UK Newspaper Double Page Spread Kermits 50th

BlueFrackle

BlueFrackle

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If youre in the UK go and buy The Mirror. Theres a great double page spread in there, really nice.
 
Kimp the Shrimp

Kimp the Shrimp

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Here's the Story no spread sorry


TRUTH ABOUT ME AND MISS PIGGY - HOW I STARTED OUT AS A LIZARD
By David Edwards

HE has cosied up to Kylie, enjoyed wild times with Ozzy, duetted with Liza Minnelli and is on first-name terms with "Bobby" De Niro - not bad going for a tiny green felt frog called Kermit.

But then he has been in showbusiness for 50 years. And in that time he's hosted one of the most successful TV shows of all time, been nominated for an Oscar, and had a hit single.

Most incredible of all, he has survived the amorous advances of Miss Piggy.

Now, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror, Kermit the Frog reveals the truth about his romance with the Princess of Pork.

"Piggy and I have a great professional relationship," says Kermit, speaking long distance from his lily-pad in the Pond. "I think we're professionals, and she thinks we're having a relationship.

"It's tough being a frog in Hollywood," he adds. "All the frogs in Hollywood will tell you that.

"Oddly, there aren't a lot of job opportunities for short, green, banjo-playing, bicycle-riding, song-and-dance amphibians. But I hope I have blazed a trail or two for all the amphibians in the business."

Without the success, er, spawned by lovable old Kermie, there might never have been any heroics from those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or any noise pollution from that irritating Crazy Frog, come to think of it.

Whatever the truth, this month Kermit celebrates his half-century with a world tour, which includes a visit to the UK next summer.

"In addition to my 50th Anniversary World Tour, I'm working with my friend Quentin Tarantino on a new movie, Reservoir Frogs," he explains. "The plot is hush-hush, but I can tell you I play Mr Green."

Sadly, his choice of leading lady from among Hollywood's glamorous A-listers has been somewhat, ahem, ham-pered by the jealous affections of a certain petulant pink pig.

"Oh, there are a lot of stars I'd love to work with," says Kermit. "Cameron Diaz, J-Lo, Angelina Jolie... Unfortunately, Miss Piggy has a restraining order to prevent me from getting anywhere near them."

K ERMIT has come a long way since he was a tiddler of a tadpole swimming around in the imagination of his creator, the late Jim Henson.

He leapt into life in 1955 for the five-minute TV show Sam And Friends.

At the time, Kermit's sidekick Henson (who kindly provided his froggy voice, too) was an 18-year-old art student at the University Of Maryland.

Cutting up his mum's turquoise coat and using ping-pong balls for eyes, Henson crafted the first incarnation of Kermit. A strange lizard-like creature, he named it after his childhood friend, Theodore Kermit Scott.

Henson then fused the words marionette and puppet, and came up with "Muppet" to describe his google-eyed gang of crazy critters, which included Miss Piggy and Rowlf the dog.

The Muppets became an overnight sensation. And it wasn't just their kooky voices, fluffy eyebrows and goofy personalities that made them such a hit. Henson told the camera operators to focus on their faces to make them appear more lifelike.

It worked. Soon the Muppets were in demand as "guests" on talk and variety shows around the Washington DC area.

In 1968, Kermit realised it was time for a makeover, and ditched his lizard looks to become a fully-fledged frog.

Not one to rest on his lily-pad, a year later he and his pals were signed to appear on a new US children's show, Sesame Street. Kermit played a roving reporter, interviewing characters from nursery rhymes - to see why Jack really fell down the hill. Was he pushed? Was Jill guilty?

But his biggest fame was in the '70s hosting The Muppet Show. The variety programme was turned down by all the major US networks, before being picked up by ITV's Lew Grade. It was a flop when it began in 1976, but a year later it had a worldwide audience of 235 million people.

It boasted big-name guests, including Bob Hope, Elton John and Diana Ross. One highlight for many was the tryst between Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev and Miss Piggy. Yesterday, Kermit refused to be drawn on which celebrity he most enjoyed starring with on the long-running series.

All he would say is: "I've worked with so many great performers, so many legends - from Bob Hope to Bobby De Niro - that it just wouldn't be fair to pick the single best celebrity I've ever worked with.

"As for the worst - the star who's been most temperamental and difficult to work with...

"It just won't be safe to mention her by name, if you catch my drift."

The show made stars out of Kermit, Fonzie, Gonzo and the rest. Their fame was translated to the big-screen with the 1979 Muppet Movie - and Kermit's song, The Rainbow Connection, received an Oscar nomination.

In 1979, Kermit was such a big name he replaced Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show for one night.

But he was such a hit that the producers had to promise a miffed Carson not to use him again.

And in 1994, Kermit joined the esteemed ranks of the likes of Mother Teresa, President Ronald Reagan and Archbishop Desmond Tutu when he was asked to speak at Oxford Union.

"I'm really here on behalf of all the species who are lower than you onthe food chain," he told students. "Growing up in the swamp was very damp. In fact, it was a lot like England, but with fewer scandals."

H ENSON spent much of the '80s working on the TV show Fraggle Rock and movies like Labyrinth, and the Muppets took a backseat.

Then, in May 1990, Henson fell ill. He thought he just had a touch of the 'flu and delayed going to hospital. He was dead within hours of finally admitting himself.

Shortly before his death at the age of 53, Henson had said: "When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been there. It's a wonderful life and I love it."

Many feared that his cast of cute crazies would die with him. But his wife Jane and their children - Lisa, Cheryl, Heather, Brian and John - have ensured they live on.

Brian says: "Of all his creations, my father most resembled Kermit.

They both became this personality with a very clear morality and philosophy of life, but with a very naughty sense of humour underneath.

"My father loved nothing better than a really good, well-conceived practical joke."

Now, after control of Henson's characters were sold to Disney in a $68m (£38.5m) deal last year, Muppet-mania is set to erupt all over again.

On his 15-month world tour next year, Kermit will visit the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, among other famous sites.

So after that, does he plan to retire and put his frogs-legs up?

"I still feel like a tadpole," says Kermit, outraged at the mere suggestion.

"Hard to believe it's been 50 years since I dropped my tail... Regular dry-cleaning helps - but don't lose the ticket or you can end up dangling on a hanger for months.

"Anyway, frogs don't retire, we croak."
 
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