Cool News
And The Director Of The New MUPPET Movie May Be...
Merrick here...
New York Magazine's Vulture section has learned that the co-creator/writer/director of HBO's FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS may take on the next MUPPET movie - which is being positioned as a franchise relaunch (not necessarily a reboot - just getting it back into shape as I understand it).
Vulture has learned that James Bobin, who co-created the critically praised, ratings-challenged, and now-defunct cable show, is being offered the director's chair today on Walt Disney Pictures’ next Muppet movie. A Disney insider tells Vulture that while no deal has been finalized, "the movie is James' to direct — if he wants it."
[EDIT]
The original Muppet Show was envisioned by Jim Henson as an adult show that was suitable for kids, and Bobin's hiring is in keeping with that ethic
If this pans out (there's evidently a potential conflict with another project Bobin is orbiting), he'd direct from a script by Jason Segel and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL director Nicholas Stoller (who was, at one point, supposed to helm this new MUPPET film until scheduling conflicts arose for him as well).
Bobin was also a writer/director on Sacha Baron Cohen's DA ALI G SHOW.
You can find more details OVER TO VULTURE.
--- Follow Merrick on Twitter! ---
[EDIT]
The original Muppet Show was envisioned by Jim Henson as an adult show that was suitable for kids, and Bobin's hiring is in keeping with that ethic
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first kneegrow president muppet yet?
Or would that get you a nice injection of cancer? -
But it I thought Jason Seagil was writing this?
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Well apparently Disney/Henson have gone completely around the fucking bend. Yes, there was humor in all of the Muppets stuff, whether it be the TV series, films, and so on, (except for Muppet Babies), which was there for the adults watching WITH their kids, but we're talking about singing frog, pig, bear and thing puppets for Serling's sake.
Hey, maybe it's time for the sexier, darker, grittier Muppets! How about "Children of Muppet"? Or even "The Passion of the Muppet"? Except, instead of blood coming out when Kermit is crucified, it can be stuffing! Hard-R Muppets for the adults, that's the way to go! Fuck the child audience, they have their Dora the Explorer and Shrek shit. -
The screen would be filled for two hours with explosions, retarded plot holes, superfluous and silly sex scenes and huge columns of dense black smoke caused by massive quantities of burning felt and ping pong balls.
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Just kidding :P
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Here are our 3 camps. 1) Conchords is the worst thing ever. 2) Conchords is the best thing ever. 3) Season 1 was great but Season 2 sucked (my camp)
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I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever see this thing made.
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It's entertaining. Not much more.Anyway, I like the tone of the director, so I imagine this could be great.
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Muppet Treasure Island was pretty good in a silly, 90's kid's movie kind-of way. I don't remember enough about the Muppet Christmas Carol to give an opinion on it, but the Muppets in Space movie with Jeffry Tambor was just pretty heinous.
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Ever since I saw that "Twin Beaks" sketch from SESAME STREET, there's only one Muppet director for me and that's DKL.
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I'd love to see Stanley Kubrick's Muppets, though.
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who'd like to see A Muppet Dracula? That segment from Forgetting Sarah Marshall was what landed the current writers their job, wasn't it?
<Kermit as Jonathan Harker, Piggy as Mina Harker, Gonzo as Renfield, Professor Bunsen as John Seward, Fozzy as Abraham Van Helsing, and Sam the Eagle as Dracula! -
Kermit as Jonathan Harker, Piggy as Mina Harker, Gonzo as Renfield, Professor Bunsen as John Steward, Fozzy as Abraham Van Helsing and Sam the Eagle as Dracula!
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....
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Writing new songs and contriving new situations where those songs would fit is hard work. I'm not surprised the season petered out but given that they had to come up with all new material? It wasn't terrible. They at least had an album's worth of songs in season 1. I think the last scene made up for a mediocre closer.
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The linked article mentions that. He co-wrote it with Stoller.
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Best adaptation of Dickens' source material. So much of the movie is verbatim from the text. I watch it every Christmas.
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Peter Jackson produced
Kermit totally RAILS Ms. Piggy -
Tarantino could give the Muppet "relaunch" a good shaking up.
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creative with the Muppets, other than appearing in Disney Theme Park commercials.
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One of the ultimate feel good movies, and one of the best adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Apart from Gonzo and The Rat's comedy interludes, it's actually a pretty serious translation of the sourse material. Infinitly more entertaining than the recent CGI version. Best of the Muppet movies.
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It ain't gonna be Meet The Feebles II (like someone above suggested). I'm sure it will just be family oriented, but slightly more "adult" than some of the more recent Muppet outings have been. And remember, before they had their own show the Muppets were on Saturday Night Live - hardly kid's programming, that!
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Thought that did seem like an odd claim...
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not available? I thought Henson liked to keep it in the family? I can understand Frank Oz, as it's probably difficult doing double duty...
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But I've been over the comedy band thing a while and won't claim it's their fault.I never tire of Muppets. I hope this is good. The Muppets Take Manhattan still makes me cry at the end with the song about making people happy now and forever and all the Muppets in the church do their sway thing which always gets me and shit I need to go find a tissue and a hug now.
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The original movie is a classic. It's fun and ecclectic and sweet. Kermit singing "Why are there so many songs about rainbows" is one of the cinema moments that will be remembered for as long as there is cinema.Muppets Take Manhattan is also pretty good, but then it starts dipping into crap territory.I really hope Disney can recapture that magic because I have a kid on the way and I'd love to experience The Muppets again on the big screen with him.
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Early commercials are a testament to that; love that La Choy Dragon:http://tinyurl.com/3aebtcCheck the related videos for other Henson commercials, such as the Wilkin's Coffee ads.
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a good story with the muppets would be helpful. Something of course with big proportions.
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I do.
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Jan 29, 2010 11:55:58 AM CST
HOW ABOUT A MUPPET REMAKE OF WATERPOWER OR GOODBYE UNCLE TOM?
by tehcreepythinman
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This must happen.
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I think they should completely remake The Muppets to be dark superheros. You know, like Warner did with Looney Tunes. They should all wear black leather and talk in ebonic slang.I also think today's kids are sophisticated enough to handle a frog-on-pig sex scene.
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Jan 29, 2010 12:06:56 PM CST
Planes drop from the sky. People disappear & bullets fly.
by stereotypical evil archer
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than spaces in tiny urls.
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Jan 29, 2010 12:09:19 PM CST
JackSlater4: Drunken tirades from an anti-Braveheart soul.
by stereotypical evil archer
He's so drunk, but he's on a roll.
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and make it Feebles II
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Jan 29, 2010 12:26:16 PM CST
KERMIT - "I HAVE TO CLEAN OUT THAT DIRTY FUCKING PIG...."
by tehcreepythinman
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Jan 29, 2010 12:26:39 PM CST
Awesome. They could only top this with the involvement of Wes A
by davidwebb
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WHAT UP WITH THAT?
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You know....for kids.
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As Kermit!! JGL as Fozzie!!
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Were really fucking good. I enjoyed that shit tremendously.
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Must be time for me to remind everyone to watch Peep Show, the show that puts Conchords to shame.
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...but not The Jim Henson Company that Brian Henson runs. The Muppets (and Sesame Street) have zero involvement from them.
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As long as he doesn't want to rewrite or bring in " his writers".
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Exactly. It seems like a simple statement, but this has been the problem with more recent Muppet stuff, I think. Others have approached it like something for kids, with some adult jokes thrown in. Like one of those Dreamworks cartoons. It's an adult show that's still appropriate for kids.
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"...he'd direct from a script by Jason Segel and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL director Nicholas Stoller." Bobin's the director. Read the article people!
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...called Avatar.For my two cents, let Seth McFarland's people have a go at this.
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I thought it was a nice move away from the literary adaptations the Muppets had been making. Maybe it was a bit too cameo heavy, but it had a great funk soundtrack and better jokes than most comedies.
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none of those pansie pirates
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Disney is running them into the ground.
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I think this is the only job that Ratner should be getting.. Working on a muppet movie. At least as a consequence of his XMEN MOVIE. Yes I'm still peeved about that.
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Seriously, the best work they did after Jim died. I bought the series a few weeks ago along with the mini-series, good shit right there.
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Fozzie bear tossed out a window and killed. Gonzo as Blotter. Kermit with a blue dick. Beaker as the gay badguy/goodguy/badguy. Whole plot is to kill CGI.
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Kermit the Frog is the single greatest character ever created by mankind. Any fool knows that the only way to reboot the Muppets is to tell his dark and tragic origin story, which takes place in Galveston c. 1900
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Sorry, Eskimo, but let that jaded, cynical, self-impressed asshole get ahold of such a warm, fun, family-friendly franchise, and people will forget all about Lucas raping their childhoods.
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...have a long and storied history parodying pop culture and I think McFarlen's brand of humor (the obscure references & out-of-left field jokes...not the potty humor) would be a good fit. But I won't argue with you about McFarland's perception of self-importance. Show me a successful director/actor who doesn't have that to some degree.
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CGI Kermit meets Jar Jar Binks. Think of the possibilities. And then shoot yourself.
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Jesus Christ that would be amazing.
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Do It. Do It. What Are You Waiting For. Do It Now! Film It. We're Here.
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Go ahead and give us that dark, brooding, horrific ending you've been daydreaming of. Crazy Larry blows up the entire cast. But then again, a muppet can't very well direct other muppets now can he?
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Are people still using the whole 'lucas raped my childhood' thing? How sad. You really had to put some effort into working into a subject that has nothing to do with it at all.
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into some kind of violent opera is not funny. I'll never understand the folks that say "Oh yeah!! Kermit fucking Mrs. Piggy with a sniper rifle...and then he pulls the trigger! Fuck yeah!! Hard R rated Muppet movie!!" How fucking retarded are you? The Muppets were too smart for that. What they gave us was the opportunity for families to sit down together and watch something great that didn't insult anyone. If you want violence, go watch Rambo.
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Kids wouldn't get *most* of the humor on that show. That's why I'm unimpressed by Greg the Bunny and other "edgy" puppet shows. Muppets did it first.
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I want David Fincher to direct a Muppet movie. *Shrugs*
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I like the fact it didn't involve a "saving a show" premise and the jokes were pretty fucking funny! The opening montage had great character and there was a true unfolding story. I just hope this movie has Mahna-Mahna in it because he is my youngest daughter's favorite character!
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Jan 29, 2010 5:30:21 PM CST
I also hope they go with the style they've adopted in their YouT
by hb_dad
There is some pretty fucking funny and relevant stuff there...
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Win win
Might even be able to pay him in dirty dirty dirty muppet zeks -
you know there is a chance
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yeah, forget about the movies (except for maybe the first one), and watch the old show. There's stuff in there that went way over my head as a kid in the 70s. Watching it with my kids, there's all kinds of things I see. Not that it was filled with innuendo (though there were some) or was secretly or raunchy or anything, but it was built on an adult vaudevillian sensibility with lots of dance hall history and an adult attitude, rather than what usually happens when adults imagine 'what kids would like' and it comes off silly, fluffy, or too snarky. I'd love to see a return to form for the Muppets. Maybe a little Avenue Q influence thrown in?
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somewhere, (maybe on AICN) I heard there was a Roger Rabbit-style movie featuring the sordid lives of puppets. Would love to hear more about that.
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I still don't think McFarland would be a fit for the Muppets. My personal hatred for him non-withstanding, his worldview is too dark and biting to fit with the warmth of the original Muppets. Matt Groening might have been a reasonable choice ten years ago, but his well seems to have run dry some time back. But the humor of "Flight of the Conchords," love it or hate it (I'm mostly in the love it camp) would be a perfect fit: endearing, absurd and satirical, without being hateful. I say this could have potential.
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Was funny as hell. The mafia lab rats wearing wife beaters was too much. We need more Pepe the Prawn. Rizzo skating across the grille with pads of butter on his feet in the other film was an all new level of sick. Suck on that Ratatouille.
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Who the hell needs ol' Judd when you can work with Kermit!!!!Fuck, I can't believe anyone's taking this seriously. And christ, the Muppets were never "edgy"...they used a lot of cruel humor and violence that was never as clever as the average Tom and Jerry or Looney Tune. I can't believe Disney is actually going to greenlight a freaking Muppet movie when its last attempt to capture some old-time magic - The 2D Princess and the Frog - croaked at the box office. Disney is becoming more and more irrelevant as time goes on...
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His Boom Studios Muppet Show comic book is incredible. Captures the Henson spirit beautifully. This news makes me happy
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I feel like this would be a great match. Hope it works out.
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He could remake MEET THE FEEBLES with real Muppets this time around.
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I thought that film did exactly what this film is supposed to do-- it was just as much a kid's film as an adult's film.
I'm glad to see this project start to move forward after hearing about it for so long. -
A muppet movie shond mighy fine to me right now
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grrr
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According to Hollywood Reporter, it's official, Bobin's taking up the puppet project (after the directors of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ran like hell from it). Jeebus christ, that must be some powerful new weed Hollywood's smoking these days...
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FACT!Carlin funniest thing EVER with cussin. FACT!
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Jan 30, 2010 2:08:51 AM CST
What qualifies Jason Segel exactly to write a muppet movie?
by liquidlunch
You're treading on sacred ground. I hope you have approval from the Henson estate. Choose your steps wisely
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...what has been going on ever since is just money-orientated necrophilia. Jim was the soul of the Muppets - may he finally rest in peace.
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Then the Muppets could stand around conveying an artsy,inaccessible storyline peppered with clunky action sequences! Yippeee!
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I miss him alot. and no other entertainers death affected me more than his. I saw his funeral service on you tube. and Frank Oz' eulogy cut me up. however the most movis aspect of the service were the letters. he left to his children. while writing those henson knew he was going to die. He planned his funeral service down to the tee. they were written 4 years before his death. people do have an inkling of thier own mortality. I know my father did.
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were two things. the seperation from his wife and giving up the muppets to disney. that, above all things must have been heartbreaking. I dont think Jim henson had an economic bone in his body, nor did a head for economics. On the dayof hensons death fox news tried to doorstep his devastated co workers at the henson HQ in New York.
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Well it looks like our difference is in our sense of humor. I'm firmly in the "hate it" camp when it comes to the Concords, but I thought that the Family Guy take on Star Wars franchise was brilliant (especially Peter/Han refusing to leave the old couch behind in the death star.) But we can agree to disagree on those points...either way, at this point I am just hopeful that a new Muppett movie will actually be made, regardless of director...and that it doesn't suck.
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Loved the show and loved pretty much every movie. Some of them are far better than most people would have you believe. Regardless, looking forward to more of 'em.
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"Kermit VS Mickey". They could legally do it now, you know. I'd love to see Muppet versions of the Disney characters. Hell, they can even do "Muppets VS X-Men VS Disney" now.
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...and not quite a puppet." Trying to think of a dirty joke to do with muppets. Sex with Piggy? Tick. Muppets doing drugs? Tick. Oh okay, Bert and Ernie get into scat: "Follow that Turd". Okay, so it's Sesame Street and it's low, but I'm going through a difficult time at the moment, what with Weeds taking a break on free-to-air at the moment and, like, Haiti and, like, bad muppet jokes...
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And Da Mighty Boosh is better than FOTC. 'snuff naid.
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was that show meant to be FUNNY? coz I just found it unbearably painful - tho I can see why they'd want to tap some kind of musical-comedy writer for a the Muppets - it's just too bad they went for someone so fucking mediocre...
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nuff said
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... and it's better than "Muppet's Treasure Island."
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"Eat pig shit you moutherfuckers!" BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
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"Muppet Christmas Carol" is the 2nd best Muppet movie and "Treasure Island" and "Muppets from Space" certainly have their moments. "Muppets Tonight" was a pretty solid (if short lived) revival of the Muppet Show. The bigger loss may have been Jerry Juhl who wrote or co-wrote most of the classic Muppet projects. I do think they need to try to coax Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson out of retirement though.
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One of the better Stephen King adaptations that appeared on TNT's Nightmares And Dreamscapes. A wonderful hour of genre television, and an overlooked performance from William Hurt.
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I agree with everything you said but didn't think there was much point in trying to explain it that well since the hate is flowing so hard around here lately. I just dig the Muppets, and I think they're badly needed in our current entertainment landscape. I look forward to giving whatever they come up with a try.
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That's when I knew Jim Henson was truly dead...
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