 |
| Kermit the Frog is seen in this
photograph taken September 26, 2005. Kermit, perhaps the
world's most famous amphibian, will embark on a worldwide
'tour' next month to celebrate his 50 years in show business
and re-launch the
Muppets franchise as part of Walt Disney
Co. | |
Kermit the Frog, perhaps the world's most famous
amphibian, will go on tour next month to celebrate his 50 years in
show business and re-launch
the Muppets franchise as part of the Walt Disney Co., it was announced on
Tuesday.
But he would like you to know that it still isn't easy being green.
The fuzzy puppet character, who got his start in 1955 on the local
Washington, D.C., television program, "Sam and Friends," appeared on the
Disney-owned ABC network's "Good Morning America" to kick off the
promotion.
His first stop will be the small, west Texas town of Kermit on October
14, followed by visits to 50 other destinations over the next 15 months,
including the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris,
the Great Wall of China and even a Frog Leg Festival in Fellsmere,
Florida.
In an "exclusive interview" with Reuters, Kermit reflected on his
career as an entertainer, saying fame has not come easy. "It's tough being
a frog in Hollywood. All the frogs in Hollywood will tell you that."
As for his stormy relationship with fellow Muppet character Miss Piggy,
Kermit's sharp-tongued foil, he said, "We're kind of taking a little bit
of a break. We're not so romantically involved as people thought we were
at one time."
The launch of Kermit's 50th anniversary tour is part of a campaign to
reintroduce the Muppet brand, which was created by the late Jim Henson and
acquired by Disney in April 2004.
Last month, Disney issued a DVD boxed set of the first season of the
1970s hit television series "The Muppet Show," and earlier this month
Hyperion Publishing released "It's Not Easy Being Green and Other Things
to Consider," a book of insights into the philosophy and humor of the
Muppets.
On Wednesday (Sep.28), the U.S. Postal Service will issue a stamp
honoring Henson and his creations, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie
Bear and the Swedish Chef.
Kermit first appeared as more of a lizard-like creature on "Sam and
Friends" but had fully evolved into a frog by the time he made his network
TV debut on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with Steve Allen in the fall of 1956.
Fourteen years later, Henson brought Kermit and other Muppets to the
landmark educational show "Sesame Street," where they became household names.
The success of "The Muppet Show," which premiered in 1976, led to
Kermit and friends' motion picture debut in "The Muppet Movie" in 1979.
Kermit has since gone on to star in six feature films, has appeared on the
cover of Life magazine and received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame in 2002.
(Agencies) |
世界著名的美国卡通人物布偶青蛙柯密特将于下月开始展开环球旅行，以庆祝它进军演艺界50周年，同时重新推出迪斯尼公司旗下的"木偶"特许品牌经营。
但是它会让大家知道万事开头难。这个布偶青蛙角色于1955年首次在华盛顿的地方电视节目《萨姆和朋友》中亮相。为了这次50周年的纪念庆典，青蛙柯密特在迪斯尼旗下的美国广播公司的《早安，美国》节目中展开宣传和推广活动。
这只青蛙将于10月14日到达它的第一站，德克萨斯州西部的柯密特小镇出发，之后他将展开途经50站、为期15个月的环球旅行，其中包括纽约的自由女神像、巴黎的埃非尔铁塔、中国的长城，还会参加弗罗里达费勒斯米尔的蛙腿节。
在路透社对柯密特进行了的独家采访中，柯密特回顾了自己的演艺生涯，并感慨今天的成功来之不易，他说，"在群星璀璨的好莱坞扮演一只青蛙绝非易事，所有在好莱坞扮演青蛙的人都会这样说。"
谈到与他的配角、伶牙俐齿的猪小姐之间的麻烦关系时，柯密特说："我们之间的争吵已经有所平息了，现在我们的关系已经不像以前人们想象得那样纠缠不清了。
柯密特50周年全球环游活动能够让世界各地的人们对"布偶"品牌有更新的认识和了解。"布偶"品牌是由已故的吉姆·汉森先生创建的，去年4月被迪斯尼公司收购。
迪斯尼公司于上月首次推出了70年代播出的电视连续剧《大青蛙布偶秀》的第1季 DVD 套装版本。同时，由亥伯龙 出版社出版的《It's not
Easy Being Green and Other Things to
Consider》一书已于9月中旬上市。此书分析了"布偶"的创作精髓和幽默感。
美国邮电局于9月28日发行了一套纪念已故创作者吉姆·汉森以及布偶家族的纪念邮票。青蛙柯密特、猪小姐、福滋熊、瑞典厨师等都将在邮票上出现。
柯密特第一次在《萨姆和朋友》中露面时，它的形象其实更像一只蜥蜴。1956年秋天，他在与史蒂夫·艾伦合作的NBC节目《晚间娱乐》中再次出现时，柯密特的形象已经完全进化成了一只青蛙，这是他第一次在有线电视节目中亮相。
14年以后，汉森将柯密特和布偶家族的其他成员带到了儿童教育节目《芝麻街》中，从此，这些布偶角色的名字家喻户晓。
1976年，《木偶秀》首次公演，它的成功为1979年柯密特和布偶伙伴们的电影处女作《木偶电影》奠定了基础。此后，柯密特相继在六部故事片中担任主角。他还出现在《生活》杂志的封面上，并于2002年走上了好莱坞星光大道，拥有了自己的星章。
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2005-10-06 09:48
