Latest in Muppets

James Frawley, the Emmy-winning director who brought both the Monkees and the Muppets to screen success during a prolific television and film career spanning five decades, has died. He was 82. Frawley died on Jan. 22 at his home in Indian Well, as first reported in the Palm Springs Desert Sun. Frawley was born in…

“I created Bert,” says Frank Oz. “I know what and who he is.” And no, he isn’t gay. Those old rumors about the Muppets pals were reignited earlier this week when former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman told website Queerty that he “contextualized” Bert and Ernie as a couple based on his own relationship with film…

Cheryl Henson, a Jim Henson Co. board member and daughter of the late Muppets creator, wrote a Facebook post about the firing of former Kermit the Frog puppeteer Steve Whitmire, claiming that his version of the story is “ridiculously self serving” and that he performed Kermit as a “bitter, angry, depressed, victim.&#8221…

UPDATED with video: Earlier this week it was announced that Muppet Studio was replacing Kermit the Frog’s longtime voice actor after more than two decades. Steve Whitmire had voiced America’s favorite frog since character creator Jim Henson died in 1990. Stephen Colbert’s Late Show got video of the auditions process…

In speaking with various Academy members this week, I have noticed a good number of them had yet to vote. Consider it fair warning that all 5,783 ballots are due back to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 PM Tuesday. Complicating matters this year is that Monday is President’s Day, a national holiday designed to sell…