Joan Ganz Cooney: NEW radio interview online today, May 18, 2007!

[Jeff O'Boyle]

Hello! I would send this via Molly the Mail Lady, but the Net is just a tad quicker and today is the day, after all. (Ah, if only I could send it via Sam, the SESAME STREET Robot.)

Well, Dan Hollis and I are co-hosts of a radio show called TIME TRAVEL, and we are pleased as peanut butter to announce that Joan Ganz Cooney will be our special guest on the air and on the Net today, Friday, May 18, 2007, from 4 PM Eastern to 5 PM Eastern (and 1 PM Pacific to 2 PM Pacific).

The show starts after the top-of-the-hour news, and you are invited to "join us" live online.
(Just don't play hookey from school to hear it, kids.)

Naturally, our discussion of her life and career will include Jim Henson and the early days of Sesame Street.

Soon afterwards, perhaps even by this weekend, our talk with Joan will be available for further listening or downloading from our Archives at

http://www.timetravelispossible.com/ourradioprograms.html

Thanks for your consideration! (I know you folks really know your stuff.)

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Great interview guys! Keep up the good work!

 

[mikebennidict]

here another such interview.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=JOAN+GANZ=COONEY


Didn't listen to this other one mentioned but here's a very good one with her. There's also one at google with Fred Rogers as well.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Yeah! I've heard that one, too mike! And the Mr. Rogers and Bob McGrath one's, too!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I noticed that she mentioned a new Electric Company with Rap music. I know a lot of people are probably not going to go with the concept here to well, but I want to see it any way. I also wonder if any big names are going to be on the new show? Like the way Dr. Cosby and Morgan Freeman Contributed to the original?

 

[Jeff O'Boyle]

Great interview guys! Keep up the good work!

Thank you for listening -- and for your compliment and words of encouragement, Ilikemuppets!

(If you're ever interested, Ilike, our interview with cartoonist Scott Shaw! also discusses Jim Henson in its last segment. As you may know, Scott was an Emmy winner for his work on MUPPET BABIES. In that last segment, we ask Scott about working on MUPPET BABIES, and he reflects on Jim's dedication to quality in animation.)

I noticed that she mentioned a new Electric Company with Rap music. I know a lot of people are probably not going to go with the concept here to well, but I want to see it any way. I also wonder if any big names are going to be on the new show? Like the way Dr. Cosby and Morgan Freeman Contributed to the original?

Before our interview, I didn't realize PBS announced earlier this year that a new version of THE ELECTRIC COMPANY was coming in 2008. I started looking for press releases and other info today. PBS.org says it will be "a multi-screen and outreach educational experience." Haven't seen anything about the new cast yet, or any further references to Rap Music on the show. I would have asked Joan about casting if there had been more time left in the interview, but I wondered the same thing you did. Of course, Morgan Freeman wasn't a "big name" when he was on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, though the name of his character "Easy Reader" was well-known amongst my friends in school. So maybe we'll see some new talent on the new version of the show who will go on to the big screen, as well.

Yes, I would definitely want to give the show a try, myself. I would understand Rap included for learning in 2008, since the original version included a type of Rock Music from the Short Circus. If the new show were Rap-centered, however, it wouldn't be a show aimed at me. Not that it's aimed at me, anyway, except in a nostalgic sense. If I had kids of my own, I probably would want them to be in front of the set for the first episode, since I knew what the quality of the original series did for me. (I'd love it if Rita Moreno has an important role on this new project.)

 

[Ilikemuppets]

(If you're ever interested, Ilike, our interview with cartoonist Scott Shaw! also discusses Jim Henson in its last segment. As you may know, Scott was an Emmy winner for his work on MUPPET BABIES. In that last segment, we ask Scott about working on MUPPET BABIES, and he reflects on Jim's dedication to quality in animation.)

Thank you! I defiantly will give that a listen. And it is so noticeable how much Jim Henson was dedicated to quality animation. Me and my brother were watching this clip fro Sesame Street, and we were both really amazed at just how well the animation on it really was!

Before our interview, I didn't realize PBS announced earlier this year that a new version of THE ELECTRIC COMPANY was coming in 2008. I started looking for press releases and other info today. PBS.org says it will be "a multi-screen and outreach educational experience." Haven't seen anything about the new cast yet, or any further references to Rap Music on the show. I would have asked Joan about casting if there had been more time left in the interview, but I wondered the same thing you did. Of course, Morgan Freeman wasn't a "big name" when he was on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, though the name of his character "Easy Reader" was well-known amongst my friends in school. So maybe we'll see some new talent on the new version of the show who will go on to the big screen, as well.

Yes, I would definitely want to give the show a try, myself. I would understand Rap included for learning in 2008, since the original version included a type of Rock Music from the Short Circus. If the new show were Rap-centered, however, it wouldn't be a show aimed at me. Not that it's aimed at me, anyway, except in a nostalgic sense. If I had kids of my own, I probably would want them to be in front of the set for the first episode, since I knew what the quality of the original series did for me. (I'd love it if Rita Moreno has an important role on this new project.)

You know? One of the main reasons I think old viewers might not be so into the rap music thing, is because they just simply like the sort of funk/soul brand brand of music that was on the original program. But, Wow! Thank you so much for telling me that PBS officially announced this news of a new show! I wonder it they'll air it opposite Sesame Street? The multi-screen concept sounds really interesting! I think that in a way that The Electric Company helped further his Morgan's Career in a way, but I suppose that is up for debut?

It does make logical sense for them to use rap music for the show now. That particular genre of music appears to be one of the main driving forces in the music industry, especially in the past seventeen years. And it not quite as "out of date" as the style of music that they originally had. But that's what amazing me about Sesame Street...That even though times have changed, and it can be argued that they are a "Former shell" of what they once were, but they stay very much the same as they have always bee after all these years. But I sure that there are other who would watch it for nostalgia reasons.

But that has me wondering it they will show old or original skits form the original show. Also, will they be bringing back other show such as Square One Television? That would be great it Rita Moreno could be on the new show...That would be just arson! One thing that struck me was just how amazing Mrs. Conney really is. She really knows her stuff! It's really impressive to me how well she know her stuff! After all these years she doesn't miss a beat. I'm surprised that the Batman and Super man clips never aired on the show, but only on the test pilots and that the failed with test advances. I can't believe that they included sketches from the test pilot on the old school DVD!

It's kind of ironic that the research they did showed how much kids were into cartoons and then those cartoons don't test well with children/viewers of the show.

 

[CensoredAlso]

::shrugs:: Sometimes Rap is good, it's just my opinion that we don't hear it's good side very much!

My TV watching wasn't hugely monitored my parents, but I was definitely raised to recognize the good and bad programs. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'd have the same confidence when I have kids given the state of Television. I'd probably want to watch some of these shows first before I'd introduce them to my kids. On the other hand, you can't force something on your kid, it might get the opposite reaction!

 

[mikebennidict]

Who cares what kind of music the SW uses on their shows?

 

[Ilikemuppets]

::shrugs:: Sometimes Rap is good, it's just my opinion that we don't hear it's good side very much!

My TV watching wasn't hugely monitored my parents, but I was definitely raised to recognize the good and bad programs. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'd have the same confidence when I have kids given the state of Television. I'd probably want to watch some of these shows first before I'd introduce them to my kids. On the other hand, you can't force something on your kid, it might get the opposite reaction!

Well, I was referring to nostalgic fans who would rather have the show play the type of music that it originated with, and not so much about weather rap music is good or not, hehe! That's very true that when you try to force things on your children that they a lot of the time end of with an opposite reaction about it, hehe!