My Role in the Elmo Scandal

The other night around 11:20 I started getting messages through Facebook that people thought they had seen me on the news in Baltimore. It turns out, while doing a story on the Kevin Clash allegations, WJZ 13 used file footage of an event at Port Discovery children's museum including a shot of myself working with Elmo & Clash. We don't get Channel 13 where I live, but I just found the story online so I thought I'd share. Look for the very large fat guy in a purple shirt talking to an audience with Elmo. That was back in 1999, and perhaps about 100 pounds heavier...

Classic Commercial Sunday - On My Way

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY
Directed by Constance Marks
Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg

I was always a big Muppets fan growing up but I must have grown out of “Sesame Street” just before Elmo got there because I have no childhood recollections of the lovable little red fur guy. And judging from how massive Elmo’s a global fan base is today, I’m pretty sure that if I had seen him as a kid, I would have fallen in love with him just as much as everyone else has. Over the years, Elmo has grown to rank as one of the most popular Muppets of all time, standing alongside the likes of Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear. BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY goes beneath the frame to introduce the man below Elmo, Kevin Clash, the self-made puppeteer who found himself crouching alongside Jim Henson and Frank Oz.

Under Constance Marks’ direction, this portrait of Clash is tender one that gives the viewer a true success story. Clash started making puppets when he started watching “Sesame Street” as a child and never looked back. Thanks to the beautifully unflinching support of his parents, said to be the inspiration behind the puppet that would become his legacy, Clash never lost sight of his dreams. His determination and raw talent were evident to all who met him and the love his success has brought him is channeled through the unwavering love of Elmo himself. The film itself isn’t terribly dynamic but what it makes up in formal aesthetic, it more than makes up for in heart. And if there’s anything Elmo has ever taught us, its that heart is what matters most of all.

Classic Commercial Sunday - #74

My Week In Movies - Tossed Salad For Everyone!

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985) This is one of those movies that when I tell people how good it is they automatically write it off because they think Sesame Street and they think counting and letters and it's all just for little kids. When in reality, this is a very funny - very fun - movie for the whole family that doesn't play down to children and can be totally enjoyable for adults as well. This was the first big screen outing for the Sesame Street gang and it's a perfect example of how to bring a small screen show to a feature film format. Big Bird moves away from his New York home on Sesame Street to live with an adoptive bird family in Ocean View, Il. Big Bird quickly learns that he's made a mistake and sneaks away in the middle of the night to walk home to Sesame Street. He figures it will take him about three hours, since it took two to fly there. When news of Big Bird's departure hits home, the Sesame Street gang splits up and sets out to find Big before mean Ms. Finch from the adoption agency does.

Unlike the second Sesame Street movie, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Follow That Bird gives almost equal screen time to all the major characters. Oscar, Cookie Monster, Grover, The Count and Bert and Ernie all have big parts in this movie.

The Muppet-filled movie has two of my all time favorite jokes in a movie, one involving a tossed salad at Oscar's favorite restaurant, the Don't Drop Inn. As with all great Muppet movies there are plenty of cameos by human celebrities including Chevy Chase reprising his Weekend Update role which is pretty much worth the price of admission alone. I've seen this movie 200 times, it was nice watching it with children for once. My kids loved it, and our Friday night viewing sparked a weekend of listening to the soundtrack album in the car as well as a repeat screening on Sunday. I love when even a 5 and 7 year old can let their guard down and watch something silly and fun instead of super heroes and giant lizards. If you don't have a kids, but have a fondness for Muppets and/or your ol' pals from Sesame Street - get yourself a copy of this movie, pull down the shades and get ready for an incredibly entertaining 90 minutes. If you have kids and they haven't seen this yet, do everyone a favor and watch it. Good times!

Of course, this epic is Rated G and contains nothing offensive or off-color. Over-sensitive parents of over-sensitive kids should know that there are some bad guys who are played for laughs but they do say things like "shut up" and "idiot" and they lock Big Bird in a cage. But the young viewing audience is always kept in mind, and this is a solid G.

Off The Mark 9/14

PG-13 Flintstones Shirt...and other goodies

I'm not really a fan of taking classic cartoon characters and making suggestive merchandise with them, but seeing as how The Flintstones are near-extinct in the current pop culture landscape I couldn't help but be a bit excited when I saw this new T-shirt at Spencer's Gifts in the mall! For those of you out of the loop, the shirt actually references a song by rapper Lil' Wayne called BedRock. Among the song's other sexually charged lyrics are the line: "Call me Mr. Flintstone...I can make your bed rock." Suggestive? Yes. Obscene? I don't think so. We've all seen shirts with cartoon characters doing much worse stuff with drugs....or in the case of poor Calvin and Hobbs - relieving themselves on anything under the sun (but mostly the Ford logo.) Anywho...cool shirt! You can't blame a caveman for making a pun! The shirt isn't available yet on Spencer's website, but it can be ordered from Stylin Online.

Another really cool item I saw at the same store was this super neat Sesame Street Character Diaper Bag. I'm not sure I'm down with this new trend of slapping Cookie Monster's face on everything from keychains to beach towels and Snuggies. The music store in our mall is filled with new Cookie Monster stuff and I'm not sure punk kid out there with a blue Cookie Monster shirt is a true CM fan. My die-hard Cookie Monster fan roots run very deep! But again, who cares...this diaper bag, with the faces of other characters on the smaller pockets is totally cool...and alot more attractive than the diaper bag we carried around with Baby Elmo and Baby Big Big petting a baby elephant. (Seriously.)

So, next time you are at your local mall make sure you stop by Spencer's Gifts and pick up some great gift items. And while you're there - why not also throw into your shopping cart some novelty toilet paper, a walking cane with a rear view mirror and a horn on it, and some black light posters!