New Year's Eve Reflections
Wow. Here it is! A brand new year and already so much to do! It's always exciting to start everything fresh.
In a way, I'm kind of sorry to see the old one go. After all, 2005 was a very big year for me. I turned 50 years old. Not bad for a frog! To be honest, I really only expected a quiet sort of celebration but my friends all over the world had other ideas! All year long there were parties in my honor and a few awards and even a set of postage stamps with my picture on it. It certainly kept me hopping!
I had lots of work to keep me busy, too, like the Muppet Wizard of Oz and a few guest appearances. One of my favorites was getting to help out on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. You may not know it, but I'm a pretty handy amphibian with a hammer and nails.
2005 wasn't all parties and frivolity, though. Some very serious things happened in 2005, both good and bad. The U.S. House tried to cut federal funding to Public Broadcasting, which would have been terrible! A lot of really great shows depend on that funding, and not just my friends on Sesame Street. I'm proud to say I added my voice to thousands of others -- maybe even some of you out there! - until the House folks changed their mind and rescinded those budget cuts. I'm not usually a political frog, but sometimes you just have to croak loud enough to be heard!
And sadly, I lost a very old and dear friend. No writer put better words in my mouth than Jerry Juhl. He wrote a few of my movies, like the Muppet Movie and Muppet Christmas Carol. Jerry was the head gag writer for the Muppet Show, too. He even managed to make Fozzie sound funny! Jerry may have left us in September, but his writing will live on forever in the hearts of Muppets everywhere.
See? Good and bad. 2005 was quite a year. I wonder what 2006 has in store?
Whatever it brings, I hope it's a good one for each and every one of you!
In a way, I'm kind of sorry to see the old one go. After all, 2005 was a very big year for me. I turned 50 years old. Not bad for a frog! To be honest, I really only expected a quiet sort of celebration but my friends all over the world had other ideas! All year long there were parties in my honor and a few awards and even a set of postage stamps with my picture on it. It certainly kept me hopping!
I had lots of work to keep me busy, too, like the Muppet Wizard of Oz and a few guest appearances. One of my favorites was getting to help out on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. You may not know it, but I'm a pretty handy amphibian with a hammer and nails.
2005 wasn't all parties and frivolity, though. Some very serious things happened in 2005, both good and bad. The U.S. House tried to cut federal funding to Public Broadcasting, which would have been terrible! A lot of really great shows depend on that funding, and not just my friends on Sesame Street. I'm proud to say I added my voice to thousands of others -- maybe even some of you out there! - until the House folks changed their mind and rescinded those budget cuts. I'm not usually a political frog, but sometimes you just have to croak loud enough to be heard!
And sadly, I lost a very old and dear friend. No writer put better words in my mouth than Jerry Juhl. He wrote a few of my movies, like the Muppet Movie and Muppet Christmas Carol. Jerry was the head gag writer for the Muppet Show, too. He even managed to make Fozzie sound funny! Jerry may have left us in September, but his writing will live on forever in the hearts of Muppets everywhere.
See? Good and bad. 2005 was quite a year. I wonder what 2006 has in store?
Whatever it brings, I hope it's a good one for each and every one of you!