Wednesday, September 23, 2020

How The "Muppets" are back for "Now"

  (0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Fade cut to James in his room at his house)


TLOTA:
I'm James Faraci The Last Of The Americans and Yeah still at home, and in Quarantine but guess what, thanks to my family we now have Disney+ and one of the first things that I saw was something my niece wanted to see. (Cut to live action Mulan title credit. Cut to James) NO! Something that she and I could both enjoy! (Cut to the title of "Muppets Now!" then clips of the host segments with Scooter as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
"Muppets Now" is sort of idea Jim Henson would have thought of, if he were still around. Taking the Muppet Show concept and trying to see how it would work with sketches, a wraparound segment featuring a host, and plenty of Muppet Silliness, Some Subtle Educational moments and guest stars that would appeal to everyone. Does the series work? Or will it be another short lived series that tried to put the squeeze on the Muppets making them the Square Pegs in Disney's Round Hole? (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
Well let's see if this Muppets Wish Day wish is granted and this is a good series, this is "Muppets Now"
(Cut to the title of "Muppets Now!" then clips of the host segments with Scooter as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Something to note that in every intro is Matt Vogel's Kermit The Frog telling us the title of the show and that it's being streamed to us from the Muppets Studio and as I said before that it's taking me some time for me to get used to the new voice of Kermit and yeah he hasn't grown on me, YET! I will be patient, it took me sometime to accept Steve Whitmire as Kermit, so be patient with Matt, he'll get to a likable facsimile of Kermit The Frog but until then yeah I'm saying it's Matt Vogel's Kermit The Frog. But I digress, in the pilot episode Matt Vogel's Kermit The Frog hands the hosting duties to Scooter who has all of episodes of the shows on a hard drive and it's up to Scooter to make sure that the episodes are loaded by a certain time and the show lasts about 22 minutes and in the segments with him he has someone to play off of. In the pilot it's Kermit in an unofficial passing of the torch and in subsequent episodes we have Fozzie, Statler & Waldorf, Animal, Chip the I.T. Guy and finally Robin. However this series also saw the premiere of two new characters, Beverly Plume and Joe From Legal and to be honest, they feel like the sore thumbs in the show and as time went on Beverly should've thanked her lucky feathers none of the episodes of the show she was hosting didn't have turkey, Otherwise Beverly would've been roasted! As for Joe from Legal, well... (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Let me share something with you that he sent. "While you are within your legal rights to review this under Fair Use Acts know that if your review is awful I will act upon you as you get sued to the earth's core! I should know I can dig that far." That was his first message, then he sent a second one with what I can assume is a very loud and powerful laugh because it is in Large text and goes on as "BWAAAAAAAAAAAAH-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Okay Joe, thanks for that! (Cut to clips of the shorts in "Muppets Now" as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
The First sketch posted by Scooter is LifeSty...(Cut to James as he goes to his tablet and Miss Piggy contacts James through DUO)

Miss Piggy:
LIFESTY LE! LIFESTYLE! GET IT IT RIGHT OR ELSE YOU WILL HEAR FROM ME AND FEEL ME COMING AT YA!! (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Miss Piggy, you caught me in mid word, I was about to say "LifeStyle With Miss Piggy" (Cut to the screen on James' tablet as she giggles with a bit of nervousness)

Miss Piggy:
Well, Oopsie on my part! Keep at what you're doing! Ta-Ta! ( The Screen goes dark as it cuts to James)

TLOTA:
What is my life right now?(Cut to clips of "LifeStyle with Miss Piggy" in "Muppets Now" as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
As I was trying to say the first sketch posted is the beginning of a series of  self help ideas hosted by Miss Piggy called "LifeStyle" it has tidbits of information for style and living. It also has Taye Diggs doing something with Miss Piggy and Linda Cardellini chatting with Miss Piggy as they answer questions from fans. It's in all the episodes and while it is Miss Piggy being the Diva she is, I think it's good for what it is. My favorite series of sketches? Well.... (Cut to the opening of Okey Dokey Kookin then clips of Okey Dokey Kookin as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
"Okey Dokey Kookin" has Beverly Plume  hosting a cooking challenge of sorts as famous chefs appear making recipes that is meant to make the mouth water and of course The Swedish Chef being well The Swedish Chef. My favorite episode of this series of sketches has of all people the most bad ass actor and restauranteur Machete himself Danny Trejo! However the tension between Beverly and The Swedish Chef is palpable because he has his way of things and Beverly just gives the poor guy Tsouris for it but I love it because when I first saw this series it was with my youngest niece and she laughed and enjoyed it as much as I do! She also loved another series of sketches which harkens The Muppets back to the days when they were on Sesame Street. (Cut to the opening of "Muppet Labs Field Test" then clips of "Muppet Labs Field Test" as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
"Muppet Labs Field Test" as hosted by Beaker and Dr. Bunson Honeydew always starts off with a disclaimer not to do their experiments at home given to us by Kermit The Frog and Joe From Legal. The experiments have actual Scientific merit and educational material and the scientists that come in as unsuspecting "guests" that helps in the experiments that go the way Beaker and Bunson would hope would go! This is the one sketch that puts the series into the E/I Programing category. (Cut to shows with the E/I Programming label as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
For those who are wondering the E/I Programing is when a show is both entertaining and informative, shows like the original "Saved By The Bell" series or something like "Fraggle Rock" and of course "Sesame Street" or even the "Back To The Future" animated series. Now I have nothing against it as long as it doesn't insult the intelligence and somehow educate without coming off preachy or like an educator overdoing it. But I digress. (Cut to clips of "Muppet Labs Field Test" as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
To me this is one of the best series of Sketches that everyone can enjoy

(Cut to opening of "Pepe's Unbelievable Game Show" then clips from "Pepe's Unbelievable Game Show" as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
The one series of sketches that people automatically thought were the ones closer to say how The Muppets were taking potshots at a certain site that claims itself as "Awesome" even though there are a group of Meshugginah Schmucks and Feygulahs and a game show that was made by them, this apparent pot shot is "Pepe's Unbelievable Game Show" which if you ask me is Chaos and has no structure as opposed to the fact that the Game Show that was made was by those Schmucks which was something I did enjoy, it had me laughing and being able to get to see how much better I was and if that show had continued I would be glad to have either hosted or taken the series and continued it in the same way but changed certain elements, making it like "Win Ben Stein's Money". But apparently this was a fan favorite to many. Myself, eh not so much, because call me cuckoo but the more the host tries to keep the show organized and the contestants make that impossible is the best route to go, "Pepe's Unbelievable Game Show"? Not my cup of tea!

(Cut to the openings of "Muppet Masters" & "Mup Close & Personal" then clips of both shorts as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA(Voiceover):
The least used sketches was that of Muppet Masters and "Mup Close & Personal". The short amount of episodes that were on which is hosted by Walter features Kermit showing off that he is a Master Photobomber and that Uncle Deadly is well versed in theatrical swordplay. But the development that surprised me was that of Walter's as he comes in fully researched and educated on the subjects that the supposed "Masters" know about. And as for "Mup Close and Personal, while having RuPaul, the very lovely Aubrey Plaza and Seth Rogen. While we learn some things about the subjects of the episodes and The Muppets hosting get better in the subjects they talk about. And for me my favorite episode was the one with Aubrey because, let's face it, I'm a dude! I'm not ashamed nor am I completely blind. I really hope that (Cut to clips of the host segments with Scooter as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
One thing I noticed thanks to fans on YouTube and on other reviews have noticed certain things on Scooter's screen. Some see stuff like a baby Scooter and a possible notice of Skeeter who was in the original Muppet Babies. Some people notice that there is a vault that's bulging, these people claim that all five years of the original Muppets Show that have been held back since Disney bought The Muppets Lock Stock & Barrel and did not release seasons 4 & 5. Again that's a fan theory. Until Disney+ does confirm that they are releasing the series on said streaming service nothing will be confirmed! (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
But after talking about this series, my thoughts? Well...
(Cut to clips of the shorts in "Muppets Now" as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
I will say that the series is a good start for a restart for The Muppets to try and get them back in the mainstream. The shorts have a mix of entertaining and educational, a sense of what Jim Henson would do with The Muppets to get them back to action if he was still around. I really suggest you check it out on Disney+ and if it gets a physical media copy, I strongly suggest you get it. (Cut to James physically as there is a knock on the door and James steps out the front door, looks around and hears the door close behind him and sees Miss Piggy)

TLOTA:
Well, this is gonna suck for me! (Cut to Miss Piggy)

Miss Piggy:
LIKE A VACUUM CLEANER! HAI-YAH! (James gets Karate chopped into geosynchronistic orbit and screams then shouts "I'M JAMES FARACI THE LAST OF THE AMERICANS AND THAT'S MY OPINION!"

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