Oscars 2012 Best Original Song: 'Man or Muppet' Wins

Posted on Feb 26th 2012 10:30PM by Kenneth Partridge
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He may have only bested one fellow nominee, but Bret McKenzie, the man behind 'Man or Muppet,' has won the Oscar for Best Original Song. Before penning tunes for 'The Muppets,' McKenzie was a fan, and in his acceptance speech, the Flight of the Conchords co-pilot reminisced about watching the lovable puppets in his native New Zealand.

"I was genuinely starstruck when I finally met Kermit the Frog," McKenzie said. "Once you get to know him, he's just a normal frog. And like many stars here tonight, he's a lot shorter in real life."

McKenzie went on to thank his family and give props to Disney "for making movies with songs in them." He also praised Jim Henson "for creating the magical world of the Muppets."

"It's a true honor to work in the shadow of such legends," he said.

In the lead-up to tonight's ceremony, McKenzie lamented the lack of competition but pointed out that he at least had a 50-50 shot of winning. The same was true for Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes, who had been nominated for 'Real in Rio,' his vibrant tune from the cartoon 'Rio.'

Sadly, neither McKenzie nor Mendes -- nor any of the colorful characters in their respective films -- performed on tonight's telecast, as the Academy didn't want to cut into its precious montage time.

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