Video for the Day: The Legend of Dave Chappelle

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J.—The first thing I thought of when it was announced earlier this week that 16-year-old singing superstar Justin Bieber was not only going to pen a memoir, but also star as himself in a biopic based on his own life—in 3D, no less? Well, after having a good laugh at the news, I thought of this:

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In this sketch from the first season of his brilliant (and sadly short-lived) series Chappelle's Show, comedian Dave Chappelle imagined how he would portray himself if he—like Antwone Fisher when he wrote the screenplay for the film that eventually became Denzel Washington's Antwone Fisher (2002)—wrote the screenplay for a biopic of his own life. Let's just say that he's not above turning that classic Man Who Shot Liberty Valance paradigm—"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"—on its ear and printing an extravagant, and hilarious, legend of his own making.

Not that I really care all that much about Justin Bieber (aside: the first time I actually heard his mega-hit "Baby," I seriously thought I was listening to a young girl, not a pre-pubescent boy), but I have to admit, I am at least marginally curious as to how the kid will approach telling his own life story, such as it is—whether he'll painstakingly stick to the facts or inflate it for the purpose of entertainment. Of course, the fact that book and movie companies are actually offering a 16-year-old, however world famous, memoir/biopic deals is already pretty absurd to begin with, in my opinion. So I can't say I'm chomping at the bit to find out.