If you support Disney owning the Muppets...

[MelissaY1]

Why oh why doesn't the Disney Channel at least show some Muppets Tonight from time to time? They're making me almost resent these tween children that Hanna Montana and High School Musical are made for. I just don't see them enduring. They're like potato chips - quick, easy and (sometimes) enjoyable, but not really food. (Ducks for the attacks by High School Musical fans! LOL) There's more to entertainment than pretty people (with a moderate level of talent) singing instantly forgettable pop songs in this frogboy’s opinion. Now, it would be fine if we could get both, but it does seem like the muck didn't just rise to the top at the Disney Channel - it took over!

My comments on the Disney Channel, however, do not reflect my view of the company itself. Maybe they should make a Disney Channel for more discerning older viewers. Like a Disney TV Land or something?

Absolutely. They have a TOON Disney Channel with Ducktales and that kinda stuff on it. Make like a Disney "Classic" channel with the movies, shorts, etc. for adults and leave the Disney Channel now with all kids/tween stuff on it

 

[TheJimHensonHour]

I'm NOT missing your point. I understand what you're saying but why would you want to see little snippets of Muppets here and there on flash in the pan reality shows, or dopey commercials? It only waters down the characters more, and takes away from what made the Muppets great to begin with: that they were characters with their own distinct personalities and as a fan/viewer you bought into that they lived in the world. This has nothing to do with whether people have cable or not. If I couldn't afford cable I'd still pop in a Muppet DVD then sit and watch some lousy network show that's on now. And I DO even though I have cable. I don't really watch T.V. at all. There's nothing left on it for me except for baseball which I'm not even watching right now.

And the Disney Channel hasn't shown a Mickey Mouse short on their channel in at least 15 years. It's all "Hannah Montana" and teen shows. When we first got the Disney Channel it was great because they DID show old shorts and animated films, etc. Again, Disney ruins all their good products and they're sucking the Muppets in right with them.

I'll agree about the new teen show but Disney isn't the only one doing that sort of thing turn on nick any day of the week you will see bad child actors all over the chanel now.
And you say you're getting my point but I don't think you are.
I'm saying I'm not happy with Disney so you don't need to get all negative nancy on me k?
The Point I'm making is that Disney while the things they are doing with the muppets is crap and lame they are doing more with these new characters they bought than their own core characters in my opinion.

Why oh why doesn't the Disney Channel at least show some Muppets Tonight from time to time? They're making me almost resent these tween children that Hanna Montana and High School Musical are made for. I just don't see them enduring. They're like potato chips - quick, easy and (sometimes) enjoyable, but not really food. (Ducks for the attacks by High School Musical fans! LOL) There's more to entertainment than pretty people (with a moderate level of talent) singing instantly forgettable pop songs in this frogboy’s opinion. Now, it would be fine if we could get both, but it does seem like the muck didn't just rise to the top at the Disney Channel - it took over!

My comments on the Disney Channel, however, do not reflect my view of the company itself. Maybe they should make a Disney Channel for more discerning older viewers. Like a Disney TV Land or something?

It's not Just Disney look around you this trend is all over the place.
Want it to change do something about it and I'm not talking about complaining on a message board.
I agree though and have said this before things they don't plan to release on DVD in the near future should be playing on one of their stations.

 

[Philip Kippel]

Please, Disney has plenty of money and IF they didn't have the money to do these episodes right, then I'd rather see them not come out at all then on DVD.

No, Disney DOES NOT have as much money as you think they do. I so despise it when people just jump to conclusions like that!

Again, why would a license holder of these songs grant them to Time Life for a 10 disc "Best of" collection, and not DISNEY?

There's several possible factors:

1) Someone else may have purchased the song rights from the previous owners after the Time Life DVDs were released.

2) Neither side could come to an agreement that pleased both sides.

3) The rights-holders just didn't want to say "Yes" to Disney for some reason.

 

[MelissaY1]

No, Disney DOES NOT have as much money as you think they do. I so despise it when people just jump to conclusions like that!



There's several possible factors:

1) Someone else may have purchased the song rights from the previous owners after the Time Life DVDs were released.

2) Neither side could come to an agreement that pleased both sides.

3) The rights-holders just didn't want to say "Yes" to Disney for some reason.

Do you WORK for Disney sir? How much do you PERSONALLY know about Disney's financial situation? I'm sure it's no more than I do, so stop telling me that *I'M* jumping to conclusions when a) you jumped to assume I didn't know what *I* was talking about regarding licenses and b) stop reiterating facts that you can't back up directly! By the way, I just looked at your profile and you're my younger sister's age, so I guess you're not on the up and up regarding Disney and their financial state.......

 

[MelissaY1]

I'll agree about the new teen show but Disney isn't the only one doing that sort of thing turn on nick any day of the week you will see bad child actors all over the chanel now.
And you say you're getting my point but I don't think you are.
I'm saying I'm not happy with Disney so you don't need to get all negative nancy on me k?
The Point I'm making is that Disney while the things they are doing with the muppets is crap and lame they are doing more with these new characters they bought than their own core characters in my opinion.

It's not Just Disney look around you this trend is all over the place.
Want it to change do something about it and I'm not talking about complaining on a message board.
I agree though and have said this before things they don't plan to release on DVD in the near future should be playing on one of their stations.

Nickelodeon sucks too, just like Disney Channel. My mom doesn't even watch Nick at Nite anymore, and TVLand is getting just as lousy. I GET IT the Muppets have been more in the public eye then Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck but MY point is, what's the difference if Disney isn't going to use the Muppet characters to their full potential? So what if they were on ABC and NBC in one week? Is anyone going to really care/remember that in 30 years from now like we remember certain sketches on the Muppet Show? I think NOT.

Are we really going to want to watch that home show with the host with the big nostrils to get our Muppet fix? Or The Muppet Movie? It's like comparing apples to oranges. I'd rather not see the Muppets then to see them in lousy things. And yes, I AM a "negative nancy".....

 

[frogboy4]

Disney Greed and Muppet DVDs

Honestly, I've always had a tongue-in-cheek view of Disney's corporate structure. Yeah, they're greedy - all successful companies have a healthy level of capitalistic greed. That's what keeps them afloat. Even Jim Henson created a Shrine to the Almighty Dollar because he knew it takes money to make art.

Anyway, I envisioned the issue with the Muppet Show Season 1 DVD was this: Disney didn't know how much consumer interest the show would generate. Time Life got the rights to all the music for certain shows to be placed three at a time on $19.99 SRP single disk collections. It's much easier to get a profit from that. For a $39.99 SRP holding all 24 episodes on a Disney release - including all the music - could easily be cost prohibitive.

Now that Disney realized that these disks make (enough) money, they were able to shell out the cash to music licensors (some of them are greedy uncreative people who inherited the songs as property). It's easy to see Disney as a source of a lot of money, but that's not really how it works. They have share-holders that hold them accountable.

I still think there was some kind of waiting-game for the music rights to season two. And that also may have caused the absence of song subtitles (may be seen as literary publishing rights) and a few slight scrimps on features. But hey, we got the shows!

Just how I perceive the situation. Could be wrong.

 

[MelissaY1]

Honestly, I've always had a tongue-in-cheek view of Disney's corporate structure. Yeah, they're greedy - all successful companies have a healthy level of capitalistic greed. That's what keeps them afloat. Even Jim Henson created a Shrine to the Almighty Dollar because he knew it takes money to make art.

Anyway, I envisioned the issue with the Muppet Show Season 1 DVD was this: Disney didn't know how much consumer interest the show would generate. Time Life got the rights to all the music for certain shows to be placed three at a time on $19.99 SRP single disk collections. It's much easier to get a profit from that. For a $39.99 SRP holding all 24 episodes on a Disney release - including all the music - could easily be cost prohibitive.

Now that Disney realized that these disks make (enough) money, they were able to shell out the cash to music licensors (some of them are greedy uncreative people who inherited the songs as property). It's easy to see Disney as a source of a lot of money, but that's not really how it works. They have share-holders that hold them accountable.

I still think there was some kind of waiting-game for the music rights to season two. And that also may have caused the absence of song subtitles (may be seen as literary publishing rights) and a few slight scrimps on features. But hey, we got the shows!

Just how I perceive the situation. Could be wrong.

Your explanation is logical. Well if you're wrong, I'm sure "Philip Phil" will point it out

 

[frogboy4]

I almost look at it as "who's greed wins?" I did hear that Disney wasn't happy with the first season DVD cuts of the Muppet Show.

I find it interesting that Disney released their Muppet Christmas CD last year - as if there's a shortage of Muppet Christmas music. It's all about how the proceeds are split up. The John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together CD releases have been spotty. Some versions contain cuts, others do not. This sort of thing messes with lots of companies. I wonder if that is why the TV special isn't on home video?

 

[dwayne1115]

Well i thought about it for a long time, and I am finaly posting in this thread. I'm not going to talk about anything, about what Disney should or or if i suport them. All i want to know is where is the story about what is going on with the Muppets and that Brian thinks its really cool. I have looked and looked, and still can't find it.

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah but on dopey reality shows that don't show off the characters nor the performers' capabilities. America's Got Talent? that house show where they pull the truck away and everyone cries? I'd rather see the Muppets having their OWN show instead of little guest spots on crappy shows.

I say exactly on principle, but the idiot masses gobble these pieces of elephant dung up. I stopped trying to watch 2 minutes of muppet performance per hour of horrid "entertainment" after I tried to watch the America's Phoniest Home Injuries.

I'm sorry... but the Muppets should be satirizing these programs, not guesting on them. There's a difference between a talk show appearance, and what they did on the Jerry lewis telethon, then putting them on random crappy shows.

But here's the point. These shows are massively popular. They are putting them out to the masses with these moronic appearances. I will take it back. Disney isn't doing nothing. They're just not doing anything we want to see. We want a TV series, a movie, or at least well thought out appearances on more classy shows.

All I need ot hear is Miss Piggy and The Biggest Loser in the same sentence and I'll pass out of pure anger.

Why oh why doesn't the Disney Channel at least show some Muppets Tonight from time to time? They're making me almost resent these tween children that Hanna Montana and High School Musical are made for. I just don't see them enduring. They're like potato chips - quick, easy and (sometimes) enjoyable, but not really food. (Ducks for the attacks by High School Musical fans! LOL) There's more to entertainment than pretty people (with a moderate level of talent) singing instantly forgettable pop songs in this frogboy’s opinion. Now, it would be fine if we could get both, but it does seem like the muck didn't just rise to the top at the Disney Channel - it took over

I could say something here, but it's pretty much the same thing I've been saying for a while now. Tweenage teeny boppers=money money money. Some braces clad pimply faced girl would rather see some moronic pop based show starring someone in the 20's pretending to be a teenager than well thought out crafted puppetry. This was a market a lot of people were saying wasn't getting represented. Now you have to be a twelve year old girl to be happy with anything on television.

And let's not forget how Nick and even Cartoon Network are doing these tweencoms now as well. Cartoon Network. Inside Jimmy's Head. Check it out. You'll be crying all night long. I'd rather watch "My Gym Partner's a lab Monkey, purple Monkey Dishwasher" than that.

Now the only hope is the Family Channel. I mean, buying that gave rise to Disney owning Saban shows (and shoving power rangers in our face even harder than Fox Kids ever did). I am super happy they listened to fan angst and released the Tick. But out of it, nothing happened. You'd think at least in the middle of the day they could rerun MT or TMS there. Add a preschool block of programming and put Muppet babies there at least. But no.

Finally...

Now that Disney realized that these disks make (enough) money, they were able to shell out the cash to music licensors (some of them are greedy uncreative people who inherited the songs as property). It's easy to see Disney as a source of a lot of money, but that's not really how it works. They have share-holders that hold them accountable.

I still think there was some kind of waiting-game for the music rights to season two. And that also may have caused the absence of song subtitles (may be seen as literary publishing rights) and a few slight scrimps on features. But hey, we got the shows!

Out of the millions of things I could blame Disney for, I just can't blame them for that. With the Muppet show, we had character rights (Bert and Ernie), Celebrity rights and music rights. Now, even with the cuts, it could have sold a lot lot more. Even if they could give some money, maybe A) it wasn't enough, or B) the musical rights holders wanted to use the songs for something more important. Like advertising a sleeping drug that causes you tp do random things in your sleep... or a credit card that takes 30 years to pay off a candy bar.

A lot of these songs were bought or inherited. if the artist came up and said "Look! I decided to give you the rights to the song 30 years ago, but now I changed my mind because I'm becoming a grouchy artist in my old age" I wouldn't say a word. But the recording industry (which manufactures fake "hip Hop" artists, and takes actual artists and strips them of all money the original song writers are due for) is pretty much as evil as the Tobbacco industry. I don't want to go into it. Dealing with them is just... you don't want to know. So it's understandable if they weren't granted the rights or didn't have the money to use a song they somehow were able to use 30 years ago without problem.