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Muppets Get Sassy In 'Letters To Santa' Special

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2008

I don't know if it's just me or if the current Muppeteers are still missing a beat.

The lovable fuzzy things still don't seem as sharp and funny as they did in the 1970s and early '80s.

At the risk of sounding like Statler or Waldorf (or both), I want Kermit and Miss Piggy to return to the glory days when "The Muppet Show" was must-see TV.

"A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa," debuting at 8 tonight on NBC, is not quite there yet.

But it's the best Muppets special in more than a decade.

The plot is lame and the music is forgettable. The characters do show signs of life and touches of the irreverent sass that made them cool.

Those who remember the days when the late Muppet creator Jim Henson aimed the humor at adults are deeply saddened that a younger generation now thinks of Elmo as the most-famous Muppet.

"Letters to Santa" is more than just another TV holiday special.

It's a test run for the new and hopefully rejuvenated Muppets.

There's also a new Muppet movie in the works to be written and directed by talented hipsters Jason Segel and Nick Stoller. Their credits include the 2008 romantic comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

Longtime Muppet fans will be pleased to see many of the classic characters passing through tonight such as balcony critics Statler and Waldorf, the Swedish Chef, Sam the Eagle, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker as well as Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Rizzo the Rat and Pepe the Prawn.

The jokes were written by Hugh Fink, Scott Ganz and Andrew Samson, veterans of "The Showbiz Show With David Spade" and new to Muppet humor.

Now owned by Disney, the classic Muppet characters are trying to make a comeback. Although the words "Disney" and "hip" don't usually appear in the same sentence, we can hope that tonight's special is a sign of better things to come.

A MATINEE IDOL: Van Johnson, who died last week at 92, will be remembered by Turner Classic Movies with five movies on Tuesday.

Included is "A Guy Named Joe," (9:45 p.m.) the 1943 fantasy that was Johnson's big break. He nearly died in a car accident at the time, but he recovered to gain stardom at MGM. The tribute kicks off at 8 p.m. with a musical "In the Good Old Summertime."

WE LOVE PAULA: It's the question that won't go away. Is Paula Abdul leaving or being pushed out? No way, says "American Idol" producer Ken Warwick.

During a teleconference Monday, he swore on a stack of Nielsen ratings that: "There has never been any discussion that we wanted to get rid of Paula. ... America loves Paula. She's an integral part of this program. I hope she's there to the day it comes off the air. End of story."

The question came up because "Idol" is adding a fourth judge, singer/songwriter Kara DioGuardi.

VIDBITS: If you are watching a Tampa-St. Petersburg TV station at 6:30 tonight and suddenly see a message about losing the analog signal on Feb. 2, 2009, then call the number on your screen to find out how to keep watching. This will be a 3-minute test of what it will be like when the analog signal is switched off.

•Fox is making a 13-episode musical comedy, "Glee," about a high school glee club seeking fame. The characters include a teen diva, a nerdy soprano and a jock who can sing. There will be three musical numbers in each show. Did someone at Fox finally see "High School Musical"?

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"Pushing Daisies," 8 p.m., ABC

This canceled series is finishing its run with clever episodes such as this one, in which the crime-solving team of Ned, Chuck and Emerson meets its Norwegian counterpart.

Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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