Kermit at the MTV Video Music Awards

[frogboy4]

I'm really not digging this Shmermit the Forg. This is a characature of Jim's Kermit, but without wit or fluidity. Fail. Bring Steve back. If we can't have Steve for some reason then they need to find a better fit than this. I'd say the most depressing thing about it is the way Artie's hand fills Kermit's head. It's just wrong.

 

[dwayne1115]

I'm going to the shack We have questions and by frog we need Answers.

Who in there right mind are they really trying to fool? They had the chance to tell us all weekend what is going on with Steve and Kermit and yet all we get are updates about stuff we almost new where coming out. I'm getting a little annoyed with changing Kermit for whatever reason. We are grown fans what ever the news is good or bad about Steve we can take it and we will have to.
Letters to Santa better be a good DVD cause I'm really getting mad.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I checked out the clip. I don't think Artie or whoever it was did that bad a job as Kermit. It's just the fact that Steve is missing that's problematic.

 

[Frogster]

This is getting to be some bad news. My friends in college could do a better performance. It's like Artie's hand is too small inside Kermit, and Lady Gaga doesn't really seem like she wanted to go on about Piggy's texts. Plus it's so fake. I thought I hated when Kermit did the whole 'dodging Piggy' thing before. But you guys are right, it's Steve's character now, and he should be the only one performing him. It's embarrassing that we're at this point in the Muppets' history.

 

[Reevz1977]

Why does he sound like I do when I'm gargling water? ? ? I hope there's a genuine reason behind these attrocious appearances otherwise I'm just gonna assume somebody is trying to sabotage the Muppets from the inside! I'd rather not see Kermit at all than see this pale imitation of our beloved frog!

 

[Drtooth]

It's embarrassing that we're at this point in the Muppets' history.

Ehhh... I still say the entire Muppet Oz thing was worse than this. You could hire a bum off the street to perform a hollowed out Kermit doll and call it an official performance, and it still wouldn't have been as bad as that train wreck.

I don't think Artie or whoever it was did that bad a job as Kermit. It's just the fact that Steve is missing that's problematic.

I agree right there. I'm sure Artie has a lot of talent, and I'm hoping he gets his own character that he can create the personality of when Muppet projects are on solid footing. But I don't think he's quite there with Kermit, and I don't know if he'll ever be. Unless he's better in private, and he just chokes and gets nervous during public performances like this one. I could see him getting better down the line (a lot of first time performers do)... but right now, does he really have the experience to perform him regularly, and for very official big performances? I don't think he's quite there....

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Ehhh... I still say the entire Muppet Oz thing was worse than this. You could hire a bum off the street to perform a hollowed out Kermit doll and call it an official performance, and it still wouldn't have been as bad as that train wreck.



I agree right there. I'm sure Artie has a lot of talent, and I'm hoping he gets his own character that he can create the personality of when Muppet projects are on solid footing. But I don't think he's quite there with Kermit, and I don't know if he'll ever be. Unless he's better in private, and he just chokes and gets nervous during public performances like this one. I could see him getting better down the line (a lot of first time performers do)... but right now, does he really have the experience to perform him regularly, and for very official big performances? I don't think he's quite there....

Well, like I said, this Kermit performance was sort of an improvement over the last one, so he can improve within time. It's just not the time yet. Like other people have said, if Steve is still around, he should be the only Kermit. But if his health is failing or something like that, I guess he wouldn't have a choice but to give the frog to someone else. I just don't know what more to say.

 

[Drtooth]

Again, I don't want us to get into wildly speculating why he wasn't able to perform Kermit these last 2 times. We're going to get into crazier and crazier theories, and someone's gonna say something so wildly untrue that it will cause a panic. I don't want to keep saying "Steve is having health issues" since that will soon turn into wild rumors about how sick he is, and what he has.

 

[frogboy4]

Kermit Dud

I agree we shouldn't speculate about Steve. In the end the performers are all freelancers. Scheduling isn't always an easy task. I just hope somebody gives us news soon!

I encourage fans to go to Muppets.com and look at the job Steve does with Kermit. 19 years as the frog has resulted in this finely polished presence that the fill-in Kermit doesn't have.

The MTV Kermit nervously clucked and clumsily set up unplanned jokes for GaGa to deliver. All the Muppets, even Kermit, is supposed to upstage anyone in the room - not fall flat like he did. This fill-in performer isn't anywhere near Kermit-ready. It's an impersonation, not a living, breathing performance like Steve's. It makes me sad because I don't think this is a case of evolution as much as it is an awkward fit. Steve took a while to adjust the voice and demeanor, but his frog always had spark. This understudy Kermit doesn't. There's no IT factor to it.

 

[SarahOnBway]

The MTV Kermit nervously clucked and clumsily set up unplanned jokes for GaGa to deliver. All the Muppets, even Kermit, is supposed to upstage anyone in the room - not fall flat like he did. This fill-in performer isn't anywhere near Kermit-ready. It's an impersonation, not a living, breathing performance like Steve's. It makes me sad because I don't think this is a case of evolution as much as it is an awkward fit. Steve took a while to adjust the voice and demeanor, but his frog always had spark. This understudy Kermit doesn't. There's no IT factor to it.

You said it here exactly. I thought the voice was a significant improvement last night (though no Kermit), and the puppetry was better, but that's EXACTLY what was missing. On AGT too--there was no battle to upstage anyone. Piggy took center focus and Kermit was just... there. On the side.