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theprawncracker
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Jim Lewis Answers: August 17, 2009
From minor_muppetz…
I'm not sure whether you are familiar with the character I'm about to ask about, but it's worth a try.
In the second season of The Muppet Show, a reporter character named Fleet Scribbler was introduced, but the writers quickly realized that he was hard to write for, and he was soon dropped. Do you think this character would be easy for you to write for, if the opportunity came up?
Oh, and by the way, his most prominent appearance was in the Muppet Show episode with George Burns as the guest star.
I remember that character. And since I began my life as a newspaper reporter (really), you’d think I’d jump at the chance to bring back Fleet. But I think the problem with a character like him is that he’s “outside” the Muppet group. All the others – even the guys with their own agenda, like Pepe and Rizzo – are part of the group. Fleet’s job (at least as I recall it) was to stir up sensational action so he could turn it into tabloid fodder. (In that sense, he was decades ahead of his time.) He wasn’t invested in the dream the way the rest of the Muppets are. That makes him a great foil, a wonderful way to light the fuse, but not that sympathetic a character to include on a continuing basis. That’s my take; but of course in the right circumstances, I’d use him in a minute.
From dwmckim…
Hey minor muppetz, if you don't mind I’d like to "share" that question with you and piggyback off it a little...
Though he only made a few appearances (and some off screen mentions), every time Fleet was on the show, he had laugh out loud moments - even though the writers say they had a hard time writing for him back then, i have a soft spot in my heart for the guy.
Given that we live in a much more sensationalistic, media-driven and tabloid-esque society much more now than in 1977, do you think Fleet could more easily be brought back these days? Be easier to write for? Fit in more naturally? Somehow i can much more easily see someone like Fleet getting employed by the cable news networks these days more than I can The Muppet Newsman!
I will piggyback off my own answer. I agree Fleet would definitely have his own cable news show. He is very Unfair and Unbalanced.
From Beauregard…
And on the subject of the Newsman...Do you think he deserves what he gets? Does he do things on his weekends off that cause this cosmic karma to catch-up with him every time he's on air (like stealing peoples golf-balls, or spilling red-wine on white table-clothes at ritzy restaurants) or is he kind to animals and it's entirely unfair?
I don’t know if he deserves what he gets, but if, when he gets it, he gets a laugh, then he’s going to keep getting it. Cause I too am unfair and unbalanced.
From Beauregard…
Jayster! I found this, and assumed it was meant to be forwarded to you:
"Dear Jeremiah Lou, I'm writing to complain about the lack of rain in Ohio. What do you have to say for yourself? -- Robert Flo."
But on a more serious note, I have a question about Interviews (ironic, a question about interviews IN an interview...ish...thing) Anyway
You've obviously written a lot of suggestions for the content of interviews, as you've said before. But something that I've found interesting is the continuing stories that follow through in interviews. For example, you (or Eric, or someone, somewhere) started a little interview story with Piggy where she'd been on anger management courses and didn't karate job the host anymore (which was a stroke of GENIUS by the way), if I'm right...It started with the Craig Ferguson interview and continued in something on the View, and maybe even when she visited the UK to promote the DVDs. But I always felt that the sort-of ongoing storyline of Piggy's self control never quite finished (because she never got the chance to really take someone out with one stroke her purple gloves
)...So, after that rambling prelude, my question is whether you do feel that you can include on-going storylines within promotional interviews -- and how you deal with finishing them, when the interviews dry up again. If you see what I mean.
Thanks for all you do! ~Beau
First of all, thanks for all you do which makes it possible for me to do all I do, which I’m not sure is really necessary anyway……That said, the one thing…wait, two things I’ve learned about real live interviews (as opposed to the in print ones that you can usually control more readily) is that you can’t control them at all. You can make suggestions, give lines and create a mental image for the performer, but what’s gonna happen is gonna happen and when it happens, thank goodness it’s not me performing the character because the performer has to think and act instantaneously and be funny. Whereas, as a writer, I have the luxury of sipping my coffee and running on and on in sentences like this. Was that one thing or two? Anyway, the second thing is that it’s always important for the character to have an “attitude” about the interview. (e.g. why is she/he there, what is their real agenda, what’s going on before and after the interview that they’re thinking about) That’s all deep background. It doesn’t necessarily help answer any of the interview questions, but it helps give each character a state-of-mind that motivates all their answer.
From TogetherAgain…
JIM! Jim Jim Jim! HI! Question. I mean, I HAVE a question! ...Which... is why I'm in this thread... Anyway! My question IS, who is your favorite one-shot and/or one-note character that you have written and/or created? ...And is that really one question, or is it four for the price of one? OOH! What a bargain!
ALSO! And! In addition! I was wondering if Animal's bunny, seen on the Muppet website, has a name... or is its name "Bunny"? And speaking of the bunny... I seem to recall that a factor in Gonzo and Camilla's relationship, at some point, was that Gonzo couldn't actually tell the chickens apart, and just called them ALL Camilla, and went out with whichever one was around... Is it something similar with Animal and his bunny? Or, if he were to encounter a different bunny, would he ask, "Where OTHER bunny?"
...Okay, so I guess I had more than ONE question... depending how you count them, it could be as many as eight... but questions have a way of growing, you know? (...Make that nine.
) Hope all is well with you, Jim!
Yes. Perhaps. On the fourth tee at Augusta during the 1965 Masters. I hope that answers your questions. If not, try these:
Favorite one-note character – Oh I love Lew Zealand. It’s really a perfect obsession. In many ways he’s the most sane guy in the bunch.
Animal’s Bunny – I don’t know the bunny’s name or if the bunny has a name. But I firmly believe that there is only one bunny. Animal is just that kind of guy. Animal is loyal to a fault. Gonzo is loyal, but faulty.
From Beauregard (starting to see a trend here…?)…
Oh! On a "Bunny" note. Who on earth is Billy Bunny, and why oh why did he get given a Sing-along movie?
All I can say is that once you start singing “I am a happy hippity-hoppity bunny kid…” there is no way to stop. It stays with you FOREVER. Who is Billy? I think his story is well told in that video—which features wonderful performances by, among others, Richard Hunt, David Rudman, Kevin Clash, Steve Whitmire….et al.
From theprawncracker…
Hey, Jim, what's happenin'?
Sorry... listening to "Can You Picture That?" and my mindset is... oh, never mind. Question! Who is your favorite Electric Mayhem member to write for? Is it the loud and out-spoken Animal? The quiet and often asleep Zoot? The raspy wise-cracking Floyd? The gravelly, wise Dr. Teeth? The rully fine Janice? Or... Lips?
I love Floyd for the very reason you state. He cracks wise, but in such a laidback, no-harm/no-foul, chuckling way that you gotta love him. The others all have this wonderful dignity, too. Dr. Teeth is music personified. Janice is, like, totally comfortable in her space. Zoot. Oh, he’s a tough one, but because he’s so laconic, it gives his brief utterances such impact. And Animal. Well. He’s pure id.
From Beauregard (good grief!)…
Jim! Wait! Hold it! Pause the mail-bag! I have more questions! (And am very sorry for posting twice, neigh, thrice in a row...but they just HAVE to be asked. Plus, Prawnie was bugging me with deep thoughts about the Muppets on MSN and that started me thinking more deeply about them and then something led to something else and now I just wanna KNOW!...I mean...right...What was I saying? Oh! Question. Right.)
1. Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium -- Many Muppet fans were totally overjoyed when this movie came out (and not because it meant that Natalie Portman would be concentrating on a kids' movies rather than deep, intellectual jargon like V for Vendetta and Star Wars) but because it was the first time in YEARS that Kermit the Frog was appearing on cinema screens. There he was, shopping away, carrying a basket filled with frog-shaped baby-toys, saying, "Shopping...just shopping" to a Sesame-Streetesque (word?) gaggle of kids who were watching him. Do you know how this happened? Did they want Kermit in the movie and contact Disney, or visa versa? How much creative control did Disney then have over what he said or did in the movie? Am I over thinking a one line, ten second clip?
Allow me to express my wonderment. I did not see the movie. I did not know Kermit was in it. That is so cool. Forgive my ignorance. Nobody tells me anything…except you, of course.
2. Annie Sue. Whatever happened to that squeaky, fuzzy-haired kid? I'm hoping she didn't go the way of Macaulay Culkin...Fame at her young age, did it go to her (aforementioned) fuzzy-haired head?
I never wrote for Annie Sue. But I suspect that she’s gone the way so many other female characters have gone – they have a tough time sharing the stage with Piggy (or rather Piggy has a tough time sharing the stage with them). Janice escapes this because, as stated above, she’s so comfortable in her space, and often has no idea what or where that space is.
From BobthePizzaBoy…
Riddle me this, Jim!
From my understanding, Billy Bunny's Animal Songs, while being locked away for three years after filming, was the first production filmed in the post-Jim era. Do your recollection, can you give us any background information to how this came to be (was Jim involved in pre-production work? Why was this held in storage for three years? etc.)
I know it was written by Bill Prady (creator of “THE BIG BANG THEORY” on CBS; watch it!) originally, with some additional material added by me after the fact. I actually believe it was put in the works before Jim passed away, but not shot until after. Why was it held for three years? Because, well, I don’t recall. I think only parts were shot, then it wasn’t clear who would release it….then we needed to shoot additional material to finish it up. But I could be wrong. Mentally, I’m still on the fourth tee at Augusta. Which is odd, cause I don’t golf.
From theprawncracker…
Dear Abby,
...Wait, scratch that. This isn't my Sesame Street fan letter.
*ahem* Anyway! Jim, were you the genius behind the "Elevator Bingo" video on Muppets.com (my favorite)? Can we ever expect to see "Are Jou Smarter Than a Fifth FLOOR!"? What about "I'm Stuck in the Elevator, Get Me Out of Here!"? Or "Who Wants to Be an Escalator?"
These game show jokes doin' anything for you?
Kirk Thatcher. He is the genius on these. I just went along for the ride…and came up with a few gags.
From TogetherAgain…
Jim! I've another question for you. And I would promise that it really is only one this time, but... I try to avoid making promises that I don't know whether or not I can keep.
Anyway, I was saying "Wow" recently, and I promptly thought of Kermit's observation in "Before You Leap" that "Mom" is "wow" upside down. So I was wondering, when did YOU first notice that? Was it when Kermit mentioned it during the writing of the book? Or had you realized it at some point beforehand? Personally, I came across it once because my mom stitched "Mom" in a quilt she made for me, and I happened to look at it upside-down, and I said, "Wow!" ...Which really brings this question full-circle, doesn't it? (Good thing I didn't promise that it would only be one question!)
Great question. I think I noticed it while writing the book (that is, transcribing Kermit’s notes for the book). It seemed an observation that he would make, or that I would make and ascribe to him, or that you would make and I would travel ahead in time, steal and then use in the book.
From Beauregard (go figure)…
Jim...once again I find myself asking you multiple questions in a row, but I was just discussing shampoo with Prawnie when I remembered a vitally important article I read many years ago now...and which has stuck with me as being one of the best written Muppet articles of all time (maybe just because I was in love with Piggy's chocolate hair-do at the time?) -- Anyway, the article was called (I think) "Going Back To Her Roots: An Interview With Miss Piggy" and it was all about her hairstyle change, during the promos for Muppet's Wizard of Oz. Did you write it? Do you know anything about it? Do you write responses for written down, "article" type interview questions with the Muppets? What is the process? Etc...- Beau
I “help” with many of these articles. I get the questions. I read them. I write the answers. Piggy reads the answers, shreds them and does her own thing. That’s the process. As for that particular article, I would like to take credit for it, but I have no recollection of it. This is because (a) I didn’t do it, someone funny did; or (b) I’m old.
From minor_muppetz…
I'm not sure whether you are familiar with the character I'm about to ask about, but it's worth a try.
In the second season of The Muppet Show, a reporter character named Fleet Scribbler was introduced, but the writers quickly realized that he was hard to write for, and he was soon dropped. Do you think this character would be easy for you to write for, if the opportunity came up?
Oh, and by the way, his most prominent appearance was in the Muppet Show episode with George Burns as the guest star.
I remember that character. And since I began my life as a newspaper reporter (really), you’d think I’d jump at the chance to bring back Fleet. But I think the problem with a character like him is that he’s “outside” the Muppet group. All the others – even the guys with their own agenda, like Pepe and Rizzo – are part of the group. Fleet’s job (at least as I recall it) was to stir up sensational action so he could turn it into tabloid fodder. (In that sense, he was decades ahead of his time.) He wasn’t invested in the dream the way the rest of the Muppets are. That makes him a great foil, a wonderful way to light the fuse, but not that sympathetic a character to include on a continuing basis. That’s my take; but of course in the right circumstances, I’d use him in a minute.
From dwmckim…
Hey minor muppetz, if you don't mind I’d like to "share" that question with you and piggyback off it a little...
Though he only made a few appearances (and some off screen mentions), every time Fleet was on the show, he had laugh out loud moments - even though the writers say they had a hard time writing for him back then, i have a soft spot in my heart for the guy.
Given that we live in a much more sensationalistic, media-driven and tabloid-esque society much more now than in 1977, do you think Fleet could more easily be brought back these days? Be easier to write for? Fit in more naturally? Somehow i can much more easily see someone like Fleet getting employed by the cable news networks these days more than I can The Muppet Newsman!
I will piggyback off my own answer. I agree Fleet would definitely have his own cable news show. He is very Unfair and Unbalanced.
From Beauregard…
And on the subject of the Newsman...Do you think he deserves what he gets? Does he do things on his weekends off that cause this cosmic karma to catch-up with him every time he's on air (like stealing peoples golf-balls, or spilling red-wine on white table-clothes at ritzy restaurants) or is he kind to animals and it's entirely unfair?
I don’t know if he deserves what he gets, but if, when he gets it, he gets a laugh, then he’s going to keep getting it. Cause I too am unfair and unbalanced.
From Beauregard…
Jayster! I found this, and assumed it was meant to be forwarded to you:
"Dear Jeremiah Lou, I'm writing to complain about the lack of rain in Ohio. What do you have to say for yourself? -- Robert Flo."
But on a more serious note, I have a question about Interviews (ironic, a question about interviews IN an interview...ish...thing) Anyway
You've obviously written a lot of suggestions for the content of interviews, as you've said before. But something that I've found interesting is the continuing stories that follow through in interviews. For example, you (or Eric, or someone, somewhere) started a little interview story with Piggy where she'd been on anger management courses and didn't karate job the host anymore (which was a stroke of GENIUS by the way), if I'm right...It started with the Craig Ferguson interview and continued in something on the View, and maybe even when she visited the UK to promote the DVDs. But I always felt that the sort-of ongoing storyline of Piggy's self control never quite finished (because she never got the chance to really take someone out with one stroke her purple gloves
Thanks for all you do! ~Beau
First of all, thanks for all you do which makes it possible for me to do all I do, which I’m not sure is really necessary anyway……That said, the one thing…wait, two things I’ve learned about real live interviews (as opposed to the in print ones that you can usually control more readily) is that you can’t control them at all. You can make suggestions, give lines and create a mental image for the performer, but what’s gonna happen is gonna happen and when it happens, thank goodness it’s not me performing the character because the performer has to think and act instantaneously and be funny. Whereas, as a writer, I have the luxury of sipping my coffee and running on and on in sentences like this. Was that one thing or two? Anyway, the second thing is that it’s always important for the character to have an “attitude” about the interview. (e.g. why is she/he there, what is their real agenda, what’s going on before and after the interview that they’re thinking about) That’s all deep background. It doesn’t necessarily help answer any of the interview questions, but it helps give each character a state-of-mind that motivates all their answer.
From TogetherAgain…
JIM! Jim Jim Jim! HI! Question. I mean, I HAVE a question! ...Which... is why I'm in this thread... Anyway! My question IS, who is your favorite one-shot and/or one-note character that you have written and/or created? ...And is that really one question, or is it four for the price of one? OOH! What a bargain!
ALSO! And! In addition! I was wondering if Animal's bunny, seen on the Muppet website, has a name... or is its name "Bunny"? And speaking of the bunny... I seem to recall that a factor in Gonzo and Camilla's relationship, at some point, was that Gonzo couldn't actually tell the chickens apart, and just called them ALL Camilla, and went out with whichever one was around... Is it something similar with Animal and his bunny? Or, if he were to encounter a different bunny, would he ask, "Where OTHER bunny?"
...Okay, so I guess I had more than ONE question... depending how you count them, it could be as many as eight... but questions have a way of growing, you know? (...Make that nine.
Yes. Perhaps. On the fourth tee at Augusta during the 1965 Masters. I hope that answers your questions. If not, try these:
Favorite one-note character – Oh I love Lew Zealand. It’s really a perfect obsession. In many ways he’s the most sane guy in the bunch.
Animal’s Bunny – I don’t know the bunny’s name or if the bunny has a name. But I firmly believe that there is only one bunny. Animal is just that kind of guy. Animal is loyal to a fault. Gonzo is loyal, but faulty.
From Beauregard (starting to see a trend here…?)…
Oh! On a "Bunny" note. Who on earth is Billy Bunny, and why oh why did he get given a Sing-along movie?
All I can say is that once you start singing “I am a happy hippity-hoppity bunny kid…” there is no way to stop. It stays with you FOREVER. Who is Billy? I think his story is well told in that video—which features wonderful performances by, among others, Richard Hunt, David Rudman, Kevin Clash, Steve Whitmire….et al.
From theprawncracker…
Hey, Jim, what's happenin'?
Sorry... listening to "Can You Picture That?" and my mindset is... oh, never mind. Question! Who is your favorite Electric Mayhem member to write for? Is it the loud and out-spoken Animal? The quiet and often asleep Zoot? The raspy wise-cracking Floyd? The gravelly, wise Dr. Teeth? The rully fine Janice? Or... Lips?
I love Floyd for the very reason you state. He cracks wise, but in such a laidback, no-harm/no-foul, chuckling way that you gotta love him. The others all have this wonderful dignity, too. Dr. Teeth is music personified. Janice is, like, totally comfortable in her space. Zoot. Oh, he’s a tough one, but because he’s so laconic, it gives his brief utterances such impact. And Animal. Well. He’s pure id.
From Beauregard (good grief!)…
Jim! Wait! Hold it! Pause the mail-bag! I have more questions! (And am very sorry for posting twice, neigh, thrice in a row...but they just HAVE to be asked. Plus, Prawnie was bugging me with deep thoughts about the Muppets on MSN and that started me thinking more deeply about them and then something led to something else and now I just wanna KNOW!...I mean...right...What was I saying? Oh! Question. Right.)
1. Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium -- Many Muppet fans were totally overjoyed when this movie came out (and not because it meant that Natalie Portman would be concentrating on a kids' movies rather than deep, intellectual jargon like V for Vendetta and Star Wars) but because it was the first time in YEARS that Kermit the Frog was appearing on cinema screens. There he was, shopping away, carrying a basket filled with frog-shaped baby-toys, saying, "Shopping...just shopping" to a Sesame-Streetesque (word?) gaggle of kids who were watching him. Do you know how this happened? Did they want Kermit in the movie and contact Disney, or visa versa? How much creative control did Disney then have over what he said or did in the movie? Am I over thinking a one line, ten second clip?
Allow me to express my wonderment. I did not see the movie. I did not know Kermit was in it. That is so cool. Forgive my ignorance. Nobody tells me anything…except you, of course.
2. Annie Sue. Whatever happened to that squeaky, fuzzy-haired kid? I'm hoping she didn't go the way of Macaulay Culkin...Fame at her young age, did it go to her (aforementioned) fuzzy-haired head?
I never wrote for Annie Sue. But I suspect that she’s gone the way so many other female characters have gone – they have a tough time sharing the stage with Piggy (or rather Piggy has a tough time sharing the stage with them). Janice escapes this because, as stated above, she’s so comfortable in her space, and often has no idea what or where that space is.
From BobthePizzaBoy…
Riddle me this, Jim!
From my understanding, Billy Bunny's Animal Songs, while being locked away for three years after filming, was the first production filmed in the post-Jim era. Do your recollection, can you give us any background information to how this came to be (was Jim involved in pre-production work? Why was this held in storage for three years? etc.)
I know it was written by Bill Prady (creator of “THE BIG BANG THEORY” on CBS; watch it!) originally, with some additional material added by me after the fact. I actually believe it was put in the works before Jim passed away, but not shot until after. Why was it held for three years? Because, well, I don’t recall. I think only parts were shot, then it wasn’t clear who would release it….then we needed to shoot additional material to finish it up. But I could be wrong. Mentally, I’m still on the fourth tee at Augusta. Which is odd, cause I don’t golf.
From theprawncracker…
Dear Abby,
...Wait, scratch that. This isn't my Sesame Street fan letter.
*ahem* Anyway! Jim, were you the genius behind the "Elevator Bingo" video on Muppets.com (my favorite)? Can we ever expect to see "Are Jou Smarter Than a Fifth FLOOR!"? What about "I'm Stuck in the Elevator, Get Me Out of Here!"? Or "Who Wants to Be an Escalator?"
These game show jokes doin' anything for you?
Kirk Thatcher. He is the genius on these. I just went along for the ride…and came up with a few gags.
From TogetherAgain…
Jim! I've another question for you. And I would promise that it really is only one this time, but... I try to avoid making promises that I don't know whether or not I can keep.
Anyway, I was saying "Wow" recently, and I promptly thought of Kermit's observation in "Before You Leap" that "Mom" is "wow" upside down. So I was wondering, when did YOU first notice that? Was it when Kermit mentioned it during the writing of the book? Or had you realized it at some point beforehand? Personally, I came across it once because my mom stitched "Mom" in a quilt she made for me, and I happened to look at it upside-down, and I said, "Wow!" ...Which really brings this question full-circle, doesn't it? (Good thing I didn't promise that it would only be one question!)
Great question. I think I noticed it while writing the book (that is, transcribing Kermit’s notes for the book). It seemed an observation that he would make, or that I would make and ascribe to him, or that you would make and I would travel ahead in time, steal and then use in the book.
From Beauregard (go figure)…
Jim...once again I find myself asking you multiple questions in a row, but I was just discussing shampoo with Prawnie when I remembered a vitally important article I read many years ago now...and which has stuck with me as being one of the best written Muppet articles of all time (maybe just because I was in love with Piggy's chocolate hair-do at the time?) -- Anyway, the article was called (I think) "Going Back To Her Roots: An Interview With Miss Piggy" and it was all about her hairstyle change, during the promos for Muppet's Wizard of Oz. Did you write it? Do you know anything about it? Do you write responses for written down, "article" type interview questions with the Muppets? What is the process? Etc...- Beau
I “help” with many of these articles. I get the questions. I read them. I write the answers. Piggy reads the answers, shreds them and does her own thing. That’s the process. As for that particular article, I would like to take credit for it, but I have no recollection of it. This is because (a) I didn’t do it, someone funny did; or (b) I’m old.
