Jerry Nelson (1934-2012), Muppeteer of many beloved characters, passed away yesterday at the age of 78.

Lisa Henson, CEO of the Jim Henson Company, posted on the Jim Henson Company facebook page:

“Jerry Nelson imbued all his characters with the same gentle, sweet whimsy and kindness that were a part of his own personality. He joined The Jim Henson Company in the earliest years, and his unique contributions to the worlds of Fraggles, Muppets, Sesame Street and so many others are, and will continue to be, unforgettable. On behalf of the Henson family and everyone at The Jim Henson Company, our deepest sympathies go out to Jerry’s family and to his many fans.”

Nelson is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Count von Count (one apple, two apples, three apples ha ha ha ha!) on Sesame Street and Gobo Fraggle on Fraggle Rock.  His last role was as an uncredited telethon announcer on The Muppets, released in 2011.  He also provided the voice of Floyd Pepper of the Electric Mayhem Band, Kermit the Frog’s nephew Robin, Lew Zealand, Emmett Otter, and Camilla the Chicken.

He will be missed, and he joins the growing group of Muppet performers who have already left us, including Richard Hunt and the beloved irreplaceable Jim Henson.

The Jim Henson Company’s facebook page announced today the passing of Jonathan Hardy, better known to fans of Farscape as the voice of Dominar Rygel XVI, the diminutive deposed ruler with an impressive pair of eyebrows.

Brian Henson posted these words to the page:  “We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Jonathan Hardy. The clever wit and joy he brought to his performance of Rygel was a true gift to the world of Farscape. My sincerest condolences go out to Jonathan’s family and to his many fans around the world.”

And co-star Lani Tupu (Captain Crais, voice of Pilot) wrote on his facebook page, “. . . some sad news that I wish to pass on to you all. I am still dealing with it.

My dear Friend, Colleague, Acting Companion on all those past Conventions, my Teacher, Mentor and Second Theatre Boss, is no longer with us. Thank you, Jonathan for all your wonderful stories, your wicked wit…your time, advice and your friendship. I am going to miss you very much. Sail well, where ever your spirit takes you. It was a great journey we travelled in space together. I am so proud and privileged to have worked with you. Thank you so much Jonathan.

You were an Outstanding Dominar Rygel XV1! Xxx”

In addition to his role as Rygel, Hardy was a critically acclaimed screenwriter, receiving an Academy Award nomination and an Australian Film Institute award for Breaker Morant.  He was born in Wellington, New Zealand on September 20, 1940 and passed away at the age of 71.

Hardy portrayed many characters during his nearly forty year career, including Labatouche in Mad Max starring Mel Gibson.

I’ve only just begun watching Farscape on Netflix recently, and if you’ve never watched it, do yourself a favor and see an episode or two.  If only to see who the heck Rygel is.  (And he’s quite a character).

We are going to be giving away two copies of The Muppets, which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD!

The version we’re giving away is the Wocka! Wocka! edition. This set includes the movie on Blu-ray high-definition, DVD and Digital Copy (3 discs) plus a download card for the film’s soundtrack from Walt Disney Records.

To enter, all you need to do is comment below about who your favorite Muppet is. If you post about the contest on Twitter or Facebook, make a note of it in your comment.

Winners will be chosen randomly on Friday, April 13th.

This is hands down one of the best movies to come out last year and you should all be leaping at the chance to win a free copy.

If you don’t want to try to win, it’s on sale now!

I was very wary of the new Muppets film, but when it came out, I was completely won over. Jason Segal proved that he really understood the characters and the world and helped created a movie that appealed to Muppet Fans new and old alike.

From my original review of the film:

Segel and crew did an amazing job replicating the feel of the old Muppets at the same time making it feel relevant. The entire movie is adorable and sacharine sweet and puts a smile on your face the whole damn time. In fact, the opening song (Life’s a Happy Song) puts that smile on your face and you never lose it through the whole movie.

It’s just that perfect.

And did I mention the music is fantastic? New songs were written by Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame and you can tell. They’re all fantastic but the solos he gives Chris Cooper and Amy Adams stand out more amongst a crop of stand outs.

And did I mention that it’s funny? I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a movie in a long, long time. But it wasn’t just me laughing, my kids were dying, too. It mastered the all-ages comedy bit in a way that I thought only Pixar was capable of.

My only complaint about the film? Mickey Rooney had more lines than Rizzo the Rat. That’s it. That’s the only thing I found odd about this film.

After repeated viewings of the film in the theatre, and a purchase of the soundtrack, I counted the days before my copy of the Blu-ray would arrive. It wouldn’t have mattered if there were no special features of any kind, I really just loved this film and couldn’t wait to watch it more.

But, for this Blu-ray edition of the movie, they really pulled out all the stops. From behind the scenes documentaries and deleted scenes to hilarious intermissions and sight gags galore, they made this one of the most must have Blu-ray discs in the history of the format.

The behind the scenes documentary is partly the real thing, but it’s mainly performance comedy. It’s more Muppets doing their thing: being hilarious and entertaining.

The deleted scenes were shocking. I can’t believe how much hilarious material was actually cut from the film. More than that, I had a hard time believing how many celebrity cameos they cut. Billy Crystal, Rob Cordry, extended cameos with other celebrities…  I can see the delicate balance they were walking, though. The film was perfectly paced the way it was, would the extra cameos bog it down or slow down the pacing? Certainly. But that’s why I’m glad we have this Blu-ray edition. Now I can have my cake and eat it, too. The cameos are available to watch and the film doesn’t suck because of them.

Perhaps my favorite feature of this Blu-ray is the pause button.

Go ahead, dig your Blu-ray out and pause the film.

Yes, that’s right. You’re treated to another show. There must be as much new Muppet material on this disc as there is of the movie proper, and it couldn’t be more welcome.

When you add in a free download of the soundtrack (granted, I already bought it, but it’s a nice bonus) and a digital version of the film, this Blu-ray is a must.

The price comes in at around $26 on Amazon and it’s more than worth it.

In this month’s episode, we learn that Cookies are an “Always” food, Zombies bad-Condoms good, and We’ve Got Cabin Fever! We discuss a ton of stuff including the upcoming Hunger Games excitement, Muppets and some awesome video game news, too. Our listener questions prompted some interesting discussion, so be sure to enjoy that part and keep the great questions coming!

Listen here or go get it on iTunes! (We’re under the Big Shiny Robot’s Podcast feed)

Enjoy, and please remember to share your questions and comments with us here on the site or over on our Twitter page and Facebook page!

The lovable and zany Muppets were honored today with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release of their newest film The Muppets.  In appropriate Muppet humor, the press release referred to it as the Hollywood “Wocka Wocka” of Fame.

The President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Leron Gubler emceed the event with guest speakers Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios and Lisa Henson, CEO, The Jim Henson Company (and daughter of the late and dearly missed Jim Henson).

The event was held at the Historic El Capitan Theatre, and several Muppets attended including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, Pepe, Sweetums, and Walter, who made his debut in The Muppets, released today.  Kermit and Miss Piggy were most recently seen together at the Academy Awards, where the nominated song from The Muppets, “Man or Muppet,” won in the Best Song Category.

“Thanks to creative genius Jim Henson and these extraordinary puppeteers, the Muppets are truly worldwide icons and Hollywood stars,” said Ross. “They are a treasured part of the Disney family, and we’re thrilled to see them join so many other luminaries on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

The Muppets’ star is the 2,466^th on the Walk of Fame, where other famous names can be found, including Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse, and Big Bird.  Kermit the Frog received his own individual star in 2002 (the 2,208^th), and Muppets creator Jim Henson received a star posthumously in 1991.  A banner picturing Henson along the Walk is sponsored by the Jim Henson Company and can be seen during the dance number on Hollywood Boulevard in The Muppets.

I imagine that Miss Piggy will soon be demanding her very own star.  In fact, I’m surprised she doesn’t have one already.  I can see her now, telling anyone who will listen that she’s the real star of the Muppets and the only one who can truly act.  That Miss Piggy.  Such a diva!

To promote the theatrical release of The Muppets, several movie parodies hit the internet.  We saw Kermit and the gang pay homage to some of last year’s releases, including The Hangover 2 in “The Fuzzy Pack”, the Green Lantern and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (“>cleverly called The Pig with the Froggy Tattoo).  They mocked the release of Twilight:  Breaking Dawn with a set of posters featuring Bella Swine and WereRowlf.  And now their latest victim is one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2012:  The Hunger Games.

The clip extracts all the zany “violence” from The Muppets and combines it into one trailer loosely inspired by the arena battle of The Hunger Games.  Pepe even counts down as in the original Hunger Games trailer (but without the benefit of having a deep and intimidating voice as his counterpart).

Just as the earlier trailers promoted the theatrical release of The Muppets, the latest installment  promotes the DVD and Blu-Ray release, scheduled for March 20.  The Wocka Wocka Value Pack includes the two aforementioned versions as well as a digital copy of the film and a download card for the film’s soundtrack, including the beloved classic “The Rainbow Connection” and the Academy Award-winning song “Man or Muppet.”

May the odds be ever in the Muppets’ favor!

It looks like a sequel to The Muppets is a go, but star and co-writer Jason Segel may be absent from the film. Vulture reports that director James Bobin and Segel’s co-writer Nicholas Stoller will be returning for the next installment, but Segel has his plate full with the continued success of How I Met Your Mother, publicity for the upcoming films Five Year Engagement (also co-written with Stoller) and This is Forty, as well as scripts for other feature films.

What will a Muppet movie be like without the exuberance of Segel?  His love of the characters and Jim Henson’s legacy brought much of the charm and nostalgia to the film.  And while it was didn’t top $100 million dollars domestically, the amount grossed more than made up for the $45 million dollar budget.  Not only was it a financial success in that sense, but the song “Man or Muppet” did what even “The Rainbow Connection” failed to do—it won an Academy Award.  And though neither Segel nor the Muppets accepted the award, Kermit and Miss Piggy made an appearance at the event, giving the lackluster ceremony a much-needed shot of adrenaline.

I think many of us were apprehensive about The Muppets returning to the big screen after such a long absence, but the final result was worth the wait.  Yes, it could’ve used more appearances by our favorite characters.  But I think overall it was true to the spirit of the Muppets, and that’s what makes it so much fun to watch.  I think that if Jim were able to give us his opinion on it, he would be pleased.  Maybe it’s not exactly what he would have done, but Segel’s obvious love of the characters is contagious.

And it’s still possible he’ll appear in the film, even if it’s just for a cameo.  As we all know, cameos abound in Muppet movies.  No word on whether Walter will make a return appearance, but I think we can also assume he’s likely to have a role, even if it’s just a small one.

So go watch The Muppets if you haven’t already seen it.  Or watch it again.  It’s available for pre-order on Amazon as well as other retail outlets.  The Disney Store is offering a set of four lithographs with a pre-order (including one of Kermit singing “The Rainbow Connection” ).

And weigh in with your opinions on the matter.  Will a Muppet movie without Segel be nearly as endearing?  Or is anyone else equally capable of writing the characters with as much love as he did?

Kermit and Miss Piggy are two of the more highly anticipated presenters at tonight’s Oscar telecast, and below are some photos as they appear on the red carpet all glammed up.

The details:

Miss Piggy is wearing a dress by Zac Posen, jewelry from Fred Leighton, shoes by Christian Louboutin, handbag from and hair styled by Kim Kimble.  Kermit is wearing a tux from Brooks Brothers

For more on Miss Piggy’s jewels:

1940s amethyst and diamond ring in gold (70.0 carats) –lavender is her signature color after all

1950s diamond and platinum swirl necklace (55 carats) with matching swirl bracelet (40 carats)

Celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble (Beyonce, Shakira, Kerry Washington) put the finishing touches on Miss Piggy by adding a diamond and platinum headband (approx. 10 carats) and 1040s clip in the back.

Are you watching the show ?  How surprising have the results been thus far ?

I am still terribly disappointed that there are no plans to have the Best Songs performed for the show.  While the song from The Muppets isn’t actually sung by Muppets in the film, it would have been a fun and entertaining diversion from the constant stream of awards.  And the extremely unfunny Billy Crystal.

If anyone producing the show is reading this, next year have Statler and Waldorf in the balcony commenting on the show throughout the evening.  Cameos from the Swedish Chef, Pepe the Prawn, and Beaker will guarantee you a ratings success.

I promise.

I love Game Of Thrones. I’m anxiously awaiting April 1st so I love when stuff like this hits the web and tides me over. Artist Yehudi Mercado created these amazing mashups check this link to see the rest as I leave you with my favorites.

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