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October 16, 2006

Can Scarlett Sing?

In our earlier post about Scarlett Sings Tom Waits, we mentioned that Miss Sexy-Back turned down an offer to duet with Meat Loaf on a Celine Dion cover. (Meat went with Marion Raven instead -- here's the vid.)

Anyway, we assumed one of the reasons Johansson turned down Batman's offer was 'cause she wasn't a singer.

We regret the error.

Herewith, from Unexpected Dreams: Songs From The Stars, Scarlett sings Gershwin.

Scarlett Johansson - "Summertime" (MP3 link removed)

What d'ya think? Is she ready for "Singapore"?

Posted at 1:09 PM in
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73 Comments

She's alright. I mean she is obviously a nice singer. i didn't really the song too much but...kudos for sexiest woman inn america!

Posted by: The Zimzi at 10/16/06 1:39 PM | Reply
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she sounds exactly as i would think she would.

her voice... looks like her... if that makes sense.

Posted by: allyson at 10/16/06 1:46 PM | Reply
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well, she can't not sing anyway. any word on who is making/producing the music part of the tom waits cover thing? unless of course she's doing everything

Posted by: fred at 10/16/06 2:30 PM | Reply
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Not bad.
If Scarlett wants a gig singing for an electro-pop project, she can Myspace me. Strictly professional, I swear. We'll make Goldfrapp come off like Hilary Duff.
She better know how to tweak a vocoder and run her own effects.

Did anyone notice that on the Amazon link for this comp there is not a listen option for the John Stamos track, to which I was inexorably drawn?
A crime! A bloody travesty!

Posted by: Wesley at 10/16/06 2:52 PM | Reply
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She's aaiight. I've heard worse, certainly heard better. I like her acting, so I may give her more of a chance than other actor/singers.

Posted by: soapboxhero at 10/16/06 2:54 PM | Reply
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Yes, I like her acting as well.

And by acting, I mean her rack.

Posted by: SexistBoy at 10/16/06 2:58 PM | Reply
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She sings just okay. Her voice doesn't have a lot of strength and clarity, and she tends to fall off the notes a little. She also too often resorts to breathing a note rather than singing it.

Posted by: pageblank at 10/16/06 3:11 PM | Reply
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She's actually a much better singer than actress. Watch any movie she's in, and view it with the premise that she's a bad actress. You will see nothing to make you think otherwise.

Anyway, back to this rendition. Though it isn't bad, it's probably the 100,000th-best, if that. At least with some of the Waits songs they'll only be the second-best...

Posted by: Paul O at 10/16/06 3:21 PM | Reply
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Pretty good.

But the real question is:

Is she going to cover "God's away on business"


:)

Posted by: Mat at 10/16/06 3:22 PM | Reply
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no no no no no.

Posted by: frankie at 10/16/06 3:53 PM | Reply
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She's not an amazing actress.
She's not at all an amazing singer.
She's not really that pretty.
What does that leave? T&A.
I'll never understand this obsession that the bloggers, and nowadays everyone else, seems to have with her. Just....grrr.

Posted by: a is for applebits at 10/16/06 5:38 PM | Reply
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I would LOVE to sniff her panties and taste her lovely a-hole all day long, she must have some sexy back door scent too!!

Posted by: Tadler at 10/16/06 5:38 PM | Reply
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I would LOVE to sniff her panties and taste her lovely a-hole all day long, she must have some sexy back door scent too!!

Posted by: Tadler at 10/16/06 5:39 PM | Reply
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I would LOVE to sniff her panties and taste her lovely a-hole all day long, she must have some sexy back door scent too!!

Posted by: Tadler at 10/16/06 5:39 PM | Reply
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I would LOVE to sniff her panties and taste her lovely a-hole all day long, she must have some sexy back door scent too!!

Posted by: Tadler at 10/16/06 5:43 PM | Reply
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She's not an amazing actress.
She's not at all an amazing singer.
She's not really that pretty.
What does that leave? T&A.
I'll never understand this obsession that the bloggers, and nowadays everyone else, seems to have with her. Just....grrr.

Posted by: a is for applebits at 10/16/06 5:53 PM | Reply
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good. subtle and controlled. i like what she's going for with this; can't wait to hear more.

Posted by: dr at 10/16/06 6:10 PM | Reply
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the zombies & billie holiday version over this please.

To be honest this rendition sounds like something I would hear at starbucks.


I remember a few years ago when lost in translation came out and thought she was quite striking. I was convinced that she could become an intriguing and glamerous actress through establishing herself in the right selection of films. The abercrombie crowd seemed to disreguard her as an elitest "indie" actress, I can only assume because she wasn't half naked with vin diesel in a film. Anyways, then she went on to take some really cheap roles and tarnished her image to the point that those same people who thought her unattractive are rating her the sexiest woman alive, go figure. Maybe she can make it back.

p.s. I wonder if meat loaf's feelings are hurt?

Posted by: Devin at 10/16/06 7:46 PM | Reply
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She's okay.. I was expecting it to be alot worst. Biggest criticism is that her scats were incredibly uninspired--it sounded almost like she was reading them while singing.

Posted by: David at 10/16/06 8:28 PM | Reply
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I definitely agree that Scarlett's sound matches her look perfectly. She knows she exudes old school sex appeal, she milks it and I'm not complaining. Her voice, while limited, is pleasant and shows potential.

Posted by: David (another one) at 10/16/06 9:05 PM | Reply
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Zoey, the female lead in "Elf," is actually a really talented old school jazz singer. She takes the cake in this case.

Posted by: ExpatJack at 10/17/06 9:57 AM | Reply
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I REALLY LIKE THAT..... I WILL DOWNLOAD....

Posted by: AIMEE at 10/17/06 2:46 PM | Reply
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She certainly has a pleasant voice. She doesn't have killer chops or anything, but I could listen to her sing a couple of songs. Nice and soothing.

Posted by: Pepper at 10/17/06 3:05 PM | Reply
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She certainly has a pleasant voice. She doesn't have killer chops or anything, but I could listen to her sing a couple of songs. Nice and soothing.

Posted by: Pepper at 10/17/06 3:10 PM | Reply
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She certainly has a pleasant voice. She doesn't have killer chops or anything, but I could listen to her sing a couple of songs. Nice and soothing.

Posted by: Pepper at 10/17/06 3:10 PM | Reply
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She certainly has a pleasant voice. She doesn't have killer chops or anything, but I could listen to her sing a couple of songs. Nice and soothing.

Posted by: Pepper at 10/17/06 3:10 PM | Reply
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She certainly has a pleasant voice. She doesn't have killer chops or anything, but I could listen to her sing a couple of songs. Nice and soothing.

Posted by: Pepper at 10/17/06 3:10 PM | Reply
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well, to tell you that truth i don't think it's her. If it is, then it's better then i would ever think she could sing. oh well. you go girl!

Posted by: lil miss ellie at 10/17/06 3:15 PM | Reply
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Not terrible. Sort of grows on you. She doesn't really have any unique style and her sense of pitch eludes her at times, especially starting notes. Peggy Lee type sexy, but no real voice to speak of. Very tasty arrangement. Still, I'd buy it if it had an album cover that showed her. Great looking woman.

Posted by: chucker at 10/17/06 4:41 PM | Reply
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I really liked the arrangement. Her voice and it's style was pleasantly surprising. It was reminiscent of late 1930's style radio show sound. I have a 91 yr old mother-in-law who graduated from Juliard in 1936 and can still play the 20 minute version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" from memory. She liked Johanson's version of "Summertime".

Posted by: stevemike67 at 10/17/06 6:14 PM | Reply
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Renee Olstead did an awsome version of Summer Time...I believe she was only like 15 when she did it, good stuff.

Posted by: Wes at 10/17/06 9:47 PM | Reply
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Good enough, and she has a very nice rack!

Posted by: Rack em up at 10/18/06 3:31 AM | Reply
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To all doubters,

Scarlett is a goddess. Her whole body is her instrument, including her voice. That singing
just made me want to have babies with her.

Posted by: Scott at 10/18/06 8:05 AM | Reply
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As a singer myself, I LOVE HER SOUND on this particular song. She sounds much older than her years and it reminds me of the voices in the 40's and 50's LOVE IT, LOVE IT LOVE IT.

Posted by: carrie at 10/18/06 12:22 PM | Reply
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She's an average singer - She's not supporting the notes, so she tends to sound airy instead of sexy, and I agree - her scat could use some improvement...I think lessons would help her out a lot...Compare her to Christina Aguilera when she sings "Hurt" and you'll see the difference between an average singer and a great one :-)

Posted by: Rhinna at 10/18/06 3:53 PM | Reply
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zooey deschanel is still a better singer. and prettier.

Posted by: paper at 10/18/06 8:33 PM | Reply
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I love the type of music she is singing. I love her singing. It is great.

Posted by: Madison at 10/18/06 11:35 PM | Reply
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Beautiful voice, and saying that she can sing is an understatement : obviously she has a real talent as a jazz singer. This song is one of the most difficult to sing, so many covers by so many people, everybody is tired of it. But she manages to keep it fresh.
Of course if your definition of a great singer is Christina Aguilera, this is not the kind of music for you.

Posted by: cornelius at 10/19/06 8:45 AM | Reply
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Man, God's away on business

Posted by: John at 10/19/06 8:48 AM | Reply
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this isn't her. this is renee olstead

Posted by: Jeannie at 10/19/06 11:05 AM | Reply
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She sounds nice, but no Fantasia...Fantasia sang the **** out of 'Summertime'!!!!

Posted by: Essence at 10/19/06 12:12 PM | Reply
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Wow. I think she sounds awesome. She's a great actress too. She's most definitely a triple threat.

Posted by: RM at 10/21/06 2:00 PM | Reply
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I was pleasantly surprised. I admire Scarlett because of her overall maturity. She's 21 or 22 going on 31 or 32, so to speak. She's not interested in looking like a ten year old boy like other "actresses" her age. She wants to be a woman and flaunts her woman's body.

I loved her "breathy" style, very jazzy. I do believe she has a future as a jazz singer if the acting doesn't pan out. But then again in the 30s, 40s, and 50s actors did sing as well, particularly jazz (Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Judy Garland, etc.)

Other posters should mind these two things; for one thing she isn't even 25 yet so her voice can and will mature. I'd be interested to hear her voice ten years from now. Secondly, she's not a professional singer. To compare her to Fantasia or Christina Aguilera is unfair. Having said that, I do feel based on this song that Scarlett sang a lot better than a lot of "singers" being produced nowadays.

Posted by: terri at 10/21/06 3:30 PM | Reply
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Um...I think she should stick to acting, or rather looking good. She didn't sound so great, and if they make britney spears sound like she can sing, I'm 100% sure they did the same for her. And I do agree, that song is a hard song to sing once you've heard Fantasia sing it, live!

Posted by: Marius at 10/21/06 7:42 PM | Reply
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is this really her or is this renee olstead?

it REALLY REALLY REALLY sounds like renee olstead, and i feel bad for her if SJ is getting her credit.

Posted by: Meena at 10/21/06 10:16 PM | Reply
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She doesn't sound at all like Renée Olstead. What's wrong with you kids these days ?

Posted by: guy at 10/22/06 5:15 PM | Reply
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She doesn't sound at all like Renée Olstead. What's wrong with you kids these days ?

Posted by: guy at 10/22/06 5:15 PM | Reply
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She doesn't sound at all like Renée Olstead. What's wrong with you kids these days ?

Posted by: guy at 10/22/06 5:16 PM | Reply
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She doesn't sound at all like Renée Olstead. What's wrong with you kids these days ?

Posted by: guy at 10/22/06 5:17 PM | Reply
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She doesn't sound at all like Renée Olstead. What's wrong with you kids these days ?

Posted by: guy at 10/22/06 5:18 PM | Reply
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you guys and your gross sexually expicit comments need to shut it. get a clue

Posted by: mali at 10/22/06 5:30 PM | Reply
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Anyone who thinks she's a good singer is tone deaf.

Posted by: Bob Clark at 10/23/06 10:09 AM | Reply
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I do like her as an actress, but not because someone said so, I didn't know abt her when I saw Girl with a Pearl Earring and I liked her a lot in that. I've liked her a lot since then. I also like her style... which is sort of old and classy not "young ignorant whore" as the trend seems to be these days (I'm 19 by the way).

I also agree though she's not the greatest, she's a LOT better than other actors/actresses/random celebs (and by the latter I mean Paris Hilton DX) who are out there singing.

My class recently dissected some old Hollywoodish songs... and this reminds me of Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."

Posted by: Tina at 10/23/06 10:41 PM | Reply
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It wasn't bad, in fact pleasantly surprising.
Her voice is reminiscent of Peggy Lee with a Marilyn Monroe touch to it.

Posted by: Margaret at 10/24/06 8:23 PM | Reply
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Janis Joplin really hammered out this song...and it's an awesome version. I like this version as well....you can feel the 1940's in this, in the same way that you can feel the 1960's in Janis' version.

Plus Scarlett certainly is a hell of a lot better to look at than Janis was.

Posted by: Deacon at 10/25/06 12:53 AM | Reply
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Janis Joplin really hammered out this song...and it's an awesome version. I like this version as well....you can feel the 1940's in this, in the same way that you can feel the 1960's in Janis' version.

Plus Scarlett certainly is a hell of a lot better to look at than Janis was.

Posted by: IMC_SOE at 10/25/06 12:54 AM | Reply
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OK, I just don't get this whole Scarlett Johansson thing... yes, she can act, but she's BORING!! Lost in Translation? Are you kidding me? That was her break out performance... it put me to sleep! From start to finish, that was one of the most boring films ever! The Black Dalia and The Prestige and The Island were all very different roles, and she seemed much less tired in her acting skills, but still, just boring! There's nothing about her that "draws you in", nothing mysterious, just ordinary. Now, Reese W. and Kirsten Dunst on the otherhand... at least they keep you awake for petes sake.

Posted by: Jane Doe at 10/25/06 2:13 PM | Reply
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I have an album by Renee Olstead where she does Summertime. The arrangement sounds exactly the same and Scarlett does sound like Renee. Are you sure it's Scarlett?

Posted by: evemike at 10/29/06 1:08 PM | Reply
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She's a decent singer. Remember she sang in "lost in translation" @ the karokee bar.

Posted by: Ike at 10/31/06 12:05 AM | Reply
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Her best performance was in "Ghost World." Most natural. This rendition was nice to listen to, no matter who she is.

Posted by: Open ears at 10/31/06 12:48 AM | Reply
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all breathey and yea it did sound as if she read it as she went thru it ...but NOT heart or soul like JANIS DID IT. but she could do a nice duet with TOM all sugar to his sandpaper and glue voice

Posted by: jim at 11/01/06 7:28 PM | Reply
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are you kidding me? that absolutely sucked. You know I never really knew what flat singing meant till I heard this. Wow. Terrible. She's a beautiful girl, and a great actress. But not a good singer. period. and even though i'm no fantasia fan, her version blows this away

Posted by: lauren at 11/04/06 2:29 AM | Reply
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My mother always told me, " If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"....so, on that note, I will just be quiet.
:)

Posted by: Coco at 11/04/06 10:37 PM | Reply
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mdyahiu ieuiy

Posted by: Cassandra at 11/07/06 1:28 PM | Reply
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mdyahiu ieuiy

Posted by: Cassandra at 11/07/06 1:28 PM | Reply
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I like it. I think it she a really nice scratchy voice and your right - it has that 1940's (or 50's) radio sound and it is really soothing. She could go far with this. However, whenever I read an interview with her, she always seems to annoy me so I can't say I'm her biggest fan but the girl is talented.

Posted by: concilii at 11/14/06 6:42 PM | Reply
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I like it. I think it she a really nice scratchy voice and your right - it has that 1940's (or 50's) radio sound and it is really soothing. She could go far with this. However, whenever I read an interview with her, she always seems to annoy me so I can't say I'm her biggest fan but the girl is talented.

Posted by: concilii at 11/14/06 6:44 PM | Reply
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I like it. I think it she a really nice scratchy voice and your right - it has that 1940's (or 50's) radio sound and it is really soothing. She could go far with this. However, whenever I read an interview with her, she always seems to annoy me so I can't say I'm her biggest fan but the girl is talented.

Posted by: concilii at 11/14/06 6:49 PM | Reply
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I like it. I think it she a really nice scratchy voice and your right - it has that 1940's (or 50's) radio sound and it is really soothing. She could go far with this. However, whenever I read an interview with her, she always seems to annoy me so I can't say I'm her biggest fan but the girl is talented.

Posted by: concilii at 11/14/06 6:50 PM | Reply
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i would eat her ass

Posted by: asseater at 11/22/06 7:24 PM | Reply
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Hey guys!
What do you think that Scarlett Johansson (actress) actually is a clone from original person, which has nothing with acting career. That clone was created illegally using stolen biological material. Original person is very nice (not damn sexy), most important - CHRISTIAN young lady!
-------------------------------------------------------
I'll tell you guys more, that clones (it's not only one) made in GERMANY - world leader manufacturer of humans clones, to be more specific, it is in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, North Bavaria, Mr. Helmut Kohl home town. You can not even imaging the scale of the cloning activity. But warning! Helmut Kohl clone staff 100% controlling all their clones spreading around the world, they are very accurate with that, some of them are still NAZI type disciplined and mind controlled clones, so be careful get close with clones you will be controlled as well. Think wise..
Thank you for understanding!
Her close friend Sergei G.
P.S.
H.R. 534, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003, was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives on February 5, 2003. After discussion, it was passed on February 27 by a vote of 241-155. It now moves on to the Senate for consideration. This bill makes it unlawful for any person or entity to perform or participate in human cloning, or to ship or receive embryos produced by human cloning. The penalties are imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of $1 million or more.

Posted by: Serg G. at 01/30/07 5:58 PM | Reply
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Scarlett cant sing and thats a given and her beauty is overrated which she herself even admits..Granted she is mature for her age and has a natural boosom,but she is jewish and the media is controlled by the jewish lobby so she has a 40 point head start whether she deserves it or not..
Take a look at FHM mag for 2007 and they were asking if scarlett was rated correctly or too high and 77 % said she was rated too high and 6.9% said just right..What does that tell you?

Posted by: mike at 02/26/07 1:01 AM | Reply
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I can actually see scarlett becomming like a second joan rivers.Scarlett can be funny and she is whitty and bleached blonde like Joan and looks like JR in many of her posted photos..BTW JR is also jewish.

Posted by: mike at 02/26/07 1:08 AM | Reply
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