Something horrible has happened. For the last five mornings I’ve desparately wanted to watch a video of the “We Are the World” song. It all started after 30 Rock did their “Milton Green Needs a Kidney” celebrity fundraising song. My kids thought it was funny but didn’t understand what it was parodying so I played them the original star-studded 1985 song written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson to raise money for African famine.It’s a strange combination of hilarious and inspiring. Part of it, I think, was the willingness of all of these legends to allow themselves to be bit players. You’re half way through and all of a sudden Bob Dylan pops up for 5 seconds and then he’s gone. Big lumbering egos, each with their trademark style/affectation, briefly become ensemble players.You think, “if Tina Turner and Kenny Rogers can sing together than surely we can solve world hunger.”And the comedy? Maybe it’s the sense that several of them tried to use their precious few seconds to be the stand-out, the brightest of the very bright stars. Or maybe it’s what my wife, Amy, said: “In the cynical age we now find ourselves (where kidney parodies exist), you are still riveted to Kumbaya moments…. Or the fun of seeing stars that almost seem like family members, looking younger than they do now, rocking out.”I was sad to read, however, that John Denver wanted to participate but was deemed insufficiently cool, while Madonna was invited but turned them down. Maybe that’s why we still have world hunger.Here’s the original:There are many other We Are the World remakes (including Pavorati, Liel and a collection of Swiss punk rockers) — and many parodies. For some reason, this homegrown one by “Bruce & Steve” especially tickled me:The In Living Color parody, for “Career Aid,” features Jim Carrey as Willie Nelson:And here’s the 30 Rock parody that started me down this path: