MTV
27 September 2000
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Beck, Fatboy Slim, Ozzy Among "Moulin Rouge" Oddities
by Sorelle Saidman

The upcoming Baz Luhrmann movie "Moulin Rouge" will be a musical extravaganza with a soundtrack that is set to include such oddities as Ozzy Osbourne singing "The Sound Of Music" and Fatboy Slim offering up a rendition of "The Can-Can," according to sources close to the production.

The soundtrack will also feature Beck performing David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" with help from hip-hop superproducer Timbaland, according to official Beck sources. As we previously reported, the two went into the studio together earlier this month (see "Timbaland Plans Studio Time With Beck, Papa Roach"). In addition to cutting the "Moulin Rouge" track, Beck also recorded vocals for a tune that will appear on the next Timbaland album.

"Moulin Rouge," which stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, is set in a decadent nightclub, Le Moulin Rouge, in 1899. The fictional tale revolves around a young poet (McGregor) who is befriended by artist Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec and a love interest played by Kidman. (The movie is not a remake of earlier films bearing the same title.)

Although many musical details, as well as the final soundtrack lineup, have yet to be finalized, much of the material will be performed by the movie's castmembers, who will offer up a medley of Bowie songs as well as contemporary material by U2, Madonna, and The Beatles, among others.

Sources close to the production also told MTV News that other tracks recorded for the film include a tango version of The Police's "Roxanne" by José Feliciano, a duet of Elton John's "Your Song" by McGregor and Placido Domingo, and Olivia Newton John's "Physical" by Kylie Minogue, who also turns in her own rendition of "The Sound Of Music." Whether any or all of these tracks wind up in the final product remains to be seen.

Luhrmann's past film endeavors include "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" and "Strictly Ballroom." The director also gained notoriety in the world of music for recording the track "'Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (see "Australian Director Turns Chain E-Mail Into Radio Hit").

The "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack is due out December 5, and the movie is scheduled for release Christmas Day.