Your Thoughts: Kermit and Miss Piggy on America's Got Talent

Nick22

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I just saw this and the difference was apparent immediately. All due respect to the performer who took on Kermit, though--that's a high profile and risky thing to do, so congrats to him for having done it.

But seriously, I hope this was just a case of busy / ill Steve. Not that I hope Steve is ill, of course, but it makes me incredibly uneasy to think about Kermit in anyone else's hands right now. I really LIKE Steve's Kermit. I'm comfortable with him--he's just Kermit! Anyone else doing new performances with Kermit would just feel phony to me.
i agree. hearing/seeing someone else perform kermit seems phony or just an impression or imitation.

also, kermit looked rully bright green. maybe it's just me, or my tv. but he looked like he was a brighter shade of green.
 

CensoredAlso

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Ugh...can't we just have the Muppets even just half as awesome as they were in the 70's?
How true that is, heh. I do think all forms of art eventually do hit their prime and then don't quite reach it again. It wouldn't be magic if it happened everyday. Not that they should stop trying, but I do think they will be very hard pressed to repeat their truly classic work.
 

Erine81981

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I loved it and yes i could tell i wasn't Steve either but i don't want to put down it if was Rudman. He kinda didn't know but i wouldn't go around saying he did a awful job but he tried his best to do so i think. Anyone who's either worked with Steve or Jim in that matter still deserves a Good Job in doing so.

I know i was expecting Steve's Kermit it would have been a little bit better then this but i can't complain and hope to see more Muppets on AGT.
 

mppts7280

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Kermit

I think that performance was the breathe of fresh air that all TRUE muppets fans have been waiting for. For anyone that actually remembers JIM .. you'd realize that performance was dead on. Yes there were times when the singing was flat- but Jim too fell flat often.
Whomever took on that risk tonight- great job!
 

BlueMonsters11

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I was never a big fan of Steve's Kermit. Quite frankly anytime something new happens transition is never well received. I think this new guy sounds WAY more like Jim's Kermit than Steve ever did and maybe its time the Muppets kicked back to what the Muppets were. Organic and creative. What the Muppets have become is a long stretch from The Muppet Show and Jim's old gang.

I thought the performance could have been shot better. The colors were a little weird and I wasn't a fan of the far away shot. But as far as the performance? It was different but I thought EVERYONE was phenomenal! I can't wait to see what they have next.
 

dimsumyum

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Did Kermit put on a little weight? :smile: I guess that's what the married life will do to you. I never tire of my Muppets. It's great that I watch them with my kids and they really appreciate the humor like I did when I was their age. :mad:
 

Jrogers51375

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I also noticed that Kerrmits voice was very deep and at one point i could swear Kermit clucked like a chicken... was the person performing Kermit performing a chicken as well? I'm sorry guys but I cant find that magic anymore that was the Muppets. The closest thing to that nostalgic feeling I get when I think of The Muppets is the Youtube shorts that were produced.
 

wembleyfraggle

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Yes it sounded different and a little off! BUT! I actually, in a lot of it though it sounded a lot more like Jim's Kermit. I never really liked when Steve took over, It felt different. I actually kinda liked it. It sounded like his mouth was full of food but the deeper is more Jim, and to me, more Kermit! Listen to it again! You will hear more Jim. Maybe its Brian? :smile:

The "right from the start" to the end sounds a lot like Jim.
 

dwmckim

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I think some of the comments here have been overly harsh.

I know some people were a bit shocked when they realized it wasn't Steve. Like you, i could tell something was off - either Steve had a (oh dear) "frog in his throat" or someone was taking his place...and once Kermit handed his cd over, i knew it was the latter. Considering Steve wasn't at the Daytime Emmys this weekend either, chances are he's probably sick or something and we should all be sending him positive energy and best wishes.

Having said that, i think the Muppets and Steve's understudy did wonderfully considering the circumstances. This was obviously something that was arranged before Steve had to bow out for whatever reason and the team should be commended for going on with the show. They probably did a bit of tweaking to where Piggy/Eric carried the performance (and dropping Statler/Waldorf - though since Steve himself is a fairly recent replacement for Statler, they probably could have had someone else perform him this once). Whoever did Kermit (i'm also guessing Rudman) was terrific GIVEN THAT IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A SUDDEN EMERGENCY RECAST! Yes, it wasn't up to the standards we would expect if this was some kind of planned performer change that was in the works for quite some time now and if this was going to be something more permanent. Sub-Kermit was no doubt thrown the role on very short notice and up to that point had probably never thought about or imagined playing the frog. I mean, Steve himself had practically a year to mentally and physically prepare himself for the challenge between the time the decision was made for him to carry on the mantle and before he made his first major public performance.

Consider this forum is made up of the "die-hards" - those who are apt to notice. The performance was strong enough to where i'd say the vast majority of people watching (the general public at large and the less hardcore base of casual Muppet fans that enjoy them but don't follow fansites or post in forums) didn't have a clue there was a sub tonight. I say whoever filled those almost-unimaginable to fit into flippers did admirably and we should be THANKING him for saving the show. Whether it's with the Muppets, any other puppet troupe, or stage or screen human actors, the job of the understudy is a thankless one. They work as hard as the person whose role they're understudying in the case an emergency arises and live with the double standard of never having their work seen or appreciated or if they do get the chance to fill in, they're looked down on as "just a substitute for the real thing" (as someone who for a couple years was one of the go-to guys for theatre directors to call when they had to do an emergency recast close to showtime for plays since i earned a reputation as someone who could learn lines and take on a part very quickly after i took on the second male lead part in a production of Edward II i was assistant directing after the actor came down with jaundice (sp?), i know about this well!)

Now maybe about three or four years ago when Disney looked like it wanted to start having a whole bunch of possible Muppet recasts for cruise ships, minor appearances or just plain emergencies (leading to the actually surprisingly successful Save the Muppets fan campaign) i would have been worried that this was a more conscious thing. Until i hear otherwise i'm sure that something happened where Steve just couldn't appear (much to his own regret i'm sure) and the whole team rallied together (very much in the spirit of the Muppets) and not only allowed the show to go on but worked together in a way to tailor the performance around the challenges they were facing to where damages were minimal and the overall performance itself was Muppety Goodness.

Not to mention, i think it says a great deal when Steve has performed Kermit long and well enough now that fans have come to accept Kermit as Steve and vice versa as opposed to "Steve's Kermit" to the extent that we get a tad huffy if someone isn't Steve-level Kermit. I quite liked how the sub both sounded very much like a cross between Jim and Steve's interpretation.
 

SJohnson

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Kermit the Frog is Back

Wow, so many of these comments are so harsh and overly negative. I wonder what the good people at Disney must think when they put the Muppets out there, and they are met with a deluge of negativity. For years we've had almost no Muppets at all - do we really want to return to those times. Maybe instead of standing on the sidelines throwing tomatoes, and spitting venom we should be supportive, positive, and encouraging. As die hard fans we need to work together to help the Muppets make their long over due comeback.

Many people were saying that the voice was off and too deep. To my ear, I think Kermit sounded more like Jim's Kermit. It's possible that since that sad day in 1990, we've all grown accustomed to a higher pitched Kermit.

Others have commented that the puppetry was "stiff" and "amature" - as someone that teaches puppetry at the Jim Henson Company on a weekly basis, I'm pleased to say that Kermit's performance was perfect. If he had done that in my class, I wouldn't have had any notes.

I look forward to hearing from more of you about this performance. Hopefully, we're done with the negativity. :smile:
 
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