As I sit looking out my window, watching the snow blow sideways, the Sesame Street tune plays on repeat in my head... "Sunny days, thinking of..."What to do with my snow day? I could work at home since I have my laptop with all my files on it... or I could catch up on things, namely this blog. Tough choice, but I think I'll choose the latter...
Quick comment on the latest, and always entertaining, Vox post. To me (not much of a music enthusiast) Halen definitely has its place in R-n-R history, but today their tunes (especially with Hagar) seem a bit campy. Honestly, I turn the channel when most of their songs come on... that is when I'm actually listening to music.
Secondly, I have to ask... how the hell do you see so many movies? I don't think I've seen 10 movies in two years.
Anyway, when you want to do that radio show, let me know. We'll kill it like we did on MS-n-LL. We can even invite that Johnny Mike to talk about Winslow's kid.
"Sunny days..." I can't get that song out of my head, so I'll embrace it and give you people my...
Top 10 Sesame Street Characters.
10. Hoots the Owl... a jazzy saxophone-playing owl, Hoots is a low to mid-carder who makes periodical appearances mostly in musical numbers. The first ever Jive-talkin' fowl, Hoots' deep baritone voice resonates strongly as he sings "Ernie, put the quacker down", just before blowin' a smooth tune on his sax. Amazing he's that good on a wind instrument considering the beak.
9. Elmo... without a doubt the most popular Sesame Street muppet, Elmo is simply a phenomenon. No disrespect to the Undertaker, but he is THE Phenom. Elmo isn't a classic SS muppet and didn't even exist in the 70's when I was watching. But he/she (Elmo's sexual orientation is purposely ambiguous) is definitely here to stay. This cute little fuzzy monster (ironically puppeteered and voiced by a 6'-2" African-American) is supposed to represent a 3 year old... and does he ever connect with today's toddlers. I could never understand the obsession, until I had a kid and see first hand what Elmo means to his world.
8. Cookie Monster... until Elmo, perhaps the most popular muppet. Cookie has been eating the Number of the Day for years. Conservatives want to blame Cookie for the obesity problem facing our youth, but all I know is that I was a scrawny little nothing and I loved Cookie Monster. After all, parents should ultimately have control over their kids. Someone has to give those kids those "cookies"... they aren't pulling from the tv screen from Cookie Monster's plate are they?
7. Mr. Mumford... the resident magician on Sesame Street, Mumford's tricks do not always have the intended effect. Among his magical miscues have been transforming would-be "La-La-ers" into "Bah-Bah-ers" making Big Bird's quest for the best musical show more difficult than imagined. Known by his magic phrase, "A-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches!", Mr. Mumford is now in semi-retirement, only appearing on special shows and DVDs in "Gimmick Angles" and "Kayfabes".
6. Baby Bear... was there a Baby Bear when we were kids? I don't think so, but there's one now. Telly Monster, Elmo, and Baby Bear... they're like the Three Amigos... thick as thieves. Baby Bear has a terrible speech impediment but delivers in a way that kids still learn properly. He loves that porridge, every day he seems to eat "the best porridge he's ever had".
5. Telly Monster... a truly underrated muppet, I don't even remember Telly back when, meaning he's gone from nothing to one of the main characters (i.e. from a "Jobber" to a "Main Eventer") and a good one at that. Telly has a lot to offer, you just have to get past his clumsy, worrisome, comedic exterior.
4. Snuffleupagus... more of a side-show similar to Andre the Giant in his later days, Snuffy is somewhat of an elephant/wooly mammoth type creature who spent his best days as Big Bird's friend. As more characters surfaced on Sesame Street, Big Bird seems to have less and less time for Snuffy. Some say his appearances have lessened because of the complexity of operating him, but I say he's suffering from physical deterioration from years of performing on that large frame, much like the aforementioned Andre the Giant, The Big Show, and Giant Baba.
3. Bert... I always said Bert reminded me of my late grandfather Poppy Harold. That's not meant to be an insult... I love my grandfather... just a childhood thing that's stuck. I don't get his pigeon fetish, but some people don't get my loves like wrestling, Buffy, spots talk, etc. At one point, rumors ran wild that Bert was actually going to be killed off because the Right Wing feared his "friendship" with Ernie represented homosexuality. Whatever... and Cookie Monster's cookie fetish causes kids to be fat... how about parents look at themselves in the mirror instead of blaming the boob tube for everything. Bert bought Ernie a new Rubber Duckie on X-mas... perhaps the most touching moment in television history?
2. Oscar the Grouch... now scram! Classic. The irony about Oscar is that he loves Slimy his worm, his pet elephant, and trash. Quite a conflicted character deep down... kinda like Kane, the Big Red Machine.
1. The Count (full name Count Von Count)... is there anything better than a vampire who is actually embraced by kids instead of scaring the crap out of them? Only Jim Henson could pull that off. I've always loved The Count from when I was a tot to now, watching with my son. His purple skin, his Jewish nose, his Batty Bats, and his Carpathian accent simply rule. He's number VON... AH, AH, AH!
