One of our favorite actors from Back to the Future Part II* was just announced to have taken a lead role in a new movie called Grand Piano. An indie thriller, it is being described as “Speed with a piano” and involves Wood’s character being forced to play the piano in a way that is so good that it will save lives. But like I said, this is a thriller and not a feel-good family movie about a do-gooder-slash-ivory-tickler. Nope — the Speed to which I refer is the 1994 Keanu Reeves action movie about the terrorized bus. Yup. Speed with a piano. Play, Elijah Wood! Play until the world is safe from evil!

*You had no idea, did you?

The Muppets aren’t winning any friends these days (sarcasm and exaggeration alert), what with being accused of communist leanings because they had an evil oil baron as a villain, a completely unique characteristic of communist, and only communist fiction, now group leader Kermit T. Frog is up on actually legitimate charges of illegal product placement in German television.

This past weekend, I attended the GLOC (Gorgeous Ladies of Comedy) Mixer here in New York City and got to see tons of super talented and hilarious women perform comedy onstage: improv, standup, character work, and music, and it was the best darn taco fest you could ever attend. One of the musical groups that performed was the Reformed Whores, the duo of Katy Frame (on accordion) and Marie Cecile Anderson (on ukelele), and the song I got to hear them sing was “I’m a Slut!”, written in response to the hilarious Rush Limbaugh calling Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” for saying that private insurance companies should cover birth control pills.

Wait, that’s what a slut is now? Wait a second! I’m so confused! Fortunately for all of us, the Reformed Whores have cleared everything up in the length of one sweet ditty! Visit the YouTube page for lyrics!

(via Gender Focus)

Okay, we don’t mean this as a dig to Cirque Du Soleil. All in all, we think they’re pretty cool. But you can’t talk about the Muppets and Cirque Du Soleil in the same post without bringing up Cirque Du So Lamé, the cancelled Muppet Show act that an outside contractor proposed for the Muppets in Its A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, a.k.a. It’s a Wonderful Life but with Kermit the Frog, a.k.a. No, I Just Have Something In My Eye, Okay? For the record, it referred to the metallic fabric.

Moving along! The good news is that Kermit and Piggy are confirmed presenters at this year’s Oscars. The other news is that even though the Oscars decided that it didn’t have time in its broadcast for the meagre two musical numbers it nominated for Best Song, it does have time for a Cirque Du Soleil performance.

Starring Michael Fassbender (who has no idea how to talk to a muppet about Shame), Tom Hiddleston, Gary Oldman, Octavia Spencer, Daniel Radcliffe, Chris O’Dowd, Gillian Anderson, James Corden, Jonah Hill, and John Hamm, who starts things off right with a pork joke.

The problem with Piggy and Gillian Anderson hanging out together is that I don’t know who to be jealous of.

(via WondyGirl.)

It’s hard to believe to American fans that The Muppets has only just arrived on the other side of the pond: the movie premiered today in England, and Bleeding Cool was on hand to interview the movie’s (felted) romantic couple. Piggy drops some hints about a sequel, but as somewhat experienced followers of entertainment news, we sadly don’t think it’ll be showing up on IMDB any time soon.

We mean ‘pig,’ but ‘puppet’ is just as applicable.

Which raises the question: is anyone going to raise the puppet question in this episode? Piggy was only fictionally Vogue Paris’ plus size editor. Presumably her dialogue will be improvised by Eric Jacobson, her current performer, so I suppose it’s not really all that different from having a celebrity judge who is an actress or singer, not a fashion professional. Perhaps a bit sillier. Which is perfectly appropriate given Piggy’s Muppet affiliations.

Or maybe the entire cast is under contract to not make reference to the fact that she’s not a real person, and this episode of Project Runway will be a candidate for Muppet canon. Because that would be delightful.

(via ToughPigs.)

Previously in Muppets

Man, it’s been a while since we posted a Muppet video, isn’t it? This is from the Critics Choice Awards last night, where “Life’s a Happy Song” from The Muppets was nominated and won in the category of Best Song. Naturally, if they were going to go so far as to endorse the Muppets, the CCA couldn’t go without acknowledging their secret Muppet backers all along.

And then Statler and Waldorf make some jokes that the Muppets save for late night television.

(via Toughpigs.)

Okay, if you haven’t seen this by now, you … just haven’t spent a lot of time on the internet because you have a bunch of presents to play with. That’s actually pretty great! But now, for your viewing and listening pleasure — and because it’s New Year’s Eve — here are the dynamic duo of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt performing “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” And no, we still don’t know what he’s doing in The Dark Knight Rises. But your ears will enjoy this greatly.

(via HelloGiggles)