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The Muppets: Ten Best Moments

@coltondaniel — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:14:57 +0000

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The Muppets are back! Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang are ruling the Thanksgiving box-office this weekend and the world is officially in a nostalgic frenzy.

Before Jason Segel revamped the series, the adorable characters were famous in their own right. Their television program (1976-1981) featured a variety of celebrity cameos, from Alice Cooper to 007′s Roger Moore, in the final episode. It’s the family friendly programming that transcended generations. The franchise includes a seemingly endless stream of beloved films such as “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” “Muppet Treasure Island,” “Muppets From Space” and “The Great Muppet Caper.” If this is all breaking news to you, then I highly recommend you check them out – or at least add it to your wish list this year.

Since legendary puppeteer Jim Henson created the Muppets in 1974, there has been an incredible assortment of Muppets appearances, performances and moments. Aside from the hilarious parody trailers and Saturday Night Live appearance recently, it felt appropriate to take a moment to reflect on the classics. We pulled together our favourite ten, let us know yours!

Bohemian Rhapsody (2009)In 2009, the gang released their rendition of Queen’s famous song. This viral video introduced this generation to “Bohemian” just like Mike Myers did with Wayne’s World.

Kermit Cycling (1979)
“Jolson sang, Barrymore spoke, Garbo laughed, and now Kermit the Frog rides a bicycle,” began Roger Ebert’s original 1979 review of “The Muppet Movie”. “If you can figure out how they were able to show Kermit pedaling across the screen, then you are less a romantic than I am: I prefer to believe he did it himself.” Muppet magic.

Larry King Live (1994)
Kermit and Gonzo guest-hosted the show with featured guests including supermodel Carol Alt and Hulk Hogan. Surprising that neither replaced King when he retired last year, but there’s still the hope for Regis-replacement.

(Day O) Banana Boat Song (1978)
Before Lil Wayne and Jason Derulo ruined the song, Harry Belafonte and Fozzie Bear’s collaboration was pure brilliance. Fozzie even asks the question that we all want to know, “What is a “Tally Man”?”

Keep Fishin’ (2002)
Weezer resurrected the Muppets from temporary obscurity for their music video off their fourth album, “Maladroit”.

Bennie And The Jets (1977)
Elton John became a reoccuring character in the late 70s, performing many of his songs including “Crocodile Rock” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. But it is the banter between Elton and Kermit during “Bennie” that defines his involvement. You could also see where Cee-Lo took a few notes.

Alice Cooper (1978)
As Gonzo declares him “the voice of doom,” this episode also guest starred horror film-icon Vincent Price and revolved around the theme of “ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night.”

Buddy Rich VS. Animal (1981)
Two of the greatest drummers of all time face-off in this classic skit from the Muppet Show. Who won? You be the judge.

‘Treasure Island’ Roll Call (1996)
Directed by his son, Brian, this post-Jim Henson film is not the same – but it has it’s moments, like this one. Kermit’s Captain Abraham Smollet is introduced to his crew of “cutthroats, villains and scoundrels.”

The Rainbow Connection
Perhaps the greatest Muppets moment of all-time, the opening banjo strum is guaranteed to cause a lump in the throat. Covered by many, including Willie Nelson, Sarah McLachlan and Jason Mraz – enjoy!

Amy Adams is the new Lois Lane

Kimberly Rupnarain — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:48:54 +0000

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Looks like Superman has finally found the Lois Lane to his Clark Kent.

E! Online confirmed today, that Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures have announced that 36-year-old Amy Adams has been cast as Lois Lane in the upcoming Superman remake, directed by Sucker Punch director, Zack Snyder. The actress will take on the fast-talking, no-nonsense reporter who nabs the heart of the adorably awkward Clark Kent. The role has previously been portrayed by actresses like Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns, Erica Durance in the television drama Smallville, and of course — the original Lois — Margot Kidder.

Snyder has already tapped Diane Lane and Kevin Costner to play Clark’s parents Mr. and Mrs. Kent, and 27-year-old Henry Cavill to play the legendary DC superhero himself.

Nearly a 10 year difference, huh? Looks like Clark Kent has got himself a sugar-mama.

In a statement, Snyder said that “Second only to Superman himself, the question of who will play Lois Lane is arguably what fans have been most curious about. So we are excited to announce the casting of Amy Adams, one of the most versatile and respected actresses in films today. Amy has the talent to capture all of the qualities we love about Lois: smart, tough, funny, warm, ambitious and, of course, beautiful.”

Almost a decade older or not, I think Adams will fit the role quite well. Her wonderful sense of humour and comedic timing alone puts her ahead of previous Lane incarnation, Kate Bosworth. Bosworth attempted the role in the 2006 film, Superman Returns, alongisde one-time Man of Steel, Brandon Routh. The film, which also starred Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, was a box office hit, but Bosworth’s portrayal of Lane and the seemingly flat romance between she and Routh, recieved mixed reviews.

Roger Ebert went as far as to say that, “Lois Lane has lost her dash and pizzaz,” and compared the chemistry between original Superman and Lois Lane duo, Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, observing that the new pair seem “tongue-tied” and “awkward.”

Ouch.

Though some may be skeptical of the age-gap in casting and its resulting effect on the main couple’s chemistry, I’m confident after watching Adams in films like Enchanted and The Fighter, that she has the range to be the perfect Lois Lane. She is, after all, just coming off of an Oscar nomination for The Fighter.

Look up in the sky Zach, ”It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s –” your next cinematic hit.

Just don’t make another Sucker Punch. Please.

Amy Adams Gets A Girl!

Sam Rashid — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:19:20 +0000

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Amy Adams and her fiancé Darren Le Gallo welcomed their 7-lbs. daughter, Aviana Olea Le Gallo on Saturday in Los Angeles, reports PEOPLE.com.

“Mom and baby are home and doing great,” said Adams’ rep. “Everyone’s healthy and happy.”

Adams and Le Gallo planned to find out the sex of their baby shortly after announcing her pregnancy in December.

“We’ll probably find out,” Adams admitted. “I thought about waiting and I just don’t think that’s really my personality.”

Then with the nine months to prepare for the bundle of joy, Adams made sure to take care of her own needs along the way.

“It’s been good for me,” Adams told USA Today. “I’ve benefited a lot from taking some downtime and working on friendships and really reconnecting with my fiancé.”

Movie Review: Julie & Julia

Eric Emin Wood — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:14:55 +0000

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It’s a funny thing about life; even though we’re all (obstensibly) unique, certain experiences fall into distinct patterns. Most middle-class children in the western world, for instance, go through a period in their childhood where the world revolves around them, followed by a period in their teenage years where they’re convinced it should and are surprised when it doesn’t. This leads to a period of intense self-reflection, during which they discover their place in the world and are shocked again some years later when that place doesn’t welcome them with open arms either.

In Julie & Julia, Amy Adams’ character, Julie Powell, is in that directionless place between shock and reaction when she decides to give herself one year to cook all 524 recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and if you’re in the same place, or recently past it, you’ll probably identify with her.

Another stage many adults find themselves in, and which people of Julie’s age hope to avoid, is that of the middle-aged, middle-class (or upper-middle-class) person who suddenly realizes they haven’t accomplished anything. Sure they’ve survived, but they still don’t recognize their place in the world, nor have they experienced anything they could call a “dream.”

Julia Child (Meryl Streep) has reached this stage when we meet her. A virgin until 40, lucky enough to marry a U.S. diplomat while working as a secretary, she found herself living in France unsure of the direction she wanted her life to go. In the movie, she tries her hand at bridge and hatmaking, but ultimately settles on cooking, as we all know. And what a cook she became!

It must be said: this is a delicious-looking movie. Recipes for crunchy bruschetta, sauteed mushrooms, raspberry cream, breaded duck, stuffed chicken breast, and braised fish, among others, are lovingly depicted, most of them perfectly caramelized and nearly all of them fried in butter. You might expect the sort of Crisco and shellack-based tricks used by the advertising industry, but no: it’s all real food, something writer/director Nora Ephron, apparently an accomplished cook, insisted on. (And this is a director who, when she couldn’t find a rustic enough 18th-century British cottage in The Holiday, ordered one custom-built from scratch – so you know she got her way.)

The problem with Julie & Julia is that while Julia’s story is engaging no matter what your age, if, like many older viewers, you passed Julie’s stage a decade or more ago there’s a good chance you’ll be turned off by her. Streep plays Julia Child as a genuine character, a gregarious Amazon with a warm smile, an easy laugh, and an American accent that never quite sounds like it came from anywhere, while Adams’ Powell frequently burns her food, screams at her husband, alienates her friends, yells at her cat and cries in her kitchen until you expect her husband to come in, burp her, kiss her hand, and make it all better – and that’s more or less what happens (minus the burping).

This isn’t Adams’ fault, exactly – Child was a genuine character with a warm smile, easy laugh, etc. who got past the directionless stage, recognizing that after discovering her place in the world she would have to fight for it, while Powell occasionally comes off as a self-indulgent narcissist who, in the primitive blogging world of 2002, simply whined loudly enough for her voice to be heard.

It may not sound like I enjoyed the movie, but I did – I was engaged by Adams’ side of the story, despite the fact that she and her husband (Chris Messina)’s arguments came off as obligatory beats in a bad romantic comedy. (Streep and Stanley Tucci, who plays Julia’s husband, Paul, on the other hand, have what would have been the sweetest onscreen relationship I’d seen in ages had I not seen Away We Go two months ago.)

Basically, unless you’re a foodie, or passing through one of Julie or Julia’s life stages, or a fan of Meryl Streep and/or Amy Adams, there isn’t much here that will interest you.

But that’s okay. Just because certain life stages fall into patterns doesn’t mean everyone experiences – or gets past – them.

Ellen Page Graces Vanity Fair Cover

andPOP Staff — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:02:56 +0000

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Home grown girl Ellen Page is officially one of today’s hottest actresses.

The Canadian star of “Juno” is set to share the coveted cover of Vanity Fair’s annual Hollywood Issue with 10 other young female stars.

The spread, shot by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, hits newsstands Wednesday will feature “Enchanted” actress Amy Adams , “Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Zoe Saldana of the upcoming Star Trek movie and other up and coming starlets.

John Galliano for Dior exclusively designed traditional ball gowns and vintage swimsuits for the actresses to wear for the photo shoot.