A new "Muppet Show"

[Luke]

I spent the other day at work thinking up ideas for a new TMS (and building on old ideas), specifically actors with musical ability.

I doubt we'll see the kinda singing and long musical numbers we saw back in the 70's. I think it'll be more funny skits, and the occasional short musical number with a current "commercialy popular" celebrity - notice the lack of Muppet singing since MT and also very few celebrities who would appeal to the Muppets new "edgy" style audience can actually sing live.

 

[Beauregard]

Or dead for that matter...

__

Or rot-stinky-stinky dough matter, four!

 

[Beebers]

 

[Convincing John]

Well, they did have Alice Cooper, and that episode was weird...

Hey, if they're shooting for having guest stars that everyone would know and that are timeless, why not:

Bill Cosby
Morgan Freeman
Mel Brooks
Gene Wilder (couldn't you just imagine a Willy Wonka spoof with Miss Piggy trying to find the golden ticket by eating a mountain of Wonka bars?)
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr (Gonzo and Ringo...I forsee some nose jokes in that episode)
Chevy Chase (hey, why not?)
David Letterman or Jay Leno
Candice Bergen (again)

Or just any celebrity that has enjoyed working with the Muppets or is a fan. Think of the ones who really had a ball on TMS (like Candice) and bring 'em back! Just think if they did...WOW! It'd be better than the "flavor of the month" celebrities. Think of the most memorable Muppet Shows. People remember them partially because of the great guest stars that people still enjoy and will remember...Steve Martin, Star Wars, Harry Belafonte, Candice Bergen, the list goes on.

And they have my vote for Frank Oz as a guest star!

Convincing John

 

[ryhoyarbie]

if disney, who owns abc, might consider doing another muppet show, then why the heck did they just let muppets tonight go down the drain 6 years ago? to me that sends a message about the valueness they have with the muppets.

btw, if you've been following abc you know that they're dead last when it comes to ratings against nbc and cbs, so another muppet show could easily be canceled after a few episodes if people don't watch it.

ryan

 

[Matteo]

Oh Boy. I certainly hope that you American Folks will watch this new muppet show, 'cause if this will go nice in USA, it'll may come to Italy too!

 

[Gorgon Heap]

I doubt we'll see the kinda singing and long musical numbers we saw back in the 70's. I think it'll be more funny skits, and the occasional short musical number with a current "commercialy popular" celebrity - notice the lack of Muppet singing since MT and also very few celebrities who would appeal to the Muppets new "edgy" style audience can actually sing live.

2 1/2 minutes is a 'long' musical number? Oh dear.

I hope they do bring back musical numbers and guests doing things they aren't known for doing. One thing (of many) I hated about MT was that there was not enough music (odd for a variety show), too much overt parody (which wasn't very funny) instead of original sketches, and too much backstage continuity stuff which also wasn't very good and didn't amount to much.

Define this 'edgy' style- what exactly does that mean? SNL is 'edgy' but it's not funny anymore, not entertaining. Edgy in itself is not an entertainment form- it's a concept, not content. Sorry for unloading, this is a discussion I should be having with my best buddy, who loves 'edgy' whatever that means.

There should be more music- otherwise what'll they be doing? Their comedy needs to be a couple of notches funnier. The character work needs work. I would propose a back-to-basics approach that focuses on character, dialogue and humor, and clever, original ideas for sketches and musical numbers. Beats trying to 'update'.

Also, I wanted to know what you thought of the lists I drafted. I noted the ones I knew could sing. Had some pretty big names on there. I think if people like Russell Crowe or Nicole Kidman or Renee Zellweger were on the show, people would watch.

What they need is a goodwill gesture from an A-list star, someone to take the first step and prove to his/her peers that it's okay to work with the Muppets. Jennifer Connelly would probably be ideal for this given her history ("Labyrinth") and her recent Oscar win.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[Gorgon Heap]

Forgot about another prolific guest star they could have- Michael Caine! Two Oscars and they've worked with him before- why not?

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[MuppetNewsFlash]

There are alot of stars out there who would be great in a Muppet Show appearance. I think we are seeing alot of actors trying their hands in different aspects these days, knowing it is not what their known for. For star power I could easily see:

Christopher Walken
Liv Tyler ( imagine her and the Electric Mayhem covering Aerosmith )
Nathan Lane
Megan Mullaly(sp?) (Karen from Will & Grace)
The Rock (he was funny on SNL & has been known to try and sing)
Dame Maggie Smith
Snoop Dogg
inevitably name pop diva here (Christina, Britney, Jessica, Beyonce)
Justin Timberlake
Jack Black
Jon Favreau
Will Ferrell
James Gandolfini
Sir Ian McKellan
Hugh Grant
tons and tons more... look at SNL now they still get famous people to host and it is not very good right now, but it is based on the history of that show and what it means to say you've hosted. A strong Muppet Show (formatted like the original ) would do the same.

 

[Beauregard]

Here's some more suggestions:

Mitch Ben
Ben Aflick
'Matrix episode'
Brad Pit
Captain Picard, Data, and Dr Crusher (Star Trek Ep)