Steve Whitmire has left the Muppets, Matt Vogel to continue as Kermit

[minor muppetz]

The thing that was said was that Clifford did more with The Electric Mayhem than Lips did, even though Clifford was only part of the band once while Lips was with the band in one season of TMS, GMC, MFC, Muppets at Walt Disney World (even if just for the bands musical performance), an entire season of The Muppets, and other things, then it was pointed out that Clifford had more dialogue in that special than Lips ever did, which is probably true, but having more dialogue as part of the band and actually appearing with the band more often are different things.

I pretty much want every Muppet to be used as they can. In one of Steve Whitmire's blog posts, he mentioned that the person in charge of the Muppet Studios had a "no Muppet left behind" mentality. Of course there are some characters who would be harder than others to include on a regular basis, even in the background. Characters like Constantine, Kermit the Pig, most of the Moopets, The Talking House, Vendaface, the Mt. Rushmore Muppet.... Characters who either can't walk (that we know of) or who are too similar in appearance to a major character (which would be confusing to people unfamiliar with the characters if they were to spot them in a crowd scene).

That's very possible. But if Disney does want him to take over, it will have to happen sooner or later.

What I was saying was that I wondered if Matt Vogel agreed to take over as Kermit before finding out the real reason for Whitmire's departure and decided to pass, which would result in finding a new performer (could Disney fire Vogel over a decision like this, after he initially agreed?).

Oh and because they said Pigs In Space will be happening at the Hollywood Bowl maybe we'll actually get a new show performer for Link.....or they'll just play one of those unreleased videos.

At first when I heard Pigs in Space would be included, I expected it to be on a video screen, but now I'm thinking that it could possibly be done live. I never suspected that they would show unused web videos as part of the show.

Does the Hollywood Bowl use a video screen for shows?

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

What I was saying was that I wondered if Matt Vogel agreed to take over as Kermit before finding out the real reason for Whitmire's departure and decided to pass, which would result in finding a new performer (could Disney fire Vogel over a decision like this, after he initially agreed?).

Yeah. You may have hit the nail on the head, because that would 'splain why they have delayed the TOTW with Matt's for so long.

 

[JT Yorke]

Or they want people to hear Kermit for the first time live at the hollywood bowl, so people might be interested and they sell more tickets?

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Possibly.

 

[BlakeConor14]

I would love to see a return of Johnny fiama and sal

 

[MuppetSpot]

I would love to see a return of Johnny fiama and sal

Don't count it, Bill said the puppets are deteriorated beyond repair and the possibility of Bill only performing Johnny if Brian came back to do Sal.

 

[Duke Remington]

Don't count it, Bill said the puppets are deteriorated beyond repair and the possibility of Bill only performing Johnny if Brian came back to do Sal.

Sal should be recast anyway since Brian isn't likely to perform with them again anytime soon. Either David or Peter would do him justice.

 

[Mo Frackle]

Shame most people (here, anyway) never really thinks of the 'secondary' performers as good contenders for taking on characters.

Tyler Bunch would make a great Sal, for instance.

But then I have to ask myself, "what's difference does it make?" If they decide to recast a character, I'm sure the right person will be chosen.

 

[JimAndFrank]

Most of you know that I have been one of Steve's loudest fans for the past 5 years. As you can imagine, watching him getting thrown under the bus by Disney and the Henson's has been somewhat of a nightmare, but that doesn't mean I have simply brushed aside the allegations made against him.

Quite frankly, this entire thing has been a three-way colossal f**k-up from the get go.

I really don’t have much to say in regards to the Henson’s. It’s understandable that they might find it insulting that Steve thinks he knew Jim enough to warrant being an authority on the Muppets. Cheryl Henson’s Facebook tantrum is a common response people have to hearing something frustrating. I’ve done that a couple of times myself. As for Brian and Lisa, again, I see where they’re coming from, but they had every chance to amend the ‘issues’ and didn’t do crap about it.

That’s the same attitude I currently have towards Disney. If Steve has been acting up so much, what was stopping them from dropping him earlier? They had 12 years to find a middle ground with Steve and the other performers. Believe it or not, there are other performers who feel the exact same way Steve does about the Muppets in their current state. One I’ve been talking to maintains that Steve was in the right and that his dismissal could have been avoided with some compromising and an attitude adjustment from both parties.

As for Steve, you never know what is going to bring out the worst in people, and apparently taking on Kermit gave Steve a major ego boost that lead to tactlessness and abrasiveness when it came to the business side of things. He's apparently left many angry and bitter people in his wake as he endeavoured in his vision to keep Jim's legacy alive.

But does this make Steve a horrible person? No. It doesn't.

Ignorance doesn't always equal consciously hurting others.

Steve is ignorant to the damage he caused. Just go back and read his current blog posts and the interviews he's done so far. The only reason he is stunned by his dismissal is because he never recognised what he was doing to his peers and the higher-ups. I believe that Steve believes he's been doing the right thing all along and that one day reality is going to come along and smack him across the face.

I've been fluctuating on my position as a Whitmire fan, but after careful consideration, I've decided to stick by him. I've accepted that he'll never come back to the Muppets and am just looking forward to seeing what he decides to do in the future. Regardless of everything else, he’s an insanely talented puppeteer among other things. Everyone deserves a second chance and the option to redeem oneself going onward into the future is not closed to him.

If the responses to his dismissal tells us anything, it’s that Steve always tried to be the best he could be to the fans. So many people have come forward and shared their stories of how accommodating Steve was and how he wanted to help their up-close-and-personal experience with The Muppets be as wonderful as possible. Steve’s not a terrible person, just blindsided by his own vision.

At the end of the day, just like everyone else, I just want to watch the next Muppet Thought of the Week and get the big Kermit reveal over and done with. Like I keep saying, I wish Matt Vogel all the luck in the world and I know he’ll do us proud. In the end, it's the Muppets that truly matter as it is they who brought us all together in the first place.

If anyone even cares anymore, after some thought, I'm back at this stance on the whole debacle. Too many people have spoken out about Steve's behaviour and the last thing I want to do is become a blindsided, ignorant follower.

I'm still going to keep up with Pundit and all the rest of it, but I'm a natural skeptic who will require evidence to be swayed either way. That's pretty much all I have left to say on the subject.

 

[Duke Remington]

Shame most people (here, anyway) never really thinks of the 'secondary' performers as good contenders for taking on characters.

Tyler Bunch would make a great Sal, for instance.

But then I have to ask myself, "what's difference does it make?" If they decide to recast a character, I'm sure the right person will be chosen.

I agree.

Speaking of Tyler Bunch, I also think he'd make a great Clifford.