Sesame Street Does Game Of Thrones

Sesame Street Spoofs House Of Cards

Sesame Street Spoofs Birdman

Gandalf & The Cookie Monster

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

NASA: We're Visiting The Yip Yips

Sesame Street - Star S'Mores

"A long time ago in a cookies and milky way galaxy far, far away...Princess Parfaita was taken prisoner by the evil Galactic Empire and had to be saved by a group of unlikely heroes including the young Luke Piewalker, Flan Solo, and Chewie the Cookie." And Only-One Cannoli! I like how the princess starts with a British accent that later disappears. This clip debuted last month at Comic Con in San Diego.

Janelle Monae Visits Sesame Street

Sesame Street: Kim Catrall Is Fabulous

The first comment at YouTube: "Why is the 'whore' from sex and the city on sesame Street? Is this what we want our young women to aspire too?"

Sesame Street: The Hungry Games

"May the cookies be ever in your flavor."

Cookie Monster - Me Want It

Sesame Street takes on this year's most inescapable track.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

AFA Loses Shit Over Bert & Ernie

The American Family Association has posted a frothing column from Bryan Fischer about today's New Yorker cover featuring Bert and Ernie.  Unsurprisingly, Fischer cites the debunked Regnerus study extensively.

The tony, elitist New Yorker magazine, read by those who fancy themselves our moral and intellectual superiors, is in effect promoting child endangerment on the cover of its latest issue, and shamelessly using Bert and Ernie to do it. A staggering 23% of adult children of lesbians reported having been sexually molested - unwanted sexual touching or worse - than children raised by a mom and a dad. Six percent of children raised by a homosexual father reported being the victims of sexual abuse, which is a rate 300% higher than among the children of married biological parents. It is thus clear from the best in social research that being raised in a same-sex environment poses completely unacceptable risks to vulnerable young children. By promoting same-sex marriage, and using Sesame Street to do it, the New Yorker staff in effect is promoting child abuse. They should be ashamed of themselves.

The cover image has gone viral elsewhere across Teabagistan.

New Muppet Has Imprisoned Dad

Sesame Street has introduced a new Muppet whose father is in prison. From today's New York Daily News:

The popular children’s television series hasn’t shied away from tough topics in the past, and has introduced a new muppet named Alex as a way to talk about the stigma of having a parent in jail. “I just miss him so much,” the fuzzy blue-haired muppet says of his locked-up dad, adding, “Sometimes I just feel like I want to pound on a pillow and scream as loud as I can.” The sensitive subject is being featured in an online teaching kit called, “Little Children, Big Challenges.” The clips featuring Alex aren’t actually being aired on television, and he isn’t being introduced as a regular character on the show.

Hit the link to see a clip. (Tipped by JMG reader Win)

First Lady Teams Up With Romney Foe

Upside Downton Abbey

Kevin Clash Resigns From Sesame Street

The New York Times has the statement from Sesame Street:

Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential. Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.

The Times notes that Clash had already been training Elmo stand-ins before the scandal broke. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

Smoking Gun Finds Elmo's Accuser

The Smoking Gun has revealed the identity of the young man who accused Sesame Street actor Kevin Clash.

The mystery man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of engaging in an underage sexual relationship--only to recant the allegation a day later--is a struggling 24-year-old model/actor who was once arrested for the knifepoint robbery of $250,000 in jewelry from a music manager for whom he interned, The Smoking Gun has learned. Sheldon Stephens, who did not respond to e-mail and Facebook messages, describes himself as an “Entrepreneur, Student, Model, Actor” on his Twitter account, which is protected. His Facebook page’s “About” blurb notes, “I like to consider myself a rare breed. I'm very spontaneous and random…I'm determined and goal oriented. My destiny is laid on a solid gold brick pathway....... MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT and never will it dim.”

There's much more to the story at the above link and many photos are here.

Accuser Recants Allegations Against Sesame Street Actor Kevin Clash

The New York Times reports that the young man who accused Sesame Street actor Kevin Clash has recanted his claim that their relationship began when he was underage. Clash provides the voice of Elmo.

Andreozzi & Associates, a law firm that said it represented the accuser said in a statement that “he wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship.” The statement added, “He will have no further comment on the matter.” The accuser’s identity has not been disclosed. Mr. Clash said through a spokesman: “I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further.” Sesame Workshop had no immediate comment on when Mr. Clash would return to work. On Monday, TMZ said that the accuser, now 24 years old, contacted Sesame Workshop last summer and claimed that, beginning at the age of 16, he had a sexual relationship with Mr. Clash.

Sesame Workshop had already said that their own investigation made them believe the accusation was false. But Kevin Clash will now always have this story following him around.

Sonia Sotomayor On Sesame Street

Voice Of Sesame Street's Elmo Accused Of Relationship With Teenage Boy

Kevin Clash, the openly gay actor who voices Sesame Street's Elmo, has taken a leave of absence after accusations that he had a sexual relationship with 16 year-old boy.

Earlier this summer, the accuser, then a 23-year-old man, reached out to Sesame Workshop alleging Clash had a relationship with him when he was still a minor. After the accuser came forward, Sesame Workshop took immediate action. The company "conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, [their] investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined." Clash, who would have been 45 years old at the time, acknowledged the relationship. However, he "insists it only took place AFTER the accuser was an adult." "I had a relationship with [the accuser]. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not," Clash told TMZ.

The above-linked article notes that Clash's accuser has hired the same law firm that represented one of the victims of Jerry Sandusky.

Big Bird Loses Nest To Hurricane Sandy

On this morning's episode of Sesame Street, Big Bird returned from hurricane evacuation to discover that his nest had been destroyed.

In the episode, Big Bird checks on his home only to find the storm has destroyed his nest. His friends and neighbors soon pitch in and fix his home — but Mitt Romney’s fowl foil experiences a range of emotions, from sadness to anger to confusion. “We were looking for something to showcase the power of community overcoming a terrible event,” said Nadine Zylstra, “Sesame Street” supervising producer. On the show, the bird’s friends help him cope with his emotions by talking about what happened, drawing pictures together, and giving him lots of hugs. They also comfort the colossal condor by offering him temporary places he can eat, sleep, and play.

Some of the scenes used today were actually shot as part of a special aired in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.