TVSquad

Ben Stiller, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Tony Sirico, Steve Schirripa, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley and Ty Pennington will be joining the likes of Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch and Mr. Snuffleupagus for a primetime ABC special titled Elmo's Christmas Countdown.

The one-hour special will be narrated by a puppet version of Stiller aptly named "Stiller the Elf." Sirico and Schirripa of The Sopranos will play Bert and Ernie in one scene, along with some help from their Muppet pals.

No official airdate was mentioned, though obviously it'll air sometime around Christmas.

I can't recall the last time The Muppets appeared in primetime. I know these aren't the "classic" Muppet Show Muppets, but I'll take whatever I can get. Besides, Grover has always been my favorite so I'm not going to complain too much. I'm not exactly thrilled about an Elmo-centric special, either, but that could be because I'm not a three-year-old.

I've heard folks my age and older complain about how watered down Sesame Street has become, but while visiting family in Iowa a few weeks ago I found myself watching it again and was impressed by how much of the old Sesame Street humor still remains. In this age of twelve million channels it can't have the impact it once did, but it's nice to know it's still around.