Jaunted

Evidence of his seriousness or lack thereof was on display at the über-chic Lavo nightclub in Las Vegas's Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino Friday night as Phoenix grabbed the mike and spat a few rhymes at the packed house. The set, which was filmed by brother-in-law Casey Affleck for an upcoming documentary, was punctuated by Phoenix falling off the stage and into the crowd. How gangsta is that?

Most of the reviews are pretty grim, with the thugs 4 life over at E! Online saying that Phoenix has "sad skillz" rather than "mad skillz." Oh, snap! I can't say I dug it myself, but it's not the worst rap I've ever heard either. And who can blame the guy for trying something new? He's risen to the top of the acting game - winning a Golden Globe for his performance as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line - so he's earned the right to pursue his music for a while. Who knows, maybe the strength of his musical talent will be enough to revive the moribund fortunes of Sin City in 2009. But if the critics are right, and his tunes don't inspire the masses after the novelty factor wears off, he'll surely find a few directors still willing to work with him.

Jaunted readers, what do you think of Phoenix's Las Vegas rap performance? Jam it or slam it in the comments.

[Photo: dailystab.com]

· Joaquin Phoenix Becomes Rapper Joke P [E! Online]
· Joaquin Phoenix Debuts Some Rap Songs in Vegas [dailystab.com]
· Lavo Nightclub [Official Site]
· Joaquin Phoenix Coverage [Jaunted]