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09 Mar 2011 22:18

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Politics: Congressman Doug Lamborn does not like Big Bird

  • I have been seeking to push Big Bird out of the nest for over a year…it’s time for Big Bird to earn his wings and learn to fly on his own.
  • Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) • On the departure of Vivian Schiller, the now-former CEO of NPR — as well as his push to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR. He wrote the legislation to defund the organizations. “We can no longer afford to spend taxpayer dollars on non-essential government programs,” Lamborn said, and Schiller’s departure “only strengthens my resolve to eliminate all federal funding for NPR and its parent organization.” Fair enough, but cut the Bird some slack, eh? He’s just an innocent bystander!  source

13 Oct 2010 11:24

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Culture: Sesame Street: What worked for Old Spice didn’t work for Katy Perry

  • Sesame Street has always used spoofs of popular culture to draw in and connect with its audience. We use spoofs and celebrity appearances to draw in the adult, because research shows that a child learns best when co-viewing with an adult.
  • Sesame Workshop vice president and executive producer of Digital Media Miles Ludwig • Explaining the quick success of last week’s Grover “Old Spice” parody, which has earned millions of views in just a few days. You know what’s funny, though? That’s exactly what another Sesame Workshop employee said about the Katy Perry thing on Good Morning America not so long ago. It seems to us that when they hit it, they hit it out of the park, but when they miss, something like Katy Perry happens. source

08 Oct 2010 19:52

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26 Sep 2010 11:58

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Offbeat: Elmo attacked by crazy guy, kicks crazy guy’s butt

  • Elmo got the best of the guy. He broke two of his fingers.
  • Winter Park, Fla. police Lt. Wayne Farrell • Regarding an unprovoked attack of a guy dressed like Elmo at a Guitar Center. The man reportedly felt “threatened” by the Sesame Street icon, and we’re guessing he was probably just upset about the whole Katy Perry thing. Elmo wasn’t hurt, by the way. source

22 Sep 2010 23:55

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Culture: Misguided outfit of the day: Katy Perry wearing faux-cleavage for Elmo

  • Katy Perry has cleavage. No getting around that, unless you’re the Children’s Television Workshop and you decide you can’t show that kind of thing to preschoolers. So, whaddya do? You have the pop starlet wear a top that looks exactly like skin, getting around the cleavage problem in the most inefficient way possible and making people think that, yes, she’s falling out of her top. How hilarious is it that Perry’s apparently trying to soften her sultry image for kids? And failing? (On a side note, Perry barely snatched the “Misguided outfit of the day” award from Jennifer Lopez.) source

09 Nov 2009 21:16

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Culture: Critic: “Sesame Street” isn’t looking so hot at 40, in a midlife crisis

  • When we sat down to watch the screener of the first episode of ‘Sesame Street’s’ 40th season, Eleanor, 2, threw a mini-tantrum: ‘I want Dora!’
  • Boston Herald columnist Jill Radsken • Describing her daughter’s reaction to the new season of “Sesame Street,” which she reviewed. Radsken says that the show is not totally different and loaded with celebrities that the show never got originally, such as Michelle Obama (!). Comparing how it holds up to the original, she says: “Parents who grew up with ‘Sesame Street’ wouldn’t recognize – or like – much of the show these days.” Harsh. • source

08 Nov 2009 10:31

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Culture: Big Bird is a total squatter, according to this Jimmy Kimmel interview

  • Big Bird’s been on TV a lot outside of Sesame Street over the years, most recently on Jimmy Kimmel (where he admits to living in a vacant lot behind Gordon and Susan‘s house). The Huffington Post gathers up some of the most interesting moments.source
 

04 Nov 2009 10:30

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Culture: Can you tell me how to search, how to search for “Sesame Street”?

sesamestreet1104
  • Yes yes, we know. Google’s done this hundreds of times in the past. But, for the 40th anniversary of “Sesame Street,” this is easily the most awesome one they’ve ever done. Even better? They’ve customized them based on which character was most popular in the corresponding country. Good show, Google.source

16 Aug 2009 23:29

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Culture: Are you a fan of Sesame Street? You’ll freaking love this.

101 Muppets of Sesame Street
  • There’s a lot of characters here, most of which we’ve never seen before, but all of them incredibly awesome. We’re suckers for deep, interesting Flash infographics like this one, and you should be too. Most unsung popular character here? Grover. Duh.source

13 Aug 2009 11:16

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Culture, World: Don’t laugh: “Muppet diplomacy” useful diplomatic tool

  • Muppets give children, and the parents who watch the show with them, a chance to explore other cultures from the safety of their living room, where no one will criticize them for being curious.
  • Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell • Describing the use of the various versions of “Sesame Street” to teach friendly lessons that various countries, often militant, may not be teaching children. Daoud Kuttab, who executive produces “Shara’a Simsim,” a localized version of “Sesame Street” for Palestinian children, agrees: “I would say 3-, 4-, 5-year olds — if we don’t catch them at that early age, we do risk losing them to all kinds of propaganda, whether it’s conservative, religious or fundamentalist.” The world needs more Cookie Monster. • source