Boxoffice-July.1999

'
Cove
TV Favorites Gonzo and Elmo Turn
Silver-Screen Movie Stars in July's
"Muppets From Space" and October's
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
by Annlee EUingson and Francesca Dinglasan
PART I
GONZO THE GREAT
since Gonzo the Great accidenly
took flight attached to a cluster
of helium balloons in 1979's
le Muppet Movie," he's looked to the
skies for answers to the questions we've all
asked about Gonzo: Who is he? What is
he? Where is he from? All of
the other Muppets' identities
are clear: Kermit the Frog,
Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear.
But Gonzo? Well, Gonzo
goes by Gonzo the Great,
which, though grandiose, is
harder to define. He's a little
like a turkey, but not a
lot. He's blue and fuzzy and
has a long, curved beak. He
dates a chicken named
Camilla. That Gonzo is
actually an alien, in his own
words, "explains a lot."
In "Muppets From Space."
his sixth feature film.
Gonzo (voiced by puppeteer
Dave Goelz) takes
his first leading role, but the |»,
movie is special to him for
another, very important
reason. "'Muppets From
Space' is the story of my life," he says.
"It is a fabulous thing for me, anyway,
because it sort of answers that question
that all of us have had for many, many
years now, which is 'Who am I?' and
'Where am I from?' 'What am I?' It
turned out to be quite an adventure."
Gonzo has always suspected his genes
might be extraterrestrial, gazing up at
the stars and singing "I'm Going Back
There Someday" two decades ago in
"The Muppet Movie." But when he and
22 BOXOmCE
his buddy Rizzo the Rat discover that his
long-lost relatives really are aliens, the
exciting news brings him unexpected
trouble and an adventure worthy of an
"X-Files" episode. He goes on Miss Piggy's
talk show "UFOMania," announcing
to the world that we're not alone in
the universe and that he is the living
proof, and unwittingly becomes the target
of paranoid government operative
K. Edgar Singer (Jeffrey Tambor).
Imprisoned in the Singer compound,
Gonzo must not only escape but decide
whether to join the kin he's always wondered
about or stay on Earth with the
makeshift family he's adopted as his own.
Although the existence of extraterrestrial
life is obvious to Gonzo now, the
world is still full of Agent Scullys—
skeptics who just can't buy into it yet.
"Just go see the movie, okay," he tells
them. "You'll believe." As for a vast government
conspiracy to cover up the existence
of aliens, "Well, I never beliej
,
that before, but now it's pretty obvio
he says. "But I wouldn't be too wor J
because I don't think they're that C'
petent. I mean, especially when the ^
being played by Jeffrey Tambor.... j
know, how dangerous is that?"
What is dangerous, at least in the fii'
making world, is comparison to i;
summer's "Star Wars: Episode I—
Phantom Menace," George Lucas' Ic.
awaited mega-movie. Go i
is not too worried, thoui
"One thing about the 'J i
Wars' thing—I don't m i
to disparage them —[l;
they do it with sped
effects," he says.
"It's kc
of a crutch." "Mupf:
i
From Space," on the ot
hand, is all real. "We j
photographed the wht
thing," Gonzo repo;
"Luckily, we were able,
sign up some cameos j
before it happened."
In addition to the us
cast of characters,
Muppets have follov
tradition by enlisti
Hollywood types to app
in their latest mo\
including David Arquei
Kathy Griffin, Hollywo
Hulk Hogan, Ray Liotta, Ant
MacDowell and Rob Schneider. For t
most part, the Muppets got along \\
with their co-stars. "Well, we've [work
with Hollywood stars] for years," Gon
says. "It's always fun. They're rea
cool. They're professional and, y
know, they have lots of acting tricks.''
However, certain members of the c;
had a little trouble sharing the limelig
"There was a little tension betwe
[Miss Piggy and MacDowell]," Gon