Last Saturday night, Joseph Gordon-Levitt jumped from one of my favorite young indie actors to one of the coolest dudes around, when he performed the "Make 'Em Laugh" number from the musical classic Singin' in the Rain for his Saturday Night Live monologue.
"Make 'Em Laugh" is easily the most physically demanding dance routine in that movie, originally performed spectacularly by Donald O'Connor. Kudos to JGL for even attempting to do this, let alone on live television. He'd cut down a bunch of the amazing moves O'Connor did, but that's understandable. After all, O'Connor himself was reportedly hospitalized after performing the number, even though he made it look so effortless. How taxing the routine really is was painfully visible in JGL's constant wheezing and cracked laughs throughout the whole thing. Damn, man, next time just do some G.I. Joe jokes or something, and not almost drop dead on TV. We appreciate you trying.
Unfortunately, due to music clearance issues, NBC/Hulu are not allowed to put the performance online. Good thing there's our good friend YouTube. Below you'll find a clip of Gordon-Levitt's monologue, and a clip from the original film for comparison.
