Anyone else get a flashback to the season 5 Angel episode "Smile Time" (clip below) when you read about Happytime Murders, "the film noir puppet comedy aimed at adults" that the Jim Henson Co. is developing?
According to Variety, "The pic will be populated by a mix of human characters and puppets in the Henson style of irreverence and parody. Story centers on a puppet detective forced to solve a string of murders around the Happytime Gang, the cast of a popular children's show."
I miss Puppet Angel. Luckily, "Smile Time" repeats on TNT Oct. 24, at 7 a.m. ET. (You're welcome.)
You've heard about the all new Muppet movie script that Forgetting Sarah Marshall star (and Judd Apatow gang member) Jason Segel has been working on? Well, according to The Sun, there's a chance that if the big-screen project is a commercial and critical success, it might spin off into an all new Muppet TV series. Squeeeeeee!
[Let's all pause and catch our collective breath. If you need a moment, you can click here and read Whitney Pastorek's fascinating profile of nudity-loving Segel from a few months back.]
Anyhow, this development got me so excited, I had no choice -- no choice I tell you! -- but to pen a song of anticipation/celebration, set to The Muppets Show theme song. (Click here if you need musical accompaniment to my little ditty.)
It's time for Kermit's closeup
And yes, Miss Piggy's too
A total Muppets comeback, it cannot happen too soon
The perfect family program
A certain ratings bang
Cue Gonzo and Camilla but not Jason Segel's wang
Who misses goofy Beaker
And Bunsen Honeydew?
Who'd do a double cartwheel
If the Muppets were all new?
Big networks get things started!
Make sure it's Henson-hearted!
Why don't you get things started?
On the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational
This is what we call The Muppet Show!
Ok, so technically he is competing in the "Unified Games," not the Olympics. Also he is technically some sort of Muppet-like creature that looks (somewhat) like famous rapper Kanye West, not a real human athlete. But come on! Have you seen that little puppet sprint? So much heart. So much adversity overcome. So much use of the word "champion." Just check out the Jason Lezak-esque victory from behind he pulls off in Kanye's new music video (below; h/t). If that doesn't qualify as Olympically studly, I dunno what does. What do you say — 'Ye or nay?
Bernie Brillstein wasn't a household name like Bernie Mac or Isaac Hayes -- as a talent manager and producer, his work was all strictly behind the scenes -- but his vast impact on entertainment shouldn't be forgotten amid this weekend's tragic showbiz losses. Brillstein, who died Thursday night at 77, had a hand in countless classic TV and film projects, from Sesame Street to Saturday Night Live to The Sopranos, and he guided the careers of numerous top stars and scriptwriters.
Brillstein helped launch the Muppets on TV when Jim Henson became his client. As a manager for Lorne Michaels and many of the early SNL players, he was also instrumental in launching SNL and many of its stars' early movies, from Animal House to The Blues Brothers to Ghostbusters. He was an early exemplar of the automatic "executive producer" credit, which he would earn not for his creative input on the set, but for setting up the deals that made a movie or TV series possible by putting his writing and acting clients together in a project. At one time or another, he represented such actors as Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Sylvester Stallone, Adam Sandler, Geena Davis, Nicolas Cage, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Falk, George Wendt, David Spade, and Rob Lowe, as well as such writers as SNL's Alan Zwiebel and The Bob Newhart Show's Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses. Among the works he produced or got off the ground were Hee Haw, Alf, It's Garry Shandling's Show, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Dangerous Liaisons, The Steve Harvey Show, Happy Gilmore, The Cable Guy, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Politically Incorrect, Just Shoot Me, and Newsradio. His company, Brillstein-Grey (his partner was future Paramount chief Brad Grey) was behind such series as The Larry Sanders Show and The Sopranos.
Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily has a nice tribute to Brillstein here. The best, tribute, however, may be in his own memoir/Hollywood advice tome, Where Did I Go Right?: You're No One in
Hollywood Unless Someone Wants You Dead. Musing on who could play him in a movie version of the book, the beefy, white-bearded Brillstein told EW, "It could be anyone from Johnny Candy if he was
still alive to Kenny Rogers if he were a little fatter. Though I
might hold out for Robert Redford."
In case you can't get enough of Neil Patrick Harris' singing, check out this advance clip from a forthcoming Sesame Street episode, in which NPH (pictured) plays the singing Shoe Fairy.
Speaking of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Hulu is now playing all three acts for free in one clip. We've embedded it after the jump, for those of you who have 42 minutes on your hands. (Or don't, but have very lenient bosses.) Enjoy.
You may not know it if you arrive here every day via a PopWatch bookmark (holla), but EW.com has a new guy! Michael Ausiello's been breaking exclusive TV scoops on his very own EW.com blog, and today marks the premiere of his new video series, Ausiello TV. Watch for some hot cameos by today's most important A-list celebrities, like Michael Slezak, Kristen Baldwin, and yours truly, "Felicia." (Okay, fine, plus some people who are on real television. Ugly Betty and Project Runway fans, YOU'RE NOT EVEN READY.) Enjoy!
Oh, and that's not all. You see, Jim Henson's Muppet spinoff show Fraggle Rock is apparently coming back... as a live-action movie musical. Harvey Weinstein actually told Variety that this project was, in fact, the reason why he and brother Bob ever ditched Miramax: "One of our main priorities when we first launched the Weinstein Company was to feature a broad range of family-friendly franchises like Fraggle Rock." Uh huh, sure, Harvey. Could there be more of a shoo-in for that "unnecessary sequels and remakes" post from last night?
Perhaps not. On the other hand, I did love me some Fraggles in my youth. So how could this movie be salvaged? I'm going to go ahead and hope that by "live-action," they mean they'll have actual human actors in elaborate Fraggle make-up, just for the kitsch factor. (The New York Observer had a similar idea, but somehow they got from there to thinking Carrot Top should be involved in this movie, which is too upsetting to discuss further.) Either way, I think we're safe as long as this movie focuses on those adorable Fraggles and Doozers — and don't forget that enormous talking pile of refuse! — rather than any random newly-introduced human characters. Also, the musical numbers should all be written by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, since they are proven Oscar gold. I leave this challenge in your hands, Weinstein Co.! In the meantime, do any of you think this movie could possibly turn out to be watchable?
I'm not sure how to feel about this clip. It provokes a bouillabaisse of emotions: comfort, nostalgia, sadness, laughter, astonishment. I'm torn between giddily running around the office looking for someone to show this to and looking for someone to give me a hug.
The dudes (or dudettes) behind this went so far as to both multi-track Kermit's vocals to match the original Elliott Smith version and shoot this in a way that partially mirrors the scene in The Royal Tenenbaums that so memorably used "Needle in the Hay."
The "behind the scenes shots" that Kanye West just posted of the sets for his spring tour don't quite come as advertised: There's just one pic, and it's pretty fuzzy at that. But the accompanying blurb has nonetheless sent me into an anticipatory tizzy. "I tell people, hey, this show is gonna be crazy and they say, 'I bet it is!'," Kanye smirks. "BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA!" Let us count the design elements they have no idea of...
• "ROBOT DESIGNED BY ACCLAIMED ARTIST CHRISTIAN COLON": I won't lie, I get a little uncomfortable every time I read about human beings eagerly extending the hand of friendship to robots. (Haven't these people ever watched Battlestar?!) Still, this somewhat scary news does sound pretty cool.
• "CREATURES BY THE LEGENDARY JIM HENSON'S CREATURE SHOP": Creatures! Which gives me a perfect excuse to link to this genius Muppets/N.W.A. mashup that's been making the blog rounds (NSFW lyrics, obvs).
• "LIGHTING BY MARTIN PHILLIPS AND JOHN McGUIRE RESPONSIBLE FOR LAST YEARS
FESTIVAL ANNIHILATOR, DAFT PUNK'S PYRAMID, POSSIBLY THE GREATEST LIGHT
SHOW OF ALL TIME!!": True, that pyramid was really dope.
• "MY SET DOES NOT HAVE A PYRAMID IN IT OR ANYWAY FEEL LIKE A BITE OF DAFT'S SHOW": I appreciate that Kanye has taken the time to clarify these things.
• "HOLOGRAMS SHOT BY HYPE WILLIAMS!!!": Kanye and Hype have done somegreatwork together, so this should be fun. (Also of note: Judging by an NSFW follow-up image posted by 'Ye, some of these apparently might be naked-people holograms. Do with that information what you will.)
Put that together, and you've got more than enough to convince me to book some plane tickets, perhaps via his recently launched KanyeTravel.com. Any other spectacle-loving rap fans out there looking forward to this tour?
Today's celebration of all things Irish wouldn't be complete without a rendition of "Danny Boy." Here's one, sung by three unlikely leprechauns. (Thanks to my colleague Mark Luckie for the tip.)
I've enjoyed Jason Segel on Freaks and Geeks and How I Met Your Mother, but it wasn't until this morning, when I read in Variety that he's co-writing a new Muppet movie, that I "liked him." That's just cool. The kind of cool that's even cooler because it's kinda not cool. If you know what I mean.
According to the article, Segel originally hooked up with the Henson folks when they custom-made puppets for his upcoming film, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, costarring Kristen Bell: "Segel's character writes a Dracula musical performed by puppets." Sure. Why not.
No word yet on his Muppet movie plot. What kind of trouble should Miss Piggy get herself into?
MARC: Hey, brain. BRAIN: Yo quiero Cherry Coke Zero. MARC: Yeah, I know. But you were telling me before about which other fictional characters you want to be gay. BRAIN: Ah, that. Yes, I had five ideas. Four, really, and one that we all already know is gay but just haven't really admitted to ourselves. MARC: Please, continue while I walk us to the fridge for that refreshing beverage you asked for. BRAIN:Obi-Wan Kenobi. Totally gay. It's all there in the text: palled around for years with a young apprentice, broke up when said apprentice got evil, never made a move on the apprentice's hot secret wife/beard, was eventually forced to take him down. Just like Dumbledore...sort of. MARC: Who else?
I'm a little outside the age demographic for Elmo's Christmas Countdown, a holiday special airing on ABC this winter, but I may watch anyway, just for the Sesame Street Muppet's human costars. And I don't mean Ben Stiller, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow, Brad
Paisley, or Ty Pennington. No, I'm waiting for the sketch in which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sopranos alumni Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa (pictured, left and right) will play Bert and Ernie. I can't wait for the scene where Bert gives Ernie a beat-down with a rubber duckie for getting cookie crumbs in the bed. Should be good clean yuletide fun for the whole family. And by "family," I mean... well, you know.
I honestly thought that there couldn't be a better — and, more to the point, more depressing — remix music video of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" than the one Johnny Cash did shortly before he passed away. That is, until I saw Kermit's version. Yes, Kermit the Frog. Be warned: This is decidedly not for the kiddies — it'll probably disturb the bejesus out of most adults for that matter. In fact, it's kinda all with the NSFW (what Kermit does to Rowlf... my God...), so I'm just gonna give you the link and let you quiver underneath your computer after watching it on your own time.
Before you go, perhaps some background will put things into (limited) perspective: The video is the product of a website called SadKermit.com, which houses audio clips of Kermie's takes on other depressing songs, like Radiohead's "Creep" — "I am greeeeen" instead of "I'm a creeeeep" — and NIN's "Something I Can Never Have" with a cameo by Fozzie Bear. The songs (which you can also stream at Sad Kermit's MySpace page) were apparently cut after Jim Henson's untimely death sent Kermit into a spiral of "drugs, alcohol and sex."
Sure, it's funny in an oh-so-sick-and-wrong way, but exactly how Sad Kermit can get away with all this — including peddling "not for profit" merch — without copyright lawyers breathing down his droopy felt collar is beyond me. Maybe Meet the Feebles and Avenue Q have (lovingly) pissed all over this ground so thoroughly that Sad Kermit's melancholy splat at rock bottom barely registered. In any event, has there been a more disturbing "re-imagining" of a beloved childhood character? Because I'm hard pressed to think of one.
For anyone who'd like to see Fozzie take the gloves off and really f--- s--- up, remove all liquids and gels from your person and fly to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. There, you'll find Jim Henson's Puppet Improv, the innocuously named Muppet show with the split personality: a clean show for kids in the afternoon, a blue one for adults in the evening. Sounds unauthorized? Not so: At the helm is none other than Brian Henson, son of Jim, who says: "There is something really therapeutic for us about this adult improv."
Now the Muppets have made some questionable appearances, in their four decades of existence. The Muppet Show was designed with adults in mind, and Henson et al. loved their double entendres. But doing riffs on Ricky Martin's backup singers as a coterie of hot-dog puppets is definitely a more direct approach. This is blowback from the Avenue Q/Crank Yankers/Team America puppets-for-grownups revival, and I imagine fans will be split. Some people I know have real trouble with the whole "dirty Muppet" thing -- I remember their horror when Scooter appeared as a cage dancer in It's a Very Muppet Christmas. (Come to think of it -- that was pretty horrifying.)
But no holds barred Muppet improv? Watching puppets-without-borders thinking on their imaginary feet? I'm there. I mean, I'm not really -- I'm here. And not going anywhere, it would seem. I need too many airline-banned liquids and gels to keep my 563-year-old body alive.
The Muppets are being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with their own set of 37-cent stamps, and not a moment too soon. I mean, is there anyone out there who can't instantly recall a special Muppets memory? For me, I'd have to go back, way back to September 1978, when I proudly walked into my first-grade classroom with a Miss Piggy folder, the one with the saucy swine decked out in karate togs and shouting, ''Hiiiii-yaaa!''
Okay, I went first with my embarrassing Muppets memory. Now it's your turn. Don't leave me hanging out here by myself, please.
You've heard about the all new 
Bernie Brillstein wasn't a household name like Bernie Mac or Isaac Hayes -- as a talent manager and producer, his work was all strictly behind the scenes -- but his vast impact on entertainment shouldn't be forgotten amid this weekend's tragic showbiz losses. Brillstein, who 
Oh, and that's not all. You see, Jim Henson's Muppet spinoff show Fraggle Rock is apparently coming back... as 
The 
I've enjoyed Jason Segel on Freaks and Geeks and How I Met Your Mother, but it wasn't until this morning, when I read in 
The news of 
I'm a little outside the age demographic for 
For anyone who'd like to see Fozzie take the gloves off and really f--- s--- up, remove all liquids and gels from your person and fly to Scotland for the 
The Muppets are being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with their own set of 
