# Amy Adams as Janis Joplin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946 "2013-03-03T23:16:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/21 "2013-03-04T19:05:17Z")
Whether she’s right for this particular part, I don’t know, but she can definitely sing. She’s sung on several musicals. “Enchanted” has been mentioned, and she also was in a production of “Into the Woods” in NYC this summer. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/22 "2013-03-04T19:06:27Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Right. Forget singing, is Amy Adams prepared to eat a cat and speed-walk eveywhere? Don’t forget being afraid of toilets. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/23 "2013-03-04T19:13:38Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Ok, who’s around who can do a credible Joplin vocal? [Susan Tedeschi](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmnJFEeC0s4)? She might be a little too smooth for Joplin, but she is a hell of a blues singer. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/24 "2013-03-04T19:28:43Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Ok, who’s around who can do a credible Joplin vocal? > [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > I’m blanking on the name but she was a popular singer within the last five years. I _think_ she was part of a group. Could you be thinking of [Dana Fuchs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Fuchs)? She’s released two albums, she played Joplin in an Off-Broadway show called “Love, Janis,” and sang a couple of songs in Across the Universe. I suppose it doesn’t matter much as long as the performance as good and the age gap isn’t too distracting, but this sounds like another one of those cases of weird, age-inappropriate casting in a biopic. Amy Adams is 38 and Joplin is a member of that ‘27 Club’ thing. See also: Kevin Spacey in his mid-40s playing Bobby Darin (who became famous in his early 20s and died when he was 37), and talks to have Mike Myers in his early- to mid-40s play Keith Moon (who died at 32). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/25 "2013-03-04T19:32:35Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Ok, who’s around who can do a credible Joplin vocal? [Dana Fuchs.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAQENdID58Y) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/26 "2013-03-04T20:36:02Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I’m going to gather 31 non-singers of whom the best that can be said is that they “can carry a tune”. I will send one a day for a month to your home to sing “Happy Working Song” from the movie _Enchanted_. > > I promise, you will _not_ thank me. > Non-singers should never even attempt that song. > > Again, _stylistically_ her singing in that movie is very different than what would be required for a Joplin movie but her singing in _Enchanted_ is conclusive evidence that she is a talented singer well beyond being able to “carry a tune” (not to mention her live performance at the Oscars that year). I’ll take your word for it, as I’ve seen neither of those productions. The linked video showed someone who can sing; I didn’t think it was extraordinary, but that’s just personal taste. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/27 "2013-03-04T20:55:24Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I’m going to gather 31 non-singers of whom the best that can be said is that they “can carry a tune”. I will send one a day for a month to your home to sing “Happy Working Song” from the movie _Enchanted_. > > I promise, you will _not_ thank me. > Non-singers should never even attempt that song. > > Again, _stylistically_ her singing in that movie is very different than what would be required for a Joplin movie but her singing in _Enchanted_ is conclusive evidence that she is a talented singer well beyond being able to “carry a tune” (not to mention her live performance at the Oscars that year). Don’t forget she also does quite a bit of singing in _The Muppets_. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/28 "2013-03-04T21:15:45Z")
I’m just gonna go for it and say that Amy Adams can do Janis Joplin’s gravelly voice. Adams’ natural voice is very unaffected and middle-of-the-road, but I bet she’s a chameleon, and she’s gonna blow us away with the rough and raw and throat-shredding howling of the Texas banshee. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/29 "2013-03-04T21:29:19Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Jamie Foxx lip-synced over real Ray Charles recordings in “Ray”. Nothing requires Amy Adams to mimic Joplin’s voice - she’ll certainly be dubbed over with the real thing. Jamie Foxx lip-synced some of the time. Some of the time it was him singing. Sometimes they blended it together within a song. It really was an amazing performance. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/30 "2013-03-04T21:31:00Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I’m just gonna go for it and say that Amy Adams can do Janis Joplin’s gravelly voice. Adams’ natural voice is very unaffected and middle-of-the-road, but I bet she’s a chameleon, and she’s gonna blow us away with the rough and raw and throat-shredding howling of the Texas banshee. That would be great. I’m sure she can get some voice training for it, so she doesn’t actually shred her throat. It’ll be interesting to see if the project ends up happening. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/31 "2013-03-04T21:54:18Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’ll take your word for it, as I’ve seen neither of those productions. The linked video showed someone who can sing; I didn’t think it was extraordinary, but that’s just personal taste. I absolutely _love_ that you didn’t object to me sending 31 people to your home every day for a month to sing to you. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/32 "2013-03-04T21:56:48Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Ok, who’s around who can do a credible Joplin vocal? [Juliet Simms?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkhb1VFdeuY) ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/33 "2013-03-04T22:22:32Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > “Synonym’s just another word for the one you wanna use…” Just so you know it was seen and appreciated 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/34 "2013-03-04T22:49:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I suppose it doesn’t matter much as long as the performance as good and the age gap isn’t too distracting, but this sounds like another one of those cases of weird, age-inappropriate casting in a biopic. Amy Adams is 38 and Joplin is a member of that ‘27 Club’ thing. See also: Kevin Spacey in his mid-40s playing Bobby Darin (who became famous in his early 20s and died when he was 37), and talks to have Mike Myers in his early- to mid-40s play Keith Moon (who died at 32). Show of hands, who thinks Amy Adams looks a day over 30? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/35 "2013-03-05T00:12:37Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Show of hands, who thinks Amy Adams looks a day over 30? Not me. She’s either got disgustingly good genes or bathes in the blood of virgins. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_tardiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jack\_tardiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_tardiff)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/36 "2013-03-05T00:25:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > She’s been nominated 4 times for Oscars in very different roles. Watch The Fighter and see if she is a real actress. Simmer down, **Loach**. I probably will catch _The Fighter_, if you say so. To clarify my earlier post, I wasn’t trying to run Joplin down – just that her approach to mental “enhancements” was far from apologetic. She didn’t really AFAIK have that tragic element of Cash or Charles from dope or pills – just the party drugs, unless I’m wrong. Speaking of Ray Charles, I’m with whoever said it’s better to have a great actor play the person rather than be a “singing mime.” It verges into vaudeville. And that’s why I’m not thrilled with _Ray_ – fine movie about a brief time in the man’s life, but having everyone on press junkets trot out what a great pianist Foxx is/was took me out of the movie in retrospect. Ray Charles was a pianist. Foxx and Zach Galifianakis and other comedians are no Ray Charles (or Victor Borges or Dudley Moore). It’s a gimmick, and a good one, but I don’t need to know that much about the actor’s little hobbies or personal life, just create the movie. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_tardiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jack\_tardiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_tardiff)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/37 "2013-03-05T00:31:03Z")
ETA and Foxx was terrific – I think he’s not a good actor, but he had that one role, and he nailed it. I don’t know how he did it, but good for him. Nicole Sullivan could be a Joplin, speaking of comics. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/38 "2013-03-05T01:23:09Z")
Simmer down? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/39 "2013-03-05T01:42:59Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I absolutely _love_ that you didn’t object to me sending 31 people to your home every day for a month to sing to you. Bring it on, brother. But you pay the per diem. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946/40 "2013-03-05T01:59:02Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Ok, who’s around who can do a credible Joplin vocal? I’ll bet that Pink could do it. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dDL70co1Tiw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGQgZChkMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDGm2x0IsyBz-znhmM8LGB5G89x_Q "A Tribute to Janis Joplin by Pink (Live Acoustic)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDL70co1Tiw) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-adams-as-janis-joplin/651946.md?page=3)