Celebrity Lip-sync'ers and Karaoke

Who could forget Bruce Willis' stratospherically bad version of "Under The Boardwalk", where he attempts to make something out of his pathetically weedy voice? His high notes makes out like he's suffering from a very bad case of gout. And the backing sounds like it's been tranqulised and beaten around the head. Not only that, but he went and recorded a whole album of it. Can't remember what it's called.

Then there was Robert Mitchum with "Calypso... Is Like So..." where he puts on a ridiculous West Indian accent and sings stuff like "From a logical point of view, always marry a woman uglier than you!" Appalling, and Rev-Ola Records actually went ahead and rereleased it around about 1998.

French & Saunders, Kathy Burke and some other person imitating the Spice Girls in a Spice Girls video... can't remember which one, and it was the UK only version, the Comic Relief one. Really horrendous and it was supposed to be funny, but turned out completely joke-free, rather much like every single thing French & Saunders have done since 1991.

And Andrew "Dice" Clay bellowing out some old rock 'n' roll number like a wounded moose in that "Adventures Of Ford Fairlaine" movie that I saw on Sky years ago.

Oooh, I'd totally forgotten about Bruce Willis! Speaking of bad celebrity singers--did you ever see Eddie Murphy doing his Mickey Mouse imitation? It was hilarious! I think that pretty much ended his music career.

Winona Ryder as the Blues Explosion's Jon Spencer offended me.

The version of 'Ballroom Blitz' in 'Wayne's World' sung by whateverthefuckhernamewas.

Jim Belushi on some chat show. After the interview he was, unbelievably, invited to sing, which he of course accepted. So. Flabby, white gut hanging out from the bottom of his shirt he bellowed and brayed through some [forgotten] soul standard, sounding like the cries of some Bison slowly dying in a mud-pit. Offensively ugly to watch and to listen to.

I imagine Russell Crowe's '30 Odd Foot of Grunts' to be similar.

Your assumption is correct. Why he doesn't pay someone else to play, sing and write the songs is beyond me because the whole deal is just embarassingly crap.

Mickey, what are you on about? He's no great vocalist, but I thought Kevin Spacey did a fair job; at least he hit all the notes, that's more than you can say for most singing celebs. Speaking of which, who here has actually heard the Beatles tribute featuring the likes of Jim Carrey and Robin Williams?

I think it was the unabashed emoting and the arrogance that got me really creeped out--that and the outfit, so bizarre. What was he thinking? Or they, rather? Who presumed that his singing contributed anything at all to Lennon's legacy? I mean, not that the rest of crew, minus Rufus and Sean and a couple of other people, had much talent, but at least they're in the same industry. But it would be like having Axl Rose do a Godfather spot in a Tribute to Marlon Brando. Even if it wasn't bad, how relevant would it be? And the AWFUL gestures and facial scrunching--eeesh, it was just horrible.

I saw Jackie Chan singing... uh something or other (twas ages ago you understand) on some late night talk show, but it was totally endearing because he was having such a great time. Did Kevin Spacey have an ear to ear grin? I think not.