Great interview! Thanks for the link. Some great lines:
"TVGuide.com: I just want you to know that I had to fight for this interview with Raven, the other mom and theater addict in the office."
Ha!
"TVGuide.com: Between this and Beauty and the Beast, you are going to get mobbed by kids. The Wiggles have got nothing on you.
Tartaglia: There you go. [Laughs] I'd be honored!"
Aww! And he's so great with them

Most likely more personable than the Wiggles.
A CD would be great! It'd be awesome to have like a half-Sprites/kid, half-Broadway CD.
I didn't realize he was specifically Ernie. I could see that being perfect.
And the whole part about the episodes to look forward to sounds great, especially watching him look like an idiot for half an hour
But what he said about the shows from our old days...I guess specifically with the Christmas episode, but generally, I can see that. Children shows were soo great when I was growing up...Eureeka's Castle, Fred Penner's Place, Under the Umbrella Tree, Welcome to Pooh Corner, Dumbo's Circus, Adventures in Wonderland, etc. Lots of puppets and music in those shows. It's still hard to be totally objective as to if it's like that those shows since I'm an adult now, but there are similarities. And I certainly loved the Christmas episodes of those shows. Nothing beats A Muppet Family Christmas! And hehe, Sutton as John's sister.
I told my cousin he should make sure my 3-year old cousin watches it tomorrow at 10am. He'll likely forget. Oh well.
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli