Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2012
July 19, 2017
Why Interviewing Kermit the Frog Was the Highlight of My Career
Back in 2014, I had one of those too-good-to-be-true jobs that little kids might come up with when they try and imagine what it means to be a grownup. I was a full-time salaried writer for Disney.com, tasked with covering Disney news and events. Like an in-house fan blogger, it was my job to attend movie premieres, theme park ride openings, and other special occasions throughout the company. Yes, that is a real job a person can have.
My role placed me across the table from an incredible array of talented and creative people involved with Disney’s many endeavors, from films and TV shows to theme parks, video games, and even cruise ships. Years later, one of those people stands head and shoulders above the rest in the Disney Legends Plaza of the mind: the one and only Kermit the Frog, as played by Steve Whitmire, who will henceforth be known in my life as “my Kermit.”
It was just before the release of Muppets Most Wanted, and I was scheduled for a series of one-on-one interviews to promote the film. Director James Bobin and his longtime collaborator Bret McKenzie would be there, daring me to veer off into Flight of the Conchords trivia. Kermit the Frog was also on my schedule, as was Constantine, his evil doppelgänger in the film. None of my interviews would be filmed, only audiotaped–this fact concerned me a bit, seeing how Kermit and Constantine are, well, puppets. (Isn’t the visual of a talking frog half of the fun?) That being said, I was excited to have personal time with a Muppet, to take in the craft from up close.
When my Kermit appointment arrived, I stepped into a hotel room to find Steve Whitmire waiting for me. I had no idea how many of these interviews he had already done that day, but he was cheerful and friendly and immediately struck me as a gentle, gracious person (which is most definitely not the case with everyone you meet in these situations). Steve introduced himself and asked me to sit down, never giving me a chance to focus on him or ask him any questions; after all, I wasn’t there for a Steve Whitmire interview, I was there for the frog. Steve opened up a special case and pulled out Kermit. I turned around for a moment–it felt improper to see the next few seconds–and when I turned back around Steve had taken a seat and perched Kermit on a small table next to me.
It’s a wild thing to look into a puppet’s eyes and feel it looking back at you. I looked to Steve for some sort of nod or cue on where to look or who to talk to, but it was as if he had left the room. The puppeteer had disappeared, had melted away into the background, leaving me and Kermit alone together. Kermit wasn’t shy, but he sure was damned famous, and I realize now that he simply treated me like he must’ve treated thousands of other star-struck fans and journalists throughout a decades-long career that started before I even existed: gently. For 10 minutes, we sat and talked quietly. Kermit never stopped maintaining eye contact, adjusting his posture, gesturing to me or scratching his head while he thought, details performed for me and me alone.
Kermit was kind, smart, and funny. His answers to my questions mixed familiar jokes with honest advice in a sophisticated fashion, part sly and part sweet, in a proportion that seems impossible in retrospect. It only took three minutes for the intimacy of the thing to completely break me down, leaving me watery-eyed and stammering as he fondly recounted his life’s work.
I asked him if he had kept any mementos from over the years, and he told me how he kept a collection of chicken feathers, organized by project, that he could look back at to remember each day. He had John Denver chicken feathers, Muppet Movie chicken feathers, Muppet Show chicken feathers. “Someday I’m going to take them all and put them inside of a pillowcase and have a wonderful pillow,” he told me. That’s probably the moment my heart broke irrevocably, and I realized I would never publish this interview because it was simply too difficult to capture in any way that would do it justice.
When the interview was coming to a close, I ticked off some of the usual softball questions you ask at these type of things when you’re too star-struck to think on your feet. I asked Kermit, “Why should people see this movie?”
He told me, “I think it’s a great story. It has comedy, drama, and action.” He added, “I get to be an action star,” before segueing into one of his standard jokes about preparing for his stunts by getting the same haircut as Bruce Willis.
But then his answer took a turn for the blunt, and Kermit said what a lot of us were probably thinking at the time, no one more so than Steve himself. “If you like The Muppets, it’s probably the only way we’ll do more films,” he said. “If you don’t see it, that’s the end of the road.” I wish more people had seen it.
Images: Disney, Alexei Bochenek, Ewen Roberts (via flickr)
Watch the Trailer for the New VENTURE BROS. Art Book (Exclusive)
Unfortunately for fans of Adult Swim’s hit series, The Venture Bros., it’s unlikely that new footage from the seventh season will drop at San Diego Comic-Con International this week. But that doesn’t mean that the masterminds behind the show are taking time off. Series creator Jackson Publick will appear on the first day of SDCC in support of Dark Horse Comics’ upcoming art book, Go Team Venture! The Art and Making of the Venture Bros.!
On Thursday, July 20th at 11:00 am in Room 23ABC, Publick will appear at Dark Horse Comics’ Go Team Venture! The Art and Making of the Venture Bros.!, alongside the author of the book, Ken Plume. Additionally, Dark Horse has released a video trailer for the book that features Publick’s partner-in-crime, Doc Hammer, narrating the video in the voice of Henchman 21. In fact, Hammer was the one who put the trailer together!
Within the book, Plume interviews Publick and Hammer about every single episode from the first six seasons of The Venture Bros., while curating a vast amount of artwork that was created for the series, including early character sketches of Hank and Dean, background paintings, and even this intriguing shot of the original Team Venture meeting JFK.
Go Team Venture! The Art and Making of the Venture Bros.! will be released on August 23.
What did you think about the trailer for The Venture Bros.’ art book? Stop chatting with H.E.L.P.eR. and let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section below!
Images: Adult Swim
What the D23 AVENGERS Trailer Revealed About our Infinity Stone Theory!
Last weekend, Marvel rocked our universe with the unexpected debut of footage from Avengers: Infinity War, and it was pretty much everything we’ve hoped to see. Almost all of the MCU heroes were there for Thanos’ coming out party, and he brought a few children of his own. As impressive as that footage was, it left a lot of tantalizing hints about what we can expect for big showdown. Today’s Nerdist News is using the Time Stone to tell you how and why the latest trailer may have confirmed our theory about the Infinity Stones!
There are potentially major spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok! If you don’t want to know about the cosmic doom that’s approaching, this is your last chance to turn back. You’ve been warned!
Join host and the woman most likely to wield Mjölnir in Phase 4, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through the D23 footage one more time. As you may recall, our theory about Thor: Ragnarok was that it will feature not one, but two Infinity Stones. We think that Hela’s rampage is being fueled by the Soul Stone; which may have previously been in the possession of Idris Elba’s Heimdall. Since Hela made short work of Thor’s hammer, we also think that he dug out the Tesseract from Odin’s vault to use in the final battle against her.
How does that related to the D23 trailer? Note that the Guardians of the Galaxy found Thor basically left for dead in space, while Loki is seen using the Tesseract on Earth. Could Thor’s deliciously evil brother have once again turned on him and stolen the Tesseract at the end of Thor: Ragnarok? That would be a pretty intense end credits scene. Or perhaps it will be Thanos himself who easily lays out one of the most powerful Avengers. Either way, the Tesseract is back in play, and the pieces of our theory seem to hold together nicely.
What do you think about our Infinity Stone theory? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Will You Accept This Rose? #60: Bryan And His Mom Sitting In A Tree! w/ Fortune Feimster and Rob Benedict
– Arden learns what cheese curds are!
– Erin is convinced Bryan’s cheeks are made out of lovers past!
-Fortune wants to jump into someone’s arms!
– Rob finds his Halloween costume!
All this plus………….TWEET OF THE WEEK!
Like Will You Accept This Rose? on Facebook and follow @ArdenMyrin, and @ErinFoleyComic on Twitter! Email the show at rosepodcast@gmail.com!
Music by Mark Rivers
POKEMON are Easy to Find in These Tattoo Sleeves
If you’re Maya Hofacker, it’s easy to spot and catch Pokémon—the little creatures call her arm and leg home. They’re part of colorful and bold sleeves that showcase some of Maya’s favorite Pokémon in an artistic way. She told Nerdist Pokémon has always been her special thing. She recently went through some saved drawings from childhood and at least ninety percent of them were of Pokémon. “Pokémon was always my favorite. It was and always will be a part of me,” she said.
Maya’s sleeve was inked by Mark Stewart. She went for a specific style. She explained, “I wanted the sleeve to be bold and recognizable, but in the traditional Japanese style as well. Like if you weren’t into Pokémon, you would just think it’s a normal koi fish and dragon.”
The arm sleeve took about 12 hours to complete spread over four sessions. The leg tattoo took a bit longer. For that, she picked her favorite Pokémon cards. You can spot Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Warturtle, and more. You’ll spot shiny Pokémon in both tattoos because Maya has special memories of them: “Shiny Pokémon were a huge deal for me to find in the games. My very first shiny used Self-Destruct before I could catch it, and I never forgot that! ”
Visit the gallery below to see more views of Maya’s awesome Pokémon ink.
If you have nerdy ink on your skin or you’re a tattoo artist that applies pop culture, STEM, music, or other nerd-inspired ink (tl;dr: I want to see basically all of the tattoos) on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. I’m especially interested if you have a sleeve or other large tattoo. You can get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com. Send me photos of the tattoos you’d like me to feature (the higher resolution, the better) and don’t forget to let me know the name of your tattoo artist if you have it, as well the name of the shop he or she works out of. If you are the tattoo artist, give me links to your portfolios and/or Instagram accounts so I can share them with our readers.
Images: Maya Hofacker
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Reveals Kylo Ren’s New Ship
Now that he’s got a stylish (if inconsistent) new facial scar to match his dark, flowing tresses, Star Wars‘ conflicted baddie Kylo Ren is going to need a sweet ride that likewise encapsulates his personal brand of terracidal ennui. Per the good graces of The Star Wars Show, we’ve gotten our very first look at the ship that Ren will use for cruising through Bespin’s mall parking lots and tailgating Max Rebo’s Paramore cover band concerts… or whatever he’ll be up to in The Last Jedi. Watch below to get our own glimpse of what they’re calling (spoilers!) the TIE Silencer!
Otherwise known as the Sienar Jaemus TIE/VN Space Superiority Fighter, which doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as smoothly, the ship bears resemblance to the canon’s long established TIE Interceptor ships. Much like its brethren, the TIE Silencer shoots laser cannons, which, like forward collision warning and Sirius XM, is a must-have feature for any aspiring young intergalactic tyrant.
Why exactly it’s called the “Silencer” is yet unknown, other than perhaps to evoke the silencing of millions of voices crying out in terror at the hand of Kylo’s beloved grandpappy. In fact, we don’t know much in the way of what role the ship will play in The Last Jedi, though we can expect an upping of the ante in extraterrestrial menace. That said, considering the fact that Kylo Ren not only blew up a whole community of planets in The Force Awakens but also murdered his fan favorite father Han Solo, doubling down on the evil will be no mean feat.
Luckily (or unluckily), he’s got a nasty lookin’ ship to help keep the wickedness running at top speeds.
What do you think of Kylo Ren’s new ship? Let us know!
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
MEGA MAN Live-Action Movie Has Found Surprising Directors
Since it was revealed back in 2015 that Capcom and 20th Century Fox were planning a live-action Mega Man movie, we haven’t heard much news about the project. Fear not, though, because the gears are starting to turn: The Hollywood Reporter says that
Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the filmmakers best known for their documentary Catfish, are in final negotiations to write and direct the movie.
It turns out that 20th Century Fox finally acquired the rights to the film just this year, and now it’s set to be produced by Chernin Entertainment and Heroes actor Masi Oka. Since it seems it’s still very early in production, there’s no word yet on who might be starring in the movie, so we’ll have to wait for news on that.
What we can say is that the Mega Man lore ought to make for a good film: The plot of the first game, which came out on the NES in 1987, focuses on an android named Rock, who was created by Dr. Light. However, his assistant Dr. Wily reprogrammed a lot of the robots for nefarious purposes, so Rock volunteered to be upgraded to a fighting robot, known as Mega Man, and stop Dr. Wily.
Since Catfish, Joost and Schulman have gone on to direct horror films like Paranormal Activity 4 and thrillers like Nerve. As such, an action adventure like Mega Man won’t be entirely outside their wheelhouse, though they still are interesting choices for the project.
There’s already a new Mega Man animated series that’s set to launch in 2018, so what do you think of all this upcoming Mega Man attention? Which of the two adaptations are you most looking forward to? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Featured image: Nintendo
GAME OF THRONES Photos Tease a Stark-Centric Second Episode
New images for this Sunday’s Game of Thrones seem to indicate a very Stark-heavy episode. Half of the photos revealed revolve around Winterfell and the various characters in the city. However, since the episode is called “Stormborn,” Danaerys will definitely play a part.
Speaking of Littlefinger…
He appears to be trying a similar tactic to the one he used on Sansa, but this time with Jon Snow. No doubt Littlefinger is trying to manipulate the King in the North, and we’re excited to see their first real interaction since the Knights of the Vale saved Jon’s army in the Battle of the Bastards.
Jon is leaving Winterfell with the Onion Knight in tow. Where are they heading? Possibly Dragonstone, home of both Danaerys and a mountain of Dragonglass. Alternatively, they could be heading to the Wall, but that’s a little less fun.
Speaking of Starks, Arya is also on the move, having apparently left Ed Sheeran. The snow on the ground indicates that she hasn’t left the North yet, so is she still going to kill Cersei, or has she learned her siblings are alive and back in Winterfell? We want very few things more than we want the Starks to reunite, so here’s to hoping.
Sam’s still stuck interning for the Maesters, but that’s more or less what we expected. Hopefully there’s a bit less shit.
Here’s a shot that’s very similar to the season 7 premiere’s final shot, so this probably begins the episode. Dany is finally ready to begin her conquest of Westeros after more than 6 seasons.
How excited are you for the next episode? Let us know in the comments below.
Image: HBO
July 18, 2017
Two New HARRY POTTER Books Set to Arrive This October
Harry Potter‘s U.K. publisher Bloomsbury has dropped some news that would make Hermione Granger exceedingly pleased. To accompany the opening of an upcoming Harry Potter exhibit at the British Library—an exhibit that will blend the historical with the fictional—Bloomsbury is publishing two new tomes set in the Wizarding World. These books sound like they’ll contain the sort of in-universe history and facts that’ll make any information hungry fan drop everything and study.
Word of the new releases came to us via Mashable. The releases are titled: Harry Potter: A History of Magic – The Book of The Exhibition and Harry Potter – A Journey Through A History of Magic. The former will go through the various subjects students study at Hogwarts. That matches the structure of the exhibition at the British Library, titled Harry Potter: A History of Magic; the exhibit will feature potions, herbology, and care of magical creatures among other subjects, so the book will likely include those topics.
The British Library’s shop has more details on The Book of the Exhibition. It will include both artifacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, plus exclusive manuscripts and sketches from the Harry Potter archive.
Harry Potter – A Journey Through A History of Magic will have a broader focus and explore the history of magic, “from alchemy to unicorns, ancient witchcraft, to Hogwarts.” This title is also available to pre-order from the British Library’s shop and will include a deep dive into the past of Wizarding World through the lens of the Hogwarts curriculum. For example, you’ll learn about the history of mandrake roots and dragons and read about real-life potions and alchemists.
Author J.K. Rowling is collaborating with the British Library curators on the exhibition, so she’s at least indirectly involved with these books, but both titles have the “British Library’s curatorial team” listed as authors.
Do you plan to study these books with a magnifying glass and index cards for notes, or is that just me? Share your thoughts about these upcoming releases in the comments.
Images: Warner Bros., Tumblr
The International Space Station Has an Adorable New Camera Drone
The astronauts aboard the International Space Station have a lot to do 400 kilometers above our heads, whether it’s growing flowers, playing pong with water, or doing more serious genetics research and experiments. They’ve got plenty of high-tech tools to do their science, and now they’ve added another impressive (and super cute) one to their arsenal: a spherical camera drone known as the “Int-Ball” (via Engadget).
Created by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Int-Ball is 15 centimeters in diameter and transfers images back to Earth in (almost) real-time, so JAXA staff can respond to problems quickly. Int-Ball can also move either autonomously or under the control of operators back on Earth, which could end up being a big time-saver for astronauts aboard the ISS. JAXA says that astronauts spend about ten percent of their time up there with a camera in their hand, so having a floating camera around that can do a lot of that work by itself could be huge.
Int-Ball moves around in zero gravity thanks to its three-axis control unit, which works with 12 fans on the robot’s surface to adjust its position as necessary. It has a navigation camera that looks for pink “3D target makers” reference points on the ship, and the recording camera is between its big, adorable “eyes” so it’s easy to tell what Int-Ball is actually looking at.
Int-Ball has been on the ISS since June 4, and while JAXA is working on making the ball more effective as an autonomous unit, it seems like it’s off to a pretty solid start. Check out the videos throughout this post, and let us know in the comments below what other potential benefits Int-Ball could provide.
Featured image: NASA/JAXA
Chris Hardwick's Blog
- Chris Hardwick's profile
- 132 followers
