Joaquin Pheonix falls after mesmerizing rap performance in Vegas

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Joaquin raps


Joaquin jumps, then falls

Three months ago, Joaquin Pheonix announced that he was retiring from acting and that his most recent movie Two Lovers with Gwenyth Paltrow would be his last. Casey Affleck, his brother-in-law, told reporters that Joaquin would be going into music. When I heard this, I thought, “well that’s nice – he has a band.” Not so. He has decided that his new career path is going to be rapping.

On Saturday, he made his debut at a Las Vegas nightclub called LAVO in a performance that mainly consisted of shuffling back and forth and bouncing stiffly with the beat. In still shots from his show, you can see that his pants have a huge hole in them near the crotch, although he is mercifully wearing underwear. Footage of this incredible event is above. At the end of the second video, he manages to trip and fall. Casey Affleck stood off to the left filming the whole debacle for a documentary about Joaquin’s attempt to make it as a musician. Even though Joaquim said last November that it’s Casey’s time to shine, he apparently wanted the younger Affleck to do a side project for him first.

It’s not surprising that people are questioning the legitimacy of the project after his awkward performance:

Affleck, who is married to Phoenix’s sister Summer, is filming a documentary to capture the actor’s transition to music.

But the ever-present cameras have left many wondering whether Phoenix’s foray into music is a drawn-out joke.

The scruffy star insists it isn’t.

“This is who I am. This is my story,” he told People magazine before the performance.

“Are there people out there who think I’m a joke? I’m sure there will be … I can’t worry about that.”

[from NY Daily News]

Who is his target audience supposed to be? Most fans of rap are probably not interested in anything Joaquin has to say. And what’s his message? It’s hard to imagine him rapping about girls and booze and partying, though I may be wrong. If I had to guess, I would probably say it’s politically oriented. You can’t really tell from the video what he’s saying. It’s also unclear whether the audience was really that excited or just very drunk. It is Vegas, after all.

The best part about this whole story is that Joaquin’s first album is rumored to be produced by Sean Combs/ Puff Daddy/P Diddy, as we reported on Friday. If that report is true, I can’t wait to see what kind of music they’re going to make.

[Thanks to The Superficial for featuring these videos]

Photo credit: WENN

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23 Responses to “Joaquin Pheonix falls after mesmerizing rap performance in Vegas”

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  1. Len says:

    What really annoys me is that he says he wants to quit showbusiness, but he keeps going to parties and looking for the spotlights. If you want to go away, go away! Stop asking us for attention. It’s pathetic.

  2. Amy says:

    No way. He has to be doing some kind of Andy Kaufman-like bit with all this rap stuff.

  3. Livia says:

    I’m sure his giant crazy-man beard cushioned his fall.

  4. Mrs. Darcy says:

    This makes me sad. Even if it is a joke (which is sadly the best possible scenario), what a waste of talent. He obviously has the ability to be musically proficient going by his amazing portrayal of Johnny Cash. I just get such a sinking feeling about him. I hope I’m wrong, it’s just a sad waste of talent, he obviously is in a place where he doesn’t care about any of it which is fine if he ends up happy but the whole thing is just weird. But what do I know?

  5. poopie says:

    Right Len !! if he really wants to get out of ‘show’ bizness move to vermont and become a potter and disappear from the pages of people magazine forever ! i say let’s all pitch in and help him with this move ! on second thought, nah..

  6. Rio says:

    I truly do believe he’s either doing this as a practical joke, or he’s gone “method” for some reason.
    Of course, I may be saying that 20 years from now and the truth is he’s lost his friggin’ marbles.

  7. Kristen says:

    I thought he said he wanted to quit acting… not show business?

    I love him as an actor, and I truly hope he isn’t following his brothers footsteps. That’s was so sad!

  8. doodahs says:

    Reality TV really has debased society. Publicity stunts are so de rigeur now and sadly, even though they get people in the tabloids, it’s generally to report on how much a of a train wreck they are. I guess ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’ really is true.

  9. elainebenes says:

    He’s such a great actor. The first movie a seen him in was “Parenthood” in the early 90s. He acted under the name Leaf Pheonix.
    Anyway, this is sad, it’s like he’s hit rock bottom. Hope he gets it all back together soon. He is fantastic in “We Own the Night”.

  10. Susie Leigh says:

    I’m now one hundred percent certain he’s doing a bit. There’s no way this is real. He’s decided to be a performance artist, save us.

    He’s no Andy Kaufman (nor Sacha Baron Cohen), so I expect this to be very, very lame.

  11. lrm says:

    Seriously,people need to learn to listen/read with accuracy. Yes,he said he was quitting acting,not ‘showbusiness’. They are not the same. And he said it was Casey’s turn to shine ‘in acting’.
    The responses on 98% of the posts in celebitchy as a whole,really have me scratching me head in wonder…rather,it’s not wonder things are as they are in the world. Listen,people,with at least an attempt at being unbiased. The rants and projections make you sound silly.

  12. GimmeABreak says:

    @LIVIA: LOL!! That was funny!

    I have only one thing to say…Drugs are baaaddd.

  13. aleach says:

    is it wrong that i think the homeless look hes got going on is kinda hot….?

  14. Trillion says:

    He’s biting Zack Galifiniakis’ look.

  15. Diva says:

    Homeless Hip Hop

  16. doodahs says:

    I don’t understand the “it’s Casey’s time to shine” comment. Does this mean that Casey can only shine if Joaquin gives up acting? I know it’s his bro in law but how does Joaquin figure into Casey’s career trajectory?

  17. jess says:

    @aleach…yes..bad…very bad! lol

    he needs a shower and a shave BAD. grooss

  18. vdantev says:

    How the mighty hath fallen.

  19. GimmeABreak says:

    @aleach: “PUT THE COCKTAIL DOWN! It’s clouding your judgement!

  20. aleach says:

    jess & gimmeabreak- lol, i need help, huh? haha!

  21. RaraAvis says:

    This is your brain on drugs…

  22. curegirl0421 says:

    HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Wait.

    WTF????

    Leaf, stop doing acid already. Jeez.

  23. california angel says:

    Seriously, though, whatever he is on/drinking, he still did a way better job than I could do on even my most sober day. So, I will give him that.