If this isn’t a good reason to go support The Muppets in its post-opening weekend theatrical run, I don’t know what is: Watch as a Fox News anchor and two right-wing pundit accuse Disney’s The Muppets of brainwashing children with its anti-capitalist message. Then rejoice as Professor Caroline Heldman of Occidental College drops science and keeps her cool in defense of the Muppets, President Obama, and reasonable thinking in general.
Breaking Dawn sparkled to the top slot yet again on the quietest weekend of the season, but just take a gander at the healthy size of Shame ‘s art house opening! Meanwhile, the latest offerings from Martin Scorsese and Alexander Payne enjoyed a boost. But I’ve got to ask: What happened to the Muppets’ mojo?
All signs point to yes. If you grew up watching the Muppet Show or Sesame Street , there are sure to be some conflicting sensations in your shorts when you see this clip from the 1968 exploitation opus Svezia, inferno e paradiso (aka Sweden: Heaven and Hell ). Directed by spaghetti-porn pioneer Luigi Scattini , Sweden: Heaven and Hell promises to take viewers into the deepest depths of Scandinavian depravity, like lesbian nightclubs, swinger’s parties, and a then-brand new kind of place: the porn set…all in the name of education, natch. In this sequence we see gorgeous Swedish blondes relaxing in a sauna. Unfortunately, it cuts away before the towels come off, but if you’ve seen the classic Muppet sketch with Dr. Howey and the Snowths , the tune should ring a bell: Want more Scandinavian skin? Check out Mr. Skin’s massive database of Swedish skinema from Christina Lindberg to Noomi Rapace right here at MrSkin.com!
Sure, they’re not box office champs , but the Muppets’ resurgence as competitive marquee stars is reason enough to scan Twitter for the best tweets about Jason Segel’s new film. Who will top this week’s tally? Join us for a quintet of quips that will make the Swedish Chef throw his wooden spoon in glee.
The Muppets were no match for the half-vampire babies this week, as Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit the Frog and friends fared well at the box office – but Breaking Dawn remained on top. Breaking Dawn: Behind the Scenes Look The Twilight Saga’s fourth installment pulled in another $62 million from Wednesday through today, bringing its worldwide tally to nearly $400 million. It’s now ahead of the pace set in 2009 by Eclipse . The Muppets, meanwhile, pulled in a solid $42 million. Here is a look at the top 10 box office results from this long holiday weekend: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 : $62.3 million The Muppets : $42 million Happy Feet Two : $18.4 million Arthur Christmas : $17 million Hugo : $15.4 million Jack and Jill : $14.1 million Immortals: $12.6 million Puss in Boots : $10.4 million Tower Heist : $10.2 million The Descendants : $9.2 million
Think you’re a jack of all trades? Then meet the master- New York-based writer, musician, editor and provocateur Mike Edison . He’s written for Hustler , edited Screw, High Times, and Wrestling’s Main Event , played with GG Allin and collaborates with Jon Spencer of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion , as well as running his own group Edison Rocket Train , invented the ChroniCaster , and plays a mean theremin to boot. Mike’s currently on the road promoting his newest opus Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!: Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers , which tells you everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you didn’t) about spank mag pioneers Hugh Hefner, Bob Guccione, Al Goldstein and Larry Flynt . We were lucky enough to get a few minutes with Mike, who gave us the skinny on porn, potheads, naked puppets, and why Hugh Hefner is a closet queen. More after the jump! Photo by Jackie Roman
As Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar plan to welcome their 20th child next year, their recent trip to Israel brought more medical duress for their 19th, Josie-Brooklyn. Next week’s season finale episode of the soon-to-be-renamed 19 Kids and Counting shows Josie rushed to the hospital during the family vacation, in dire straits. She was “congested” says Jim Bob, as Josie cried in the hospital. As the little girl struggles, the rest of the family must decide if they’re going to continue their trip around the country they traveled so far to visit as a group. At the same time, there was no debate over whether having a 20th baby was a smart decision. She admits it’s not for everyone , but Michelle never wavered. The stress of their “littlest little,” who was born prematurely and has endured myriad health woes in the last year and a half, being sick hasn’t stopped the Arkansas family from expanding, as we know, given their impending arrival. What do you think? Is 20 kids too much?
Vampires 1, Muppets 0. On the first two days in which Breaking Dawn was matched up against Kermit the Frog and company, the second-to-last installment of The Twilight Saga outearned Jason Segel’s version of The Muppets at the box office. Breaking Dawn Footage Breaking Dawn brought in $7.8 million yesterday, on top of $12.5 million on Wednesday; The Muppets , meanwhile, opened with a $6.6 million take and followed it up with $5.9 on turkey day. We’ll see how each fares over the actual weekend, but Breaking Dawn has now surpassed $200 million in domestic earnings already. Who knew the franchise was so darn popular? Oh, right. Everybody.
Critics are overwhelmingly happy with the big-screen reboot featuring Kermit and the gang. By Kevin P. Sullivan Miss Piggy in “The Muppets” Photo: Muppets Studio It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet “The Muppets” for the first time in over 10 years. Everyone’s favorite felt friends are back in a big-screen reboot brought to life mostly on behalf of the hard work of lifelong Muppet fan Jason Segel . The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. (You can see our own rave here .) Critics have praised the return of the Muppets as fun, warm, family-friendly fare, true to the characters and the fans who have loved them for decades. Check out our roundup of the reviews. The Story “A clever idea holds this reboot together, as simple as making one brother (Gary, played by Segel) human and the other (Walter, voiced by Peter Linz) a Muppet in love with the Muppets legacy. (He sports a Kermit wristwatch.) The locale is Smalltown, USA, which Gary and Walter introduce to us in the opening number, ‘Life’s a Happy Song.’ Gary, his schoolteacher sweetheart Mary ( Amy Adams ) and Walter journey to Los Angeles for a vacation. Touring the old Muppet Studios facility, the trio learn of the plan to raze the historically significant and sentimentally priceless structure. There’s oil under the ground, see, and the weaselly millionaire ( Chris Cooper ) after it doesn’t give a Gonzo’s patoot about nostalgia. To preserve the old homestead the visitors must gather together the Muppets from various locales and raise $10 million in a save-the-Muppets telethon.” — Michael Phillips, The Chicago Tribune The Songs “The setup works like a charm. So do the songs, with several new ones by [“Flight of the Conchords”] star Bret McKenzie . Adams rocks out on ‘Me Party.’ And Segel’s heartfelt ballad ‘Man or Muppet?’ deserves Academy attention as the movie song of the year.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone The Comeback “As a theatrical troupe, the Muppets haven’t exactly been AWOL these past dozen years; the gang rocked YouTube in 2009 with their kick-ass rendition of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ But they’ve certainly been lying low while our twitchy, tweet-y times have favored snarkier, more air-quote-driven entertainment, even from puppets. And in a way, that showbiz hiatus has worked in favor of The Muppets. For adults, the movie’s gentle, clever, unironic humor feels freshly, trendily retro now, enhanced by laughs provided in cameos from a very up-to-date roster of stars.” — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly The Muppets “These are the same old, adorable Muppets, as sweetly innocent and likable as ever. Winking at itself, the movie is casually, amusingly self-reflexive. In one joke Kermit the Frog considers telephoning President Carter. ‘The Muppets’ makes no attempt to match the wisecracking hipness of the ‘Shrek’ movies. If it doesn’t provoke belly laughs, it elicits many affectionate chuckles.” — Stephen Holden, The New York Times The Final Word “The remarkable thing about the Muppets, then and now, is what distinctive personalities and presences they have. When ‘The Muppet Movie,’ the first in the series, came out in 1979, there was astonishment that — ohmigod! — Kermit was riding a bicycle! How could a Muppet do that? Today, characters can do anything in the movies, but these Muppets are still played by Muppeteers, and they’re still endearing.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times Check out everything we’ve got on “The Muppets.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
If you’d rather forgo the lengthy critical reviews of this weekend’s The Muppets and instead know whether or not you’ll stay awake during Jason Segel ‘s big-screen revival of Jim Henson’s beloved characters, NextMovie has the video review for you. It features Brooklyn-based rappers M.O.P., who impressively do not mention Segel’s name once but do call out Chris Cooper’s rapping skills (or lack thereof) and compare Miss Piggy to “a not-so-hot Nicki Minaj.” Click through for the fresh, direct and vaguely insulting (to Miss Piggy) take on The Muppets .
