it has to be good

[MissEllenJenders]

I have to watch this several times every day....



[jefflrfe]

Yesterday at the 2011 Broadway Cares Gypsy Of The Year Competition one of the casts did an exact choral version of her improvised lyrics (spoken, sung, and then sung with cue cards).

The crowd was going crazy from the first words (everybody there knew the video), and at the end of the sketch they did a drop reveal, and who was standing behind it? LESLIE UGGAMS! She showed up and spoofed herself for a great cause, and was rewarded with a spontaneous standing ovation.

Now that's a classy lady!

[frankgorshin]

I love 2:07 where she's overly startled by the guy coming up to her. Gotta love cheesy over-the-top concert-style acting. haha

[ShortTinyClips1]

She sold it :D

[leadtrumpetman]

Leslie's music director told me the story of how this happened - She had requested cue cards for the lyrics because this was a last minute thing - It had rained the night before and everything was wet and slippery - a camera guy slipped and fell knocking the guy holding the cue cards over, and voila, no cue cards. Gotta hand it to her for giving it a shot lol

[justsailingalong]

She kept on going I have to give it to her!!!

[BrianHamiltonTV]

Well, at least she hit all the notes, didn't she?!

[torresongs2]

She was close: June is bustin' out all over All over the meadow and the hill! Buds're bustin' outa bushes And the rompin' river pushes Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside the mill! June is bustin' out all over The feelin' is gettin' so intense, That the young Virginia creepers Hev been huggin' the bejeepers Outa all the mornin' glories on the fence! Because it's June... June, June, June Just because it's June, June, June!

[DJBinAZ]

@Sajrocks- right?!?! That's actually a real lyric in the song- and she got THAT one... God bless her. I did see her in 1993 at the long beach civic light opera (closed) as the

Witch in 'into the woods' and she was pretty bad ass, not gonna lie...

[geekoftheweek27]

Joooooooooooooannnn!

[mightyfranklyn]

*NOTE TO MISS UGGAMS' AGENT: Well-rehearsed Vegas show? Probably. Reality TV? Obviously. Last-Minute or Live Host? NOOO

[saintben2008]

She did that.

[PisceanBeautyy]

Does it even matter what else is said in the song??? All that matters is.... BECAUSE IT'S JUNEEEEEEE! JUNE! JUNE! JUNE! JUST BECAUSE IT'S JUNE, JUNE, JUNEEEEE!

I'm being serious.

[mochagelatocreme23]

hahahahhaha

[kickstandunit]

trannie trainwreck!

[higharch]

Who do you think it is, Joan Sutherland?

[nobellybutton12345]

What's ironic is that she's singing it at the Fourth of July concert at the Capitol.

[martinihoudini]

June is in the house, y'all. Respect.

[tyjeffries]

That is so funny. Poor poor lady! I dont know why it becomes funnier and funnier and the rain sound effect just takes it to another level...she does look bedraggled! l0l

[sajrocks]

WOW. I can't believe the only word she gets in that second verse is "bejeepers"...

[txquis]

OMG, how could I have missed this????

[farsidesoprano]

Is that her Katherine Hepburn impression?

[AtLastOnTheGround]

Just because it's June, June.... JOOOOOAAAAAN!

[ianbellseattle]

hooray for uggams! i love this SO much!

[MotownConnoisseur30]

I'm making this an annual event to watch this on the first day of June!!

[renethel]

@MotownConnoisseur30

I think that's an epic idea! I might have to do that myself, too! lol!

[Cypresswhisker2]

lmao wtf!

[higharch]

This diva carried on, and her voice is fabulous!

[socalsek]

Banana Banana Banana

[kirstenbraun]

This is so freakin funny.

[TomKiesche]

oh man... evil evil evil... yet I laughed laughed laughed.

[hooloopa]

Hahaha. That makes me feel better about myself...

[MotownConnoisseur30]

Greatest Video Ever!!!

Leslie Uggams is incredible!

[Goldie4tv]

what the F is this?

[LaMagnifica13]

Is that Stacey Keach hosting? I am laughing so hard my stitches hurt (just had a small op!) "Miss Uggams! Miss Uggams 'scuze me....your ambulance is here

[BrittainSE]

I'm glad you like this video - it makes me laugh so hard. I think SHE'S amazing to keep on plugging along.

[BabyDillGerkin]

where's the vid with the "subtitles"?!!!

[BrittainSE]

Subtitles start at 1:29 into the video!

[BabyDillGerkin]

thank you!!

[KokoPuffs52]

Thank you from the bottom of my hard heart. I am still laughing. Thank you. Thank you. Ahhh.

[OCFgirl]

The presenter's voice sounds just like that of Uncle Phil in Fresh prince of bel air!

Just thought I'd tell yall that =)

[JayCharlesLander]

Whoever put this together... I love you... it made my day.

[Chsrles62]

I am in tears.

[pnull]

I can't understand her.

[scottfbradley]

It has to be good.

[stacynewyork]

June is bustin' out all over All over the meadow and the hill! Buds're bustin' outa bushes And the rompin' river pushes Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside the mill! June is bustin' out all over The feelin' is gettin' so intense, That the young Virginia creepers Hev been huggin' the bejeepers Outa all the mornin' glories on the fence! Because it's June...

[wecos77]

JOANNNNN!

[nowhereboy]

Happy June everyone.

[spontitius]

CONVICTION

[spicedclay]

Ohh I love this!!!

[kakyajun]

Watching this video was the best moment of my life thusfar.

[byebons]

She really gives it her all! She's selling it, lyrics or no!!

[TheDramaQueen]

You really gotta admire her to keep going like that. I've seen many a performer forget their lyrics and absolutely die up on stage.

[FATandHOMO]

Well she is used to it. her reputation is KNOWN for always forgetting her lyrics.

[TheDramaQueen]

Sounds like a friend I know. Only he isn't nearly as good at covering it up.

[delyar]

truly inspiring!

[jaybrrd]

I heard a slightly different back story -- See all the water on the stage? Prior to the show, there was a torrential downpour, during which lightning struck the power supply. It was in and out... Leslie, who thought she would have a teleprompter, only half learned the song, and if you watch her face you can pinpoint the exact moment the prompter goes out.

[MatthewwMatthew]

Hm?

[fizzygrapefruit]

Yeah, I heard that she had one song learned and they switched it to this one at the last minute telling her that she would have a teleprompter which she obviously did not have. The results being this glorious version! Hooray

[glamlounge]

Stacy Keach

[Mattbrain]

Who is that dude introducing at the beginning.

[tothestage468]

I can't stop watching.

[Jake2336]

sheer brilliance! especially when she sings the section on the "Be-Jeepers," her eyes get HUGE.

gotta love it. gotta love her.

[fizzygrapefruit]

ROFLMAO! what is is....hoggin the bejeepers? I laugh just thinking about that part

[jcahlik89]

This is one of my favorite things EVER!

[ExNooYorker]

I agree with the person below. Leslie Uggams should promote this thing. She could become a Youtube cult heroine. And she can afford to - people already know she is beautiful and talented and has a KILLER voice. I have always enjoyed her and frankly I like her even more now. A lot of performers would've gone to pieces over this. This is solid evidence she is a true pro. We love you Leslie!

[jdenney2001]

Glad I finally got to see the video, after hearing about it for months. thedogesl, your explanation makes sense, and I'm actually pretty impressed she was even able to make up nonsense words that pretty much fit the melody and probably made the audience think there was something wrong with the microphone. Believe me that's not easy to do. If I were Ms. Uggams, I'd be flogging the hell out of this video, playing it on every talk show I could get on and getting people to laugh with me not at me.

[geekoftheweek27]

Im so glad this is back.

[nabryan]

thank you so much for putting this back up...it makes my soul happy...SO PLEASE DONT TAKE IT DOWN YOUTUBE!

[thedogesl]

My understanding, after talking to someone who has close knowledge of the event, was that they asked Ms. Uggams to sing the song at the last minute. She told them she didn't know it. They said "don't worry, we'll have cue cards on the other side of the camera.

Except that they didn't. There wasn't room enough in the aisle she was coming down for both the camera and the cue cards, so she just had to brazen it out.

So the producer is the one who needs to have his butt kicked for this one.

[renethel]

@thedogesl

Hi, do you know when this was and what it was for?

[thedogesl]

@renethel Unfortunately, I don't. I don't even remember who I talked to about this except that it was probably one of my Facebook friends in the cabaret community.

[Lryn03]

omg I can't stop laughing - literally crying its so funny. brilliance. sheer brilliance.

[installedpear]

Wait.

did she do that deliberately?

[RedNo9]

Thank God.

[soulbrotha63]

I have seen some funny performances (and some of them with Ms. Uggams), BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HILARIOUS PERFORMANCES I HAVE EVER SEEN!!

THANK YOU!!