Where is Steve Whitmire Petition

[Luke]

Exactly. To me, any effort going forward should be applauded in my eyes. So while this might not be the Kermit we know and love, it's a Kermit maybe the general public will love. I don't know but I think any efforts to get just Kermit's face out there at these events and on T.V., I just can't see being a negative thing.

I know what you mean and it is great they are trying to move forward but if you look at the Youtubes people have noticed the Kermit switch. It's not even exactly the switch issue general public wise but that the performances are all completely unprepared - i mean Lady Gaga saved Kermit the Frog in that appearance, he was dying out there. Surely "off" Kermit appearances are not a step forward .. and all the great progress they are making could be affected by this. We want people to hear about all the new stuff and think that the Muppets are iconic, and evergreen, and "back" so they go and watch the movies or TV shows .. so is showing them a mediocre Kermit the best way to do that?

 

[Kynan Barker]

The Muppets deserve better

Surely "off" Kermit appearances are not a step forward .. and all the great progress they are making could be affected by this.

...is showing them a mediocre Kermit the best way to do that?

I agree completely, Luke. I take Melissa's point that endless criticism isn't helpful, but I don't buy the idea that pale imitations will somehow inspire a new generation of Muppet fans.

What made the Muppets so brilliant initially was that they were doing something nobody else had done. And what kept the Muppets in the public eye was that they kept on getting better at it.

Jim always strove to outdo himself. Going backwards is not a good way of moving forward.

 

[muppetinsider]

Two words:
Jim's Gone

 

[JimmyDeanDog]

'Here, Here'

.. haven't heard back from those e-mail contacts re Steve..'arghh'!

 

[CensoredAlso]

I understand what you're saying, but at the same time, I still don't understand why people are so upset by Steve not performing Kermit. I just watched the clip of him and Lady Gaga at the VMA's and actually thought he sounded BETTER then on America's Got Talent.

I agree, this second appearance was a noticeable improvement.

Honestly, the only Kermit to me is Jim. So anyone else who performs him will be an imitation to me. There never has been another "true" Kermit as far as I'm concerned. That's not a comment on the quality of the other performers, it's just a fact for me.

So for me, it doesn't feel like Kermit's being recast here. It just feels like the first recast was replaced by another recast (temporary or otherwise).

And it was a performance that I found impressive. I can say both recasts have done a good job, but in different ways.

 

[Luke]

And it was a performance that I found impressive. I can say both recasts have done a good job, but in different ways.

This is no offence to you, but surely Kermit is not meant to be hesitant to deliver a line, or constantly jerk about while he's not talking - and even completely miss at one point what his co-star (Gaga) is doing to him and look blindly ahead. I mean you may not see Steve as "Kermit" but you can't say he has ever been that flawed puppetry wise.

I don't see how you find that impressive, unless you like bad puppetry. If they wanted to throw someone else in as Kermit they should at least have kept them off screen until they learned the character, though saying that, the auditions were three years ago.

 

[frogboy4]

This is no offence to you, but surely Kermit is not meant to be hesitant to deliver a line, or constantly jerk about while he's not talking - and even completely miss at one point what his co-star (Gaga) is doing to him and look blindly ahead. I mean you may not see Steve as "Kermit" but you can't say he has ever been that flawed puppetry wise.

I don't see how you find that impressive, unless you like bad puppetry. If they wanted to throw someone else in as Kermit they should at least have kept them off screen until they learned the character, though saying that, the auditions were three years ago.

I have to agree with that. And there's a difference between a performance that will evolve with time and one that's not nearly done baking. On the performance side (whatever the character) Kermit's recent puppetry just wasn't Muppet caliber. It could have been because it was a last minute and rushed execution. Still, Steve's Kermit always gave a solid performance that became more Kermit-like with time. The AGT and MTV performances of Kermit just shouted "I'm a puppet" rather than "I'm a character" to me.

 

[SarahOnBway]

The AGT and MTV performances of Kermit just shouted "I'm a puppet" rather than "I'm a character" to me.

EXACTLY.




Yes, that's all I have to offer at this time.

 

[CensoredAlso]

This is no offence to you, but surely Kermit is not meant to be hesitant to deliver a line, or constantly jerk about while he's not talking - and even completely miss at one point what his co-star (Gaga) is doing to him and look blindly ahead. I mean you may not see Steve as "Kermit" but you can't say he has ever been that flawed puppetry wise.


I don't see how you find that impressive, unless you like bad puppetry. If they wanted to throw someone else in as Kermit they should at least have kept them off screen until they learned the character, though saying that, the auditions were three years ago.

I admit the puppetry seemed a bit beginner, yes. And no I do not like bad puppetry, thank you.

And Steve's early Kermit did have some flaws at the beginning; it grew over time. I won't mention specifics. I won't tear apart people's performances, like others are kind of doing here now with this "new" Kermit. (And Steve is obviously a great puppeter. He was just new to Kermit at the time).

It's not a crime to be a beginner and make some early mistakes.

I think what it comes down to is, if this was replacing Jim's Kermit, I probably would mind. But as far as I'm concerned, Kermit's performer was already gone. So I guess that's why I'm not that upset about another recast.

 

[Luke]

It's not a crime to be a beginner and make some early mistakes.

Agree totally, definitely not a crime to be a beginner. Encourage it and wish i could do it. The point is maybe a beginner shouldn't be starting to learn their character on Americas Got Talent and the MTV Awards.

I don't like pulling apart peoples performances, but i thought a few specific points needed stating about it since it was being called impressive. Main point is whatever the internal situation, they need to sort their quality control out, they are meant to be the best puppets in the world and its a multi-million dollar brand.

I respect what you say about Jim and i can see there are people with that viewpoint.