Jason Segel may not be involved with the sequel to The Muppets, but he is at least appearing in one final parody trailer for the Oscar-winning hit.
In anticipation of The Muppets‘ March 20 release on DVD and Blu-ray, those adorable felt creatures have fashioned a, er, tribute of sorts to this month’s highly anticipated release of The Hunger Games. I’m not sure how practical Fozzie Bear’s fart shoes would be during the Hunger Games, of course, but check out the trailer below: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com
Though a sequel for The Muppets has been greenlit, one star who was integral to bringing the franchise into the new millennium won’t be a part of it, reports Collider. Jason Segel told the site he won’t be signing up for another round with Kermit and Co. “It’s true [that I won't be in the seque],” said Segel, “but it’s totally amicable. My goal was to bring the Muppets back and I did that, leaving them in very good hands.”
Segel said he wants “to pursue more human-related projects,” adding, “All I wanted to do was to set the stage for them to do whatever they wanted. I’m sure I’ll return in some capacity here and there, but that was half a decade of my life. Five years of hard work. I’m ready for a little puppet break.”
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Image Credit: Patrick Wymore/Disney
The Muppets won’t have to wait another dozen years for their next movie, but it’s unclear if the entire team that brought them back will return for the sequel. EW has confirmed a Variety report that The Muppets co-writer Nicolas Stoller and director James Bobin will reunite to pen a new script. But Jason Segel, who co-wrote, starred, and was the driving force in resurrecting the beloved Muppet characters, is less certain about his role, depending on his other film and television commitments.
The Muppets grossed more than $88 million at the box office, and songwriter Bret McKenzie won an Oscar for Best Original Song at last week’s Oscars.
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Last night, were you hoping to see the likes of Viola Davis and George Clooney pick up awards? Well, you’re in luck — though the actors didn’t win Oscars for their work in The Help and The Descendants this year, they did nab special awards from Entertainment Weekly, who reported from the Kodak Theater’s red carpet before the ceremony. Sure, winning Most Inspirational Speaker and Least Skin Shown in a Hawaii Movie might not be as satisfying as a little gold man, but at least they didn’t walk away empty-handed! What EW awards did Jason Segel, Jean Dujardin, Kristen Wiig, Glenn Close, and more win? Watch the video after the jump to find out, and to see a bonus performance from Rio‘s Original Song nominees. Hey, if Oscar won’t let them perform, we definitely will! READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com
It may have been a winning night for Jason Segel’s friend and “Man or Muppet” composer Bret McKenzie, but for Segel the ceremony proved bumpy. The Muppets and How I Met Your Mother star was seen cracking up with Best Supporting Actor nominee Jonah Hill and Muppets scribe Nick Stoller when Segel told EW that some buttons had accidentally popped off his tuxedo shirt earlier this evening. His solution? Double-stick tape. ”Every woman at the Oscars apparently has double-stick tape,” Stoller laughed. But from which red carpet attendee did Segel get his quick fix?
Image Credit: AP/Chris Carlson Billy … who?
In a place full of celebrity sightings, sometimes even the host can find himself camouflaged.
Tonight the 84th annual Oscars bring a close to Hollywood’s award season, but before that, EW takes you behind the scenes as stars gather to rehearse the big telecast.
Here’s what happened when Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, and the ladies of Bridesmaids (among others) came together to put on a show. Even past Oscar-winners like Gwyneth Paltrow, pictured here, can have a “d’oh” moment.
Among the stories from backstage over the past two days is the hilariously bizarre account of what happened when the voice of Darth Vader met Miracle Max — and said he mistook him for “a hoodlum.”
Image Credit: Chris Carlson/AP
It’s rehearsal time for the Academy Awards, and a woman striding offstage pretending to be a winner is holding an Oscar so fake it could be a child’s art project.
In the shadows beside a great velvet curtain, the stand-in for best actress comes face to face with none other than the real Tom Cruise, who has an envelope clasped in his hands and is waiting for his cue to walk out and practice presenting the next award.
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
The Mission: Impossible star tips a slight bow and raises his eyebrows with a wry, mega-watt smile. “Congratulations!” he declares, like he really, really, means it. Really. He chuckles, and – after a beat – so does the stunned stand-in.
If sincerity is the goal, it is surely one of Cruise’s worst-ever performance. But he’s just goofing around.
That’s the great thing about being backstage in the final few days before the Academy Awards — guards are down, and a guy like Cruise can just kid around. Though the crew is working hard, the stars are literally going through the motions.
Tonight when the real show begins (8:30 p.m. Eastern and 5:30 Pacific, on ABC), the pressure returns for everyone with a vengeance.
MORE ON REHEARSALS: Sandra Bullock, Robert Downey Jr. and the shadow dwellers
For more Oscar news tonight, follow @Breznican on Twitter.
Sunday’s Oscars will mark the Muppets’ fifth appearance at the Academy Awards. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, stars of 2011′s The Muppets, which is the third Muppet movie to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, will be at the ceremony to introduce a surprise. “Something very special,” Kermit told EW yesterday. That is, of course, if Piggy’s deal closes. As we learned when we interviewed the power couple alongside Academy president Tom Sherak, she’s demanding to take home an Oscar statuette after years of being snubbed for her acting. She’s also outraged on Kermit’s behalf. Did he not play twins with Fozzie in The Great Muppet Caper? Did he not suffer amnesia in The Muppets Take Manhattan?
Watch Piggy grill Sherak about why the Academy refuses to recognize them in part 1 of the interview below. In part 2, we find out that Piggy shares our disappointment that Shame‘s Michael Fassbender was also snubbed this year. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Eduardo Parra/WireImage.com
Miss Piggy will host the red carpet at this Sunday’s Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony — the BAFTAs. “Imagine the likes of Clooney, Dujardin, Fassbender, Oldman, and Pitt achieving the very pinnacle of their careers by getting a chance to speak with the one and only moi — Miss Piggy!” the diva said in a statement. “Naturally, I will be asking questions that only moi would dare to ask.”
Spencer McHugh, director of brand at Orange, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted that an icon of Miss Piggy’s stature has agreed to host our red carpet show from this year’s BAFTA’s. Having her there is very exciting for us and we can’t wait to see what great interviews she gets on the night.”
The Muppets, which has grossed $87.5 million in North America since opening Nov. 23, premieres in the United Kingdom this week.
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Image Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage.com
One of the big stories of this week’s Oscar nominations was the announcement that, for the first time in history, only two songs have been given the nod in the Best Song category: Bret McKenzie’s “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets and the Rio number “Real in Rio,” which was co-written by legendary Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes. Below, Bruce Broughton, who is chair of the Academy’s Music Branch Executive Committee, explains how just a brace of songs came to receive noms and why the situation might prompt a rule change.
There’s one thing that’s even less easy than being green: being nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar. For the first time in the history of the Academy Awards, only two tunes made the cut this year: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets and the Rio track “Real in Rio.” “I thought it was going to be more songs,” says legendary Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes, who co-wrote the Rio tune. “On the other hand, I’m glad it’s just two!” The two-tune showdown certainly increases his odds against Flight of the Conchords member Bret McKenzie, who penned “Man or Muppet.”
