Kynan Barker said:
Voiceroy: In your message you said you'd "performed Kermit for local events." Under the circumstances, I think mine was a legitimate question, and not worthy of a "for crying out loud". I appreciate you clarifying.
Well, then I was wrong to have read into what I felt was the *tone* of your post. But when you direct a statement at someone like this:
"It bothers me that passing yourself off as Kermit could count as positive prior experience for this job" -- anyone else reading that tell me that doesn't sound rather negative... harsh, even?
But to clarify your clarification: Anybody performing with a Kermit puppet at a public event is infringing on MHC's copyright.
A comedy bit where you have ping-pong balls for eyes is obviously a different story, but if you've got a frog puppet and you're saying "Hi-ho, I'm Kermit the frog," then that's clear-cut copyright infringement, charity or not. It's up to Disney's discretion how, or if, they respond, but whether you're clearing a profit isn't a factor.
I seriously doubt Disney will sic their legal watchdogs on me -- for one thing, the times I've publicly performed Kermit in the past were all before Disney owned the rights. For another, I just don't think they would care about something so insignificant.
Sheesh... never heard anyone get so defensive over Disney before. They're the big nasty corporation, not me.
Many Kermit performances I've done were parody as well (those involving the ping pong ball eyeballs), and parody falls outside the boundaries of copyright laws. I guarantee you Conan O'Brien didn't get permission to do his "vomiting Kermit" character.
Back to topic, even if I were able to attend any of the three auditions, knowning now that they're requiring a committment involving such extensive travel, I believe I'd have to pass on this audition. I don't think some of the people posting in this thread realize just how extensive that is -- especially the cruise performances, which could potentially keep you away from home for months at a time.
I just spent the last 4 years on the road with a few different music groups, and I got married in June. No more touring for me, unless it allowed for my wife to travel w/ me. It was easier to commit to that when I was single, and it was a blast.
But you can't start a family and give them the support they need when you're on the road full-time. And family's more important than the Muppets.
As for the "One Voice, One Muppet" debate -- I would actually support Disney wanting to use the Muppets for various live events around the globe, particularly for their theme parks and the cruises. I don't think it will "dilute" any character enough for it to be noticable. Only a limited number of audiences will ever see or hear these live performances, and I doubt the individuals chosen from these auditions will ever achieve much notariety. Heck, 98% of the world doesn't even know who Kevin Clash is.
The ones performing the Muppet characters currently simply have too much of a workload already to be able to do appearances like Disney is apparently planning.
Also keep in mind that WB fans have argued the same thing about the Looney Tunes characters since Mel Blanc died. Warners won't do "one voice, one character" to keep any one actor from claiming exclusivity or any kind of official status as "the voice" of any particular character. Disney has retained better consistency w/ the voices of their characters, but that was primarily out of necessity -- makes it easier for them in production when the same actors voice the same characters. That doesn't seem to be the case w/ the Muppets.
My issue with all this is Disney b*stardizing the Muppets characters by overusing them to promote the Disney Channel and other pointless crap.
Welcome to the Muppet Central Forum!
Jim Henson Idea Man
Back to the Rock Season 2
Bear arrives on Disney+
Sam and Friends Book
