If JIM HENSON was alive TODAY

[CensoredAlso]

I think you make a good argument, RyGuy! Still, perhaps is doing those things somewhere else.

 

[mikebennidict]

If Jim were Alive today a lot of things would be different ( my reasoing doesn't pertain to his Muppet work ) . If Mr. Henson were still with us these things would be a signifcant decrease in the following things:

There wouldn't be as many elementray school fights/ suspensions.

Though you have some good points I think you're overdoing it with the school sussensions and and school fights.

Those problems go way beyond.

entertainment media.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Though you have some good points I think you're overdoing it with the school sussensions and and school fights.

Those problems go way beyond entertainment media.

You know I did think that intially and I still do to a certain extent. Entertainment media can't solve all the world's problems. But I do think the landscape of our society used to be brighter, our pop culture used to give the impression we cared. Now it's much darker and I think that does make a difference.

 

[bazooka_beak]

Jim's efforts were always so solid that on the rare occasion something didn't work (like Labyrinth) he just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He had more successes than most entertainers in his position and it wasn't by luck or accident. The Muppets really need a leader like him that knows what is best and really cares for them (without being precious, of course). The Muppet brand really needs its own CEO that only thinks of their interests.

Agreed! They really need a "loving parent" that cares about the brand (I really hate calling it that ) and the characters best interests. Give them dignity and all that.

 

[uppitymuppity]

I think if Jim were alive today all of his children would be grounded. Well, maybe not Lisa. She went forward.

 

[mikebennidict]

Could you explain a little more on what you mean by that?

 

[JimmyDeanDog]

the landscape of our society used to be brighter...

I agree with THAT notion - no question...

It's a sign of the times really -
- but you can't easily 'shrug off' all of the acute darkness
by just using that line as an excuse!

If kids in schools just listened to Kermit's "Happy Feet", say - once a day,
the world would be a MUCH better place folks!

 

[ryhoyarbie]

I also agree that the pop culture today is horrible and bland compared to 20 years ago. Things did seem to be brighter in the 80's and early 90's or so. But now it seems no one cares. The tv media keeps on pushing junky products to the average viewer with no regard if it's quality or not. Movies, music, and tv have become dumb to the point to where I don't care for most of it anymore. Nobody is trying to be creative anymore.

The Muppet Show worked because it was fresh and creative. No one had ever seen a bunch of (and excuse me for this) puppets host a tv show before. But you know what, it worked, though Frank Oz even today still doesn't know why it worked. (I learned that from Of Muppets And Men!)

Kermit trying to keep everything together, his relationship with Miss Piggy, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem playing music, Statler and Waldorf heckling everything they see, Fozzie trying to get a joke right. It all worked because it was new and fresh. Those characters had personalities and became real when you saw them.

Like I said, you don't see that in the entertainment market anymore. That includes movies, tv, and music.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I also agree that the pop culture today is horrible and bland compared to 20 years ago. Things did seem to be brighter in the 80's and early 90's or so. But now it seems no one cares. The tv media keeps on pushing junky products to the average viewer with no regard if it's quality or not. Movies, music, and tv have become dumb to the point to where I don't care for most of it anymore. Nobody is trying to be creative anymore.

The Muppet Show worked because it was fresh and creative. No one had ever seen a bunch of (and excuse me for this) puppets host a tv show before. But you know what, it worked, though Frank Oz even today still doesn't know why it worked. (I learned that from Of Muppets And Men!)

Kermit trying to keep everything together, his relationship with Miss Piggy, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem playing music, Statler and Waldorf heckling everything they see, Fozzie trying to get a joke right. It all worked because it was new and fresh. Those characters had personalities and became real when you saw them.

Like I said, you don't see that in the entertainment market anymore. That includes movies, tv, and music.

Well I disagree! It is my opinion that entertainment in a lot of way has only gotten better.

 

[Baby Gonzo]

What I find really great about The Muppet Show and the Muppets in general is that they were both fresh and edgy while still being wholesome and good for the whole family. I get that feeling with many sitcoms from the 50s, 60s, and 70s especially. The 80s and 90s were good also enjoyable in a way that you wouldn't feel too embarrassed watching them in front of a kid. But most things I see today are reflective of our values (or lack thereof) today.

Media of today really seems to glorify all the wrong things. While this doesn't hold true in everything, movies and tv shows of today would rather take advantage of fart jokes and juvenile humor just to get a cheap laugh rather than attempting to write genuine humor. I'm not saying this humor didn't exist before, but there is a lack of quality to balance it out. And perhaps it dwells from my love of classic rock and oldies and beach music that I inherited from my parents, but I feel as though music of today is nothing to be desired.

We are a celebrity obsessed society and it is inevitable that some people will look to them as a meter for their own lives. And for the most part, celebrities of today are horrible role models. Seeing pictures of athletes using drugs and rail-thin models being deemed "too heavy" is sending all the wrong messages to the youth of the world.

Overall, I think entertainment... from film and television to music... is nothing like it used to be. There are plenty of good spots, of course. Advances in technology have been abundant over the past few decades, and that's nothing to put down. But there's something to be said about the old fashioned way. Sure it could be done in CG, but I think a film like The Dark Crystal is an example of art, pure and simple, for the environment building alone. And those sets were created without CGI.