Jerry Nelson returns to the podcast this week! We talk about his new album “Truro Daydreams”, and even get to sample a few songs from this great new project. Having written the songs himself over the years, Jerry was joined by several other Muppet friends in the studio, and we discuss what that was like too.

You can purchase and download Truro Daydreams at Digstation or at CDBaby. We think the album will be available in iTunes shortly, but Jerry is checking on that.

The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

In honor of the new Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland, I’m also happy to present an extended Muppetology segment where we look at several Muppet treatments of the book over the years. We also dive into the fifth-season Muppet Show episode starring Brooke Shields, which was completely devoted to telling the Muppets’ version of the tale.

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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My guest this week is Jessica Max Stein, writer of the new zine “The Rainbow Connection: Richard Hunt, Gay Muppeteer.” We discuss her initial reasons for writing the zine, some fun experiences she had along the way, and where this project is leading her down the road. Check out her website to buy your copy today!

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I’m very happy to welcome Patrick Bristow to the podcast this week to discuss his involvement in the Jim Henson Company’s Puppet Up! Uncensored, and their new show Stuffed and Unstrung. Patrick is the host and director of both of these puppet improv productions, and continues to work closely with Brian Henson on these projects.

Jerry Nelson recently released a new album, “Truro Daydreams“. All original songs written by Jerry, with some musical help from a lot of Muppet friends. Download your copy right here.

The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

Have you heard? Lulu’s back in town!

Were you a member of the original Muppet Show Fan Club? Even if you weren’t you can relive those days here on the Muppet Wiki.

Are you a Muppet fan in the UK? Is it possible for you to be in London on May 16? We’re looking at forming a Muppet fan meet in London on that date, and I want to see how many people might possibly be there. Please email me and let me know if you’re interested in attending.

Listener Corey Orsini has a daily vlog on YouTube right here. Enjoy!

Michele Greenmier has a link to an up-close and personal look at the new Muppet Vinylmation set, currently on sale at WDW! She also sent a link to a T-shirt from The Onion that every listener of this podcast should own. AND she has a link to Disney Shopping where you can pick up the new Muppet water bottle. Great stuff Michele!

Renee Angely has three YouTube links that, in her opinion, reflect some of Richard Hunt’s best and funniest work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN79N2Ng1Bc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GOg3nxBD3k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C5JuqRNLRI

Darrin Granter found the first two episodes of the Terry Angus project “Blizzard Island.” Terry has been on The MuppetCast in the past talking about performing Muppet characters in Fraggle Rock, and right alongside Jim Henson in several projects!

Episode 1
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUlOru5IIY
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPGmhAPth6g
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmOxig5wckQ

Episode 2
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3zCEW_N3wQ
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsmSSQYT95E
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tShJmJPGb9Q

And speaking of Terry Angus, he’s got a brand new puppet for sale on eBay that YOU can own! Click here to check it out!

In the news, the Jim Henson Company recently announced the recipients of the fifth annual Jim Henson Honors:
The Jim Henson Celebration Honor: Steve Jobs, Apple CEO
The Jim Henson Community Honor: 826 National, a tutoring, writing, and publishing organization
The Jim Henson Creativity Honor: Neill Blomkamp, director of the film “District 9″
The Jim Henson Technology Honor: YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the world’s first collaborative orchestra

Composer-lyricist Paul Williams (”Rainbow Connection”, among many other hits) is being honored by the Goodspeed Opera House. He will receive the Goodspeed Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater at a special gala June 12. Congratulations Paul!

Loretta Long, the actress who plays Gordon’s wife Susan on Sesame Street, was recently hit by a car near her New Jersey home. It looks like she will make a full recovery, thank goodness, and our best wishes are with Ms. Long as she rests up.

Sesame Workshop recently announced a new partnership with Hasbro, replacing their former partner Mattel. Among the myriad new offerings down the road from Hasbro are Sesame Street Play-Doh playsets!

Emilio Delgado, Sesame Street actor and friend of the show, recently appeared in “The Park”.

GeekDad blog writer Matt Blum has posted a nice collection of 10 Sesame Street news videos featuring reporter Kermit the Frog. Remember when we got our news from Kermit?

Sesame Workshop has also parntered with Aniboom, the world’s first virtual animation studio, for the Fourth Annual Aniboom Awards! Click here for more information and submission guidelines.

Have you picked up the new Muppet King Arthur #1 comic from BOOM Kids? ComicBookResources.com has the review.

And finally, John Tartaglia is opening a new original production this March called “Imaginocean.” Looks like a fun family show! Check out the show’s official website.

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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Best of The MuppetCast this week, featuring two great Sesame Street stars: Emilio Delgado and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph!

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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I will post the show notes soon, but here’s the episode. Enjoy!

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This episode features an exclusive interview with Steve Whitmire! It’s not often that I get to meet our guests in person, so when I got the rare opportunity to meet Mr. Whitmire face to face at the Center for Puppetry Arts I was ecstatic! We covered a lot of ground in our talk, and I know you’ll enjoy hearing it.

The MuppetCast is sponsored by Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

Mr. Whitmire mentioned several websites in our discussion that I wanted to link to. First is KenWilber.com, the official site of philosopher Ken Wilber. There’s also the Integral Institute and the Integral Naked Podcast. Steve even participated in that podcast with Ken Wilber himself, talking about Jim Henson and his own Integral approach to the Muppets!

There is a great discussion threat on the Muppet Central Forums from lots of folks who attended the event at the Center. Read and join in the discussion here.

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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This is the first of my two-part coverage of Steve Whitmire’s special appearance at the Center for Puppetry Arts. His lecture/workshop event was titled “The Sentient Puppet”. It was an unforgettable opportunity not only to listen to Mr. Whitmire’s insights on what gives a puppet real life, but also for workshop participants to puppeteer right alongside him, benefiting from his valuable instruction.

Stay tuned next week for my exclusive in-person interview with Mr. Whitmire! We cover a lot of ground, but still wanted to get to much more. We decided to call this Part 1 of an ongoing conversation. And yes, we discuss America’s Got Talent.

The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

Thanks to everyone who appeared in this episode and gave their reactions to the Center and the weekend events. These folks include Steve and Liz Vitale, Jamie Hitchcock, Wes, Levi, Garrett Otto, and Keven Miller (who flew in from Seattle, WA just for this event!).

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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WARNING: THIS WEEK’S EPISODE IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN. I know this is a rare occurrence, but there are parts of this week’s show that aren’t family friendly. This week I’m out of town, so in place of the usual stuff I’ve included different pieces from Avenue Q, the award-winning musical that in many ways parodies and pays tribute to Sesame Street. In fact, many of the puppeteers from the original cast actually performed on the Street! How cool is that!! But the material in the show and its music could be considered vulgar and offensive to some, so I want to warn you here in the show notes, as well as in the podcast itself. As long as you’re okay with that, enjoy! (more…)

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Here it is, the 2009 Year In Review! With the help of Joe Hennes and Ryan Roe (who shares my birthday) from ToughPigs.com, we take a final look back at the Muppet news and events of the past year and have a grand old time talking about them. For a comprehensive listing of everything in the Muppet universe that took place in 2009, please see the 2009 Page on the Muppet Wiki.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2010 for all of us.

The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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Welcome to the first show of 2010! To celebrate the new year we’ll look at a great Muppet TV special that aired in January of 1896, “The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years“. Sesame Street was less than 20 years old way back then, if you can believe it!

The MuppetCast Street Gang Giveaway Contest is now underway! Send an email to streetgangcontest@muppetcast.com to enter. Winners will be announced on shows 144 and 145. (more…)

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The final Christmas episode – and in fact the final episode of 2009 – sees us celebrating one more week with some great Muppet Christmas music. Special guest segments were provided by Rick Niesen, James Kemp, Michael Stork, and UnknownMuppet.

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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I had a good portion of this episode planned out well in advance of recording, but as things tend to happen around Christmas, something better came along. So I’m proud to welcome musician Matt Suroweic (official website) back on to the show to discuss the re-release of his tribute to the music of Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, and to jointly announce a new charity album he and I are undertaking in 2010!

The real topper to this week’s show is the debut of young Muppet fan Juliannah Wilson as she presents the first-ever Muppet Storytime segment. She provides our feature segment this week, gracing us with her reading of “Baby Kermit’s Christmas“.

The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

The special introduction to this week’s show will hopefully be heard all around the Disney podosphere this Christmas. It’s a combined reading done by some of us of the well-known editorial piece “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus”. I’d like to thank EVERYONE who helped bring this idea to a reality in the span of a few short days. The voices heard on the recording are:

Juliannah Wilson as Virginia
Paul Barrie – A Window to the Magic
Bryan Ripper & Jonathan Dichter – All About the Mouse
Gary Chambers – The Mouse Lounge
Clinton Alvord – Comedy4Cast
Tom Corless – WDW News Today
James Songster – WDW Cast Member
Scott & Tracey Morris – Disney, Indiana
Tairy Rich – Disney Tidbits
Steve Swanson – The MuppetCast

Thanks to Michael Stork for his Kermit impression and the Hawaiian Christmas tune!

The MuppetCast remembers actress Alaina Reed Hall, who passed away a few days ago at age 63. Ms. Hall played the part of Olivia on Sesame Street from 1976 to 1988, and many of us grew up knowing her as a familiar face on the Street. We celebrate her life this week.

CBS News recently featured the Muppet Whatnot Workshop at FAO Schwarz on The Early Show, Saturday Edition. The hosts made their own whatnots!

If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, you owe it to yourself to get the new “The Muppets Animal Drummer” app from the iTunes Store. For just $1.99 you can match skill with Animal, and even create your own original beats that Animal plays back to you!

Make sure to pick up the iPhone and iPod Touch-ready Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody (iTunes link) video for only $1.49. Normally I don’t buy the YouTube-released vids in iTunes, but I think you’ll agree that this is highly worth it.

The Muppets will appear on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on January 3 on ABC. Set your DVRs to see the Muppets pitch in and help a St. Paul, MN family save their home.

Sesame Workshop is set to begin making digital books starting in 2010. Check out their official eBook website!

Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter will not return to Goodspeed Opera House next holiday season. Instead, it may go out on tour, or find a different home in the Northeast US. Plans are still being made.

Carl Huster got the unique opportunity to work with Jim Henson very early in Jim’s career. If you’ve heard of the Southern Colnel Muppet character, Carl was working with Jim on the Southern Bread ad campaign, for which the Colnel was invented. Some great video on this site with rare Henson ad footage!

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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We continue the Christmas 2009 series with a review of the Sesame Street special “Elmo Saves Christmas“. Along with the review, two special guests stop by: Michael Davis, author of “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street”, and Hervon McNeil of a capella group 14 Karat Soul!

The MuppetCast is sponsored by Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

You can follow Michael Davis and see where he’s appearing around the US at his official website.

See and hear 14 Karat Soul – a group with a long history with Sesame Street and other children’s shows – at their official website!

James Wojtal wanted everyone to know about Puppetworks and their participation in the Macy’s Herald Square Annual Puppet Show, titled “Miracle on 34th St.” It’s based on the film of the same name. Find the official Puppetworks website here.

The Swedish Chef as Santa Claus! Bork, bork, bork…I mean Ho, Ho, Ho!

The Muppets Studio released a new YouTube video recently, featuring the singing trio of the Swedish Chef, Beaker, and Animal as they sing the Christmas classic, Carol of the Bells. Nice work!

The Jim Henson Company also posted several new YouTube videos, all taken from “Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter”, now playing at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. Click here for tickets!

During this episode we played a game where the winner received an autographed first-edition hardcover copy of “Street Gang”, courtesy of Michael Davis. Listener Colbynfriends was the winner, so congratulations! Listen for even more ways to win signed books (and audiobooks) in the coming weeks!

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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This week we look at a wonderful Muppet Christmas album featuring a dear Muppet friend. “John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together” was first released in 1979, and has seen several re-releases over the years. I think you’ll enjoy hearing the history – and yes, some of the music – from this album.

Also making an appearance is Dave Hulteen, an extremely talented Muppet fan artist. Dave’s work can be seen here on MuppetCast.com, as well as a recent feature article on ToughPigs.com! Dave has two Deviant art accounts, one featuring his premium work, and the other his Muppet work. Make sure to keep an eye out for Dave’s awesome artwork!

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

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I didn’t realize this until I posted the show, but we actually begin this episode with Thanksgiving and end with Christmas! Seems like a good idea, given that we’re kicking off the 2009 holiday season this week. Longtime listener BJ Wanlund is my guest, and in a new Muppet List segment we discuss a Muppet project near and dear to our hearts, Muppet Babies. (more…)

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To cap our three-part Sesame Street 40th anniversary celebration, I happily bring you a new interview with longtime human cast member Emilio Delgado – better known to many as Luis. Emilio has been a part of the Sesame cast since 1971, which I believe makes Luis the longest continuous role for a Latino actor! We talk about the show’s past, present, and future, Emilio’s personal contributions to children’s cultural education on the Street, and much, much more. (more…)

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This week brings the second installment of our Sesame Street 40th anniversary celebration. While Part 1 featured numerous skits and songs from the first 10 seasons, Part 2 attempts to tell some of the stories both on and off-camera, and features more in-depth audio from certain moments in Sesame Street’s rich history. (more…)

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Welcome to The MuppetCast! This week we present Part 1 of a multi-part tribute celebrating 40 years of Sesame Street. In this episode we relive some fan-favorite (and even some very obscure) moments from the first ten seasons. Listed here is the “playlist” for this very special tribute. (more…)

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Dark Crystal fans will be very happy with this week’s show, although it’s admittedly a little shorter than the last two weeks. I had to make a quick trip out of town and unfortunately that left little time to put the normal show together. But I hope you’ll enjoy a rare recording from 1982: The Dark Crystal Read-Along Book! This is from a great series of book-and-record pairings that came out in the 1980s, and while you can’t see the pictures, you’ll enjoy the complete record. (more…)

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Lots to talk about this week so let’s get right to it! Ryan Roe and Joe Hennes from ToughPigs.com join me to discuss the latest Muppet news, and with Halloween just around the corner we celebrate with some Muppet monsters!

The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

In Muppetology we relive some fun moments with Beautiful Day Monster, one of the original monsters created by Jim Henson. It’s interesting to note, in the three sketches included in the segment (complete list here), Beautiful Day Monster is performed by three different Muppeteers (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Richard Hunt). (more…)

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