Passion, huh? Does Kermit have competition?
Posted on 02/17/2004 8:30:59 PM PST by GulliverSwift
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:11 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2004
LOS ANGELES - The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it will buy the "Muppets" characters, including Kermit, Miss Piggy and others, as well as the "Bear in the Big Blue House," franchise from The Jim Henson Co.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal culminates a decades-long pursuit of the Muppets by Disney, which came close to acquiring the characters in 1990. The deal fell apart shortly after the death of company founder Jim Henson.
The company then was bought by German media company EM.TV, which sold it back to the Henson family last year.
The deal includes a four-year consulting arrangement with the Jim Henson Co. to provide strategic advice on the use of the characters and a three-year production deal to develop movies, television shows and other projects using the characters.
The Jim Henson Co. will retain its "Creature Shop," which builds the puppet characters, as well as the rights to its film and television library, including "Fraggle Rock" and "Farscape," among others.
The announcement is a much-needed boost for Disney, which has been under attack for weeks from ex-board members and is the subject of a hostile takeover bid from cable television giant Comcast Corp.
It is also a coup for Disney chief executive Michael Eisner, who has been attacked by some who claim he lacks management skills.
"Michael Eisner's long-standing passion and respect for the Muppets gives me and my family even more confidence in Disney as a partner," said Brian Henson, who with his sister Lisa is co-chair and co-chief executive officer of The Jim Henson Co.
Passion, huh? Does Kermit have competition?
Does Farscape involve puppets? If it does, how can it be mature? Unless they tell Crankyankers jokes, wich are classified as "mature" for TV ratings, but are certainly far from mature.
Eisner's "The Passion of the Frog"
--- shudder --- the images it conjures!
"Pilot" and "Rygel XVI" are both creations of Henson Inc.
If it does, how can it be mature?
Watch it and find out. It ain't kid stuff.
Ain't that the truth!
You really need to get a hold and watch the First Season of Farscape on DVD Boxset, you will not regret it, if you watch it all the way through.
Well, how do I put this. Star Trek and B5 are military. Farscape is anarchy on acid. It is one of the best Sci-fi shows ever made.
Farscape has plot, action, drama, acting and special effects that are as good in quality are some modern feature films.
The Jim Henson Company wanted to produce a more mature show targeted at adults to show the world what they could do and they created Farscape.
The show blends CGI, prostitic makeup and muppet to make a very lively sci-fi show.
Farscape is what you get when cross of, Buck Roger, Lost in Space, and Star Wars on a bad acid trip.
The plot begins in the present when during a space experiment with astronaut John Crichton in his spacecraft, Farscape module, when it is shot through a wormhole into the other side of galaxy where he winds up on a living-ship with excaped alien convicts, while being chased by a Peacekeeper Command Carrier (think Super-Stardestroyer) commanded by and insane military commander and things go to hell from there.
But there is one thing about John, he is not Captain Kirk, he is the guy who watch Captain Kirk on tv as a child, he is part geek and makes also sorts of tv/comic/book/movie references as the show goes on and that is probably one of the reasons he was able to adabted, survived and remain sane for so long.
The first couple of episodes are a little weak, but after Scorpius (think a super-genius combined with Darth Vader on a bad day) shows up are the tail end of Season 1, things kick into high gear.
Now two of the muppets are regular charactors in the show, one if pilot who is bond to the ship they are on and it for the most part is polite. And then their is Rygel, he looks a little like Yoda, but personality wise he is Napoleon after he was deposed; vain, selfish, greedy, and fairly smart.
Also, the show itself was flimed in Australia with a lot of good actors from that country.
And the season cliffhangers will drive you insane.
You will have about you start watching Farscape because it is not just a sci-fi show, it is an addiction. ;D
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