Will the Count live on?

[Pinkflower7783]

That's the key word Jim MAY have intended for Steve to fill in for Kermit when him and Frank were busy working on other projects but we don't really know for sure. Steve was only going by what he heard from other people but he didn't really know either exactly what Jim said. All he knew was Jim was gonna make another main character for him at the time to perform and that was the last time him and Steve talked. Which is also in the MC interview.

Anyways...the subject is The Count not Steve and Kermit or Kermit and Jim or whatever. All in all Sesame Street will be fine. The whole Muppet universe will be fine. Matt will be handed the torch well he kinda already has it but nevertheless The Count will live on forever. Maybe not the person behind him or under him but he will live on just like all the other Muppets.

 

[minor muppetz]

Interestingly, Jim Henson's Red Book just posted an entry on the fourth season of Sesame Street, and in the "historical information" section, it says that The Count "continues today". I guess that's a good sign that he'll continue (though we know this next season has already completed).

http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2012/08/28/8281972/

 

[bingboingcutie]

It's be nice of Sesame Street did some sort of special on him.

Know what I'd like to see--a Count special! When Matt's ready, they could do another Halloween thing. I could imagine him maybe hosting his own show about what there is to count during Halloween or something.

I agree--we don't want to put too much pressure on Matt, we just want to know the Count will be coming back to do more counting and to believe in him. So Matt, if by chance you're reading this, we really can't wait to see the Count again, but we totally understand taking on a whole new character of the Count's status is one of the hardest thing to do, so take your time with him.

Well see, the thing about Rowlf wasn't so much that he had an absence because of Jim's death, and trying to find a replacement performer for him, Rowlf had actually been retired out of respect for Jim

That's one thing I just don't get about retiring characters out of respect for their performers. I think it would be more respectful, say, to see Don Music back again with a bust of Richard on his piano then it would be to say good-bye to him along with Richard.

 

[D'Snowth]

That's one thing I just don't get about retiring characters out of respect for their performers. I think it would be more respectful, say, to see Don Music back again with a bust of Richard on his piano then it would be to say good-bye to him along with Richard.

Well, Don Music wasn't retired because of Richard's death; he was phased out because he was setting a bad example for kids watching the show, who were immitating his banging his head on his piano schtick.

 

[bingboingcutie]

Don Music has got to find a healthier yet still hilarious hobby. I thought he was really great.

 

[minor muppetz]

I get a bit confused on the topic of Don Music being taken off due to kids imatating him. I've read that in later years his head-banging was toned down or not used as frequently (and in all late-1980s/early-1990s Don Music appearances I've seen he doesn't do that at all), and reruns of the old segments continued to be shown until season 29, long after Richard Hunt's death. As if to say that they knew there were problems before Richard's death regarding Don, but it wasn't a big enough problem until long after they no longer made new segments with him.

 

[Fraggline]

Ah yes, I'm so glad Scooter's got his energy back! I was really kind of weirded out by Artie Esposio doing Kermit then too. I mean, it didn't sound perfectly like Steve's Kermit, but it did resemble Jim's a bit. He's actually pretty close. And you figure that this is this guy's dream. If Steve asked me to do Kermit for a special appearance, I'd be so enthralled.

Bingboingcutie, you're absolutely right! (even if you didn't guess Ernie's rubber duckie) That's another thing that I try to keep in mind when I hear recasts--those taking on the characters may be excited new puppeteers who feel honored to take such a job. This is when I think of you, bbc. When you perform various well-known Muppets at home, you know and love the characters with so much heart that you do your best to capture their spirits.
Also, many performers who are recast for certain characters have had lots of experience with the Muppets (like David Rudman) and know the characters really well. In fact, some alternate performers really love the characters they get to perform. Even if John Tartaglia's Ernie, for instance, doesn't sound quite like I'm used to, it makes me feel a little better to know that Ernie is one of his favorite characters and that he really enjoyed the experience of making him come alive.

 

[Fraggline]

I get a bit confused on the topic of Don Music being taken off due to kids imatating him. I've read that in later years his head-banging was toned down or not used as frequently (and in all late-1980s/early-1990s Don Music appearances I've seen he doesn't do that at all), and reruns of the old segments continued to be shown until season 29, long after Richard Hunt's death. As if to say that they knew there were problems before Richard's death regarding Don, but it wasn't a big enough problem until long after they no longer made new segments with him.

Hmm. That is confusing. It does seem to me that parents have gotten slightly more worried about the things their kids do and say, so maybe Don Music's segments were removed as more and more people complained. As my mom says, children in her day were sent out to play unsupervised at a young age; and their only instruction was to be back for lunch. Maybe I'm exaggerating, though.
Anyway, I think they should bring back Don Music! Even if he did set a bad example, he showed children that songs can be re-written and difficulties can be overcome even when all seems hopeless; and his emotions were real. Seriously, I really felt like I could relate to the guy.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

All I know is is while The Muppets live on forever sadly the performers don't.

 

[FrackleFan2012]

All I know is is while The Muppets live on forever sadly the performers don't.

That's true, Pinkflower7783.
We can't have the Muppet performers living on forever.
There have been replacements like David Rudman taking over Scooter, Steve Whitmire taking over Kermit, Joey Mazzarino and David Rudman taking over the Two-Headed Monster but no matter what, The Count will be perfectly fine if Matt Vogel does both the voice and puppetry for him.