Comedy & Music Come Together As Amy Poehler & Jack Black Sing Bette Midler Song At Festival Supreme
Comedian, writer, actress, director, producer — in addition to these titles, Amy Poehler can now add “singer” to her résumé.
As Time reported, the heartfelt duet by Amy Poehler and Jack Black was a welcomed surprise at Festival Supreme 2015, hosted by Black’s musical outfit Tenacious D. As a long-time Bette Midler fan, it’s no surprise that Poehler chose Midler’s “The Rose” as the performance piece to debut her singing skills alongside Jack’s more well-known vocals. In full-on Janis Joplin garb (including smock, cigarette in one hand, and sunglasses), Poehler looked the part almost as well as she sang it.
Poehler was already scheduled to be at the festival, as she had already performed a comedy bit earlier in the day, as the Huffington Post noted. It’s possible that they had this planned all along, or it’s possible that Poehler and Black came up with it at the last minute.
The Amy Poehler/Jack Black duet took place at the third annual Festival Supreme, put on every year by Black and Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass in Los Angeles. The event features both comedians and musicians — or in the case of Amy and Tenacious D, both at the same time.
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Very familiar with events featuring a combination of music and comedy, Amy Poehler first made a name for herself when she appeared as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 2001 (the same year she co-starred in Wet Hot American Summer). Poehler was at the NBC sketch show until she had her first child eight years later. Since leaving SNL in 2008, Amy starred alongside an ensemble cast on the sitcom Parks and Recreation (including Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe), for which Poehler won a Golden Globe in 2013.
While she may not have had an opportunity to flex her musical muscle on Parks and Recreation, Amy is well-known for her impersonations, which include such musicians as Paula Abdul, Avril Lavigne, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Britney Spears, and Madonna.
Amy Poehler & Jack Black bring the house down with a rendition of Bette Middler's 'The Rose.' http://t.co/lXRAs8IWtO pic.twitter.com/EhuzEjljIN
— The Insider (@TheInsider) October 12, 2015
Despite hosting this music and comedy festival for the last three years, Tenacious D hasn’t released a studio album since 2012. They continue to tour and rumors abound about a new album, although no definite date has been established. Like their friend Poehler, both members of Tenacious D have careers outside of the band. Black is well known for his roles in such movies as High Fidelity, School of Rock and Nacho Libre. Gass is a full-time musician and has had many small parts in a variety of films and television shows.
The song Poehler and Tenacious D decided to sing was “The Rose,” which Bette Midler made famous as it played under the credits of the motion picture of the same name. This year would mark the 35th anniversary of the year the song was released as a single.
Based on her reception at Festival Supreme, if anyone was upset about the controversial opening line in a show that boasts Amy as executive producer, they seem to have forgiven her. Difficult People has already been picked up for a second season, available exclusively on Hulu Plus.
Amy Poehler’s next major project is Sisters, a film scheduled for release in December in which she co-stars with Tina Fey. Amy plays Tina’s uptight older sister as they throw a party in their parents’ house as adults. The duo also co-starred in 2008’s Baby Mama. Amy and Tina’s first movie received mixed reviews, although it did alright financially. She is currently filming The House alongside Will Ferrell, due out next year.
[Image via Jason Kempin/Getty Images]
