Awards Watch: National Film Registry 2009

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year since 1989 the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the National Film Registry that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant to be preserved for all time. And this year, they (finally) got a little gayer with the inductions of Dog Day Afternoon (with Al Pacino as a bisexual bank robber) and (to a lesser extent) Pillow Talk (starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day).

Other cinematic classics to make the cut for 2009 include the sci-fi favorite The Incredible Shrinking Man, the melodramas Jezebel and Mrs. Miniver (featuring the Oscar winning performances of, respectively, Bette Davis and Greer Garson), The Mark of Zorro (Tyrone Power), The Muppet Movie (!), Serigio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, The Story of G.I. Joe (Robert Mitchum) and Under Western Stars (Roy Rogers).

And it looks like even the Library of Congress can't escape the Michael Jackson fever that has swept the nation since his death earlier this year with the inclusion of Thriller, his groundbreaking music video (a first for the NFR). The remainder of the inductees are mostly obscure shorts and documentaries; click here for a full description (pdf) of all NFR's class of '09, or see the comments section below for a quick look.

The Latest on TV: A Muppets Christmas

Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppet gang are back once more in yet another holiday special with A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa tomorrow night on NBC.

The brand new show, which promises to be filled with laughs, song and dance and Christmas cheer, also features an all-star supporting cast, including Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Krakowski, Nathan Lane, Jesse L. Martin, Uma Thurman and Richard Griffiths as Santa Claus.

The Latest on TV: Muppets Almost Live!

The Muppets return to television tomorrow in Studio DC: Almost Live on The Disney Channel. The half-hour special will feature the furry, fuzzy, felty gang alongside such TDC regulars as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

Despite such high-profile tween sensations as those, the highlight of the show promises to be a boppin' duet of High School Musical's "Bop to the Top" performed by HSMer Ashley Tisdale and the one, the only Kermit the Frog. Now that's what I call aye que fabulosa.

This is obviously a ploy by Disney to turn kids these days on to the Muppets. But hey, if it gets some Hannah Montana wannabes to watch The Muppet Show or one of their movies (or that rumored new TV show we've been hearing about for years), I'm all for it. Promisingly, there are already plans for a second Studio DC: Almost Live special this fall.

Music to My Ears

I don't know who Emily Rems is, but I think I just found my new best friend, or at least a kindred spirit as far as movie musicals are concerned. Rems recently wrote about her top ten cinematic tuners for Premiere.com, and I have to say, I like her choices.

In addition to such usual suspects as Cabaret and West Side Story, she has also picked some less-heralded but no doubt worthy examples as The Muppet Movie and The Little Mermaid (often overshadowed by Beauty and the Beast but, in some ways, superior). Also making her cut are a few films that are often looked down upon by cinematic classicists, like Grease, Rent and Moulin Rouge! She even manages to throw out "honorable mention" status to Hairspray and even Hello, Dolly!

These aren't exactly my top ten (no Mary Poppins, for example), but it's a great collection nonetheless.

How I Met Your Piggy

Jason Segel, co-star of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the upcoming movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall (directed by Nick Stoller), has been signed by Disney to pen the next Muppet movie, with Stoller directing.

It will be great to see Kermit, Miss Piggy and company back on the big screen again, especially considering that their last two movies -- It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and The Muppets Wizard of Oz -- were television productions ... and god awful.

Hopefully Segal and Stoller will be able to recapture the magic of the early Muppets. Which reminds me: the third season DVD set of The Muppet Showwill be available May 20.

UPDATE: Jason Segel fills MTV.com in on his take of the Muppets, and if you love them old school (as in the original series and first three movies), you'll be happy to hear it.

The Puppet Master

Jim Henson, creator and performer of the Muppets (those are all his characters pictured above), was a childhood idol of mine almost on a level with Walt Disney. The original Muppet Show was a must-see in my house, and the first two Muppet Movies are unheralded movie musical classics in my (slightly biased) opinion. His unexpected death was a blow that the Muppet empire has never quite recovered from (he never would have let them do this, for example).

So this sure is interesting news: a Henson biopic is currently in the works. Budgeted at $30 million (that buys a lot of felt), producers are hoping to land a name director (Penny Marshall is mentioned) and cast. Might I suggest Guy Pearce as the puppet master (and no, not this kind of puppet master)?

Q Tube

With their hard-boiled dialogue, rapid-fire editing and the director's oft-imitated signature style, the films of Quentin Tarantino are ripe for parody (some would say they ask for it), as evidenced by this quartet of "Q"-inspired spoofs:

- Reservoir Dads: Note the spot on Steve Buscemi impersonation near the beginning.
- Pulp Muppets: How'd they do that?
- Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars: Love the old school Kenner action figures.
- The 30-Second Bunnies Present: Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2: The whole bunny affair.

And speaking of Kill Bill, the 4-disc extended edition will hit DVD on December 25 (Merry effin' Christmas), and is now available for pre-orderfrom Amazon.com.

Links via Imdb.com, YouTube.com and Starz.com.

HSM at WDW and DCA & More

With the record-setting success of High School Musical, it is no surprise that Disney's park division wants a little piece of that pie as well. A live show based on the original movie will close on both coasts to make way for a brand new one inspired by the sequel. HSM 2 will be performed daily at both Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim and the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando. And sorry, guys and gals, but Zac Efron will not be in it.

Also at the park that will soon be known as Disney's Hollywood Studios, rumors are swirling around my beloved Great Movie Ride, including the removal of Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan (who does swing both ways) and the replacement of the Alien scene with one from ... The Lord of the Rings ??!! Elsewhere in the Studios, word has it that a Ratatouille-themed coaster (in the style of the Finding Nemo one at Disneyland Paris) may make its home in the newly christened "Pixar Place" area of the park.

Big changes are underway over at Epcot, which will reportedly revert back to its original moniker "EPCOT Center" in the near future. Martin Short is the star of the new Canadian Circlevision film and the "Muppet Mobile Labs" recently made an appearance prior to jetting over to Hong Kong Disneyland. Plus, during the International Food and Wine Festival, guests will be able to enjoy "Beats While You Eat", with such live musical acts as Sheena Easton, Juice Newton and ... the Village People ??!!

In more Disneyland news, Tomorrowland may get yet another makeover, this time themed to Star Wars. And don't forget the park's "unofficial" Gay Days are coming in October.

And finally: Both US Universal Studios theme parks have closed their Back to the Future rides in preparation for the upcoming Simpsons-themed attraction. D'oh!

Links via Screamscape.com, OrlandoSentinel.com, RCDB.com, TheDisneyBlog.com, LaughingPlace.com and GayDaysAnaheim.com.