by Ellen Adams

Do his webbed feet make it easier for him to surf the web?

Kermit demurs at the question. He admits only to knowing how to turn on the computer, and declares he has only a very minor facility for internet surfing.

"But Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is our real computer expert," he says with his peculiar brand of amphibian modesty. "In fact, they say that he was part of the original paving crew of the information superhighway."

But Kermit is big in computers. Kermit is busy these days, promoting both the film version and the CD-game version of Muppet Treasure Island and his new television show, Muppets Tonight, which airs on ABC.

The CD process was almost more difficult than doing television or the cinematic feature, to hear Kermit tell it.

"Well, it takes a lot of work to put a CD-ROM together," he says, seeming surprised by the amount of effort required to produce a software title. "It's a little more complicated for the actors. For example, in some of the scenes in Muppet Treasure Island the CD-ROM, we shot our part of a scene individually, or one actor at a time. And then we were all put together in the same shot later in the editing process."

Kermit did admit that the technique had its advantages, especially when it came to dealing with his porcine costar. "It's a hard way to shoot a scene, but it's a good way to work with Miss Piggy, because we didn't actually have to be in the same room at the same time. I'm going to see if we can shoot our next movie that way," he says with a laugh.

Kermit says he and Piggy sometimes suffer from drastically different perceptions. "Miss Piggy and I have a professional acting relationship. I act like a professional, and she acts like we're having a relationship," Kermit says.

Kermit says he did enjoy shooting tandem scenes with Tim Curry, who plays a pirate villain in the CD and film as well. Kermit characterizes Curry as "a great guy and a terrific actor."

Kermit says, "I remember us facing off at each other--standing toe- to-toe for the climactic final scene.. I took a deep breath and delivered my line -- straight into his kneecap."

On the second take, Kermit says, someone from the prop department brought a box for him to stand on...

Muppet Treasure Island is available from:
Activision
11601 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90025

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