David’s Download: Pop Divas on the Big Screen
Who flopped and who bopped to the top?
For women in pop music, at this point it’s a rite of passage to star in a movie after finding success as a recording artist. Harking back to Cher, Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Janet Jackson (just to name a few), spearheading a film has become a quintessential part of cementing one’s legacy in pop culture.
With Wicked: For Good flying into theaters this month, and multi-platinum artist Ariana Grande reprising her role as Glinda, we’re going to score pop divas (post-2000) on their leaps to the silver screen. (Unfortunately, my beloved Jennifer Lopez doesn’t count because she rose to fame in movies before transitioning to music.) Let’s take a look at which queens changed cinema “For Good”… and for not-so-good…
Bop: Ariana Grande
Let’s start with the most recent product of the pop-diva-to-movie-star pipeline: Ariana Grande.
It’s safe to say that Grande’s leap to the silver screen is a certified “bop,” garnering an Oscar nomination for her performance as Glinda in last year’s Wicked. She is expected to receive another Best Actress nomination for the sequel, and I’m hopeful she will finally get her flowers this time around. Up next, she is starring alongside Ben Stiller in the fourth Meet the Parents movie, Focker-in-Law, to further flex her comedic chops, as well as providing a voice for the upcoming adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go.
Flop: Britney Spears
I know some millennials have a special place in their heart for Crossroads, but I find the movie nearly unwatchable.
Britney is basically playing herself in this cross-country road trip romp, but unfortunately, the pop icon’s actual life is far more interesting. She fails to bring the same charisma that she has on stage or in interviews to the wooden screenplay by *gasp* Shonda Rhimes (who later gave us masterpieces like How to Get Away with Murder).
It’s not surprising that Britney hasn’t headlined a movie since this dumpster fire.
Bop: Lady Gaga
The title of Lady Gaga’s first headlining film says is all - A Star is Born. In hindsight, it makes sense that Mother Monster quickly catapulted to movie stardom and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, as her music videos have always been extremely artistic and cinematic.
She followed the incredible performance (and soundtrack) as Ally in A Star is Born with another memorable performance in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, and despite how poorly received Joker: Folie a Deux was last year, Gaga actually nails it as Harley Quinn.
I am anxiously awaiting what Gaga stars in next - there have been rumors swirling of a Guys & Dolls remake, which would be a no-brainer for Gaga’s acting/singing/dancing chops!
Flop: Taylor Swift
She might be the most successful musical artist on the planet, but Taylor Swift has struggled to make a positive mark on movies.
From roles in The Giver to Cats to Amsterdam, almost all of the pictures she has acted in have flopped critically and commercially (except maybe Valentine’s Day). Perhaps the problem is the parts she has offered up to this point, but from my perspective, Taylor doesn’t bring much depth or gravitas to her performances.
Hopefully she will have better luck with her screenwriting and directing endeavor that is currently underway! (Taylor doesn’t really need Hollywood anyway… she can drop a concert film in theaters last-minute and effortlessly gross a couple-hundred million dollars.)
Bop: Beyonce
Undeniably, Beyonce has had a solid movie career, turning in vivacious performances in Dreamgirls, Austin Powers: Goldmember, and Cadillac Records. Many of her films have grossed over $100 million globally, also making her a box office force to be reckoned with.
Similar to Lady Gaga, Beyonce’s music videos and visual albums have always been artistic and cinematic, so the silver screen chops seem like a natural extension.
And say what you want about Obsessed, Beyonce’s outlandish Fatal Attraction ripoff, but nothing screams cinema more than Queen Bey “wiping the floor with Ali Larter’s white ass” in the spectacular climactic fight sequence. What I wouldn’t give to witness that scene on the big screen again!
Flop: Jessica Simpson
Jessica took a stab at acting in the mid-2000’s with major roles in The Dukes of Hazzard and Employee of the Month, but acting is is a term used loosely.
While Ms. Simpson looked smoking hot as Daisy Duke, she doesn’t bring much beyond a blank-faced, Barbie doll energy to either movie. The same can be said for the other, lesser known projects she was featured in around the same timeframe… there’s a reason you don’t remember Major: Movie Star and Blonde Ambition.
Regardless, her cover of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” is still my guilty pleasure. (It was my #1 most-played song on TouchTunes last year LOL.)
Bop: Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera was already a gay icon by 2010, but she doubled down on that title with Burlesque (also starring Cher).
Sure, Burlesque is corny and campy at times, but the set pieces, musical numbers, and performances are topnotch. “Express” and “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” absolutely deserved Oscar nominations!
Xtina brings a lot of charisma to her role as a small town girl with big city dreams, and she holds her ground opposite seasoned actress and Oscar-winner Cher, which is no easy feat.
Plus, Burlesque educated everybody on air rights, so this pop-diva-to-movie-star transition definitely earns “bop” status.