The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

'Million Muppet March' planned to defend U.S. backing for PBS

Posted: 12 Oct 2012 06:31 PM PDT

Plans to save Big Bird, the fuzzy yellow character on U.S. public television's "Sesame Street," from possible extinction are taking shape in the form of a puppet-based protest next month dubbed the "Million Muppet March."

The demonstration is planned for Nov. 3 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., three days before the general election. Before the presidential debate between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney had concluded on Oct. 3, two men who had never met each floated the Million Muppet March idea on social media. They immediately united to defend public broadcasting.

Romney pledged during the debate to end the U.S. federal government's subsidy for the Public Broadcasting Service despite his professed love for Big Bird, one of the characters on PBS's 43-year-old children's educational program "Sesame Street," which features the Muppets. Michael Bellavia, 43, an animation executive from Los Angeles, and Chris Mecham, 46, a university student in Idaho, separately came up with the Million Muppet March idea in response.

Big Bird, played by actor Carroll Spinney in an 8-foot (2.5-metre) bird costume, is strictly speaking not a member of the group of puppet characters known as the Muppets.

Bellavia bought the Internet address www.millionmuppetmarch.com during the debate and discovered Mecham had already started a Facebook page by the same name. Within 30 minutes of the end of the debate they were on the phone with each other, planning the march. "I figured, why just make it a virtual show of support?

Why not take this opportunity because it seemed like there was already a growing interest in it and actually make it an active, participatory event," Bellavia said. "I literally just said, 'It's happening.'" Both men consider themselves fans of "Sesame Street," perhaps the best-known program on PBS, which received $445 million of $3.8 trillion in federal budget outlays in 2012.

Coming from rural Idaho, Mecham said he was aware how important public broadcasting was in sparsely populated areas that receive no other signals over the air. "Romney was using Muppets as a rhetorical device to talk about getting rid of public broadcasting, which is really so much bigger than Sesame Street," Mecham said.

"While he was still talking I was thinking of ways I could express my frustration at that argument. Before the debates were over I had put up the Million Muppet March Facebook page."

The two men said they immediately decided to work together. Mecham is a writer who is studying political science at Boise State University out of his interest in healthcare policy. Bellavia is president of the animation studio Animax Entertainment, founded by former Second City actor Dave Thomas.

They may fall short of attracting a million people, or Muppets, to the event, but they do hope to create what Bellavia called a "lovefest" featuring skits and musical performances with Muppets.

"It does seem like we might get close to the biggest ever assemblage of puppets in one place," he said, "and probably the most ever puppets marching on Washington."

The Million Man March was a gathering held on the National Mall on Oct. 16, 1995 to promote civil rights, with an emphasis on African Americans, and was led by rights advocate Louis Farrakhan. - Reuters

Teen actress Elfira denies love affair with Randy

Posted: 12 Oct 2012 08:24 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Teen actress Elfira Loy denies a resurfacing rumour that claims she is secretly involved with popular Indonesian actor Randy Pangalila.

The 18-year-old actress wondered how she could make her denial any clearer.

"I no longer know how to answer questions on this matter. Even if I say that I am not in a relationship with him (Randy), there are still people who will insist that I am.

"The truth is, we really are just friends," she said when met by mStar Online.

The gossip that linked the young couple started a year ago when they were working together in the telefilm Biar Mimpi Sampai Ke Bintang directed by Michael Ang.

The gossip resulted in Elfira being heavily criticised by the 22-year-old actor's fans who were uneasy with the allegations.

In the latest rumour, the petite actress is once again said to be secretly in a relationship with Randy.

"I have nothing to be afraid of as I am indeed neither in a romantic relationship nor am I trying to hide one.

"Randy is a loyal lover. He loves his girlfriend Michela Putri who is Jakarta, very much and I know her as well," she said.

In a latest development, Elfira said she sustained a bruise on her leg after being stepped on by a horse.

She added that the injury occurred while she was practising horse riding as preparation for a new telefilm to be directed by Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba.

Elfira and Randy will once again be acting as a couple in the 13-episode serial drama Dalam Hati Ada Taman.

The series will be shown starting from Oct 29, every Monday night at 9.30, on Astro Ria (Channel 104).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Jumaat, 12 Oktober 2012