “responsibility to prepare our children” for success. “Right now, the numbers show that we, as a society, are failing in that responsibility,” Burton said. The campaign raised upwards of $5 million, shattering previously held Kickstarter records. LeVar stated that the series will mainly be a web-based series in an effort to stay relevant amongst technological trends within the show’s demographic.
Burton hosted Reading Rainbow from its inception in 1983 until the final season in 2006. The show became a massive success in classrooms and amongst children of all ages, considered by many to be an institution within the educational community for many years since its debut. LeVar’s revamped Reading Rainbow, according to the Kickstarter campaign, will include integrations on a number of gaming consoles and will be available in 7,500+ classrooms. Burton has won 12 Emmy awards for his involvement in his long-running educational series. The show itself won 26 Emmys, including 11 “Outstanding Children’s Series” titles. Rainbow ran for 23 seasons.
LeVar Burton is best known for Rainbow, but is also well known for his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also directed a number of episodes of the series. Burton is an active philanthropist, currently serving on the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance. LeVar currently resides in Sherman Oakes, CA.
[Image via Google]
