Free Republic

Ted Cruz continued his vendetta against the political media Tuesday, this time invoking two famous Muppets to make his point. According to NBC News' Hallie Jackson, Cruz compared political pundits to Statler and Waldorf, the two felt curmudgeons known for mercilessly bashing whatever they happen to be watching, before a rally in Knoxville, Tenn. .@tedcruz was asked about Trump's Clinton's comments. His response, from Knoxville? MUPPETS! --> pic.twitter.com/Td8mxxbCvg- Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) December 22, 2015 "There are an abundance of political pundits in the world, who, like Statler and Waldorf, assess every comment every candidate makes," the Texas senator said. "I...

Disney did the impossible: destroyed the Muppets. By making the Muppets “edgy” left-wing partisans who attack Fox News, come out as pro-abortion, and hurl sex jokes, the once-universally beloved franchise has been doomed. First, the leftwing Muppets failed at the box office, and now Kermit and Company are on the verge of having their new television show cancelled.

You know that grunt-like scream that Miss Piggy makes when she’s really made and frustrated? That’s pretty much what the American Family Association offshoot One Million Moms is doing right now as they boycott ABC’s The Muppets TV show premiering this Tuesday at 8pm Eastern. The organization touts a mission statement saying that they are trying to “stop the exploitation of our children, especially by the entertainment media” and “stand against the immorality, violence, vulgarity and profanity the entertainment media is throwing at your children.” Or more succinctly put, “We want our children to have the best chance possible of...

Shepherding the Muppets through a post-Henson world must be such a high-wire act. In retrospect, what Jim Henson achieved in his time was little short of alchemy. He managed to be anarchic and sincere, postmodern and moral, smart and dumb, all at the same time, without so much as breaking a sweat. This, one might suspect, is why the last 25 years of Muppetry have been so patchy. With the notable exceptions of The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppets Tonight and Jason Segel’s 2011 movie, every new Muppet project has struggled to capture the right tone. They’ve either been too cute...

The other day I hopped off the R Train underneath the Fox News Corner of the World and came face to face with a poster promoting ABC’s new interpretation of “The Muppets.” There, in all his glory, was Kermit the Frog – touting an “adult” version of the beloved children’s show. “Finally. A network tv show with full frontal nudity,” the poster read. Technically, the advertisement is correct – seeing how Kermit doesn’t wear pants. I mean, what self-respecting frog would wear Chinos? Still, I suspect it’s going to shock a lot of moms and dads when they discover that...

LOS ANGELES: Yet another Hollywood power couple bit the dust on Tuesday as Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog announced their separation, conveniently setting a new dynamic for the upcoming The Muppets television show. In a joint statement posted online, the glamorous and fame-obsessed Miss Piggy and upbeat, affable amphibian Kermit said they will not be involved romantically, but will continue working together on television and other projects. “After careful thought, thoughtful consideration and considerable squabbling, Kermit the Frog and moi have made the difficult decision to terminate our romantic relationship,” Miss Piggy said on her Facebook page. She added...

Kermit and Miss Piggy have split up and moved on. One of the great cross-species power couples of show biz will no longer be an item when ABC's new prime-time revival of "The Muppets" premieres on Sept. 22. (8 p.m.). The two sent out a joint tweet Tuesday confirming their separation, though Kermit admitted to TV writers here it happened some time ago.

It may be time to light the lights. ABC is filming a proof of concept for a revival of The Muppets, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at May's upfront presentation to Madison Avenue advertisers. Sources tell THR that the project, if all goes well, could go straight to series. Bob Kushell (Anger Management, 3rd Rock From the Sun) will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner, with Wilfred's Randall Einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the...

John Henson, a second-generation puppeteer, has died at age 48. Henson — son of Muppets creator Jim Henson — suffered a sudden heart attack on Friday. The news was confirmed by the official Facebook page for the Jim Henson Company, of which John Henson was a shareholder and board member. The younger Henson also worked on several Muppets projects, playing the character Sweetums in films including Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets From Space. He is survived by his wife, Gyongyi, and two daughters.

(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)

Mitt Romney’s now infamous pledge to eliminate federal funding for PBS despite his affection for Big Bird and Jim Lehrer is getting still more pushback. Today a Los Angeles animation exec and an Idaho student are planning a 'Million Muppet March' for November 3rd at the National Mall in Washington DC three days before the election. Reuters reports Animax’s Michael Bellavia and student Chris Mecham came up with the idea separately during the October 3rd debate. Bellavia bought the Internet address www.millionmuppetmarch.com and discovered Mecham already had the Facebook page. The two fans of Sesame Street connected before the debate...

(Reuters) - Plans to save Big Bird, the fuzzy yellow character on U.S. public television's "Sesame Street," from possible extinction are taking shape in the form of a puppet-based protest next month dubbed the "Million Muppet March." The demonstration is planned for November 3 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., three days before the general election. Before the presidential debate between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney had concluded on October 3, two men who had never met each floated the Million Muppet March idea on social media. They immediately united to defend public broadcasting. Romney...

Jerry Nelson, a master of voices and puppetering who voiced Muppets including Count von Count during more than 40 years with "Sesame Street," has died. He was 78. Also a musician and actor, he took part in dozens of Muppet projects, from the 1971 TV movie "Tales From Muppetland: The Frog Prince," to 1979's "The Muppet Movie," to the 1980s series "Fraggle Rock," to last year's "The Muppets." Nelson joined "Sesame Street," which debuted in 1969, early in the show's run. He soon took on major characters including The Count, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Sherlock Hemlock. "The cast and crew of...

Boston Mayor Tom Menino wants to keep fast-food chain Chick-fil-A out of Boston because the company opposes same-sex marriage. Legally, Menino may in the wrong. Yet he is also completely in the right. The dustup has been portrayed as a First Amendment issue. In truth, it’s more about smart politics, mayoral power and — like it or not — Menino’s ability to make the city in his own vision. Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy is reputed to have invented the chicken sandwich; his first Atlanta store in 1967 has grown to a multi-billion-dollar empire with over 1,600 outlets. Finding a Chick-fil-A...

... The Jim Henson Company ...has severed promotional ties with Chick-fil-A – . . . Their crime? Failure to obey the nauseating, mind-numbing dictates of political correctness. Dan Cathy . . . recently made a few innocuous public comments in support of legitimate marriage – sentiments the vast majority of morals-minded Americans happen to agree with... That’s the thing... about political correctness. It exists in the realm of fantasy... They float the propagandist idiom “marriage equality” – choosing all the while to ignore objective “marriage reality.” So-called “same-sex marriage”? A counterfeit... “Gay marriage” is no more real marriage then a...

I'm going to turn into a real fatty...I tend to stay out of this fight because I don't see much value in having it if people are choosing a more secular world view. The fight for "traditional values" should start with tackling why people are choosing not to have faith anymore.That said, support or opposition to gay marriage is beside the point here. People running a business are entitle to their opinion, and it shouldn't have to agree with your own...If you don't want them to have your money, that's totally fine! Don't patronize their business, but this boycott and...

Several days ago, we reported that Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino was trying to blackmail Chick-fil-A into accepting so-call "same-sex marriage" following Dan Cathy's, son of Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, positive affirmation of marriage and his recent statement that government affirmation of so-called "gay marriage" is “inviting God’s judgment on our nation?” Well, not to be out done by Mayor Menino, the Muppets have gotten into the act and are going after Chick-fil-A as well.

The Muppets are ending their relationship with fast food restaurant chain Chick-Fil-A in a show of support for gay marriage, the creators of the puppet troupe said on Monday. "The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors," the company said in a statement posted on their official Facebook page. The Henson company, named after the creator of lovable characters like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, supplied their Creature Shop Muppet toys to Chick-Fil-A for...

Kermit and Miss Piggy won't be chomping down on Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches any longer. The Jim Henson Company will stop providing toys for the fast food chains kids meals because of Chick-fil-A's anti-gay marriage stance. Bing: 'Office' star speaks out against Chick-fil-A On Facebook, the company said that CEO Lisa Henson is a strong supporter of marriage equality and decided to end the relationship with the food-maker. The company behind the Muppets will donate the money it received from Chick-fil-A to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness...

Don't look now, but the Muppets want a divorce. The Jim Henson Company is scrapping its kids'-meal-toy relationship with Chick-Fil-A now that the left-wing pressure is on to boycott the Christian fried-chicken chain, which is offering toys right now from the Jim Henson Creatures' Shop line. Muppet chieftain Lisa Henson went to Harvard and was president of Columbia Pictures, making her a progressive elite on both sides of the country. They announced on their Facebook page Friday they were strong supporters of "gay marriage" and were donating their Chick-Fil-A proceeds to the gay censorship cause: The Jim Henson Company has...