Search results for: “"muppet show"”

  • The Muppet Show Vlogs: Juliet Prowse and Connie Stevens

    Hello everyone! JG The MuppetMan here again and happy Muppet Monday (On A Wednesday) I’ve decided to start posting some of my older work beginning with The Muppet Show Vlogs, these videos are a bit older but I think they still hold up. Here are my reviews of the first two episodes, with guests Juliet Prowse and Connie Stevens. Hope you enjoy!

     

    Watch the rest of The Muppet Show Vlogs here!

  • All The Muppet Christmas Stuff You Can Handle in 2017

    Muppet Christmas Carol Movie Poster“It’s in the singing of a street-corner choir, it’s going home and getting warm by the fire, it’s true wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas…”

    The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to spend it than with all your favorite Muppet movies, TV specials, records, and more? There’s so much to enjoy! I don’t know about you, but every year I try to watch “everything”, and every year it seems like I miss something. Once January comes around, and the decorations go away, I remember, Omigosh! I totally forgot to watch [insert name of thing here].

    So in an effort to combat my own forgetfulness – and maybe yours too – let’s put together a list of everything you should watch/listen to this holiday season from the Muppets. And just so we’re clear: this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of everything ever produced by Jim Henson & company for the holiday season. There’s a different website for that. It’s called The Muppet Wiki, and it’s amazing.

    But just for us, let’s see what needs to be seen (and heard) this year.

    Muppet Christmas Movies

    There aren’t many Muppet feature-length Christmas movies, and even fewer which were released in theaters. Two of these are made-for-TV movies, but they still get counted here.

    • The Muppet Christmas Carol
    • It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
    • Letters to Santa

    You Must See: Muppet Christmas Carol is the best, if you ask most Muppet fans. It feels the most like a Jim Henson-made Muppet production, possibly because it was the first major production undertaken after his death, and the fact that it was directed by his son, Brian Henson.

    Watch it now on: HBO, Google Video, iTunes, and Amazon Video, or purchase the discs on Amazon.

    You Can Skip: Letters to Santa is the most recent Muppet Christmas “movie”, and as much as I want to love it, I don’t. What’s interesting is that the music for both Muppet Christmas Carol and Letters to Santa were written by the same person, Paul Williams, yet one set of songs connects with me so deeply, and another almost completely misses the mark.

    Muppet TV Specials

    This is where things start to get a little tricky. These are productions that aired on TV (not screened in theaters), have a shorter running time than a feature-length film, and are not counted as a regular episode of any Muppet TV series.

    • Muppet Family Christmas
    • Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
    • Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
    • A Special Sesame Street Christmas
    • Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas
    • John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together
    • The Christmas Toy
    • The Great Santa Claus Switch
    • Elmo’s Christmas Countdown
    • Elmo Saves Christmas
    • Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

    You Must See: Muppet Family Christmas, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, and Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. All 3 are essential viewing for Muppet fans of any age.

    Muppet Family Christmas is arguably the most Muppet-y thing ever created, let alone the Muppet-iest Christmas production. It includes nearly the entire cast of characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and even Fraggle Rock, all singing Christmas carols in one huge living room. Need I say more?

    You absolutely must watch Christmas Eve on Sesame Street if you grew up watching Sesame in the 70’s and 80’s. It’s a wonderful walk down memory lane, and attempts to solve one of the great Santa Claus mysteries with Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie, Oscar, Mr. Hooper, and even Kermit the Frog.

    Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas is a touching take on the classic Gift of the Magi story, told with woodland creatures created by Henson solely for this production. The music was written by Paul Williams (see a trend?). After just one viewing this will become part of your yearly Christmas rotation.

    Watch Muppet Family Christmas now on: YouTube
    Watch Christmas Eve on Sesame Street now on: YouTube, Google Video, iTunes, and Amazon Video, or purchase the discs on Amazon.
    Watch Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas now on: Amazon Video and iTunes, or purchase the discs on Amazon.

    You Can Skip: Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree is a half-hour special starring a singing Robert Downy Jr, based on a children’s book of the same name. And it’s just…weird.

    Muppet TV Episodes

    Moving right along, these are Christmas/Holiday productions that appear as part of a Muppet series. Some of these are difficult to find, or at least aren’t streaming online anymore, unfortunately. But your efforts in searching them out will be greatly rewarded!

    • Fraggle Rock: The Bells of Fraggle Rock (Season 3, Episode 1)
    • Furchester Hotel: A Furchester Christmas (Season 2, Episode 16)
    • Bear in the Big Blue House: A Berry Bear Christmas (Season 3, Episodes 25 & 26)
    • Dinosaurs: Refrigerator Day (Season 2, Episode 5)
    • The Muppets: Single All the Way (Season 1, Episode 10)

    You Must See: The Bells of Fraggle Rock tells the “Fraggle” equivalent of a holiday story, in which Gobo goes off to find the Great Bell of Fraggle Rock. Cantus the Minstrel (performed by Jim Henson) appears as an unlikely guide, and the Fraggles find the true meaning of the holiday season within themselves. That sounds like something you’d read on the back of the VHS box, doesn’t it? But I really wrote it myself, just now.

    Watch The Bells of Fraggle Rock now on: HBO and Google Video, or purchase the discs on Amazon (The Complete Season 3 DVD Set) or purchase the complete series.

    You Can Skip: Single All the Way. Honestly, I haven’t seen Berry Bear Christmas or Furchester Christmas to rate them, but most of The Muppets’ ABC series wasn’t incredibly “Muppetational”, so this gets the bottom spot. And incidentally, you need to watch the Refrigerator Day episode of Dinosaurs…Hilarious!

    Honorable Mention: Watch the Refrigerator Day episode of Dinosaurs now on Amazon Video and Google Video, or by purchasing the discs on Amazon.

    Muppet Christmas Albums/CDs

    Music has been an essential ingredient in nearly everything the Muppets have ever done, so naturally there are some great Christmas collections out there. Too many, in fact, to list here (psssst, that’s what The Muppet Wiki is for). Here are several highlights, some albums that make into my must-listen list every year.

    • The Muppet Christmas Carol (Soundtrack)
    • Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (Soundtrack)
    • John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together
    • Merry Christmas from Sesame Street
    • A Green and Red Christmas
    • Letters to Santa (Soundtrack)
    • Keep Christmas With You (Featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
    • Bob! From Sesame Street: Christmas Sing Along
    • Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites

    You Must Listen To: Almost all of them.

    John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together is just about the most heartwarming Muppet Christmas collection you’ll ever hear. It includes “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, both of which usually make it onto radio holiday playlists.

    Merry Christmas from Sesame Street will feed the nostalgic kid in you. Must like Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (which also has an excellent soundtrack), you’ll love hearing your Sesame pals sing the Christmas hits as only they can.

    A Green and Red Christmas isn’t necessarily at the top of every Muppet fan’s list, but it’s a Grammy Award-winning album and features much of the modern-day Muppet cast of performers voicing the characters. Fans of all ages can appreciate the humor and music in this collection.

    Listen to John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Music, and Amazon Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.
    Listen to Merry Christmas from Sesame Street on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Music, and Amazon Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.
    Listen to A Green and Red Christmas on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.
    Honorable Mention: Listen to The Muppet Christmas Carol Soundtrack on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.

    You Can Skip: Elmo Saves Christmas. Seriously…you need more Elmo in your life?

    You can see from this somewhat long yet incomplete list, the Muppets have made a lot of holiday mirth over the years. To many fans, the Muppets shine brightest at Christmastime.

    MuppetCast Podcast Christmas Episodes

    Show #292: Stupid Turkey (12/19/2016) Muppet Christmas specials galore!
    Show #234: December 24, 2012 (12/24/2012) Christmas special show, featuring The Bells of Fraggle Rock
    Show #185: December 5, 2010 (12/6/2010) Special guest, Sesame artist Louis Henry Mitchell
    Show #140: December 13, 2009 (12/14/2009) Special guests, Michael Davis & Hervon McNeil
    Show #89: December 21, 2008 (12/22/2008) Special guest, Paul Williams
    Show #34: December 2, 2007 (12/2/2007) Special guest, Muppet performer Dave Goelz

    Subscribe to The MuppetCast podcast in iTunes and hear hundreds of hours of Muppetational goodness!

    What are your favorite Muppet holiday productions? Did you see your favorites on this list? If not, what was left out? Let’s keep the discussion going in the comments.

    Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Weeba Weeba!

  • My Muppet Shirt Obsession

    Muppet Shirt CollageLet’s get this out of the way – I own over 170 t-shirts related to the creations of Jim Henson and the Jim Henson Company. The vast majority feature The Muppet Show family of characters, but they run the gamut from Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock to Labyrinth to The Dark Crystal to even a Dinosaurs and a Bear in the Big Blue House shirt for good measure. Nearly all of them are unique designs except for a couple I own in different colors. I also have three different versions of artist Jamie Carroll’s fantastic “Muppetational Mosaic” design.

    I have been sharing my collection and the story behind it on social media for some time. Steve Swanson suggested I post a blog about it on the MuppetCast website. As a lifelong Muppet fan, my collection started innocently enough with a bunch of shirts I purchased over the years from local retailers or while on vacation at a Disney park.

    In March 2013, just a couple of months before my 40th birthday, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. It was also around this time I first started listening to The MuppetCast. I found the podcast to be entertaining, enlightening, inspirational, and a heckuva lot of fun. This was also during a period when the podcast was on an extended hiatus. However, there was an archive of well over 200 shows to explore! It was an escape from the frightening things that were going on in my life. (Fortunately, Steve decided to return to the podcast in 2015, and I was happy to contribute/assist with MuppetCast.com when the revamped website launched later in the year.)

    The type of lymphoma I had was considered low-grade, and I was required to have a daily radiation treatment for twenty days. I wore a Kermit the Frog shirt to my first treatment. It prompted such positive vibes and comments that I decided to wear Muppet shirts to all of my treatments. I had (and continue to have) a wonderful support system, but taking the Muppets with me everyday was another means to stay optimistic. Choosing which shirt to wear also gave me a fun thing to look forward to each morning. Everything went smoothly and we celebrated completion of my treatments by taking my niece to Heather Henson’s The Muppet Movie sing-along at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.

    Muppet shirts had kind of become my thing by this point, so I continued adding to my collection. I had a recurrence of lymphoma the following year. I once again wore Muppet t-shirts while taking treatments. I had accumulated so many shirts by this point that I was able to wear Muppet shirts daily from my first radiation appointment until the follow-up appointment with my hematologist several weeks after the treatments had ended. This was a total of 51 shirts! At that point I had 45 The Muppet Show character shirts, 3 Fraggle Rock shirts, 2 Sesame Street shirts, and 1 Labyrinth shirt.

    I have been doing well the past two years, and my prognosis is good. Nonetheless, the t-shirt collection continues to grow. I obtained my 100th shirt in July 2015 as a prize during the MuppetCast’s Great Muppet Haiku Contest. As of this writing, I am at 175 shirts, plus seven more honorable mentions that don’t fit into a Muppet t-shirt category. Those are a Muppet Christmas sweatshirt, Project Puppet’s Puppet Builder’s Cheat Shirt, two shirts featuring Figment from the “Journey into Imagination with Figment” attraction at Epcot (Figment is voiced by Muppet performer Dave Goelz), one with Mister Rogers holding King Friday XIII, an Oscar the Grouch Christmas sweatshirt, and a Yoda t-shirt. It’s getting harder to find a shirt I don’t own or haven’t seen before, but friends and family frequently inform me about new shirts they find. More than one person has told me I need to have enough to wear a different shirt every day for a year. I don’t know about that. Where would I store them? On the other hand, I am nearly halfway there…

    Below are photos of my collection:

    [envira-gallery id=”3640″]

  • 54 Below Celebrates The Muppets

    54 Celebrates the MuppetsOn Monday, July 11, Feinstein’s/54 Below hosted an evening that can easily be described as one word: “Muppetational!” Often referred to as “Broadway’s living room”, the club was filled with Muppet fans young and old as a tribute was held for the music and mayhem of Jim Henson and the Muppets.

    Some Muppet fans even came from out of the country just to get a glimpse of the Muppet fan community and hear their favorite tunes sung by the best of Broadway. Stars from stage and screen joined together to sing Muppet favorites, everything from movies to television to even a few surprising choices.

    Griffin Newman (HBO’s Vinyl, Amazon’s The Tick) hosted the tribute show, wearing his best Kermit the Frog-themed green t-shirt and hat as well as Scooter-styled glasses. Newman kept the show on track, serving as both the Kermit-like emcee and the Scooter-ish stage manager, introducing the various performers and keeping things at a quick, but well-organized pace. The tribute show was produced and directed by Philip Romano.

    maxresdefaultThe show started appropriately with the house band performing their own rendition of “The Muppet Show Theme” and the night even included two hecklers in the audience “balcony”, performed by comedians Dru Johnston and Noah Forman, offering familiar quips and comments to the night’s performances and comedy routines in a way only Statler and Waldorf could. The evening included a mix of songs, comedy bits and stories that highlighted Muppet memories from the movies, television shows and more. Rick Lyon (Avenue Q, Sesame Street) absolutely stole the show when he walked on-stage, duffle bag in hand and discussed his history with the Jim Henson Company and his special connection to Jim Henson, having worked for him as a puppeteer and puppet builder. He noted how he built his own impressive puppet replica of one of Jim’s characters in tribute to his mentor and then proceeded to open up his duffle bag and pull out a Kermit the Frog puppet. He made sure to clarify it was not a Muppet, but his own puppet replica of the character. Lyon, using his own take on the Kermit the Frog voice, then went on to sing “Bein’ Green.” In that moment, the entire room, no matter what age, became children again as everyone gazed upon their favorite amphibian singing his signature song.

    Rick Lyon 54 BelowRick Lyon wasn’t the only Muppet alum in the show, as Stephanie D’Abruzzo (Tony Award nominee for Avenue Q, Sesame Street) and Jennifer Barnhart (Avenue Q, Sesame Street) also took the stage to perform, each also discussing their love for the Muppets and Jim Henson, as well as honoring their fellow Muppeteers. Barnhart performed, on ukuele, her own tribute to Jerry Nelson, whose 82nd birthday would have been the day before, by singing “When the River Meets the Sea” from Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. D’Abruzzo performed two beautiful songs from Sesame Street: “Imagination” and “Little Things.”

    Among the highlights of the evening: Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin) performed two songs from The Muppet Movie: “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday” and “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along”, the latter alongside his Aladdin co-star Brian Gonzales.

    tn-500_dsc_0036Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita (Dames At Sea, Matilda the Musical) channeled her inspiration by performing Miss Piggy’s “The Christmas Queen”, a track on the Muppets holiday album A Green and Red Christmas. Her performance included the Miss Piggy-like diva behavior and determination to be the center of attention. The Skivvies (Nick Cearley & Lauren Molina), a musical duo who perform literally stripped down to their underwear, sang another song from The Muppet Movie as they performed “Movin’ Right Along”, with Cearley wearing a Kermit the Frog collar and Molina arranging her hair to resemble Fozzie Bear ears. Their performance included a “fork in the road” as a large fork was raised from the audience, and a hitchhiker looking for her way to 54 Below.

    Mara Wilson, best known for her work as a child in the films Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, was joined on-stage by her friend Craig Fogel in a very special performance of the Sesame Street favorite “I Don’t Want to Live On the Moon.” Prior to singing, Wilson discussed the children’s show’s impact on reaching inner-city kids to look at Sesame Street like it was home to them. She also talked about how the show taught kids about different languages and cultures, including Spanish and even sign-language. As she sang, Fogel used sign language to add a special touch to the already beautiful song. Max Crumm (Grease, Disaster!) performed a newer Muppet song as he sang “I’ll Get You What You Want.” Comedians Joe Rumrill and Tim Platt featured a fun comedy routine in which Platt acted as a repairman who stayed by to watch the show, despite the fact he has never heard of the Muppets. In an ironic twist, Platt brought out his son, a puppet he held over his head who had also never heard of the Muppets, although he did have a chiropractor named Dave Goelz.

    hqdefaultGrace McLean (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812), George Salazar (Godspell), Julia Mattison (Godspell), Molly Pope (Molly Pope Likes Your Status), Laura Shoop (She Loves Me) and Emily Padgett (Bright Star) also performed Muppet favorites, everything ranging from “I’m Gonna Always Love You” to “Man or Muppet” to “Don’t Blame the Dynamite.” The evening concluded with Rick Lyon returning to the stage with his Kermit, now with a banjo around his shoulder, as Kermit mentioned that the final number was written inspired by Jim Henson’s favorite movie The Wizard of Oz. The two then proceeded to sing “Rainbow Connection” and were quickly joined onstage by James Monroe Iglehart, Max Crumm, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, The Skivvies and Jennifer Barnhart. Of course, a Muppet tribute wouldn’t be complete without a performance of “Mahna Mahna” which the house band sang as the show came to a close.

    The night was truly a celebration of the Muppets and Jim Henson, with people of all different ages and backgrounds coming together to laugh, sing and reminisce about their love and appreciation for the Muppets. The event was sold out and so popular that 54 Below has extended its run by adding another show on Sunday, August 28 at 9:30pm. If you’re in the NYC area, don’t miss this opportunity to meet other fans just like you and celebrate the magic, music and mayhem of Jim Henson and the Muppets. It was most definitely a sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational evening!

    54-below-august

  • Uncle Deadly: One Muppet’s Triumphant Return

    Uncle DeadlyUncle Deadly is often seen as a “one-off” character who acted as a “horror” character compared to his cute and cuddly counterparts. Between the 2011 “The Muppets” film and the 2015 television series of the same name, Uncle Deadly has made a triumphant comeback into the world of the Muppets and become popular enough to win the 2016 Muppet Madness Tournament, beating Fozzie Bear, one of the most beloved Muppet characters of all time.

    “The Phantom of the Muppet Show” as he became known as in the Twiggy episode of “The Muppet Show”, actually made his official debut two episodes prior, for the Vincent Price episode in a sketch called “House of Horrors.” Performed by Jerry Nelson, Uncle Deadly is the “beautiful assistant” to Vincent Price’s character, who arrives at a summer cottage looking for a room for the night. Fozzie Bear and Gonzo rented the cottage for a vacation, except Gonzo got the ad from “Wampire Veekly” and the two learn from Uncle Deadly that when midnight strikes, his master turns into a screaming, maniacal, demonic, blood-lusting animal. It just so happens though that tonight is New Year’s Eve and instead his master turns into Jack Parnell, conductor for “The Muppet Show” orchestra. Deadly’s appearance here was mainly to act as the creepy but comedic sidekick to Vincent Price for the sketch.

    Uncle Deadly Phantom of the Muppet TheaterUncle Deadly’s backstory was highlighted in the Twiggy episode of “The Muppet Show”, in which everyone backstage is being terrorized by “The Phantom of the Muppet Show”, and Kermit isn’t buying it. Until Kermit learns that the Phantom is none other than Uncle Deadly, a monster-actor who performed in the theater years ago and vowed never to perform there again after being killed by the critics. Deadly also vowed to never let anyone else perform there and warns the Muppets to “Leave or be doomed!” When Deadly leaves, Kermit and the other Muppets discover the phantom was all a joke when they find George the Janitor wearing an old mask. Except just as everyone calms down, Uncle Deadly returns and the Muppets run off in different directions, as Uncle Deadly exclaims, “That may have been one of the greatest performances of my career.”

    Uncle Deadly continued to make appearances in a few musical numbers on the show, as well as in the Muppet Melodrama sketches in the third season alongside Miss Piggy and Wayne. While he didn’t have any major Muppet movie appearances, he did appear in the final group scenes at the end of “The Muppet Movie” and “The Muppets Take Manhattan.” He also made an appearance on “The Tonight Show” in 1979 when Kermit the Frog hosted and reunited him with his “Muppet Show” co-star Vincent Price. In a 2000 interview with Muppet writers Jim Lewis, Kirk Thatcher and John Derevlany, they mentioned that one of the projects they had in development was a “Goosebumps-style” TV show called “Uncle Deadly’s House of Badness.” The project didn’t go anywhere unfortunately. Jerry Nelson said in a 2010 interview on The Muppet Mindset that Uncle Deadly was his tribute to horror movie actor John Carradine.

    Uncle Deadly The MuppetsIn 2011, after going unused for 20 years, Uncle Deadly returned in “The Muppets” as the second-in-command to Tex Richman, alongside Bobo the Bear. Uncle Deadly realizes his mistake helping Richman demolish the Muppet Theater and declares that he too is a Muppet, forcing Richman off the theater roof before he can cut the wires on the transmission tower and cut the telethon broadcast. He then joins the Muppets for the finale version of “Life’s a Happy Song.” He later appeared in “Muppets Most Wanted” as the organist at Miss Piggy’s wedding.

    Uncle Deadly’s most prominent role to date is that of Wardrobe Supervisor for Miss Piggy on the 2015 TV series, “The Muppets.” He comes off as somewhat more flamboyant, and is the comedic foil for Miss Piggy to play off of during her time apart from Kermit. Deadly takes great care to ensure Miss Piggy never knows her dress size and even develops a close relationship to her adopted Magellanic penguin chick named Gloria Estefan.

    Uncle Deadly Gloria EstefanSo now, in 2016, we have witnessed a Muppet comeback like never before. Uncle Deadly went from the depths of Muppet obscurity to a prominent cast member on the new television series. Why has Uncle Deadly quickly risen in the ranks to the likes of Kermit the Frog and even Fozzie Bear, as proven in the Muppet Madness tournament? I think for one thing, he attracts a different group of viewers. Uncle Deadly doesn’t look like his Muppet friends. He has a dark, horror movie monster inspired appearance that makes him look like he would better belong in the Universal monster group then the Muppets. I also think, especially in the new series, Uncle Deadly portrays himself as a stereotypical “gay best friend” to Piggy. I’m not implying in any way what any Muppet’s sexuality may be, but Deadly’s fondness for fashion and his close friendship with Miss Piggy simply makes his character more interesting, especially considering his horrific physical appearance. Have we seen the last of Uncle Deadly? Absolutely not! I think the character’s rise to stardom has only just begun, and he has the ability to attract a much larger audience into the Muppet universe.

    Congratulations, Uncle Deadly!

  • Muppet Mayhem Colors the Holiday Season with “Kodachrome”

    Muppets Electric Mayhem KodachromeThe New Year brings more Muppety goodness in the form of a new Muppets music video. A cover music video of past Muppet Show guest star Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” has been posted to the Muppets YouTube page, this time featuring the Electric Mayhem in a live concert setting, while updating the song meaning with a modern take.

    The video was directed by Kirk Thatcher, a recent guest and friend of The MuppetCast. In a featured article on the Disney blog, Kirk talks about about his time working with the Muppets and Henson Company. He also dishes details on the making of the video, saying, “As to how they chose ‘Kodachrome,’ we knew Paul Simon was a friend of the Muppets. We had talked about something with Muppets doing selfies and ‘Kodachrome’ is about pictures and about how pictures look better than your memory. We had also talked a long time about doing an Electric Mayhem live concert piece. But there’s no way to wedge it into the movies or the show, so we decided to do the short video like that, with the screens behind them showing the selfies.” While the “Kodachrome” video was shot on the same day as “Jungle Boogie,” it’s coming out later due to the lengthy post-production process. “It took six hours to shoot and it’s taken six months to edit,” Thatcher said.

  • Lost To History: Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor

    MuppetVision 3D ExteriorThere’s currently a lot of talk about what exactly is going on at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and what attractions are coming (Star Wars, Pixar) and going (Animation Academy, Backlot Studios Tour). With the rumor that Pizza Planet may close, it got me thinking about the area surrounding MuppetVision 3D and its history of Muppet attractions rumored to show up around there, making it a “Muppet land”. Perhaps my favorite rumored attraction was a restaurant that would have been run by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat called “Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor.” With Pizza Planet already serving the same kind of food and its location close to MuppetVision 3D, it would be a natural fit to make this restaurant happen today.

    In the 1980s, Jim Henson was trying to sell the Muppets to the Walt Disney Company and, while this business deal was going on, the idea came up to create a land for the new Disney MGM Studios park designed for the Muppets. The land would have featured a ride, a 3D show (which became MuppetVision 3D) and a restaurant. Unfortunately Jim’s untimely death led to the deal not being completed until 2004, leaving MuppetVision 3D and a merchandise location as the only pieces built for the proposed Muppet land. A stage show that Jim Henson had worked on also debuted, “Here Come the Muppets,” featuring walk-around versions of the characters, and later a new stage show called “Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses” appeared, featuring the Muppets filming a movie as park guests looked on. Prior to Henson’s passing, a ride was proposed that would act as a parody to an already established attraction called The Great Muppet Movie Ride, having the Muppets recreate classic movie moments such as Frankenstein. A Muppet-themed parade called The Muppet Motorcade was also designed, however Henson’s passing left all of these concepts by the wayside.

    Gonzo and CamillaI’ve read two sides to the story, one in which Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor was to be set where Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano sits today, and another where Pizza Planet is currently located. I can’t determine its exact location, but from all the research I did, the planned restaurant was everything a Muppet fan could hope for and more. The proposed story was that Gonzo and Rizzo had decided to get into the celebrity restaurant business, just like how Planet Hollywood was opened in the early ‘90s with help from Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gonzo and Rizzo hired the Swedish Chef to run the kitchen for them. The walls of the restaurant would have been similar to the lobby and pre-show area of MuppetVision 3D, featuring recreations of props from Muppet films and shows and random sight gags.

    Television screens would cover the restaurant showing classic scenes from The Muppet Show as well as new clips featuring Gonzo, Rizzo and the Swedish Chef running amok in the kitchen or assuring guests that everything was fine, meanwhile in the background of these clips, things are obviously not running so smoothly in the kitchen. Lobsters were shown escaping their pot and holding the waitstaff hostage, and The Swedish Chef would be attacked by a large mound of pizza dough. Smoke and chicken feathers would occasionally erupt from the kitchen doors, while commotion could be heard coming from inside the kitchen. Speakers hidden in the ceilings would create the illusion that Gonzo was stuck in the duct work above looking for Camilla, with the sounds of pounding and stomping as earlier, on the TV screen, Camilla was shown being sucked up into the exhaust fan over the stove and Gonzo had climbed in to save her. Perhaps the most unique and exciting aspect to this proposed restaurant was the concept of who the servers would be: Rizzo and the rats. Audio animatronic rats would deliver food to all the guests via a train track system.

    Sound like a place you’d want to eat, after sitting through you 2nd viewing of MuppetVision 3D? I feel like this concept would work extremely well, especially now with the Muppets back in the forefront of pop culture. And with rumors of Pizza Planet closing – a restaurant that I personally find disappointing considering how much more could be put into it, based on the one featured in the first Toy Story movie – a Muppet restaurant next to the MuppetVision 3D theater and store seems like a natural fit. With the park looking to designate lands based on Disney properties like Pixar or Star Wars, a Muppet themed land seems like a natural fit and could feature many things that could be fun for the whole family.

  • Show #270 – November 15, 2015

    This special-edition episode features the opening ceremonies from “Worlds of Puppetry,” located at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. Guest speakers at the event include: Vince Anthony, Executive Director, Center for Puppetry Arts; Nancy Staub, Founder of the Museum Collection; Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta; and Cheryl Henson, President of the Henson Foundation and daughter of Jim Henson.

    Worlds Of Puppetry

    The Center for Puppetry has labored for nearly a decade to create a permanent home to display Jim Henson’s creations in a way that pays homage to Jim, and just as important, inspires creativity in museum guests of all ages. They have more than accomplished that goal. The Center will now contain the largest collection in the world of Henson artifacts. Puppets, materials, sketches, archival footage, and more make up a multi-media sensory experience that walks guests through Jim’s various puppet projects, including Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Show, and so much more. It’s the “more” that makes the whole thing even more special; unexpected delights await Jim’s fans around every turn.

    “Worlds of Puppetry” also contains a monumental collection of puppets of all styles and sizes from cultures worldwide, spanning the centuries of recorded history. From ancient “puppets” unearthed in archaeological digs dated ca 1400, to interactive stop-motion claymation exhibits, nowhere is there a more comprehensive collection of the history of puppetry in the world. And it’s ready for public viewing as of today.

    Show Links

    The Center for Puppetry Arts
    The Jim Henson Legacy
    The Jim Henson Foundation
    Puppeteers of America
    UNIMA (the international association of puppeteers)

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week!

    Steve

  • JG’s SPOOKY Muppet Videos For 10/30

    (Not Actually Spooky)

    Hello everyone, JG here for my final Muppet videos of October, my how quickly this month has passed. First up is my review of the 5th episode of “the muppets”; Walk the Swine

    and secondly, here is my last Halloween related Muppet video, it’s my review of the Alice Cooper episode of “The Muppet Show”

    I hope you all have a fun (and safe) Halloween and I’ll be back next month!

     

  • JG’s Muppet Videos for 10/23

    Hello everyone JG “TheMuppetMan” again and here are my Muppet Videos for the week of 10/23. First up, since there wasn’t a new episode of “the muppets” I decided to do something different. Because 10/21 was “Back to the Future Day” I reviewed the similarly titled (and somewhat similar story ) episode of “Muppet Babies”; Back to the Nursery

    And secondly for this weeks “Halloween Throwback” here’s my review of “The Muppet Show”  with guest star Vincent Price.

     

  • New Henson Plaque Unveiled in England

    Today is a significant day in the Muppet world…kind of. A plaque has been unveiled honoring Jim Henson in the town of Borehamwood. Now, for those of you thinking “Where the heck is that and what relevance does it have to Mr. Henson?” No it’s not a forest where tired pigs hang out, it’s a town in Hertfordshire, England and is the home to Elstree Studios, which is where a little TV series known as The Muppet Show (you may have heard of it) was filmed as well as The Great Muppet Caper, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Tale of the Bunny Picnic and The Storyteller.

    6oQveyz As you can see it’s quite an important location to Mr. Henson’s legacy. It’s also where you can find some outstanding Muppet graffiti.

    7961The plaque was placed across the street from Elstree and features a history of Jim’s career alongside a number of colorful pictures. It was unveiled by Louise Gold, Jocelyn Stevenson, Martin G Baker, and Barry Wilkinson. The Mayor, Richard Butler, as well as other councilors were also part of the unveiling ceremony.

    You can watch the unveiling below:

    For British Muppet fans this gives you folks a new location to visit! And for stateside fans like myself, it’s another reason to visit jolly old England.

  • Mandatory Mayhem: “Weird Al” and the Muppets

    Star Wars Pigs in Space

    There are several things I loved as a child that I have maintained a strong interest in throughout my life. The Muppets are obviously one of those things…and Star Wars…and “Weird Al” Yankovic. There have been several Muppet/Star Wars crossovers through the years. “Weird Al” has recorded a couple of Star Wars themed song parodies that continue to be a highlight of his concerts. Alas, he has never appeared with Kermit and company.

    I think it is safe to say that many folks in the Muppet fan community are also fans of “Weird Al.” It shouldn’t be surprising. They are a natural pairing since their humor styles are often very similar. Stan Freberg was a major influence on both Jim Henson and “Weird Al.”  Freberg actually worked with both of them including appearing on an episode of Henson’s Sam and Friends in 1961, and Freberg was a regular on The Weird Al Show in 1997.

    Weird Al Muppets 3D

    Al began his rise to fame in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s during the heyday of The Muppet Show. His first studio album was not released until 1983, two years after the series ended. The following year saw Al achieve worldwide fame with the release of “Eat It” on the album “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D. You know who else has a famous production in 3-D? That’s right, the Muppets in Muppet*Vision 3D at Walt Disney World.

    Weird Al Muppet Magazine
    Muppet Magazine

    The success of “Eat It” prompted Al’s only direct connection with the Muppets. “Weird Al” was featured in a story in the Fall 1984 issue of Muppet Magazine. In the article, titled “Wocka, Wocka! It’s…Weird Al,” Yankovic is interviewed by fellow funny guy Fozzie Bear. Fozzie declares “Eat It” to be his favorite “Weird Al” parody. A clip from the music video for “Eat It” also appeared in the Muppet Babies episode “Twinkle Toe Muppets” in 1987.

    “Weird Al” released his third studio album in June 1985. This album featured the classic song “Yoda,” a parody of “Lola” by the Kinks. The song includes the line “Well, I’ve been around but I ain’t never seen a guy who looks like a Muppet but he’s wrinkled and green.” This song is of particular importance to me since it represents the convergence of “Weird Al,” Muppets and Star Wars.

    The music video for “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” from Al’s 1992 album Off the Deep End was filmed at the historic Charlie Chaplin Studios in Hollywood. This location was purchased by the Jim Henson Company in 2000 and is the present home of the company. If Al had only waited eight more years to film the video, this song could have been used as the impetus for Kermit and Miss Piggy to split.

    “Weird Al” released his ninth studio album, Bad Hair Day, in March 1996. This album featured “Amish Paradise” a hit parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.” The album was released the same month as the premiere of Muppets Tonight. While Coolio made a guest appearance on the show, “Weird Al” wasn’t so lucky. I imagine the show would have achieved greater success with Al’s presence.

    In 2003 “Weird Al” released the song “Couch Potato,” a parody of “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. This song includes the line “Then I bet I watch ‘The Bachelorette’ followed by ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ and ‘The Muppet Show’ where they go ‘Mahna Mahna’.” This song was from the album Poodle Hat, an obvious (or completely inferred) reference to Mr. Poodlepants from Muppets Tonight.

    Weird Al with Muppet Troopers
    The Great Conjunction

    In June 2013, “Weird Al” was spotted with these guys (once again a convergence of “Weird Al,” Muppets and Star Wars).

    After 30+ years of waiting, we have the opportunity to correct this injustice. The Muppets are back on prime time, and Al is again in the spotlight with the incredible success of his most recent album, Mandatory Fun. The time is right for “Weird Al” to appear with the Muppets on their new television series. I have always appreciated the golden tones of the Electric Mayhem, and it’s great to have Lips back on trumpet…but they are still missing one thing: an accordion.

    Weird Al with Electric Mayhem
    “Weird Al” Jamming with the Electric Mayhem (Concept Model)
  • Editorial: 1 Million Moms Mashing Muppets

    As you may have heard, activist group “One Million Moms” is petitioning ABC to cancel The Muppets, due to the “obscene” nature of some ads created for its promotion. The “Moms” object to the adult ads because of captions like: “Finally, a network TV show with full frontal nudity,” featuring Kermit wearing a scarf.

    ABC Kermit Ad CensoredThe group feels the family-friendly Muppets of the 70’s and 80’s are gone and that Disney should be doing more to uphold “family” values. But Jim Henson created the Muppet Show, and subsequent films, for everybody, not just one age group. The name of the Muppet Show pilot episode was “Sex and Violence,” and people protested then, until they realized after airing that the show was about topics other than sex and violence, and in fact featured only veiled suggestions and cartoon-style violence.

    “You’re lost? Have you tried Hare Krishna?” This type of adult humor is littered throughout The Muppet Show, Muppets Tonight, and the films. Jim’s idea was to not only differentiate his work from the world of little kids, but from any other show on television.

    Muppets Sex and ViolenceJim wanted to show that puppets could make socially relevant points and jokes for adults just as easily as for children. And boy did they! Were Jim’s TV shows appropriate for children? Usually, but they were made with an adult audience in mind. There were many lessons to be learned through, and the Muppets changed the world for the better as Jim had hoped. But it was, first and foremost, all about entertainment.

    Disney and ABC have Henson’s intentions in mind. Jim trusted Walt’s company to continue his legacy and vision, which is why he wanted to sell it to Disney just before his sudden death.

    “Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”
    – Jim Henson.

    If we are so worried about what is on television, we’ll forget the values and morals we could be teaching children ourselves, through example. Yes, we want to raise our children in certain ways, and there’s no problem with that, but why not give the show a chance before judging it?

    Here’s my advice, Moms: If you really are that easily offended, turn off the TV, gather your kids, and pick up a good book. I recommend something fun like The Muppets Make Puppets.

  • The Review: Pig Girls Don’t Cry

    “The Muppets are coming back to TV!”

    It was the message shouted from the rooftops, reposted all across the internet, hyped over hill and plain, across the vast expanse of the Universe, building to a maddening fury that erupted in a greater magnitude of force than chickens flying over penguins exploding into monsters eating chickens. The Muppets are coming back to TV!

    Summer 2015 was a glorious time to be a Muppet fan. After the initial announcement of a new TV show was made, both characters and performers dazzled crowds at Comic Con, Disney’s D23 Expo, and Dragon Con. The Muppets were everywhere, promoting what was to be. Fans loved every minute of it. Finally, we said, what we’d been waiting for was happening. We would all see it once again. The Muppets would be right where they belonged, giving the world what it so dearly needed: the world’s third greatest gift (laughter).

    September 22, 2015 was the air date of The Muppets, Season 1 Episode 1: “Pig Girls Don’t Cry.” It aired on ABC at 8pm Eastern, and the entirety of Muppet fandom eagerly drank in every second, hoping to quench a thirst that had stretched over decades. Did the rich and famous Kermit the Frog and Company deliver? Let’s take a look.

    Caution: This article contains numerous spoilers. You’ve been warned!

    Cold Opening. Kermit is the first face we see, and he picks up right where we are in Muppet history, newly-separated from Miss Piggy. We know all about what’s going on, because we’ve been hearing it in the media for months: Kermit is the Executive Producer of the new show Up Late with Miss Piggy. Nothing needs to be explained, which shows how perfectly-tuned the publicity machine has been all summer. It’s all been building up to this moment. Guys, we’re here! On the studio lot with Kermit! His first words to us: “There are a lot of challenges being the Executive Producer on a show starring your ex.” Pan up to the huge sign depicting the Up Late logo. Short, sweet, and funny. Pitch-perfect, because it immediately sets Kermit in his traditional role: the shoulder-er of greater burdens, in a hilarious way. Cue the music!

    bpdc1Title Sequence. We continue to see Kermit as the hapless center in this storm of crazies, and that’s as it should be. There are numerous comparisons to The Muppet Show throughout, and while this show is refreshingly new in many ways, there are many hidden and not-so-hidden nods to legacy. For instance, the title sequence crams as many Muppet characters onscreen as it can, just like the opening of the Muppet Show. It begins with Kermit attempting to get his morning coffee in the breakroom. Enter Fozzie, and as the Muppets fly in and out out of a super-speed torrent of characters, Miss Piggy is the last to leave, taking the coffee she naturally assumed Kermit was getting for her. Kermit is left not quite speechless, uttering the classic “Time to get things started,” followed by the familiar musical motive from the Muppet Show theme. Good use of the line, and of the music.

    Other thoughts: I’m not sure why the typewriter font was chosen for The Muppets logo. As we go through this episode, there is only one scene that concerns the show’s writers, and that’s the profession I think of when I see that font. Maybe it will make more sense in the future?

    bpdc2Production Meeting. And we’re off! No red curtain, no “Hi-ho everyone.” We find ourselves immediately in the thick of things, in the 9am production meeting. The Muppets (minus Miss Piggy) are gathered around the table to go over the plan for the day’s show taping. The first joke of the episode (not counting the cold opening) is made by Scooter and Pepe, about a family wedding Pepe recently attended. It’s not a bad joke, but for Pepe it fell a little flat (however I will say it was better the second time I watched it). Everyone is talking as Kermit characteristically tries to quiet the group with no success. Bunsen offers to help by tazing Beaker, whose “Meeeeeeeeep!” and flickering flesh gets the group’s attention. In my mind, for some reason I expected Rizzo to rush up and scream “QUIET!” No such luck here. I wanted Bunsen & Beaker to be bigger here. The Muppets are supposed to explode, a lot, right? This effect, and the joke, felt small. It was funny, but it could have been better.

    Kermit calls the meeting to order, which paves the comedy road for Zoot to wake up and introduce himself, and add that he is a…at which point Floyd shushes him, saying this isn’t that kind meeting. Zoot! Ladies and gentlemen, ZOOT!! Way to own the first scene of the first episode of the show, buddy! Nice hat, too. Gonzo rounds out the scene with banter that most of us saw in the Summer’s sizzle reel, lamenting the fact that the show will be shot in the cut-away interview style. Unfortunate that this moment needs repeated, since we’ve seen it in numerous advertisements already, however it is needed footage. It’s a good joke and it works, it’s just annoying that we had to watch it again.

    Other thoughts: It’s always strange for me to watch the Muppets on TV without a laugh track. Not that I need to be told when to giggle, but it helps create a certain world, an environment where Muppet humor lives. I understand that we’re not in that world anymore…but I miss it. This episode didn’t feel like a “first” episode, and I liked that. This wasn’t the beginning, this was another day in the life of the Muppets. No screaming “Hey, we’re back!” (We’ve done that enough over the summer.) That’s also good for syndication, down the road.

    One final thought in this segment: Is there a danger that this style of show will make the Muppets seem too “normal?” Personally I can see both sides of the argument. Seeing their “private” lives pulls back an awful lot of the curtain, exposing the audience to more facets of these characters than we’re used to. Fozzie is funny because of specific character traits and flaws. Seeing too much of him in-depth threatens to pull us away from those “Fozz-ic” elements. On the other hand, hearing Zoot think he’s at an AA meeting was hilarious. And Pepe makes jokes about his extended family all the time (see: Uncle Minolo).

    bpdc3Show Taping. Fozzie is warming up the studio audience for the show’s taping. This looks a lot like the scene from the El Sleezo Cafe, in The Muppet Movie. He even does the “Wocka-Wocka” hula dance, and it’s perfect. Statler and Waldorf make their first appearance as front-row audience members, and it’s a wonderful way to get them into the show, heckling the bear like they always should be. Piggy is finishing makeup and making her way to the set, with snappy dialog between Pig and Frog. This is the first time we see her, as she chews out the makeup artist (“I look like a half-naked Hawaiian dug me up!”). She’s temperamental and testy, but funny. Kermit sees her approaching and advises nearby Scooter “It’s to late for me, save yourself,” as the he scampers away. The whole scene illustrates a pig whose ego runs rampant over everything and everyone. It’s more of the same all-attitude, not-much-else Piggy we’ve seen recently. Next comes some of the technical innovation Steve Whitmire alluded to in talks over the Summer. Miss Piggy leads Kermit in a walk-and-talk around the twists and turns of the production office floor. This is a lot of ground for puppets to cover, and a surprisingly long (and impressive) shot. Kermit takes various notes from Piggy, including: he should lay “generic trash” on top of Piggy’s personal trash in her dressing room, so no one thinks to go through it; he should speak to God about the unpleasing smell of lilacs (He does have a connection there, right? Can’t he call Danny L?); and oh yes, remove Elizabeth Banks from the next day’s show’s guest list. Piggy hates her, and we don’t get to know why. From her reasoning, she’s just being temperamental and unreasonable (Uncle Deadly sidles up with a lint roller during this spat, which is strangely hilarious). Piggy refuses to budge, slamming the door on Kermit. In swoops Bobo the Bear, with a reassuring “So how’d that go for ya, okay then?” This line is a callback to Muppets From Space, a movie largely panned and, in my opinion, unfairly. And even if you didn’t like the movie, how much can you really do with Bobo? Cut to a Kermit talking head saying that, when they were dating, Piggy’s erratic behavior was “kind of sexy,” but when you take dating out of the equation…”she’s just a lunatic.”

    bpdc4Wrapping up his audience warmup, Fozzie mentions Bobo as the stage manager, giving him the signal to wrap it up. I like how they’re subtly establishing everybody’s role on the show. “Either that,” Fozzie quips, “or I’m about to be blown away by a tornado!” Is it me, or is that a particularly weak Fozzie joke? Do I expect too much from “bad” jokes? There’s a difference between “good” bad jokes, and truly bad ones. This has been a topic of discussion on the podcast too: I often feel like Fozzie isn’t “here” anymore. It’s very hard to nail a character like Fozzie, as I believe Frank Oz has said numerous times. Maybe having a girlfriend is messing with Fozzie’s self-confidence. Meaning, it’s giving him some. His warm-up routine over, it’s time for the audience – both onscreen and we viewers at home – to see Up Late with Miss Piggy! This is the show-within-a-show that The Muppets revolves around. Both the comedic mockumentary and the late-night show formats are widely recognized in modern television, and it’s exactly where the Muppet characters need to be. They can play in the movies, but their true home, thanks to Jim Henson, will always be television. Fozzie is the Show Announcer, and Sweetums is the cue card holder. Fozzie does a fantastic job here, as does Sweetums (he aptly messes up the cue card sequence, forcing Fozzie to mis-read his lines). The Electric Mayhem is the house band, naturally. As the band plays, Piggy waits behind the curtain for her introduction, continuing to bicker with Kermit. He insists that Piggy better have a good explanation for dropping a guest star one day before taping, to which Piggy response “I do have a good reason: I hate her stupid face!” THAT was funny! I don’t mind Piggy being mean if she’s still being funny. Miss Piggy is announced, as she strides through the curtain to her adoring audience. “I love me just as much as you do!” she jokes. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Miss Piggy. The diva, the star, the swine. She’s wanted to be a superstar her whole life, and now she has her own late-night captive audience. Everything about Up Late just fits. The sets, the costumes, the characters, the audience (live or laugh track, it doesn’t matter). It’s all…well, it’s The Muppets!

    Backstage, Kermit looks on in disgust. “My life is a bacon-wrapped Hell on Earth,” he grumbles. I am SO glad we got this line out of the way, and I never have to hear it again. It was funny the first time I heard it, but this is the line ABC drove into the ground all Summer, in nearly every advertisement for the show. And now it’s out, and we can all breathe easier. The saving grace of this moment had to be Sam Eagle’s immediate and automatic “Can’t say Hell.” Thank you, Standards & Practices.

    Other thoughts: Isn’t it weird how Muppet animals can joke about being eaten by humans that they try to entertain? I also hope they find something incredibly fun to do with Bobo. It would be just wonderful if he got some breakout moments during the course of the show.

    bpdc5Managing Expectations. We next find ourselves in Kermit’s office, with Scooter and actor Tom Bergeron. It’s nice to see him in the pilot, he’s a longtime friend of the Muppets. Storywise, he’s in Kermit’s office to backfill the open guest spot vacated by Elizabeth Banks. He was nearby, after all, since he’s the host of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. So it’s cool. Kermit thanks him and Tom leaves the office, after which Kermit chews out Scooter for picking, out of all the “Stars” on that show, Tom Bergeron! Bergeron hears the squabble and says through the window “I’m not on the elevator yet!” Here we see some of Steve Whitmire’s beautiful puppetry: Kermit’s face goes from shock to smarmy smile instantaneously (remember, it’s just a hand inside that head!). Tom B reassures Kermit happily that, despite the indignity, he’ll still happily do the show! Such is the showbiz life. Oh, Tom Bergeron. Next we find Fozzie driving to his girlfriend Becky’s parents’ home, to meet them for the first time over dinner. He’s worried about making a good impression. THIS is good Fozzie. “When your online dating profile says ‘Passionate Bear Looking for Love’, you get a lot of wrong responses. Well, not wrong, er…just, wrong for me.” BAM! Best joke in the whole show, in my opinion! With a huge belly laugh, I remember why I love Fozzie so much. I expect a lot out of him, and I know I’m hard on him. But when he delivers, that bear delivers!

    bpdc6Dinner at Becky’s parents’ house goes about how you’d expect, mostly because we’ve seen it before. Not quite shot-for-shot, but close. And once again, the footage is needed for the episode, but the entire sequence feels repetitive to those who watched it earlier in the Summer sizzle reel (which, according to YouTube, is a lot of us). Two differences stand out, though. Becky has been recast from a brunette to a blond, and her father Carl (who, along with her mother, are played by the same actors from the sizzle reel) now sports a comedically ridiculous mustache. Nice caterpillar, Carl. They are the stereotypical sitcom Mom & Dad types: stodgy Dad, syrupy sweet Mom. The living room set is equally generic, which leaves lots of room for Becky and Fozzie’s relationship to stand out as the one thing in their lives that doesn’t “fit.” They’re having salmon for dinner. Really? Cue another bear joke…ugh, we get it, he’s a bear. Mom, helpfully: “They do catch [salmon] in rivers!” Fozzie: “Actually, I get mine at Costco.” Okay, that was a pretty good joke. Nice job again, Foz. The scene progresses, with the jokes lifted almost verbatim from the sizzle reel. It felt strange, watching this entire scene play out again, only from slightly different angles this time. It was also a little boring for that reason.

    bpdc7At the studio, Kermit is in the writers’ room, with show writers Gonzo, Rizzo, and Pepe. And an extra-y looking extra, whose name is…Kim? Maybe? George? We’re led not to care. The writers are pitching their a skit they wrote for Tom Bergeron to play-host on Up Late, called “Dancing With the Czars,” featuring Rizzo and Pepe dressed up as ancient Russian nobility. I’s kind of funny. Well, not that funny. They dance the fox trot, jumping up and down and cavorting to some hokey music. It was silly and dumb, but kids might like it. Maybe if it was dancing cheese instead…oh well. It felt like a stab at Muppet Show-type backstage antics, and an admirable one, but it felt forced and didn’t quite hit the mark. Again here, the sets were fantastic. The puppetry was excellently staged and performed, including minute details like Kermit’s hand resting on the back of a chair. These small touches add realism, and make the characters true to us. Kermit’s assessment of Gonzo’s work is harsher than mine: “I hate everything about it!” Gonzo, ever the optimist, replies, “Hey, only one note!” which redeemed the bit.

    bpdc8And then…BOOM! It’s Denise, folks! Say hello to Kermit’s little lillypad love-dumplin’. In her grand entrance to the show, she pops in to tell Kermit she brought him a little Italian. “His name’s Guissepe. Ba dum, cha!” There’s been so much said in fan circles about this new character, and we’ve only just now heard her voice. And it’s a good voice! It’s a pig with a Southern accent, and her voice sounds more “real” than a character-type voice like Piggy’s. She is not entirely dislikable, in fact she seems on the surface to be quite pleasant! Sadly, many fans predict she won’t last, and they may be right. She’s very “normal,” which isn’t a good sign if you’re a Muppet. We cut to another Kermit talking head segment, explaining how the two of them met. They were at a cross-promotional synergy meeting and before long, they…um, cross-promoted. Eww! What does that mean? A Muppet sex joke? Wait, was he still with Piggy when this happened? So many questions!

    bpdc9Dinner is done at Becky’s parents’ house, and all four are seated in the living room. Becky is cute. Fozzie is enormous. I get that he’s not supposed to be slender, being a bear, but he looks like a deflated life raft here. Becky is smitten with Fozzie, and I keep asking myself why. Does Fozzie turn into an irresistible lover somehow? Is Becky deranged? Either way, Becky brings up the fact that Fozzie works with Miss Piggy on Up Late. Becky’s mom gushes over the pig, saying she absolutely adores her. Can I please ask…WHY?? Is it her humanitarianism? So Piggy is essentially Oprah, in the context of The Muppets. As Pepe would say, “h’okay.” Wait, could we possibly get the real Oprah on this show? That would be amazing! Fozzie offers to take the family to the next taping of the show, and calls Piggy to clear it. The Pig is mid-workout, and Tracy Anderson is her trainer. We know that, because Miss Piggy calls her by her first and last name (which is fortunate, because I would have had no idea who she was otherwise). Unsure who she’s talking to, she asks “Is this the guy in the hat?” Okay, at least we got out of the “I’m gonna say ‘Gary’” joke. I’ll give them that. Piggy agrees, they can come to the set, “But not touching, and no eye contact,”…meaning, Fozzie, she clarifies.

    bpdc10Back in Kermit’s office, we get an interesting revelation: Kermit is a stress eater! This will set up something else later, but wow, Kermit overeats! Maybe this explains his attraction to pigs? Anyway, it’s a little amphibian character development. As Kermit espouses his frustration with Piggy’s aversion to Elizabeth Banks, Denise sheds some light on things by showing him a video of Piggy and Banks, together at an audition for the Hunger Games movie. In it, Banks is a natural and Miss Piggy is awful. She causally boasts that she hasn’t read the script, she thinks she can waltz through it…wait, isn’t Piggy in show biz? Shouldn’t she should know how auditions work? At any rate, Banks walks out on the audition, her role already secure, and Kermit is led to conclude that this, obviously, is why Piggy dislikes Banks; she beat her out for a major movie role. Kermit decides that that’s a juvenile reason for kicking her off the show, and declares Banks to be back on-schedule for the taping. “I run this show,” he announces, “I make the decision.” Denise snuggles up to Kermit and says she likes this side of him, and to tell her “what you want.” Kermit embarrassingly admits he wants a chocolate brownie sundae. Kermit is calorie-loading! This is indeed a weird but interesting new angle.

    Other thoughts: How does Miss Piggy suddenly forget everyone and everything she’s ever done? That’s funny for now, but can only be funny for so long, I think. It just doesn’t make sense.

    bpdc12Piggy and Banks. Production meeting time again! Kermit goes over the upcoming show’s outline, and mentions that Elizabeth Banks is, in fact, going to be on the show. The Muppet cast gasp in unison and terror! They all seem scared out of their wits over how Piggy will react. Think this might be a commentary of some late-night hosts’ staff? Interesting how Kermit was in charge of The Muppet Show, and now Piggy is in charge of Up Late…okay, Kermit was never really in charge of The Muppet Show. Rizzo makes a joke, good to see him making a splash in this show! Pepe warns Kermit not to take Piggy’s wrath lightly: “I once saw her lift up a piano to get to a half-eaten moon pie.” Meh…I like Pepe’s dirty jokes more. He can do better! Kermit reassures the cast that Piggy won’t know Banks is on the show until she walks through the curtain onstage. Cue Elizabeth Banks to walk into the studio now, hours early and in plenty of time for Piggy to see her and erupt! Kermit immediately sluffs her off on Scooter ever the faithful sidekick (and now the “Talent Coordinator”), for an hours-long tour of the studio, far from the potential gaze of the pig. Today’s slightly more grown-up Scooter, it turns out, can be a bit snarky when snapped at! His banter with Banks is pithy, and kind of out-of-character for him. He says things that Richard Hunt would most definitely say, but Scooter himself might restrain himself. Banks tires of his little game of distraction, and as they argue she throws him off the moving golf cart he was driving, only to have Scooter rush back onto the cart and attempt to wrestle control back from her. This scene is among the most marvelous pieces of puppetry on the show! Scooter was a believable puppet character, and we only saw the back (or side) of his head for most of the scene. Scooter is back, baby!

    bpdc14Speaking of studio tours, Fozzie attempts to lead Becky and her parents through the backstage of the Up Late set, but strains to come up with anything interesting to say. He stands behind his announcer podium and invites Becky’s dad to come see what it’s like, until he notices Rizzo on a hot rat date by his furry feet, and anxiously rushes them onward instead. Miss Piggy encounters Banks backstage, and flies into a rage. As Fozzie feebly attempts to introduce Becky’s mom to Miss Piggy, the porcine diva insults him and storms off. Fozzie attempts to smooth it over to no avail, and gets himself knocked across the room by, ladies and gentlemen, Big Mean Carl! Another fan favorite, great to see him. Fozzie has completely failed to impress Becky’s parents, although she still loves him, and tells him so. Fozzie makes a joke, saying “Yeah, that’s not enough,” and chases after Carl (the small human one, not the big mean one) with a Up Late coffee mug.

    On-camera with a music joke, who should it be but the Electric Mayhem! Janis remarks how the show’s musical guests’ original band name was Imagine Dragons. After bassist Floyd Pepper points out that, that is in fact their name, Janis replies “I know…they kept it.” Baaahahaha! Classic Janis. That moment felt very Muppet Show-esque.

    Kemit tries to reason with Piggy, during another walk down the hallway (although not as long of a walk this time). He tells her he knows she’s angry with Banks because of the Hunger Games audition tape, but Piggy reminds him of the real reason she can’t stand Banks: They went to see her movie Pitch Perfect 2 the night they broke up. And then…ready for this?

    It’s the breakup scene! We get to watch the very moment we’ve talked so much about all summer! It was all brilliantly woven together, this new show and pop culture reality! What an amazing world we live in! Sorry, sorry, I know this is sad and all, it’s just…squee!

    bpdc17In this flashback to paparazzi footage, we find Kermit and Piggy on a street corner, after leaving the movie theater. Kermit is visibly annoyed that Piggy won’t stop posing and taking selfies, and generally being “out there” while they’re together for a private evening. Piggy can’t understand what Kermit is talking about. Kermit wants a deeper connection, that doesn’t always involve an adoring public at every turn. She sees that as completely unreasonable. So, Kermit says it’s over. He doesn’t shout it, he doesn’t blow up. He simply, sadly, says it’s over. It’s actually a very emotional moment. Kermit begins to walk away, and Piggy crumbles in disbelief. This, strangely enough, is huge emotion for Piggy. Bigger-than-life, gregarious, over-acting Piggy is almost natural for her, but to feel actual deep, tangible emotion like this…you can see the pain. This is the inner core of the Pig. We see her “human” side. THIS is the “pain Piggy” that Frank Oz first created on The Muppet Show. THIS is the true heart and soul, and actually what enables Piggy to behave outwardly as she typically does. It’s as good as anything Frank Oz could have done. Bravo, Mr. Jacobson, you nailed it. This is the nugget from which everything else that is Miss Piggy is built. Perfectly, perfectly done.

    bpdc19Coming back to current-day, we see Kermit and Piggy in her dressing room, talking calmly like adults. He apologizes to her, and they agree that they can work together. Piggy remarks how their tumultuous relationship has never affected her personally. She still can’t help herself, I guess. She continues to insist that that movie was enough to justify holding a grudge on the actress herself, and Kermit, indulging an injured lady, agrees with her reasoning. The pig and frog agree to work together and be honest with each other. And as such, Piggy blurts out: “I don’t know what you see in your girlfriend, and you’re getting a little tummy,” as she skips away. Shocked, Kermit looks in the mirror. “It goes away if I stand up straight!” he offers. “Oh no,” he realizes, “it doesn’t!” I can’t say it enough, I SO hope Kermit having a weight problem becomes an ongoing plot point. He’s always been a little round, but the thought of him getting even rounder would be truly funny!

    Show Time. We find Elizabeth Banks comfortably seated on the set of Up Late with Miss Piggy laughing and joking with the host in front of a live studio audience. “We’re back with a very fit, and almost too beautiful Elizabeth Banks!” announces Miss Piggy. As they talk, Banks remarks that, to keep in shape, she hikes a lot. Piggy retorts that she hikes a lot, too. “I had this hiked [she indicates her chin], I had these hiked [she indicates…well, those], and I’m gettin’ this thing hiked on my hiatus! [indicating her backside]” “You must have a long hiatus!” quips Banks, to the audience’s delight. What a great Piggy joke, I loved it! There was a very “modern Muppet” feel to the whole scene, and Muppets talking with celebs equals gold, every time. It was evocative of the Muppet Show moments with Kermit sitting on the wall and casually chatting with guest stars. Speaking of Kermit, we find him watching offstage with Scooter. He asks Scooter if Tom Bergeron was told he was bumped from the show. Just then, who should appear behind them but…wait for it…Tom Bergeron! Tom comedically mopes offscreen. Scooter assures Kermit he’ll send him a gift basket to make him feel better, with the really fancy salami. Kermit considers it, then advises Scooter to send the “regular” salami instead. Poor Tom Bergeron.

    bpdc20To end the show, we go to the Electric Mayhem, playing along behind Imagine Dragons, the show’s musical act. This part of the show was not done well. The Dragons mimed only a snipped of their song, and it looked and felt very “thrown in at the last minute.” Almost an afterthought. Miss Piggy didn’t introduce them (yes, she mentioned them by name earlier in the show, but if the illusion here is that this is a “real” late night show, then let’s go through all the paces). They didn’t even perform a whole song. On top of that, the Muppets were thrown in the background, not featured as performers at all. The Muppets are known for musical numbers on TV, and this show had none of that. It made the ending feel weak. Disappointing.

    bpdc22Animal is the only one made a part of this performance, banging a gigantic bass drum characteristic of much of the Dragons’ music. As he pummels the drum head, it eventually bursts open, and Animal falls inside. Sweetums and Bobo inspect the drum as the music continues, and Sweetums gasps “He’s gone!” To which Bobo replies “Oh well.” Seems like an underwhelming reaction to me, but Oh Well. Statler and Waldorf, keen on finding an exit, realize they could rush to follow Animal’s escape route via the drum, “Let’s get outta here!” Very appropriate, great last moment, and if the two of them get the last word in every episode, I’ll smile every time.

    There’s a lot to love here, honoring both the old and the new. The Muppets are more than the puppets themselves, they’re the performers, the writers, directors, producers, and an entire team of people putting on a show for the Muppet fans. We saw technical achievements and beautiful displays of puppetry in this episode, and if it’s any indication of what we’ll see in the future, I can’t wait. Way to honor the old, bring in the new, and to know your audience. Welcome back to prime-time TV, Muppets. We’ve missed you.

    The very last thing we hear in this episode is a Dragons lyric: “I’m goin’ back to my roots.”

    How wonderfully appropriate.

  • An Introduction To Jordan Harff

    Jordan HarffHi-Ho! Wocka Wocka! I thought I would use my first post to introduce myself and share a little bit about myself and my love for the Muppets. My name is Jordan Harff and I am a 22-year old college student currently pursuing my Bachelor’s in film and video, already having an Associate’s in journalism. I live in Long Island, New York and have lived here my whole life. I’m the oldest of 4 kids and we all have been, at some point, involved in Community Theater as actors, while I have also had the fortunate opportunities of being able to be a director and stage manager of musicals a few times in the past. Since before I was born, my father has been a children’s pastor, and through this I was exposed at an early age to a gift he possessed since college: puppetry.

    I remember, even as a little kid, having puppets around the house. Watching my dad practice funny voices and characters was the norm. Later in life I realized how much I can relate to Jim Henson’s children now. My mom has often shared about how I, even as young as 2 years old, would empty out my large toy box, climb inside and turn it into a puppet stage, holding up stuffed toys and simple hand puppets and putting on a performance like my dad would do to minister to children. Around the age of 4 or 5, my dad allowed me and my sister to have two of his puppets: an orange skinned man with bright neon yellow hair and a red nose became Howey for me and my sister’s puppet was Lucy, a female puppet with human skin color and the same bright neon yellow hair on her head. At such a young age, having a puppet like that in my hand was like possessing a Green Lantern ring or Dorothy’s ruby slippers. It was the greatest gift I could ever ask for and it was the tool I needed to become a real puppeteer.

    From a young age, I was immediately drawn to Sesame Street. As much as I loved my sister and she was, and still is, my best friend, my mom still tells me to do this day that my best friend as a little kid was Elmo. I used to carry an Elmo stuffed toy with me everywhere and made him apart of the family by calling him “Elmo Harff”. If we went to church, I’d insist my mom put one of my ties on Elmo Harff, and she always supported me with any of my seemingly wacky ideas. As important as trips to Disney World and Disneyland were, visiting Sesame Place every summer when I was young was always a requirement as my love for Sesame Street just exploded once I visited that park. I can remember when Sesame Street had a promotion in which small little stuffed toys could be found in cereal boxes and for months my parents and grandparents bought only that brand and as many varieties as they could to ensure my sister and I could collect as many of those characters as possible. A trip to Costco or Wal-Mart was never complete unless we came home with a new Sesame Street video. I even remember having rare videos such as Basil Hears a Noise in which Elmo was the only familiar character and had a very small role in the video. Both my home and my Grandparents’ home were filled with Sesame Street videos and toys and my family always supported my love for the show and its characters.

    Once I grew out of the Sesame Street phase, there was a gap of time where I needed to find my “new obsession”. I remember being aware of who Kermit the Frog is but how I caught onto the Muppets and fell in love with them is really a blur to me. All I remember is walking into a Toys R Us one day with my family and getting to pick something out for graduation and finding two action figures I just immediately latched on to: the Palisade Toys figures of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Then I was able to find a copy of The Best of the Muppet Show DVD series with episodes featuring Elton John, Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly and I was able to see these “toys in action”. Through that time, my grandparents and parents would purchase more Muppet figures on Amazon and Toys R Us for every holiday and “rewards for good grades”. Instead of choosing another Scooby-Doo or SpongeBob video at Blockbuster, I now found myself picking up copies of The Muppet Movie, eventually owning my own copies of Muppet Treasure Island and The Muppets Take Manhattan. As time has gone on I’ve introduced myself to Fraggle Rock and, even as a young adult, find myself watching Sesame Street videos along as well as documentaries and older TV specials about Jim Henson and the Muppets.

    Now, I know it’s not the most liked or appreciated project the Muppets have worked on, but The Muppets Wizard of Oz will forever hold a special place in my heart. Being a teenager into characters that were sometimes looked upon as “old school”, that TV movie was the first big Muppet project I was personally able to watch unfold. I remember reading Muppet Central articles when the film was first announced and being confused as to why Rowlf the Dog wasn’t Toto or why Queen Latifah’s Aunt Em was owning a karaoke diner. While back then I fell in love with the movie, and it reintroduced me to the Wizard of Oz franchise, I can now see why it doesn’t get much love from the Muppet fan community. But it’ll always be a special part of my story getting involved in the Muppet community.

    Why do we love the Muppets? It’s something I began thinking about before writing this post and it really got me asking myself what the Muppets mean to me. The first time I visited Muppet Vision 3D as a fan was the first time I was able to decide who my favorite Muppets are: Kermit the Frog, Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat. I think almost every Muppet fan feels obligated to list Kermit as their favorite, but for me he’s more than just the ringleader. Kermit doesn’t give up, and even when he does, he always holds on to one glimmer of hope. Even in the 2011 movie The Muppets, while he has distanced himself from his friends over the years, he’s still holding on to hope that they’ll one day be together, even displaying his friends in giant picture frames around his home. Kermit’s purpose in life is to bring joy and laughter to people. As Kermit has said several times over the years, his dream is to make people happy and make the world a little brighter, mirroring something Jim Henson has often been quoted saying. As far as my love for Gonzo and Rizzo, I’ve always preferred seeing them together than apart. For me, while the Muppets have always represented strong friendships like Kermit and Fozzie, Bert and Ernie and Elmo and Zoe, these two represent polar opposites who attract because they sincerely care for one another.

    Whenever I think of my first trip to Muppet Vision 3D, Rizzo’s appearance as Mickey Mouse is always what I remember being the reason why I fell in love with these characters. And it doesn’t help that Rizzo comes from New York with that accent of his and so do I! For me, I love the Muppets because they represent so many things: friendship, loyalty, humor, music, courage and truth. They stick together through thick and thin and, despite their friendships being tested numerous times, they are always there for one another. Their humor is contagious and, even when they get wacky, they still respect one another as performers and true artists in their crafts. Deep down, I even think Miss Piggy respects her fellow Muppets, despite finding many of them to be weirdos and pests. Deep down I think she knows she needs them just as much as they need her. I went through a tough time in my life a few years ago and just being able to watch the movies and The Muppet Show and think about their friendship, it helped me get through it, knowing even if I felt lonely, I never was. I think we all saw a bit of ourselves in the character of Gary in the 2011 Muppets film. We all wished we could live in a world with the Muppets, maybe even have a chance to live with one as a best friend. And being that I come from a background in musical theater, I of course appreciate their love for music and performance.

    Enough about me. It’s time for you to think about this for yourself. Why do we love the Muppets? Why do we latch on to some characters over others? With the new TV show only a few days away, the Muppets are truly back on a global spotlight and we as loyal Muppet fans aren’t now seen as the “weirdos” who are obsessed with characters from an old TV show. We each have a story for how we were introduced to the world of the Muppets and we each have the opportunity now to share these stories with our family and friends. I know on September 22, I’ll be sitting in front of my TV screen with my family around me, having supported my love and appreciation for these characters since day one. We love these characters and we’ve been dreaming of new movies and TV shows for years now, wanting these characters to get the respect and representation they deserve. And I hope you’ll all be doing the same because that one line in “Rainbow Connection” could very well be referencing all of us: “The lovers, the dreamers and me”.

  • Here’s Why This Is Jim Henson’s Best Birthday Week Ever

    Jim HensonIt’s never just “your birthday.” It’s your “birthday weekend” or “birthday week,” right? If you turn 18 on a Sunday, it’s your birthday weekend. If you turn 40 on a Wednesday, it’s your birthday week. If you turn 21 in October then…you get the idea.

    James Maury Henson was born on Thursday, September 24, 1936. His birthday is always cause for celebration, and even more so because it coincides with Steve Whitmire’s birthday (the successor to Kermit the Frog). Every year Muppet fans make the obligatory remark about how odd that is, and watch The Muppet Movie, or whatever their favorite Muppet productions are. It’s always fun, as we celebrate the man behind the Muppets.

    This year Jim would turn 79. It’s been 60 years now since Sam and Friends first appeared on Washington, DC television sets. 46 years since Sesame Street began. 39 years since The Muppet Show first aired. 6 years since The Muppet Show Season 3 DVD was released (6 long years, Disney!!).

    This year feels a little different than past years, for Jim’s b-day. Three fun and interesting things seem to be happening all within a very short time of each other. It started on September 12, when Frank Oz appeared on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, to play games and have a few laughs, and even talk about his life working with his best friend Jim Henson. They even asked him to do some voices, and he gave a very pleasant and firm “No,” as expected.

    Then, PBS aired a special episode of In Their Own Words, spotlighting Jim Henson. Jim’s words were prominently featured, as were some of his greatest friends, colleagues, and admirers. People like Frank Oz, Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson, Michael Eisner, Neil Patrick Harris, and even Willard Scott. Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones contributed greatly to the storytelling, thanks to the outstanding research he did in his book.

    And finally, the cake topper of cake toppers, a birthday present that’s more for we the fans than for Jim himself (although I’m sure he’s smiling down at all of us), his cherished creations, Kermit and friends, return to the medium that fascinated him from the time he was a teenager. The Muppets premieres on ABC in an all-new weekly primetime slot for a full season of mayhem, comedy, music (hopefully), and unforgettable moments. The Muppets will continue, because we want them to, just like Jim said, in his own words.

  • The Breakup – One Man’s Opinion.

    On Tuesday August 4th 2015, the entertainment world was shocked when this tweet hit from Kermit the Frog:

    Most of the tweets and responses were of shock and consultation (read FrogFan76’s tweet and Facebook posts from that time to get an idea of the hyperbole). I however had a different approach to the news. My initial and continuing thoughts are “So What?”.

    To understand, you need to see the Muppets and the Kermit/Piggy relationship the way I see it. Stay with me to the end of the article to understand.

    First of all, I believe this is just promotion for the upcoming ABC television show The Muppets. (make sure to have the period). As we saw in the “sizzle reel” that was the pitch for the ABC executives, Kermit and Piggy were on the outs and Kermit had moved on with another pig named Denise (Head of Marketing). Miss Piggy has also moved as well (persuing Topher Grace).

    The whole rocky relationship began in the first episode of The Muppet Show (in which the Muppet Glee Club sang “Temptation”). Over the years couple has been more out than in. But let’s look into this even further.

    Up Late with Miss Piggy is the show-within-the-show where Miss Piggy is a talk show host. The Muppets is the behind-the-scenes of that show, in which Kermit is dating Denise, and which is all fake to begin with. Similar to The Office, where everything we see is portrayed by actors. Kermit and Piggy are acting, playing a version of themselves, just like we have seen in the 2011 film also called The Muppets (don’t get me started on this). They are puppeteered actors. The Muppets haven’t been apart forever; remember, they just did a television special Letters to Santa just a couple of years earlier.

    So already, there is confusion. Kermit and Piggy announced as themselves, not their characters, that the breakup is real. Yet there is another issue that drives this. The issue is that (get ready, I’m about to blow someone’s mind with this) they are puppets that are not real!

    If Steve Whitmire and Eric Jacobson weren’t the brilliant actors that they are (taking up for the even more brilliant Jim Henson and Frank Oz) this wouldn’t ever have been believed. As they stated recently at San Diego Comic Con and again at Disney’s D23 Expo, the characters all live in a box (without air holes!) waiting for the puppeteers to put them on and bring them to life. We also heard at D23 Expo how this isn’t the first time that the pair were planned to split. The Muppet writers have talked about breaking them up ever since Jim Henson’s death.

    I believe that movies and tv specials were not the best plan to have them break up, as those don’t have the same built-in continuity that a TV show does. This new show is the best idea for moving the characters forward. However, I believe that this “breakup” is only temporary as it’s been shown that as many times that Kermit has been frustrated and “broken up” with Piggy during the years, that he is extremely jealous when he sees her in any romantic relationship that doesn’t involve him.

    So, to sum up: characters in a show, portrayed by actors (playing a version of themselves) portrayed by Eric Jacobson (a male who is married) and Steve Whitmire (another male who is married) are making news by breaking up? Who cares!

  • Major Questions About ABC’s “The Muppets”

    As I write this, The Muppets ABC trailer (the pitch reel they showed to the execs) has been on YouTube for about 24 hours. So naturally, most of the known world has seen it. Maybe you have too. Every fan I’ve talked to – all 6 of them – thought it was on-pitch for a Muppet TV return, found it very funny, and wanted to see more.

    The Muppets ABC Poster EnsembleThere are already some well-written reviews for it, especially this one at ToughPigs, where Joe Hennes dissects the good and the not-so-good (although it’s admittedly hard to nitpick at this point). In fact there are so many articles reviewing it that I’m not going to write one.

    The Muppets teaser reel, which is what I’m calling this video, did a thorough job of getting us ready to see what their lives are like behind-the-scenes. It puts them in a light we haven’t seen before, showing us something more “real.” It’s still wacky, witty, and entertaining, but in a way we aren’t used to. I really liked it, but it did leave me with a few questions, which I hope will be answered as time goes on.

    Kermit has a girlfriend…and it’s not Miss Piggy? Let’s all take a second for that to sink in. Kermit the Frog famously rebuffed Miss Piggy’s romantic advances – then married her once or twice (which he’s debated the legitimacy of) – and now has moved on. Moved on?…okay. Kermit is officially dating another pig (“I have a type,” he says). Her name is Denise, she’s performed by Julianne Buescher, and according to the Muppet Wiki she’s going to be rebuilt to look less generic for the rest of the episodes (Where do they get their information? Those guys know everything!). Denise is a marketing executive at the network, which makes me wonder about Kermit. Pigs are his type, granted, but Denise didn’t seem to do much in this mini-episode. And Kermit never struck me as going for the quiet, demure, “stable” type. It made me think that maybe Denise isn’t going to be around long. I could see Denise being a device used to make Piggy jealous, and eventually “mysteriously disappearing”, allowing Piggy to close in on the frog again. After all, I don’t believe for a second that Piggy has, or ever will, move on from Kermit.

    But either way, Kermit is unquestionably into pigs, and with the appearance of Denise, I have to wonder if there have been more pigs. Does this confirm my theory that Kermit and Annie Sue Pig had a side thing? I also have a developing theory that pigs are the root of everything for the Muppet Show Muppets, but more on that later.

    Miss Piggy in BlueWhy are the Muppets so dependent on Miss Piggy? Do they really need her this much? The teaser reel has Miss Piggy starting out as being unavailable to be part of the Muppets’ new TV show, because she’s working on another TV show. Or movie. Or whatever. Her unavailability is a major roadblock to the Muppets moving forward on their own. We’ve been here before. In A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Piggy walked out because she’d been hired to play a “major” TV role. Remember that? The difference was, that time she turned out to be only an extra, and this time she really does seem to have a big part. Both then and now, the Muppets seem immobilized by Piggy’s absence.

    This Muppet fan remembers when times were different. Do you recall back on The Muppet Show, when Piggy was going to leave the show? In that situation the show was definitely going to go on, even though they were sad about her leaving (and sang a hilarious song about it). Why have things become different in recent years? Does Kermit absolutely need Miss Piggy to make the Muppets work? Does this fragile house of cards topple at the loss of, well, one very hefty card? It’s feasible to say that the Muppets don’t necessarily need Piggy, they need everyone. If one of them, be it Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, Scooter (they could probably do without Scooter), left then they wouldn’t be the Muppets. They don’t just need Piggy, they all need each other. Awww.

    Is Animal taking speech classes? I see him speak more and more as time goes on,and in my opinion he’s funnier when he’s more “primitive”. He’s a simple character, as Frank Oz succinctly describes him. He’s driven by 3 things: drums, food, and women. When he gets outside the boundaries of those things (like volunteering to pose for tasteful nudes), he loses the core element of his nature, and becomes something besides what he’s known for. I get it, he’s been around for decades and he needs to evolve a little bit. Maybe. Does he really? I’m not sure I’m interested in Animal’s intellectual journey. I want to watch him scream and play drums. And chase women.

    Constantine Blue BackgroundWill Constantine be in this show? I’d love to see that. Walter, the second-newest Muppet character, is poised to play a major part in the Muppets of today. He fits right into the family. But what about Constantine? How does a villain who’s been foiled in a movie and thrown in a gulag become a part of a weekly TV show that doesn’t even take place in Russia? If Constantine does become a part of this show, what would he do? He would still be evil, of course. Maybe he’d be a network executive. Or if he wanted to get into acting, he could co-villainate some melodramatic scenes with Uncle Deadly. Maybe he could be a soap opera actor on ABC. Not on the Muppet show, I mean in real life. I’d DVR that every day.

    Where does the Electric Mayhem live? Whether in a church, a hotel, or in bus lockers, it seems like the band has always co-habitated out of necessity. Since we get to see Muppet houses/apartments, do we get to see where the Mayhem lives? Do they finally have their own separate places? I’d have a hard time believing that, because they all seem so inept on their own. Honestly, can you see Animal keeping up with the rent? Or even Zoot? Or Janice? She’s a free spirit and it’s her life, you know, so if she wants to live on a beach and…Moving on, what would Dr. Teeth’s house look like? That would probably be exciting. Lots of sparkle and glitter.

    Also, what about the singing food? Do we get to see them away from the limelight too? See what I did there?…limelight.

    There are endless questions one could ask (Do we care about the Muppets keeping with continuity? I doubt it.), but instead I think I’ll just wait to see what happens in September, when the show premieres on the 22nd.

    What am I saying…of course I’ll have more questions before then! I’m just too lazy to type them right now.

    I’m more interested in what you think. What are your big questions about this big, bold new show?

  • Show #236 – February 10, 2013

    Which 5 episodes of The Muppet Show would you show someone who had never seen it before? We answer that question this week, along with Muppetology, news, and more!

    Thanks for downloading and listening this and every week! It means the world to me that you’re here. For any questions or comments concerning the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else, email me@muppetcast.com. Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your friends about the show too!

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #231 – November 25, 2012

    It’s the 2012 Holiday Kickoff show! This year I’m joined by Ceris Thomas of The Lovers, The Dreamers, and You (Facebook) (Twitter) for a very unique edition of Made-Up Muppet Show: Christmas Special Edition. Get ready to watch the most entertaining, fun-filled, hilarious Muppet Christmas special you’ve never seen! (more…)

  • Show #227 – October 21, 2012

    Pop Quiz: in which episode of The Muppet Show did John Candy appear? Trick question! He never did, until now! Listener Whitney Grace returns to The MuppetCast this week in an all-new “Made-Up Muppet Show” as we speculate (i.e., make up as we go along) what might have happened if the fabulously funny Mr. Candy had appeared on The Muppet Show. (more…)

  • Show #218 – August 5, 2012

    This week we present a brand-new segment: Made-Up Muppet Show! Ever wondered what would happen if some of our favorite celebs of yesteryear (or maybe even today) had guest starred on the Muppet Show? We certainly have, and this week longtime listener Hilarie Mukavitz stops by to make up an episode starring Ringo Starr!

    Make sure to spread the love to Copper Pot pictures and support the new documentary “I Am Big Bird” by contributing to their Kickstarter campaign! We can do this, let’s all pitch in and make sure this film keeps moving forward.

    The MuppetCast is sponsored by One Fan’s Dream. Support the show directly by picking up a few shirts on the website, and enjoying the inspirational articles. And by: Flipper Media! Better Pod, Better Vid, Better Web!

    Thanks for listening to The MuppetCast! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com. Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook, and play along with the show every Friday for Muppet Twitter Trivia!

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #182 – November 14, 2010

    We’ll call this Part 1 of a two-part episode in which we meet lots of new and old friends following their dreams in the world of comic books! I recently had the opportunity to meet and talk with these folks and more at the 2010 Mid-Ohio Comic Con. You should click over to their links below, follow them on Facebook, and get acquainted with these people, because they want to get to know you! Many of the artists below also happily do Muppet commissions, so you can get yourself some custom Muppet artwork.

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

    Guests in this episode include (in order of appearance):
    Katie Cook (Fraggle Rock, Star Wars)

    David Petersen (Mouse Guard, Fraggle Rock, Muppet Show)

    Enrica Jang (New Comic Book: Azteca)

    Joel Jackson and James Moore (Radio Free Gahanna, Coco Fiasco)

    Jesse Rubenfeld (“Muppets Last Supper” artist, Into The Dust)

    Phil Machi (Retail Sunshine)

    Amanda Elliott (The Adventures of Vampire Kitty and Space Bat)

    Mark LeMieux (New Comic Book: MUTE)

    Brian Roe (Yva)

    Josh Lyman (Comic Book Artist)

    Stay tuned for Part 2 of the big Mid-Ohio Con extravaganza!

    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. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #176 – September 26, 2010

    Did you know that Jim Henson and Steve Whitmire share the same birthday? They sure do! Both of Kermit the Frog’s performers age up on the same day, that being September 24. So to celebrate both men, this week we look back on the Muppet PBS special “The World of Jim Henson“, as well as Steve Whimire in The Muppet Show Live. (more…)

  • Show #152 – March 7, 2010

    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. (more…)

  • Show #150 – February 21, 2010

    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. (more…)

  • The Muppet Comic Book BOOM!

    Recently, BOOM! Kids has taken the Muppets to new heights in The Muppet Show Comic Book and the various Muppet story comics.

  • Show #125 – August 30, 2009

    Excelsior! The MuppetCast is all about superheroes, comics, and the like this week, as I welcome the crew from The Amazing Comicast in a new Profile of a Podcaster segment. I thought this would make a perfect addition to the recent shows we’ve done about Comic Con and with Muppet Show Comic Book cartoonist Roger Langridge, and we had a great time talking Muppets, Star Wars, and of course, comic books. (more…)

  • Show #121 – August 2, 2009

    I’m very happy to bring on Roger Langridge for his second MuppetCast appearance! Roger is the cartoonist behind the wonderful new Muppet Show comic books currently flying off store shelves, and he joins me this week to talk about his recent experiences at Comic Con 2009.

    Special thanks to Frank The Horse (maybe steer the little ones away) for that hilarious intro. I loved it! If YOU, dear listener, know any puppet characters who would like to give a special intro for The MuppetCast, let me extend the invitation to call them in or record and send it like Frank! (more…)

  • Show #120 – July 26, 2009

    This week I just can’t seem to get off the phone. I’m happy to welcome not one, not two, but FOUR MuppetCast listeners on to talk about their experiences at both Comic Con 2009 and the recent Puppeteers of America National festival.

    Special thanks to Matt Kahl, Marianne Murphy, Megan McCabe, and David Stephens for talking with me this week. We all had a blast! (more…)

  • Show #119 – July 19, 2009

    Call it an unofficial MuppetCast Road Trip, call it Peanut Butter Oreo day, whatever you call it, it’s a brand-new episode of The MuppetCast! This week we go to Orlando, FL, as Muppeteer Leslie Cararra-Rudolph presents her stage workshop “Wake Up Your Weird”, a one-hour one-woman ride through Leslie’s creative mind. It’s a great time, so grab some candy and enjoy! (more…)

  • Show #117 – July 5, 2009

    We celebrate July 4th weekend (in the US) with an updated MuppetCast Salute to America! With some fantastic Muppet news, listener feedback, and some hilarious behind-the-scenes Sesame Street footage, hopefully you’ll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. (more…)

  • Show #116 – June 28, 2009

    We continue our series focusing on The Jim Henson Hour this week, with the eighth episode, called “Musicians“. This episode also contains a new Storyteller segment, The True Bride, which I hope you’ll enjoy too. (more…)

  • Show #111 – May 24, 2009

    This week I’m joined by Matt Blum from the GeekDad blog to talk about being a dad, a “geek”, and a Muppet fan. Matt also joins me for a new Muppet List talking about “Muppet Tech”, or the technological advances pioneered by the Jim Henson company over the years. (more…)

  • Show #109 – May 10, 2009

    To celebrate Mother’s Day this week, we revisit an interview from last year with Muppeteer Richard Hunt‘s mother, Jane Hunt. Jane is a real treat, a good friend of the show, and she shares some unique observations and special memories of motherhood and grandmotherhood from years gone by. Of course, a few “Richard stories” are thrown in as well. (more…)

  • Show #108 – May 3, 2009

    The summer 2009 travel season is fast approaching! Joining me to help you find Sesame Street characters and attractions is Ann Kearns, Vice President of Licensing at Sesame Workshop. Ann has several options for families, including Sesame Place, Busch Gardens, Sea World, and Beaches Jamaica! (more…)

  • Show #107 – April 26, 2009

    This week our old friends James & Joe from “Bunnies In Peril” are in town, so we take a rare opportunity to sit and talk with them. In our discussion we talk about magic and magicians appearing within the Muppet universe, as well as general mayhem and hilarity. You can hear their earlier appearances in episodes 22 and 55. (more…)

  • Show #106 – April 19, 2009

    This week we welcome Shane Roberts, host of the Communicore Online Podcast. Shane is not only a Disney fan of many years (as the title indicates), but a big Henson fan as well. We spend some time talking not only about Communicore Online and podcasting in general, but also about some truly scary Henson moments in an all-new Muppet List segment. (more…)

  • Show #105 – April 12, 2009

    We made it! Two years in the making, we celebrate this 2nd anniversary by doing what we do best: bringing the best Muppet content on the web to the fans! The podcast’s finest moments tend to come when special guests appear and talk about their life working with Jim Henson and the Muppets, so that’s just what we’re going to do this week. (more…)

  • Show #103 – March 29, 2009

    Joining me this week to talk about Coming Home: Military Families Cope With Change is Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, VP of Outreach and Educational Practices at Sesame Workshop. Dr. Betancourt joined us last year to talk about the “Talk, Listen, Connect” initiative, and in this episode she and I talk about this new half-hour special airing on PBS Wednesday, April 1 at 8pm Eastern (check local listings). (more…)

  • Show #99 – March 1, 2009

    We head back to New Jersey this week for “Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration and Discovery with the Legendary Cast.” This was a special event hosted by author Michael Davis and William Paterson University, and featured eight people who played a vital role in the show’s initial and enduring success. (more…)

  • Show #97 – February 15, 2008

    Fresh from a 6 day trip to WDW, this episode serves up the Muppets in a couple different ways. First, we begin by going on-location to the Orange Co. History Center for the Grand Opening ceremonies for “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” as it begins its stint in Orlando. Second, it’s just after Valentine’s Day so keep an ear out for those lovey-dovey Muppet moments (none of which I believe don’t end in disaster). Finally, back by popular demand, Ashley makes a return to talk about her experience auditioning to be a Disney performer! (more…)

  • Show #94 – January 25, 2009

    My special guest in this episode is Matt Ficner, creator of the Creepy Puppet Project. We’ll hear Matt talk about his life as a writer, director, puppet builder, and performer, and some of the wonderful projects and people he’s had the opportunity to work with. Also listener Wayne Cordova makes a special appearance to bring back the Muppet List for 2009! Listen and laugh as we discuss some favorite moments with the two old guys in the balcony, Statler & Waldorf. (more…)

  • Show #92 – January 11, 2009

    This week brings us back to the Jim Henson Hour, to continue the series we started back in 2008. Fans have really enjoyed revisiting this short-lived series since it’s never been released to home video, and this time we tackle the episode “The Ratings Game“. (more…)

  • Show #85 – November 23, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This week brings more than a few special guests, including the General Manager of Disney’s Muppets Studio, Lylle Breier. Lots to talk about, so let’s get on with the show!

    Make sure to check out the Top 10 finalists in the Project Puppet 2008 Space Odyssey Contest! Vote Now at PuppetContest.com. Voting will be open through December 7, 2008. (more…)

  • Show #72 – August 24, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This episode features Lou Mongello in a new Profile of a Podcaster segment. I’m also happy to welcome back both David Quesal and Ryan & Joe from Tough Pigs, all good friends of the show. Along with a new Muppet List all about Muppet Musicians with David, the Tough Pigs crew and I discuss the recent Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series announcement from HIT Entertainment. (more…)

  • Show #68 – July 27, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! I’m your host Steve Swanson, and this week’s show is jam-packed with so much content that I had to push back the upcoming special edition episode devoted to The Muppets Take Manhattan (which was the winner in the listener poll). This episode is really bursting at the seams with Muppet news, history, listener feedback, a brand new segment, and a feature segment containing some great rare Muppet audio. And on top of all of this, I’m happy to announce the winner of the Make Something Cool contest!

    The featured audio this week comes to us courtesy of MuppetDanny. Since The Muppets Take Manhattan did win the poll, and since we had to delay its special episode, together we present something of a warm-up for the real thing. This rare audio comes from a 1984 book-and-record production of the Muppet gang presenting an abbreviated story of the film. (more…)

  • Show #63 – June 22, 2008

    Special thanks to Cory Edwards, director of the new Fraggle Rock movie, for leaving the voicemail that kicks off this week’s episode of The MuppetCast!

    It’s time for some more rare Muppet audio! Thanks a listener submission, we have footage of Jim Henson on the Mike Douglas Show; one appearance in 1976 and one in 1977. At that point in history, Kermit the frog was already 20 years old! (more…)

  • Show #59 – May 25, 2008

    This week’s episode of The MuppetCast is dedicated to all of our brave men & women serving in the US Armed Forces at home and abroad, and to the memory of all those who have fallen while serving our country and preserving our freedom.

    Our focus this week is the outreach program created by Sesame Workshop entitled Talk, Listen, Connect. Along with hearing Muppet audio from the video series, I also talk with Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Vice President of Outreach and Educational Practices for Sesame Workshop. (more…)

  • Show #46 – February 24, 2008

    Hola everyone! This week on The MuppetCast, my special guests are Ryan Roe and Joe Hennes. That’s right, it’s Tough Pigs week!

    Before we get into that, though, I won’t be here in Ohio next weekend. I’ll be spending my birthday in WDW, but fear not, there’ll still be a show. Actually, listen for some rare and exclusive stuff next week! (more…)

  • Show #42 – January 27, 2008

    We found one more version of the Bananas song! Yes!

    Less than five months to wait until The Muppet Show, Season 3. Can you believe it? Lots of other good stuff going on, too. Check out the Muppet News Flash for more details. Also be sure to read the latest on Tough Pigs for Muppet-y goodness. (more…)

  • Show #31 – November 11, 2007

    This week we take a look at some great UK content. While Kermit was hamming it up on NBC’s Deal or No Deal and Paula’s Party on the Food Network, Miss Piggy has been leaping from show to show over in the UK, promoting the Muppet Show Season 2 DVD release. She appeared on Loose Women and GMTV. Watch these appearances by clicking on the links! (more…)

  • Show #22 – September 9, 2007

    Bouncing baby figs…great, now I’ll never eat a Fig Newton again.

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This week we hear from some MuppetCast listeners, in some new Listener Interview segments. Grab a turkey leg and let’s go! (more…)

  • Show #17 – August 5, 2007

    Is everything all right in here?

    Yes nanny…

    Last show before Muppets, Music & Magic in Huntington, Long Island, and here we go! (more…)

  • Show #9 – June 10, 2007

    We start the show first with one of the funnier Muppet clips I’ve heard in a very long time. Then, we really open the show with the Jim Henson Hour theme! Thanks David (all of you).

    The MuppetCast is brought to you this week by the number 2, the letter W, and BellBookAndComic.com. Check out their blog, and hit up their eBay store!
    (more…)

  • Show #8 – June 3, 2007

    We start this week’s show with an awesome clip from one of the newest Puppet Up! skits found on TBS On Demand. This week’s show is brought to you by the number 5, the letter L, and BellBookAndComic.com, where you can find all the comics, games, and collectibles you need! Why? Because life should be more fun!
    (more…)

  • Show #4 – May 2, 2007

    Come on in, it’s show #4 this week! WARNING: You may be dancing the Kermambo before the end of the show. (more…)

  • Show #2 – April 19, 2007

    First, thank you to everyone who found the show this past week. It’s been a great week, reading all your feedback, and making this new podcast a part of my daily life. Every day I find a little something to add to the show, and I really want the content of future shows to include your emails and voicemails! Thank you also for all the kind comments this past week on the blog and through email.

    This week in the world of news, we find two big stories. (more…)