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Muppets

Comedy

Watch the Muppets Take Down Kyle MacLachlan and Goldman Sachs

By Judy Berman on

Drop everything, readers, because Funny or Die has just posted a video called “Muppets vs. Goldman Sachs.” And guess what? It’s even better than it sounds. First of all, it features none other than Kyle MacLachlan as a Goldman exec. Then there’s the dude who snorts coke off the meeting table. But the real fun comes when the Anti-Muppet Defamation League bursts in, inspired by Greg Smith’s revelation that the firm calls their clients “muppets,” to Occupy Wall Street extract their revenge. Some surprisingly highfalutin economic debate ensues. It’s the best Muppet takedown since they destroyed Fox News. Watch it after the jump. … Read More

Television

BBC to Air Jim Henson Company Puppet Talk Show

By Judy Berman on

In case you needed even more proof that British TV is just better, here you go: The BBC is collaborating with the Jim Henson Company to develop a puppet talk show. With a working title of No Strings Attached (see what they did there?), the series will feature several new puppets — Sesame Street‘s resident… Read More

Design

Awesome Lunchbox Tumblr Encourages Playing with Your Food

By Alison Nastasi on

We’re probably all used to seeing retro-licious lunchbox art decorating the outside of our favorite food carryalls. LunchboxAwesome, however, looks at the artful designs on the inside of lunchboxes. Muppets, cartoon characters, and animated figures are carefully composed out of food, making a colorful and creative display out of your mealtime endeavors. Click through for a look at a few of our favorite awesome lunchbox creations. … Read More

Film

A Look Back at Our Favorite Muppet Movie Moments

By Jason Bailey on

We’re going to do our best to keep from setting you up for a disappointment by overselling The Muppets (out in theaters tomorrow). Seriously, we’re going to try. But the fact of the matter is, it’s utterly delightful — a charming, witty, and frequently heartbreaking little gem. If we’re responding to it with more enthusiasm than it deserves, so be it; we grew up loving the Muppet movies, and this new effort somehow manages to summon up the spirit of (to borrow the Star Wars parlance) the “original trilogy” while also existing as its own wonderful addition to the Henson canon. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll leave singing “Mahna Mahna.” So, in celebration of the franchise’s return to form, we’d like to pause and enjoy a few of our favorite moments from the earlier Muppet movies; add your own in the comments. … Read More

Pop Culture

30 Fantastic Pop Culture Pumpkins

By Caroline Stanley on

While they might have been fine back when we were kids, today it seems like the world finds plain old jack-o-lanterns sad and boring. Instead, they’ve become a canvas for proudly carving allegiance to your favorite TV character, most beloved musician, or the YA series that you can’t put down. Which is great news for us! But first, a quick disclaimer: while plentiful, the selection of pop culture pumpkins isn’t quite as diverse as you might hope. We struggled to find jack-o’-lantern homages to Flavorpill favorites like Patti Smith, Liz Lemon, and Daria, only to come up empty-handed. Get on that people! That said, we think you’ll be happy with what we’ve come up with after the jump. If you happen to have a pop culture pumpkin of your own to contribute to our list, please leave us a link in the comments! … Read More

Music

Watch the Muppets “Cover” Lou Reed/Metallica’s “Pumping Blood”

By Emily Temple on

For anyone who’s been waiting on the new Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration album Lulu, well, you’re in luck. Just a few days ago, and well in advance of the November 1 drop date, the band(s) made the full album available to stream on their website. Which is all very well and good, if you don’t know yet that the album isn’t very well or very good. However, we can wholeheartedly recommend this video that we spied over at Gothamist of the muppets performing (that is, manipulated to look like they’re performing) the album’s “Pumping Blood”, featuring Beaker as a very convincing Lou Reed. It’s just about as weird as Lulu is, and that’s saying something. … Read More

Film

PSA: The Muppets Tell You to STFU in the Movie Theater

By Judy Berman on

As we may have mentioned, we are big fans of proper movie-theater etiquette. Cell phones, loud conversations with your neighbor, screaming kids at an R-rated film? Inexcusable. So it’s gratifying to learn that some of our most respected entertainers agree with us — namely, the Muppets. The Mary Sue points us to a lovely new PSA they’ve created for AMC Theatres, perhaps to make sure we all get the message before their own eponymous movie comes out November 23rd. Muppet fans, brace yourself: The clip is only 53 seconds, but it includes great bits from the Swedish Chef and Animal. … Read More

Design

Wanted: ’60s Rock Flyer-Inspired Muppets Posters

By Judy Berman on

If you’ve ever seen a picture of Jim Henson and his staff, you understand that the Muppets we know and love were the product of hippie culture. They did, after all, give us a band of puppets who could have come straight out of San Francisco’s ’60s acid-rock scene in Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. So it’s totally appropriate that designer and illustrator Michael De Pippo has created a series of five vintage concert flyer-style portraits of Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Floyd, and Animal. Although they’re not available yet, De Pippo will eventually be selling poster-size versions of these images — follow him on Twitter for updates. … Read More

Film

Trailer Park: Murderers, Messengers, and More Muppets

By Jason Bailey on

Welcome to “Trailer Park,” our regular Friday feature where we collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and puzzling over what they may be hiding. We’ve got ten new trailers for you to feast your eyes on this week; check ‘em out after the jump. … Read More

Film

Trailer Park: Barbarians, Banderas, and Remakes Galore

By Jason Bailey on

Welcome to “Trailer Park,” the Friday feature where we collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and taking our best guess at what they may be hiding. This week, we’ve got a whopping nine new trailers, featuring everyone from Jason Statham to Miss Piggy to Antonio Banderas (twice). Check ‘em out after the jump. … Read More