It was a reunion of the riches — and the Andy Sachs — on Thursday's Lip Sync Battle when Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt went head-to-head with their best lip syncs. And I don't say this because Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite movies, but this episode was on another level compared to the previously aired episodes. LL Cool J, like myself, is obviously a huge Devil Wears Prada fan, because it was all he really talked about in his opening monologue. But quickly, we jumped into the battle, and I quickly realized that, yeah, this was going to be a magical reunion of the Devil Wears Prada stars.
Anne Hathaway is up first — because YOU'LL NEVER GO TO PARIS, EMILY — and she sings Mary J. Blige's "Love." There is a lot of booty, rapping, a high kick, and a seductive neck roll, and I ask you to remember this is the PrinCESS of Genovia we've got "singing" here. The song is so left-field for Hathaway, who I — like Emily Blunt — would have placed money on doing a show tune. But after seeing how in the zone Hathaway is while singing this song, I like to think this was her warm-up for Fontaine in Les Miserables, because they definitely have the same level of depth. After her performance, there is a little smack talk going down on stage. Blunt called it cheap — YOU'RE TALKING TO A PRINCESS — but Anne sharply retaliates with saying that "Emily knows cheap."
THESE LADIES ARE BRUTAL AND I LOVE IT.
Next is Emily Blunt, who lip syncs the song I would probably do, "No Diggity" by Blackstreet. Blunt is a real natural at this, she doesn't miss a beat, a word, or a "hey-o." In fact, she gets the entire crowd in on the "Hey-o, hey-o, hey-o, hey-o," part — you know what I'm talking about — and I can feel the camaraderie oozing out of my television. UNITED WE STAND, EMILY. Blunt ends her number the only way one ends "No Diggity," with a mic drop. That was all that needed to happen. I can die happy.
After Blunt's first number, Hathaway interrupts her post-performance interview with LL, because she was trying to make a Kanye joke. It isn't nearly as funny as Hathaway thinks it was, and that's when I realize... "Oh, this is as good as it's going to get."
But was I wrong. After both women sang their first songs — without the pizzazz — it was time for their big numbers — the grand finales, if you will. Blunt goes with Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart" in full hippie gear. If I had to guess, she's done this before. Blunt has probably been practicing this number when her and her hubby, John Krasinski, do their own lip sync battles at home... at least that's what I like to think their home life is like. At the end of the number, "color commentator" Chrissy Teigen says she has been "Blunted," with a huge blunt (or paper towel, your guess is just as good as mine) hanging out of her mouth. It's a funny joke because weed and hippies, you guys. It's not predictable. No, not at all.
This is where the tide turns. Hathaway basically steals the show by choosing a song so powerful, so emotional, so physical, that Blunt has no excuse not to concede. I could only be talking about one song... "Wrecking Ball," by Miley Cyrus. Hathaway is dressed to impress in the perfect Miley outfit: white undies, white tank, and white acrylic nails. She does some moves with a sledgehammer — she even licks it! — and manages to really "get" to the emotional space she needs to get to for that one bridge of the song (again, I think this is what her Les Mis character would have sang if she got to choose between "I Dreamed A Dream" and "Wrecking Ball").
At the crescendo — music term from my five weeks of piano lessons — Hathaway jumps onto a (structurally sound?) wrecking ball that magically appears in the middle of the stage. She leans back, looks at Blunt, flips her the bird — because, again, YOU'LL NEVER GO TO PARIS, EMILY — and it was official. Hathaway needed to win this battle.
And she does! Because all is right in this world, and the Lip Sync Battle audience/ Gods/ and Meryl Streep all know you can't do "Wrecking Ball" and not win.
Images: Spike (2); Giphy
