You Could Be In Movies

Bette Midler. Dolly Parton. Cher. Barbra Streisand. They’ve all been widely accepted as accomplished singers and award-winning actresses. And while many actors/actresses take a stab at singing, they don’t always make a successful jump. Here are a few that do a surprisingly good job.

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Although Kathleen Turner provided the voice for Jessica Rabbit in the ground-breaking film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, it was actress Amy Irving who provided Jessica’s singing voice. In the film, Amy performed the widely-known ‘Why Don’t You Do Right?’ in a sultry, crystal-clear form. Amazingly, the song never appeared on the album’s soundtrack.


Juliette Lewis made a respectable attempt at channeling her inner Polly Jean Harvey in the 1995 thriller Strange Days. Juliette performed Polly’s ‘Hardly Wait’ and ‘Rid Of Me’ in the film, but the former is the only one that can be found on the film’s soundtrack while the latter is featured here. Juliette is currently preparing for the release of her own album, with her band Juliette & the Licks.


The Fabulous Baker Boys became Michelle Pfeiffer’s true ticket to the Hollywood A-List. Not only was the movie great, but it was a nice surprise to discover that Michelle’s voice is the one being heard in the film’s many performances. True to her character, Michelle oozes a sexy version of the popular standard, ‘Makin’ Whoopee.’

While she never made a full album of material, Michelle’s performances of ‘Makin’ Whoopee’ and ‘My Funny Valentine’ can be found on the film’s official soundtrack.


There’s probably not too many people who knew that Minnie Driver was performing with a band before performing in film. Trained in music in London, Minnie was actually in the process of embarking on a career in music before her break in film began.

Minnie’s debut album, Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket, is due out next week, although the title track was originally released on last year’s Trampoline Records Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. While I have yet to hear the bulk of the album, to my ears, she isn’t half bad.


Downloads:

Amy Irving - Why Don’t You Do Right
Juliette Lewis - Rid Of Me
Michelle Pfeiffer - Makin’ Whoopee
Minnie Driver - Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket