News Update: November 8, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: November 8, 2010

Ryan Dosier (yours truly) is featured heavily on the latest episode of The MuppetCast, Show #181. The show features Ryan, Joe Hennes, Ryan Roe (of ToughPigs), and Steve Swanson (of The MuppetCast) just having a friendly Muppet fan chat about recent Muppet news. We have a whole lot of fun with it (probably too much fun) and Joe and I's animosity toward each other gets set aside for the good of the Muppet fan community. You're welcome.

Muppet Sherlock Holmes #3 is due out this Wednesday, November 10. Our good friends over at ToughPigs have a 5-page preview (as always... lucky ducks) and it looks... well, it looks just like the previous two issues except this time we've got a role for the one Muppet character Amy Mebberson has trouble drawing--Pepe! But still, it looks good.

Fran Brill and Zoe will be appearing in Chicago, Illinois at the Siskel Film Center this weekend, November 13th and 14th presenting two Sesame Street screenings: Sesame Street at 40: Milestones on the Street and Jim Henson & Friends: Inside the Sesame Street Vault. Fran and Zoe will be hosting the two screenings and presumably signing autographs or taking pictures or something. The two screenings are presented courtesy of The Jim Henson Legacy. Ryan Dosier will be in attendance at both screenings, so if you are in the greater Chicago area, or feel like traveling to see Zoe, let us know or be sure to say hi when you see Ryan! For more information, check out the Siskel Film Center's website.

Since it's been so long since we've had one of these News Updates, The Muppet Mindset hasn't been keeping you up to date on the latest rumors about celebrities appearing in the upcoming Muppet movie. Well... here's a quick list for you to acquaint yourself with:

• Jason Segel - Obviously. He's writing and starring in it, playing Gary, roommate of new Muppet (and representative of every Muppet fan ever), Walter.
• Zach Galifinakis - Star of the 2009 hit comedy The Hangover and the recent 2010 movie Due Date with Robert Downey, Jr. In fact, Robert Downey, Jr. is the one who told E! Online that Galifniakis will be in the movie. How awesome is that?
• Amy Adams - Star of Disney's Enchanted, and said to be playing a love-interest of Segel in the film, Adams has been rumored for quite some time, but was finally confirmed in a brief blurb in the new spread in Entertainment Weekly.
• Chris Cooper - Best known for roles in American Beauty and The Bourne Identity, Cooper was also confirmed by the Entertainment Weekly article and is said to be playing the film's villain. Me likes. A lot.
• Rashida Jones - Well known for her starring role in NBC's Parks and Recreation along with starring with Jason Segel and Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man, Jones has been confirmed by an inside source of mine. Rumor has it that she'll be playing a network executive--and she's awesome and adorable and I approve.
• Michael Cera - Arguably the best-known rumored celeb for the movie, Cera has had many famous roles including performances in Juno, Superbad, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This info comes from News in Film which links to some site as a source that's really weird... but the article claims that Cera would provide the voice for Walter, the newest Muppet. If this is true, I could definitely see Cera's voice coming out of Walter... I just don't know yet how I feel about a non-Muppeteer doing it.
• Alan Arkin - Probably the second most well-known rumored celeb... Arkin is one of only two of these celebs to have won an Oscar (Chris Cooper being the other). Arkin guest starred on The Muppet Show and starred in Little Miss Sunshine. He's an incredible actor and I severely hope that this casting rumor is true. His rumored role is that of a Muppet Theater tour guide.

Those are all the celebrities officially rumored so far. There are other names that have been dropped (such as George Clooney and Ben Stiller in the casting call for the movie) but those have not been confirmed or solidified whatsoever. I for one remain ridiculously excited for this project and can't wait to see all of the talent that gets attached to this. And my fingers are starting to hurt because they're crossed so hard for Neil Patrick Harris to be in this thing.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier