willowisp and my parents and I were talking over lunch on Sunday. The subject came to movie casting, and through one twist or another we started thinking about which Muppets we would cast in a production of Lord of the Rings. This is too good to pass up. I'll put down the ones I can remember, then ask y'all to comment, fill in the missing characters, suggest alternatives, whatever...

• The Balrog: Animal. This has to be done.
• Elrond Half-elven: Sam the American Eagle. Who else can do the haughty attitude so well?
• Bilbo Baggins: Fozzie Bear.
• Gimli the Dwarf: Sweetums.
• Aragorn: Kermit the Frog, almost by default.
• Galadriel: Miss Piggy.
• Sam Gamgee: Scooter.
• Gandalf: The Great Gonzo. Raise your hands, any of you who didn't see this coming.
• Saruman: Crazy Harry.

We're missing a couple of the principals and a whole host of minor characters. Have at it, folks, this ought to be good.