Jason Lee, star of My Name is Earl, also has another career apart from television: crapping all over my childhood memories. Lee will not only provide the voice of Underdog in the upcoming live-action feature based on the beloved children's cartoon, but has also joined the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie as Dave Seville, the human "father" to Alvin, Simon and Theodore (the Chipmunks will be computer generated). Seville was the stage name of songwriter and performer Ross Bagdasarian, who first used the sped-up voice technique on his song "The Witch Doctor" and later used the same technique for his Chipmunk records.
The film is being produced by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and his wife Janice Karman. Tim Hill, director of the second Garfield feature film, will direct.
[via Toon Zone]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-08-2007 @ 4:57PM
David said...
TERRIBLE casting news, this is some of the worst casting I have ever heard.
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3-08-2007 @ 5:07PM
Curt said...
I can actually hear his voice for this... Is he going to be live-action?
Not to say this will be good in anyway, but there could be worse casting.
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3-08-2007 @ 5:32PM
TomB said...
He's doing a voice for a live action feature? I don't get it, Adam.
I'm really getting sick of Earl. His voice-overs on the show are becoming grating to me.
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3-08-2007 @ 7:35PM
David04 said...
Umm, let's reread what Adam said people. He is doing the voice of Underdog and then working as the dad in The Chipmunks.
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3-09-2007 @ 10:49AM
slutty_whore said...
I vote for bad casting, as well. David Seville is more of an uptight straight man. I think someone like David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends) would be a more appropriate choice.
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3-08-2007 @ 7:54PM
Caitlin said...
TomB --- I used to love "Earl," Jason Lee was the best thing about it, but agree, its gotten obvious & annoying. My new favorite comedy is ABC's "In Case of Emergency" -- as good as "Earl" was at the very beginning, but not as stupidly formulaic.
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3-08-2007 @ 8:11PM
Justin,,, said...
He's great. For a Scientologist.
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3-08-2007 @ 8:38PM
Mark DeLisle said...
"5. TomB --- I used to love "Earl," Jason Lee was the best thing about it, but agree, its gotten obvious & annoying. My new favorite comedy is ABC's "In Case of Emergency" -- as good as "Earl" was at the very beginning, but not as stupidly formulaic."
:werd: And it doesn't have any cooky Scientologists ;)!
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3-09-2007 @ 9:35AM
C. Hernandez said...
I'm not too distressed by this news. I've never liked My Name is Earl, but there's no reason to believe the studio would plop Lee in the role with all his Earl Glory. He cleans up well enough that I don't think the look will be a problem, and I think he has enough voice-control to give us something Dave Seville-like.
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3-09-2007 @ 9:49AM
B said...
Feh. No matter how lousy it is, it couldn't possibly be as crappy as the original Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon.
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