Episode 107: Sandra Bullock

Clifford introduces a nervous Sandra Bullock, who fears she'll mess up and not be invited back, before showing a clip from her film "While You Were Slapping." Meanwhile, Bobo the Bear receives a call from a Mad Bomber, who reveals a bomb is set to explode if the ratings drop below 50. Sandra deduces the situation, reminiscent of her movie Speed, and directs Andy and Randy to trace the call while Clifford, Gonzo, and Rizzo introduce acts that cause the ratings to rise and fall. 
Eventually, Andy and Randy find the bomber, who turns out to be Sandra in disguise, claiming she created the threat to improve ratings. Clifford reassures her that she can do anything, leading Sandra to perform as a one-woman band.
==Skit Highlights==
* While You Were Slapping
* The Psychiatrist's Office
* The Tubmans of Porksmith: The Hypnotist (UK spot)
* "Anvil Chorus"
* Seinfeld Babies
* Sid Knishes and his Mosh Pit-tatoes
* Frankie Yakovic and his Polka Dots
* "Mack the Knife" sung by Johnny Fiama
* Bill the Bubble Guy performs "Flight of the Bumblebee"
* Pepe & Seymour's Comedy Act: "El-if-i-know"
* Sandra's One-Woman Band ("Alexander's Ragtime Band" / "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt")
==Episode==
Picture	Description
 	In the cold open, Clifford attempts to give Andy and Randy a simple task: answering the telephone. Clifford patiently instructs them to pick up the receiver, but they struggle to comprehend his directions. When the phone rings, they misinterpret Clifford's instructions, responding with "Hello into the phone" and then turning down a $14-million prize, thinking it wasn't for them.
 	"Muppets Tonight Theme"
 	Clifford introduces Sandra Bullock. Despite being a famous actress, Sandra is nervous about being on live TV and rambling about her fears of losing ratings. Clifford shares a clip from her film, "While You're Slapping," which escalates into a slap-fest between Sandra and Bill the Bubble Guy's family.
 	Backstage, Clifford thanks Bobo for taking over the switchboard. When the phone rings, Bobo answers and nonchalantly dismisses a caller claiming there's a bomb in the studio, thinking it's part of the show script. As the bomber tries to explain, Bobo casually puts him on hold to find a pencil, leaving the bomber frustrated as "The Rainbow Connection" plays.
 	In a sketch titled "The Psychiatrist's Office," Sandra plays "Dr. Bullock, Animal Psychiatrist." Kermit, the patient, claims that he sees strange creatures whenever he says the word "phenomena." The creatures are the two Snowths, who appear and sing, "Do do, do-do-do," in a reference to the classic Muppet sketch "Mah Na Mah Na." Doglion makes an appearance at the end of the sketch.
 	Bobo struggles to take notes during a phone call with a bomber threatening the studio. When the bomber gets frustrated, Bobo hands the phone to Clifford, who learns that if their show's ratings fall below 50, a bomb will go off. Clifford initially suspects the bomber is from the network, but quickly realizes the seriousness of the threat. As Clifford and Rizzo run off to handle the crisis, Bobo continues to bumble, accidentally hurting himself with a battery-powered fan before eating it.
 	UK Spot: In a "The Tubmans of Porksmith" sketch, Carter brings in Dr. Tremley to take care of Howard's eating addiction through the power of hypnosis.
 	On stage, two flat-faced Muppets strike their heads against anvils to the tune of the "Anvil Chorus." Clifford, Rizzo, and Nigel panic as the ratings teeter on the critical 50 mark. Rizzo suggests cutting a dull act, and Sandra Bullock arrives, recognizing the situation as similar to her movie Speed. She takes charge, giving rapid-fire instructions to solve the crisis, including calling the bomb squad and having Andy and Randy trace the call. As tension rises, they discover the boring show is tanking the ratings. To save the day, Clifford cues Spamela Hamderson to dance on stage, instantly boosting the ratings above 50.
 	Bobo falls asleep at the phones as Andy and Randy, tasked with tracing a call, begin pulling phone wires out of the wall.
 	Clifford, Rizzo, and Sandra anxiously watch the ratings drop as Spamela gets tired while dancing with an over-enthusiastic Ernest Pleth. As the ratings dip dangerously close to 50, Sandra rushes off to find new acts to save the show. Meanwhile, Gonzo suggests airing Muppet Babies while Zippety Zap suggests an episode of Seinfeld, they collide, ruining their tapes. In a moment of desperation, Gonzo proposes combining the two shows.
 	In "Seinfeld Babies," Baby Jerry wonders why their parents talk about changing them when, even after they've been changed, they're still the same. Once the babies find out what changing really means, they have a contest: whoever can go the longest without a diaper change wins the contest. Baby Kramer is the first one to lose.
 	Gonzo introduces Sid Knishes and his Mosh Pit-tatoes, a punk band made up of moshing potatoes, eventually filling the stage with mashed potatoes.
 	Gonzo introduces Frankie Yakovic and his Polka Dots, who dance energetically while Frankie plays the accordion. A stage hook yanks him off the stage, prompting panic among the crew. Rizzo cues the next act, and Johnny Fiama rushes on stage to perform "Mack the Knife," only to be chased away by a shark mid-song. In desperation, Rizzo pushes Bill the Bubble Guy onto the stage who performs "Flight of the Bumblebee" while blowing bubbles out of his head.
 	Seymour and Pepe take to the stage to perform a vaudeville routine. Pepe tells a joke asking what you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros, but the audience remains unresponsive after the punchline, "Elefino." As the silence stretches, Seymour realizes the audience doesn’t get the joke, while Pepe grows frustrated, insisting they understand.
 	The ratings needle teeters at 50, and Clifford realizes the urgency of the situation. He panics, calling for attention from Nigel and the others. Just then, Andy and Randy burst in, excitedly claiming they've traced the call to the mad bomber. Clifford rallies everyone, urging them to follow the pigs who found the bomber. The two lead the crew towards a supply closet, taking a convoluted route (including passing through Statler and Waldorf's nursing home).
 	Seymour, wearing a tag that reads "ELA-IF," stands next to a card depicting a rhino labeled "I-KNOW." Pepe, pointing at them with a wand, repeats the setup and delivers the punchline with a rimshot. The audience remains unresponsive, leaving Pepe incredulous.
 	Clifford warns everyone to stay back as they confront the mad bomber hiding in a closet. The Muppets are shocked when the bomber is revealed to be Sandra Bullock in disguise. Sandra explains that she faked the bomb threat to boost the show's ratings so Clifford would like her and invite her back. Clifford reassures her that people love her no matter what she does.
 	Sandra takes the stage in a quirky one-man band outfit, singing "Alexander's Ragtime Band" off-key as Clifford and Rizzo watch. They join her onstage, with Clifford encouraging the audience to applaud for her despite Rizzo's reluctance. As Sandra continues singing, Clifford tries to wrap up the show, urging Rizzo to just smile and wave.
 	After the show, Sandra continues singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" on stage while Beauregard asks her to lock the door when she's done. Out of breath, Sandra agrees, and he bids her goodnight. The credits roll, featuring outtakes of Seymour and Pepe's routine, backstage moments with Clifford and Rizzo, interactions with Sandra, and the cold open of the episode.
==Notes==
* This episode was originally set to air on April 19, 1996. However, ABC executives became aware that April 19 marked the one-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and felt the plot (involving a mad bomber's threats to blow up the studio) was inappropriate. A Boy Meets World rerun aired in its stead, as executives had planned to replace the show in the TGIF line-up the following week regardless."Tonight's Muppet Episode Withdrawn." The New York Times. April 19, 1996. Muppets Tonight was placed on hiatus for two months, and the episode finally aired in June.
* Bobo says that Sandra Bullock isn't his type because she doesn't have enough fat on her, yet he was in love with Cindy Crawford.
* Although Seymour and Pepe had made a few appearances before, this episode introduces them proper.
==Performers==
:Kevin Clash as Clifford, Carter, Animal, and Bill's dad
:Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Randy Pig, Beauregard, Bill the Bubble Guy, and Baby Kramer
:Bill Barretta as Bobo, Pepe, Johnny Fiama, Baby George, Zippity Zap, Doglion, Howard Tubman (UK skit only), and Frankie Yakovic
:Jerry Nelson as The Mad Bomber, Statler, Snowth, Ernest Pleth, Baby Jerry, Shark, and Bill's grandma
:Brian Henson as Sid Knishes, Sal, Nigel, and Seymour
:Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, Andy Pig, Mr. Poodlepants, and Bill's sister
:Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Spamela Hamderson, Bill's mom, and hula girl (UK skit)
:Len Levitt
:Drew Massey
:Joe Selph
:Allan Trautman as Doctor (UK skit)
==Cast==
Muppets:
: Clifford, Rizzo the Rat, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Andy and Randy Pig, The Mad Bomber, Nigel (Muppets Tonight), Seymour, Pepe the King Prawn, Sid Knishes and his Mosh-Pit Tatos, Frankie Yakovic, Seinfeld Babies, Gonzo, Spamela Hamderson, Ernest Pleth, Johnny Fiama, Sal Minella, Kermit the Frog, The Snowths, Doglion, Statler and Waldorf, Beauregard, Animal, Shark, Mr. Poodlepants, Howard Tubman, Carter, Bill the Bubble Guy, Bobo the Bear, Zippity Zap
Background Muppets:
: J.P. Grosse, Muppets Tonight Band
Audience Muppets:
:Begoony, Big Mean Carl, Blustering Bellowpane Monster, Buster Bergman, Butch, Chickens, Chip, Crocodile, Frackles, Gnu, Large Marvin Fraggle, a Monkey, Doris, Pigs, Rats, Quongo, The Newsman, Shirley
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
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