During the past season of Up Late with Miss Piggy, I’ve noticed a mysterious trend. Sometimes, when they show shots of the crowd, I’ve seen cameras that aren’t focused on Miss Piggy, or anything else onstage. They’re focused on the crew working behind the scenes, and sometimes they even address the cameras during the show. I’ve been racking my mind as to what these cameras might be for, and here are some theories I’ve come up with.
Up Late – 360!
A rapidly growing trend is recording videos in 360-degree views, allowing people to explore these videos in their own way. And what could be cooler than seeing Up Late than from all angles? Imagine watching the audience standing and cheering when our favorite pig takes the stage, or even seeing just what the heck was jerking that moon around while Miss Piggy sang with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This could be a whole new way to watch television, and Miss Piggy could lead the way.
- For Network Eyes Only
ABC is a big network, and it’s impossible for executives to be everywhere all at once, so one theory is that these cameras are for ABC to monitor employee performance. Nobody works better than when there’s a huge honkin’ camera in their face! I have to tell you, being monitored all the time is a better idea than (Ed. Note: We get it, Matthew. Don’t oversell it. And you’ve got some spinach in your teeth.)
Spin-Off: Up Late with…The Audience!
Going back to earlier, have you ever noticed that when those cameras look into the audience, they always focus on those two old guys in the audience? (I think one of them got hit by a T-shirt from the Up Late cannon.) Might it be for a spin off where people from the audience heckle as the show goes on? I think that would be hilarious. Old people being grumpy are a huge trend right now, and Up Late could beat them all to the punch with a show of their very own.
- Deadly Serious about Fashion
We all know Miss Piggy is very fashion forward, but how does she stay that way? One possibility could be by recording her coworkers’ reactions to her wardrobe, like how athletes watch videotape of themselves to see what they can improve. (And we all know fashion can be just as grueling as sports.) Word on the street is that the head of wardrobe, Uncle Deadly, is just as fashion-conscious, and this footage might give him a (pant) leg up in the race to make Miss Piggy a trend-setter.
Romance by Recording Light
Given that Miss Piggy is no longer attached, it looks like most folks working on Up Late are free to play the dating field (though rumors of writer Gonzo reconciling with a certain chicken have persisted). Why not get out there with a fun throwback: video dating profiles? Ladies and gentlemen will go gaga for a Muppet at work (and a bunch of balloons)! I know it’s a stretch, but at least it’s better than the last idea I had…
- A Primetime Series About the Making of Up Late With Miss Piggy
I know it’s a dumb idea, but they wanted six entries on this list, so I had to come up with some filler. Blah blah blah, showing the personal lives of the staff, blah blah, hanging out at some tavern off hours, blah blah blah blah, Miss Piggy shows emotional growth over several months, who cares? I highly doubt any network, much less ABC, would ever want to show anything like that. Why show what happens behind the scenes when what’s in front of the scenes is so cool! Nobody would ever care about the writers, receptionists, or IT guys. It’s a waste of a good half hour that could go to something much more worthwhile, like a sitcom about a dysfunctional family! ABC should have a show like that!
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by Matthew Soberman
