Jim Meskimen's 'Shakespeare In Celebrity Voices Part 2: Marc Antony's Speech': Impressions Of Clooney, Williams, And Walken (VIDEO)
Shakespeare and celebrity impressions: who doesn't love both? Impressions are sort of the puns of stand-up comedy, unsexy but always fun!, and as for Shakespeare...well, his legacy manages to be both fun and sexy, as well as devastating, clever, timely at all times, and ubiquitous.
Phew. So that's done. I've convinced you. Now it's time to provide your fill of two universally loved things (see above), Shakespeare and celebrity impressions, with a video from Jim Meskimen, impressionist (disclosure: anyone who is introduced with their first name followed by a comma and then a noun describing some obscure profession is probably an expert in said profession; this has been your daily tip from Mallika Rao, tipologist).
The video features Meskimen channelling uncanny versions of Robin Williams, George Clooney, Colin Firth WITH his Oscar-winning speech impediment, Ricky Gervais, Chico Marx, and many more (male) actors and politicians alike, all reciting Marc Antony's famous monologue from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" ("Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears..."). The eulogy for the recently-slain Caesar sees Antony cannily turning the crowd his and Caesar's way even while seeming to praise Brutus, Caesar's murderer. Hearing that subtle rhetoric in the voices of Al Gore, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush really brings home how un-Antony-like the politicians of our lifetime are. Sir Ian McKellan, meanwhile? Why hasn't he run for office?
WATCH:
For part 1, Clarence's speech from "Richard III," click here.
[via OpenCulture]
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The Huffington Post Mallika Rao First Posted: 02/ 2/2012 10:53 am Updated: 02/ 2/2012 2:16 pm