Impersonation fun with Kevin Spacey
Here’s one of my favorite actors, Kevin Spacey, doing some nifty impersonations. I cannot stand unctuous interviewer James Lipton, but I’ll grit my teeth and bear with him in order to watch Spacey quick-change into each persona.
He sets the body language and physical mannerisms of the face first, before he speaks. Spacey sometimes seems to be using a recording of the person’s actual voice, so close does he manage to match it (note in particular the sound of his Al Pacino):
[NOTE: Yes, I know, I know: Spacey’s a big old liberal. I still like him.]
I like Spacey too. I watch and enjoy his movies and ignore his political idiocies. I long ago decided that I would have to separate artists artistry from their personal beliefs and behavior, otherwise there would be very little art left to admire. So I admire Picasso despite his being a full-out post-Stalin commie and one of the most odious human beings of the 20th century, and I even listen to Barbara Streisand on occasion (when she sings that is…when she talks I flip the switch).
That was fun!
Those actor studio specials are classic. It’s only been a few years but seemed a far more innocent time to me-before liberal politics poisoned so much of the atmosphere.
Nowadays, I hold a grudge against some ( petty of me, I know) but Spacey’s so darn good, I ignore his politics. Loved his Katherine Hepburn.
THAT…is entertainment.
I don’t have speakers attached to my computer, and all our many sets of earbuds were still in carry-on luggage from a trip from which we just returned, so I watched it in silence – fascinating! I think I got most of his impersonations just from the mannerisms. Can hardly wait to hear it too…
Actors, writers, musicians who prominently display their politics annoy me to no end, but I try to compartmentalize that if I like their talents. I get the most annoyed when they use their celebrity status to advance their cause. I understand why they’re tempted to do it, but it’s no excuse. So when the Dixie Chicks Natalie Mains went onstage for a cheap shot at Bush, she deserved what she got. Not the death threats, but the loss of revenue. As one of her critics pointed out “Shut up and play.” If she wants to run for office, go for it. Otherwise, the fact that she can make music gives her ZERO advantage over a tone deaf conservative.
Dan:
So when the Dixie Chicks Natalie Mains went onstage for a cheap shot at Bush, she deserved what she got. Not the death threats, but the loss of revenue.
Precisely. If they want to alienate a substantial part of their customer base, that is their choice. In a sense, Natalie Maines was putting her money where her mouth was, as her “ashamed to be from TX” crack lost her a lot of money. She may call it courage. Some call it stupidity. But it was her choice and her bank account.
Not even Kinky Friedman, no one’s idea of a Limbaugh fan, thought highly of what Natalie Maines did. Kinky saw Natalie as pandering to anti-Bush sentiment in the UK, where she was performing at the time.
I liked Kevin’s mimicry. He also had body language down, such as Johnny Carson. And Kate!