IF you thought Jamie Foxx was hot last year, forget it. “Ray” was just a warm-up act. Playing Ray Charles was the beginning of his musical career. In the film, Foxx lipsynched Charles’ hits and won a Golden Globe and a Best Actor Oscar.
Now the 39-old actor is making his own records and taking over the charts. His first CD, “Unpredictable,” quickly hit No. 1. What better time for NBC to cash in on the Foxx phenomenon and air his first musical special, which has the same name as his record. It airs Wednesday night at 9 p.m.
On the show, taken in part from a concert performed at the classic Art Deco theater the Orpheum in Los Angeles, Foxx performs with some of today’s hottest musical acts. The studly actor will sing “Love Changes” with R & B empress Mary J. Blige (whose own album, “The Breakthrough,” also hit No. 1).
Then he’ll team up with master blaster Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone, but the showstopper may be a rap medley Foxx does of “Gold Digger” and “With You” with Snoop Dogg and The Game.
“Unpredictable” will also recall the milestones of Foxx’s life and his musical influences growing up in Texas. Each musical number will be prefaced by a dramatic vignette that capture childhood conversations Foxx had with his grandmother and family minister, as well as life-changing events such as falling in love and the birth of his daughter.
Foxx’s musical success comes as no surprise. During his magical year, 2005, Foxx was nominated for three Grammy Awards for his collaborations with hip-hop artist Kanye West and for the single “Creepin'” on the Luther Van-dross tribute album.
Vandross, like Ray Charles, sang love, loss and loneliness, but according to some reviewers Jamie Foxx likes to sing about one thing: sex. “Desperate Housewife” Eva Longoria must have liked Foxx’s material because she was his after-party companion at this year’s Golden Globes, where Foxx was a presenter.
With “Unpredictable” riding high on the charts and the NBC special premiering this week, the Jamie Foxx phenomenon is far from over. Next up: the feature film of the CBS series “Miami Vice,” co-starring Colin Farrell, and a starring role in the film version of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls” with Beyonce Knowles.
JAMIE FOXX: UNPREDICTABLE
Wednesday, 9 p.m., NBC
