Return of the Balcony

Curmudgeons don't come much more lovable than Statler and Waldorf. Now the Muppet duo is getting a regular spot on www.Movies.com to share their inimitable reviews of upcoming films with online fans.

"Statler and Waldorf -- From the Balcony" kicked off yesterday with their remarks on today's release of "Bewitched" and next Wednesday's "War of the Worlds". And besides their witty words, the puppets have the "Snooze-O-Meter" for ranking a movie's interest level between nodding off during the opening credits to staying awake through the whole film. The two old men are even joined by Pepe the king prawn.

Statler and Waldorf did a low budget screen test during the Oscars (using diffrent performers and low production values). The user traffic and feedback was so positive that a regular feature was set up for Movies.com (using the regular performers and higher production values).

"It strikes a chord of nostalgia with our target audience, 18-34, who remember the Muppets very well," Dan Sherlock (Movies.com Vice President) said. "After all, who could forget Statler and Waldorf?"

Besides the titular stars, each biweekly episode will feature a different Muppet guest star, such as Pepe the King Prawn (who reviews DVDs in this premiere episode), Rowlf the Dog and other favorites. "We have access to a variety of the Muppet characters, but obviously certain Muppets lend themselves better to this forum, so we'll be gearing it toward those," Sherlock said.

He added that the initiative is "very much a partnership" with the Muppets Holding Company, so fans should know that Movies.com is working with the Muppet Holding Company on such things as scripts and characterizations.

Be sure to check out the latested episode of "Statler and Waldorf -- From the Balcony" every two weeks on Movies.com.