Watch Ken Jeong sing a pretty decent cover of “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes in Honolulu. The Hangover star has seen a substantial rise in his profile over the years, and this of course has been due in large part to his keen comedic skills coupled with an impressive work ethic.
Unlike many of his Hollywood peers, Jeong’s early days did not consist of setting everything aside and jumping wholeheartedly into the pursuit of acting. Instead, the Detroit native was originally more likely to be found in a library than at an audition. Jeong obtained his medical degree well before he found success as an actor. That’s not to say he didn’t dream of Hollywood success at the time, however. Jeong spent many nights honing his comedic skills as a stand up and it took just over a decade after graduation for his acting talents to be widely appreciated in The Hangover. Since then, Jeong is instantly recognizable to many, thanks to his perfectly portrayed role of smarmy party animal Mr. Kim. Not one to be typecast, Jeong has since proven he’s more than just a single popular character, and 2020 appears to be a very busy time for the 50-year-old star, with no less than five films due in the coming year.
Jeong’s status as a natural born performer seems to thrive even when he’s not performing stand up or acting. It seems that the comedian loves to rock a crowd, too, as evidenced by a recent video posted to Twitter user Jonathan J. Amores’ account. The video (which can be seen in full below), shows The Hangover star on stage in Honolulu and in full performance mode, belting out a rendition of 4 Non Blondes 1992 hit song, “What’s Up?” Judging by the crowd’s reaction as well as Amores’ statement, “I have never been so surprised and delighted,” Jeong’s arrival was not staged nor even expected.
Exactly what Jeong is doing in Honolulu at the moment is not known, but given he’s completed work on six different productions (including the upcoming Tom and Jerry as well as Scooby-Doo origin story SCOOB!), perhaps it was just time to blow off a little steam and enjoy himself on holiday. However, it does seem that Jeong is the sort of person who will give anything a try and perhaps this is why, aside from his upcoming films, he’s also working on a new reality TV movie with retired pro-basketballer Shaquille O’Neal called Unqualified. The movie (written by Jeong), will see the two celebrities take on various jobs, which, judging by the movie’s title, they are unqualified for. Some might suggest this is exactly what Jeong was doing on stage in Honolulu singing What’s Up?, but at present there is nothing to suggest the performance had anything to do with Unqualified.
Whether the impromptu performance was part of Jeong’s new TV movie or just a bit of fun while on holiday, the fact remains that the comedian loves to entertain. And although Jeong has plenty of projects due out in the next year, there’s always likely to be a certain proportion of fans who really want nothing more than to see the comedian reprise his role as Mr. Kim in yet another Hangover film. For now, that seems very unlikely to happen, but clearly when it comes to Jeong, one never knows what’s next.
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Source: Jonathan J. Amores
