Friday 6 November 2009

Is this microphone on?



Ever since they first met on the set of Disney's Mickey Mouse Club, Britney and Justin have been in and out of each other's lives. By the late nineties, they were spending so much time at the top of the charts that they could have claimed squatters' rights and stayed there indefinitely. They also made an appealingly perky couple, and often talked about their infatuation for one another.

However, their inevitable break-up drove a huge wedge between the onetime Mouseketeers, with Britney hitting the burritos and Justin reinventing himself as everyone's favourite
wonderbread R&B star. But after all this time apart they've both been in the news this week, thanks to their inimitable vocal stylings; one for the sounds they make, the other for the sounds they don't.

After an epic meltdown worthy of the
closing moments of Terminator 2, Britney's big comeback caused a bit of a stink on the X-Factor last year. Not only did she seem oblivious to the fact that she was appearing on a talent show, her perfomance involved little more than stamping around a stage in a pair of hotpants, and jabbing her finger at Brian Friedman's dance troupe. Now it seems that her live appearances are getting her into hot water all over again.

She's just landed in Australia on her world tour, but not everyone's happy about it. The Australian
government is worried that Britney's fans are being duped into paying over the odds to see a singer who's microphone isn't even switched on.

Virginia Judge, the aptly named Minister for Fair Trading for New South Wales, wants to ensure that people know what they're letting themselves in for when they pay up to $1,300 per ticket. Although Judge has the public's best intentions at heart, it's safe to assume that few people will be buying Britney tickets in the hope of hearing a kick-ass vocal. It's a bit like going to McDonalds with a taste for lobster bisque.

But Justin's voice has also been hitting the headlines this week, for very different reasons. In his quest for silver screen superstardom, Justin has signed up for his biggest movie role yet. Although it's one that may take some of his fans by surprise.

Following hot on the heels of the Scooby Doo franchise, a
big screen movie about ursine picnic basket-stealer Yogi Bear has been greenlit, with JT signing on to provide the voice of permanently perturbed sidekick Boo Boo.

Although Justin showed off his comedic chops in Mike Myers' recent flop
The Love Guru, it's hard to tell whether he's likely to be successful as an anthropomorphic bear cub.


Still, I can't help but wonder whether the producers missed a trick when it came to casting. Since Boo Boo's outfit consists solely of a little blue bowtie, they might have tried out a different R&B singer in the role. After all, CGI is pretty expensive, and Chris Brown could have at least provided his own wardrobe. 

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