Muppets

Jerry Nelson, the puppeteer who gave voice to dozens of characters on "Sesame Street," "Fraggle Rock" and "The Muppet Show," died at home in Cape Cod, Mass., on Thursday night after suffering from emphysema for several years. He was 78. A statement on the Sesame Workshop's website (the company that produces "Sesame Street") paid tribute to Nelson, saying, "A member of the 'Sesame Street' family for more than 40 years, he will forever be in our hearts and remembered for the artistry in his puppetry, his music, and the laughter he brought to children worldwide through his portrayal of Count von Count, Herry Monster, Fat Blue, Sherlock Hemlock, the Amazing Mumford and many other beloved characters.

Jane Nebel Henson knew Kermit before he was the Frog, saw the Cookie Monster before he lost his "fiendish" teeth and was around for the pre-diva days of Miss Piggy. Henson, the wife and longtime artistic collaborator of legendary Muppets creator Jim Henson, died Tuesday at her home in Greenwich, Conn., after a long battle with cancer, the Jim Henson Co. announced. She was 78. As the first partner to the famous Muppeteer, Henson was instrumental in the creation of the earliest characters in the brood of marionette-puppet hybrids.

Jane Nebel Henson, who collaborated with her husband, Jim Henson, in creating, designing and marketing the Muppets, died Tuesday at her home in Connecticut after battling cancer. She was 78. Her death was announced by the Jim Henson Co. The couple met in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in the 1950s. Combining marionettes and puppets, Jim Henson began performing with his creations on a TV show called “Sam and Friends” in Washington, D.C. He asked Jane to join him on the program as a performer and puppet designer, and she became his creative and business partner in the endeavor that spawned Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the “Sesame Street” characters Big Bird, Ernie and the Cooke Monster.

Jane Nebel Henson, who collaborated with her husband, Jim Henson, in creating, designing and marketing the Muppets, died Tuesday at her home in Connecticut after battling cancer. She was 78. Her death was announced by the Jim Henson Co. The couple met in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in the 1950s. Combining marionettes and puppets, Jim Henson began performing with his creations on a TV show called “Sam and Friends” in Washington, D.C. He asked Jane to join him on the program as a performer and puppet designer, and she became his creative and business partner in the endeavor that spawned Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the “Sesame Street” characters Big Bird, Ernie and the Cooke Monster.

Backstage at the old Muppet Theater, Kermit the Frog is manning his usual station, thanking his hardworking troupe ? which, in this case, includes his assistant Scooter, a couple of penguins and at least one chicken ? and reminding them that rehearsals begin the next morning at 9 sharp. As the colorful characters film take after take for their return to the silver screen, you'd never guess it's been more than a decade since the Muppets were gearing up to put on a show for moviegoers (their most recent feature was 1999's "Muppets in Space")

Gwyneth Paltrow and Cee Lo Green will sing together -- with the Muppets -- at the Grammy Awards. ( MTV ) Halle Berry's custody battle with model Gabriel Aubry over their daughter has turned nasty, with accusations of racial slurs. ( People ) Lindsay Lohan is under investigation in connection with the possible theft of a $5,000 necklace from a jewelry store. ( Los Angeles Times ) Some are asking if Al Jazeera's coverage of Egypt is its "CNN moment," but it goes beyond that.

You know times are tough when even the Muppets are facing bankruptcy, or worse, playing in a Muppet tribute band. What happened to the "rainbow connection"? That and more will be answered with nostalgic charm and big, splashy production numbers in the very warm and fuzzy musical comedy of "The Muppets. " The movie stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and pretty much every Muppet that has ever graced a screen, small or large, since the late Jim Henson first brought them to life many decades ago. This newest Muppet fable begins in an idyllic slice of '50s-era Americana, Smalltown, USA, with old home movies of best friends and brothers, Gary (Segel)

The good news for studios was that, overall, people liked what they saw in theaters over the long Thanksgiving holiday. The bad news was that there were a lot fewer of them than in years past. In fact, despite some highly regarded new movies, it was the slowest Thanksgiving moviegoing weekend in the last four years. Ticket sales were down roughly 11% compared with the same period last year. So far this year, attendance is off about 5%, and box office receipts are down about 4%. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" was easily the No. 1 film, taking in $62.3 million Wednesday to Sunday, according to an estimate from distributor Summit Entertainment.

Greg Smith appeared on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, stirring serious interest in his book "Why I Quit Goldman Sachs," which publishes today. Smith scored a book deal after writing an explosive New York Times op-ed after leaving the company. Smith spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs, starting as an intern and working his way up to a position as a vice president. "Why I Quit Goldman Sachs" is an indictment of the investment firm's corporate culture, which, in the end, Smith found intolerable.

After a glut of family films opened over the Thanksgiving holiday, no new movies are slated to hit theaters nationwide this weekend — leaving a clan of felt "Muppets" to rule the box office. The post-Turkey Day weekend has traditionally been one of the slowest moviegoing periods of the year, as Americans emerge from their tryptophan-induced hazes and begin their holiday shopping. In 2010, it was the second-lowest-grossing weekend of the year, according to Box Office Mojo. This weekend, Walt Disney Studios' modern spin on "The Muppets" is expected to ring up about $20 million in ticket sales, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

Greg Smith appeared on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, stirring serious interest in his book "Why I Quit Goldman Sachs," which publishes today. Smith scored a book deal after writing an explosive New York Times op-ed after leaving the company. Smith spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs, starting as an intern and working his way up to a position as a vice president. "Why I Quit Goldman Sachs" is an indictment of the investment firm's corporate culture, which, in the end, Smith found intolerable.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Oct. 7 - Oct. 13 in PDF format This week's TV Movies   SERIES Home Made in America With Sunny Anderson: This new cooking series seeks out some of America's greatest home cooks and their best recipes (9:30 a.m. Food). Bedlam: The horror and dread are back as the ghosts of Bedlam Heights take their revenge on new residents. Lacey Turner and Theo James star (6 and 9 p.m. BBC America). Saturday Night Live: Daniel Craig hosts with musical guest Muse (11:29 p.m. NBC)

Jerry Nelson, the puppeteer who gave voice to dozens of characters on "Sesame Street," "Fraggle Rock" and "The Muppet Show," died at home in Cape Cod, Mass., on Thursday night after suffering from emphysema for several years. He was 78. A statement on the Sesame Workshop's website (the company that produces "Sesame Street") paid tribute to Nelson, saying, "A member of the 'Sesame Street' family for more than 40 years, he will forever be in our hearts and remembered for the artistry in his puppetry, his music, and the laughter he brought to children worldwide through his portrayal of Count von Count, Herry Monster, Fat Blue, Sherlock Hemlock, the Amazing Mumford and many other beloved characters.

A word to the wise, Frank Oz fans: He won't do that Yoda impression. The 68-year-old Hollywood Renaissance man - Muppet puppeteer, movie director and the voice behind the pint-sized Jedi master - holds his characters too sacred for such tripe. "You wouldn't parade your kids around like that, would you?" he said. "They're part of me. I won't use them as a party favor to impress people. " Oz, who currently resides in Manhattan, will return to Los Angeles on Thursday to accept a lifetime achievement honor at the 38th Saturn Awards (which, for the sci-fi un-savvy, is a sort of Oscars for the horror and fantasy genre, presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films)

From the maker of “The Muppets” to the mayor of Boston, the list of folks severing ties with Chick-fil-A due to the fast-food company's opposition to gay marriage is growing. Jim Henson Co., which has produced characters for “The Muppets,” “Labyrinth” and “Fraggle Rock,” had recently been working with the Atlanta restaurant chain to create products for its kids' meals. The offerings included five build-your-own puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, using pieces that are punched out from the plastic meal container, according to a cached version of the Chick-fil-A website.

EXCLUSIVE: Could the massive success of “Ted” - with $120 million in box office after two weekends, it's outpacing R-rated juggernauts “Bridesmaids” and “The Hangover” - prompt a run on comedies about a man and his whimsical childhood pals? Steve Oedekerk hopes so. The veteran comedy writer behind movies like “Bruce Almighty” and “The Nutty Professor” has penned a script titled “Escape From Dabble Drive” that plays on a similar theme as “Ted.” He and his representatives are aiming to set up the human-furball hybrid at a studio that will release the movie as early as the 2013 holidays, with Oedekerk also directing the picture.

A curious thing happens when a child meets Kevin Clash. Although he's 6 feet tall and speaks in a gravelly baritone, he all but disappears. "I'm just somebody carrying around their friend," said Clash, 51, who for the last 26 years has been an anonymous superstar as the voice and soul of "Sesame Street's" Elmo. "If the child loves the character, they keep their imagination. " Clash is the subject of "Being Elmo," a documentary opening in Los Angeles on Friday that charts his journey from a bashful Baltimore adolescent sewing puppets out of slippers and coat linings to protégé of Muppets creator Jim Henson, and eventually "Sesame Street's" premier puppeteer.

Some of television's oldest stars--the Muppets--are still among the freshest. That applies to the "Sesame Street" creatures on PBS, "Jim Henson's Muppet Babies" on CBS and now also to "The Jim Henson Hour," one of the new Friday night entries on NBC. Its premiere--at 8 tonight on Channels 4, 36 and 39--is a happy, imaginative, cleverly written, fur-flying romp. As usual, Muppeteering yields entertainment on two levels: visual for the young and satirical for adults. The program's magazine segment includes that fabulous singing group, The Extremes; a visit with a somewhat bizarre-looking candidate in the Miss Galaxy pageant ("I want to work with underprivileged children--and eat them!"

Your boo-boo routine just got an upgrade. Thanks to a new augmented reality app from Johnson & Johnson, Muppet branded Band-Aids can now function essentially like QR codes, letting animated Muppet characters talk to you from wherever you've placed the Band-Aid. Here's how it works: Open the Band-Aid Magic Vision app on your phone, and point the phone at the Band-Aid. Then look at the screen and you'll see an animated Kermit the Frog appear to be swinging over the bandaged boo-boo singing "The Rainbow Connection," or an animated Miss Piggy asking you to take her picture, or Gonzo engaging in an ill-planned death-defying feat.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Sony, $30.99; Blu-ray, $40.99 Director David Fincher and screenwriter Steven Zaillian adapt Stieg Larsson's bestseller "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" into a sophisticated and gripping thriller, sporting excellent lead performances by Daniel Craig as a disgraced reporter and Rooney Mara as a punk hacker. Larsson's story of a gruesome missing-person's case is gratuitously violent at times, and the film runs a little too long — in large part because it goes through about four endings before finally lurching to a stop.