In theory, an aerial duet between James Corden and Kristen Bell seems like the stuff of late-night TV legend. Both are immensely talented vocalists with a knack for comedic timing and the star power to pull off that type of thing.
And yet, the best-laid plans often go awry, and somehow their performance of the 1982 classic “Up Where We Belong” on “The Late Late Show” Tuesday night was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
The bit started off on the right note with a some banter between the two stars about the power of love to “lift us up.” (Zing!) Then, as Bell was propelled up into the rafters with the help of a harness, Corden’s rigging seemingly suffered from a technical mishap.
Being the total pros that they are, the two continued to sing as they were lifted up into the air and back down again with no rhyme or reason. For a brief few seconds, Bell and Corden found each other midair, only to be pulled apart.
“That was an absolute disaster! Who is responsible for this?” Corden joked. “We rehearsed it and rehearsed it and rehearsed it!”
Maybe this is just an early April Fools’ Day prank ...
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post misstated that “Up Where We Belong” was released in 1990. A line was also added to this post to clarify that it’s possible Bell and Corden planned the bit.
Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Tracy Morgan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Moore, Padma Lakshmi and a whole host of other stars are teaming up for Stand for Rights: A Benefit for the ACLU. Donate now and join us at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 31, on Facebook Live. #standforrights2017
Before You Go
