Uma Thurman, Jesse L. Martin join 'Muppets'

[Brian Damage]

Uma Thurman and "Law & Order" alum Jesse L. Martin have joined the cast of NBC's holiday special "Letters to Santa -- A Muppets Christmas."

"Letters" is set on Christmas Eve when Kermit and company mistakenly avert three letters en route to Santa Claus, which triggers a race against time to bring a happy Christmas to the kids whose wishes were lost in the mail.

Thurman will play Joy the ticket clerk for the North Pole Airlines and is also Santa's flight attendant.

Martin will play a postal worker who stars in the opening scene of the special, doing a singing and dancing number with the muppets.

Thurman and Martin join previously cast Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa, Richard Griffiths and Madison Pettis, along with Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and the rest of the muppets gang.

The special, from Muppets Prods., will feature songs by "The Muppet Movie" songwriter Paul Williams.

It follows last year's ABC special "Elmo's Christmas Countdown" that starred the Muppets' "Sesame Street" cousins as well as Sirico, Schirripa, Ben Stiller and Alicia Keys.

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