I'm not really sure whether this should be categorized as a 'Rant' or a 'Rave'...but seeing how it doesn't make me angry in the least, 'Rave' it is.
You know how you sometimes witness something that is so awful, disturbing, and/or traumatizing that you just pray to your deity of choice that it isn't real, while all the while feeling that it probably is real? Well, that feeling pretty much encapsulates my experience while watching this four-minute video.
Chris Klein—of "Election" and the "American Pie" movies fame, and little else as of late—is auditioning for a role in the 2008 movie musical, "Mamma Mia!" He starts off by riffing with the off-camera casting posse about his role in "American Dreamz," a lackluster satirical movie where an "American Idol"-esque singing competition basically takes over the world. Anyone who was in that movie (including Mandy Moore, Hugh Grant, and Dennis Quaid) should have the good sense to not bring it up at auditions (or anywhere else), which initially makes me think this video is a joke.
But then Klein launches into song, and the horrible feeling that this is for real sinks in. He sings ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me" with such earnestness and without any trace of winking irony, so it must be real. But he's so awful, out of tune, and sporting a serious case of the crazy eyes, that it might be fake. As more and more comedy video sites—like CollegeHumor and FunnyOrDie—crop up, it's becoming harder and harder to tell who's in on the joke and who's really just making a fool of themselves on the internet.
If this is indeed a joke, then it would be great if Klein could let us know, so we could laugh with him and not at him. If this is an actual audition reel (which I'm inclined to believe it is), he clearly pissed off the wrong person in that casting agency to get such an embarrassing moment posted online.
But don't worry, Chris Klein, I bet Pierce Brosnan's "Mamma Mia!" audition tape isn't much better, and he actually got cast in the movie! I know that isn't really a compliment, but it's the best I can do.