Fun Friday: Comic-Con Comes to Sesame Street

When I was young, my favorite thing about Sesame Street was learning the signs for different words, courtesy of Linda. My next favorite part, however, was the songs that taught you things about numbers, like "Martian Beauty Number 9."

I was greatly looking forward to the Sunday morning Comic-Con panel, "Spoofs on the Street," and was tickled pink by the lengthy clip shown near the beginning of the session: Numeric-Con. It was smart and educational and funny, and I look forward to it airing on PBS this season (and not just so people will understand my Numeric-Con t-shirt!). Here's a little taste of the greatness that will be featured:

Don't you just love The Dark Nine? Doctor Two? Fiverine? Capten Kirk? I swear, the jokes get SO MUCH BETTER you won't believe it. Wait until you see Elmo encounter Bert! When the episode is set to air, we'll be sure to let you know!

2014 Comic-Con: Sunday's TV Fun

Comic-Con may be four days long, but it goes by in a flash. By the time Sunday morning hits, you're already sad that there's only eight hours left in the weekend of fun. But, I've had some awesome Sundays (2013 had TWO DuckTales sing-alongs and Jymn Magon's autograph!), and this one followed in that tradition. I may have only attended four panels, but will definitely carry with me the memories of other events of the day! The day was mostly focused on comics and culture, however, so only a little bit of television stuff to report...

Sesame Street & Pop Culture: 45 Years of Spoofs on the 'Street,' with EP Carol-Lynn Parente, and Muppeteers Eric Jacobson (Grover and Bert), Joey Mazzarino (Murray Monster and head writer/director), and David Rudman (Cookie Monster and Baby Bear).
- the 45th season begins September 15th, and upcoming spoofs include Game of Thrones, Age of Ultron, and House of Cards.
- we saw the Numeric-Con spoof for Comic-Con and the Star S'mores spoof for Star Wars.
- the episodes that center around incarceration, deployed parents, etc. are handled by a different writers' group than the main episodes.
- Grover is the Ryan Seacrest of Sesame Street... he has like seventeen jobs!
- If the panelists had to choose another Sesame Street character to accompany them in line, Murray would choose Snuffy, Grover would choose Murray, and Cookie Monster would choose Herbert Birdsfoot (a Jerry Nelson Muppet from the 70s).
- not only was this the only panel I went to this Con where I received swag (limited Bert & Ernie poster), but it was also my only sing-along! (too bad we only did the first verse of the theme song, though!)

Sesame Street Autographs, with David Rudman, Eric Jacobson, and Joey Mazzarino.
- because the autographs were pre-signed photos, fans were able to chat with each Muppet/Muppeteer and take photos as we moved through the line. That was more exciting than I expected, but I wish I had brought someone with me, because the front-facing camera on my phone doesn't have the best resolution.

** find more pictures of these panels, plus others, the exhibit floor, and off-site events at our SmugMug site!  

My 2014 Comic-Con TV Panels

In a week, it'll all be over. San Diego Comic-Con (known by many simply as "Comic-Con") begins on Wednesday night at 6pm and runs until Sunday at 5pm. Plans for the convention begin over a year in advance, and the dates for the subsequent event are generally known before the current one ends. Online pre-registration for badges takes hours. Determining your hotel order for the lottery is a lengthy process. But what really takes time and effort is planning how you'll make the most of those four days... from panels to see to booths to visit, from autograph possibilities to sorting through shopping exclusives, from to sifting through film schedules to discerning the best off-site activities, the work involved is great. [flashback to our previous SDCC schedules: 2011, 2012, 2013.] And that's considering you've been before and don't need to learn how to get around San Diego, where to eat, and how the logistics of attending work.

Because of the amount of work involved (note that I haven't even mentioned the hours spent in lines yet), outsiders don't think Comic-Con is worth the hassle and expense. It is a pricey event (for starters, the vast majority of hotel options come in over $180/night), but it's also one of a kind. Repeat attendees share a camaraderie like no other; once you've been initiated into SDCC, you understand. You share a kindred spirit with all who swarm upon the San Diego Convention Center, whether they be comic book collectors, zombie fanatics, wannabe filmmakers, creative cosplayers, or another variety of pop culture junkie. Folks at Comic-Con appreciate the passion everyone has for something, regardless of whether there's overlap in interest, and that's what makes the ambiance of the environment truly special.

All of that said, I've painstakingly narrowed down my selections and made my schedule for how I will spend Comic-Con this year. I still have twelve television panels on my list, but I'm not going to be camping out in Ballroom 20 or 6 BCF all day to maximize my TV program exposure. Why? Because I have other interests, too, and can't wait for my geek-out moments, which inevitably happen (like after the Disney Afternoon panel last year).

So, without further ado, here are the television panels I'm hoping to see, tweet, and report on this year:

Thursday, July 24th
10:30-11:30am: Legends of TV Land (Indigo Ballroom, Hilton Bayfront), featuring Betty White, among others, who will answer questions about making history on television. Plus, a look at the animated episode of Hot in Cleveland.

11:30am - 12:30pm: Dig: A USA Network Event Series (Indigo Ballroom, Hilton Bayfront), an inside look at this fast-paced international thriller, with actors participating via satellite from Israel.

8-9pm: Psychology of Cult TV Shows (Room 23ABC), will feature several scholars and scientists and examine the cult followings of shows like Doctor Who, Firefly, and Buffy. As someone who has studied Rocky Horror cult fanatics, I'm especially interested in the scholars.

Friday, July 25th
11:30am-12:30pm: iZombie Pilot Screening and Q&A (Room6BCF), for the new CW series that will premiere midseason.

1:30-2:30pm: The Chair: One Script, Two Visions, One Winner (Marriott Hall 2), for the new Starz series. Both directors and the creator will be there, and scenes from the movies and the series will be shown. I've already written a little about this show, and look forward to more.

4:30-5:30pm: Falling Skies: Season 4 Panel (Room 6BCF), for what may very well be the final panel for this post-apocalyptic television show. I've seen the three before this one (2011, 2012, 2013), and while they're not groundbreaking and tend to show you a clip from the very next episode, they're a goof time.

5:30-6:30pm: Roar Comics: Saved by the Bell, Punky Brewster, and More (Room 8), because I love that some of my favorite characters are in serialized narrative format. Some announcements are also promised, so perhaps more television shows are going that way?

7-8pm: The Unexplained Files (Room 7AB), from Science Channel, will be taking a deeper look at stuff you can't believe. It's as simple as that, but still truly fascinating, plus there will be scholars, eye witnesses, and prizes.

Saturday, July 26th:
10-11am: Why Not Serious? Comedy vs. Drama in Animation (Room 9), caught my eye because I hadn't thought about how little action and adventure is in cartoons. I grew up with Danger Mouse, and The Awesomes is around, but the big 80s/90s X-Men, Batman, and the like aren't really there anymore, so I am interested in the theories as to why not.

5-6pm: The Digital Revolution: The Convergence of Television and the Internet (Indigo Ballroom, Hilton Bayfront), will hopefully offer more information than I've already been learning lately about how ratings are changing and people are "cord-cutting."

8-11pm: Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment: The Flash, Constantine, Arrow, and the World Premiere of Gotham (Hall H) may be too tough to get into, as the Gotham pilot is very highly anticipated, plus a full viewing of The Flash will also entice people, but I'm game to try.

Sunday, July 27th:
10:15-11:15am Sesame Street & Pop Culture: 45 Years of Spoofs on the 'Street' (Room 6A) is near and dear to by heart. Two new parodies (on Comic-Con and Star Wars, no less!), plus looking at how popular culture has influenced the iconic show, with muppeteers on the panel.

Yeah, you probably noticed that there are quite a few gaps in this schedule... so what else am I planning on seeing, panel-wise? Well, Thursday features a Hanna-Barbera offering I don't want to miss, plus a Goonies discussion, and a look at retro 90s stuff. Friday and Saturday I'll hit a little of the Film Festival for a little bit of old-time Disney magic, plus take in a few how-to sessions about writing television shows. And Sunday I'm back at my old scholarly ways with an anthropological study panel, plus the making of the LEGO movie. Keep checking back as we report on the many distinct facets that make up Comic-Con!

Fun Friday: Sesame Street Parody

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

You might be one of the six million people who have already seen this, but if you haven't, it's a treat! That Carly Rae Jepsen song that's everywhere right now, "Call Me Maybe," has been spoofed by none other than Cookie Monster!

Had to Share: Glee on Sesame Street

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yeah, it's a video. And you may have seen it out on the internet already. I just saw it this morning, and though I loathe Glee, I love Sesame Street. And, since Google is celebrating Jim Henson's (would-be) 75th birthday today (check out www.google.com if you haven't yet!), I thought it was fitting to post the video for you guys. What do you think? I find it absolutely brilliant!

Random Question: Who's Your Favorite Sesame Street Muppet?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This morning I had my photo taken with none other than Elmo. The real Elmo, puppeteered by Kevin Clash. Immediately following, I sat in on a panel where critics asked Clash an assortment of questions, causing me to deepen my appreciation for him and his work.

Last night I saw the PBS documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, which brought me to tears three or four times. It was a heart-warming story and included some great archival footage of the late Jim Henson, among others. 

I'm older than many of the folks who love Elmo, and younger than many of the parents whose children were/are Elmo fanatics. This puts me in a special position. Although I grew up as big a Sesame Street fan as the next kid (and maybe quite a bit more, let's not lie...), Elmo wasn't a big Muppet for me. I was more of a Cookie Monster and Snuffy kind of kid, though Big Bird thoroughly fascinated me until I was old enough to understand how full-body puppets worked. I had a surprising number of Grover-themed items, but I personally attribute that to the fact that I was a youngster in the 80s, when SuperGrover was young and cool and had a few of those books that you followed along to the sound of Grover on cassette tape.

A couple of years ago I went to the Popular Culture Association Conference, where I was thrilled to win a Bert & Ernie shirt in a raffle, and witnessed for the first time a live muppeteering, with Fran Brill performing Prairie Dawn and Zoe. I was giddy at the time, so you might imagine my excitement when Elmo talked directly to me this morning, using my name, and putting his arm around me. 

Photo: Rahoul Ghose/PBS

Tell me about who your favorite Muppet from Sesame Street is!

Top 10 Guest Stars who became Regulars

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Ever watch a show and realize that a character just comes along and steals the show... over and over? It happens, and while it's not incredibly common, it's far from a rare occurrence. Today I'm going to give some examples of this character type, and feel free to suggest others that I might not have thought of.  

10. Mimi on The Drew Carey Show. Although I have only seen a couple episodes of this show, I am familiar with the character Mimi. I think that she is kinda synonymous with the show, and I was amused to find out that she wasn't originally intended to be a main character.

9. Spock from Star Trek. He was the only character carried over from the first pilot to the second for the television shows, and ended up becoming one of the most-identifiable characters in all of the Star Trek saga.

8. Elmo on Sesame Street. He was originally a background Muppet without a name, but has really become a mainstay fixture since the 90s. Who knew that a preschool speaks-in-the-third-person red monster would end up taking popularity from Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the crowd?

7. Slimer from Ghostbusters. Yes, he's originally from the movie, but he was so popular in it that he became a major character in the television series. A one-hit ghost that even ended up with a flavor of HiC named for him... cool. Ecto Cool.

6. Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls. Originally, she was intended to be a supporting character... but tested so well that the writers included her as one of the main characters. Kinda funny when you think about how they eliminated Coco the housekeeper after a single episode... perhaps partially to give Sophia more of a role.

5. Butters Stotch from South Park. He fought so well with Cartman that he ended up a regular, and even got his own episode to give the audience more background on this nerdy, strives-to-please kid. Butters is unlike the other main characters in so many ways, yet he fits right in.

4. Carol Hathaway from ER. The well-known retcon that a suicide became just a coma. Carol went on to have an interesting run on the show, and everyone seemed to be rooting for her and Doug Ross (George Clooney's character) by the time she left the show. The final season revealing that they were still together was heartwarming.

3. Fonzie from Happy Days. Probably the best example of this idea, since they were considering renaming the show because of his popularity. Again, Fonzie was different from the main cast of characters on this show, but he managed to fit in and add a new angle on the retro show.

2. Maxwell Klinger on M*A*S*H. He was originally written just to get a laugh out of crowds at the crazy things that people did to try to get a Section 8 discharge from the armed forces. He ended up becoming a regular, continuing to fight for a discharge up until his time in the service was about over.

1. Urkel from Family Matters. This instance is my favorite. I can't really imagine how this show would've played out without Steve. And, when I was a kid, my family referred to this sitcom as "The Urkel Show." Oh, and were there toys made of any of the other characters? Because I had a friend who had that talking Urkel doll... and he was so dorky he was cool!  

so... who else fits this description?

11 Days til Christmas!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

we're getting down to the wire now, next week is the last cluster of great holiday episodes! But before those, here are this week's five! I've kinda been in a more childish Christmas mood lately, if that makes sense... I think it's because I watched A Muppet Family Christmas yesterday afternoon, and that one makes me smile so wide I can't close my mouth, LoL.

Family Matters: "Deck the Malls." (1997) This episode is of specific significance because it was the final one with the original Harriette, and the last one at all for the Rachel, Estelle, and Ritchie characters. Carl as a mall Santa, Laura as his elf, and Steve and Myra wrapping presents. Here's the warm & fuzzy part, hehe:

3rd Rock from the Sun: "Jolly Old St. Dick." (1996) It's the Solomons first Christmas, and everyone is struggling in their own way. Each character actually has his own storyline... Tommy struggles in finding a gift for his girlfriend, Harry finds out that mall Santas aren't the real thing, Sally starts out gift-wrapping at the mall but ends up trying to help people choose better gifts for loved ones, and Dick can't get into the holiday spirit without overdoing it. Opening clip (you'll probably be hooked, so rest assured that the same user has uploaded the whole thing).


Rugrats: "The Santa Experience." (1992) The families take a Christmas trip together. Angelica doubts in the existence of Santa Claus, and Chuckie is afraid of him. There's a bit of The Gift of the Magi in there with Angelica antagonizing. Didi decides the most beautiful tree in the woods can't be cut down, so they have to get an artificial. In the end, it all works out. Here's a clip of said ending.


Shining Time Station: "'Tis a Gift." (1990) Tanya and Matt can't wait for Christmas. The adults all want to play "Santa's Helper." A man named Mr. Nicholas is waiting for a train that nobody has heard of. An annoying girl named Vicki is stuck at the train station while her mother goes shopping. I love it when Schemer tries to act like other people are dishonest, LoL. The clip is the end of the hour-long special, including the song from the title.


Christmas Eve on Sesame Street: (1978) This is such a good Christmas special. And no, it may not be an "episode," per se, but I couldn't help myself. Skating, The Gift of the Magi, caroling, interviewing kids about Santa, Cookie Monster trying to ask Santa for gifts, Big Bird trying to prove Santa is real, the whole thing is precious. This clip has a little bit of everything (well, except Big Bird, but his plot is kinda being handled by Grover, haha).

Quite the Attention Span

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This will be part of a series I'll do on Mondays for a while: Long-Running Television Shows. For the purposes of this blog, I will be ignoring Soap Operas and Meet The Press -type shows.

It seems appropriate that I'll start off with Sesame Street. This show is about to hit the 40-year mark, and holds the record for longest-running children's program on American television. The name recognition is unbelievable, it is shown in 120 countries, and has won over 100 Emmy awards. As one of the 77-million or so adults who watched Sesame Street as a child, I can vouch for its ability to maintain an audience. Combining live action sequences with puppets and animation, the short segments are designed for preschoolers' short attention spans.

It always bothered me that their "letter and number of the day" did not go in sequential order. One day it could be "H" and "13" but the next it would be "V" and "9." But, it did increase letter and sound recognition, as well as basic math skills. They taught me how to properly cross the street, shapes such as pentagons, how an elephant bathes in dust, and daily words in ASL (a major feat, as Linda was the first deaf actress to appear as a regular on a television show) and Spanish. "Special" episodes that come to mind include Mr. Hooper's death, Snuffy becoming more than Big Bird's imaginary friend, Slimey going to the moon, and the more-recent "hurricane week" episodes and the grease fire designed to help children deal with the tragedy of 9/11.

Gordon and Susan, Maria and Luis, Miles and Gabriella. Molly the mail lady, Mr. Hooper, Linda. Just a few of the more memorable (to me) "real" people in the show. Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Snuffy, Oscar, Slimey, Elmo, Telly, Roosevelt Franklin, the Dinglehoppers... the list of muppets is endless. I mean, The Count, Grover, Guy Smiley, the Twiddlebugs, Cookie Monster, the two-headed monster, baby Natasha, Herry Monster, Prairie Dawn, Barkley, they just keep coming to me.

Big Bird in Japan, Big Bird in China, Follow that Bird, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, specials with princesses, the Boston Pops, and several celebrities... tons of Sesame Street expanders that came on during Primetime or even on the big screen. Follow that Bird was a scary special for me, because I felt like I could get kidnapped just as easily. I have always loved Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and look forward to watching the DVD with my future children.

Anyway, Celebrate Sesame Street!