[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL "Celebrity Lip Syncing Videos"
11/23/11
BY MIKEY MIGO
One of my many passions is filmmaking. It’s not an easy task, but making a movie from the empty page of the first day of writing all the way to the end credits of the finished movie it’s a really fulfilling process. It can be stressful as hell as times, but when it’s done there is a certain weight lifted off your shoulders that can’t be described. Currently, I’m in the editing process of my third independent no-budget movie, “Upping The Ante”. The thing I’ve been focused on the past few weeks has been the audio. I’ve had the daunting task of syncing the redubs of the movie. When we shoot no budget we don’t have the luxury of closing down a location to shoot in. We shot at a public bar during business hours so to avoid copyright laws and some really weird cuts we HAD to redub about 80% of the movie. So I’ve been meticulously lining up words with mouths for more days than I can remember now.
To keep up with this theme, I wanted to take a look at the lip syncing in music videos. I know there are TONS of videos where fans or random people lip sync to a song, but there are quite a few that feature celebrities. A few automatically came to mind and the hamster in my head started running on that little wheel.
A list was made…
8. “I Want Love” by Elton John
Celeb - Robert Downey Jr.
I remember seeing this video and being enthralled. The song was a pleasant ballad, but Robert Downey Jr. singing along the way he does is REALLY creepy. He just sorta lurks and sways around. It’s like he’s a middle age vampire having a mid-afterlife crisis. I watch it again for the first time in like ten years and it makes me want to avoid any movie Robert Downey Jr. is in. He WILL steal our souls.
7. “Cry Baby” by Cee Lo
Celeb - Jaleel White.
Holy Cheese! Mr. “Not While I’m Pouring” Urkel is here in full effect. I knew he was still alive and all that, but he’s just not showed up on anything I watched. He just sorta rode out the sitcom thing for awhile and then went into hiding. Hopefully he’s been happy and okay. If this video is any indication he’s more than okay… he’s all smiles and dancing. Well, that was a fun video that I’m pretty sure I won’t watch again.
6. “Keep Fishin’” by Weezer
Celeb - The Muppets.
This song was fun enough. I remember VH1 playing this video a lot. We get Kermit the Frog busting out the vocals while Animal rocks the drums. The Muppet madness doesn’t end there though. It’s a fun and playful video. It’s not my favorite Weezer song, but it’s cool enough. I think I should have gone with that video with the “Girl Next Door” girl singing in the band called “Weez”.
5. “Freedom! ‘90” by George Michael
Celeb - A lot of Models.
This video was way cooler than the actual song. This is one of those songs that you can completely avoid and block out for years. Then one day you hear it and BAM! It’s in your head for a week. Then another few year’s passes and BAM! It’s back. It’s a well shot video though. David FN’ Fincher comes in here and kicks ass with the visuals. Then again we get 90’s era Cindy Crawford “singing”. You can’t beat that.
4. “We Are All Made of Stars” by Moby
Celeb - TONS of People.
This video won the 2002 VMA for Cinematography for a reason. This video is beautifully shot and has a bright surreal look while still having an old school vibe. I don’t know how to really describe it other than artistic and cool. Moby doesn’t get random A-listers. He gets more obscure with it. We get people like Verne Troyer, Corey Feldman, Gary Coleman, Ron Jeremy, and others who have graced the casts of VH1’s Surreal Life. It’s just weird choices of people, but in the end it works out and puts the syncers in a better light.
3. “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash
Celeb - TONS of People.
This video manages to get Bono, Johnny Depp, Justin Timberlake, Dennis Hopper, Kanye West, Owen Wilson, Jay-Z, Iggy Pop, and about another two dozen random awesome celebrities lip syncing to Cash’s gritty rendition of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. Obviously, Mr. Cash had passed away before this was released so they pulled THIS magic off. Tony Kaye directed this perfectly. It’s dark, it’s moody, and it captures people in some really cool shots. The problem is that no matter how cool this video is, I can’t stop myself from instantly thinking about The Undertaker.
2. “Not about Love” by Fiona Apple
Celeb - Zack Galifianakis.
Who would have guessed that Fiona Apple and Zack Galifianakis were buds? I like this video. You can tell they had a lot of fun making it. We get the two in bed being playful and he sings her words to her. From there it evolves into a little journey, but it doesn’t stray from the natural chemistry and rawness it has. You feel like you’re “in the moment” when you watch this. It’s 2005 too, so Zack Galifianakis wasn’t the HUGE star he is now. That said, this is one of his better acting gigs too. It’s just a cute vid.
1. “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon
Celeb - Chevy Chase.
How can this NOT be the number one? Listen kids, if you haven’t seen this video then please take the few minutes and watch it. It’s classic. We get Chevy Chase in the prime of his popularity hanging out with his friend Paul Simon. The song is “You Can Call Me Al”, but instead of Paul singing it Chevy Chase charismatically “syncs” the hell out of it. Simon rocks the instrumentals and reactions. It’s a simple as hell video, but the timing and charm is up there with any other.
What is YOUR favorite “celebrity lip syncing” video?
(P.S. - If you bring up Nickelback, you’re a douche.)
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