MONDO EXTRAS

When we saw that one of MTV's new shows for this season was a spin-off of Fox's short-lived puppet-show satire Greg the Bunny, we were stunned. Warren the Ape, Greg's snooty co-star on the fictional children's show Sweetknuckle Junction, was a hilarious character, but could he carry his own series? It appears so, although cameos from Greg, Seth Green, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Drew and more will certainly help him out in his first season. To better get to know the velvety ape before tonight's premiere, we went one-on-one with him (courtesy of his creator Dan Milano) over the phone in our first-ever interview with a puppet-American. Like Warren's new reality show, his answers are raw and uncensored, so more sensitive puppets, including any made of chenille or silk, should leave the room.

TWoP: Hello, Warren?
Warren: Oh my God, this better be East Coast, because it's early here.

Yes, I'm on the East Coast.
Warren: This is Warren the Ape. Is this MTV? Because I told them I'm tired of their shit.

This is Television Without Pity.
Warren: "Television Without Pity." That's savage. I like that. I've been around a lot of pitiful characters.

Thank you for doing this call. So why is it the right time to do another reality series?
Warren: I think it's right, if that's the proper word to use, because there's just so many of them out there, Clearly it's a gravy train, and I want on, you know what I'm saying? You get paid, you get a little exposure, and thanks to Dr. Drew you get some free rehabilitation therapy. That never hurt anybody. You know, I'm aware a lot of these trains end up wrecking, but you know, if I'm gonna crash and burn, I might as well own the residual rights. So that's the thinking there.

Why do you think you're a good fit for MTV?
Warren: Honestly, I honestly don't know, other than that they were hiring and I wanted to be hired. MTV's trying to connect with the new generation now -- I tried that once, which is why I'm not allowed within 50 yards of a high school, but I think they're hoping that, you know, this whole bad boy image I've got going on might attract new viewers; you know, "Everybody look at the boozy train wreck," and I'm happy to try to make a go of it on their network. I mean, if anything I'm glad they saw potential in my character and didn't try to turn this into another Greg the Bunny franchise, because I've honestly done enough of those. And this time if we get cancelled, I'll know it wasn't because that idiot hogged the spotlight. So their willingness was all I needed to be seduced.

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