Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

Well, here we are, 2011! Does it feel like the year of the new Muppet movie to you? It sure does to me!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We'll see you tomorrow with a brand new article and a brand new start to a brand new year! (Brand new!)








The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
Posted by black wallpaper at 12:12 PM
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Friday, December 31, 2010

The Muppet Year in Review, 2010

Here we are, Muppet fans: the last day of 2010. It's been quite the roller coaster year for me--but darn it, if it hasn't been the best year of my life! Through it all, The Muppets Studio, Sesame Workshop, and The Jim Henson Company have been working their tails off to shower us with Muppet goodness. There has been so much to be thrilled about over the past 365 days, so I've compiled this list of the biggest highlights off last year--and would you believe that this is only the major developments? Let's start where any good year does... January!

January -
  • The Muppets appear on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Jan. 3rd - Only the third day of the year and we've already got a terrific Muppet appearance! Animal drives the bus, Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Floyd, and Pepe sing "Just One Person" and Miss Piggy brings down the house (most literally).
  • Disney launches "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." campaign starring The Muppets - From TV spots, in-park promotions, parade appearances, and a whole website where The Muppets say your name, the "Give a Day" campaign almost made me go out and volunteer! Almost.
  • The Muppets appear on America's Funniest Home Videos, Jan. 10 - Just over a week into 2010 and we have two major Muppet TV appearances. The Muppets volunteered to help Tom Bergeron host AFV to tie-in with the "Give a Day" campaign--yet the only real volunteer was Miss Piggy's girdle. (Don't tell her I said that.)
  • Muppeteer Jerry Nelson releases solo album Truro Daydreams - And yea, verily, it was good--nay, GREAT. And my iPod was never the same.
  • Cookie Monster appears on Cake Boss, Jan. 17 - "You Cake Boss? Me LOVE cake! Can me have fork?"
  • The Muppet Show Comic Book goes On the Road and becomes a continuing series - On the road and off the shelves!
  • Flight of the Conchords creator James Bobin named director of the new Muppet movie - And the Muppet world collectively shrugs and says, "Sure, why not?"
February -
  • "Beaker's Ballad" debuts on The Muppets Studio's YouTube Channel - Beaker sings "Dust in the Wind" and we're all blown away! (Or we all at least feel a slight breeze.)
  • Muppet King Arthur is released - And the jokes are really up to the usual Muppet excaliber. Ahh! Wocka! Wocka!
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September - 
October - 
November -

December -
Happy New Year, Muppet fans! I can't wait to share the excitement that 2011 will surely hold with all of you! We're entering the year of The Muppets, the year of Sesame Street's 42nd season, and the year of what is sure to be an avalanche of Muppety goodness.









The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
      Posted by black wallpaper at 8:11 AM
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      Friday, January 1, 2010

      Happy New Year From The Muppet Mindset!

      Happy New Year!




      May your 2010 be full of life, laughter, and love and may all your dreams come true!
      Thank you for being supportive of The Muppet Mindset in 2009.
      We can't wait for 2010 and all it holds!













      The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
      Posted by black wallpaper at 9:06 AM
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      Thursday, December 31, 2009

      2009 - The Year in Muppets

      Today is the eve of the new year. Before we know it, 2010 will be upon us and 2009 will be over. This is the time that we look back on the past year and remember the good things that came out of it. Today, I've provided a time line showcasing all of the major happenings in the Muppet world over this past year.

      Let us begin where most years do... January!

      January
      • Miss Piggy pens her tome The Diva Code: Miss Piggy on Life, Love, and the 10,000 Idiotic Things Men Frogs Do with help from Jim Lewis. In an unrelated story, Kermit lets out a sigh of relief after Piggy stops at 42 idiotic things.
      February
      • Miss Piggy makes the rounds promoting her book and provides her special brand of self-help to the ladies of Today and The View (lord knows those women could use the help...).
      March
      • Statler and Waldorf make an impromptu appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to heckle Jason Segel. Segel has said nothing about writing the new Muppet movie since then. More proof that Fozzie Bear is more perseverant than Jason Segel. (Because everyone keeps track of that.)

      • The first issue of Roger Langridge's The Muppet Show Comic Book is released, telling the story of a homesick Kermit. If he's so homesick, maybe he should get out of the comic book and back on the TV! ...On second thought, just do both, please. The comics are most excellent--keep 'em coming!
      April
      • The new Muppet movie is released to rave reviews.
      • April fools!
       May
      • Kermit Culture, a book of analytical essays about the Muppets (on the same "...Huh?" level as mixing the Three Stooges with Schindler's List) is released and gives college students everywhere essays to plagiarize for years to come.

      • Muppet Robin Hood, the first Muppet fairy tale adaption in a comic book, is released. Everywhere, Muppet fans squint really hard to see if Armand Villavert, Jr.'s drawings will look more like Gonzo.
      June
      • Fozzie Bear makes an unannounced appearance on The Late Late Show to give Dennis Leary some tips on telling jokes and Craig Ferguson has a funny accent. That last part isn't Muppet related... but it's still true.

      • Beaker's "Ode to Joy" video on YouTube wins the People's Voice Webby Award. Beaker appears to give a speech with hilarious results. Kermit declines to use Dr. Honeydew's electronic notecards if he ever wins the Oscar.

      • eFX Inc. acquires the rights to produce authentic Muppet Photo Puppet Replicas announcing that Rizzo will be the first poser made. Pepe loses fifty dollars in an unrelated bet with Rizzo.
      July
      • Beauregard makes a triumphant return in a Muppets.com video with Bobo the Bear about working out. When the director called out "Beau! BEAU!" both of their heads turned. (And I just fired my joke writer.)
      August
      • Miss Piggy takes over the fashion world once again, appearing at Macy's Glamorama in Chicago. The hog even rides a hog and does not scuff up her heels.

      • The Muppet Mindset blog launches with a review of Jim Henson's Doodle Dreams. (C'mon... I had to!)
      September
      • Starting off what would become one of the most influential months in Muppet history, Kermit and Miss Piggy appear on America's Got Talent to perform "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." Unfortunately, Kermit was not performed by Steve Whitmire and broke the hearts of Muppet fans all over the world.

      • The D23 Expo kicks off in Anaheim, California and the Muppets--all of them--make an incredible entrance atop a riverboat. Along with then Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, they officially announce the next Muppet movie: The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made! They do not sing "Proud Mary."

      • Later in the D23 Expo, tons of announcements flood into the Muppet world.  Including...
        • The Muppet Cooking Show with TV chef Cat Cora
        • A Halloween special to be released fall 2010
        • More viral videos to hit YouTube in 2010
        • An update of Muppet*Vision 3D to Disney Digital 3D
        • A huge expansion of the Muppet Whatnot Workshops
        • "Muppets: Revisited," an album of Muppet songs covered by popular artists
        • A new book written by Statler and Waldorf
        • Muppet iPhone applications to be released in 2010
        • The Muppet Show Season 4 and Studio DC: Almost Live! to be released on DVD in 2010

      • Fozzie, Gonzo, and Pepe appeared live and in the fuzz to sing "Bippidi, Boppidi, Boo" and participate in a meet and greet with expo guests. Thankfully, no one pulled Pepe off of Bill's hand and ran away.

      • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa is released on DVD. Christmas comes early to Muppet fans willing to fork over $20 for a wonderful special and lackluster special features.

      • The Muppets star in Disney Parks "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." promotions. They are featured in numerous commercials with random celebrities and appear in gorgeous print ads.

      • Kermit and Miss Piggy appear with Disney CEO Bob Iger to kick off the promotion. Kermit is performed by Steve Whitmire once again and all is right with the Muppet world once again.

      • Gonzo and Animal appear on Dancing With the Stars to provide some entertainment and humor to the otherwise bland and annoying performance of Aaron Carter with backing by The Muppet Show theme song.
      October
      • The Muppets receive their own section of the Disney's "Haunted Holidays" webpage, which features new videos starring the Muppet monsters. I would say no one was harmed... but a lot of people got eaten.

      • Muppet Halloween costumes hit the shelves and scare the pants off of everyone everywhere--for the wrong reasons.

      • New Muppet viral videos debut, starring Bunsen and Beaker and The Swedish Chef. No word on how long Kermit was in hiding after Miss Piggy found out she wasn't starring in the videos.
      November
      • Miss Piggy (and her lifeless head) appear on Dancing With the Stars. Aaron Carter once again dances to The Muppet Show theme song and Muppet fans once again sigh.

      • Some hacker accessed Kermit's computer files and uploaded a video conference featuring The Muppets rendition of the Queen classic rock ballad "Bohemian Rhapsody" to YouTube. And aren't we all SO glad they did? Almost every Muppet ever (sort of) appears in this video to pay tribute to Queen and show the world that they are still a force of enormous power in the entertainment industry. The video currently has over 11 million views in a little over a month. Kermit should upload video conferences more often.

      • The soundtrack for A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa is released on Amazon and iTunes for $2.99. Christmas wishes really do come true! (I'm talking about Bohemian Rhapsody, of course.)

      • The Muppets Studio launches their official Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts. Millions of Muppet fans feel odd by "Becoming a fan" and "following" the Muppets.

      • Kermit and Disney star Tiffany Thornton performed "I Believe" in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and released a single of the song on Amazon and iTunes with a music video appearing on Disney Channel. Muppet fans everywhere shout a chorus of "Who the heck is Tiffany Thornton?" and then shrug it off when the song and music video is good.
      December
      • Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem (including Lips) make their first TV gig in years. Unfortunately, it only airs on New York area local channels. Fortunately, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rizzo, and Pepe appear everywhere else. I think Lips is on the government television ban list everywhere but New York. It would explain a lot...

      • The Muppets performed "Jingle Bells" with Andrea Bocelli numerous times this month. It never got any funnier, though.

      • People Magazine awards The Muppets "Comeback of the Year." As if this time line wasn't enough proof of that... Sheesh!

      • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa airs on NBC three different times throughout December. Why would you buy the DVD if it's on that much? ...I completely condone the purchasing of this DVD and do not support not buying it.

      • Kermit appears on the USPS postmark throughout the month of December; appearing on nearly every Christmas card sent out in the U.S. The Liberty Bell takes second billing for once.

      • The Muppets "Bohemian Rhapsody" is released as a single on Amazon.com and iTunes. It reaches #32 on the charts in the UK. I demand a recount in the U.S.!

      • The Swedish Chef, Animal, and Beaker debut a brand new viral video: "Ringing of the Bells." They perform (and destroy) the classic Christmas carol "Carol of the Bells." The Liberty Bell is used to nearly kill Beaker. Revenge against Kermit's postmark? I think so.

      • The first Muppet iPhone application, "The Muppets: Animal Drummer" is released and it's completely awesome. I still can't beat "Blues for Bunny"!

      • The Muppets (eleven of them!) appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with Jimmy. Robin and Jimmy became BFFs.

      • The Muppte Movie is announced as a brand new induction to the Library of Congress. Ah, a bear in his natural habitat... a Studebaker in the Library of Congress.
      Obviously, 2009 was a huge year for The Muppets--and 2010 is shaping up to be even bigger! Be sure to stay dedicated to The Muppet Mindset all next year for all the Muppet news you could possibly want!

      Check back on Saturday for The Year in Sesame Street!













      The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
      Posted by black wallpaper at 9:10 AM
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      Tuesday, December 29, 2009

      The Best Sesame Street of the Decade

      This week marks the last week of the year--and the decade. In accordance, The Muppet Mindset is dedicating the rest of the week to celebrating the greatest Muppet and Sesame Street moments of the year and of the decade.


      Today, our good friend Michael Wermuth, Jr. brings us his thoughts on The Best Sesame Street of the Decade.

      Sesame Street: The Best of the Last Decade

      Michael Wermuth, Jr.       - This past decade has brought us many changes to Sesame Street, some good, some bad. The 2000s brought us a reformatted show using a structured block format. It was the decade where the number of episodes per season was reduced significantly to 26 per season. It was the decade that Sesame Workshop purchased the rights to the Sesame Street Muppet characters. The decade has had it's ups and downs. We have been introduced to great new characters (Abby Cadabby, Murray Monster) and great daily segments (The Letter, Number, and Spanish Word of the Day, Trash Gordon). The street stories have changed from being split into multiple scenes with insert interruptions to being single-stories in the middle of the show, to being single-stories at the beginning of the show, to just being at the beginning of the episodes. But it's still a good show and there have been a lot of great moments. I'll present the best moments from the past decade, in no particular order.
      Super K Cereal: One of the funniest segments from the recent season was this parody of Special K commercials, with Anything Muppet kids (performed by Leslie Cararra and Joey Mazzarino) looking through their "ordinary Alphabet Cereal" for the letter K. The announcer tells them that they'd need to eat from many bowls to make words like Kangaroo, Kitten, and King (man, all of those only use one K... Could Lefty the Salesman have a job for the company that makes this cereal?). In my opinion, I feel like Leslie Cararra steals the show as the fat blue daughter, who suggests giving the cereal a kiss. If there's a new Sesame Street alphabet-related DVD in the next few years then I sure hope that this one makes the cut.
      Mad Men: Another highlight of the recent 40th season, and it includes Frank Oz's first original character in who-knows-how-long. This parody of the TV show of the same title invovles two ad executives showing pitches to their boss for a "Happy Honey" advertisement, with the pictures making them feel mad, sad, and happy (all treated equeally, despite the title). Though the boss seems to get emotional easily... I wouldn't get mad just because a picture of a bears honey getting stolen. But it is one of the season's best sketches. Seriously, Sesame Workshop needs to release a DVD about television production, as an excuse to have a DVD collection of it's best television parodies (and Sesame Street News... and Guy Smiley's non-parody game shows).
      A Cookie is a Sometimes Food: Sure, news of this song helped cause rumors that Cookie Monster would give up cookies and become "Veggie Monster", but it's still one of season 36's best. The song is real catchy, and it's one of Hoots' best songs (I prefer this to Put Down the Duckie).
      Outrageous Makeover: Home Addition: When the format changed in 2002, Mr. Johnson was seen less frequently. Then in season 36 he started making at least one new appearance a year (plus his older segment appearances were shown again). His best appearance since then was in this parody of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, in which Grover comes to Johnson's apartment to add doors. Outrageous, indeed!
      Oscar sings Bein' Green: While not as good as Kermit's performances, Oscar's version with alternate lyrics is hysterical. It's pretty much got the same message as the original song but Oscar's reasons for it not being easy being green are different from Kermit's (and the various non-green people who have sung the song since).
      1,2,3,4: I feel like this was the highlight of the 39th season, and I already liked the song (and music video) of the original from Feist before it was spoofed by her on the show.
      Sleep!: Ernie watches Bert sleep, leading to the two singing a song about sleep... And eventually leading to Ernie sleeping while Bert stays awake. In my eye it's the duo's best from this decade.
      Six Feet Under: Perhaps the standout "Number of the Day" sketch, The Count watches his favorite show, a parody of the HBO series of the same name, featuring the feet of three of the Monster Clubhouse monsters (in their only decent appearance).
      Everybody Be Yo'Self: Keb Mo sings a song about being yourself with several Sesame Street characters, including Elmo, Grover, Frazzle, a Honker, and Kermit the Frog, who appears in one of his last original appearances on Sesame Street, and also introduces Keb Mo like he would introduce acts on The Muppet Show (one of the few times he actually introduced an act on Sesame Street).
      A Song About Elmo: Adam Sandler's appearance this year has also been a highlight, but maybe I'm biased because I'm a fan of the comedian. He sings a song about Elmo (duh!), making up many interestign rhymes, and beign joined by a variety of Muppet animals (including a dragon who resembles the one seen in the Imagine That! song).
      Don't Know Y: Okay, I also like Nora Jones, but her parody of her own song, "Don't Know Why", was THE highlight of the 35th season, and it's been repeated in just about every episode since then that was sponsored by the letter Y.
      Because We're Friends: Abby Cadayy, Rosita, and Zoe sing a song about being friends, after talking about the time they met Abby. Honestly, I feel like this is Abby Cadabby's best insert from the show.
      And I suppose I should take the time to talk about some of the best street stories this decade had to offer. I should probably mention the two most important stories of the decade, the five-part hurricane episodes from season 32, and Elmo's trip to the fire department in season 33.

      Season 34 brought us the very funny episode in which Cookie Monster and the cast meet Cookie Hood, who is basically a Cookie Monster version of Robin Hood, and that season also brought us the great karaoke night episode.

      Season 35 brought us an epsiode where Miles and Elmo learn that Gordon was once in a band with Luis and Bob (which included a very funny flashback), who then subsequently learn that Gordon's father was once a professional singer, and the season gave us a great episode with Seth Green, who delivers the "letter of the month" to Telly (the letter of EVERY month in one day!).

      Season 36 gave us the episode where Big Bird and Alan prepare birdseed cookies for Granny Bird, and it was either season 36 or 37 that gave us "Cookie's World", in which Cookie Monster hosts his own version of Elmo's World. I can't think of any particularly great street stories from season 38, but season 39 gave us the episode where Neil Patrick Harris played the role of the Fairy Shoeperson.

      All these moments are great, proving that the show still has a lot of great material, long after the early years have ended. Though the early years are the best (and it helps that the early years had more episodes and therefore more inserts).

      Are there any moments you felt like should have been included on this list? Let us know and we would love to feature them!











      The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

      Posted by black wallpaper at 12:25 PM
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