More Muppets Just For Laughs Pictures/Video Surface!

A few days ago, we posted some awesome, hi-resolution pictures of the Muppet performance at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal this past Thursday. Well, today we have even more pictures of the show that give us some insight to what actually went on. Taken by a friend of the blog who wishes to remain anonymous, the pictures were taken from high in the balcony, but give a great scope of the show. Check out all of the incredible Muppeteers working their butts off for this! Amazing!

Also, after the pictures, we've discovered two videos from the show, including the finale performance of "Rainbow Connection" featuring tons of Muppets! The second video was posted by a Canadian fan who got to go backstage after the show and wisely took a video camera. Make sure you stay through the video until the end to see Walter being hilarious!

Our friends at ToughPigs.com have also posted an all-encompassing, handy recap article of the show. It should tell you all you need to know about what went on when Kermit and company took Canada!

We've also been told that the entire show was filmed professionally (thank goodness), but will likely only air in Canada. We haven't heard when or if there's a chance it will be shown outside Canada, but if you have a Canadian friend with TV recording ability, now would probably be a good time to get in touch with them for a copy of this (and then get in touch with me to get me a copy). Anyway... enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

I Am Big Bird Pictures and Video Fun

As you all know, our friends at Copper Pot Pictures are creating a brand new, all-encompassing documentary about the life and career of Caroll Spinney called I Am Big Bird. As you should also know, they have launched a Kickstarter Campaign to try and raise $100,000 (they've currently raised over $42,000) for funding the project. If you haven't donated, then for the next three weeks (until the Kickstarter campagin comes to an end), we at The Muppet Mindset, the I Am Big Bird filmmakers, and friends of Caroll Spinney will do our best to convince you to donate some money to help Caroll Spinney's story get told. Today we're showcasing some of the incredible, rare, sometimes never before seen pictures and video Copper Pot has been sharing via their Twitter account and over on their Jux.com production journal, where everything is collected. Check out some of our favorites!

 

 

 

 

 

Please help I Am Big Bird into production by donating to the filmmakers on Kickstarter! You even get cool stuff! There's no reason not to.





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

The Muppets Rock Montreal

Thursday night in Montreal, Canada, the Muppets performed their own gala as part of the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. No one represents comedy better than the Muppets, so this was a hugely exciting event. Check out The Montreal Gazette's audience review of the show to find out how awesome it was. One of our Muppeteer friends was so excited about how great the show went, that he emailed us to tell us a little bit about it, saying, "We performed two shows last night at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. We all had an AMAZING time as the Muppets performed an uber-rare live Muppet Show style show in front of 3,000 screaming fans--with the Muppeteers often in full-view of the audience. The performance will eventually air on TV (only in Canada? I don't  know...) Of course, on TV all you'll see is the Muppets and not us. However, we got a group curtain call as ourselves (with puppets on our hands) to a stellar standing ovation. The Canadian crew and writers could not have been nicer or more professional."

With the help of Muppet Wiki and The Montreal Gazette we've gathered a collection of photos from the evening. They all make the show seem absolutely incredible. Beauregard? Scooter? Walter? Muppet Labs? Floyd? Fozzie stand up? Incredible! Plus, check out the Muppeteer curtain call, the first picture below. Congratulations to everyone involved on what sounded like two absolutely incredible shows! 

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

News Update: July 27, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: July 27, 2012

Yesterday, Muppet and entertainment legend Frank Oz was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Saturn Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. Obviously, few people have achieved as much in their lifetime as Frank Oz, so this award is very well deserved. Apparently the award is being given mostly due to Frank's performances as Yoda in five of the Star Wars films, but we as Muppet fans know how much further Frank Oz's achievements reach. As one of the most talented character puppeteers who ever lived, and the father of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Cookie Monster, Grover, Bert, and so many others. Our sincere congratulations to Frank Oz on this major honor!

Amazon.com currently has two different 2013 Muppet Calendars available for pre-order! The "2013 Muppets Wall Calendar" features the same old pictures of the Muppets that we've been seeing since 1995 (with just five modern pictures) and is relatively boring. But the other calendar, "The Muppets Official 2013 Calendar" is much more awesome. It features tons of recent pictures, including numerous pictures from The Muppets and an entire month dedicated to Walter! I'm a huge fan of the latter calendar and I've already pre-ordered it in preparation for next year! (The "Official," and better looking calendar is also cheaper than the other, less awesome one.)

The most interesting news of the week came from our friends at StitchKingdom.com, who revealed a speculative report suggesting that Disney will soon be sending the Muppets to Broadway! Are we currently living in The Muppets Take Manhattan universe? Maybe! The speculation comes due to the recent registration of the online domain names THEMUPPETSONBROADWAY.COM and THEMUPPETSONTOUR.COM. Of course, these may mean nothing, but it seems odd for Disney (or anyone) to patent such specific domain names as this if they weren't planning to act on them. Or maybe Disney is just covering all of their bases? I'm choosing to take the positive side and hope that we might soon see Kermit and company all over the Broadway stage! Stay tuned to The Muppet Mindset for any and all updates about this exciting prospect.

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

Electric Mayhem Album Effort

Casey Daron - Hi guys! It's me, Casey! No, Muppet quotes didn't come early this week. I'm here to tell you about a great cause I have started. But first, let me bring you back to 1975. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem jammed their first gig in The Muppet Show pilot, playing the songs "For the Birds" and "Love Ya to Death." With this, our favorite band was a smashing success. They continued to perform through all five seasons of The Muppet Show, playing hits such as "Tenderly," "Sweet Tooth Jam," and "Barnyard Boogie." They were prominently featured in The Muppet Movie, helping disguise Fozzie's Studebaker from Doc Hopper, while singing "Can You Picture That?". In 1981, The Great Muppet Caper was released, and trumpet player Lips was featured in his first movie. They played the great "Night Life." Finally, in 1984, Dr. Teeth sang his own solo song, "You Can't Take No For An Answer," in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

The band had minor roles in later movies, but still played the night away. As you can see, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem is an awesome band, and a part of The Muppets' great history. So, I ask you, why have they never released their own album? Sure, they have had a song or two on various Muppet Show albums, but they have never had an album of their own. For this reason, I have started a movement to persuade Disney to release an Electric Mayhem album. I have started a petition, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a website. I have also sent a letter to the Walt Disney Company telling them about the idea, and listing classic songs they could include on the album.

Now, you might be asking yourself, what can I do to help this cause? Sign our petition, tweet about the idea, tell your friends, and even send Disney letters of your own! We are at the basic stage right now, but with patience, we can make this happen. It is time for an Electric Revolution!

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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Benny Rabbit

Today's post was written by Michael Wermuth, Jr.

BENNY RABBIT

Performed by...
Kevin Clash

First appearance...
Sesame Street Season 23 (1991)

Most recent appearance...
Sesame Street Season 36 (2005)

Best known role...
Bellhop at the Furry Arms Hotel; irritable rabbit

Catchphrase...
"That's Benny! Benny!"

WHO IS BENNY RABBIT?
Benny Rabbit is a grumpy rabbit, and he's quick to remind anybody that he's not a bunny. If referred to as a bunny, he'll shout his catch phrase, "That's Benny! Benny!" And his irritability doesn't end there: He also hates being asked to do things during his breaks (which prompts him to shout "I'm on my break!") and he hates being touched.

Benny worked at the Furry Arms Hotel around the corner on Sesame Street, where he worked as a bellhop. There, he had to deal with the ineptitude of co-workers Humphrey and Ingrid, demands from customers, and in one episode was constantly annoyed by Baby Bear, who followed him around at work. In Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever, he is the only street resident not distraught by the prospects of tycoon Ronald Grump (Joe Pesci) tearing down the street to build a new Grump Tower. At one point, he supports Ronald Grump's decision and offers to be his doorman, only to change his opinion when he learns that Grump intends on having a robotic doorman as opposed to paying somebody.

After the Around the Corner set (and therefore The Furry Arms Hotel) was written out of the show, Benny was used less, though he still made occasional appearances (out of his bellhop uniform). He performed such songs as "14 Carrot Love" with Polly Darton, as well as "Don't Touch Me" and "Do the Benny Hop." He has made cameos in Global Grover, Elmo's World, and Trash Gordon segments. He was also a part of the song "B.B. King" (because Benny begins with B). Most notably, Benny served as assistant to producer Prairie Dawn in the Bert and Ernie's Word Play DVD.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED BENNY RABBIT?
For one thing, the Furry Arms Hotel needs a bellhop, and I'm sure Grover can't be employed everywhere. The hotel may be gone, but maybe someday it'll come back. And if it does, I'm sure Benny will still be there to carry customers' luggage (and to take breaks). While the show has many happy characters, Benny is one of the few to primarily be grumpy, along with Oscar, Mr. Johnson, and Bert, to an extent. A grumpy character is a funny character, and a grumpy bunny (oops, rabbit) is a nice contrast to how rabbits are often portrayed in fiction.

Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby: Olympians

Awhile back, Elmo expressed his desire to go to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Well, his wish came true (go figure), and Elmo is bringing along his friends! That's right, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Grover will be hopping the pond to visit the Olympics! Check out this video for confirmation:



So we still have no idea what Elmo and friends will be doing over there (although my mind is racing with hysterical thoughts of how Grover could participate), but we can get excited to see our fuzzy friends participate in some fashion! For instance, watch this video of Elmo and a Team USA Gold Medalist discussing persistence!



I would love to see more videos like these come out of this... but mostly, I'd love to see Grover try to luge. Can someone make that happen please? Can we get Grover on a luge?






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

(Kind of) Weekly Dinosaurs Quotes: Earl Sinclair

Casey Daron - The main protagonist in Dinosaurs is fat, clumsy, and hated by many, including his mother-in-law. Who is he? Earl Sinclair, of course! He works all day pushing down trees under his hateful boss, B.P. Richfield. He goes home, gets hit with a frying pan, eats a meaty dinner, and yells at his kids. And that's all in one day! Earl is a great guy, er, dinosaur, who adds just the perfect amount of stupidity to the show.

"Those Wesayso ads are lies."

"So what? It's temporarily being accepted by the masses, so it's the truth!"
~ Fran and Earl Sinclair, Dinosaurs: Episode 215

"School is not for asking questions, it's a place you go to be OUT OF THIS HOUSE!" 

~ Earl Sinclair, Dinosaurs: Episode 101

"Earl, what are you doing with that shovel?"

"Shovel? Um, Franny, life is like the tide. It goes in, it goes out. It washes out the old and washes in the new... I used it to bury your mother." 

~ Fran and Earl Sinclair, Dinosaurs: Episode 218

"I know they just crawled out of the sludge and I hate to be critical of other life forms, but God, I hate lawyers." 

~ Earl Sinclair, Dinosaurs: Episode 104

"I'm sorry I ruined your first Refrigerator Day. Go ahead, Junior. Bang my head real hard with this pot."

"That's gettin' old." 

~ Earl and Baby Sinclair, Dinosaurs: Episode 212

"The kids are fine. If not, we can make more"
~ Earl Siclair, Dinosaurs: Episode 207

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

Make the Muppets the Best In TV

Our friends at the Muppets Studio have contacted us with a mission: to promote a new poll from ABC for the best in television: ABC News and People's Best In TV - The Greatest TV Shows Of Our Time. Why should we as Muppet fans really care about this poll? Because Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster are all up for the prize of "Best Non-Human Character" (Question number 6 in the poll). Our Muppet pals are competing against the likes of Spock, Lassie, Mr. Ed, Mork, ALF, and Flipper--some seriously tough competition. That's where we come in!

It's time to rally Muppet fans to rock the vote! We think that we have to see any Muppet win this--to have one of them declared The Best In TV. As Muppet fans, we have to prove our influential power by voting for one of Jim Henson's creations and helping Jim's legacy live on as part of the Best In TV (even though we already know that the Muppets are the best in TV--we just need it to be official).

But who to vote for? Kermit represents Jim and all of the Muppets, but Miss Piggy represents the best in characterization, and Cookie Monster represents hilarity, and Big Bird is... well, Big Bird is Big Bird, arguably the greatest teacher on earth! I say, as long as one of them wins, it's a major victory for all Muppet-kind. So get out there and vote! It takes ten minutes, and you can help Kermit or Miss Piggy or Big Bird or Cookie Monster be declared the Best In TV!

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