Just because you can sing does not mean you can act. I think past history has proven this correctly on many occasions. However, no matter how many times a singer is put into a movie and does awful, someone totally forgets about the past and does it again. Taylor Swift has just been cast to play Eponine in the latest version of Les Miserables to hit the screen. Obviously the producers did not watch Valentine's Day. Yes Taylor can sing. No Taylor cannot act. This movie is going to be filled with people who can actually act such as Hugh Jackman, Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen and Anne Hathaway with Amanda Seyfried playing Cosette. Taylor is going to stick out like crazy. She will be fine if Eponine does not actually have to speak. Does she just sing the entire time? Even Madonna managed to make it through Evita because she really did not have to speak.
Speaking of singers who act...someday, will someone explain the completely unique film career of Diana Ross? Debuts in "Lady Sings...", Oscar nominated, great job. 2nd film is "Mahogany", very profitable, even if not a great movie - and she isn't bad in it. 3rd movie, "The Wiz", she makes a fool of herself playing a "24 year old" Dorothy.
ReplyDeleteAnd then she never makes another feature movie.
Is she the only actress in history to be nominated for best actress, yet only make 3 films? And why was she never again the star of a feature film (I am not counting a couple of made for TV'ers which she made post-Wiz).
who said Taylor could sing.
ReplyDeleteWho says all those actors can sing? Since this is a musical, I can accept Taylor swift in it, just as I will accept worse singing (or dubbed) from some of the actors. It's hard to find folks who do both well -- for evidence, see Glee
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ReplyDeleteShe was on CSI a few years ago and wasn't bad... I think her performance in Valentine's Day had more to do with the material she was given.
ReplyDeleteUgh... This is like having that Jonas brother in Les Mis 25th Anniversary concert all over again...
ReplyDeleteWhat kltx said. I wish Taylor Swift would just GO AWAY.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Taylor is horrible. She writes some catchy stuff. But I agree that her voice is just average. Its usually pretty apparent on live shows like awards or when she was on SNL. She can carry a tune, but she wouldn't have made it through auditions on American Idol.
ReplyDeleteBut she's very appareling to the young generation and up until she was running around with Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mayer she was a pretty good role model. She's not out being all trashy all the time and for that, I think she's good to have around.
Ok...Taylor isn't a great singer. She has a sweet voice, but it's not a strong voice. It all depends on your taste. She IS a very good song writer though. That's where her talent is, and she's also very attractive and marketable. I just wish Hollywood would stop trying to make everyone who is attractive into an actor/actress, when most of them are complete jokes at acting and I find it difficult to watch. Get some real talent out there. We need more Meryl Streeps.
ReplyDeleteAs for Taylor playing Eponine...that is the biggest joke. Cosette, maybe...but even that is stretching it. Eponine has a strong belt voice and should be played by someone like Leah Michelle. Leah would have been perfect.
In Taylor's defense, she can't sing so maybe she has a crack at acting.
ReplyDeleteAs for Diana Ross, yeah, what's up with her acting retirement?
Crila - in spite of how much I hate Lea, totally agree with you - someone like that can sing Eponine who happens to have one of my favorite songs from Les Mis.
ReplyDeleteCan Amanda sing? Cosette doesn't require the chops of Eponine but still.
Sorry, I saw Les Mis on Broadway with the original cast, my god.
I bet HNC will be playing the innkeeper's wife - perfect!
I don't think musical theater translates well to film and Les Mis requires so much gravitas. Hollywood fail.
I read somewhere that Amanda is trained to sing operas. Who knew, right?
ReplyDeleteJust because you can sing?!
ReplyDeleteShe can't sing!!!
@Moose and Henriette: If I'm not mistaken, Diana Ross had severe eye injuries from the lighting or something like that on The Wiz. After that, she either couldn't or wouldn't make movies.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they take the Broadway cast and make them film stars instead? NO Taylor cannot carry Eponine and neither can HBC. My God she was the worst in Sweeny Todd..THE worst. There are far too many really good singer/actors out there now....Emmy Rossum is classically trained..How about her..Jeez this is why H'wd fails. They cast only on popularity and don't trust that public may actually be okay with lesser names and stronger talent. Fail, total fail on this one.
ReplyDeleteHugh Jackman can act and sing. Mmmmm...Hugh Jackman
ReplyDeleteDiana Ross' acting career was the creation of Motown founder Berry Gordy, who was her lover at the time and the father of her oldest child. Gordy got her the role of Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues, even though Ross had almost nothing physically and stylistically in common with Lady Day. But Ross worked hard and learned Holiday's vocal phrasing as opposed to trying to imitate her voice. That proved to be a smart move. The performance was praised and Ross won a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer.
ReplyDeleteMahogany was in trouble from the start. Tony Richardson had issues with Ross and Gordy, and walked off the set, taking his crew with him. Gordy became the director, even though his affair with Ross was basically over by then. Gordy and Ross argued constantly during production, with Ross leaving the movie in a huff and Gordy using a secretary as a body double for some scenes. The movie made money, but wasn't reviewed well.
Gordy had secured the rights to The Wiz. Stephanie Mills had played Dorothy on Broadway and would have been perfect for the movie, but Ross was convinced that she was the right actress for the job--never mind that she was too old for it. That's why Dorothy is a teacher in the movie, to compensate for the age problem. The movie was expensive to make and lost over $10 million for Motown and its investors--a king's ransom at the time.
The failure of The Wiz ended Ross' movie career. She was connected to an early version of The Bodyguard where Ryan O'Neal would be her leading man, but it went nowhere and eventually, Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner got the roles in 1992.
Layna - nice gossip!
ReplyDeleteSherry, totally agree. But it's been going on even since the 50s - and has caused many waves when the Bway actors, even famous award-winning ones, get replaced by a "movie star."
it's not a done deal yet...when and if it is tho, she'll be fine. if there's one thing taylor is hardcore about it's preparation. both voal and acting...and ita w/ Cathy...you can't gauge her skills by her 5 min. on valentine's day, that entire film's writing was atrocious.
ReplyDeletewhile i also agree that lea has the pipes, she's also an asshole. if you look at it from a marketing standpoint, there's no way lea can carry a film...most especially one that isn't your typical h'wood rom-com (easiest sell). this is a musical, and i'm not saying taylor can carry it, but i am saying that lea's Q rating doesn't even begin to scratch at the heels of taylor's any freaking day of the week. there isn't anything likeable about lea, nor is she attractive...and in hollywood, this carries a lot of weight. taylor can pull in a demographic that has mom & dad's money to burn, (as evidenced by having the #2 tour in the country, and the #4 tour in the word for 2011)...again, hollywood is aware of this. it is what it is. the good thing here is taylor's ethic and willingness to do all she has to do to pull off this role. that's admirable and worthy of tremendous respect in my book. i don't think i could say the same of lea and her diva behavior.
Excellent Layna..Good points Pookie. Are you in the biz?
ReplyDeleteIt has taken so long for my favorite musical of all time to become a movie that I have been prepared for it to fail for 10 years (see Phantom of the Opera). It's a shame that the producers couldn't give us just one Broadway actor or actress mixed in with all these big Hollywood names (and I mean someone who mostly does theatre, not someone like Jackman who can go back and forth). My attitude on this whole project is 'wait and see', it's not worth too much kvetching about it now.
ReplyDeleteAmanda actually has a beautiful singing voice. She's a decent casting for Cosette. I'm just soooo disappointed in the casting for Eponine. I've seen the show 3 times on Broadway, once in Boston and I've memorized the entire album, being a singer myself. I love Les Mis THAT much. Taylor Swift...really? If you've never heard a song sung by Eponine...listen to the link below and you will agree that Taylor is not correctly cast for the part at all. Also, I don't think Eponine is supposed to be as pretty as Cosette. Eponine is a bit tom boyish, lower class...while Cosette is a beauty and very feminine. I personally think Taylor is prettier than Amanda.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAugBdMMdM0&feature=related
Leah Michele's version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWx2Qbzasbk&feature=related
Seems like a double standard here...Taylor should sing but not act but all those actors are okay to try their hand at singing?
ReplyDeleteAnd sorry Pookie, I'm another one who doesn't think Taylor has that great a singing voice - oops! But I agree she's a hard worker and keeps her shit together (with the exception of John Mayer), if that helps!
She's aural Wonderbread but darn, I find her just adorable.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Les Miserables (I know, I know...) so I don't know what this character is like. But the voice thing is no big deal. TS may not have a spectacular voice but she can carry a tune. A good vocal coach and learning a different voice placement could turn her into a belter.
ReplyDelete@ Maja...being a singer myself and having had years of training, learning how to be a belt singer is unfortunately not something you can learn over night or even in a couple of months. It's something that either comes naturally, or it takes years and years of training. I was a professional ballet dancer at one point, and it's kinda like when Natalie Portman learned to become an amazing prima ballerina in a year in her late 20's. Never going to happen. It's impossible.
ReplyDeleteWith Les Mis...unfortuantely, the singing IS a big, actually HUGE deal if they're making a musical. If it's just plain acting...then Taylor could get away with it.
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ReplyDeleteCrila, it is not at all impossible. Difficult, yes, and absolutely not doable for any singer, but possible nonetheless. I have seen (heard, I guess) it happen. You're right, it wasn't done in a heartbeat, but the technique can be taught pretty quickly, especially for a young person.
ReplyDeleteThen again, if the movie people still WANT her to sound like Taylor Swift...no.
ReplyDeleteI like your points, Pookie. From what I read elsewhere, Lea Michelle WAS up for the role. Even if she has a stronger voice, if Lea acted entitled and inevitable in her auditions (would anyone be surprised?), I can totally see her losing out to aw-shucks girly Taylor.
ReplyDeleteIf Lea can't check her ego, who will ever want to hire/ work with her?
I disagree with the post above about TS being a great songwriter. Here's her formula:
ReplyDeleteI'm (doing something)
You're (doing something)
I like you
You like me
We hang out
You break my heart
I'm so upset
You are a jerk
Right?
Her songs have no substance other than puppy love. I mean, someone needs to tell her that Romeo and Juliet did not end well for those lovers and really isn't a sweet love story!
Never seen Les Miserables, but I did love Taylor Swift on SNL when she hosted. She was pretty darn cool. And unlike 98% of the celebrities that host SNL, she rarely looked at the teleprompters. I always notice when the host has to look at the prompters, it is annoying as hell! She was great though.
ReplyDeleteCut her some slack.
Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried are all trained singers. Russell Crowe sings with his band. I don't know about Helena or Sacha, but most of the cast have serious musical chops.
ReplyDeleteWhatevs re:Diana Ross, The Wiz is AWESOME. A commercial flop but an enduring cult favorite and deservedly so. Love that crazy movie.
ReplyDeleteAs for Taylor Swift as Eponine...wow....I agree, Cosette I could've seen and understood but this is a stunning defeat in the eyes of most Les Miz fans I know. Will be interesting to see how they make it work. Will she dye her hair dark as Eponine is usually envisioned or doesn't it matter?
All I have to base her acting on is Valentine's Day...which, erm. I'll hold out for comment til this comes out. ;) How many famous actors/actresses were in that?
ReplyDeleteCall me when she kicks a puppy! ;)