Al and Tipper Gore just consented to an interview with Ryan Seacrest on the E! pre-Oscar festivities. (First question: Tipper's wearing Bill Blass, Al Gore reluctantly noted he's wearing Ralph Lauren.) The goofiest answer was when Seacrest asked Gore, "if you were to cast an actor to play the lead in 'The Al Gore Story,' who would you pick?" Gore quipped, "I don't know, maybe William Hung," the infamous "American Idol" reject who mangled Ricky Martin's "She Bangs." Seacrest laughed and said "I love it, I mean, the 'Idol' reference!" When Seacrest asked if that performance was one of his favorites, he said it was "right up there," and then said "no, no, no" and insisted that his favorite song is the lesbian rocker Melissa Etheridge's song "I Need to Wake Up." Guess why? It's up for an Oscar for its inclusion in Gore's film. Lyrics, please:
And as a child
I danced like it was 1999
My dreams were wild
The promise of this new world
Would be mine
Now I am throwing off the carelessness of youth
To listen to an inconvenient truth
When she was nominated for the Oscar, Etheridge issued this statement: "Al Gore has crashed through the barriers of partisanship and brought the single most important issue of our time to the forefront. To have this song recognized by the academy with a nomination brings me more hope that our generation can turn the current climate crisis around and make the earth a safe and healthy place for ourselves and our children. It was an honor to contribute to this project by writing 'I Need To Wake Up.'" Al Gore has pretended to "channel his inner lesbian rock star."