Elephino.

Get it? Elephino! I love it. It was the joke that first introduced me to Pepe the King Prawn on Muppets Tonight, and it was the thing that made me fall in love with him. Which is my only complaint with the new Muppet Movie. Not enough Pepe. I expect to see more of him on the DVD extras, dammit!

Now don't get me wrong. I am as happy as anyone to see the Muppets make such a triumphant return. I loved seeing Kermit (even if I did want to hear Pepe call him 'Kermin') and Piggy, and Gonzo as a plumbing magnate. It was strangely pleasurable to watch Chris Cooper rap, and I'm glad they showcased The Swedish Chef, even in one odd, disturbingly hilarious gag involving a flamethrower and refrigerator pals.

I know that The Classic Muppets were what was being celebrated. And the new songs were fantastic. Bret McKenzie always shines. I could hear him singing Manly Muppet right along with Jason Segel (who still has something wrong with his face, and what's worse is that I can't even identify what exactly). Segel was a true muppet champion, and did them more than justice. The cameos were sharp, and if you didn't get sentimental during Rainbow Connection then there's a 96% chance that you have no soul.

But Pepe was sorely missing. I know, I know. He's hard to integrate with the classic Muppets. But whatever. Also, this movie didn't forget to allow Gonzo to be both clumsy and WEIRD. Sometimes they forget. He's a WEIRDO. The movie that did that best was Muppet Treasure Island, and the starfish in his pants.

Anyway, see the movie. In book news, I've started the latest chapter in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and I am upset already. In a wonderful, wonderful way. But dammit, Martin, if I'm going to carry around a book this big, I want an Orin and a Luck Dragon. Thank you. Also, was watching The Walking Dead on AMC and got very scared for one of the main characters until I realized that The Walking Dead wasn't written by George RR Martin, so what was I so scared for?

In other book news, Kiki Hamilton's THE FAERIE RING is a lovely Christmas-y feeling story. Full of scrappy ragamuffins. And the news that made my day: Anna Dressed in Blood made the Kirkus Reviews Best Teen of 2011 list. Wow. Wowie wow wow.