As a puppeteer Kevin Clash has played Elmo on Sesame Street for the last 26 years. His career is chronicled in the new documentary, Being Elmo. He shares his love of puppeteering and his frustration that it's hard to get puppet projects green-lit in Hollywood. Plus, he expresses hope that the upcoming film, The Muppets, will put puppets back in people's consciousness.
Then Dale Baer, supervising animator for Walt Disney Animation, reads his letter to the Animator Letters Project -- an inspirational blog for animators and creatives striving to work in the entertainment business.
Today's Banter Topics:
- The Oscar upheaval: Brett Ratner out/Brian Grazer in; Eddie Murphy out/Billy Crystal in
- Universal Chief Ron Meyer trashes some of his studio's movies and talks up the dog-and-pony show they put on for new owners Comcast
- James Murdoch's latest woes
Banner image: (L) Elmo and Kevin Clash at KCRW Photo by Bill Zelman; (R) Dale Baer, photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation