I am a big muppet fan...huge, really...but I am also very picky when it comes to The Muppets and feel a lot of the movies have never recaptured the magic of the original Muppet Movie.

I expected little from this film. It has what I consider to be the Dreamworks formula (a pretty damn successful one it seems) that we have seen for awhile now. Solid animation with solid characters and a solid storyline...but never, ever, does it ever go that extra mile.

More than a decade ago I was busy picking out a few of the new group of actors/resses that were worth keeping an eye on...I don't have the score box handy but I do recall a few successes...Natalie Portman, Shia LeBouef, etc...mind you these were all pretty easy picks...now had I managed a few years later to pick Ellen Page from Hard Candy I would be on more solid ground.

And the point is, as at this writing, even this one is a little too late in coming. Considering that she is now rumoured to be cast in both the Spider-man reboot and the big screen version of 21 Jump Street, up-and-coming seems to be a bit of a misnomer.

Ok, I know, I know...

But I am still a fan of the man...yes he has hit me over the years and I always come back for more. Bringing Down the House (Slap!), Cheaper By The Dozen (Ka-Pow)...The Pink Panther series may be one of his most financially successful outings of all time but it's like a groin-stomping to me.

But I always come back for more...because I know he's going to do something awesome somewhere amongst that...and in the last decade, it's been his novels.

Pure Drivel, Shopgirl...I love both of these books and coming out Nov. 9 I get a few months to hope for redemption once more as Steve Martin releases his latest book An Object Of Beauty.

Fingers crossed.

David Fincher to Direct Girl With The Rose Tattoo?

Don't you just love a headline with a question mark? Hell, the problem is you see Fincher's name attached to so many interesting projects you have to basically wait and see which one progress along faster.

But on an upnote, it isn't in his In Development section of IMDB but in pre-production...so that counts for something.

Jason Segel Lands Muppet Role

This should come as no shock to anyone who has been listening to what Segel has been saying for years, but I am still jealous.

The project has been rumoured for awhile and with Segel showing his muppety interest in character through Forgetting Sarah Marshall it seems like he will now actually be sharing the screen with Kermit and Co.

Lets hope all involved bring the goods like the Muppet crew have been doing with their Youtube videos (Muppet Bohemian Rhapsody is comedy gold my friends).

Roy Disney - Dead at 79

Ok, quick run-down here on lineage. Roy Disney is the son of Roy O. Disney, Walt's brother, making this Roy his nephew. Sure you can call it nepotism but this guy helped preserve the animation department of Disney when Michael Esiner and others turned their back on what made the company into an (some might say, evil) Empire.

Anyway, the guy also helped shepherd Fantasia 2000 off the dusty drawing boards and onto the silver screen. That says more about a love of animation than the bottom line.

One quick weird note though...in 2007 Roy divorced his wife Patty Daily after 52 years of marriage. He even remarried in 2008...he is survived by his wife of one year Leslie DeMeuse-Disney and his four kids from Patty: Tim Disney, Roy Patrick Disney, Abigail Disney and Susan Disney Lord.

At least he lived to see Disney's cel animation return to the big screen with the success of The Princess Frog.