Great Henson Article in New York Times (11/12/06)

[beaker]

Yep, and thats probablly (i am guessing I don't know) why he died of HIV Aids.

Well, let's just say while people speculated(falsely) about Bert and Ernie being gay...Scooter on the other hand...

Richard Hunt ((R.I.P))

Yeah, and the sad thing his death wasn't even covered in the mainstream news media, except for gay publications.

But yes, the Muppets and Jim Henson's creations are loved amongst the G/L communities as the Muppets have always been a celebration of differences.

Obviously, a kind of crass gay themed puppet show by JHC isnt going to go over well with a lot of people, but neither would a crass straight show by them. I think in retrospect, that's why they sold off the Muppets...not so much out of spite, but out of frustration. Brian Henson and company wanted
to be freed up to do any projects they want, NOT ocnstrained by simply being tv-G. I just feel they should sold to a different company than Disney.

 

[minor muppetz]

With Tinseltown, I guess The Jim Henson Company is going to be creating its first-ever gay characters. I wonder if the general public who knows that this is from Henson will think that they are gay Muppets.

Anyway, I am excited about Late Night Buffet and the Puppet Up web show.

 

[Infinity Sirius]

I'm all for these new ideas. I just don't think gay puppet show will last long, because I can only see some of the jokes and plotlines going so far.

Also with TBS, not a prime network, but they did have Sex in the City. Will the projects work on this network? Or will something like Bravo, VH1, or Comedy Central work better?

 

[anythingmuppet]

Hey, no seriously, it's good to hear ya speak up. In America, it's still "ok" to make fun of and bash gays and Arabs/Muslims. Somehow, as a nation we have decided its not cool to be up in arms against people of non white heritage, but gays and Arabs/Muslims...oh, we can make fun of them!

I just wanted to point out that you are so correct in what you are saying here. As a person of Middle Eastern heritage, I, and others in my school, have been either made fun of or bullied just for being Middle Eastern. You wouldn't believe all the racial slurs that these kids slew out at us ( like "Terrorist" and "Raqies" amongst others) and they think it's just fine. It's more than just bullying and harrassment in the schools; it's in the media, the Internet, etc. And this, of all of what you said, I believe to be the truest:

Somehow, as a nation we have decided its not cool to be up in arms against people of non white heritage, but gays and Arabs/Muslims...oh, we can make fun of them!

That is dead-on. It's the whole promotion nowadays of the ghetto life and that if you disagree one bit with the "gangsters" you're immediately labeled "gay", which is really demeaning to the people who really are gay. So now it's come to this: All the white, smaller, wimpier kids are "gay" and all the Middle Eastern kids are "terrorists". It just all sickens me.

 

[Punch'n'Judy]

Richard Hunt ((R.I.P))

And he's not the only one.

 

[Marky]

Well, biggotry is not cool. I hear it's far, far worse in the States, though - which is too bad. My view about the gay puppet show has nothing to do with how I feel about gay people (I'm in the entertainment industry myself, I'll work with people for eons without knowing are really caring if they're gay - I mean it's just a variable about a person as a whole).

The reason why I said "gay puppets - " is because it just seems a bit gimmicky. I mean, some gays I know agree w/ me when I told them.

 

[TheJimHensonHour]

Well, biggotry is not cool. I hear it's far, far worse in the States, though - which is too bad. My view about the gay puppet show has nothing to do with how I feel about gay people (I'm in the entertainment industry myself, I'll work with people for eons without knowing are really caring if they're gay - I mean it's just a variable about a person as a whole).

The reason why I said "gay puppets - " is because it just seems a bit gimmicky. I mean, some gays I know agree w/ me when I told them.

it is gimmicky...but so is a show about a talking frog who runs a vodville type stage crew and puts on shows every week hah or well it was at the time
to be it doesnt matter who you are buts thats cause i was raised by jims works and I'm a better person for it...we are all people and live on the same planet so we might as well get along and make this place better for each other to live in. Such a nice dream if only it was that easy.

 

[RobintheBrave]

"We didn’t set out to do risqué adult-exclusive content, what we did set out to do is to forget all the rules of the 8 p.m. sensibility, what puppets do that aren’t in preschool, and instead let’s just do what we as puppeteers think is the funniest thing we can do in the moment.”

I believe Brian was being honest in this statement, that just being risqué isn't their main goal in their new shows. Nevertheless, it still makes me sad that their new work won't greatly appeal to those of us in the general public who believe that good, quality adult entertainment doesn't have to be dirty. I appreciate that the Henson company is getting back into improv, because I think that was an important part of Jim's early work, but I can't help but wish that they could restrain themselves in matters of risqué content.

Now, people can say that TMS had sexual innuendo and that Jim experimented with "adult humor" on SNL, and I won't argue. But remember that any innuendo on TMS was subtle enough that kids wouldn't get it, and that the SNL gig really didn't work out very well. It's not like those examples of "adult humor" in Muppet history could really be compared to the successful sleaziness of Crank Yankers or Greg the Bunny, two shows that this article compared to the Henson's current improv work.

I won't go so far as to say that Jim would have disapproved of these new plans; like someone here already said, he would have encouraged his children to experiment with new things. But I remain saddened that his kids weren't able to find a way to create new, innovative adult entertainment that appeals to those of us who like to keep it clean.

Robin the Brave

 

[MJTaylor]

I have to admit, at first I was worried about the idea of the Henson Company going in this new direction, but I came around when I learnt that Jim Henson was an adult performer at first.

 

[TheJimHensonHour]

"We didn’t set out to do risqué adult-exclusive content, what we did set out to do is to forget all the rules of the 8 p.m. sensibility, what puppets do that aren’t in preschool, and instead let’s just do what we as puppeteers think is the funniest thing we can do in the moment.”

I believe Brian was being honest in this statement, that just being risqué isn't their main goal in their new shows. Nevertheless, it still makes me sad that their new work won't greatly appeal to those of us in the general public who believe that good, quality adult entertainment doesn't have to be dirty. I appreciate that the Henson company is getting back into improv, because I think that was an important part of Jim's early work, but I can't help but wish that they could restrain themselves in matters of risqué content.

Now, people can say that TMS had sexual innuendo and that Jim experimented with "adult humor" on SNL, and I won't argue. But remember that any innuendo on TMS was subtle enough that kids wouldn't get it, and that the SNL gig really didn't work out very well. It's not like those examples of "adult humor" in Muppet history could really be compared to the successful sleaziness of Crank Yankers or Greg the Bunny, two shows that this article compared to the Henson's current improv work.

I won't go so far as to say that Jim would have disapproved of these new plans; like someone here already said, he would have encouraged his children to experiment with new things. But I remain saddened that his kids weren't able to find a way to create new, innovative adult entertainment that appeals to those of us who like to keep it clean.

Robin the Brave

while I will give you that I agree that adult humor does not need to be dirty...I dont really find what the hensons doing now to be anymore dirty than how hoggle was in the labyrinth, or rowlf on the jimmy dean show even.
But things do change because times do change and I can't say for sure but I for one think Jim would have also gone down this road if he was still around or perhaps he would have taken a back seat by this point or even retired.