News Update: September 2, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: September 2, 2010

The Muppet Show Comic Book has won the Harvey Award for Best Original Graphic Novel Publication for Younger Readers! This exciting award was given to The Muppets against their stiff competition from the likes of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and 3-2-3 Detective Agency. HUGE congratulations to our friends at BOOM! Studios for the win, and even bigger congratulations to the uber talent that is Roger Langridge, writer and illustrator of The Muppet Show Comic Book. The picture at right was drawn by Langridge after winning the Harvey Award. For the complete list of Harvey Award winners and nominees, check here!

After some digging on Amazon.com, it was discovered that Universal Studios will be releasing It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie on DVD once again on October 12th. According to the Amazon page, the DVD will present the movie in widescreen (for the first time ever on Region 1 DVD), but it also says that it will be a 2-Disc DVD set, so who knows whether either is true? Either way, this is a very exciting release and we'll be sure to keep you updated on bonus features and more as the information surfaces!

Some more digging on Amazon.com has revealed that the new Muppet Monopoly Collector's Edition set has been released. The game was released by USAopoly and costs $34.99 on Amazon. But the really exciting thing about the game is that there appears to be NEW Muppet poser puppet images used on the box cover. Check out the likes of Rowlf, Scooter, Gonzo, Camilla, Pepe, Fozzie, Swedish Chef, Animal, and Miss Piggy on the box art below and see for yourself!

Finally, the biggest news of the week, The Muppets are officially casting for the new Muppet movie! The announcement and call for auditions and actors has been circulating through the Los Angeles and Hollywood trade papers this week and also, Autidions for Disney has posted the official call on their website. Here are the main highlights...

• Shooting is scheduled to start in Los Angeles this month and go through November, 2010, with a release date of December 25, 2011.
• Big names apparently already attached to the project include Ben Stiller, George Clooney, and Jason Segel.
• If you're an actor in California with a head shot and a resume, they want you to audition!!
• The plot centers on the Muppets' reunion as they try to save The Muppet Studios in Hollywood from evil business tycoon Tex Richman. They'll have help from human friend Gary (probably Segel).
• They are going to need TONS of extras.

All VERY exciting stuff, huh? Well, you know what this means... in just a few weeks, we'll be witnessing the official start of the filming of a brand new Muppet movie!!! As always, keep your eye on The Muppet Mindset for all the latest updates!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier