JERRY AND THE COUNT

Well, I took the Journeyman's Test yesterday.  I won't know what I got for a few more days, but I feel pretty good about it.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see.  It's been four weeks since my last post.  I was looking forward to coming back until I received word that yet another childhood idol had passed away, longtime Muppet Performer Jerry Nelson.  Nelson performed numerous characters over the years, most notably Floyd Pepper, Gobo Fraggle and, of course, the Count!  I always felt Jerry Nelson was somewhat underrated as far as "Muppeteers" went.  Us fans certainly respected him, but it always seemed that when came to the media, Jim Henson and Frank Oz got most of the attention.  Most of his characters on The Muppet Show were often in the background, which could explain it.  It was on shows like Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street, though, that Nelson's star really got to shine.  Let's face it, even after growing up, we all still love the Count!  And yes, I do like to sing the Fraggle Rock theme every now and again!

Jerry Nelson was probably the longest served of all the Muppet performers, having started in the late 1960s and continuing until recently (He retired in 2004, but still continued to perform the Count).  Below is a video from the first season of The Muppet Show.  Enjoy...

This number, from the Rita Moreno episode if memory serves, is quite unique in that it features Muppet caricatures of Jerry Nelson, along with Jim Henson and Frank Oz.  The Muppets were a big part of my childhood.  I grew up dirt poor and had little to look forward to as a kid.  But when the Muppets came on, things were different.  Life all of a sudden didn't seem so bad.  The Muppets gave me dreams, hopes and things to look forward to.  If it weren't for people like Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt and many, MANY others, Lord only knows what I'd be doing right now.  It's because of the Muppets I wanted to tell stories and make people laugh.  I openly admit that the giant eyes and spindly limbs that all my characters possess comes from the Muppets.

One of the lasting memories I have of Jerry Nelson comes from The Great Muppet Caper.  In it, Jerry has a cameo with his daughter.  She had an illness and wanted to be an actress.  So Jim Henson gave her a speaking part in the film so she could get a SAG Card.  She sadly passed away not long after, and I've often thought of how proud he must have been to do that scene with her.  I can only imagine she was the first to greet him in Heaven.  (For those of you curious, it's the scene where a girl in the park confuses Kermit for a bear, only to be corrected because, as her father put's it "Bears wear hats!")

Jerry Nelson had been in failing health for a while now, and was by no means young, but it's still a tough blow.  There really aren't too many left from the original core group of Muppet performers.  I suppose it's just a part of life.  You take the good with the bad, and when it comes to Jerry Nelson, there was an awful lot of good to go around.  So thank you Jerry Nelson.  Try not to make the angels laugh too hard up there!

That's all for this week folks.  It's great to be back and it'll be even better next time as it's once again comics week!  With new adventures coming from Mike and Mindy and Mushrooms, I think we'll all be a little happier!  Take care and I'll catch y'all later!