A reader sent this lip syn battle between Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, thinking I would like it, and she wasn’t wrong.
But she was wrong about why I liked it. Or at least partially wrong.
She sent it to me because she knows how much I value surprise as one of the best elements of any story or performance, and that is true.
Surprise is the most delightful, impactful, and memorable thing you can offer an audience. It’s why movies like “The Sixth Sense,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “The Usual Suspects,” “Psycho,” “The Sting,” and many more remain with us long after the story is over.
The surprises in each of those films shook us. Made them unforgettable.
It’s why books like “Gone Girl,” “Ender’s Game,” and “Murder on the Orient Express” became such hits with readers.
It’s why I spent months planning Elysha’s surprise 50th birthday party. And I crushed it.
Surprises are unforgettable.
Hathaway’s performance in particular is filled with surprises that are hilarious, stunning, dramatic, and unforgettable.
She’s brilliant.
But what I love even more is how she and Blunt — but especially Hathaway — just go for it.
No hesitation.
No fear of embarrassment.
No concern about looking silly, melodramatic, or ridiculous.
They throw themselves into their performances with heart and soul, and the results are remarkable.
I have competed in two lip sync contests in my life. I finished first and third in my debut performance — held in a library in Milford, Massachusetts, in 1988.
My friends and I were despised after performing Bon Jovi’s “Raise Your Hands” at an 18-and-over dance club in New Hampshire in 1992.
But I went for it every time. Tossing aside fear and worry is critical to performing well. Concern over embarrassment and shame will ruin a performance before it even starts.
And even though we were reviled after performing a Bob Jovi deep cut at a dance club, I met a girl named Nicki after we finished who admired my courage, and we ended up dating on-and-off for two years.
Confidence can get you far, even when talent is lacking. This goes for almost everything in life:
Fortune favors the bold.
Even if you’re not ready, be ready.
Even if you’re not sure, be sure.
Even if you are almost certainly going to fail, try anyway.
While so many of my friends required liquid courage to talk to girls when we were younger, I understood the value of just going for it.
Talk to the girl. Make her laugh. Ask her a few questions. Ask her to dance. Ask her out.
Fortune favors the bold.
Still, I would not want to compete against Hathaway or Blunt. They have star power that I clearly lack, and the production value they can bring to the performance is astounding.
In my first-place lip-sync performance, I pretended to play the drums while seated on a folding metal chair in a multi-purpose room.
These performances, and particularly Hathaway’s, are something else.
