The RHLC!

[BeakerSqueedom]

Oops.

Silly mistake there (on my part).

Anyway, I was thinking the other day on how each muppeteer has his/her own way of manipulating a particular muppet. Richard's way was quite energectic and bouncy...Dave Goelz started with a slow dismal type--then changed to vigorous and expressive....Steve is kinda quirky.

Jim was rather collected--then unpredictable the next.

It's fun to observe their pattern.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Right on - if you watch enough of the Muppets, you can tell who's working what Muppet by observing their movements. Richard, we all know, usually has his characters nod their heads, Jim's characters tend to pivot their heads from side to side when they laugh...but with Frank and Jerry's characters, it's a little more subtle.

Good point, Ed - somebody could have told Jane that Richard was, in a way, having a meeting with his career counselor. But you know how it is - hindsight's 20/20.

"Mom, I'm preparing for a very lucrative career move."
"Nice try, Richard. Crack open those books - you've got that test on Monday."

 

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From what I've observed, Jim's characters also made very grandiose, sweeping gestures when explaining things (particularly seen in Ernie, Link and Cantus).

Dave Goelz pointing this out about Frank (and I have noticed this too); that his characters have kinda diva pose where they lean their head to one side and their body to the opposite side.

Hehe, about Richard's career choices, lol. What I noticed was that he partially got the job at the radio station through a friend. It makes sense, since the family seemed to have friends in the business. And many people get opportunities through networking, which is great. But when it came to the Muppets, it seems Richard managed to grab the opportunity on his own, which is not easy and very impressive.

Glad finals are almost done, I'm sure you'll do great, MN! I know what you mean, in some ways taking tests and writing papers is easier and more familiar (and even sometimes more enjoyable!...sometimes hehe). It can be scary going into the professional world, just like any transition in life. All you can do is your best and make the effort to move ahead with your life and career opportunities. Eventually it starts to become more normal.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

I know - he just went into the phone booth, dialed the Henson place, asked if they were hiring and then waltzed over to audition. I admire him for being able to do that - had I been in his blue-striped Adidas, I'd have spent several days fretting and pondering (emphasis on the former) over it. That's just me.

And thanks for the advice, heralde. It's just that the prospect of the job hunt and first-flat hunt are a source of some anxiety for me right now, and the words of encouragement do help. Sure, I'm a brilliant student (shrugs modestly ) and the career counselor really liked what was on my resume...but that still hasn't stopped me from fretting. (Mom routinely jokes that if fretting were an Olympic sport, I'd have six gold medals by now.)

Now, onto something a little more cheerful - a few days ago, Ed told me that Steve Swanson of MuppetCast was interested in Richard's quilt. I told Steve the back story, and I sent him a photo. It seems as if MuppetCast is going to air a tribute to Richard on Jan. 7, so we might see the quilt get mentioned.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I know - he just went into the phone booth, dialed the Henson place, asked if they were hiring and then waltzed over to audition. I admire him for being able to do that - had I been in his blue-striped Adidas, I'd have spent several days fretting and pondering (emphasis on the former) over it. That's just me.

Lol, love those blue-striped Adidas! (And notice they all seemed to wear them? Must not have been as many choices back then!)

Oh totally, I spend way too much time hesitating and fretting over things. But I have learned to take chances more and stop hesitating. Not every time, but there's definitely been some progress. It just takes practice and time.

And thanks for the advice, heralde. It's just that the prospect of the job hunt and first-flat hunt are a source of some anxiety for me right now, and the words of encouragement do help. Sure, I'm a brilliant student (shrugs modestly) and the career counselor really liked what was on my resume...but that still hasn't stopped me from fretting. (Mom routinely jokes that if fretting were an Olympic sport, I'd have six gold medals by now.)

I completely understand! I'm sure you have the talent, hehe, but it still can be scary. But I'm sure you'll do great.

Now, onto something a little more cheerful - a few days ago, Ed told me that Steve Swanson of MuppetCast was interested in Richard's quilt. I told Steve the back story, and I sent him a photo. It seems as if MuppetCast is going to air a tribute to Richard on Jan. 7, so we might see the quilt get mentioned.

That's awesome! I hope he's able to get it done. You must be very proud.

While we're on the subject of Richard (oh wait...we're ALWAYS on the subject of Richard on this thread!), I got to watch The Great Santa Claus Switch tonight. I've seen a couple of times and it's such a cute special. First of all I have to say, Art Carney is an awesome, acting genius! It doesn't get much better than that!

Richard's Elf character Bing does have quite a few lines. And he sounds exactly like Scooter, so it seems he really did talk like that, hehe. It does sort of sound like he messed up a couple lines, hehe. It's hard to tell for sure but at one point he's supposed to say, "Dasher and Dancer are reindeer!" but it ends up sounding more like "Dasher and Dancer your reindeer!" Another time when Santa is reunited with the Elves, Bing says, "Aw look it's Santa!" and Santa responds, "Good to see you boys!" and it sounds like Bing is supposed to say "Good to see you too, boss!" but he ended up saying "boys" because that's what Santa said. But he very quickly recovers himself, so it's still a really cute moment. The rest of the line goes, "We were so worried, but now that you've found us everything will be alright after all!"

I don't want to be cruel or anything, hehe, it was his first big acting job (I know how it can be). And beyond that he was utterly endearing in the character. And it sort of reminds me of when Terry Angus said he messed up a line on Fraggle Rock when he was just starting out.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Too true - Richard was the new kid on the block at that time. But in the words of Jon Stone: "He came to us a wide-eyed 18-year-old and grew into a master puppeteer and inspired teacher." And Jim and the others knew that, occasional verbal slip-ups aside, Richard had boatloads of potential.

This has probably been mentioned many times, but we'll mention it again: when Richard reported back to his mother on the results of his audition for the Muppets, he certainly sounded like the wide-eyed 18-year-old. "And I think they liked me!"

 

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Ugh, it's slightly annoying that this new Sesame Street video site doesn't supply links for the individual videos. But at the moment, I'd recommend watching "School Pageant: Seasons." True, you might notice, none of Richard's characters are in the skit. But I think I hear a familiar voice in the unseen audience's reactions.

And Grover is the cutest SS Muppet of all time! MUCH cuter than Elmo! Hehe

Btw MN, I'll pray for your dog. That's definitely rough and I hope it will be OK.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Thanks, heralde - he's feeling better today, but he's still kind of sore. We've got him on some anti-inflammatory meds and painkillers. The vet also recommended that we help him stand by looping a towel or T-shirt beneath him and hoisting him up - no small matter when the dog in question is a 70-pound mixture of German shepherd, black Labrador and who knows what else.

'Course, since he's part German shepherd, part of it could be hip dysplasia. We know that it's mostly arthritis and stuff, but the vet hinted that it could be nerve issues as well.

Now, back to the Muppets: I agree - for me, Grover is also a much more sympathetic character than Elmo.

Richard's characters didn't appear in the pageant skit? Tsk, tsk...oh, well, at least there was a voice in the audience - reminds me of the Steve Martin episode of TMS, you know? "Richard Hunt's laugh. Go ahead, try not to think about it."

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah kinda unusual that he didn't actually appear in the skit. Though Grover and Cookie Monster were in the scene together, maybe one of the newer puppeteers was performing one of them. But of course Richard always does find some way to make his presence known, lol. Especially when Cookie Monster comes out as an Apple tree, you can hear him in the audience expressing his impressed approval, which seems to encourage the other audience members, lol.

Just got finished watching the uncut version of Muppet Family Christmas the other day! I love how the special is basically all the characters sitting around chatting and hanging out, because that is pretty much what you do at Christmas! Lol Pretty bold of the team to think they could build a whole special out of that concept, but then of course, they always managed the unexpected!

One part I hadn't noticed before. The Muppet Newsman announces on the TV that a big storm is coming and that barometers are falling (at which point, of course, he is pummelled with falling barometers!). Scooter then express concern over the big storm, but not before laughing at the Newsman's misfortune, lol. It's like he's acknowledging his Muppet nature and love of funny violence, lol.

 

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Ahhh...it's Christmas Eve! And to my surprise I actually had a pleasant Richard filled dream last night! Lol Nothing I can describe too well, just images, but it was really nice. And just the other day I was wondering why I never seem to have any!

I did find something cool on youtube the other day, but I think I'll wait until Christmas Day to share.

Merry Christmas Eve and good luck with everything!