The Herald Gazette: "Reid Knows the Way to Sesame Street"

"Reid Knows the Way to Sesame Street"

(As published in the Barnesville newspaper, The Herald Gazette)
Date of Publication: Tuesday, March 4, 2014

     Above is a printed copy of an article that was published in my local newspaper, highlighting my trip to The Sesame Workshop.

*For a larger view, click "Reid Knows the Way to Sesame Street," or click on the picture.  When a new window opens, click the picture again to enlarge it.

2015: The Year of the Chipmunk? (UPDATED)

-By: Brittany L. Reid

*Update to my original article:  The website www.chipmunks.com has recently been remodeled to promote the upcoming 2015 television series.  You can now connect with the show's Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube pages via the new website.

The 'History' tab that was present on the previous site has been removed.

“Watch out, ‘cause here we come!  It’s been a while but, we’re back with style!”

                Indeed, Alvin and the Chipmunks are back…AGAIN with another new look!  After the success of their recent live-action films, the munks’ designs are being revamped for a brand new television series set to debut next year entitled, ALVINNN!  And the Chipmunks!!!

                Buzz of the new TV series can be traced back to around 2010 with word spreading through means such as this YouTube video.  Not more than two years later, fans were treated with an idea of what the munks may look like through an interactive app that allowed people to engage with Alvin, known as the iMunk app:

With this app, users could make Alvin dance, play his guitar, and have him repeat whatever they said in a rather munk-y voice. 

The new design seemed to be a mesh of the old school and the new school.  While Alvin’s basic foundation reflects the same anthropomorphic figure of his renowned early 80s-early 90s incarnation, he is also equipped with a chipmunk tail, stripe down the center of his face, a chipmunk nose, and darker hair color that closely matches the fur color of his design in the live-action features.

 It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the munks made their debut with their updated designs as well.  The Chipettes’ new look quickly followed Alvin’s in June of 2012, through the release of their cover for the song “Call Me Maybe.”  Simon and Theodore would finally join the group with their designs in October of 2013, the year that also marked the 30^th anniversary of the Alvin and the Chipmunks TV series, which debuted in 1983.

The chipmunks are no strangers to redesigns.  When Alvin, Simon, and Theodore made their first appearance in 1958, they were displayed on their album covers as real chipmunks, but were immensely different than how they have looked in their recent motion pictures.

At the time, it was Ross Bagdasarian Sr. who served as the munks’ “father,” having brought that munk-y voice to life for his popular song “Witch Doctor.”  He would soon affix that voice to many more novelty records, including the infamous “The Chipmunk Song” (“Christmas Don’t Be Late”).  “The Chipmunk Song” was produced after “Witch Doctor,” and served as the melody that officially introduced Alvin, Simon, and Theodore as a musical group.  (To find out more, visit the 'History' tab on www.chipmunks.com).  With the success of their records, they soon made their way into the homes of millions by becoming re-mastered for the 1961 television series, The Alvin Show, which ran for just under a year (October 1961-September 1962) and garnered a total of 26 episodes. 

  Bagdasarian voiced all three munks, as well as Dave Seville, throughout the entirety of the show.  After his death in 1972, the munks were passed on to his son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., who has kept the franchise alive alongside his wife, Janice Karman for more than two decades.  Together, they reintroduced the munks to a new generation in the 1980s with A Chipmunk Christmas, a primetime TV special in which the munks’ designs had even more detail than they did in the 1960s.  The popularity of the special led to the creation of the Alvin and the Chipmunks television series in 1983. 

The series would last for 8 years before being syndicated in reruns on a variety of television networks. This was the cartoon in which The Chipettes first made their debut, giving the female audience 3 characters in the animation world that they could relate too alongside the boys.  Ross and Janice wrote the stories for the show, and provided the voices for the characters.  Ross voiced Alvin, Simon, and Dave, while Janice voiced Theodore and the Chipettes. 

The franchise produced albums, lunchboxes, VHS tapes, apparel, and action figures galore.  The show’s popularity would result in munks’ first theatrical feature, The Chipmunk Adventure, which premiered in 1987.  In 1988, the series was renamed to, The Chipmunks.  By the early 1990s, they were honored with a Rockin' through the Decades special, recognizing their popularity throughout history.

It’s been over 20 years since the munks have been showcased on the small screens of homes worldwide via their own TV series.  As it stands, their new show has reportedly been picked up by over 70 Nickelodeon channels around the world (excluding North America and Brazil).  According to an article published on February 24th, 2014 on Animationmagazine.net, the show has been scheduled for two seasons of 104 episodes, each 11 minutes long.  Each episode will also feature an original song by the Bagdasarians.  Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife, Janice Karman, shall provide the voices for the characters once again, just as they did during the Eighties and the Nineties.

“It’s a different style of animation. My dad created a look in the Sixties and Janice redesigned it beautifully for the Eighties with a very classic look, less stylized, and then redesigned it again for the movies. This is the next iteration; fresh and new but with the essence of the characters, both in look and story,” Ross has stated (Tbivision.com).

The series will be produced by Bagdasarian productions and OuiDO! (previously Genao) productions for PGS Entertainment.

BUT WAIT!  That’s not all!  In addition to the television series, fans can get hyped for an expected 4^th live-action movie to hit cinemas during the 2015 holiday season!  There’s been no official word on the plot of the film yet.  However, according to the International MovieDatabase, the movie is currently in pre-production and aiming for a release date of December 11.

                Between their return to TV and their new movie, you can bet that the year 2015 will most likely see an increase in munk-y merchandise to promote their continuous rise in entertainment industry.

My Visit to the Sesame Workshop

Tremors shivered up and down my spine and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I clutched the phone tightly in my hand. It rang and then I heard my mother’s voice on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Hi, where are you?”
“Driving with your Memama.  We’re about to do some Christmas shopping.”
“Okay, well you might want to pull over or something.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got some big news.  Do you have me on speaker?  Put me on speaker!”
“Hold on. ……Okay, you’re on speaker,” my mom says.  Then, after my grandmother gives me her hello, I take a breath,
“Hi! Well, it looks like I’m heading to Sesame Street!”
---

That’s how I broke the news to my family after I received an e-mail stating that my submission for the 2014 Sesame Puppeteer Workshop had been accepted back in December. Immediately there were exclamations of joy from my mother and grandmother, and we soon shared the news with other members of the family.

The Count, Telly, and Me!

I’ve loved the Muppets ever since I was a kid. I mean, who hasn’t? Their characters are hilarious and timeless, heartfelt, and imaginatively realistic. Since their debut, they’ve practically been a part of everyone’s family, for every generation. But my love of puppetry extended beyond the Muppets. As a child, I had puppets of Charlie Horse, Lamb Chop, and Hush Puppy whom I often lifted up to the TV as I tried to mimic the performances I saw on “Lamb Chop’s Play Along.” I even took an interest in ventriloquism when I was about 9, and did shows for my local church and local school.

My love only grew as I became intricately interested in not just the performances, but the foundations of the stories and lessons that the puppets conveyed to their audiences.  By the time I was 11, I knew that I wanted to be part of a movement that had a great, positive impact on today’s generation. I knew I wanted that impact to be educational and entertaining.

Before long, I had written and illustrated my first children’s book, Quack-a-Doodle-Doo: Do it Like Dave.  After its success, I immediately began formulating a plan to incorporate my puppetry into my hobby of writing. I had done a few on-camera puppetry performances already. But I thought,

“Who better to help me hone my educationally-entertaining puppetry skills than the masters at the Sesame Workshop, a corporation who has breathed life into the edu-tainment industry since my parents were kids?”

With that in mind, when I heard about the open-call for puppeteers to send in their videos to the Sesame Workshop, I knew I had to take my shot. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and there was a one-in-a-million chance that I’d get in. But at least if I entered, I’d have a chance.

The video  that I sent in for my submission can be viewed below:

As I shot the video, I recorded my part first. Then, I recorded my Muppet’s part. When I went in to edit, I merged the two scenes together, utilizing skills I’d learn from the Video Production courses I’d taken at the University of West Georgia.

Needless to say, when I informed my family that my application had been accepted, they were thrilled and gave me their full support…(and when I say full support, I mean FULL). Before I knew it, I had two aunts and a grandmother exclaiming that they, “wanted to go to New York too!” I practically had an entourage geared up to travel with me to The Big Apple.

---

My family and I decided to travel by car. It was a long trip, but we entertained ourselves with several movies we had brought along for the ride. By the time we reached Maryland, we realized that a pretty heavy snow storm would be coming along our path. So we decided to bunk at an Inn for the night. We woke up early the next morning, and pulled out around 9 AM to finish up the rest of the drive. We ended up reaching NYC around noon, giving us plenty of time to check in to our hotel. I then made sure I had my materials ready before heading on over to the workshop, which began early that afternoon.

Walking into the workshop, I was surrounded by pops of color and the kid inside me was giddy with excitement! As I turned the corner into the meeting room, I met some of my fellow puppeteers. Before long more people began to trickle in. We all signed in, put on our name tags, and all chatted for a while as we eagerly waited for our mentors.

It wasn’t long before…they entered.

There was an air of cheeriness and positivity surrounding all three of them: Martin P. Robinson, Peter Linz, and Matt Vogel.

Everyone was beaming ear to ear as a bubbling wave of eagerness washed over the room. We all went around and introduced ourselves. Then, after we were given a rundown of what the workshop would entail, we were split up into our groups for the day.

Overall, the workshop focused on the basics such as eye focus and bold characterization. We did several exercises to help enhance our individual strengths and techniques throughout the workshop. There was also a great deal of versatility, both in terms of our groups and the puppets that we worked with. In the end, it all culminated into several fun skits that we did to gauge how much we had learned over the course of the workshop.

On the last day, we all make sure that we gathered each other’s contact information. My family ended up leaving NYC at about 4 AM after the last day, and we made it back home by that night.

I took away a lot; but one of the greatest aspects of this experience was the fact that I got to meet a lot of fabulous puppeteers, whom I hope to work with again at some point in the future.

I wouldn’t trade my experience at the Sesame Workshop for anything. I feel like a part of me is still in NYC; it all ended way too soon.

But it will definitely be marked as one of the best experiences of my life!

Me with my mentors: (left) Matt Vogel, (center) Peter Linz, (right) Martin P. Robi

Maybe I Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street!

                I have been blessed with a magnificent opportunity!  The Sesame Workshop recently called for aspiring puppeteers to submit videos of their talents for the chance to hone their skills under the guidance of Martin P. Robinson and Matt Vogel, a couple of the best professionals in the business.  The requirements were:

              Make a short video (3 minutes MAX) showcasing your talents as a puppeteer following these guidelines:

·         Introduce the video as yourself.

·         Enter and exit frame with your puppet (it’s helpful if the puppet you use has good eye focus).

·         Show a variety of character voices (3-4 minimum).  Please note: we want to see your original character voices, not your imitation of existing Sesame Street character voices.

·         Finish your video with a short song…we would like to hear you sing!

            Not long after submitting my video, I received a response stating that I had been offered a slot in their workshop!  I’m very excited and eager to apply what I learn to my skillset!  The workshop will take place during the first week of February and focus on:

·         Precise lip syncing

·         Bold characters

·         The ability to perform with a standard monitor

I’ll be sure to give an account of my experience here on my blog later! 

Stay tuned for more updates!

-Brittany L. Reid

YouTube's Contest before Permanent Shutdown! (...April Fools!)

With the rise of Social Media, there also comes the expansion of connectivity that allows practically everyone to participate in worldwide campaigns.  These digital mediums have garnered support by the millions for movements such as Bully-Prevention, Natural Disasters Recovery, Cleaning the Earth Initiatives, and more.  The ability to easily bring so many people together has also opened the path for multiple cultures to share in the celebration of various holidays.  For example, we can always depend on Google to modify the design of its homepage in conjunction with a multitude of events throughout the year: from the birthdays of famous people like Jim Henson and Dr Seuss, to more popular dates like Valentine's Day and Christmas.  This year it was YouTube, one of the more world-renowned branches of Google, who rang in April Fool’s Day with perhaps the most creative prank on the internet.  

 YouTube's administrators released a video stating that the website’s launch in 2005 was all part of a contest to find the “Best Video” in the world.  After reviewing every video ever uploaded, they would narrow down the nominees before deleting everything and shutting down the website for good.  The winner of the contest would be announced years later in 2023, when the website would re-launch with a remarkable depletion in content, save for one…special….video.

Needless to say, YouTube users were quite aware that this announcement was obviously a ruse.  Still, the sheer amount of realism and effort that went into crafting the joke is enough to give the website high accolades for being a Master-Prankster this year.

UWG Alpha Lambda Delta Newsletter- 2008

   
     Below is a link to one of the issues of the Alpha Lambda Delta newsletter that I was in charge of editing, publishing, and distributing to the organization's members when I was a student at the University of West Georgia.  At the time, I served as the Chief Editor of the newsletter, and was also the Secretary of the organization.  My responsibilities included ensuring that members were informed of our meetings-schedule, upcoming events, and meetings minutes via our electronic list-serve.

 

*Click the picture below to view the full 2-Page File*

Pedal Pushing Pooches (Dogs can Drive)!

            
-By: Brittany Reid

Dogs have been man’s best friends for centuries.  They have operated as hunters, security guards, and service dogs for those who are handicapped.  So, what’s the next step for our canine companions?  How about seeing these furry, four-legged creatures driving next to us on the highway?  Well, it’s highly possible!  According to recent studies conducted just this week, it has been proven that dogs have the ability to drive! 

            New Zealand’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently rescued three abandoned pups and spent two months training them on how to operate buttons and gear shifts similar to that of a car.  Monty (an 18-month-old giant schnauzer), Porter (a 10-month-old beardie cross), and Ginny (a 1-year-old whippets cross), were the lucky pups chosen to take part in this experiment.  After mastering the control of various buttons and levers, the animals were put behind the wheel of a specially designed test vehicle to practice what they had learned during training.  Then, the dogs were taken to a wide field for a rehearsal run.  There, they garnered worldwide recognition when footage of the rehearsal made headline news on renowned networks like CNN.  This Monday, the dogs were taken to the racetracks for their official solo performances.  Monty and Porter’s successful test runs were broadcasted live on New Zealand’s 3 News TV station.  Ginny’s test was not aired.

(Highlights of Porter's test shown below)

            The purpose behind this experiment was to increase promotion for adopting dogs from rescue shelters by showing that they are highly capable of being trained and tamed.  Many people opt to purchase well-bred dogs when the rescued ones are in need of a home too.  All it takes is a lot of Tender Loving Care, along with patience, and they can do anything (like drive a stick-shift)!  But the possibilities of how this could directly affect our society are endless!  Dogs already aid humans by performing duties such as leading the blind and sniffing out drugs for law enforcement.  Could you imagine them driving around the visually impaired or taking part in a high-speed chase alongside their human police-partners? …okay, so maybe that is a stretch.  But hey, after Mishka the Talking Husky went viral showing that dogs can imitate human sound, just about anything is possible!  The world may be “going to the dogs” a lot sooner than we think!
            So the next time you’re training your pooch to “sit,” “speak,” “roll-over,” or “play-dead,” you may want to start adding the phrases “drive,” “turn,” “put it in neutral,” and “park,” to your list of dog-commands!


For more information about the SPCA and their efforts to encourage the adoption of abandoned canines, visit their Facebook page here: DrivingDogs.

DEXTER’S RUDE REMOVAL: THE LOST EPISODE…FOUND!

By: Brittany L. Reid

“Enter at your own peril, past the vaulted door where impossible things may happen that the world’s never seen before!”


            You know this infamous phrase.  This is the first line to the ending theme for Cartoon Network's classic animated series, Dexter's Laboratory.  But, did you know there is an episode of this cartoon that showcases Dexter and his sister, Dee Dee, as you've NEVER seen them before....LITERALLY?!  Recently there has been a bevy of activity online about an unaired, “lost episode” of Dexter’s Laboratory entitled, “Dexter’s Rude Removal.”  But “rude” would be putting it lightly.  Apparently this episode is so vulgar that it would make a sailor blush.
            Research indicates that the episode features Dexter performing an experiment that goes horribly wrong due to Dee-Dee’s interference (so what else is new, right)?  The result is the creation of devilish personalities who cause chaos, and whose language rivals that of South Park!  This particular cartoon was created to be viewed by those who were 18 years of age or older at special events.  There are accounts that the episode once aired at a Californian comic convention in the late 90s.  However, this was the only time that the taboo episode ever went public…until now!
            In October, there was an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit.com that was hosted by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter’s Laboratory.  During the session, someone made a post questioning if “Dexter’s Rude Removal would ever see the light of day again.  Mr. Tartakovsky (account name- iamgenndytartakovsky) confirmed its existence, and there was an online movement via Tumblr, Twitter, and a multitude of other social media sites urging for a public release of this episode.  It wasn’t long before Adult Swim, the late night programming block on Cartoon Network, picked up on the fans’ pleas.
            The block went to work updating its viewers on progress with obtaining the episode and somehow getting it to air.  Their hard work paid off!  According to one of the network’s recent late night bumps (title cards shown between commercials), they will be broadcasting Dexter’s “lost” episode on the Internet sometime this week.  The announcement that Adult Swim aired is shown below.

 So adult fans of the show should keep a sharp eye out for this debut!  

…But, make sure you keep your kiddies or little siblings out of the room!  Needless to say, “viewer discretion is advised.”