Well…maybe eventually they do. But until then, JD Hansel joins me for a riveting episode of The Backstage Podcast. We discuss life, maturity, immaturity, philosophy, Muppets, and of course, Sam Harris.

JD is the owner of JDHansel.com and MuppetHub.com.

Thanks for downloading and listening to The Backstage Podcast! It means the world to me that you’re here. For any questions or comments concerning the show, email [email protected]. Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your friends about it too!

Have Fun!

-Steve

Haul out the holly! It’s our Muppetational Holiday Special!

This episode is filled with great Muppet Christmas music, and it serves as a tribute to one of the greatest Muppet productions of all time, A Muppet Family Christmas. Enjoy!

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

Listener questions guide the content for this episode. Send your questions for the show to [email protected].

Who is/was inside the “costume” of the full-body Muppet characters like Sweetums and Thog?

How can I become a Muppet performer?

What are your thoughts on Ernie’s new performer, Billy Bankhurst?

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

The 2008 bestselling book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis is being made into a new documentary film! This week I’m joined by Executive Producer Trevor Crafts and Director Marilyn Agrelo to talk about what Muppet fans should expect, how the film will expand upon what’s in the book, and how Muppet fans can get involved.

About the Film

Street Gang will be directed by Marilyn Agrelo, director of the festival award-winning Mad Hot Ballroom. Agrelo will have access to Sesame Street archives through Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, and The Jim Henson Company. Using new animated sequences, new character and cast interviews, and exclusive archival materials, Street Gang will tell the origin story of the show and how creator Joan Ganz Cooney, director Jon Stone, and visionary Jim Henson came out of the ideals and the societal unrest of the sixties to make something that changed history.

One of the film’s Indiegogo campaign (http://bit.ly/2eh6bR0) goals, in addition to creating new animation and new music, is to raise funds to rebuild the Season One Sesame Street set, taking the audience back in time. Additionally, the filmmakers will donate 15% of the net proceeds of the crowd funding campaign to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational media organization behind Sesame Street, through its Yellow Feather Fund™ which helps the world’s most vulnerable children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

Listener questions guide the content for this episode. Send your questions for the show to [email protected].

Did Jim Henson direct all of the Muppet films?

Can I buy a real Muppet puppet? Where?

Why is Elmo so popular?

Where can I find Muppet Babies episodes on DVD?

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

Listener questions drive the content of this new MuppetCast production. Four questions guide the content for this episode. Send your questions for the show to [email protected].

Will there ever be a new Fraggle Rock movie or TV show?

What will the new Muppets attractions in WDW be like?

Any new Muppet books coming in the near future?

And a quick review of a few Sesame Street DVDs.

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

Lots to cover in this episode! Some incredible things are happening this summer in Muppets, and we talk about all of it this week!

First of all, congratulations to the Jim Henson Company as they open Puppet Up Uncensored at the Venetian in Las Vegas! Call (702) 414-9000 for tickets, or visit Venetian.com/Puppet-Up.

Bob McGrath recently announced that he, along with the rest of the original human cast members of Sesame Street, have been let go from the show (special thanks to Guy Hutchinson for the audio). The entire MuppetCast audience thanks Bob and the entire cast for decades of memories, and countless lessons we and our children have learned from them. The Street will never, ever be the same.

Despite its cancellation from ABC, The Muppets has earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Production Design for a Half Hour or Less Narrative Program. Congrats to the Muppets team!

Get ready for PizzeRizzo, coming soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Pizza Planet will soon be replaced by the new Muppet-themed eatery. Exciting Disney Park news!

Brian Henson will produce Wee Free Men, a feature film adaptation of author Terry Pratchett’s first book in the Discworld series. No casting or release date news to report, but Pratchett fans will definitely be looking forward to this.

The Jim Henson Company will host an evening raising funds for the Center for Puppetry Arts and celebrating the career of longtime puppeteer and MuppetCast guest Dave Goelz! Stay tuned for ticket information.

Sesame Workshop is getting involved with the IRC to make a difference for preschool children and their parents in refugee camps around the world.

Thanks to Darrin Granter (name spelled correctly) for these pics, accompanying his story on the show about meeting Caroll and Debra Spinney!

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Thanks also to Renee Angely for sending links to John Denver’s last song, “Yellowstone (Coming Home).”

This is the documentary the song was written for:

The music from this episode came from the YouTube channel showing video from the recent event “54 Below Celebrates the Muppets.” Click to watch some of Broadway’s best sing the most Muppetational songs ever!

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

Kristin Pugh Long joins me to talk Disney fandom, fitness, and running. You can find her pretty much anywhere @bamagirlruns.

Did you like the music in this episode? You can find more of it on KHS’s YouTube Channel.

Thanks for downloading and listening to The Backstage Podcast! It means the world to me that you’re here. For any questions or comments concerning the show, email [email protected]. Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your friends about it too!

Have Fun!

-Steve

Seven years ago, I received a YouTube link from MuppetCast listener James Kemp. This (at the time) 16-year old Muppet fan caught my attention with this video, and I kept my eye on his progress ever since.

Not bad, right?

James has progressed far beyond what I’d expect from most puppetry enthusiasts, but that’s because James contains far more talent and personal drive than most people his age. Now 23 years old, he’s building professional grade puppets and performing in national commercial campaigns, like this one.

James Kemp, Puppeteer

His company is James Kemp Puppets. His YouTube channel is full of puppet performance videos and talks. And, along with producer David Hosay, he co-runs Sublime Puppets. James is an example of how hard work, dedication, and constant development lead to opportunities…sometimes truly unbelievable ones.

You can contact James at [email protected].

Mentioned in the Episode

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More Videos from James and David

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve

Longtime listener Katherine Hannaford joins me in person to discuss her recent experiences at the 2016 Beyond the Sock puppetry workshop. This was Katherine’s second year attending the workshop, and we go into great detail about exactly what happens in this professional-grade experience.

Pictures mentioned in the episode:

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About Beyond the Sock

Beyond the Sock is a workshop co-hosted by the University of North Texas Department of Radio, TV and Film and Department of Dance and Theatre. This four and a half day intensive workshop will allow attendees to learn techniques for performing with “hand and rod” style puppets similar to those found in some of entertainment’s most endearing television series and films. Over the course of the workshop attendees will learn the vocal and physical techniques vital to creating compelling performances from two of the top names in the field.

See Katherine and the 2016 BTS attendees in action at the official Beyond the Sock YouTube channel.

Thanks For Listening!

As always, you can email [email protected] with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

Have a great week!

Steve