petpeeve

i can't stand watching a film or a tv show in which some actor starts to sing or play an instrument really well. it always feels so gratuitous and always takes me out of the story. i'm not talking about musicals (which i LOVE). i'm talking about minnie driver singing in the riches, or jeff goldblum playing the piano, or gregory hines being forced to tap dance in EVERYTHING he worked on, or any one of a dozen moments where actors have to show how multi-talented they are. my feeling is, you're acting, so you're already doing your job. concentrate on that. we don't care that you took music lessons. say your lines. tell the story. then sit down and shut up.