The Muppets and Lady Gaga in new Christmas special November 28 on ABC

[Drtooth]

To be honest, they picked an odd, out of context clip that looks not very indicative of the rest of the special. It's hard to judge if the special is or isn't like this without seeing the whole thing, but there's nothing I'd say is bad about it, nor is there anything bad I can say about it. Why they picked that clip is the question. I'm certain there are better sequences that they want to keep under wraps, but give us something that isn't establishmental out of context.

Of course, I am impressed by the sheer number of Muppets in that scene and am looking forward to seeing as many Muppets as possible here. What no one is discussing about the clip? Lew Zealand. And he has a line. Not much of a line, but Lew Zealand, the Electric Mayhem, Scooter, Rowlf and Walter are in this special. I'm very excited about that.

And come on... some of us sat through the Jessica Simpson and that guy she was with at the time special for just Kermit, Piggy, and Pepe. We can sit though this for all those characters listed, right?

 

[minor muppetz]

I don't see much of a difference between Katy Perry and Gaga. They're both known for outrageous costumes and antics. Apples and oranges. I guess Gaga's the bigger draw.

The apples and oranges comment is ironic, as I like apples (and Katy Perry) but hate oranges (and Lady Gaga). And I think Katy Perry shows off more sex appeal with her costumes while Gaga shows off more weirdness with her costumes (but maybe I should search for more Gaga images).

I think the marketing so far is pitch perfect:

• 24 months before release, the film is announced
• 10 months before release Entertainment Weekly interviews Kermit about the film and debuts an amazing promotional image
• 6 ½ months before release we got a teaser
• 4 ½ months before release we get a poster and a new website
• 3 ¾ months before release and we'll get a Thanksgiving prime-time star-studded special featuring clips from the film

Any further advertisement before Thanksgiving would get lost in the mix. Disney is better at film promotion than anyone else. I wouldn't doubt their plan, especially after last time. You couldn't escape the Muppet mania I saw everywhere.

These days, the push usually begins three months in with a major blitz in the three weeks before release. Disney is pushing Frozen right now. I'm surprised there hasn't been more press for Mr. Banks. Both films will most definitely feature MMW trailers.

What will probably happen:

• November 2013 Full trailer debut before Frozen
• December 2013 Another trailer shown before Saving Mr. Banks
• January 2013 Poster campaign in theaters
• January 2014 Viral advertising campaign
• January 2014 Products hit Disney Store shelves
• January 2014 Billboards and bus ads
• February 2014 Magazine interviews
• February 2014 TV advertising campaign
• March 2014 Limited products hit retail outlets
• March 2014 Talk show appearances
• March 2014 Soundtrack release
• March 2014 Star-studded premiere
• March 21, 2014 Release date
• July 2014 Talk show appearances
• July 2014 Home Video release

And we know that there will be an official Muppet character encyclopedia coming out in February.

Of course, I am impressed by the sheer number of Muppets in that scene and am looking forward to seeing as many Muppets as possible here. What no one is discussing about the clip? Lew Zealand. And he has a line. Not much of a line, but Lew Zealand, the Electric Mayhem, Scooter, Rowlf and Walter are in this special. I'm very excited about that.

Well, the people at Tough Pigs have been talking about Lew's line.

That clip is kinda bland. Wouldn't it be ironic if that clip (the one chosen to promote the special) WAS the worst clip from the whole special? As if to promote the least-interesting scene?

I kinda wish they'd have a few obscure characters in that scene, someone we likely wouldn't have seen again before the 2011 film. I'm sure we'll see some in the special, but it would have been great if in this clip they had Droop, Lips, Link, or Bobby Benson.

 

[Drtooth]

People... we are becoming that annoying fanbase that nitpicks everything possible and assumes everything's going to be the worst thing ever.

I hate that kind of fanbase. I avoid it. Now, I'm not even sure I should bother with this one if we're all going to act like this. If we're seriously agonizing over 30 seconds of non-indicative footage, you know there's something seriously wrong.

Now, what I find absolutely hilarious is the fact we're actually whining about Gonzo's "Chickens" line. Really people?!?! An in character moment?!? That's the terrible Gonzo line. Seriously. Not the "nipples" thing from MWOZ. Something he'd actually say? Really?!

I'm not saying this is going to be the greatest thing there ever will be, but can we at least watch the full 90 friggin' minute special before we call it the worst thing ever to mankind? Seriously, that "bland" 30 second clip is a million times better than the Playhouse videos (minus Picklepuss and Pops, of course) and the Studio DC specials combined. if the special sucks, then we can complain about it and forget it ever happened. Just wait until it actually happens, m'kay?

Or do you want to be like the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase and pretend the world is coming to an end because they change Knuckles's eye color in one game?

 

[minor muppetz]

Seriously, that "bland" 30 second clip is a million times better than the Playhouse videos (minus Picklepuss and Pops, of course) and the Studio DC specials combined.

You mean the Play-Along Videos.

Or do you want to be like the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase and pretend the world is coming to an end because they change Knuckles's eye color in one game?

Wait a minute.... They changed Knuckles' eye color in one game? Which one??? I'll have to make sure I never play that one.

(Just kidding, I just couldn't resist, though I'd never heard of that complaint before)

 

[Drtooth]

You mean the Play-Along Videos.

Yes. Come on, let's not pretend they aren't lousy. You're a Cartoonist is actually kinda fun for the Picklepuss and Pops segment, but the rest of it is unwatchable. And these were made when Jim was still around.

And if anyone thinks I'm being harsh, let me paint a picture for you. You're like 7 or 8 years old. Your favorite Muppet at the time is Fozzie Bear. You rent "You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear" only to see him for 2 whole minutes for the entire project. And to make things worse, he's on the bloody cover! That's false advertising. I've seen clips of other ones, and quite honestly, they're even more bland and boring than this Gaga clip.

 

[CensoredAlso]

And if anyone thinks I'm being harsh, let me paint a picture for you. You're like 7 or 8 years old. Your favorite Muppet at the time is Fozzie Bear. You rent "You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear" only to see him for 2 whole minutes for the entire project. And to make things worse, he's on the bloody cover! That's false advertising. I've seen clips of other ones, and quite honestly, they're even more bland and boring than this Gaga clip.

Um....actually...I liked that video growing up.

But OK, OK, the chickens line was definitely funnier than the nipples line. There, happy?

 

[minor muppetz]

And if anyone thinks I'm being harsh, let me paint a picture for you. You're like 7 or 8 years old. Your favorite Muppet at the time is Fozzie Bear. You rent "You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear" only to see him for 2 whole minutes for the entire project. And to make things worse, he's on the bloody cover! That's false advertising. I've seen clips of other ones, and quite honestly, they're even more bland and boring than this Gaga clip.

Really? It's been a long time since I last watched the whole video (I should have watched it all when the whole thing was on YouTube, though I think some clips are still online) but I recall Fozzie being there for the majority of it.

If I ever find that the whole video's online again I'll have to drop everything to watch it all, instead of waiting and assuming I'll get around to it before it stops being online.

 

[Drtooth]

But OK, OK, the chickens line was definitely funnier than the nipples line. There, happy?

My problem with that clip is that it obviously cuts off with that joke. Now, if it's a throwaway joke, there's bound to be at least a funny reaction to it that we didn't see or some segway into something even funnier. In fact, I'm more annoyed that ABC clearly wanted to keep as much of the special a surprise as possible, and picked an obvious lull in the action as the big preview as a pretty incompetent move. It will be a disappointment if the rest of the special is like that (I doubt it will be), but at least we're going to get some good music out of it... at the very least with Elton John. Even if I weren't looking forward to this special, I'd tune in at least to see if EJ and the Muppets have a nice number together.

As for Lady Gaga's acting? To sort of quote Dot from Animaniacs... She isn't acting. She really is like that.

 

[Duke Remington]

People... we are becoming that annoying fanbase that nitpicks everything possible and assumes everything's going to be the worst thing ever.

I hate that kind of fanbase. I avoid it. Now, I'm not even sure I should bother with this one if we're all going to act like this. If we're seriously agonizing over 30 seconds of non-indicative footage, you know there's something seriously wrong.

Now, what I find absolutely hilarious is the fact we're actually whining about Gonzo's "Chickens" line. Really people?!?! An in character moment?!? That's the terrible Gonzo line. Seriously. Not the "nipples" thing from MWOZ. Something he'd actually say? Really?!

I'm not saying this is going to be the greatest thing there ever will be, but can we at least watch the full 90 friggin' minute special before we call it the worst thing ever to mankind? Seriously, that "bland" 30 second clip is a million times better than the Playhouse videos (minus Picklepuss and Pops, of course) and the Studio DC specials combined. if the special sucks, then we can complain about it and forget it ever happened. Just wait until it actually happens, m'kay?

Or do you want to be like the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase and pretend the world is coming to an end because they change Knuckles's eye color in one game?

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

It's things like this that really irritate me about the Disney fan community a lot, especially when it comes to pundits on such horrible sites as MiceChat, WDWMagic, LaughingPlace, Intercot and sometimes Jim Hill Media. I wish those sites would get taken over by hackers and never be seen or heard from again.

 

[minor muppetz]

One thing I'll say about the one clip we've seen: I will be disappointed if that scene has the most characters we'll see in any scene. It's pretty much the characters we'd expect (and yes, I consider Lew Zealand a character we'd expect to see), though that doesn't mean that more obscure characters won't be seen later. And I'll be disappointed if the finale doesn't have a large amount of characters. But I'll also be surprised if it doesn't.

I wonder if they chose that clip because it doesn't involve music. Would including a song clip require additional clearances, even if it's promotion (and I don't know whether Disney owns The View or not)? I would like to assume, in an age where pretty much everything is planned for DVD and similar commercial releases, that Disney cleared all uses of all the songs used in this for all forms of media (television, video, uses of clips for talk shows and retrospectives, etc.).