PUTTING THE SHOW IN OPRAH

I have been working my rear off the past few weeks on an audition tape for Oprah's have your OWN show contest and finally have my audition tape submitted. Click the link to watch and VOTE! Voting ends July 3!!!

http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=20657&promo_id=1

SEAT BUDDIES

On Friday, I went on vacation down to St. George and went with the family to see TARZAN at Tuacahn, the world's best outdoor stage. There were apes flying over me and Tarzan ziplined right over top of me and almost took me out! (and yes, I saw up his loin cloth...) It was great, and had great music written by Phil Collins. (it is based on the Disney movie)

But THE BEST part is when I went to sit down the guy next to me told me his name, shook my hand and told me he was his "seat buddy" for the night. I thought, "great, a friendly person, like me." We talked for a little bit about broadway shows we had seen and his kids and wife were way stoked to see this.

Well, my sister, Allison saw this and thought it was a hoot, and took a picture. I don't get it....



Okay, maybe I do, we look a little like salt and pepper shakers.

BEST STARING CONTEST EVER

The drummer from one of my favorite bands, OK GO, met his match in a staring contest the other night at the webby awards. When I first saw this, I about fell off the bed I was laughing so hard! Look for celebrities in the background!

How would you like to be Animal's roady for a year? I wouldn't mind. I bet you would eat a lot! 

ATTA BOY!

I am surrounded by mountains of talent. Today's entertainment is provided by my nephew, Josh, who self-taught himself a song on the piano. It is fantastic. You will have to guess what it is, but it makes me what to punch a mushroom and get a 1 up. Also look for a cameo from his little sister!



What a good little piano player! Good luck at your recital, Josh!

IN PROCESS

As you may know or you are finding out, I am putting together an audition tape for Oprah's contest to "have your OWN show" and here is a taste of what I have been filming. It will be a funny, funny (trust me, it's funny) 3 minute audition tape and here is Mr. Whatnot's segment. He demanded that the public see it....

DOWNLOAD ME!

Today I am offering a great deal! Click HERE to download a comedy track featuring Mr. Whatnot and my buddy Young Sim in the studio. They are clowning around and it is a test track for me. I am working on a new album and this is a test track. I want to see how this track goes, and then on with the album. The album will be a character album. So click and download for free. It's painless and harmless and free. Hey, it's better than Botox!

"HEY DOC, THERE'S A HOLE IN YOUR HEADLIGHT"

Singer, Actor, TV Show Host, and Sausage Salesman, Jimmy Dean passed Sunday night at the young age of 81. I best know Jimmy for his hit song "Big Bad John" from 1961. My father played that song blasting constant while I was growing up.  Big Bad John. I get it Dad. He was Big. He was Bad. Oh, man, my father loves that song. Even today, if I spend a day with him, that song will come on in his truck. Well, he likes what he likes!

I also don't think any one can eat sausage without thinking of Mr. Dean. He was a friend to the pork industry!

But, he hosted a great show during the golden age of TV and gave a start to a little puppy named "Rowlf." They were a hoot together. Rowlf grew up and went on the "The Muppet Show" and other things; Some of their best moments have been captured on this video below. It is from a special about Jim Henson that aired on PBS a few years ago. The sketch where Rowlf is sick, and his belly button finally gives out gets me rolling on the ground every time! Enjoy, and wherever you are Mr. Dean, lots of love and appreciation, and enjoy the next part of the journey....

THE LOVERS, THE DREAMERS, AND ME

As anyone who knows me at all, knows that I am some sort of muppet. I gotta be. I don't remember a time of my life when they were not a strong influence in my life. Kermit playing the banjo, Piggy karate chopping someone, Gonzo lusting after chickens, Animal yelling "Woman!" They were always apart of me.

Last month was the 20th anniversary of Jim Henson's death. Jim is the man responsible of creating and assembling this motley crew of creations, as well as putting a big yellow bird on Sesame Street, and many other worlds that were explored on film and television. He was a true genius in the vein of Walt Disney and Mark Twain, and we lost him way to soon.

I was only five years old the day Jim died. I came home from school, and my mother was prepared to tell me the news. I sobbed. It was like a death in the family. My first questions were about Kermit and Piggy and all of their friends, and what they would do now, and my mother had no answers. She just hugged me and mothered me. I knew they were puppets, somehow, but didn't fully understand how they operated. I knew they were just "held up." If Jim Henson wasn't there to hold Kermit up, what was to become of him??  I remember this day as it was yesterday. It is very profound in my memory.

As I am now an adult, the humor and irreverent style with a sweetness that the Muppets carried has stayed with me. I have has the pleasure to meet and talk with a few of the original Muppeteers about Jim and his outlook on life and work and I hold him responsible for my silly sense of humor. Jerry Juhl was head writer for the Muppet Show and a performer before that, and he was responsible for their silly sweetness. I blame him for the way I write jokes, as well. From a very young age, these men groomed me to be a comedian and writer, and humorist.

Recently, this sweet silliness and irreverent style has been unveiled for the public to see. At 30 Rock in NY, The Muppets made their mark a long time ago when they were guests on The Tonight Show with Jack Parr (he was before Carson!) I will let my buddy Frank Oz explain in this video to Brian Williams....

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It really gets to me how emotional he gets and he explains that he is the "last man standing." Jim has been gone for 20 years, and we lost Jerry Juhl a few years ago. The world is a little less funny, a little less silly.



    Muppet Writer, Jerry Juhl and                                                       Muppet Builder, Don Sahlin             
                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                            


Here is Frank cutting the ribbon with Meridith Viera and Jimmy Fallon for the pipes to be part of the NBC studio tour....

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I hope that you all can see what I am talking about when I say I hold these men responsible for my sense of humor. I also think that they have affected and effected a lot of folks. I mean, I am not their only fan! Just their biggest. There has never been a time in my life that Kermit or his friends have never been an important part of it. I have forced The Muppets upon others. I was even at the dentist the other day, and started singing the Muppet Show theme to let them know when I was in pain! They are my happy place. They are my sane place. They are my insane place. They are my place. 

I will probably never stop feeling the loss of Jim Henson, a man that I only knew in this life through his work. I could go on but, I will end this post with a quote from Kermit that I hold as a mantra. At the end of the Muppet Movie, Kermit and the gang are being chased down by a business man who wants Kermit to be a spokesman for his french fried frog leg restaurants. It is the business man's dream to own a chain of these crummy restaurants. Kermit replies, " Yeah, well, I got a dream too. It's about singing a dancing, and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with." I find that to be more true everyday.

YOU NEED A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR

I am a huge Disney nut. The Disneyland Resort is one of my favorite places on earth. They have been rebuilding California Adventure for quite some time and finally finished a new water, light, and animation show called, "Walt Disney's World of Color" (does anyone remember that he hosted a show named that back in the day?) It is spectacular! I have only seen these videos, but it makes Disneyland's "Fantasmic" look like it is a popcicle stick, and ductape puppet show! I will just shut up and you watch all of these videos below!

WORKIN' FOR THE WEEKEND

This little video is in tribute to the fine folks I work with. They are insane fools...



but nice, insane fools!

GROWN UPS

Ok, so I told y'all about my life-changing scare at "Prince of Persia" with the snakes. (If you missed that post, just scroll down a little, you will find it!)
Today I found a little video of actresses Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph promoting their new movie, "Grown Ups" when they had a snake visit their interview for "Extra"! I wasn't this bad seeing snakes in the movie, but listen to how bad Salma freaks her freak! She screams and carries on! It makes me laugh.....




But, seeing a snake is traumatizing! I love it how they were all crawling on Maya Rudolph's chair! Oh those poor women!

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! MR. WHATNOT HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

Get ready! A free download will be ready to go friday morning! you can download it only from this site!!
CORRECTION! IT WILL BE DROPPED FRIDAY JUNE 18!!

WHAT THE SHREK??

Memorial Day 2010 has came and gone, and so has started the summer movie season. I was fortunate enough yesterday to take a little time and go check out "Shrek Forever After" and "Prince of Persia." There is nothing like a good double header!

"Prince of Persia" was so boring, during the first hour, I wanted to induce myself to vomit. If I did that, at least something would happen. Then came THE SNAKES! Why didn't anyone warn me that this movie was loaded with 'em!? If I see them,  I feel like they are on me! I was freaking out, and am still not too sure I didn't have a mild heart attack. I give that movie 2 stars, and that is being kind. I am calling my friends at Disney, and going to ask for my 8 bucks and 3 hours back....

BUT the story today is about Shrek. I won't tell you much about the film, I don't want to spoil it. Let's just be safe to say there are no snakes!  Being a fourth film in a franchise is hard. People think you are washed up, or they are sick of your characters. I thought the filmmakers ended a series well and it was a good flick. I saw it in 3D which was hip. I recommend seeing it in 3D if you do see this ogre. The animation was good. The story was pretty original, and it was pretty funny, but the first 15 minutes had me laughing until I cried. CRIED!

I was laughing soooo loud and soooo long at a series of jokes, (not to spoil it, but it ends with "Gingie" loosing his frosted-on pants!) that the folks that were in the theatre began laughing at me, laughing at the movie. (I was laughing my big loud laugh that I think sounds like a cross between Santa Claus, and Ursula, the Sea Witch.) I was hysterical. To top it off, some lady yelled at me., "It wasn't THAT funny!" which, sent my giggle fit blasting into orbit! I know my pee came out a little. I was nothing short of being on the ground screaming and slapping the floor. I was crying! I was peeing! I literally thought I was going to DIE of laughter! I am sure it looked like the video of that seal that plays the horns!

The rest of the show was anti-climatic after this bit of frenzied laughing. Thanks, anonymous lady out there who yelled at me in the movie. She was so annoyed at me laughing! So what? I had a ball.

Who the Shrek cares?