Joaquin Phoenix, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, has now adopted the persona of a rap artist, and his recent performances in Las Vegas, NV and Culver City, CA have been lampooned by the celebrity website TMZ. The website has posted clips of the nearly unrecognizable Phoenix, paunchy and bearded, clumsily imitating the gestures of hip-hop performers and being nearly drowned out by the noise from the crowd watching him. "The guy just quit acting to become a Rock Star," TMZ commented on the Culver City clip, "and if this freestyle disaster is any clue as to how his music career will go, let's just say it's DOA." As for the Las Vegas clip, it remarked, "The delusional former actor has given up a promising career for a Federline future" (a reference to Britney Spears's former husband, whose efforts to launch a career as a hip-hop star -- "K-Fed" -- never got past the starting gate).

19/01/2009