Singers/actors Who Become Actors/singers

This is probably not ground-breaking news for people who are familiar with the entertainment business, but it still comes as a shock: Scarlett Johansson is going to release her album with Tom Waits covers. The project started somewhere late in 2006, and apparently she's been recording for the last couple of months and the release is planned on May 20.

Now there's something I should make clear, so you understand my anger. There are a zillion musicians in the world, but there is only one Tom Waits. He started playing in bands in the early 60's while still a teenager, and has since then become one of the most innovative, alternative singer-songwriter. He's probably one of the most influential musicians of the last decades. Although he never really went mainstream, hundreds of thousands of followers will do anything to see him perform live, a treat I've been fortunate enough to experience myself twice, and are some of the most faithful fans in music history. His songs go from jazz to poppy, from grungy to crooner, and about every single instrument known to men is used. There's also a lot of experimenting with tools one wouldn't expect to make musical noises. Ok, ok, I'll admit, maybe I'm biased, I do like his music, just a little.

So now Miss Johansson, who, if my research is accurate, is a rather successful, fresh, good-looking actress with main roles in some highly praised movies, decided to record 10 of Waits' songs, and release them. Why? Is there any way to stop this? From what I heard, Scarlett isn't half bad as a singer, and was even the runner up for Maria in the Broadway version of 'Sound of Music'. I take it she's able to sing in-tune, then. David Bowie is involved as well, with vocals in 2 songs, which would have meant something 20 years ago, when Bowie was a hero himself, but I can't say I'm too impressed with the man's career in the last couple of years. Tin Machine anyone?

As I said, I'm biased. After Rod Stewart screwed up not one but two of Waits' songs (Downtown Train even was a commercial hit, but that shouldn't be a reason not to hang RS for releasing these songs), there was the even less successful Tom Waits 'tribute' album, 'Step Right Up', named after one of many Tom Waits songs only he should be allowed to perform. Needless to say that the past doesn't really work to Scarlett's advantage. Some things should not be touched. If you want to tell people how good these songs are, then do so in interviews, but please, please do not ruin it for all the fans.

Because this is what will happen. SJ is famous, and her versions will get airplay, whether they're good or not. SJ will appear on every single talk show, from Oprah to Jay, from David to Chelsea, and tell everybody how hard it is to cover some of the best songs ever and how happy she is with the result, how hard she and her producers worked to create a unique sound and then she will be given the chance to perform one of the songs live. The only good that might come from it is that people will be anxious to hear the original song, so more people will discover Tom Waits.

Here's my plead, to all of you: write petitions, blogs, hate-mails, just let people know you don't agree. Many actors have tried to make it in the music business and vice versa, but only a handful succeeded in not making a complete fool of themselves. So please, Miss Johansson, keep your dignity and keep pleasing us with star performances as the great actress you are, but leave Tom Waits alone. I promise you I won't love you any less for it.

P.S. Just to name a few of the disasters of music - acting crossovers: Patrick Swayze, Patrick Duffy, David Hasselhoff (still big in Germany though, but so is sauerkraut), Juliette Lewis (with or without Licks) and the list goes on for quite a while.