Letters To Santa - Muppets Christmas

[Raph's Girl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080908/tv_nm/muppets_dc_1

NBC is getting into the holiday spirit with "Letters to Santa -- A Muppets Christmas."

Whoopi Goldberg, "The Sopranos" alumni Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa, "Harry Potter" regular Richard Griffiths and Madison Pettis are set to star in the special alongside Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and the rest of the muppets gang.

"Letters" is set on Christmas Eve when Kermit and company mistakenly avert three letters en route to Santa Claus, which triggers a race against time to bring a happy Christmas to the kids whose wishes were lost in the mail.

The special will feature songs by "The Muppet Movie" songwriter Paul Williams.

It follows last year's ABC special "Elmo's Christmas Countdown," which starred the Muppets' "Sesame Street" cousins as well as Sirico, Schirripa, Ben Stiller and Alicia Keys.

I doubt this will be as good as "A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" which starred Whoopi Goldberg as god. Whoopi's probably playing Santa since she became Santa in "Call me Clause"

[ThirdMarioBro]

Could be interesting, but nothing will ever beat "A Muppet Family Christmas".

[Tinuvielsdreams]

Originally Posted by ThirdMarioBro

Could be interesting, but nothing will ever beat "A Muppet Family Christmas".

I have Muppet Family Christmas on VHS and still watch it every year. It isn't Christmas without it for me.
They managed to get everyone even the Fraggles in on it and Swedish Chef sees big bird and wants to cook him until BB gives him Bird seed LOL! I loved the addition of Fozzie's mom and Doc.

Oops went on a tangent there but yeah...
It's is great to see more Muppet Specials, but I dunno if they can hold up to our old faves

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by Tinuvielsdreams

I have Muppet Family Christmas on VHS and still watch it every year. It isn't Christmas without it for me.
They managed to get everyone even the Fraggles in on it and Swedish Chef sees big bird and wants to cook him until BB gives him Bird seed LOL! I loved the addition of Fozzie's mom and Doc.

Of course, with the Franchise split into 3 parts, Disney owning the Muppet Show characters, Sesame Workshop owning its characters, and Fraggles being the last thing Henson owns itself (with a HIT! partnership), don't expect that to EVER happen again.

Personally, they had me at Paul Williams.

[VaughnMichael]

Some how when I saw this on Muppet Central I missed that it said Paul Williams, so now add me to the list of people got by that.
He and the Muppets work so well together, he seriously should have been doing the music for every muppet film.
It's really nice to see disney doing things with these characters.
And I agree with the rest of you Muppet Family Christmas is a fave of my family as well and we watch it every year.

[Mandi-chan]

Firstly, I'm thrilled to hear that we will be getting a new Muppets X-Mas special. I love It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas and Muppet Family Christmas, and am sure to enjoy this one too.

Speaking of...

I have Muppet Family Christmas on VHS and still watch it every year.

Is the VHS copy uncut? I remember reading somewhere that the dvd copy cuts stuff out (for unknown reasons)...

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by Mandi-chan

Is the VHS copy uncut? I remember reading somewhere that the dvd copy cuts stuff out (for unknown reasons)...

Cut for idiotic music rights. If you aren't livin' large off the royalties from Santa Claus is Coming to Town already, then give it to the public domain where it belongs. They're almost as bad as the old biddies that own "Happy Birthday."

[ThirdMarioBro]

Originally Posted by Tinuvielsdreams

I have Muppet Family Christmas on VHS and still watch it every year. It isn't Christmas without it for me.
They managed to get everyone even the Fraggles in on it and Swedish Chef sees big bird and wants to cook him until BB gives him Bird seed LOL! I loved the addition of Fozzie's mom and Doc.

Indeed. Too bad we'll probably never see a "legal" DVD release since all the characters have been busted up to three different parties since Jim Henson's death. It's sad.

I love my Christmas TV rituals: Muppet Family Christmas, Super Mario Bros. Super Show Christmas, ALL the Rankin-Bass specials, Casey Casem's top 40 Christmas song countdown...the list goes on and on.

[VaughnMichael]

www.toughpigs.com has some pics and a nice write-up about this tv movie.


I'd like to also make a comment on something I didn't notice before, these Puppets look the best I've seen them in years.
It also makes me wonder if for the first time in a long time if the Henson company is making them instead of the other people who have been making them for Disney, Gonzo for instance looks very solid and doesn't look all half @ssed looking like he's been looking on recent promotions on tv.

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by ThirdMarioBro

Indeed. Too bad we'll probably never see a "legal" DVD release since all the characters have been busted up to three different parties since Jim Henson's death. It's sad.

Well.... it could. it could... Disney has been working with Sesame Workshop, so the Sesame characters appearances on the Muppet show and the Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog (only in the pilot film extra) appearances are intact in the Sesame Old School sets...and some of the others have Kermit segments too. Plus, Kermit's old skits still appear dubbed in international episodes.
It's more of the Emmit Otter/Christmas toy Kermit appearances we have to worry about.

[Ra]

Originally Posted by VaughnMichael

I'd like to also make a comment on something I didn't notice before, these Puppets look the best I've seen them in years.
It also makes me wonder if for the first time in a long time if the Henson company is making them instead of the other people who have been making them for Disney, Gonzo for instance looks very solid and doesn't look all half @ssed looking like he's been looking on recent promotions on tv.

Dude, I just noticed that as well when I was looking at them. Gonzo doesn't look as...well, grimy. I swear, they look so clean now. As if someone has given them new skin and a bit of a wash.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Ra

Dude, I just noticed that as well when I was looking at them. Gonzo doesn't look as...well, grimy. I swear, they look so clean now. As if someone has given them new skin and a bit of a wash.

Yeah Gonzo's looked really wonky for the past couple of years with a really long neck, and his eyelids have been missplaced.
It's nice to see these characters looking good.

[Mandi-chan]

Was that Camilla (sp?) I saw standing next to Gonzo in that pic? O.O

Yay!

Aside from a cameo in the Muppets Wizard of Oz, I don't think I've seen her in anything in YEARS (she's Gonzo's girl, why haven't we seen more of her?!)

I can't wait to see this!

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by Mandi-chan

Aside from a cameo in the Muppets Wizard of Oz, I don't think I've seen her in anything in YEARS (she's Gonzo's girl, why haven't we seen more of her?!)

I can't wait to see this!

I loved how Muppet Wizard of Oz focused on Gonzo and Camilla's relationship rather than Piggy and Kermit. Very few of the Muppet films do that. Muppet Wizard of Oz (Gonzo as the tin woodsman who wants a heart so he can love Camilla again), and Muppets Go to Disneyland (Gonzo and Camilla get jiggy with it in the Disneyland laundrymatt after singing how fun it would be to make love in a laundrymatt...Camilla screaming "Oh Gonzo!" haunts me to this day...) are the only 2 films I can think of that focused on their love.

Camilla's in the Disney SNL wannabe thing...at least the chickens are anyways...I forgot to watch the last one...

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Raph's Girl

Camilla's in the Disney SNL wannabe thing...at least the chickens are anyways...I forgot to watch the last one...

I'd hardly call it an SNL wannabe thing since I actually laughed at some of both of the episodes they've made, SNL is nothing more than an overly political rap song that doesn't know when to end.
Anyway you really should watch this new one as it's got allot of Her & Gonzo in it, he turns her into a Turkey by accident lol

[Raph's Girl]

*watches the vid* OMG!!! I have the exact same cell phone as Kermit!!! *faints*

Loved that duet between that girl that looks a bit like Myam Bialik (Blossom) and Beaker. Good to see Scooter again.

[Hero]

Muppets Christmas Carol is still the best muppet movie for me.

I'll need to track Muppet Family Christmas down since I've not seen it yet. I hope its good.

===HERO

[Jester]

Originally Posted by Hero

Muppets Christmas Carol is still the best Muppet movie for me.

I'll need to track Muppet Family Christmas down since I've not seen it yet. I hope its good.

===HERO

I agree with Hero. This thread almost makes me wanna post a video of me and my Kermie puppet, but I'll only do it if there's a demand for it.

FYI though, I'm no ventriloquist, just a wanna be puppeteer.

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by Hero

I'll need to track Muppet Family Christmas down since I've not seen it yet. I hope its good.

===HERO

Ah Muppet Family Christmas....where Kermit informs Robin that Fraggles aren't real.

To this day I feel sorry for Fozzie's mom.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Hero

Muppets Christmas Carol is still the best muppet movie for me.

I'll need to track Muppet Family Christmas down since I've not seen it yet. I hope its good.

===HERO

GOOD!!?? GOOD!? My Friend, Muppet Family Christmas is Amazing! Best get yourself a copy this christmas