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« Animated Weekend: Two Cats, Multiple Movie Homages | Main | The Foreign Language Sweet Spot »
Wednesday
Feb222012

4 Days Till Oscar. Flashback to "A Dignified Superstar"

It's all right. You can get your cheap laughs. I shall remain the dignified superstar that moi am."
-Miss Piggy to "Jonathan" at the 52nd Oscars 

What was Miss Piggy so miffed about in April 1980?

She was there to introduce the Best Original Song nominee "The Rainbow Connection" but when Johnny Carson tried to speak to her she gave him the silent treatment at first, turned her back on him. "It's because I'm a pig, isn't it?" She yelled into the microphone and throughout the presentation she peppered in references to her Best Actress snub for The Muppet Movie (1979).

Jonathan, you saw my performance in "The Muppet Movie". Can you stand their in your rented tuxedo and - and - and honestly say that I am not Oscar material?

"They said it couldn't be done!"It was Sally Field who took home the prize Miss Piggy so wanted that night for Norma Rae.

To add insult to Miss Piggy's injury, Norma Rae also nabbed the Best Original Song trophy for its theme song "It Goes Like It Goes" -- Best Pictures don't come with theme songs anymore, do they? -- preventing an Oscar win for the immortal anthem for lovers and dreamers "The Rainbow Connection"

Two years later the pig was back on the broadcast singing the Muppets second Best Song nomination "The First Time It Happens" from The Great Muppet Caper. But this song's loss wasn't much of a crime.

 

And then a few years after that Miss Piggy was snubbed again for Best Actress for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) the same year Sally Field took home her second Oscar. I bet I know who Piggy would like to karate chop. It's not as famous as the Bening/Swank rivalry but still...

As for Oscar, since the muppets won't be singing "Man or Muppet" on the broadcast (grrrr) it's pretty clear at this point that when it comes to Miss Piggy. They don't like her. They really really don't like her.

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Reader Comments (9)

I laughed out loud at my desk over this LOL

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJoey

I can see them being relegated to presenting Best Animated Feature or Best Animated Short. Don't think she'll react to that very well.

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered Commenterajnrules

Oscar Meyer material maybe...

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterErik

If it had been one of the songs submitted from The Muppets AND if it had gotten nominated, we could have had Miss Piggy and Amy Adams perform "Me Party" at this year's Oscars. It may not be as important narratively as some of the other songs in the movie, but it's totally the funnest.

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJan

"...you're on thin ice, Carson,"-is there any diva you more want to throw a fit than Miss Piggy?

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJohn T

"It Goes Like It Goes" - I don't even recall hearing that song and I saw Norma Rae. I must have worn a deep groove in my vinyl copy of Rainbow Connection on the soundtrack album I had as a youngster (anyone else here remember vinyl?)

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJanice

Off-topic but worth a look:

'What if every BP nominee was filmed like The Artist?", in a comic tone and B&W photography?

I LOVE The Descendants' and War Horse's bashing in the clip.

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJorge Rodrigues

Also: Miss Piggy was right.

It's 2012 and while Miss Piggy managed to carry on her superstardom from the 70s to the 2010s, Sally Field was not that lucky.

Miss Piggy IS a star. Period.

February 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJorge Rodrigues

hahaha Jorge, but Brothers & Sisters, no one did earnest and BIG EMOTIONS on tv better than Sally Field over the last few years :)

February 23, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterRamification
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