“Brian's Got a Brand New Bag” was seen by 7.382 million viewers

Before the opening theme song, this episode aired a “For Patrick Swayze” (1952-2009) dedication, who passed away on September 14th 2009 from pancreatic cancer

Brian: You know I wrote a book.
Girl: What's that?
Brian: It's like a long magazine.
Girl: Huh?
Brian: It's like the Internet made out of a tree.
Girl: Oh. Weird.

Rita has three pill bottles on the nightstand by her bed, but after we see Peter as a pillow all three bottles are gone.

Brian leaves the Quahog Market with a brown paper bag in his right hand and nothing in his left.

In the next shot, he holds up the Milk of Magnesia in his left hand and the brown bag is gone.

This episode's title “Brian's Got a Brand New Bag”, is a take off of the title of the 1965 James Brown song “Papa's Got a Brand New Bag”

Outside of the Quahog Video Store there are movie posters of 1979's scifi hit, “Alien” & 2009's animated comedy, “Ice Age: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs”.

Inside the store as Adam West runs past the shelves, we also see abstract cover art for different videos, the 2 most noticeable ones are 1959's “Ben-Hur” & 1978's “Superman”.
Some others appear to be 1987's “Lethal Weapon”, 1981's “The Road Warrior”, 1998's “Blade” & 1987's “Full Metal Jacket”.

The movie that Adam wants however is the 1987 comedy, “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” which was based of trading cards of the same name which was itself based off the popular doll, “Cabbage Patch Kids”.

When Peter grabs Patrick Swayze's 1989 film “Road House”, he walks by 1987's “Superman IV: Quest for Peace”, 1990's “Goodfellas”, 1996's “Twister” & 1971's “THX 1138”

Video store clerk: “Don't worry, someday someone will come and take you home for their very own”

1989's “Harlem Nights”, 1985's “Enemy Mine”, 1993's “Mad Dog and Glory”, 1998's “What Dreams May Come” & 1997's “Deconstructing Harry” sing “Maybe” from the 1982 movie & Broadway musical “Annie”

Peter: “Get off my plane”

Peter thinks he's quoting “Road House” but he is in fact quoting a line from the 1997 action movie “Air Force One” starring Harrison Ford (1942-).
The line is spoken by the President, played by Ford, to one of the hijackers who have boarded Air Force One

Peter:(to Joe) “Oh yeah? I think my scary, otherworldly, shadowy, spirit friends might have something to say about that.”

Peter's spirit friends are the same ones from Patrick Swayze's 1990 film “Ghost”.
They take away the character “Willie Lopez” in the same manner they take Joe.

Former singers Whitney Houston (1963-2012) & Bobby Brown (1969-) are featured in this episode still as a married couple. They actually divorced in 2007.

Real footage from the 1988 action film “Die Hard” is featured in this episode.
Actors Bruce Willis (1955-), Reginald VelJohnson (1952-), Hart Bochner (1956-) & Paul Gleason (1939-2006) all appear in the “Die Hard” footage.

Peter: “Anybody make a Jessica Tandy joke yet?”

Oscar© winning actress for the 1990 movie “Driving Miss Daisy”, Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) is mentioned in this episode.

Lois: “I can't even react big enough. Here's Mrs. Garret”

“Mrs. Edna Garret” was a character played by Charlotte Rae (1926-).
She starred in the first two seasons of the NBC sitcom “Diff'rent Strokes” (1978-1986), then left that show to star in her own NBC sitcom, “The Facts Of Life” (1979-1988)

Rita: “Oh I love you Brian. Sock it to me.”

The phrase “Sock it to me” was made popular on the sketch comedy show, “Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In” (1968-1973)

Peter beats up the Peanuts character Lucy for not holding the football for Charlie Brown.

Lois did the same thing in the episode “Lethal Weapons”