Your Thoughts: Kermit and Miss Piggy on America's Got Talent

[Drtooth]

We wouldn't, we were told on here it was cancelled, lol.

Jeezzz... when did that happen? I thought they were shooting it?

 

[SJohnson]

We wouldn't, we were told on here it was cancelled, lol.


As for Muppets in the parks .. thats a toughie - technically they are doing that with the real performers voices with the Bunsen/Beaker robotic thing. It'd be good to see more stuff like that - but at the same time people know they aren't the "real" Muppets. As long as people aren't being mislead they are watching THE Kermit. That said, it'd be nice to see more cases of the actual Muppets (with our much loved Muppeteers) doing more stuff like store appearances, conventions, chat shows where we can see them in person performing and ad-libbing.

Last I heard, the Muppet Mobile Labs is in Tokyo Disney - is that true? I don't think that Dave would be doing that. BTW, I've never seen it, but I heard it was really cool.

 

[bluebomber95]

Okay, so everything in Disney is so precise, why can't they just record an audio track, and Disney puppeteers lip-synch? It would give the illusion that those were the real Muppets, yet at the same time be cheap and easy to do. That's just my take on it.

 

[Super Scooter]

Jeezzz... when did that happen? I thought they were shooting it?

There was a post somewhere on here about it. Someone asked someone involved in the production about it, and that someone said that they ran behind schedule and had to cancel.

 

[Luke]

Last I heard, the Muppet Mobile Labs is in Tokyo Disney - is that true? I don't think that Dave would be doing that. BTW, I've never seen it, but I heard it was really cool.

I had heard there were at least two Mobile Labs. They can have manual voice control or a few hundred programmed responses. I thought Dave and Steve both spent time down there recording all the responses and then spent more time down there walking it in the park on manual control .. but AFAIK, the plan was always for whoever was going to operate it day to day in the park would use the pre-programmed voices, not do their own.

I could be wrong, that was the info i remember. It's been a while. There is video of the Dave/Steve tests on Youtube, or was.

 

[SJohnson]

That's amazing technology - is that how they do Turtle Talk with Crush or Monster Laugh Floor - those are really cool. The interaction with the audience is so great.

 

[Ruahnna]

Harshing the Mellow

Wow. Let me be frank. I came into this thread to talk about what HAPPENED between the CHARACTERS of Kermit and Piggy onstage and I've been--frankly--overwhelmed with the rampant negativity of the posts. Despite my best intentions I couldn't even wade through all the carping (even though I am usually quite particular about having my say until I've heard everybody else out). Sorry--I tried--but I couldn't do it and I feel compelled to put in my 2 cents worth.

I realize that everyone's muppet fandom is not based on the same thing--some people like it for the whimsical humor, others because they are puppetry fans, others because they have grown to love the characters and want to see more of them, and so on. When I tuned into AGT the other night to see Kermit and Piggy together, that's what I turned in to see--Kermit and Piggy together. I was--quite frankly--thrilled to see the characters interacting in a romantic and gentle way. I COULD NOT REMEMBER when Kermit had been that nice to Piggy during a public appearance. (That probably should have clued me in that it wasn't Steve doing Kermit, but it didn't.)

The truth of the matter is that I was so pleased with what the CHARACTERS were doing that I really wasn't that interested in what the MUPPETEERS were doing. Sorry if that offends the puppet folks but let's face it--if the audience can't "believe" in the puppet because they are too focused on the puppeteer (Can you say "Avenue Q"?) then that whole "suspension of disbelief" is pretty much gone.

This whole debate reminds me of a fellow at the comic store who used to spend the entire first, oh, 30 minutes after receiving a new comic complaining about the artwork. The read of us were busy READING THE STORY to SEE WHAT HAPPENED. This looks to me like a classic case of "I can't see the forest for all these trees." I DID NOT and DO NOT tune in to see "Steve's Rendition of Kermit." I tuned in to see Kermit and I saw him. I saw him schmoozing up to Piggy and acting in the old goofy, romantic way that made me fall in love with their romance. If he didn't SOUND right to some folks, he sure FELT like the Kermit I loved best.

If I were Disney (and I'm not) I would be completely disgusted with the whole lot of us. We clamored for more muppets and they gave them to us. Even my elementary school child can be tactful when receiving a gift that's not very thrilling. I KNOW that we're here among home folks but surely we can do better than whine to each other without ceasing or without acknowledging the gift we got.

Things to be happy about:
1. The muppets made an appearance in PRIMETIME.
2. They not only appeared--they SANG! And there were CHICKENS! (Geez--I sound like Gonzo.)
3.Kermit was actually NICE to Piggy AND acknowledged their romantic past. (Was NO ONE but ME thunderstruck by this change?)
4. The show went on as promised. Okay--so somebody else may have been doing Kermit. It's happened before. It might happen again. Deal with it.
5. Disney is obviously trying to cater to us. (If we are impossible to please, they may not bother trying.)

Now I'm going to go back and try to wade through some more of this...

 

[Vic Romano]

5. Disney is obviously trying to cater to us. (If we are impossible to please, they may not bother trying.)

Hmm. Very good point. I suppose for me, it was when Studio DC aired. It was weak, a strange connection, and a bit hollow. However, it was an appeal to a new audience, interaction with kids who knew how to interact with the Muppets, and above all else: something. They're back on the radar, and if we're being honest, no performance shy of Jim and Richard rising from the grave with Jerry and Frank coming out of retirement is going to completely appease all of us. It is taking some time for them to get their footing, but they are getting it none the less.

 

[SJohnson]

Wow. Let me be frank. I came into this thread to talk about what HAPPENED between the CHARACTERS of Kermit and Piggy onstage and I've been--frankly--overwhelmed with the rampant negativity of the posts. Despite my best intentions I couldn't even wade through all the carping (even though I am usually quite particular about having my say until I've heard everybody else out). Sorry--I tried--but I couldn't do it and I feel compelled to put in my 2 cents worth.

I realize that everyone's muppet fandom is not based on the same thing--some people like it for the whimsical humor, others because they are puppetry fans, others because they have grown to love the characters and want to see more of them, and so on. When I tuned into AGT the other night to see Kermit and Piggy together, that's what I turned in to see--Kermit and Piggy together. I was--quite frankly--thrilled to see the characters interacting in a romantic and gentle way. I COULD NOT REMEMBER when Kermit had been that nice to Piggy during a public appearance. (That probably should have clued me in that it wasn't Steve doing Kermit, but it didn't.)

The truth of the matter is that I was so pleased with what the CHARACTERS were doing that I really wasn't that interested in what the MUPPETEERS were doing. Sorry if that offends the puppet folks but let's face it--if the audience can't "believe" in the puppet because they are too focused on the puppeteer (Can you say "Avenue Q"?) then that whole "suspension of disbelief" is pretty much gone.

This whole debate reminds me of a fellow at the comic store who used to spend the entire first, oh, 30 minutes after receiving a new comic complaining about the artwork. The read of us were busy READING THE STORY to SEE WHAT HAPPENED. This looks to me like a classic case of "I can't see the forest for all these trees." I DID NOT and DO NOT tune in to see "Steve's Rendition of Kermit." I tuned in to see Kermit and I saw him. I saw him schmoozing up to Piggy and acting in the old goofy, romantic way that made me fall in love with their romance. If he didn't SOUND right to some folks, he sure FELT like the Kermit I loved best.

If I were Disney (and I'm not) I would be completely disgusted with the whole lot of us. We clamored for more muppets and they gave them to us. Even my elementary school child can be tactful when receiving a gift that's not very thrilling. I KNOW that we're here among home folks but surely we can do better than whine to each other without ceasing or without acknowledging the gift we got.

Things to be happy about:
1. The muppets made an appearance in PRIMETIME.
2. They not only appeared--they SANG! And there were CHICKENS! (Geez--I sound like Gonzo.)
3.Kermit was actually NICE to Piggy AND acknowledged their romantic past. (Was NO ONE but ME thunderstruck by this change?)
4. The show went on as promised. Okay--so somebody else may have been doing Kermit. It's happened before. It might happen again. Deal with it.
5. Disney is obviously trying to cater to us. (If we are impossible to please, they may not bother trying.)

Now I'm going to go back and try to wade through some more of this...

Well said.

 

[doc hopper]

What made Kermit and Piggy's relationship so great in the very beginning was that Kermit resisted her overwhelming pushiness. Kermit was mean, often to the point of making pig jokes, sty references, etc. What made the chemistry so good between these two, originally, was friction. But they were somehow stuck with each other, and Kermit seemed to know it - so he'd give in knowing deep down that he probably loved her. Remember the Muppets' version of "We Got Us?" Kermit even mutters to himself, "unfortunately." So to have Kermit and Piggy be nice to each other just keeps them from being as interesting as they really could be.