Hi ho, Snarker the Blogger here with an AfterEllen.com News Flash. I’m coming to you live from the internet today with important breaking news. The Muppets are making another movie. Yes, those muppets. Yes, another movie. Really. And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

That’s right, those adorable Muppets are coming back to the big screen, thanks to some unexpected champions. Disney, which now owns the rights to the Muppets, has greenlit a new feature film from actor-writer Jason Segel and his writing-directing partner Nick Stoller. In case those names don’t ring a bell, Segel and Stoller are the duo behind the upcoming R-rated comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Segel, whose credits include Knocked Up and Freaks and Geeks, can be seen every week on How I Met Your Mother.

I don’t know how I feel about this news yet. On the one hand, hip-hip-hooray for another Muppet movie. On the other, I’m a little wary. As with any sacred childhood memory, it’s a little frightening to see it reinvented as an adult. Thing can get ugly fast when people mess with the warmest, fuzziest touchstones of your formative years. Even today, I hear “Rainbow Connection” all these years later and I still get a little lump in my throat. … continue reading

Happy (belated) Women’s History Month or — as I like to call it — Ladies’ Month. I have no good excuse for being two weeks late to the party other than, well, it’s 2008 and us hard-working career gals are busy. But that doesn’t mean slowing down for a second and paying our past its due isn’t important. Sometimes, I think it’s more important than ever.

Of course, at this point someone will ask, “Why even have a Women’s History Month”? Aren’t we past the superficial need to celebrate one’s gender as a part of our cultural identity? In theory, gosh, wouldn’t that be nice. In actuality, so very much no. Go ahead and Google feminism. Among the top results, you’ll find “Ladies Against Feminism,” “Feminism is evil!” and “How feminism destroyed real men.”

Yes, because the plague of fake men roaming the countryside threatening to paint your toenails and wash the dishes has truly reached epidemic levels. It’s at moments like these that I dig down and seek the guidance of my spiritual gurus, the Muppets. … continue reading

I really like my Entertainment Weekly subscription. It was a total suckered-in kind of thing. I got the “free trial” that I was going to cancel before the not-free period began. Right. But I enjoy the magazine, and I particularly appreciate the subscription when I learn of fun things — such as the Entertainment Weeky/TV Land special The 50 Greatest TV Icons, scheduled to air this Friday night.

I'll be out of town on Friday night, but my DVR is already set. I love me some TV and I want to know who is crowned the Greatest TV Icon of all time. I know who I'd pick: Kermit the Frog.

Unfortunately, I suspect that Kermit will not be number one because he's pictured in the listing in the magazine. Where would the suspense be then?

But let's watch a video of TV icon Kermit singing his iconic song, “The Rainbow Connection,” with punk icon Debbie Harry — just because it's fun. … continue reading

Deborah Harry, best known as the lead singer of Blondie, is prominently featured in the most recent print edition of The Advocate. The article is part of the magazine's fall entertainment preview, and Harry is featured because her first solo album in 14 years, Necessary Evil, will be released in the U.K. this month and the U.S. next month.

The author of the article, Brantley Bardin, is somewhat annoying and repeatedly refers to Harry as "pouty." (First he mentions her "permanently pouty lips that could give you a smooch as easily as wolf you down for dinner." Later he describes her as "faux-pouting like a sexed-up Shirley Temple.") Regardless, he presents an appealing picture of one of the most influential female performers of the last 40 years. He highlights the ups-and-downs of her long career, her versatility (punk to jazz) and her activism. And he elicits why she doesn't like to be called an "icon." Harry says, "It sounds like 'acorn.'"

Of course, one of the most amazing things about her is that she's still going strong. Check out the video of "Two Times Blue," the first single from her new album. … continue reading

You might have noticed that I'm a Muppet fan. I have many fond memories of The Muppet Show and have been known to search for clips when I need cheering up. So I was thrilled to come across one of my favorite skits, an interpretation of "Copacabana" — and was also stunned to realize I had completely forgotten that Liza Minnelli played Lola the showgirl!

Here's the clip: … continue reading

Toy maker Todd McFarlane and filmmaker Josh Olson just announced that they are undertaking a new version of The Wizard of Oz (not to be confused with the Sci Fi Channel's Tin Man). Although Wicked has earned quite a reputation, neither Diana Ross nor the Muppets could save previous Oz Redux attempts, so my initial reaction to this was skepticism.

Reading on, I wavered between intrigued (Oz as "dark, edgy and muscular"), relieved (Dorothy will not be "some bondage queen," a la McFarlane's disturbing dolls) and bored (the film will aim to capture Lord of the Rings fans). Then I got to the description of Dorothy as less "helpless singing girl" and more Ellen Ripley.

That's right: Dorothy 2.0. Better, faster, and able to take you out. No more wavering for me — if Ripley is going to Oz, I am going, too. … continue reading

I rarely make a point of buying DVDs the day they're released, but this Tuesday I'll be first in line to buy Season 2 of The Muppet Show — assuming that anyone else inclined to wait in line holds off until I have a chance to run out at lunch. But if quality dictated demand, there would already be people dressed like Gonzo and Miss Piggy waiting in lawn chairs and sleeping bags outside Virgin Megastores everywhere.

To give you a taste of what's so fun about the Muppets, here's a clip from one of the extras on the DVD, The Muppet Valentine Show (1974): … continue reading

To me, birthdays have always seemed an odd thing. I get celebrating a graduation or even an anniversary: These require hard work. But my birthday? I wasn't even there, at least not until the end of it. I just sort of showed up, like every day since.

But then there's a life like Lena Horne's. She marked her 90th birthday on Saturday, and that lady deserves a party.

Most of her online photos, even recent ones, are in black and white, and I think I know why. She personifies elegance. And wisdom. And old-fashioned class, unlike some young starlets we could name. … continue reading