The Brand New Ask Jim Lewis Thread

[Beauregard]

Fabulous, Dwayney! Thanks for always supporting this thread Dwayne!

 

[theprawncracker]

Suckah, please, Dwayne IS this thread, man! He's kept this thing alive from day one, and I don't think he gets enough recognition for it. (((HUGS))) to you, Dwayne! Thanks a whole lot, pal!

 

[Super Scooter]

I have a question about Beauregard (the Muppet, not the Muppet Central member). The writers for The Muppet Show, found it difficult to write for Beauregard because he didn't really have any desires. It's been noted this is possibly the reason why he hasn't been included in much of anything since The Great Muppet Caper. Have you tried writing for Beauregard? Do you find that it's difficult to write for him? I also noticed that he has a tendency to show a more heroic side. In The Great Muppet Caper, Beauregard was the only one "fighting" with Nicky Holiday instead of getting wrapped up in the "baseball game". There's also an episode of The Muppet Show where he defends the rats. Have you or any of the other Muppet writers given any thought about possibly exploring this aspect of the character further?

Sorry about the lengthy questions!

 

[Beauregard]

Hey Scooty-Scoot-Scooter! The question of Beau was answered a while back. Jim explained that some characters, such as Beau, were "punctuation" characters, rather than story characters and thus harder to write for.

But Dwayne, you should definatly include the question about Beau's heroics! I love how Beau just grabs Nicky and hangs onto him in that fight.

 

[Super Scooter]

Hey Scooty-Scoot-Scooter! The question of Beau was answered a while back. Jim explained that some characters, such as Beau, were "punctuation" characters, rather than story characters and thus harder to write for.

But Dwayne, you should definatly include the question about Beau's heroics! I love how Beau just grabs Nicky and hangs onto him in that fight.

Darn! I thought I had something original. Or, at least it was half original. At least I'm consistant.

Here's my updated question then:

I noticed that Beauregard has a tendency to show a more heroic side. In The Great Muppet Caper, Beauregard was the only one "fighting" with Nicky Holiday instead of getting wrapped up in the "baseball game". There's also an episode of The Muppet Show where he defends the rats. Have you or any of the other Muppet writers given any thought about possibly exploring this aspect of the character further?

<--- another in a long line of "heroic" Muppets.

 

[dwayne1115]

Suckah, please, Dwayne IS this thread, man! He's kept this thing alive from day one, and I don't think he gets enough recognition for it. (((HUGS))) to you, Dwayne! Thanks a whole lot, pal!

Thank you Ryan, but I really feel that this could be a lot more then what it is, but thats just me. It's not Jim or the questions I feel that there is just something missing.

I'm also playing with the idea of opening up a new thread soon to help with keeping up with the questions. i thought of a title to.

WWJLD- What would Jim Lewis Do.

 

[dwayne1115]

Hi all I have here some Q&A with our beloved Jim Lewis enjoy




Lessons in Writing with Jim Lewis




Long time Muppet Writer Jim Lewis has written so many things for the Muppets over the years. He now has his own thread on Muppet Central where fans ask him questions about things he has worked on. Today the questions seem to have a theme on really trying to learn more about writing. So lets begin.




1. From Minor Muppetz: I just realized that you did some writing for the game Muppet Party Cruise, so my next question concerns that project. Were there any mini-game ideas planned or pitched that ended up not being included, as well as appearances by any Muppets who ended up not being in the game (while I'm glad that Digit was brought back for this game, Dr. Phil van Neuter could have easily hosted the Short Circuits game instead, for example)?

You give me too much credit. In a sense, I did some writing for the “Muppet Party Cruise” game, but the architecture of the game, its look and which characters hosted which section were the choice of the actual game designers, overseen by the remarkably talented Bret Nelson, who has gone on to other feats of creative techno wonder stuff I don’t quite understand. As for the “writing”….well, “writing” a game like this is like writing a phone book. They give you a breakdown of all the possible player choices and outcomes, then you must write all the possible character responses without having a breakdown yourself. (I’ll let you guess whether I did.) As for the game itself: my kids still play it—because they like it…and because I’m too cheap to get them a Wii.




2. From Colbynfriends: Are there some characters that have not been seen in a while, that you would like to see come back?

To tell you the truth: maybe. The fact is that the Muppet universe is huge (as all of you well know). There are characters from the various productions…some of whom had only a line or two, but made a big impression…that I’d love to give more exposure to. At the same time, I feel that right now the Muppets need to concentrate on the most familiar characters (e.g. Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo…etc). This is not only to help these core characters stay familiar, but also to give us (writer/performer/audience) a chance to explore their characters more. To me, the thing that makes the Muppets three dimensional isn’t just their physical presence in our world, but also the way they grow, change and continue to surprise us – even whlle Fozzie keeps telling the same old jokes.










3. From Ryan AKA the Prawn: Jim Lewis, this is theprawncracker here again with yet another question, and this time-- THIS TIME, I will be addressing you from the guise of Sam the American Eagle. Now, Mister Lewis, I implore you, what on earth made you want to write jokes and--and--other things for these weirdoes? The Muppets are not tactful, cultural, or any weird combination of the two. Unless you, Mister Lewis, can argue the case the Muppets are, indeed, cultural, I have made an agreement to perform the song... "Milkshake" which, if you do not mind me saying, sounds very sweet. ...Uch! Now I am punning! Answer me if you can, Mister Lewis, just be forewarned that if you cannot, I shall report you to the federal administration bureau of unscrupulous loveably obnoxious underwhellming scoundrels. Or, as they prefer to be known, F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. That is all.

Dear Mr. Eagle,
It is an honor to receive this missive from you. Rest assured, that I too am committed to the same goals as yourself. I also want to protect good Americans from all that is unsightly and unseemly, so as to make our world more sightly and seemly. While I am not familiar with the song “Milkshake,” I trust that you will make sure that you are not lactose-intolerant before gracing us with your performance. This said, I find it a bit curious that you are working in conjunction with that rabble who calls himself “thepawncracker”. Be wary. He’s a clever one.
Patriotically yours, Jim Lewis



4. From Beauregard: Jim, feel free not to answer this question, but I always wondered if there were any Muppets that you don't like? That just irritate you in some way, or that you find bother you and you don't like to include?

I searched my mind. (It wasn’t a big job, trust me.) And I can honestly say that I can’t think of a single Muppet character who just plain irritates me. They all have redeemable qualities. They all have a dream. That’s why Kermit takes ‘em in. Who am I to contradict the frog?




5. From TogetherAgain: Do you ever find it impossible, or next to impossible, to focus one a certain project because some NEW idea is DEMANDING to be written RIGHT NOW! ? Because that happens to me ALL the time and it has therefore been a very long time since I've actually written and finished a complete story in all of its entirety... Which would make it very difficult to meet a deadline, if I had any deadlines to meet.


Good question. Yes, sometimes when the lazy susan of work is spinning out of control on my desk top (or maybe that’s just my computer freezing up), I have trouble focusing. But then I hear the mortgage bill arriving and like a 2-x-4 across the cranium, I am back on task. In all honesty, my first real job (we don’t count selling broken cookies at the Pine Brook Auction) was as a newspaper reporter. Great training. You have 45 minutes to write three articles that MUST be delivered by deadline. It’s harrowing at first, but eventually you learn how to block out distractions and focus. I owe any writing discipline I have now to that training…and to the 7-11 Big Gulp Coffee! WOWEEE!

 

[theprawncracker]

Incredibley awesome answers, Jim! Thank you so much, again, and again for answering our questions! You, sir, ROCK! Also, I'd like to totally commend you and the Muppeteers on the recent Muppet videos surfacing on the new website. The Bunsen and Beaker video was absolutely fantastic--my new favorite. I also really love Kermit's new video blog with Miss Piggy. Very exciting stuff.

Now... we in the Muppetverse have recently discovered that the Muppets are going to be appearing in a special on the Disney Channel on July 19th with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Zack and Cody, and some of the High School Musical crew. I have a couple questions about this incredibly exciting and interesting project. Firstly, of course, did you write any of the material for it? Second, What's your opinion on the Muppets working iwth the Disney Channel tweeny-bopper crew? And third, does it bother you that Animal has emerged as his own, uberly popular character, and because of that is sort of starting to send the rest of the Electric Mayhem into obscurity? (Feel free to just answer that last question if you can't spill any beans about the Disney Channel special. )

Oh, and Sam would like you to know that he will be unable to perform "Milkshake" for you because he found the lyrics to be lacking deep, profound, and patriotic meaning. He apologizes profusely and wishes you the very best in your own American endeavors. Oh, and he liked the new "Battle Hymn of the Elevator" tape on Muppets.com. That is all.

 

[Colbynfriends]

Thank you Dwayne1115 and Jim!

 

[dwayne1115]

Thank you Dwayne1115 and Jim!

Your welcome do you have a question for Jim?

I do, and it kind of ties in with Ryan's question


When writeing for Animal is there a certain list of words he knows?