Dear Ken: Did the Muppets ever make a Christmas TV special? I remember a show with Muppet-like characters set along a river and with lots of music.

That was a masterpiece from the late Jim Henson and his creative crew of Muppet makers. The title was “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,” and it was about a poor boy (an otter named Emmet) and his pals who form a jug band to compete in the Frogtown Hollow talent show for 50 greenbacks. It debuted in 1977 but has not been on TV in ages. Fortunately, it has been released on DVD and is a winner in my book for kids of all ages. The songs, such as “The Old Bathing Suit That Your Grandma Otter Wore,” were written by Paul Williams. Go rent this one and watch with the youngsters.

Dear Ken: What are the names of the four guys who star on the Playhouse Disney children’s show “Imagination Movers”?
Mover Rich is played by Rich Collins, a native of Washington, D.C. Mover Scott is Scott Durbin, who grew up in Thailand, the District of Columbia and San Antonio, Texas, before moving to Louisiana. Mover Dave is David Poche, an architect. Mover Smitty is Scott Smith, who grew up in southern Louisiana. He is the only one of the four who did not lose his house to Hurricane Katrina. The child-centered rock band has won an Emmy and make their home base in New Orleans.  

Dear Ken: Tell me a little about Michaela Conlin, who plays Angela Montenegro on “Bones.”
Born in Allentown, Pa., Conlin, 32, has a Chinese-American mom and Irish-American dad. She studied theatre at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is a very close friend of “Bones” star Emily Deschanel.

Dear Ken: What’s some history on British actor Stewart Granger? I thought he was great in the movie “King Solomon’s Mines.”
Granger’s real name was James Stewart, and he died in 1993 at age 80. Born to play great white hunters, he began making movies in the early 1930s. A superb swordsman, he did his own stunt work, and was married to actress Jean Simmons for 10 years. Among his best were “Scaramouch,” “The Prisoner of Zenda,” “North to Alaska” and “Moonfleet.” The latter, directed by Fritz Lang in 1955, has recently been released on DVD and has Granger as the leader of a band of buccaneers who has a change of heart when a youngster comes to him for help. Interesting if you like historical Brit movies.  

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it