Everyone knows that MTV hasn't shown a music video since the Herbert Walker Bush years. Though we generally love marathons of "The Real World" and "My Super Sweet 16," sometimes we're itching to see Britney gyrating with a snake. Imagine our delight, then, when we realized that the exorbitant purchase of Comcast cable entitles us to unlimited viewings of the best music videos OnDemand has to offer. After the 9000th viewing of Tommy Lee hovering above the desert in "Lose Control," we started reminiscing for the days when video cameos belonged exclusively to actors. Here are our favorite 10 videos featuring movie stars (and no, Tommy, "adult" movies don't count).
"Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge, featuring Juliette Lewis (1993)
Not many people can out-tough rock idol/gay icon/breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge, but she seems to have found one in Juliette Lewis. Made famous for her 1994 role in "Natural Born Killers," Lewis has a history of taking edgy roles. In the "Come to My Window" video, she plays a suicidal mental patient. Reports say that her performance was so convincing, the filming had to stop at times because she was on the verge of a breakdown: pretty strong stuff for someone who's just here for the gangbang.
"Kokomo" by The Beach Boys, featuring John Stamos (1988)
What's lamer than this song? ("Aruba, Jamaica, oooh I wanna take you...") This song with Uncle Jesse lip-synching and playing bongos in the background.
"Jenny From the Block" by J-Lo, featuring Ben Affleck (2002)
Proving the time-honored adage that Ben Affleck should never appear on screen without Matt Damon, here he turns in an unconvincing performance as... himself. Bennifer officially wins the honor of "Couple We'd Most Like to Push Off a Cliff" with this video, which has J-Lo bragging about the "rocks that [she] got" and Ben looking like a tool on the back of a boat. There's nothing like showing off your ostentatious wealth to get people to relate to you.
"Miserable" by Lit, featuring Pamela Anderson (2000)
This is one video whose distribution Pam doesn't have to oppose in district court. Lit plays their song atop a giant-sized Pamela Anderson. Putting the sex symbol's gratuitous bosom on an even larger scale? Lyrics with cheeky and transparent sexual innuendo? Rock on, Lit.
"Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson, featuring Eddie Murphy (1992)
Murphy, a pharaoh with Iman as his pharoess, gives Wacko Jacko a hard time. Jackson, wearing a gold breast plate and what appears to be a skirt, gets his dance on as usual, this time with the super sweet bonus of 1992 special effects. Don't miss Magic Johnson as a gong hitting man-servant (Really? Really).
"I Want Love" by Elton John, featuring Robert Downey Jr. (2001)
The idea of a famous coke addict of the '70s giving a famous coke addict of the '90s a second chance is strangely poignant in Elton John's song. Admittedly, understatement is not typically Sir Elton's forte. Yet a doleful Robert Downey, Jr. lip-synching into the camera as it follows him around an empty home makes this simplistic video one of the best celeb casting decisions to date.
"Black or White" by Michael Jackson, featuring Macaulay Culkin (1991)
At the beginning of the song, Norm from Cheers pounds the ceiling telling his son (Macaulay) to turn off his Jefferson Starship-esque rock n' roll. Culkin, after pleading "I wanna listen to it, okay!?," angrily pulls out the cassette, and with an "Eat this!" slaps in a track about racial equality and the challenge of racism in modern society.
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, featuring Robin Williams (1988)
Ain't got no place to lay your head? Somebody came and took your bed? Don't worry, Robin Williams will put on a Bermuda shirt and chase you around a living room.
"You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon, featuring Chevy Chase (1986)
This one is legitimately hilarious. As Simon is about to start singing, Chase, sitting next to him, butts in and lip-synchs the entire song. Simon looks on helplessly, then leaves the room and brings in a succession of instruments which he pretends to play. The video climaxes with the 6'4" Chase and the 5'3" Simon doing a synchronized dance number.
"Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim, featuring Christopher Walken (2001)
Christopher Walken has a fever, and the only prescription is making perhaps the best music video of all time. In it, a Willie Lowman-esque Walken tap dances, leaps, shimmies and flies around an empty hotel. Directed by modern day Renaissance man Spike Jones (of "Jackass," "Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation" and most of the good music videos of the '90s) it won six MTV Awards in 2001, and the next year was named best video of all time by VH1.
--complied by Blair Rainsford, Katie Drizos and Dave Cavell
