Ashlee's Lip-Synch Lapse
Monday, October 25, 2004
By Roger Friedman

Ashlee Simpson's Lip-Synch Lapse

In case you don't know by now, Jessica Simpson's little sister, Ashlee, who happens to have the No. 1 album in the country, had a singing malfunction on Saturday night that may end her career.

Ashlee, the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live," was the victim of a snafu when someone in the control room pushed the wrong button and the same song she'd sung in her first segment began playing again.

Ashlee, who had obviously lip-synched the first song, became confused. Her band tried to switch back into the first song, but Simpson just gave up, did a weird little jig and shrugged off the stage.

Later, at the end of the show, she had the audacity to blame the band for playing the wrong song.

It's no surprise that this latest pre-fabricated pop star can't sing live (and at this point has no shame either).


She joins a rather stellar group of mostly female peers who have been manufactured by managers and record companies. They don't write their own material and they don't sing it either.

They've been created in studios and then sent on the road as karaoke acts. Their fans would be mighty surprised to hear many of the pop stars of today attempt to sing without technological augmentation.

That's why you don't hear or see most of these alleged stars trying the "Star-Spangled Banner" at sports events or even attempt to chime in at jam sessions following awards dinners.

I reported in this column three or four years ago how, at the conclusion of a Clive Davis pre-Grammy dinner show, certain pop singers remained in the audience rather than be exposed on stage.

The ones who could sing did: Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, even Justin Timberlake. The ones who couldn't, or who were too frightened, remained in their seats.

Let's put it this way: In the last five years, though they've often been present, I've never heard Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez even so much as hum out loud without a full stage set-up, dancers swirling about and lots of back-up singers.

But I have been lucky enough to see Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Alicia Keys, Julia Fordham, Joss Stone, Carla Thomas, Ann Peebles, Natalie Cole, Mary Wilson, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Valerie Simpson of Ashford and Simpson fame (no relation to Jessica and Ashlee) and many others rise to the occasion without a tape or a computer disk in sight.

So here's a reality show guaranteed to get ratings: All of today's pop stars "unplugged," with just a microphone and an accompanist. We'll do a "sing-off" and see who really has the pipes and who has been faking it.

GREAT ARTICLE!

THanks for sharing

newpower99 said:

Now that would be a GREAT reality show!

what publication is this from? hopefully something mainstream with a lot of readers!

You know she ran right back to the arms of her manager, who told her how to spin it at the end of the show...because the band really doesn't matter - it's her who sells the records. Plus, SNL allowed it to happen, which means they're not really "live." The only legitimate thing she did was that stupid jig. That makes it just so much more sad.

VinaBlue said:

Co-SIGN. Hardly any of them would be brave enough, though.

Thunderbird said:

So true!!!

I don't understand why she did a "hoe-down". Was she mocking the whole thing? I mean why didn't she keep dancing like she did at first and find her way back into the song? It wouldn't have been so bad then. And does she always slouch like that? I've never seen her before and watching that, she looked like some druged out rocker.

And yeah, I guess the "band started playing the wrong song"... They cued the wrong lip-sync track! Poooor Ashlee.

VinaBlue said:

I think she kinda panicked inside and decided to just be silly about it. It's exactly what an immature kid would do when they're caught with their pants down. If she had any kind of rapport with the band, she could have stopped them and waited while they started to play the correct song. That was obviously never an option .

LOL
Being caught lip synching is worse than being caught masturbating.

jayaredee said:

hhhhh

Why was Milli Vanilli disgraced (one even committed suicide) because of lip syncing and this barbie will go on (at age 19) to go on to make more records that she can't sing?

Slave2daGroove said:

The men who mimed to Milli Vanilli never stepped in a recording studio. Ashlee, whose career will probably still end, has her voice on the record (we think ).

CinisterCee said:

Yeah, I question it all because a real singer would have performed on Saturday night and demonstrated that she could sing. This girl did a half-assed dance step (displaying her complete abilities).

It's just disgusting to me.

Slave2daGroove said:

It was a definite trainwreck. I think the dance was just for her to try and make light of the moment and escape briefly (temporary insanity due to fear entrapment).

CinisterCee said:

Regardless, if you are a performer, you give your all and make the best of the situation. I mean, did anyone doubt the first song was lipsynched? It wouldn't have been a big shocker if once the correct song started playing she played along with it. I mean.. the band had no problem getting in sync...

Even if a person does sing live and messes up, you find your place again, even if it takes a whole verse! But I guess, when you got a computer doing it for you, there is no way to sync it back up unless you start over. That would have been fine too! Better than just acting a fool and walking off stage. But whatever. I hope people start waking up to this fake bullshit.

VinaBlue said:

And her reaction is the precise reason her career is speculated to be over.

SassierBritches said:

foxnews.com

Thunderbird said:

ha!

Great article.
Glad the writer tagged j.lo and brit too.

I mean I read a few weeks ago that J.lo wouldn't sing at her husband's birthday party because she had no accompaniment. laughable!!


Touring karaoke singers. Wow. That's about right.

The state of the music world is really sad and I have to admit I fell for a few of the karaoke singers. Madonna and Janet are really borderline... not quite but almost. But they are soo loved and have contributed to music far beyond their voices.

And the star-spangled banner comment. Yes! You won't see ashlee, ashanti, and j.lo doing that.

And for all those who bash Beyonce, notice how she triumphed singing the anthem during the Superbowl. She was excellent and proved her vocal skills for the naysayers.

CinisterCee said:

exactly. the only thing that could have redeemed her in my mind is if she had said "stop the tape, i'll just sing it live" and then gone on to perform the song live with her band playing as it should have been done in the first place.

but when she blamed the band for the mistake! i almost was beginning to like her music before. i thought "she's not just a clone of her big sister, she seems to have sort of an edge about her." but now . . .

SynthiaRose said:

Yeah, ouch.

fantasyislander said:

Ooh! She could have totally raged against the machine, proving her independence from the corporate puppets! It would have been a coup! If not staged, it could actually have legitimized her career!

Sadly...

Thunderbird said:

That is EXACTLY what an authentic (experienced) performer would do. Grab someone else's working microphone and just tear through it.

CinisterCee said:

And doing some dorky dance, then running away to cry is exactly what an amateur would do. "The show must go on" isn't just good advice, it's law, people! Any decent performer would know this.

Thunderbird said:

Leave the lip-syncing to the drag queens please...

Tom said:

newpower99 said:

HA! so it is being seen by a lot of people. should be very fun to see if she actually appears on the awards tonight!

CinisterCee said:

that's exactly what i was thinking . . .