The lovely folks over at Spike have stumbled upon pure TV gold. Their show, Lip Sync Battle, pits celebrities in exactly that, a lip sync battle, and the results are glorious.
I admit, when I first heard of this concept an hour ago, I was a little skeptical. What could be all that special about celebrities pretending to sing? Then, I witnessed perfection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJbgJ7Jv9tU
This goes far beyond simple lip syncing. This is performance art.
Not only was Spike was able to pull A-list celebrities for its show, they hardly played it safe once they were there. You emulate peak Nikki Minaj at your own peril, but that did not stop Eva Longoria going all in on “Anaconda.” Meanwhile, Hayden Panettiere held nothing back in her Christina Aguilera impression as she performed “Lady Marmalade.”
According to Spike’s website, this show is in the midst of its second season, so anyone who is new to this (like me) is well behind in appreciating its greatness. You have only yourself to blame for not witnessing last episode’s epic Tim Tebow/Rocky-Channing Tatum/Beyonce battle in real time, for example.
Lip Sync Battle is the ridiculous competition show that all ridiculous competition shows should be judged by, now and forever.
As for judgement on last night’s showdown, Longoria came out strong in her performance. She scores added points for her insanely high level of difficulty, and her performance actually approached the original.
It seemed as if there was no chance in hell that Panettiere had a shot of clearing the bar Longoria had set, but I was mistaken. Panettiere’s emergence in full Marie-Antoinette-style garb was impressive, but the real backbreaking moment of the show came when she brought out Christina Aguilera, herself.
Longoria’s actual performance was technically more impressive, but she was no match for the power of Aguilera. The reactions from hosts LL Cool J and Chrissy Tiegen say it all. Even Longoria knows she is finished around the 2:57 mark.
The Internet is forever indebted to you for this one, Spike. On behalf of all of us, thank you.
