or


[10/31/06 - 11:03 AM]
TBS Gets Ready to Puppet Up! with Comedy Festival Special Featuring the Jim Henson Company's Puppet Improv Comedy Troupe
The one-hour special, taped before a live audience at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, airs Monday, November 20 at 11:00/10:00c.

[via press release from TBS]

TBS Gets Ready to PUPPET UP! with Comedy Festival Special Featuring The Jim Henson Company�s Puppet Improv Comedy Troupe

One-Hour Special The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! � Uncensored

Being Taped at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas for Monday, Nov. 20, Premiere on TBS

Improvisational comedy gets a fresh twist this November when TBS presents The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! � Uncensored, a one-hour special to be taped before a live audience at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. The special, in which puppeteers construct improvised scenes from the audience�s suggestions, will tape Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., then premiere on TBS Monday, Nov. 20, at 11 p.m. (ET/PT). The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! - Uncensored is executive-produced by Brian Henson and Lisa Henson. The special is produced by Martin Baker and co-produced by Eric Poticha. Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) serves as the stage show�s director and host.

�Even before creating comedic puppets for the early days of Saturday Night Live, The Jim Henson Company has been on the cutting edge of both comedy and puppetry,� said Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TBS and TNT. �We are thrilled to be working with them on this very funny project, which pushes traditional comedy improv to a whole new level.�

Brian Henson said, �We began doing puppet improv workshops to hone our comedy skills and realized that we were having so much fun that audiences might enjoy watching too. It has been amazing to see our troupe evolve, and I am sure our Vegas shows will be our best yet.�

The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! - Uncensored is a demonstration of what happens when the perilous and provocative forms of traditional comedy improv are mixed with a bunch of irreverent puppets. With a motley group of characters brought to life world-renowned puppeteers, The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! - Uncensored is truly innovative comedy. Premiering in March 2006, the show has played to critical acclaim and sold out crowds at both the HBO Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Performing the puppetry for the show are some of The Jim Henson Company�s top puppeteers, as well as some of the country�s top comedy improvisers. The cast includes Brian Henson, Second City alum Julianne Buescher, Tyler Bunch (Sesame Street), The Groundlings� Ted Michaels, Drew Massey (The Muppets� Wizard of Oz), ACME Comedy Group founding member Paul Rugg, Allan Trautman (Greg the Bunny) and Victor Yerrid (Team America).

The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! - Uncensored will be filmed as part of HBO and AEG LIVE�s The Comedy Festival, taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Tuesday, Nov. 14�Saturday, Nov. 18. TBS is serving as title sponsor of the five-day event, which will feature more than 50 performances, events and screenings. The mission of The Comedy Festival is to bring together the biggest stars and cutting-edge comedy talent in a broad range of programming, from star-level performances and special events to stand-up, sketch comedy and film. In addition to The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! - Uncensored, The Comedy Festival will feature Comic Relief 2006, starring Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg and simulcast on HBO and TBS Saturday, Nov. 18, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

The Jim Henson Company�s PUPPET UP! � Uncensored marks the second TBS project from The Jim Henson Company. Earlier this year, The Jim Henson Company filmed a pilot for The Late Night Buffet with Augie and Del, an irreverent show hosted by puppets Augustus Pfiffle and Delbert Kastle who interact with live celebrity guests in a talk-show format. The Late Night Buffet pilot was produced for TBS by The Jim Henson Company, with Brian Henson (Farscape) as executive producer and puppeteer and Bill Barretta (The Muppets� Wizard of Oz) as co- executive producer and puppeteer.

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and computer graphics. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets (the rights to which are now owned by The Walt Disney Company), Henson is the recipient of nearly 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Credits include the Saturn Award-winning Farscape and the features MirrorMask, Five Children and It and Good Boy!. With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot complete with soundstage, screening room and post-production facilities. The company is also home to Jim Henson�s Creature Shop, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry�s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment. The company recently launched The Jim Henson Company�s Puppet Up! - Uncensored, a live puppet improvisational show that has played to sold out crowds in Aspen, Hollywood and Edinburgh, and announced the creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim Henson�s earliest sketches. The Jim Henson Company's website is located at: www.henson.com

TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television�s �very funny� network. It serves as home to such hot contemporary comedies as Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends; original comedy series, like the upcoming scripted comedies My Boys and 10 Items or Less; specials and special events, like The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, for which TBS serves as title sponsor; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a TimeWarner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.





  [october 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· FARSCAPE (SCI FI)
· GREG THE BUNNY (FOX)
· LATE NIGHT BUFFET WITH AUGIE & DEL (TBS)
· MUPPETS' WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (ABC)





[02/22/25 - 08:09 AM]
"Portobello," from Marco Bellocchio, Debuts on Max in 2026
Max has announced its first Italian scripted original production.

[02/21/25 - 02:45 PM]
4 Nations Face-Off: Canada-USA Championship Game Delivers 9.3 Million Viewers; ESPN's Largest Hockey Audience Ever
The telecast peaked with 10.4 million viewers and was the most-viewed non-NFL event ever on ESPN+.

[02/21/25 - 11:22 AM]
New Vice Series "The Grudge" Premieres on March 26
Taking viewers inside sports' fiercest rivalries, where every game is more than a contest - it's a battle for pride, redemption, and legacy.

[02/21/25 - 10:15 AM]
"High Potential" Finishes Spectacular First Season Hitting Series Highs
In addition, "High Potential" achieved a remarkable benchmark for the finale episode, earning a series high on streaming and becoming ABC's best drama episode ever, based on seven-day views on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[02/21/25 - 10:00 AM]
FOX's "The Quiz with Balls" Hosted by Jay Pharoah Rolls Into Season Two with Renewal of Hit Game Show
The popular game show pits brains against balls, combining a high stakes quiz show and a large-scale physical competition with each episode featuring two families competing for $100,000 in an epic "battle of the balls."

[02/21/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "CHAOS: The Manson Murders" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Directed by Errol Morris, the film untangles a web of conspiracy involving the CIA, LSD, Jack Ruby, the Manson Family, and Vincent Bugliosi, casting doubt on the official story of the 1960s' most infamous killing spree.

[02/21/25 - 08:00 AM]
"The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max February 28
Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan.

[02/21/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Unveils the Premiere Date and First Look of Dome Karukoski's "Little Siberia"
A pastor's faith turns upside down when a meteorite lands in his small Finnish town, its impact stirring up chaos and criminal intentions.

[02/20/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "When Life Gives You Tangerines" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In Jeju, a spirited girl and a steadfast boy's island story blossoms into a lifelong tale of setbacks and triumphs - proving love endures across time.

[02/20/25 - 04:01 PM]
Fremantle Announces "Neighbours" Will Be Resting from December 2025
"As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for 'Neighbours' - bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally," said Jason Herbison.

[02/20/25 - 04:01 PM]
ESPN Statement on Decision to Opt Out of Major League Baseball Deal
"We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage super-serves fans," said the company.

[02/20/25 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New Original Movies for This Spring
Look for "Taken at a Basketball Game," starring D.B. Woodside and Claire Qute, on March 15; followed by "Wife Stalker," starring Keshia Knight Pulliam, on March 29.

[02/20/25 - 01:01 PM]
Leighton Meester to Guest Star in "Nobody Wants This" Season 2
She'll be playing Kristen Bell's middle school nemesis who Joanne crosses paths with as an adult.

[02/20/25 - 12:30 PM]
Hulu Renews Hit Drama Series "Paradise," from Dan Fogelman and Starring Sterling K. Brown, for a Second Season
Following the season one finale on Hulu on March 4, "Paradise" will air a full first season run on ABC beginning Monday, April 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

[02/20/25 - 12:00 PM]
Feature Documentary on Popular Dutch Actor Rutger Hauer "Like Tears in Rain" Makes Exclusive US Debut Thursday, March 13, 2025 on Viaplay
Through private, never-before-seen footage and candid interviews with family, friends and colleagues, his goddaughter Sanna Fabery de Jonge uncovers his intimate world in the revealing, acclaimed documentary.