That's why one's heart sinks at the banality of Mr. Weitz's screenplay, and the clumsiness of most of the cast: Dennis Quaid as the befuddled president, Marcia Gay Harden as his wife, Hugh Grant as the TV show's smarmy host, Chris Klein as an amorous soldier and Sam Golzari as Omer, the singing assassin.

WSJ: Bush + Terror = Big Laffs?

When Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin began singing popular music, they brought melisma to more mainstream audiences.

NPR: How 'American Idol' Uses (and Abuses) Melisma