Big Bird on SNL

[BumRushDaShow]

Heard about it on the radio this morning too.

[msanthrope]

1. That was perfect!!! Well done, SNL. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

2. The clip that they played on the radio here

was the one where he says about being now being famous after previously being able to blend in with a crowd as an 8 foot talking bird.

[Jennicut]

3. Big Bird is adorable and I love him.

I don't care if he isn't real. Don't tell me that.

[flamingdem]

22. I am real!

sqwak

[ejpoeta]

26. Have you ever watched "Being Elmo"? It's a documentary now streaming on netflix

about the guy that became Elmo. Very interesting. I would recommend.

[ProSense]

4. .

[HopeHoops]

5. That was excellent!

[lunatica]

6. Funny!

My kid grew up on Big Bird.

[treestar]

7. Too cute

[Heather MC]

8. Perfect!!!!!!

[Brickbat]

9. Aw, this made me tear up a little bit. Awesome.

[tdog8]

10. Ought to prove to politicians

You can't mess with Big Bird! BB made the transition from an audience of today's toddlers to all the adults who used to be toddlers and grew up watching him and his buddies on Sesame Street.

SNL and SS United! Hopefully the rest of us can unite too.

[klook]

11. Flamingos show their support for Big Bird

[MrMickeysMom]

12. Oh, Gosh, this is ALL so appropriate!

Yay! Big Bird.... I'm not even going to use coarse language, cause... It's Big Bird!

And, THAT was beautiful!

[Pab Sungenis]

13. Ingenious.

No outright political statements made, so it's easy to argue that he wasn't on there to skewer Romney. BUT... his mere presence there DID skewer Romney.

I'll have to ask my friend who works at Sesame Workshop whether their staff wrote the bit. I imagine at the very least they had to approve the script.

And bravo to Carol Spinney who has been playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 43 years now!

[CrispyQ]

14. Thank you! I did not know who played Big Bird.

http://phillipfritts.com/?p=789

Here's a pic of him with his characters & a funny one below with just his bird legs.

[Pab Sungenis]

24. Spinney is the last of the original Muppet performers

to work on the program. Frank Oz, Danny Seagren, and Carolyn Wilcox all retired from Muppetry, and of course Jim Henson passed on.

In fact, Spinney is one of only three original performers on the show, period. The others are Loretta ("Susan&quot Long and Bob ("Bob&quot McGrath. The show has changed so much from when we were growing up, but still weaves its magic.

[CrispyQ]

28. "The show has changed so much from when we were growing up..."

~lol. When I was growing up it was Fran, Kookla & Ollie! But I remember my kid sister - eleven years younger than me! - watching Sesame Street.

There's just something about yellow birds. I love Woodstock, too & had a fair number of yellow parakeets in my life.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Exactly!

There are already debbie-downer DUers complaining about why Big Bird didnt go all extreme and they just miss the point IMHO. The character CANNOT. It would only give more fodder to the rethug lunatic fringe blowhards and they would double-down on the "kill the funding, kill Big Bird" nonsense.

Big Bird's very appearance was an acknowledgment and the head of PBS already gave her thoughts -

http://elections.americablog.com/2012/10/pbs-head-unloads-on-romney.html

<snip>

As a stated supporter of education, Governor Romney should be a champion of public broadcasting, yet he is willing to wipe out services that reach the vast majority of Americans, including underserved audiences, such as children who cannot attend preschool and citizens living in rural areas.

For more than 40 years, Big Bird has embodied the public broadcasting mission – harnessing the power of media for the good of every citizen, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay. Our system serves as a universally accessible resource for education, history, science, arts and civil discourse.

Over the course of a year, 91% of all U.S. television households tune in to their local PBS station. In fact, our service is watched by 81% of all children between the ages of 2-8.

Each day, the American public receives an enduring and daily return on investment that is heard, seen, read and experienced in public media broadcasts, apps, podcasts and online – all for the cost of about $1.35 per person per year.

<snip>

More: http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2012/statement-presidential-debate/

So basically, Rmoney wants to cut what amounts to $1.35 per person PER YEAR off a $1.1 trillion budget.

[LuckyLib]

18. Absolutely: "his mere presence there DID skewer Romney."

I initially hoped for a nasty snark attack. This was so SS,
so subtle, and just pitch perfect. BB was completely in character.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. "BB was completely in character."

EXACTLY. Right down to the corny joke at the end punning on the word "debate" as "de-bait" for "de-fishies".

[Pab Sungenis]

23. It reminded me of when Spinney and Kevin Clash appeared on "The West Wing"

as Big Bird and Elmo. Pitch perfect.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

29. :) Here's Big Bird in a scene with Allison Janney, "The West Wing"

"Playing itself, Big Bird made a guest appearance on “The West Wing” in 2004 in a scene with Allison Janney":

[BumRushDaShow]

32. This is hilarious

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. This has got to be one of the most INNOCENT victims in history.

[uponit7771]

16. I never thought I'd feel like a politician was dangerous to US society like I feel about rMoney

[Faygo Kid]

19. I miss Mark Fidrych.

[yardwork]

21. That's my Bird.

[L0oniX]

25. Romney kills baby seals! ...

[tblue37]

30. Could someone provide a transcript for us deafies? The CC transcription is

bizarre, as they often are. (Try them sometimes--they are usually not even close to the words being spoken!)

[BumRushDaShow]

33. I tried to transcribe as best as I can

and I do agree about the CC being awful so many times. Some of the dialog in the clip is hard to hear too but here's what I could get -

SETH MEYERS - During the Presidential debate Wednesday night, Governor Mitt Romney said he was going to end the subsidy to PBS adding "I like PBS. I like Big Bird". Here now to comment - Big Bird.

(cheers)

(inaudible)

MEYERS - Thank you. Uh thank you for coming Big Bird.

BIG BIRD - Well thanks for having me Mr. Meyers.

(cheers)

(Big Bird puts his hand over his mouth and yawns)

MEYERS - Why are you yawning? Are you bored already?

BIG BIRD - No no. It's just like... it's 7 hours past my bedtime.

MEYERS - Hokay yeah. I should have thought of that. Okay so Big Bird... so how did you find out that your name had been mentioned in the debate?

BIG BIRD - Oh. I got a million tweets.

MEYERS - Oh. Oh okay. So you're on Twitter?

BIG BIRD - No. I'm a bird. Tweeting's how we talk.

MEYERS - Oh. Oh okay. Yeah.

BIG BIRD - What's a "Twitter"?

MEYERS - Oh ah... It's kinda like hard to explain. Ii really wouldn't know how to go about it.

BIG BIRD - Oh well ha ha I'm just kidding. i know what a "Twitter" is.

MEYERS - Okay.

BIG BIRD = SssSssSesame Street has a (inaudible).

MEYERS- Oh wow. Big deal. So Big Bird - has being mentioned in the debate affected you at all?

BIG BIRD- Oh it has. I feel like I'm famous now. I was walking down the street the other day and felt like everybody recognized me. It's so weird to think that just a few days ago, I could just blend in like every other perfectly normal 8 foot tall talking bird.

MEYERS - Yeah. It must be very hard for you. So, uh, before you go, do you have any political statement to make?

BIG BIRD - No. I don't want to ruffle any feathers. But but i do have a political joke. May i tell it?

MEYERS - Yeah, of course.

BIG BIRD - Okay.

(BIG BIRD clears throat)

BIG BIRD - i think you'll laugh.

MEYERS - Okay good. I can't wait.

BIG BIRD - Ya.. ya know who.. who... who loves debates?

MEYERS - Who?

BIG BIRD - "Dee fishes".

MEYERS - Ah yeah.

BIG BIRD - Because "dee fish" eat "dee bait".

MEYERS - Yeah (chuckles), no I get it.

BIG BIRD - It it it's a thinker!

MEYERS - Yeah it is a thinker. Big Bird everyone.

(applause)

[tblue37]

35. Thanks so much! (I thought it was very cute and funny. nt)

[bigmonkey]

36. I think I heard the inaudible.

I think Big Bird said "Sesame Street has WiFi."

Could be wrong, but that's what I heard.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

38. That was what he said... Sesame Street has wi-fi

[Xedniw]

31. Beautifully done and in character.

Very tasteful. And as was mentioned above, it was Big Bird's very presence that was the statement. Telling a joke like a kid ("de-fishes, get it?&quot is perfectly in keeping with Sesame Street.

Bravo!

[cal04]

34. Love that Big Bird!

Thank you BumRushDaShow for posting, for those of us who missed it!

[Care Acutely]

37. That's WONDERFUL!