dark_hope_clockWith barely a month (!) remaining before La Fleming’s Hope drops, your doyenne has determined that we (meaning you, the cher public) should do our (i.e., your) utmost to mark this turning point in the history of music.  What La Cieca proposes is a lipdub competition. Your raw materials are the first released track from Dark Hope and your own lovely talent. You will also need to own or to steal some sort of video camera and video editing software, or else talk some geekier associate of yours into doing the tech stuff for you.

So, this is how it works:

  • Create a lipdub video of yourself lip-synching along to the dulcet  strains of “Endlessly.”
  • Edit as necessary.
  • Upload the finished video to YouTube.
  • Finally, paste the YouTube embed code (including the inserted “v”) into the comments section of this posting.

La Cieca will judge the best videos posted through midnight on June 7, 2010 and will award one grand prize, a $200 gift card at amazon.com.

Now, the details. La Cieca realizes that some the cher public cherish their anonymity, so disguises such as sunglasses, masks, wigs, cowls and strategically placed shadows are allowed and in fact encouraged.  Please, though, make sure your lips are visible in the video, or else what’s the point?

La Cieca will judge the videos based on accuracy of lipsynch, creativity, and adherence to the long-standing parterre.com traditional of gentle and affectionate joshing toward our dear Renée.

Extra points will be awarded for location filming, so start sizing up Lincoln Center, The High Line and other places where La Scoopenda is known to hole up.

If you have questions about details of the rules, or any technical problems in the process of embedding your video in the comments, please contact La Cieca at [email protected].

Now, to get your creative juices flowing, an example of top-quality solo lipdubbing:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqmheizz9Lc

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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