Ashlee Simpson: the fake exposed !!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/245688p-210457c.html

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2016-02-20 22:26 ]

I am so sorry I missed it.

Maybe she can change her name to Jessica Vanilli.

That was so awesome! She started doing some lame ass dance and kept looking around for help. She pulled her earpieces out of her ears, threw them on the ground and ran off stage. Fade to commercial...

she's so punk rock!

Punk rock indeed...

You can see the clip here:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/25/people.ashlee.simpson.ap/index.html

Of COURSE...she blames the band!!! They played 'the wrong song'. How 'bout right band...wrong 'singer'!

next she'll be "singing" back-ups for milli vanillie.

That was classic!!! I loved watching that nervous little jig she does trying to figure ut what to do. You can almost hear her think, "What now? I can't actually start singing AND I totally forgot my choreographed moves?!"

Also, if you get a chance to see the clip, watch the guitarist & bassist on the right. Their smirks give them away. Seems to me like they might have enjoyed the history-making moment of watching the puppet fall on her face.

It kills me that she blames the band and the record label blames a computer glitch. Huh?! I don't know her music that well, but if the band was, in fact, playing the right song... what the hell did they do wrong? And if it's a real band and a real lead singer, why blame a computer?

[ Edited by: MachTiki on 2004-10-25 11:03 ]

Will Hilary Duff be next? :roll:

OK, if the band is playing the wrong song, how does that explain her voice appearaing out of nowhere after she stops 'singing'?
Such a lame excuse!

A real pro would have just 'sung' the song that was playing, even though it had been performed earlier. That would have been far less embarassing and damaging than what ended up happening.

And, I am sure you guys all know this, but a LOT of bands lip sync on TV and on stage... and not just Britney-like pop divas.

On 2004-10-25 11:56, tikibars wrote:
...And, I am sure you guys all know this, but a LOT of bands lip sync on TV and on stage... and not just Britney-like pop divas.

TB,
Back on American Bandstand, that's all they did was lip-synch. But from what I have seen on current music award shows... most singers are actually singing the song - UNLESS, they need to be dancing at the same time (i.e. boy bands and pop divas). I'm not an Avril Lavine fan at all, but at least she gets out there and really sings.

Plus, the show is called "Saturday Night Live". Not; "Saturday Night Live (unless it's a talentless fop that requires a lip-synching machine - then it's Saturday Night really-close-to-Live)".

[ Edited by: MachTiki on 2004-10-25 12:13 ]

This also just shows you how lame 'SNL' has become. It 's such a lame excuse for the sophisticated comedy show it once was. Remember all the great musical acts they USED TO have on: Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Captain Beefheart, Simon & Garfunkel, Frank Zappa...the list goes on. Hell, even the old ragtime pianist Eubey Blake was a guest on SNL once! The crop of 'performers' they have on the show now like AshLEE are the equivalent of them having had Marie Osmond, or Captain & Tenille on back in the old days. Back then they wouldn't have been caught dead booking people like that. what the hell happened. Their comedy sucks now too. Jimmy Fallon is such an un-funny dork!

a lot of the newsarticles have been saying this:

However, the recording sounded a lot like a guide vocal track--a commonly used, though little-discussed, aid performers employ in concert, either to make their voices sound stronger, as they sing with the track, or to cover their voices entirely, as they lip-synch to the track.

But I ask the experts of Tiki Central: are "guide vocal tracks" real? This sounds like a fake answer ... how can a background vocal make your voice sound strnoger? Wouldn't a second voice track make it sound like 2 people were singing?

Here's a link to another forum, with a reply from someone who knows the producer of SNL:
http://metafilter.com/mefi/36482#755961

"here's the word from a friend of mine who was at the show, and got it straight from the director, beth mccarthy, who she was a guest of:

ashlee can't sing. she tried all day friday, but was whining to her voice coach. they decided to leave her mike on so she could sing along to the track, but after the first line or two of the first song, turned her off cause she was awful.

so, as of the first song, all the mikes were off.

now, they had the wrong song queued up for the second song, obviously. it really was the drummer's fault. apparently he was supposed to signal something or start in with some beat, and the one he did was for the first song. because he fucked up, the guy doing the tape hurried up and put the first song on, because that was what the drummer had signalled. when this got all fucked up, they did two things:

1. turned on all the mikes so the band could take over and start the real song. which they didn't. have no idea why.
2. turned off the tape so the band could play the real song.

they were going to turn on ashlee's mike so she could sing the real song, but decided not to because the band was just playing the first song. the guys were smiling cause they were simply thinking "what a fucking clusterfuck".

beth mccarthy was also the director of the superbowl halftime show last year, so she's no stranger to ... malfunctions.

as an aside, it turns out britney spears is currently a cokehead. she used to be nice as hell, but now she's a bitch who just wants to do blow with her husband, who has connections and sells. quality."

I make no assertions to the validity of the above - but it's funny, no? When the wife and I saw the gaffe live on Saturday night, I said, "That's a summary of todays popular music - right there..."

I can't belive these guys got a website up so soon:
http://www.lipsync.us/

Jeez - the internet!

"Oh mystic powers - hear my call...
From my limbs, let new life fall..."
http://www.christophermerritt.com

[ Edited by: Tangaroa on 2004-10-25 13:03 ]

[ Edited by: Tangaroa on 2004-10-25 13:06 ]

When the wife and I saw the gaffe live on Saturday night, I said, "That's a summary of todays popular music - right there..."

You got that right!!

Britney's a cokehead?
Ahh hahahahahahaaaaaa!! I love it!

That's hilarious!

The fist link didn't work for me, here's another one from the site Tangaroa mentions above:

http://lipsync.us.nyud.net:8090/ashlee_snl_big.mpg

On 2004-10-25 12:44, hanford_lemoore wrote:
a lot of the newsarticles have been saying this:

However, the recording sounded a lot like a guide vocal track--a commonly used, though little-discussed, aid performers employ in concert, either to make their voices sound stronger, as they sing with the track, or to cover their voices entirely, as they lip-synch to the track.

But I ask the experts of Tiki Central: are "guide vocal tracks" real? This sounds like a fake answer ... how can a background vocal make your voice sound strnoger? Wouldn't a second voice track make it sound like 2 people were singing?

If you listen carefully to a LOT of music, the vocals are double-tracked. The singer sings the song once, and then sings it again to get a 'bigger' and more rich sound. They do this with guitars too.

If the same person is singing the same song twice-over, then two things can happen:

If it is done badly, it sounds like two people are singing.

If it is done well, by a quality singer who can listen back to his/her previous performance and duplicate it almost precisely, then it gives the appearance of a single vocal, but with a richer and bigger quality to it.

This technique goes back to the 60s, and EVERYONE does it, save for (essentailly) acousticy-folky types and jazzers. Yes, your favorite punk bands and 'real' muscians do this too.

And, of course, there are digital techniques that can be used these days to make the second vocal (or "double") line up a little closer to the original if it isn't spot-on.

Like I said, they also double the guitars on, basically, every rock record made since the middle 1960s to make them more huge, and they do it on other instruments too.

Now the other problem is how you pull it off live.

Some people just blow off the doubling effect live, letting the excitement and energy of the show (and sometimes sheer volume) make up for the lost production techniques.

Others play (or sing) along to tapes, with one track on the tape mixed with a live sing-a-long (or play-a-long) from the stage.

[ Edited by: tikibars on 2004-10-25 13:56 ]

Okay, so they're blaming the drummer for starting the wrong song. Nice try. Who's to blame for the fact that Ashlee Simpson couldn't sing, so (instead of finding another band to fill in) nobody saw anything wrong with her just lip-synching?!

BFD if the drummer starts the wrong song - IF everyone involved is on the up-and-up!. "Whoops, I started the wrong intro. Better get back on track or start the whole song over again". And if you do start over again, you look bad for a second - then everything is cool again.

Bottom line: The entire thing was a hoax. Whether it's the first time or the 1,000. They tried to fool the public and got caught!

Bottom line is Ashlee sucks, but she's not the only one. Take your pick of the other 'artists' out there. This is a reach but the only one I've seen that posesses any real vocal talent is actually Jessica Simpson. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way shape or form a fan of hers, but compared to the other 'divas', she can project. Even somebody like Christina Aguilera looks like she's faking it. They get that forced vibrato in their voice and bobble their heads up and down real fast while they're holding the long notes and all of the sudden they're 'great singers'? Please...you know who's a great singer? Joan Jett!!! Yeah baby ...whooo!!!
:drink: :drink: :drink:

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2004-10-25 14:15 ]

All you have to do is look at the guitars and keyboards and things.

Half of the time they aren't even plugged in.

Look for microphones on the drums and in front of the guitar amps.

No mics on the instruments = lip sync!

In the defense of many of these artists, sometimes it just isn't feasible to set up their live show for a TV appearance, and sometimes there are contractual issues preventing the live performance. Lip-syncing is a loophole in those cases. On a show like the Grammys or something, where there are 20 artists playing in a row... there's no way to make that happen if they're all live.

....and true enough, some of them just suck - manipulated to a high degree in the studio, and lip-syncing to pull it off live!

Remembr that 90% (actual statistic) off all music is sold to people under 22. These kids aren't as sophisicated as us adults like to think we are. You can sell 'em a pop package of studio-manipulated music and a lip-sync show, and they'll think it's the greatest thing ever. Yes, clearly the DO, because it is selling to SOMEONE.

When I was a kid, I listened to the Clash and the Buzzcocks (who's records ARE doctored to some degree), but a lot of my peers bought into super-pop stuff like Madonna, and Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins, and Cyndi Lauper... that stuff is just as phony as what is going on now, and it sold like mad in it's day.

Say what you will, but in my opinion, it just doesn't get much better than a Stones tune with Keith Richards on lead vocal - even his ballads are great.

"All About You"
"Slipping Away"
"I Wanna Hold You"
"Losing My Touch"
"Before They Make Me Run"
"Little T&A"
"Happy"

...and his solo stuff like "Eileen" and "Struggle".

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-10-25 14:38 ]

On 2004-10-25 14:22, tikibars wrote:
a lot of my peers bought into super-pop stuff like Madonna, and Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins, and Cyndi Lauper... that stuff is just as phony as what is going on now, and it sold like mad in it's day.

I've seen Duran Duran twice (in 1984 and last year) and I can assure you that Simon was most definitely NOT lip-syncing! :lol:

[ Edited by: cynfulcynner on 2004-10-25 15:01 ]

When I was a kid, I listened to the Clash and the Buzzcocks (who's records ARE doctored to some degree), but a lot of my peers bought into super-pop stuff like Madonna, and Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins, and Cyndi Lauper... that stuff is just as phony as what is going on now, and it sold like mad in it's day.

I'm no music-tech but Madonna? Definitely manipulated in production. And probably some on Duran and Thompson Twins to a certain extent. Cyndi Lauper? Once again...not a fan, but I think what you hear is what you get with her. I saw her perform once at some kinda dinner party that I had press acess for. Basically the room was the size of a ballroom that people have weddings in, and she sounded as good there as she does on tape.

On 2004-10-25 15:17, TNTiki wrote:

Sam, why would Keith sing about a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy?

Some say that he sounds like he just had a tonsillectomy when he sings... :)

Man it's so disheartening to hear that Ashlee is a lip syncer. She seems so real and in control on her TV show.

On 2004-10-25 15:42, hanford_lemoore wrote:
Man it's so disheartening to hear that Ashlee is a lip syncer. She seems so real and in control on her TV show.

Look at it this way Hanford... We still have Jessica! I'm sure she's the real thing.

For what it's worth, Hanford, we still have Keith too.

:)

Keith who?

On 2004-10-25 15:55, hanford_lemoore wrote:
Keith who?

Keith Simpson - The not-yet-famous lip-synching brother of Jessica & Ashlee.

You gotta love this quote from Lucky Magazine:

When asked what her take on lip-synching was, she had told the magazine, "I'm totally against it and offended by it. I'm going to let my real talent show, not just stand there and dance around. Personally, I'd never lip-synch. It's just not me."

Oops.

On 2004-10-25 12:44, hanford_lemoore wrote:
But I ask the experts of Tiki Central: are "guide vocal tracks" real? This sounds like a fake answer ... how can a background vocal make your voice sound strnoger? Wouldn't a second voice track make it sound like 2 people were singing?

I don't know too much about live setups that are that elaborate, but in studio recording, doubling (or even tripling) a vocal is VERY common... even with top, proven talent. When mixed properly, it does just sound "thicker" or "ballsier" or "textured" and not like 2 people singing.

-Z

[Edit: I suppose I should read the entire thread before answering from now on. Tikibars explained it perfectly]

Thank God The Tiki Bar Is Open
Thank God The Tiki Torch Still Shines...

[ Edited by: Feelin' Zombified on 2004-10-25 19:05 ]

[ Edited by: TNTiki on 2004-11-06 15:24 ]

On 2004-10-25 17:39, MachTiki wrote:
You gotta love this quote from Lucky Magazine:

When asked what her take on lip-synching was, she had told the magazine, "I'm totally against it and offended by it. I'm going to let my real talent show, not just stand there and dance around. Personally, I'd never lip-synch. It's just not me."

She didn't actually say that, the Lucky interview was with a "personality representative " hired by Ashlee's manger to field print interviews to allow Ashlee more time for TV and Radio PR. It's quite common. the whole industry does it and it's no big deal.

Next you'll tell me that's not really Homer singing on all his albums.

On 2004-10-25 15:55, hanford_lemoore wrote:
Keith who?

Who needs Ashlee when you have Keef? He doesn't lip-sync, AND he's just as pretty too...

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-10-25 22:44 ]

On 2004-10-25 15:01, cynfulcynner wrote:

On 2004-10-25 14:22, tikibars wrote:
a lot of my peers bought into super-pop stuff like Madonna, and Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins, and Cyndi Lauper... that stuff is just as phony as what is going on now, and it sold like mad in it's day.

I've seen Duran Duran twice (in 1984 and last year) and I can assure you that Simon was most definitely NOT lip-syncing! :lol:

I'm sure in the studio they all had a bit of help, but I agree with Cyn. I too saw Duran live in 1984 and that was Simon LeBon's own real voice that cracked half way through the show! :)

On 2004-10-25 22:43, Sam Gambino wrote:

On 2004-10-25 15:55, hanford_lemoore wrote:
Keith who?

Most fortunate to see the Stones at the Joint in Vegas and 1st row two other times during their past tour....pure Stones and I "dig em' the most."
Please don't start a "bag on age" rap. Cause we also dig seeing BB King, Toots, Winston Rodney and all the greats. It's the best shows you'll ever see....it's down and dirty to the heart music. And, I can proudly add Dick Dale to that line up...he's no spring chicken but will always hold the crown.

Who needs Ashlee when you have Keef? He doesn't lip-sync, AND he's just as pretty too...

---

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-10-25 22:44 ]

edited by Mrs. B to be nice

[ Edited by: Mrs. B on 2004-10-25 23:21 ]

On 2004-10-25 23:13, Mrs. B wrote:

On 2004-10-25 22:43, Sam Gambino wrote:

On 2004-10-25 15:55, hanford_lemoore wrote:
Keith who?

Most fortunate to see the Stones at the Joint in Vegas and 1st row two other times during their past tour....pure Stones and I "dig em' the most."
Please don't start a "bag on age" rap. Cause we also dig seeing BB King, Toots, Winston Rodney and all the greats. It's the best shows you'll ever see....it's down and dirty to the heart music. And, I can proudly add Dick Dale to that line up...he's no spring chicken but will always hold the crown.

Who needs Ashlee when you have Keef? He doesn't lip-sync, AND he's just as pretty too...

---

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-10-25 22:44 ]

---

edited by Mrs. B to be nice

Mrs. B, did you read my initial post on page 2 of this thread? I would venture to say that I may be a bigger Stones freak than you are. Also, I've seen BB King, Chuck Berry, Roger McGuinn, Ritchie Havens, The Kinks, The Stones, Ted Nugent, Neil Young, Bo Diddley, Tony Bennett, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Badfinger, Dr. John, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Bob Dylan and on and on...
I think you have EXCELLENT taste in music. I missed Dick Dale when he was in my area, so I check his site regularly to see when he will come back.
Basically, I'm not interested in the majority of new "acts".
You'll have to go elsewhere to find a fight over this...

I've edited this one to be nice too.

[ Edited by: sam gambino on 2004-10-26 07:28 ]

Word is this morning that Ashlee (btw,LOVE the spelling!)is she had acid reflux,which hampered her singing abilities.No,the acid reflux was the rest of us having to witness such a charade.

After hearing her REALLY sing last night at the Radio Music Awards... Maybe she should go back to lip-synching after all. WOW, was she bad!

she had acid reflux,which hampered her singing abilities.

I think may be it was just ACID, period.

On 2004-10-25 15:01, cynfulcynner wrote:

On 2004-10-25 14:22, tikibars wrote:
a lot of my peers bought into super-pop stuff like Madonna, and Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins, and Cyndi Lauper... that stuff is just as phony as what is going on now, and it sold like mad in it's day.

I've seen Duran Duran twice (in 1984 and last year) and I can assure you that Simon was most definitely NOT lip-syncing! :lol:

Let me clarify.
In the above example, I was referring to recordings by these bands, and their ilk, not nescessarily the concerts.
I have to admit that I have seen DD live also, in 1984, and again in 1987, and LeBon's voice was certinaly not lip-synced live, as you point out. The concerts were strong evidence that he is a really miserable singer... hence the need for lots of studio tricks on the records! :) These tricks aren't always enough... even on DD records, he is frequently out of tune.

Now, that's not always a bad thing - Ian Curtis couldn't sing either, and I still worship the old Joy Division records to this day. Sometimes passion and emotion trump technical perfection on the priority scale.

In the above example, I was referring to recordings by these bands, and their ilk, not nescessarily the concerts.

I have no problem with people who use tricks in the recording studio. My problem is with people who use these tricks and deny it.

link wray thought he was pretty smart for sticking a bunch of pencil holes in his amp :)

... and he was!

ADDENDUM

the bashing continues:

http://www.stereogum.com/archives/000982.html

[ Edited by: Johnny Dollar on 2004-10-26 13:30 ]

When I saw this clip on TV this monring, I told my Wahine the entire music industry is a fraud. "Les Baxter and Martin Denny wouldn't have had a chance in this environment. They're not good looking. Alfred Apaka might have made it though."

I think I'm having a problem connecting with modern times. Oh well, at least I have my 78's of Dorothy Lamour. She was great to look at and I'm sure she recorded live.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2004-10-26 14:35 ]

as an aside, it turns out britney spears is currently a cokehead. she used to be nice as hell, but now she's a bitch who just wants to do blow with her husband, who has connections and sells. quality

Britney a cokehead? That explains the "My Prerogitive" cover. Must be hangin' tough with Bobby & Whitney...

Keef is God. Amen.

Yep- Britney does the exact same thing in her concerts. She sings (if you can call it that)but is completely drowned out by her own studio-recorded vocal track. I saw her in a live-for-TV performance in Las Vegas and at one point the vocal track fell off and we heard her voice live- it was AWFUL!!!

However, I forgive her as long as she looks and dresses the way she does... (OK, I'm a pig - I admit it)

TTK

I've no idea who you all are talking about and I have a feeling that this is probably a good thing.

Trader Woody