The Areas of My Expertise

The Areas of My Expertise (2005) is a humorous almanac by professional writer John Hodgman. The book claims to be "an almanac of complete world knowledge compiled with instructive annotation and arranged in useful order." Topics include "Matters Historical, Matters Literary, Matters Crytozoological, Hobo Matters, Food, Drink & Cheese (a Kind of Food), Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels, Haircuts, Utopia, What Will Happen in the Future, and Most Other Subjects."

In the section "Films In Which I, John Hodgman, Have Made Cameo Appearances", Hodgman discusses The Muppet Movie:

"This was a movie about puppets who go to Hollywood to become stars. As they travel, they frequently consult the script of the movie in order to know what to do next. When they reach Hollywood, they begin making a movie about the movie the viewer has just been watching. The puppets build plywood simulacra of props that, earlier in the film, were presented as real. Then the roof of the soundstage smashes in and a powerful rainbow shines down and obliterates everything, including a plywood imitation of the fake rainbow that had appeared in the first scene. The frog and bear and pig simulations panic as the fake/real and real/fake worlds nearly destroy each other. The puppets then look directly into the camera and instruct the viewer that 'life's like a movie: write your own ending.'

"This was the only film in which the French literary critic Roland Barthes received a screenplay credit (he also did uncredited work on Corvette Summer)."