Ashlee Simpson Does a Milli Vanilli

I haven't watched Saturday Night Live in years, so I didn't witness Ashlee Simpson's 'Milli Vanilli moment' live when it happened, but I did see the clips which are downloadable from a number of sites (and check out this Benny Hill remix of it). Oddly enough, her record company is claiming that the goof-up (Ashlee's voice coming out of the speakers before she started singing) was not evidence of lip-synching or any other kind of vocal aid. They say what happened was simply a computer glitch. Right, and the tooth fairy is real. Ashlee Simpson herself is blaming the snafu on the band, even though the band members weren't even playing when the music started (she must be a joy to work with). My impression is that lip-synching is more of the norm than the exception nowadays, and personally it doesn't bother me. Musical performances have become such choreographed, dramatized events that it makes sense there would be a large element of acting involved in them.

Entertainment

Posted on Mon Oct 25, 2004



Comments

Plus, it's been *widely* reported that her mic seemed to go off in the middle of her first performance, leading us to believe that the synch - not the "backing vocals" - were on.
Posted by Tom  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  10:26 AM
I think it's stupid that people left and right are getting recording contracts. It's ridiculous. I think all producers and agents are waiting for the next Beach Boys or Beatles. They think if they give everyone a shot, they're bound to come up with a winner that people will be listening to in 20 or 30 years.

P.S. If there are any producers or agents reading this, my little sister is looking for a recording contract. Thanks.
Posted by Maegan  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  11:48 AM
I have a friend whose dad films events and things around san diego. Once, about a year or so before Brittany Spears became big she was doing a free concert at North County Fair to try to gain some support for her album. Anyways, my friends dad has his mic hooked up to Brittany's mic. The performance looked and sounded great, but later when we actually watched the tape, we could hear her missing the high notes, coughing at inopertune moments, and singing hideously out of tune. It's scarry how horrible she is when she isn't lip syncing.

I think for alot of bands, it may not be because they can't sing, but because they dance and jump around so much while performing that they probably just aren't able to sing up to par while doing the visual aspect of the concert.

It's the same reason why marching bands tend to be not as good musically as a concert ensemble. It's just really hard to be doing and thinking about the visual aspect while also trying to create something that is musically amazing. It's probably just easier for the big singers to fake the music aspect and focus only on the visual.
Posted by Razela  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  01:12 PM
They're not looking for the next Beatles. They're looking for the next Monkees - disposable pop group who's around for a year or so that doesn't even have to play their own instruments, and can be tossed aside with little or no difficulty.
Posted by The Hermit  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  02:26 PM
What the RIAA needs to do, is to force artists to sing live - not to a pre-recorded track. This is one of the reasons that music fans are not a fan of the music business - it makes us all feel like we are sheep. Who wants to shell out $45 and up for a ticket to see someone NOT sing or to sing along to a CD. Unless she strips, I'll stay at home thanks.
Posted by Matt  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  07:44 PM
This is why pop sucks and true rock like Primus reigns supreme, whether or not they're the most popular. Pop is fake. Like michael jackson's nose.
Posted by john  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  09:20 PM
I haven't gone to a concert in 4 years...The only reason I went to the last one is because I won the tickets. I'm not gonna say who the concert was for, it's embarrassing. But I enjoyed it at the time, even though I wasn't a 'fan', I was 17 & knew how to just enjoy a free show.

But would I PAY for a concert now? No way! Music & concerts are too overrated. I love music. I love to play it, to listen to it...but now-a-days things just seem so superficial. People make such a huge deal out of what the lastest personality is wearing (or not wearing). I watched the clip last night & I feel like Ashlee Simpson was totally unprepared for a glitch in her show. She can't improvise. She started doing an eerie howdown! Any talented, studied artist would have been able to improvise in that situation. Poor kid. People will show that clip of her any time they mention her now.
Posted by Maegan  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  08:21 AM
LOL. Maybe now she will stop the annoying pop princess crap and go get a real life.
Posted by Reynard Muldrake  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  12:08 PM
Sounds like she 'fessed up to lip synching (not just a tape with backing vocals) and is blaming it on acid reflux.
Posted by Joe  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  04:28 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/26/ashlee.simpson.ap/index.html
Posted by Joe  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  04:30 PM
She should now come out with a cover of a Milli Vanilli song.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  04:34 PM
they've said too many excuses for it to be any that theyre saying. Glitch, bad band, acid reflux/stomache ache. and that would be funny if she did put out a milli vanilli cover. then she'd at least go out in slightly subtle style. that is to say, if this is her ewnd, which it probably isnt...
Posted by Jacob  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  05:42 PM
To fully understand this incident, you need to understand Auto-Tune. Auto-Tune is the reason Brian Wilson sounds more on-key in his new album "Smile" than he ever has in his life. His voice is being altered electronically. Chances are pretty good Ashlee uses Auto-Tune on her recordings, too. This makes live performances kind of dicey. You can actually use Auto-Tune on stage, and people do, but in an intimate venue like the SNL theater, the equipment would be very obvious. So faced with the choice of advertising her dependence on the electronics, or lip-synching, she chose the latter. But both methods can backfire publicity-wise, as we've seen.
Posted by mara  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  06:20 PM
Acid reflux? Doesn't she mean an "acid flashback"?

What I'm wondering is, why doesn't anybody talk about all the times Dubya has been caught lip-synching?
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Tue Oct 26, 2004  at  06:46 PM
When I go to a concert I want to hear the performers actually perform. Nowdays you go to a concert and you get a silly dance show... I guess if your music isn't good enough to entertain you have to add a lot of extra stuff.
Posted by Kaitain  on  Wed Oct 27, 2004  at  10:09 AM
Hmmm. I think it might be a little difficult to strip and sing at the same. But we do shell out a lot of money for this. 🙄
Posted by Ariel  on  Mon Nov 08, 2004  at  07:16 PM
ASHLEE I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! and I dont thin you were lip synking for bad reasons I think it was because you were sick and all the other people can go and lick a dick1 I love you@!
Amanda xoxoxo
Posted by Amanda  on  Sun Feb 13, 2005  at  04:01 PM
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