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Obama quartet admits faking performance at inauguration
Times Online (U.K.) ^ | January 23, 2008 | Philippe Naughton

Posted on 01/23/2009 8:18:46 AM PST by Schnucki

It's not exactly Watergate but Barack Obama's inauguration was back in the dock today after it emerged that the quartet of classical musicians who ushered him on to the steps of the Capitol were faking it.

In a report headlined "The Frigid Fingers Were Live, but the Music Wasn't", The New York Times said that the four, including the violinist Itzhak Perlman, had already recorded their contribution two days earlier and played along just for show.

A spokeswoman for the congressional committee, which organised the inauguration, the biggest and most costly in history, told the newspaper that the musicians could not have played live in Tuesday's sub-zero temperatures because of the risk of broken piano strings and cracked instruments.

“No one’s trying to fool anybody. This isn’t a matter of Milli Vanilli," said Carole Florman, referring to the lip-synching pop duo stripped of a Grammy in 1990. “Truly, weather just made it impossible."

Ms Florman said that the use of a recording had not been made public beforehand but the producers overseeing television coverage of the event had been warned that it was likely. All other musical contributions on the day were performed live.

“It’s not something we would announce, but it’s not something we would try to hide,” she added. “Frankly, it would never have occurred to me to announce it."

Joining Mr Perlman for a rendition of Air and Simple Gifts, a, new work by John Williams, was the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the clarinetist Anthony McGill and the pianist Gabriela Montero. Their performance immediately preceded Mr Obama's swearing-in, in which he uncharacteristically managed to mangle the oath of office.

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: airandsimplegifts; bhoinauguration; ignorantcomments; inauguration; itzhakperlman; johnwilliams; muchadoaboutnothing; obama; quartet; rightwingmoonbats; simplegifts; yoyoma
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To: Schnucki

Boy, I wondered about that. Growing up with a musician I figured that was going to be one tough gig in the cold. Thanks for the info.


21 posted on 01/23/2009 8:32:43 AM PST by Constitutions Grandchild
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To: Schnucki

Obama the Milli Vinilli of the White House.

OK some Freeper needs to photo shop of Obama and Biden as Milli Vinilli. I wish I knew how to do that.


22 posted on 01/23/2009 8:33:06 AM PST by lone star annie
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To: Schnucki

A fitting tribute to a FAKE president.


23 posted on 01/23/2009 8:33:06 AM PST by o_zarkman44 (Since when is paying more, but getting less, considered Patriotic?)
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To: Schnucki
I get it - this is a British paper, so "sub-zero" means below 0 CENTIGRADE = below freezing.

The actual temp was around 20 (F).

My bad.

24 posted on 01/23/2009 8:33:29 AM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: Schnucki

The whole concept of Television is fake. Fake sets (no backs). Fake emotion. Style no substance.


25 posted on 01/23/2009 8:34:14 AM PST by hiho hiho
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To: Red_Devil 232; STONEWALLS

Sub-zero CENTIGRADE. (It’s a British paper).


26 posted on 01/23/2009 8:34:25 AM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: Schnucki

So..the music was fake but accurate?


27 posted on 01/23/2009 8:34:58 AM PST by N. Theknow (Kennedys: Can't fly, can't ski, can't drive, can't skipper a boat. But they know what's best.)
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To: roses of sharon

Masters of deceit, not exactly. Purveyors of deceit yes. Masters don’t get discovered.
Considering the audience, what’s a little more fakery. No diff than fake Bling they all display.
More importantly, is how long will the MSM be able to keep up the giddy support?


28 posted on 01/23/2009 8:35:11 AM PST by dusttoyou (Prime Minister Hitlery is "really" in charge)
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To: Schnucki

Wasnt Whitney Houston’s moving rendition of The Anthem at the SB pre-recorded too?

It’s not that big of a deal.


29 posted on 01/23/2009 8:36:47 AM PST by Canedawg (Lincoln freed the slaves, BO will free the terrorists.)
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To: Izzy Dunne
I'm far north of DC and it wasn't that cold here. The predictions were for 20 degrees or so.

UK paper may have meant below 0 degrees C.

30 posted on 01/23/2009 8:37:30 AM PST by Doe Eyes
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To: ushr435
It’s like that little Chinese girl at the Olympics.

As I remember, that was another girl's voice that was used.

31 posted on 01/23/2009 8:39:32 AM PST by ColdWater
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To: Schnucki

The first of a long list of “fakes” in this administration......


32 posted on 01/23/2009 8:40:26 AM PST by It's me
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To: Schnucki

Gotta love it.

The Milli Vanilli Administration! How do you know he’s lip-synching? His mouth is moving. It sounds great, but you’ve got the sneaking suspicion that it’s not real.

The 30’s had the TVA, we’ve got the MVA.


33 posted on 01/23/2009 8:40:52 AM PST by ColoCdn (Neco eos omnes, Deus suos agnoset)
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To: Oatka
>Well, IMO, it’s a tempest in a teapot

We're going to get
four years of this nonsense crap.
Anything touching

Obama will get
scrutinized and get a thread
to ridicule it.

(Hey, is Hillary
blackmailing the White House with
the FBI files?!)

34 posted on 01/23/2009 8:40:52 AM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: Schnucki

oh but the military band could play in the cold..and all marching bands....but not these performers..???


35 posted on 01/23/2009 8:41:17 AM PST by angelcindy ("If you follow the crowd,you get no further than the crowd")
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To: ColdWater

Yup, it was another little girl’s voice.

Okay, so maybe it’s more like Ashley Simpson on Saturday Night Live. I can believe that, I mean I was suffering from massive acid reflux on inauguration day :-)


36 posted on 01/23/2009 8:43:11 AM PST by ushr435
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To: SJSAMPLE
>Obama quartet admits faking performance
>>Completely unfair to the musicians ... There is no grassy knoll


Ashley sez they tried
to play live, but the drummer
pressed the wrong button!

37 posted on 01/23/2009 8:44:42 AM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: Schnucki
I'm not critical of the musicians. They were placed in a no win situation.

I criticize the event organizers, your federal government, who didn't consider that cold weather on January 20th might be a possibility and didn't arrange to have the performance area heated.

38 posted on 01/23/2009 8:46:17 AM PST by HIDEK6
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To: Schnucki
Who cares!!Come up with his birth certificate and that will be news..
39 posted on 01/23/2009 8:47:00 AM PST by PLD
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To: Schnucki
Whoopdie doo. This is done all the time.

As long as it was the same musicians who actually recorded the music, then there's no foul.

Would you rather have a great-sounding performance that was recorded, or a "legit" performance in the cold with out-of-tune instruments?

Milli Vanilli this is not.

40 posted on 01/23/2009 8:49:59 AM PST by TChris (So many useful idiots...)
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