My kids - ages 6 and 8 - think the Muppets are hilarious and loved both of the reboot movies. That inspired me to show them a few of the original movies, which they also loved.
The Muppets: just what is their deal, anyhow?
- Thread starter Gaith
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My kids - ages 6 and 8 - think the Muppets are hilarious and loved both of the reboot movies. That inspired me to show them a few of the original movies, which they also loved.
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My parents, in their mid 50s, also love the Muppets.
Only bad people don't love the Muppets.
Well, of course, that only goes for people who know the Muppets. But once exposed, that's the moment of truth.
Well, of course, that only goes for people who know the Muppets. But once exposed, that's the moment of truth.
I have this secret hope that, one day, Disney will own every single entertainment company ever, thus finally resolving all of the rights issues preventing Muppet Babies from being released on DVD. 
Dang. I never thought of it until now but that would've been awesome!
And, after a quick search, it looks like Shatner's only Muppet appearance was a brief cameo on Muppets Tonight in 1996.
Dang. I never thought of it until now but that would've been awesome!
And, after a quick search, it looks like Shatner's only Muppet appearance was a brief cameo on Muppets Tonight in 1996.
I will always be disappointed that Nimoy wouldn't appear on Boston Legal because he was "retired from acting", but then un-retired for, among other things, Bayformers 3 and Into Blahness (I'll give him a pass for Trek XI and Fringe, but, c'mon, man.)
... Anyhow, is anyone else as uninvested in the Kermit/Piggy saga as I? Or as mildly creeped out that her clearly unwanted smothering is supposed to be funny every dang time?
... Anyhow, is anyone else as uninvested in the Kermit/Piggy saga as I? Or as mildly creeped out that her clearly unwanted smothering is supposed to be funny every dang time?
Well, Nimoy had a brief appearance (and I mean brief, it's under a minute, I think) on the "Muppets Tonight" show from the 90s.
Well, the former was just a voice role, and he never retired from voice acting, just on-camera acting. He's had a fair number of voice roles during his "retirement" phases. In the past few years he's also done the Land of the Lost movie, The Big Bang Theory, a 2012 animated movie called Zambezia, and a couple of Kingdom Hearts video games.
And whatever you may think of Into Darkness, Nimoy really hit it off with J.J. Abrams during production on the 2009 movie, so he was glad to work with him again on later productions.
Also, Nimoy's appearance in Into Darkness was almost as brief as on the Muppets Tonight.
Oh, I found the clip:
YouTube| Leonard Nimoy on Muppets Tonight
Oh, I found the clip:
YouTube| Leonard Nimoy on Muppets Tonight
I wouldn't call The Muppets' $165 million worldwide box office "tepid" considering the film cost about $45million. Even if it made to take in 2x it's budget to break even (budget, taxes, interest on investment loans and marketing costs) that's still something like $70 million more than the studio's investment.
I first saw Rowlf as a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show in 1962. A proto-Kermit showed up on some other show, humming "Shine Little Glow Worm" as an inchworm crawled toward him and he gobbled it up. Then it happened a second time. The third time, he grabbed the inchworm, but it resisted, turning out to be several feet long and part of the elephant-like trunk belonging to a big ugly monster that showed up and then ate him.
I've seen that sketch. I think the proto-Kermit was supposed to be a lizard, then later became a frog.
That sketch was performed on several different variety shows in the '60s, starting with The Jack Paar Show in '64, and was recreated with a different character on The Muppet Show. Here's the Muppet Wiki entry listing its appearances:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Inchworm_(sketch)
I probably first saw that skit in the mid 60s, making me only 3 or 4 years old. As such, it scared the poop outa' me! Knowing me, I probably started squaling.
Sincerely,
Bill
Actors are trained to look where the director tells them. A lot of the time when you see a close-up of an actor supposedly having a conversation with another character, they're really just speaking to a camera or a piece of tape on the wall, because the other actor isn't actually there on the set (actors being too busy to show up unless they're needed on camera).
Maybe the musical guests would've had more trouble with it, but I don't know -- it's not that hard to keep your eye on a Muppet's face, because they're interesting to watch.
And besides, Muppets have faces. People instinctively recognize a face, and instinctively look into the eyes. Like, when we see a portrait of someone, our brain instinctively recognizes the face, the eyes, the mouth, etc.. Even in a simple 
. So, looking the Muppet, which is moving, in the face and in the eyes, is pretty much instinct, even without an actor's training.
. So, looking the Muppet, which is moving, in the face and in the eyes, is pretty much instinct, even without an actor's training.
I'm 53, and the Muppets hit me right in the feels every time.
A lot of times they have somebody off-camera reading the other part in place of the other actor.
Actually, I've read comments from some actors-- unfortunately, I forget who at this point-- claiming that they've gotten so caught up in performing with Muppets that they forget there's a human, or humans, manipulating them.And besides, Muppets have faces. People instinctively recognize a face, and instinctively look into the eyes. Like, when we see a portrait of someone, our brain instinctively recognizes the face, the eyes, the mouth, etc.. Even in a simple
