October 22, 2016

Question: Does Cher still go on television and sing "I Got You Babe"?

Answer: Yes.



That's painful. Or so I thought for most of the performance... which has her singing with the Late Late Show's James Corden, who's sort of in the Sonny role, but also looking and acting like Cher. The joke is that the song is modernized to refer to swiping on an iPhone and "Netflix and chill" and sexting and deleting porn history and calling your relationship "offish" (which is better than the word it's treated as rhyming with — "marriage"). I was cringing in the pain but as it went on — with both Cher and Corden totally committed to making a joke out of the song — I stopped feeling bad for Cher and I finally realized that this actually is exactly the kind of comedy Cher did with Sonny on her old TV show. She's a great comedienne and not just a movie actress comedienne, but a TV comedienne, which means selling some half-assed sketches. It's not easy. It takes real skill and nerve.

21 comments:

Laslo Spatula said...

A slight refinement on Althouse's quote:

She's a great comedienne and not just a movie actress comedienne, but a TV comedienne, which means selling some half-assed politics. It's not easy. It takes real skill and nerve.

I am Laslo.

Paddy O said...

That was funny. Entertainment as entertainment rather than as lecture.

The Alanis Morissette update of Ironic was funnier, but it had more to work with.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

If she reached up to her face, like Joan Rivers did, "I can't feel my face, I can't feel my face... do my lips look too puffy? I can't feel my lips. I hope I can still sing, because I can't feel my face.".. that might be funny.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

LOL- Paddy O. "It's like First class.... on Southwest Flight."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I am confused again. Trump = bad. This sketch = porn is good.

damikesc said...

That was song was Sonny's gift to her. He said, before passing, that he had her write one word so she could get co-writing credit on it. It was all him, honestly.

John henry said...

Luis Prima and Keely Smith did the routjne so much better.

Sonny was always the brains of the pair and smart enough to steal frkm tbe best

John he ry

traditionalguy said...

She is an attractive and strong woman. She survived the 1960s drug rebellion culture, and that was not easy.

Carol said...

How I hated the put-down style of humor their show popularized (or brought back).

Got dragged into watching their shtick from the light booth of some hotel in Las Vegas, and my hosts were incredulous that I didn't think them funny.

Wilbur said...

After they split up, she became just another hectoring progressive.

I wouldn't spend a nickel if it ended up in her pocket.

David said...

That clip is really sweet.

LYNNDH said...

I remember watching the show, but did not know she sang. I just looked at her.

rcocean said...

Sonnny and Cher was one of those horrible 70s TV shows. Even as a kid I could take Sonny or cher for more than a couple minutes.

In Groundhog day, bill murray is tortured by having to listen to "I got you babe" over and over and over again.

Howard said...

WTF happened to her lips and nose. Her skin looks great.

Ann Althouse said...

Yeah, I hate that she's had her nose cut offf. And that thing done to her lips that makes all the celebrity women look the same.

The visual pop culture is so boring today and Cher was a big part of what made it interesting in the 60s and 70s.

Patrick said...

I really thought Cher was excellent in Moonstruck.

SukieTawdry said...

Saw Cher with Robert Osborne on TCM not too terribly long ago. She was lamenting that Hollywood didn't seem to want her anymore when she had soooo much more to offer. Perhaps part of the problem is that she should have stopped with the plastic surgery many procedures ago.

Skipper said...

I didn't know James Cordon died?

cacimbo said...

In the 70's opening clip one of the characters makes fun of Renee Richards sex change. Now Chasity is Chaz.

Clyde said...

Now there is a woman who should probably be glad that Twitter was down most of yesterday, silencing her ability to say something foolish.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Corden and Danny McBride did a duet as Michael Bolton and Kenny G. They really ripped 1990 a new one! HAR!

Corden is very likable and talented, but he's too nice to be a comedian.