Muppets in T2 (The Times)

[Harvey Towers]

On the cover of the T2 section of The Times Newspaper is nice picture of Kermit under the banner "Hands Off or the Mouse Gets It"

This article appeared inside interspersed with a few MTM quotes, a picture of Piggy and Elton John and a fantastic large colour photo of Jim Henson with a group of Muppets.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,2100-14410-1600856,00.html

 

[sugarbritchez]

So that means that there IS going to be a New Muppet Show being filmed???

 

[christyb]

Well, thanks for spotting this. Even though I don't agree with the author. It's intresting to read another's view point.

 

[beaker]

This guy is able to articulate what I've been thinking. I dont think the younger fans on here can appreciate fully the historical presedent this writer is giving.

"Or, rather, it could — but it would first have to pass it through three focus groups, all its senior management, Disney’s representatives in China, the National Rifle Association, the League of Decency and, probably, Condoleezza Rice,"

Best quote in there. Disney is anathema to what Jim Henson Company has strived for and been about. It's a travesty, and now what we have in 2005 is the most base, sterile, un inspired, predictable version of the muppets ever.
Reality tv show ideas, ringtones, Oz, etc...it's all pretty maddening really.

Some of the things in the article are false; it was $69 million for the Muppet buyout, JH passed away in 1990, and it's doubtful they stored drugs in the puppets. If they wanted to do recreational drugs, they would no thave used their precious puppets for storage nor risked customs. But overall I 100% agree with hisoutlook on things. Much better written than Jim Hill's stuff.

Btw, I did a comic strip the other day with how I feel about Disney:
http://www.pockybot.com/strips/neocomic24.jpg
(no, it's not very nice)

 

[McFraggle]

Pretty good article, and another classic line:

"One look at any picture of Jim Henson and the 1970s creative nebulous of The Muppet Show, on the other hand, reveals a group of hairy hippies, most of whom look like Robinson Crusoe at Day 405 on Treasure Island."

I didn't know Bunsen was based on Lew Grade either. That's pretty neat.

 

[Beauregard]

YEs, that piece of trivia was neat, the rest was totaly crud. Especially about the drugs, and he didn't get half his flippin facts right, and, frankly, why can't Greg write the two pge spreads since he actually knows what the heck he is talking about.

 

[Harvey Towers]

He did see that the drug smuggling was "supposed" and only a story; not neccessarily true.

I don't think it was a badly writtten article and it seems to fit in what many around here have said about the way Disney have used the Muppets - or not as the case my be. However, I accept that the author of this peice could have done more reasearch into what he Muppets have done more recently and present Muppeteers.

 

[ravagefrackle]

minor factual discrepencies aside, i agree with just about everything Mr Moran wrote, lets hope that Fellow Brit Martin Baker can get some good stuff happening , he was thier in the begining and was a strong voice for the muppets all they way up to 2002, hes also a really great guy.

 

[Beauregard]

THanks for your imput R. Frackle! It's always good to see you around.

 

[MrsPepper]

It's funny, because he's complaining in the last line about how Jim Henson won't be the one saying, "It's the muppet show!" But the poor man died, and Mr. Whitmire in my humble opinion is doing a swell job as Kermit, so although it was praise for Jim, it was almost a backhanded insult at Steve Whitmire. They don't even mention his name! "[A]nd someone else does Kermit’s voice now". Geez. That's not exactly nice.

And if I remember correctly from the Jim Henson article in the archives here, Jim said that in retrospect he should have made him more like Lew Grade, it wasn't on purpose.

What's this about ring tones, though? I mean, the movie's not even out yet.