Though the publicist insisted the little red monster would NOT be appearing at the press photo op prior to the world premiere screening of "Being Elmo," puppeteer and documentary subject Kevin Clash just couldn't help himself. On his way over to the Sundance backdrop, he unzipped his black leather satchel and pulled out Elmo, bringing the ticklish fellow to life with just a few motions. A frenzy ensued among the dozen or so press in attendance, but everyone was a bit shy to be the first to engage, so I broke the ice.

"If you could be any color other than red, what would you be and why?" I asked Elmo. With no hesitation, he shouted "Red!" and the room busted out in laughter. "And why? Because Elmo loves being red," he continued, turning his head to the African-American Clash, "but Elmo could be brown, too." Then, after carefully taking in all six feet of his handler, he said "...maybe."

Elmo also made an appearance at the post-screening Q&A. The film was widely loved by those in attendance. Comments on the shuttle included "touching," "inspirational," "best film I've seen so far," and "everything a documentary should be".

-- Kim McDaniel
@sundancelive on Twitter