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!
Overlooking the Toronto skyline from backstage at the Molson Amphitheater, Manchester Orchestra’s rhythm-guitarist and singer-songerwriter Andy Hull took in a drag and the scene.
“It’s pretty awesome to wake up in the city that you grew up in,” confessed Hull, moments before opening for My Chemical Romance and Blink-182 as part of the 2011 Honda Civic Tour. It would almost seem that, other than sharing a stage, lyrical honesty and vulnerability is about all that these three bands have in common.
“It’s fun man, they’re all really kind people,” says Hull about being on the road with MCR and Blink. It’s been a sleepless summer for Hull and company, leaping between a plethora of festivals from Montreal’s Osheaga to Chicago’s Lollapalooza. “It’s been quite an experience to play these venues. It’s definitely this casting vision tour to really see how big a band can get. It’s kind of crazy. And [Blink-182] is definitely a band that represented a huge part of our childhood.”
Weezer has covered Radiohead’s iconic song ‘Paranoid Android,’ Billboard reveals.
The in-studio cover isn’t the first time Weezer has covered the band’s songs. They’ve performed other classics like ‘Creep’ before, and decided to take it one step further by recording a full-out studio version.
I love, love, love this song, so I enjoy hearing any cover of it. I think Weezer succeeded into take the song and making it their own, by switching up lyrics and instrumental here and there. Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer, definitely has the voice to pull it off. Great song, great cover.
Check it out below!
Canada Day just got a whole lot Hipper. The Tragically Hip will be headlinging a special Canada Day concert this year at Toronto’s Downsview Park.
The July 1st show will also feature sets from Weezer, Broken Social Scene, Hey Rosetta! and Buck 65.
VIP Passes are available to users of The Tragically Hip’s website, and those will get faster access to the 19+ VIP area that includes a cash bar, food venders and…. washrooms! It will also give you special access to the VIP parking lot. You’d be living the high life!
As for general admission tickets, they will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Saturday, although members of 102.1 The Edge’s Inside Edge can get pre-sale on Friday, March 4th at 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. ET.
The Hip are in the middle of recording their follow-up to 2009′s We Are The Same. Singer Gord Downie also released a solo album titled The Grand Bounce last year, and recorded a song with City and Colour. Hey Rosetta! will be heavily promoting their new critically acclaimed album, Seeds.
Weezer fans have something to get excited about—besides the new album that’s coming in September.
The band is planning a mega-tour that is equal parts nostalgic and awesome. The tour would have two stops in every city: Each night they would play an album from start to finish, Blue on the first night and Pinkerton on the second.
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo let fans know what’s up while on-set of the band’s “Memories” music video shoot in California.
“We have this really exciting idea to do a tour where we spend two nights in each city, and the first night, we play the entire Blue album, and the second night, we play the entirety of Pinkerton,” Cuomo told MTV News. “We’re just running it by promoters right now to see if there’s sufficient interest in the markets to do something like that, and if they’re on board, it’s gonna happen.”
“The fan response has been incredible so far for the idea,” Cuomo said. If you’re hoping to see the band in your city, Cuomo also said that if fans really want to see Weezer play they can “contact their local promoter and tell them to make it happen.”
It’s a Monday night in Golden, British Columbia, and Crush Luther have just finished playing for a crowd of one person – the creepy bar owner.
There were three girls around earlier in the show, but they left because the bar owner was drunk and hitting on them. There was also a drunk named Kurt, but he got thrown out minutes into the show.
“[Kurt] was the drunkest human being I have ever seen,” Luther Mallory, lead singer of Crush Luther, told andPOP. “He was on the stage with us, just swaying back and forth, ready to pass out.”
After the show, at around 2 a.m., Crush Luther was hanging out at the bar and having a couple of drinks. Then all of a sudden, a giant crowd of people wandered into the bar and demanded some live music.
Crush Luther answered the call.
The giant crowd of people had been at the local strip club, where a new stripper had come to town for the week to dance.
The people of Golden called this night, “fresh meat night,” which Mallory said is horrible and horrifying as anything.
Just over a month after a tour bus accident forced alternative band Weezer to cancel their remaining tour dates in support of their latest album Raditude, lead singer Rivers Cuomo has been given the go-ahead to return to the stage, reports rollingstone.com.
“Doctor says my lung is all healed – cleared to fly to Florida for the show. Turns out I broke 5 ribs!!!” Cuomo wrote on the band’s Twitter account.
After staying a week in an Albany, New York hospital, Cuomo was forced to bus back to Los Angeles because doctors were concerned that the change in air pressure when flying could affect his recovery.
Alternative band Weezer has cancelled the remaining dates on its 2009 tour after a bush crash left frontman River Cuomo hospitalized, reports Billboard.com.
The upstate New York crash left Cuomo with broken ribs and other injuries.
Karl Koch, the band’s webmaster and longtime collaborator, gave details of the crash and made the announcement in a posting on the band’s Website on Sunday (Dec. 6).
“We are sorry to say that the rest of the December Raditude Tour has been cancelled – when we can reschedule the dates we will, of course,” Koch wrote on his post. “For now it’s a waiting game for all of us. Thanks for your kind thoughts and good wishes, we need them!”
The bus crash, which occurred on an icy stretch of the Interstate 90 highway about 40 miles north of Albany, NY, was more serious than original reports stated. Cuomo, his wife, his baby daughter, their nanny, and Cuomo’s assistant Sarah Kim were all on the bus when it went over a guardrail and landed upright, eight – 10 feet down in a ravine.
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the band’s tour bus crashed into a ditch on the New York State Thruway early Sunday morning, reports CBC. The band’s assistant, Sarah Kim, also went to the hospital with minor injuries.
The bus was on its way to Boston for a concert on Monday. Cuomo’s wife and two-year-old daughter were on the bus but were not hurt.
“It was perfect conditions for black ice,” Tweeted Weezer’s drummer, Patrick Wilson. “Got loose going towards the meridian, driver saves it but bus goes through guardrail into six foot ditch.”
Universal has announced that Lil Wayne’s long overdue rock album, Rebirth, will be released on December 15th.
The announcement comes just a few weeks after the release of his new mixtape, No Ceilings, and a week after the release of Weezer’s Raditude album, on which he makes an appearance on the song Can’t Stop Partying. He told Billboard.com that he plans to maintain the consistent rock vibe that he intended.
“I play guitar on 80 percent of the songs, and there’s a lot of rock influences and rock beats. I also have Travis Barker on the album.”
While working with two rock giants like Travis Barker and Rivers Cuomo should give Wayne the right idea, there is still no certainty about the outcome of this album. Based on the mild response generated by Prom Queen and Can’t Stop Partying, the anticipation will be filled with more curiousity than excitement.
Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo and bassist Scott Shriner are promoting a warm surprise available for purchase with a copy of their new album.
Fans can own a customized “Weezer Snuggie” with their new Raditude album, available in stores today.
The group has even made a hilarious infomercial that includes footage from the original Snuggie infomercial.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the Snuggie is a warm, robe-like blanket that is reminiscent of some sort of cult uniform.
Raditude is Weezer’s seventh studio album, and includes the hit single “I Want You To.”
Weezer have announced their first few dates in support of their upcoming seventh studio album, Raditude.
According to chartattack.com, the dates will see the band playing smaller venues in the United States and include a stop in Toronto for the Edge’s Jingle Bell Rock at the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 5. That show will feature IllScarlett and other performers.
Tickets go on sale Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. through Ticketmaster, but members of the Edge’s Inside Edge can get tickets in a presale which is on now. Tickets run $19.50, $39.50 and $59.50.
Weezer just released the video for “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” Raditude‘s first single.
Raditude is out Nov. 3.
Weezer will include a track featuring hip-hop star Lil Wayne on their new album, MTV News reports.
Raditude, scheduled to debut on November 3rd, is the seventh studio album by the rock group, and front man Rivers Cuomo said it was a chance, “to do something totally different.”
If you’re familiar with Weezer’s edgy, upbeat rock sound, urban music is far from characteristic of their style. Cuomo told MTV News that he wrote the song, titled “Can’t Stop Partying,” with music industry dynamo Jermaine Dupri. “It was a real challenge for me, taking his ideas, which are very slick, R&B party [ideas], and giving it some kind of edge, some darkness, making it work with rock, making it work with Weezer,” said Cuomo.
But Lil Wayne is no stranger to Rock. He appeared on Fallout Boy’s last album, and is continuing to pursue his own solo rock-inspired project named Rebirth. Experience, though, doesn’t necessarily imply success. His rock endeavours have been praised for their daring ingenuity, but not necessarily their sound. Ingenuity is one thing that the music pair share though, so it will be interesting to hear the final product of their collaboration.
There’s little in the music world that excites me more than a good collaboration. Be the unlikely pairing of Eminem and Elton John, or inevitable power tracks from Jay-Z, Kanye and Rihanna (check out “Run This Town” if you haven’t already heard it.)
Recently, though, more than just musical minds have been getting together. So here’s the news.
It seems early to be looking forward to the holidays, but this year I actually have a reason to get excited. Bob Dylan is releasing a Christmas album, according to Pitchfork. No longer will I have to sit through the intolerable holiday stylings of Michael Buble, Destiny’s Child, or Jessica Simpson. At first I was hesitant, imagining his raspy, sarcastic attempts at “Santa Baby” or “Deck the Halls.”
But Dylan’s official website confirmed a more appropriate set list, including “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Little Drummer Boy”, and “Must Be Santa.” The album artwork for Christmas in the Heart is also pure class, and will surely stand out amongst the glittery fare normally on the shelves around the holiday time. The album is set for release on Oct. 13 – a little on the early side but knowing Dylan, it will be worth much more than just holiday cheer.
Weezer are releasing their own version of the popular blanket-that-you-can-wear known as a Snuggie.
Dubbed a “Wuggie,” the item is the result of a collaboration between the band and the official makers of the sleeved blanket.
“A Wuggie is basically exactly like a Snuggie, except it says Weezer on it,” front man Rivers Cuomo told Rolling Stone. “The people at Snuggie are doing it with us and promoting it with us. It’s a totally legit Snuggie.”
Weezer fans are getting the ultimate Christmas present this year: a collection of home recordings by Rivers Cuomo.
The record, entitled “Alone – The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo,” should not be seen as a solo album, but rather a kind of musical scrapbook. According to Cuomo, who posted on his Myspace page, “This is a CD of my favorite home demos from ’92 to ’07 featuring a lot of never heard before songs, a few covers, a few songs from my unfinished rock musical ‘Songs From The Black Hole’ and my original demo for ‘Buddy Holly.’”
Geffen records will release the album on December 11. Cuomo said he may put out more demo collections in the future.
To hear a sample of the song “Blast Off,” the Windows Media file is here, and the Real Player file is here.
Last month, Weezer front-man Rivers Cuomo all but nailed the coffin shut on his beloved band.
“Really, for the moment, we are done,” he told MTV.com in an interview. “And I’m not certain we’ll ever make a record again, unless it becomes really obvious to me that we need to do one.”
Apparently, that time has come quicker than most would have thought.
This past weekend, a new statement appeared on the band’s website, http://www.weezer.com/, quite to the contrary of the earlier Cuomo quote.
“Now please, take those ‘weezer split?’ headlines and place them firmly into the ‘Don’t believe the hype’ bin,” reads the posting. “And have yourself a fine afternoon now.”
The statement is accompanied by a photo of Cuomo along with Weezer bassist Scott Shriner and guitarist Brian Bell, dressed all fancy-like in suits and gathered around some tasty snacks. Seems like a happy family for now.
Rivers Cuomo strongly suggested in a recent interview that his band Weezer may be a thing of the past.
According to the Harvard-educated singer, there hasn’t been much communication between him and the other band members recently, though there’s no bad blood.
“[T]he band is all back in Los Angeles, and I sometimes speak with Patrick, and I occasionally email with Brian and Scott, but we’ve never mentioned getting together,” the recently-married Cuomo told MTV News from his in-laws’ house in Japan. “And I’m not certain we’ll ever make a record again, unless it becomes really obvious to me that we need to do one.”
However, that doesn’t mean that Cuomo has given up on songwriter — apparently he’s been busily massing material without any particular release in mind.
“All this year I’ve been feeling pretty creative and excited, so I’ve been writing a lot,” Cuomo said. “I certainly don’t see them becoming Weezer songs, and I don’t really see the point of a solo career. So we’ll just have to see.”
Apologies to all you geek-loving girls, but Weezer front-man Rivers Cuomo is now a happily married man.
According to the band’s website, the 36-year-old singer wed his long-time girlfriend Kyoto Ito at a private ceremony in Malibu, CA on Sunday.
About 100 friends and family came out for the event, including Rick Rubin, which featured a string quartet and vegan fare.
As well, six of the seven all-time Weezer members came out for the wedding, including Brian Bell, Pat Wilson, Scott Shriner, Matt Sharp, Jason Cropper, and of course, Cuomo. Ex-bassist Mikey Welsh, who departed on less-than-good terms, was not in attendance.
It’s been a good month for Cuomo. In addition to the marriage, he graduated from Harvard last week, 11 years after he first enrolled. He also celebrated his birthday on June 13.
Students studying at Harvard University this winter may have an unlikely classmate in one of their courses: Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. Cuomo revealed recently in a chat session on AOL Music that he plans to return to Harvard in February to complete a degree in English. He hopes to graduate in June.
Cuomo originally enrolled in the Ivy League institution in 1995 but dropped out two semesters short of graduation. He announced plans to return to Harvard in the summer of 2004, but Cuomo ended up spending most of 2005 recording and touring in support of the Weezer?s latest album, “Make Believe.”
In an appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show earlier this week, Cuomo said he plans on living in an on-campus dorm at the university and that he’s currently three classes away from earning his undergraduate degree.
