Simon Says
September 20, 2013 6:10 PM   Subscribe

 
Whomever had his/her hand up Dinklage's ass missed at least one queue on the puppet synching. Otherwise, awesome.

Also, no idea what I just watched.

Peter Dinklage is my porn name.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:27 PM on September 20, 2013


Hee hee. Hee hee hee.

Don't know if there's ever been a Muppet-related episode where the star's the same size as the muppets.

Simon says - Favorite this comment!
posted by Samizdata at 6:28 PM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


This is a legitimately great song. How can that be.
posted by boo_radley at 6:32 PM on September 20, 2013


boo_radley: "This is a legitimately great song. How can that be."

Because, Muppets always have remarkably good tunes.
posted by Samizdata at 6:33 PM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Yeah, Sesame Street has enough prestige that they've no difficulty attracting top-shelf talent. For what they do, they're the big-time.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:44 PM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


To be fair, Dinklage is at best middle-shelf talent.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:04 PM on September 20, 2013


Peter Dinklage has said that he avoids stereotypical roles for short people (although it should be noted that he has no moral objection to them and is not an activist) and prefers roles with meaning.

So the fact that be basically agreed to play a human Muppet says a lot about about what makes the Muppets so brilliant. They do funny things, they make us laugh, but in the end, there is no shame in being a Muppet. It's why things like this aren't even remotely jarring: they make us laugh because they are flawed; they make us cry because they are so much more.
posted by BiggerJ at 7:07 PM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


It just looks so right for someone to be the same size as the Muppets.

Plus, Dinklage sings!
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:53 PM on September 20, 2013


This video made me realize for the first time that Peter Dinklage sometimes looks a bit like Harry Hamlin.
posted by selfnoise at 7:58 PM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


Oh, man, the business at the end where he blocks one ear in that 'singer hearing himself' thing and does that pulling gesture with the other hand! Killed me. Also, his pipes are golden and his bone structure is beautiful and pardon me while I fan myself a while.
posted by theatro at 8:00 PM on September 20, 2013 [8 favorites]


He's not a Muppet, he's a wildly popular and critically acclaimed star of a hit television series. He can both sing and act, and he's on Sesame Street for the same reason Will Arnett, Alton Brown, Patrick Stewart and Troy Polamalu were on Sesame Street - to engage parents so they'll watch an educational show with their kids, as CTW's studies show kids learn more and retain more when they know their parents are watching and engaged with the material.

No matter what he looks like, the man's a giant.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:18 PM on September 20, 2013 [17 favorites]


Respect. That was a great song, sung wonderfully, and Dinklage's blocking was pitch-perfect Muppet.
posted by carsonb at 9:44 PM on September 20, 2013


Saw this earlier today, and loved it.

I've been a fan of Dinklage for as long as he's been on my radar (meaning since I saw Living in Oblivion) and actually got to share a beer with him at a bar randomly the day after I saw The Station Agent. He was as friendly in person as you could hope.

My experience with Sesame Workshop is pretty limited but my understanding is that they don't have to seek out top (or mid) shelf talent so much as it seeks them. Those aren't paycheck gigs, but "I want to be able to show my kids this" gigs.

And yeah, Dinklage is absolutely a giant. His physical stature (and his striking handsomeness, if we're being frank) definitely opened some odd initial doors for him, but his talent allowed for that to lead to him being essentially the lead character in a massive ensemble in one of the most talked-about shows on the air, and his career is far, far from over whenever Game of Thrones finishes up.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:07 PM on September 20, 2013 [6 favorites]


I've been a fan of Dinklage for as long as he's been on my radar (meaning since I saw Living in Oblivion) and actually got to share a beer with him at a bar randomly the day after I saw The Station Agent. He was as friendly in person as you could hope.

First of all, I am super jealous.


Secondly, he was so great in Living in Oblivion. I haven't thought of that movie in years, but I recall that when I saw it this scene brought the house down.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:52 PM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


First of all, I am super jealous.

Would it make you less jealous to know that like half of the guys from The State were hanging out that night as well?

...Yeah, I guess probably not.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:56 PM on September 20, 2013


NOPE.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:16 PM on September 20, 2013


Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black cracked jokes with me at the urinals.

okay I'll stop now
posted by Navelgazer at 11:36 PM on September 20, 2013


Don't know if there's ever been a Muppet-related episode where the star's the same size as the muppets.

There was an episode of the Muppet Show with the rather diminutive Paul Williams as host (he wrote all the songs for The Muppet Movie) and he remarked "Finally, I'm the tallest guy in the room" or somesuch, only to be immediately surrounded by Sweetums and the other "large" Muppets and had to eat his words.
posted by ShutterBun at 12:45 AM on September 21, 2013 [6 favorites]


(Also, there's a recent Sesame Street appearance by his Lannister sister...whose name escapes me at the moment. It's rather adorable)
posted by ShutterBun at 12:46 AM on September 21, 2013


Peter Dinklage has said that he avoids stereotypical roles for short people (although it should be noted that he has no moral objection to them and is not an activist) and prefers roles with meaning.

His role in Elf illustrates this rather effectively.

71 degrees.
posted by ShutterBun at 12:50 AM on September 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


I know I heard that song on King Biscuit Flour Hour back in 79 or 80.
posted by surplus at 3:00 AM on September 21, 2013


Lena Headey on Sesame Street.
posted by Pendragon at 3:17 AM on September 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


OK, I am bemused by Peter and Lena being on Sesame Street but you'll know they've gone too far when Jack Gleeson shows up and all the muppets back slowly away.
posted by Ber at 4:15 AM on September 21, 2013 [4 favorites]


"This is a legitimately great song. How can that be."

It definitely had a Jesus Christ Superstar-era Andrew Lloyd Webber vibe to it....
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:22 AM on September 21, 2013


Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey are too charming for words.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:56 PM on September 21, 2013


Seeing Peter Dinklage singing with Muppets has me convinced that he needs to star in a Labyrinth reboot/sequel. What do I need to sacrifice to what god to make this happen?
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:25 PM on September 21, 2013


Seeing Peter Dinklage singing with Muppets has me convinced that he needs to star in a Labyrinth reboot/sequel. What do I need to sacrifice to what god to make this happen?
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:25 AM on September 22 [+] [!]

Go ask Lady Gaga. She's been pretty keen to be David Bowie for a while now.
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:07 PM on September 21, 2013


Go ask Lady Gaga. She's been pretty keen to be David Bowie for a while now.

Oh god I really want to see this now.
posted by restless_nomad at 4:32 PM on September 21, 2013


I am here, now, to reveal a vision - Cerebus, the TV series, with Peter Dinklage as Cerebus. No costume or CGI... just the occasional line "I'm an aardvark" in response to stupid questions.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:24 PM on September 21, 2013


cjorgensen: "To be fair, Dinklage is at best middle-shelf talent."

Boo hiss on the heightism. Acting as a craft that requires practice. How much serious practice CAN a little person (still the correct term) get? The Merchant of Tiny Town? Hamletlet?
posted by Samizdata at 10:30 AM on September 22, 2013


louche mustachio: "I've been a fan of Dinklage for as long as he's been on my radar (meaning since I saw Living in Oblivion) and actually got to share a beer with him at a bar randomly the day after I saw The Station Agent. He was as friendly in person as you could hope.

First of all, I am super jealous.


Secondly, he was so great in Living in Oblivion. I haven't thought of that movie in years, but I recall that when I saw it this scene brought the house down.
"

Never seen the movie, but that scene did have me laughing hard, especially after Twin Peaks (even IF THAT actor had osteogenesis imperfecta rather than dwarfism).
posted by Samizdata at 10:34 AM on September 22, 2013


Ber: "OK, I am bemused by Peter and Lena being on Sesame Street but you'll know they've gone too far when Jack Gleeson shows up and all the muppets back slowly away."

Part of the joy of any Muppet related shows is exactly WHO would show up. (Although I think their success in booking the least expected acts ever was a sign of the near-univeral love and respect for them in the world.)

(And I figure Gleeson would just get punched in the crotch every scene. You attack the targets in range, what what?)
posted by Samizdata at 10:40 AM on September 22, 2013


"I'm an aardvark"

Giant Partying Aardvark is a Playground for Kids
posted by homunculus at 11:42 AM on September 22, 2013


begin derail: So, as the father of a soon-to-be one-year-old, I've been watching a lot of Sesame Street lately. I've also discovered the 'Classic' SS episodes on Netflix from the 80's that have a lot of sketches that I recall from my childhood. Today's Sesame Street is a hollow, soul-less thing compared to the polished, vapid thing that we have today. The Henson era work has a charm to it that the recent episodes cannot touch. Murray being the most annoying example. The Sesame Street of old was a dirty, filthy place, with real people in it. Today's SS is pristine, the sets are perfect, and there's no kids in it. Henson had real children on the show, today it's just Elmo, a bunch of grownups and other annoying muppets on it. Sure, the classic show had all kinds of deviant behavior on it, but it seems like they've forgotten everything that made the show memorable: Bert and Ernie, Oscar, and Kermit are rarely seen, and much of the subversive humor has been filtered out.

/end old man rant
posted by daHIFI at 8:19 PM on September 22, 2013


The kids notice, too... my little one liked Sesame Street for all of three months when she was almost 2. Can't stand it otherwise. She really enjoys Team Oomizoomi, Wonderpets, WildKrats, and went through a phase where she wanted to watch nothing but Curious George.

That, and she loves her iPad games - Reading Raven is the new hit.

So, toddler's educational media now breaks down like this:

1) Television dramas and comedies that teach interpersonal skills and practical problem solving approaches.

2) Tablet games that allows them to test out those problem solving approaches, and teaches basic literacy building blocks and math skills.

3) Books to fire up imagination and bond with the parental unit.

The note about adults engaging with the material still stands - you can't hand 'em the tablet and bury your nose in your Kindle. You have to monitor how they're doing, help them out when they get stuck or don't get the point of that part of the game, and generally show you give a crap. Ditto the shows.

I don't like the tablet "games" that are essentially self-reading children's books. I do like the "explore and tinker with everything in sight" games, particularly the Toca Boca games.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:12 AM on September 23, 2013


Today's Sesame Street is a hollow, soul-less thing compared to the polished, vapid thing that we have today.

Yes, well that makes perfect se-WHUUUUT??!?
posted by ShutterBun at 11:46 PM on September 24, 2013


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