Say the words, Scarlett, and just leave the music

Scarlett Johansson performing at Coachella in 2007 (Getty Images)

Remember Once, the charming, low-budget film about an Irish busker and a Czech cleaner who meet and make beautiful music together?

John Carney, its writer and director, is hoping to relive the success of his 2006 hit with Can a Song Save Your Life?, a film that will again deal with struggling musicians. Mark Ruffalo will play a down-on-his-luck producer, with Scarlett Johansson, the singer he stumbles upon in a bar.

Ah, Scarlett singing again; that's just what we need. Anyone who heard her boom her way through Tom Waits' back catalogue in the horrible Anywhere I Lay My Head, or her underwhelming record with Pete Yorn, Break Up, which sounded like he was duetting with a drugged robot, will know that Johansson's desire to be a credible chanteuse clearly outweighs any notable vocal talents.

These days, actresses might be encouraged to do it all, but really, what's the point when you excel at your day job and kind of suck at your "passion"? Sure, Zooey Deschanel was singing long before she acted, but the sooner somebody tells Gwyneth Paltrow that she is, at best, a decent karaoke singer and that she should stop hogging the stage at the Grammys, the better.