News Update: April 18, 2014

APRIL 18, 2014

For the past few years, Hallmark has released a different Muppet ornament around Christmas time. We've seen Animal, Fozzie Bear, Kermit, Beaker, Statler and Waldorf, and The Swedish Chef, so we had no idea what to expect this year. But now we do! This year's Muppet Hallmark ornament is The Great Gonzo. As with the other ornaments in the series, Gonzo comes with new audio recorded for the ornament--and it's incredible. You can listen to the audio on the Hallmark site. No release date has been announced for the ornament yet, but we'll keep you posted!

This week's most incredible content was completely fan-created and it's unreal. Christopher Graham created and recorded a full digital album for Muppet Christ Superstar, a Muppet-themed parody of the classic musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Christopher performs voices for all of the Muppet and they're all super well done. I'm really blown away by this whole thing. You've gotta give it a listen. Thanks for this awesome treat, Christopher!

With the wonderful new show Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, a lot of focus has been placed on Brian Henson, who has been giving interviews and presentations a lot recently. One of the best interviews recently was with Entertainment Weekly, where Brian discusses everything from Dinosaurs to Fraggle Rock to The Muppet Christmas Carol and more. The interview is really great and I highly recommend giving it a read!

Miss Piggy and Walter star in a new promo video for Lufthansa Airlines. It involves popcorn and in-flight instructions and it's pretty funny. Check it out below!



Finally, in somber news, the world lost one of its real treasures on April 6th, and we haven't had a chance to cover it yet. Mickey Rooney passed away at age 93. The legendary actor will be remembered for roles in countless films and TV shows as well as being one of the most respected actors in the business, all the way up until his death. Muppet fans remember Mickey Rooney for his cameo during "Life's a Happy Song" in The Muppets, one of his final onscreen appearances. Watch it below. Thanks for everything, Mickey!








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

Reviewing the Other Tracks of the Muppets Most Wanted Soundtrack

Kyle Mahoney - Today we take a look at the demo, outtake, and bonus tracks from the Muppets Most Wanted Original Soundtrack that Ryan left out of his original review.

MUPPETS MOST WANTED SOUNDTRACK REVIEW PART 2: Demos, Outtake, and Bonus European Tracks

1.   We’re Doing A Sequel (Demo) by Bret McKenzie: This version is the same as its final version counterpart with a few exceptions. A) Lew Zealand’s half decent plot pitch isn’t there, and B) BRET MCKENZIE DOES MUPPET VOICES!!! Bret might only have a few voices he’s able to do or he originally had his own ideas for which character would sing certain lines. This version also has less instruments on hand so it’s much simpler. FAVORITE LYRIC: We’re doing a sequel/ it’s more of the same!/ Let’s give it a name/ How ‘bout The Muppets…Again!

2.   The Big House (Demo) by Bret McKenzie: This version is actually very different than what we hear Tina Fey sing in the film. The song still uses the idea of the Gulag as a hotel with lots of puns. Some lines (such as checking out after 10 or 11 years) are still in the song, but are moved around. But many lines are completely different including a different chorus. There are much fewer background vocals in the demo and Bret uses his normal singing voice for the song which sounds just lovely. FAVORITE LYRIC: You’ll enjoy your stay/ All expenses paid/ Your home away from home.

3.   What You Want (Outtake) by Bret McKenzie: This might be my favorite of all the extra songs given to us. This was one of Bret’s ideas for a song Constantine could sing to Piggy to gain her trust and keep her happy. Instead of a disco, he went for a classic rock song similar to something Elvis would sing. The song has the same opening lines, but everything else is completely different. Bret’s vocals are fantastic (and almost Constantine-ish) as is the piano and guitar solos. I would love to have seen what this song would have been like in the movie. But as much as I love this song, Cockatoo in Malibu was a better choice for the film. Disco just seems to work better. FAVORITE LYRIC: Well baby I’ll make you a movie star/ Driving ‘round in a limousine/Gettin’ you up on that silver screen/ Oh baby do you like the taste of fame?/ There’s nothing sweeter than them screaming out your name

4.   I’ll Get You Want You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu) [Demo] by Bret McKenzie: This version is exactly what we hear in the Funny or Die Music Video for this song. The lyrics have stayed the same (except “Mortgage Loan” has been changed to “Banking Loan”, but there’s just something about Bret McKenzie’s voice that make you want to melt, especially when it’s all echo-y. FAVORITE LYRIC: You want an ice cream cone/ I’ll give it to you/ You want a banking loan/ I’ll give it to you

5.   Something So Right (Demo) by Bret McKenzie: The biggest thing I can say about this track is that Bret McKenzie’s Miss Piggy impression is scary-good. This version has very different lyrics. Miss Piggy sings about love and the difficulties it can cause but how it is always been worth it for Kermit, but still sings of how she feels she doesn’t know him. Although Bret has not been trained to sing high notes in falsetto like Eric Jacobson has learned to do, he is able to just barely make it. This also features a musical interlude. FAVORITE LYRIC: Love ain’t easy, love can be strange/ Time go by and people change/ You and me are meant to be/ Its written in the stars its destiny

6.   My Heart Will Go On by Miss. Piggy: We heard this song briefly in Muppets Most Wanted, and I’m pretty sure we all questioned why this wasn’t on the soundtrack in the first place. Eric Jacobson blows this song out of the water and I’m sure Celine Dion would be proud.

7.   The Muppet Show Theme by Die Muppets: I’m going to assume this would be what the Muppets would have sung in Berlin if Constantine didn’t get stagefri--I mean vertigo. This version feels much quicker and maybe that’s because I don’t speak German. But it is still lovely to hear more foreign language Muppets!

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

News Update: March 26, 2014

MARCH 26, 2014

Bret McKenzie, songwriter for both The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted, teamed up with Funny or Die to shoot a fantastically fun and funny music video for the song "I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)." The video even features some extended visuals that we didn't see in the song in Muppets Most Wanted.

I'll Get You What You Want with Bret McKenzie - watch more funny videos

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy made an appearance on The Queen Latifah Show on Friday to promote Muppets Most Wanted. They had a nice chat with their old pal Queen Latifah and then performed "Rainbow Connection" with Queen Latifah and John Legend. Watch both videos below!

Dr. Teeth and Floyd Pepper appeared online at fuze.tv to promote Muppets Most Wanted and to answer some incredibly binding questions from popular music lyrics. The video is one of the finest examples of a Muppet appearance we've seen in this promotional cycle, and hardens my belief that we need to see The Muppet Show back on TV even more. It was announced recently that an official album for the Muppets Most Wanted Original Score will be released through Intrada and Disney. This is great to see, since The Muppets never received an official release of its score. It's not clear whether the album will be available only on CD or for download as well. Either way, Christophe Beck's score for the film is definitely coming on April 15th. More information can be found on the Intrada forum.
Back in 2012, the Muppets performed a special live All-Star Comedy Gala in Canada at Montreal's Just For Laughs comedy festival. The full video has finally been made available on Hulu, so you can enjoy all one hour and six minutes of the live gala as much as you want! The Gala received great reviews from Muppet fans and was a big hit at the Just For Laughs festival, so it's well worth watching. The video is so long, we decided not to embed it, so you can jump over to Hulu to watch the whole thing!
Our friends at WeLoveFine t-shirts have announced the five winners of their Sesame Street T-Shirt Design Contest. You can purchase all five of the winning shirts on WeLoveFine. The winners are as follows...
GRAND PRIZE WINNER (Trip to NYC to visit the creative team at Sesame Workshop):

"Om Nom Nom Nom" by David Vortreide JUDGES PICK (chosen by Caroll Spinney) ($400 Cash): "Steampunk Snuff" by DiHa JUDGES PICK (chosen by David Rudman) ($400 Cash): "The Sesame Gang" by Drew Borja RUNNER-UP ($150 Cash): "The Man of Fur" by Trevor Halligan RUNNER-UP ($150 Cash): "Meet the Mummy" by Mattie Watkins
There have been loads of other appearances by the Muppets and their human co-stars while promoting Muppets Most Wanted, and we've done a very poor job of keeping up with them all. Thankfully, our great pals over at ToughPigs.com haven't missed a beat. They've collected a score of interviews from the stars at the film's press junket as well as videos of Janice, Scooter, and Miss Piggy talking to AwesomenessTV. Thanks, guys!
Finally, to close out the News Update, we're so beyond humbled and blown away to announce that Ryan Dosier and The Muppet Mindset have a featured review blurb in one of the latest TV spots for Muppets Most Wanted. We're also thrilled that the blurb is joined by another blurb from Joe Hennes of ToughPigs.com. Thanks to Disney for this incredible honor! Check out the TV spot below.




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: February 7, 2014

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

The Muppets (it's not confirmed which ones) will be appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon TONIGHT on NBC at 11:00 PM. This is very, very huge because tonight is the final episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Fallon will be moving to The Tonight Show, so the Muppets appearing on the final show is a very big deal--and not to be missed! The Muppets are officially billed as the musical guests, so they will be performing as well. Very exciting!

Four new banners for Muppets Most Wanted have been released. Unsurprisingly, they use the same old poser stock images we've seen a million times before. The Kermit one is especially off-putting... but they're colorful and bold, so it's hard to complain too much. Here they are:

Our friends at ToughPigs.com were the first ones to find an odd little video featuring Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Constantine shilling for Love Movies, which is very much anti-movie pirating. In the video, Constantine and Kermit are used as a goofy metaphor for high quality movies you pay for, and low-quality, evil movies you obtain illegally. Anyway, it's a fun video. Watch it below:



My favorite thing that happened this week was this fantastic video from PBS featuring Murray Monster, Count von Count, and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock). The video is very, very funny and Murray steals the show. Also, how great is Matt Vogel's Count? Watch the video (which already has over three million views) below to find out!



An early screening of Muppets Most Wanted is taking place in New York City at The New York International Children's Film Festival on Saturday, March 15th. But this is no ordinary early screening, this one features a sing-along with songwriter Bret McKenzie! Tickets for this are sure to go extremely fast, so if you're interested ingoing, you should buy tickets ASAP!

Finally, our friend Sam O'Rama is hosting a special Muppet Monday! on March 17th in Chicago, Illinois at Club Foot. The event will feature Muppet trivia, Muppet themed drinks, Muppet music, videos, and much more. If you're in the Chicago area it sounds like it will be a rocking good time! For more info check out the official event page on Facebook.





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

New News on the New Muppet Movie!

Earlier this week, Collider.com released an article packed with some new information on the upcoming Muppet movie that will soon be going into production at Disney. We revealed last week that filming will begin in January in London and that the film will be a European caper. We also know that Academy Award-winner Christophe Waltz is in talks to star in the film as an interpol inspector chasing the Muppets and The Muppets director James Bobin will be back to direct the sequel with a script by Bobin and The Muppets co-writer Nicholas Stoller. Let's take a look at what the Collider article adds to what we already know...

• Filming will run from January to April at Pinewood Studios in London.
• Bret McKenzie is returning to write new songs for the movie.
• There might be new Muppets in the movie. Collider assumes that might means definitely, and wonders how many new ones we'll see.
• More major casting announcements will be coming soon.
• Tentative release date of DECEMBER 20, 2013 (unconfirmed)

So what does all of this mean for us? Well... mostly great things. First of all, we know that they're dedicating four months of shooting in London, which should provide us with some awesome locations for the film. Perhaps the most exciting news to come from this is that Bret McKenzie is back to write new songs! This is obviously exciting because it means the movie will be a musical once again, but also because Bret's songs in The Muppets are fantastic (just ask the Academy Awards), and having him return is a brilliant move. Bret will join Paul Williams as one of only two songwriters to write for more than one Muppet film. (Paul Williams wrote the songs for The Muppet Movie and The Muppet Christmas Carol, of course.)

We'll also get major casting announcements soon, which could be huge. I have a feeling that Disney is looking for another big-name, Jason Segel/Amy Adams type to headline the film alongside the Muppets, so that could be extremely exciting. Previous news items revealed that the movie is looking to cast a Russian femme fatale and a leading man whose intentions are always in question. I don't know about you, but I would love to see a Scarlet Johansson type in the role of the femme fatale and someone like Neil Patrick Harris (or please, please, please just cast Neil Patrick Harris) as the leading man. Who would you like to see in these roles?

As for the release date, from what I know that is absolutely not set in stone or even official. I believe the only source confirming that date is IMDB, which is not known for having reputable information often. Sometimes, yes, but not often. So until we hear official news from Disney, I wouldn't get too excited about the December 20th date... but I also wouldn't be at all surprised if the film was released in that time frame.

So there you have it, Muppet fans! What do you think of these developments in the new Muppet movie? Who would you like to see cast in the film? What sort of new Muppets would you like to see, if any?

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

"Man or Muppet" WINS The Muppets Their First Oscar

Since their very first foray into feature films in 1979, the Muppets have been nominated for a total of five Academy Awards, but they've lost every single year they've been nominated--even "Rainbow Connection" failed to bring home the little golden boy. Well, that all changed last night when "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets won the Academy Award for Best Original Song! For the first time ever, the Muppets are OSCAR WINNERS! Watch below for most of songwriter Bret McKenzie's magnificent acceptance speech...

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who shouted and jumped for joy when that envelope's contents were read aloud. I was and am still absolutely thrilled for every single person involved with The Muppets for their Oscar win. This is a beautiful tribute to the legacy of Jim Henson, whose characters have finally won their first extremely well-deserved Academy Award.

Earlier on in the show Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy were on tap to introduce the Cirque du Soleil performance with great ease and hilarity. Miss Piggy's desire to get her hands on Oscar drove her to maddening heights over on Twitter as well, but for all of her wonderful moments on the show, watch the clip below!



I'm still riding high from the amazing appearance of the Frog and the Pig, the wonderful speech by Bret McKenzie, and the most well deserved win of the Oscars this year for "Man or Muppet." We here at The Muppet Mindset, especially me, Ryan Dosier, want to extend all of our congratulations to Bret McKenzie, Jason Segel, Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, James Bobin, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Jim Parsons and every single Muppet performer and everyone else involved with the Muppets, The Muppets, Disney, and more for their major win. This is a huge milestone for the Muppets, and we really could not be happier for each and every person involved.

Thanks to ToughPigs.com for finding the Bret McKenzie video and thanks to StitchKingdom.com for the wonderful pictures of Kermit and Piggy.





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

What to Watch to See Muppets at the Oscars

Today's the big day! It's officially Oscar Sunday and Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are officially scheduled to appear on and around the Academy Awards telecast tonight which starts at 8:30pm/7:30pm central on ABC. Still no word yet on what they're presenting, but with Kermit and Piggy it's sure to be fantastic. You can actually see Kermit and Piggy talking with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president, Tom Sherak, in an exclusive clip from Entertainment Weekly. Piggy grabs her Oscar... but she doesn't get to keep it.

Tonight is also a huge night for The Muppets (the movie) because, as you obviously know, "Man or Muppet" is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It only has one song ("Real in Rio" from Rio) as its competition, so confidence in the Muppets winning their first ever Oscar is running high. Song writer Bret McKenzie will be present at the ceremony, but there's no word on whether or not Jason Segel will be there as well. There are various rumors of a few "Muppet surprises" at the ceremony... but nothing specific has been mentioned. Either way, I'm sending all my support to Bret McKenzie and whoever else is there representing The Muppets as "Man or Muppet" goes up for its award!

But the Awards telecast isn't the only place you can see Muppets. Yesterday it was confirmed that Glee's talented singer Darren Criss would be performing "Rainbow Connection" with Kermit the Frog on E!'s Red Carpet coverage today as well. No word on when exactly Kermit and Darren are performing, however, because "E! Live from the Red Carpet," when they're performing, starts at 5:30pm/4:30pm central time and ends at 8:30pm/7:30pm central time. I've recorded the whole thing on my TiVo... so somehow I'll be seeing Kermit and Darren Criss perform! Criss actually has a fantastic voice, so this should be a great performance. You can see a live streaming of E!'s actual Red Carpet coverage on E! Online.

It has been confirmed (by a picture tweeted by Kelly Osbourne of all people) that Kermit and Miss Piggy are walking the Red Carpet tonight as well!! They'll probably appear on both ABC and E!'s coverage of the Red Carpet. ABC's Red Carpet coverage starts at 7:00pm/6:00pm central time. However, nothing is confirmed, so if you can only watch one, E! is probably the way to go.

So... in conclusion: Kermit and Piggy are presenting, "Man or Muppet" doesn't have much competition, and Kermit and Darren Criss are singing "Rainbow Connection" and it'll probably all be awesome.

Image of Kermit and Miss Piggy practicing their Red Carpet walk tweeted by Kelly Osbourne

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

The Academy Awards vs. The Muppets

As reported a few weeks ago, The Muppets received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "Man or Muppet," and both Muppet fans and Muppet professionals were thrilled by it. Bret McKenzie, the song's writer, was even quoted as saying that he was looking forward to coming up with a unique way of performing the song live at the Academy Award ceremony later this month. Having only one other song nominated in the category (for some ridiculous reason), "Real in Rio" from Rio, seemed to hint that having these songs performed was a lock.

Well, unfortunately, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has baffled mankind once again and ruled that neither nominee for Best Original Song will be performed at he Oscar's ceremony. According to Deadline Hollywood, the Academy decided last night that neither song would be performed on February 26th. Deadline Hollywood says that, "both studios—Rio's Fox and The Muppets' Disney — formally protested the decision to skip but received turn-downs." They even have a quote from two "song insiders" from who knows where saying this, "It seems like a huge missed opportunity to me, and we certainly tried" as well as, "It doesn’t make sense. They could have so much fun with Muppets and Rio staging."

Even though this isn't a firm decision (nothing has been confirmed by the Academy; even Deadline Hollywood says that show producers Brain Grazer and Don Mischer could decide last minute to have the songs performed), it seems like a near confirmation.  If this is true and the songs are not performed, it is a ridiculous and unfair ruling--and I'm not just saying that as an obsessed Muppet fan. This is a slap in the face to talented song writers to not have their chosen and nominated pieces performed at the ceremony. This year's Academy Awards are already disheartening enough to songwriters (Only two songs nominated? Elton John, Mary J. Blige, etc. snubbed?), excluding them from performing live is just another way of the Academy indirectly saying that Original Songs are an unimportant aspect of feature films.

And then I get mad as a Muppet fan... how magnificent would it have been to see whatever Bret McKenzie and the Muppet team came up with for the ceremony? I feel terrible for Jason Segel, Bret McKenzie, Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, and everyone who probably would have been involved with the performance. These talented individuals worked so hard and produced such a wonderful piece of music that to not have them allowed to perform is not only disappointing, but maddening as well.

So, for now, we wait to see if the decision can be reversed or proven false... that's really all we can do. Wait and hope. Until then, if you're on Twitter, you might as well tweet @theacademy and express your disappointment in their decision--true or not. It may not have any effect, but you never know! Stranger things have happened (stranger things like only nominating two songs for Best Original Song).

But, hey, at least The Muppets was nominated and could still bring home the gold!!

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

News Update: January 26, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: January 26, 2012

Good news for all you talented musicians who also happen to be Muppet fans out there (and I know you're out there)! Sheet music from The Muppets is now available for purchase online! Now you too can play hits like "Man or Muppet," "Pictures in My Head," "Me Party," and "Life's a Happy Song" on your piano, guitar, or just sing them out loud and strong! The book only costs $17 (plus shipping) on the Hal Leonard Corporation webpage. What more could you need?

Sesame Street is preparing to release a new DVD called "Best of Sesame Friends," which will feature the best clips from the most famous characters on the Street: Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Telly Monster, Snuffy, The Count, Zoe, and Rosita. The best part? YOU get to help choose the clips! That's right, you can now vote for your favorite clips for each character via Facebook! Voting ends on February 1st, so get in there and vote now! The DVD is set to hit stores in Fall 2012.

As we reported on Tuesday, The Muppets received an Academy Award nomination for "Man or Muppet" for Best Original Song! Well, music and lyric writer Bret McKenzie talked with MTV News about the nomination and his, as he called it, "surprise nomination." He even hints slightly at how he would like to see the song performed at the Oscars ceremony. (With a man and a Muppet... go figure.)

The folks who make the extremely popular PlayStation3 game LittleBigPlanet sure do love the Muppets. Awhile back, they released a special edition Gonzo suit for characters to wear, with the promise of more Muppet stuff soon. Well... they weren't kidding. Now available on PlayStation Network are fourteen different Muppet costumes (Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Bunsen, Beaker, Statler, Waldorf, Animal, Floyd, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Rowlf), over 200 stickers, and five levels and two challenges inspired by The Muppet Show. It is truly an amazing amount of content made with love and care. Don't believe me? What if I told you that Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, and Dave Goelz went in to record a bunch of gibberish sounds for the characters? Amazing. You can buy LittleBigPlanet and download the Muppet content now! Not sold yet? Watch the fantastic video below and you will be!



Our good friend at ToughPigs.com have discovered another preview of Bloopers from The Muppets via Entertainment Tonight. The bloopers show off 80's Robot testing his driving skills, Muppet Gary (who sounds an awful lot like Johnny Fiama) visiting human Gary and Walter, and much more. Remember, this is just a small sampling of what we'll be seeing, blooper-wise, when The Muppets hits Blu-ray and DVD on March 20th!

Last week Miss Piggy appeared as a guest judge on Project Runway All Stars on Lifetime and the All Stars had to create a cocktail dress for our favorite porcine diva. I won't lie to you, I haven't had time to sit down and watch the whole thing yet, but I've heard that le Pig was phenomenal (as she usually is) and proved herself a very worthy judge. You can catch the entire video of Piggy's appearance on the show thanks to Lifetime's website!

We would also like to send our love to Kermit, Miss Piggy, and James Bobin who are currently in the United Kingdom for the British premiere of The Muppets! Kermit was tweeting and answering questions from fans on the Disney Movies UK Twitter feed. You can read all of Kermit's hilarious and well thought out tweets on the Disney Movies UK page. And to close our News Update, check out this picture Kermit tweeted from the red carpet! The corresponding tweet read: "On Red Carpet doing interviews. Lots of questions abt #MuppetMovie, my tux & whether Piggy & I are wed. Yipes!"

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com