I think it's crucial that there be a family advisor who was close to running the company; who the family can trust, and who can guide discussions. That was probably why it happened so smoothly. |
I was very advanced in physics, so I thought that something in astrophysics was where I would go ? I was thinking about NASA and stuff like that. |
In going forward, I really am doing much the same as my father did. He sort of had a grand scheme that wasn't too specific. Out projects were always innovative. |
It is with great respect that we recognize these honorees for their commitment to excellence and their unique creative expression, By encouraging audiences of all ages to rediscover the magic of books and reading, Ms. Rowling has truly made this world a better place. |
It wasn't harder for me to direct than it was for me to run the company, which wasn't necessarily what came naturally to me. |
Lew Grade told my dad, ‘I'll make your TV show. I know it's going to be a big hit,' ... The show had definitely not run its course when my dad decided to end the show. My dad just liked doing a lot of stuff. He was so full of stuff he wanted to do. |
The reason he did 'Saturday Night Live' was because he was pissed off. He wanted everyone to know that Muppets aren't just for kids. |
We're used to releasing Muppet movies in the off-season, not on the on-season. We've always done well that way. |
What happened was that because my dad had made 'Sesame Street' and it was a huge hit, everyone said, 'Oh, ('The Muppet Show') is for kids. We don't want something that's feeling extra silly.' It was never intended to be for kids. My dad was a very determined salesman. He always had faith that his work would be successful. He never stopped trying to sell The Muppets. |
What we saw in EM.TV ... was exactly the international strategic, financial, marketing and distribution partner we have been looking for. |
What we're trying to do is entertain ourselves, and we are mostly a bunch of adults, but at a basic level that works for everybody. |
When people say about the Muppets, 'It's a gentle soul with a naughty sense of humor,' Jerry was just as responsible for that as my dad,' |
Where we used to just look at the visitor as a whole, now we are breaking it down to families, youth groups, school groups, tourists, tour groups, ... A family is going to be reached differently from a school group. |
With puppets, you follow the head and the arms will follow, but Frank didn't really do that with the Swedish Chef. He and my dad were best friends, but they were very competitive. They were always doing things to see who could be funnier and how could they upstage each other, ... Frank was often leading. He'd be picking stuff up and choking things. My dad would be talking mock-Swedish and he'd have to try to keep up. After a while, Frank would say, ‘Maybe someone else should do the hands,' but my dad would never let him. He said, ‘No, you're doing the hands.' |