Ashley Simpson's SNL Flub?

[Craig]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:09pm

Found this
http://www.mynx.com/forumz/ashlee_snl.wmv

Was this what actually aired the other night, or was this a rehearsal gone horribly wrong?

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:10pm

Nope--it was aired. It was a performance gone horribly wrong!

[Marc Shaiman]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:12pm

and your favorite show biz mascot (me) got the inside poop this morning!

[Craig]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:13pm

Well.. do tell!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:13pm

yep. It was ALL over the air waves. at the closing of tehs how, she blamed her band for playing the wrong song!

[Craig]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:17pm

Whether or not they were playing the wrong song, that wouldn't explain pre-recorded vocals, now would it

[Matt_G]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:17pm

Thank you, Craig. I leave the room for 2 minutes and missed it last night!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:18pm

Matt - I have it on tape...

So - are we going to get the inside scoop??

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:18pm

Marc (or was it Walli?).....don't leave us hanging!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:19pm

wait, for real. I still can't figure out if it was Jessica or Ashley Simpson????

[Marc Shaiman]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:25pm

well, unfortunately, it's not uncommon, even on the last bastion of LIVE performing, SNL, for singers or bands to be supplemented by additional tape of additional musicians, harmony, or lately, lead vocals

even when someone lypsyncs, they sing along so it looks right, but we hear just the vocal on tape

in the first song, they screwed up and had both going at once at the top of the song, giving THAT away blatantly (whoops!)

then on the second song, the salt in the wounds was that someone (cough*the drummer*cough) responsible for hitting the right button to start the click track married to the vocal (so that the band can stay in time) HIT THE WRONG BUTTON!!!

the vocal for the first song came on...the band freaked and switched over to that song

BOOM!!! TRAINWRECK!!

so, there ya go Updated On: 10/24/04 at 07:25 PM

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:27pm

Yeeks. Saw this on popdirt.com, and says roughly the same thing, although all this bs about her voice being in trouble sounds suspect for me--I assumed that was its natural state


"Ashlee Simpson fan site 'The Punk Rock Sister' claims to have obtained the reason why the singer was lip-synching on last night's 'Saturday Night Live'. The posting said: "Alright here is the scoop on what happened. Ashlee's voice has yet again been acting up. Her performance about 3-4 weeks ago on TRL was canceled when she couldn’t sing. The same thing happened here. She had been singing all day during the sound check and then complained to her voice coach that her throat hurt. Well, he told her to give it a try that they would run the actual vocals off the CD like planned only they would play them a little louder then planned. So Ashlee got out there and started sing to 'Pieces of Me' for about the first 15-45 seconds. If you noticed that there is a muffled sound in the beginning of the song and all of a sudden it went clear. Well, the director and Ashlee's voice coach decided that this was going to damage her voice because she was trying to hard and she has to perform on Monday, so they turned off the mics and turned the amps up. Ashlee was then going to actually sing 'Autobiography' the same way they had planned to sing 'Pieces' in the beginning but the drummer gave the sound guy the wrong cue. When he hits his sticks together or gives them a beat to start with before they start the song that is so they know when to start and what to play. Well he gave the wrong cue and the band played the right song but the sound guy didn’t. So after realizing that he had messed up the band quickly started to play 'Pieces' again and the sound guy quickly turned off 'Pieces' and turned on Ashlee’s mic so that she could sing the song. But once again the voice coach said no. So they cranked up the amps and drum mics and let them play while Ashlee was walked off stage not knowing that her mic was on at one point in time so she could sing. So all night they had been having problems with her voice and the equipment. Ashlee apologized for the upset to her fans but really did try her heart out to sing but was cut off mid performance. What a shame. It was reported that Ashlee didn’t want to lip-synch but evidently had no choice in the end. Her voice problem was also a reason for why her 'Tara Reid' skit wasn't aired."

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:30pm

Wow...just exactly how does singing two songs "damage her voice"?

[Marc Shaiman]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:37pm

I'm reminded of a SNL performance a billion years ago

the late Laura Branigan singing "Gloria"

totally had no voice that night

it is excrutiating

sometimes, your voice just goes...some know how to adjust the notes if they can't cancel/postpone

these days, technology makes it so easy to do whatever you want, how can anyone ever learn the skills "the greats" would have used in similiar situations

ah well...even Judy Garland, the greatest singer of American popular song EVER, gave MANY a legendary frog throated concert, often being booed in her tragic last years

um, i am NOT equating Ashlee Simpson talents with Judy Garlands...just noting that the human voice DOES sometimes say "bye bye" at the worst possible time

all I know is...

Woo is simply a magnificent dog!

Updated On: 10/24/04 at 07:37 PM

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:38pm

the power of Woo compells us

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:39pm

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.......

[Matt_G]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:40pm

I don't buy it. If her voice was acting up, WHY IN THE HELL would she be singing "all day long" leading up to the performance. Shouldn't Miss Junior Miss have been saving her precious fading voice?

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:41pm

What is Woo wearing for Halloween?

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:42pm

Within a few years ashley simpson will have no voice at all--she's slowly commiting vocal suicide.

[Marc Shaiman]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:44pm

can I name drop again without getting beat up on here?

here goes

Scott & I directed/musical directed an AIDS benefit years ago in L.A.//the list of performers was STAGGERING

anyway, Whitney Houston closed the show, at the HEIGHT of her fame

she sang the song at sound check...SPECTACULAR

then she INSISTED on doing it again (though it sounded great and balanced the first time)

still great

then...INSISTED on a 3rd time. WHY?!?!

started to sound ragged

what's that? she wants to sing it again?!?!?!

yep, a FOURTH time (and this is putting everything WAY off-schedule)

and now she's sounding like she's hurting

that night...well, the audience NEVER got an iota of what she gave and had at that first time through at sound check

who can explain it? calling Dr. Freud Updated On: 10/24/04 at 07:44 PM

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:44pm

I totally agree. Any vocal coach would have put her on rest until she HAD to perform.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:45pm

what song did Ms.Houston sing?

[Marc Shaiman]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:47pm

if I remember correctly, it was "Woo Hates A Rainy Day, Cause She Can't Go Out And Play" Updated On: 10/24/04 at 07:47 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:52pm

Why didn't Simpson allow the SNL crew to hit the button for her vocal?

Years ago, I saw Debbie Boone on the Phil Donahue show. She was singing some weird song and the vocal started long before she started moving her mouth. I guess that's why she stuck to songs with simple intros like "You Light Up My Life".

[Marc Shaiman]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 7:58pm

without being able to say for sure, these tracks are often set off by the musicians so that they remain "in control" as in a "live" performance...ironic huh?

a little too ironic

oh, and Whitney Houston sang a gospelian ballad from a Cece Winans album...something about "Friend"

of course, I can't remember what I had for lunch, so don't take my word for it