Hello and welcome to The MuppetCast! I’m your host Steve Swanson, and in this episode I’ll bring you to Atlanta, GA to visit the Center for Puppetry Arts. The Center just recently celebrated their 30th anniversary, and I was able to capture some very special moments to bring back to the show.
This week will feature the celebration’s opening moments with Executive Director Vince Anthony. Following Mr. Anthony is Cheryl Henson, one of Jim Henson’s daughters, and she talks a bit about the anniversary as well as the new exhibit “Jim Henson: Wonders From His Workshop“. Next we hear Cheryl again, this time from a Saturday morning tour through the exhibit (given for Center members only), and she talks about some of the finer details of the pieces on display, and what was involved in putting this amazing collection together for the public.
The music for this week’s Muppet Montage segment is provided by David Stephens, along with Lucky Yates. The audio was recorded Sunday afternoon of the anniversary weekend. Specifically, this audio is from David’s “warming up” an audience of over 350 people anxious to watch and sing along with The Muppet Movie, hosted by Heather Henson!
As you’ll hear, this was a very special celebration, and it’s an exciting time for the Center! So much sound and video was captured (and many, many wonderful people helped to make that possible) that this episode serves as Part 1 of a multi-part series talking about the Center for Puppetry Arts, and the many people who contribute to its ongoing success.
Coming next week: A big announcement for all MuppetCast listeners who are planning to visit the Center, or are interested in helping the Center reach its membership goals!
This week in Muppet History: Birthdays of Muppeteers Kevin Clash and Steve Whitmire, and of Muppet creator Jim Henson! Also, read on the Muppet Wiki about the Fantastic Miss Piggy Show.
Sesame Workshop, working with the Department of Homeland Security, has developed an important new initiative called “Let’s Get Ready!“. This new program is designed to help families with children of any age come up with a plan of action in case of an emergency. If your family hasn’t talked about situations like this before, now is the time. Visit the Dept. of Homeland Security website, the Sesame Workshop “Let’s Get Ready” website in English, and the “Let’s Get Ready!” website in Spanish.
Oscar the Grouch is the new spokes-Muppet for Canada’s Waste Reduction Week. The furry green sourpuss stars in two commercials (so far) complaining that he’ll have less trash! Both videos are featured at the Muppet News Flash.
Lisa Henson talked recently with MonstersAndCritics.com in an interview about the new Unstable Fables release “Tortoise vs. Hare”.
Matt Blum has a review of the Jim Henson Company’s “Sid the Sceience Kid” that differs somewhat from my personal opinion, but we both think it’s a great new children’s show. You need to read it here and draw your own conclusions.
LAist.com recently got to do what so many of us would like to do, they visited the Jim Henson Company lot on La Brea for a private screening of “Tortoise vs. Hare”. Not only that, but they then got to talk with executive producer Lisa Henson and director Howard E. Baker! Lucky ducks. Quack.
Are you a fan of Jim Henson’s classic Christmas special “The Christmas Toy“? Be honest, do you even remember it? Well regardless, make plans now to buy it when HIT releases a special new DVD version of it on November 4. Go vote and watch a Christmas special!
Continuing to explore the possibilities of digital puppetry, the Jim Henson Company recently announced two new 3D children’s series: “Dinosaur Train” and “The Skrumps”!
Last week on The MuppetCast, Joe H. from ToughPigs.com talked about how he personally got to hang out on the set of the new Muppet Christmas special “Letters to Santa”. The Muppet News Flash now brings us more details about that production.
Jim Henson’s “Pajanimals” will soon be on the PBS Kids Sprout channel. Check out a preview on the News Flash.
The Disney Channel tween-geared special Studio DC: Almost live is about to air its second installment. Look for it on October 5! The Muppets will appear along with many of the Disney Channel’s stable of stars.
Listener Doug H. is setting up his own fan-site for “Sid the Science Kid”. Check it out here.
What is the “key” to a happy life? Why, the Muppets of course! Or the Disney characters, or Sesame Street, or Garfield…hey, take your pick. Howard Keys has been making character keys for a while now, so look for their products at a hardware store near you.
New Muppet look-alike sightings here: Jack Nicholson and Baby Dinosaur, and Christian Bale (Batman) and Kermit the Frog (comments language NSFW).
For the older crowd, here’s a new Muppet parody: Groverfield.
Brent Levy recently started a new website that I’m really enjoying. It’s a daily Disney trivia blog: Mouseketrivia!
Joe V sent a link to a 42-tape Muppet tape library, containing things like the complete Muppet Meeting film collection! A paltry $2,500…what a bargain!
If you’d like, you can nominate The MuppetCast in the 2008 Podcast Awards! Suggested categories include Best Produced, People’s Choice, and Entertainment.
Thanks again to everyone who supports The MuppetCast in our continuing efforts to celebrate the life and work of Jim Henson. Friends of the show include the Center for Puppetry Arts, The Jim Henson Legacy, Muppet News Flash, ToughPigs, Muppet Central, and YOU! Thanks for continuing to listen and supporting the show.
Questions/Comments can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Also stop by the Muppet Central Forums and chat with Muppet fans all over the world.
Have a great week!
-Steve
Back in 1984, Jim Henson, the brilliant visionary behind The Muppets, joined forces with the visionary George Lucas and the influential David Bowie for one of the decade’s most ambitious fantasy films of the era, Labyrinth. Henson always referred to himself as an “experimental filmmaker” and there’s no better proof of that than Labyrinth, which is so far removed from the projects that Henson built his legacy on. Labyrinth was received as a box office failure upon its arrival in 1986, but its creativity and ambition created a cult classic years after Henson’s death. Today, it’s one of the most influential fantasy films, showcasing Henson’s creativity and spawning an entire fandom devoted to Henson’s experimental project.
For Labyrinth fans, or fans of Jim Henson in general, this guide is an absolute must-own. Its endless amounts of detailed information combined with incredible behind-the-scenes photos, concept art and scripts is probably the most-detailed information on the film possibly ever. My favorite thing about the book is that includes attached items and recreated artifacts from the production of the film. Whether it’s personally handwritten letters by Jim with the Henson Associated header on it, or scribbles on a page of the script to story-boards and character designs, this book spreads a whole bunch of incredibly amazing stuff that will make any Henson fan feel like they’ve touched greatness.
For the millions of fans which Labyrinth has defined their childhood, this book is an absolute must-own. Just as Labyrinth has slowly and surprisingly made its way into the cherished collections of millions across the world, Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History will be an addition that will be cherished in your collection for a long time to come.