News Update: August 1, 2014

AUGUST 1, 2014

Disney has been fast and loose in releasing previews of the Muppets Most Wanted Blu-ray Bonus Features. Last week, we got previews of Ricky Gervais' bloopers and Rizzo's letter to the filmmakers. This week, we get to see the entirety of the Statler and Waldorf Cut of the film. Check it out below!




Even more bonus features were shown off this week, with a preview of Tina Fey in the Muppets Most Wanted Blooper Reel. Watch the hilarity below!

According to sources, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is being released on Blu-ray on October 7th. The release is already available for pre-order on Amazon, but no details about bonus features, other than general "deleted scenes" and "bloopers." Presumably, these features will be exactly the same as the DVD release of the TV movie from a few years ago. It should also be noted that this release comes from NBC-Universal, not Disney, since NBC-U owns the rights to the TV movie.

This week, an enterprising Muppet fan, whose daughter is too young to go to San Diego Comic Con decided to bring Comic Con to her, by creating and performing his own panel featuring Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear. The picture is below, but be warned, you may explode from cuteness. (Thanks to our friends at ToughPigs.com for finding this amazing picture!)

Disney Videos Online has released a special Disney Channel segment featuring Kermit and Constantine. The segment, "10 in 60" challenges the two frogs to answer ten questions in 60 seconds or less. Check out the video below!



Disney has announced an upcoming new web series starring the Muppets. "Disney Drive-On with The Muppets" stars Walter and Pepe as they work on the Disney Studios lot. Apparently, six episodes of the series will be released very soon. According to our friend Peter Linz, these segments were filmed nearly two years ago, so it's fantastic that they've finally been released. The first full episode has been released and you can watch it right here, right now! UPDATE: The second episode can be watched on Disney Movies Anywhere!









The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

News Update: March 18, 2014

MARCH 18, 2014

Kermit the Frog made a big-time appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night. He sat in as Jimmy's second guest and then performed "Bein' Green" accompanied by The Roots and Jimmy Fallon. It was a delightful appearance and Kermit was a lot of fun in the interview. Enjoy the videos below!





Miss Piggy stopped by Toronto's CP24 Breakfast show thiorning on her big promotional tour through Canada. Unfortunately, the video cannot be embedded, but you  can watch the fantastic nine minute appearance on the CP24 Breakfast website.

Tina Fey was spotted in Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios theme park a few days ago. Obviously, she stopped by Muppet*Vision 3D. While she was there, she got to hang out with the Muppet*Vision version of Sweetums, and we got this stellar picture:

The Muppets overwhelmed QVC on Sunday, appearing on the network for almost nine hours straight. The appearances were fun and Muppety, but few and far between. However, we got to see Rizzo, Constantine, Bobo, Big Mean Carl, and Link Hogthrob (plus the frog, pig, bear, whatever, and prawn), so it's all worth it. Our friends at ToughPigs.com have collected all of the videos from the appearance in one massive post, and I highly suggest checking it out!

The Swedish Chef and Constantine appeared on ABC's The Chew this morning. The Swedish Chef helped cook some meatballs. Unfortunately, the videos are once again not able to be embedded, but the appearance is hysterical and felt like an old Swedish Chef sketch on The Muppet Show. You've got to check it out. Visit The Chew's website for the two videos.

Constantine is the subject of a great article from The New York Times which also features interviews from James Bobin and Matt Vogel. It's a really insightful article about the creation of the character and goes into detail about some of their difficulties in distinguishing Constantine from Kermit. Give it a read!

Entertainment Weekly has yet another clip from Muppets Most Wanted. In this clip, we see Kermit attempting to break out of the Russian gulag he's trapped in. Unfortunately for the frog, Nadya (Tina Fey), doesn't really like that idea. Watch below (or don't to remain spoiler free):



Muppet fans Ryan Dosier (hey, that's me!), Ryan Roe, and Joe Hennes (both from ToughPigs) were interviewed by The Wall Street Journal for an article profile on Muppet fandom. The article is incredibly well written and I'm so honored and thrilled to be quoted alongside my friends Ryan and Joe. Read the article over on The Wall Street Journal site.

Our amazing friends at ToughPigs.com have organized fan screenings of Muppets Most Wanted in major cities across the United States. If our base wasn't in the middle of nowhere, we would've jumped at the chance to host one of these. But look at all the cities covered: New York City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Portland, Washington, DC, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Phoenix! Incredible. For more information, check out ToughPigs.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Muppets Most Wanted Press Conference - Full Video

Ryan Dosier - This past Sunday, after seeing a screening of Muppets Most Wanted at the Walt Disney Studios, The Muppet Mindset (me and my friend Dan) was extremely lucky enough to be invited to the press junket for the film. We went with our friends Joe Hennes and Matt Wilkie ToughPigs.com and we're thrilled to be sharing this post with them. Joe filmed the entire press conference and Daniel Shick was taking tons of pictures. Watch the awesome videos below!

The first video features producer Todd Lieberman, director and co-writer James Bobin, and songwriter Bret McKenzie.



The second half of the press conference featured Tina Fey, Kermit the Frog, Ricky Gervais, Constnatine, Ty Burrell, Sam Eagle, and Miss Piggy.



Below are just some of the incredible photos taken by Dan Shick...

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

News Update: March 4, 2014

MARCH 4, 2014

The Muppets are virtually all over the place now as the promotion for Muppets Most Wanted kicks into the highest of gears. Last night alone, Miss Piggy was on E! Network, Kermit and Miss Piggy were on The Bachelor, Gonzo was on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Tina Fey was on The Tonight Show. I, for one, am exhausted and can't keep up anymore... but here's what you missed!

Miss Piggy was on E! Network last night discussing celebrity fashion at the Academy Awards. Miss Piggy was the most lifelike of the E! personalities present, and she looked good. For some reason the embed code for this video keeps screwing up the rest of our post, so you can watch it on E!'s website.

Muppets Most Wanted star Tina Fey had a fantastic time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, discussing the movie. The rest of the appearance was incredibly fun, but you can watch the Muppet-relevant part right here! Warning, there is a spoiler-ish clip at the end of the appearance, but Jimmy Fallon gives you plenty of warning.



My favorite Muppets Most Wanted appearance yet was last night as The Great Gonzo appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. Gonzo rarely, if ever gets solo talk show appearances, so this was fantastic. Watch the entire hilarious appearance below!





Kermit the Frog has continued the partnership with Lipton Tea for their #BeMoreTea campaign with a brand new song. The song is super cute and Kermit's banjo playing is fantastic. Watch it!



Down in Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios, there has been a really cool update to Muppet*Vision 3D's pre-show. A new segment featuring Constantine has been added to the pre-show, seemingly without taking up time from anything else. I think it's awesome and very funny. Check it out!



Speaking of Constantine, Disney Channel's "Movie Surfers" got the chance to have the first ever interview with the evil frog. We can't embed the video here, but you should definitely watch it over on the Movie Surfers site. It's really funny and I'm really impressed by our friend Matt Vogel. Constantine is awesome!

The other night on QVC, Miss Piggy appeared to sell her new, self-designed tote bag. While on the show, she had a run in with her old Muppets Take Manhattan co-star Joan Rivers. It... did not go well. Check out the video below and watch some poor waiter get stuck in the middle of the latest celebrity feud.



Muppets Most Wanted released yet another TV spot this week following the Oscars. Since they weren't nominated for any this year, they decided to let us know what awards they're totally going to be nominated for next year! They're pretty much a lock for all of them.



Muppets Most Wanted released the first actual uncut clip from the movie at the end of last week. The clip sees the Muppets meeting Ricky Gervais as Dominic Badguy for the first time. Obviouslyly, this clip is one entire spoiler alert, so if you're avoiding spoilers, don't watch! Unfortunately, we can't embed the video, but you can watch it exclusively on Yahoo! Movies right now!

Finally, Miss Piggy appeared on the E! Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show (catchy title). Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), there's no video of the appearance, but you can check out Miss Piggy's amazing Vivienne Westwood designed gown that she wore to the event right here. She looks gorgeous!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

The Internet Goes Crazy for "Muppets Most Wanted"

Disney is finally letting the lid off of their big-time promotions for Muppets Most Wanted. Check out the brand new promo video below, featuring tons of new content from the film, some hilarious moments, and quite a few SPOILER ALERTS.



And if that's not enough, today Entertainment Weekly has revealed that "Party Central," a brand new Pixar short film starring the characters from Monsters University, will debut in front of Muppets Most Wanted when it comes to theaters on March 21st. The great relationship between Pixar and the Muppets continues!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Muppets Most Wanted Theatrical Trailer Breakdown, Part 2

Ryan Dosier - Last week the first theatrical trailer for Muppets Most Wanted premiered--and it turned out that three different trailers were released at once. I've already broken down two of the trailers so today I'm here to finish the job with the third trailer. This is the UK trailer, and I am only including screenshots from this trailer that weren't seen in the first two. Also, huge thanks and shoutout to Muppet Wiki, who got hi-def screenshots of all three trailers before I could blink! I'll be using their screenshots here. Let's get started, shall we?

I know I've said it a bunch of times, but the puppetry in this movie already astounds me. These shots of a hooded Constantine leaping across foggy buildings are absolutely stunning.

The triumphant return of the Muppet Newsman--at his news desk! I don't remember the last time we saw that. The classic set from The Muppet Show is expertly recreated here. Kudos, design team!

That's one reference to The Shawshank Redemption! Think we'll see more? I just love this shot.

I didn't mention it last time, but I'm really digging Walter's new wardrobe for this movie. So many sweaters!!

If you've ever dreamed about a moonwalking frog... Muppets Most Wanted will be a dream come true.

I really should be keeping track of Piggy's outfits just in this trailer. I think she's going to end up wearing more clothes than any other film before!

Where is Constantine? That's obviously some large and impressive vault.

Constantine sure is a fan of blowing things up. Methinks he and Crazy Harry will get along well. Amazing, amazing shot here.

Aww, look at Kermit in his Russian garb. Ain't he cute?

If you look very closely here, you can see Annie Sue's yellow afro in between Dominic and Constantine. Also... LINK!

And if you look closely here you can see Mildred Huxtetter between Constantine and Link! This is Mildred's first appearance since Muppets Tonight! FrogFan76 must be convulsing from excitement!

There's nothing especially notable in this shot, other than Dominic's outstanding line, "The comedy capitol of the world: Berlin, Germany!"

Floyd gets a line in the trailer! Huzzah! Plus, Kermit is here, so this has to be before Constantine takes over.

This was the only cameo shown to not be seen in the other trailers. I had no idea who it was, but someone on Muppet Wiki's Facebook claims it's Randa Nelson, who I've never, ever heard of.

This shot is awesome. Constantine is clearly a force to be reckoned with.

More awesome helicopter stuff! Here we see Kermit being carried off by himself. Someone grab him!!

 Is Kermit in handcuffs?! He must have been apprehended by Sam and Jean-Pierre Napoleon!

Okay, this is absolutely terrifying.

"Kermit, you were just like James Bond out there!"

I really dig these Russian clothes on Kermit.

And winter clothes for Fozzie, Walter, and Animal!! Are they the Kermit rescue squad?

Well there you have it, another breakdown! I am bursting with excitement for this movie. You can rewatch the UK trailer below!









The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Muppets Most Wanted Theatrical Trailer Breakdown

Ryan Dosier - A recent trend of ours since 2011 has been doing shot-by-shot breakdowns of new trailers for Muppet movies. The trailers for Muppets Most Wanted will be no different! Yesterday three trailers were released, two pretty similar and one vastly different. It's going to take two separate posts to get through them all. Today we breakdown the domestic trailer and the slightly different Australian trailer! Enjoy!

Ooh, security camera footage, a dark prison, and... a kung fu frog?! The puppetry in this shot is amazing--nay, the pupetry in this movie is amazing!

Our first chance to hear Constantine's voice! He's performed by Matt Vogel! His voice is outstanding! "It's not easy being mean." How can you not love this?!

This gag with Fozzie and Walter is fantastic. Also, read the headlines on this newspaper, including "Leprechaun missing since he got lost."

"Whoa!! What'd you do with Kermit?!"

"Kermit, you must join the Dark Side."

I really, really love this shot. Plus, that's a clip of Jim Henson's Kermit in a clip that I believe is from The Muppets Valentine Show. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

Constantine is already hysterical. His face movements when he's trying to emulate Kermit here are fantastic.

Is this the Muppet Theater again? Or just some random theater abroad? My guess is the second. It's also nice to see Watler in his blue suit!

Foo-Foo!!

Matt Vogel's impression of Constantine impersonating Kermit. Mind blowing.

I have a lot of favorite shots in this trailer... but this might be my number one. Just look at it! Lips! Marvin Suggs! Thog! Animal hanging upside down and playing the drums! Magnificent.

I adore Gonzo's red stunt outfit here. And how appropriate that it's red for his Indoor Running of the Bulls stunt--which I can only assume he performs in Spain.

The aforementioned Indoor Running of the Bulls...

And the lovely Salma Hayek being tormented by something. Based on her outfit (similar to Gonzo's) and the chicken behind her, I assume she's the guest star for the Muppets' show in Spain and is unwittingly part of Gonzo's act.

Poor Scooter. But also note Link Hogthrob in the background wearing a sombrero.

I adore this shot too! Notice Pepe and Rizzo mixed in with the whole gang again--finally. Also Behemoth! And Piggy's hair is wonderful.

If you haven't already, click on this picture to make it bigger and call this number and go to this website. You won't be disappointed!

Explosions?! This is going to be the most action-heavy Muppet movie yet. It's clearly a parody of international spy thrillers and I love, love, love that.

Let's play spot the cameos! We've got Danny Trejo, Ray Liotta, and WWE's Hornswoggle (great friend of the blog). Plus, do I spy Flight of the Conchord's Jemaine Clement in there somewhere?

Beaker what are you doing?! A metal containment case? An explosive cupcake? Awesome.

Love. LOVE.

Rizzo and Pepe and 80s Robot front and center!

One: Piggy's hair and outfit. The pig is stylish all throughout this thing! Two: I love Rizzo just chilling back there!

Well this scene looks outstanding! Piggy and Constantine dancing on some elaborate set in period costumes? Sold.

And Rizzo gets a line in the trailer!! That's already one more line than he had in The Muppets! This movie is giving us everything!

I'm going to go ahead and guess that this shot is from Ricky and Constantine's duet "I'm Number One, You're Number Two." But look at how Constantine is holding on to Ricky. No sign of puppeteer whatsoever. Amazing!

Ty Burrell's tiny car is probably going to be the biggest star to come from this movie.

Yes, that's Celine Dion singing with Miss Piggy. In black and white.

If you're on Tumblr then you already know this is Tom Hiddleston. What you might not know is that he's playing a character called The Great Escapo. The signage behind him reads "Annual Revue Show (Don't Riot)." Does this mean The Great Escapo is in the Gulag prison with Kermit?

That's Stanley Tucci! Noted character actor seen in The Hunger Games, The Lovely Bones, Easy A, and countless other films.

WHAT?! It's the return of Zach Galifianakis as Hobo Joe, the scene stealer from The Muppets! Hugely exciting.

Christoph Waltz, two-time Academy Award winning actor in Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. He seems to really love Sweetums!

That's Ray Liotta, best known for his role in Muppets From Space!

 Always great to see Statler and Waldorf hanging around.

Good ol' Danny Trejo is already in two different shots in this trailer... so hopefully he won't get cut this time. His "Wocka wocka" bit in the trailer had me cracking up.

Look at this!! Astounding. What they can't do these days...

And now comes a sequence of shots of my favorite scene from the trailer. This hugely epic helicopter scene is bound to be a major, major highlight of the movie. I spy Lew Zealand, Janice, Floyd, Rowlf, and many others.

Honestly, this movie just looks so immensely cinematic. Where else but a major motion picture will you see something like this? Major, major props to director James Bobin for realizing this already incredible scene.

Remember what I said about cinematic? Holy Henson!!!

This shot was only in the Australian trailer, but we see Kermit and Fozzie stealing the Interpol car in what I can only describe as "Flintstoning."

 Run, Muppets, run! Also I see Wanda in the back there.

"Use the Force, Walter." Yes, that's two Star Wars references in one post. I just love this shot!

 The best. I love when Kermit's face gets squished. Or is this Constantine??

Ah, the eternal struggle of international relations. When Ty Burrell rips his shirt open to show off his badge I couldn't stop laughing.

Well there you have it, Muppet fans! You can watch the entire trailer again below.









The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com