All of us have been doing our best to keep it together during the isolation of social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus. This week, actress and film producer Rita Wilson gave her fans a reason to smile during such uncertain times.
In a video posted to her Instagram, Wilson – who has been in quarantine with her husband, Tom Hanks, after they announced that they had tested positive for the coronavirus – rapped along to Naughty By Nature’s classic hit “Hip Hop Hooray.” “Quarantine stir crazy. See it to believe it,” the post is captioned. Wilson, who is known for films like Jingle All The Way and Sleepless In Seattle, does a commendable job of keeping up with the tongue-twisting flows of Treach and Vinnie. Their timeless hit reached no. 1 on the Billboard US R&B chart and no. 8 on the Billboard US pop chart when it was released in 1992. After rapping the song from top to bottom, Wilson charmingly went back to reading the science fiction novel Ender’s Game.
Naughty By Nature returned the love on their Instagram account. After praising Wilson’s skills and wishing her and Hanks a speedy recovery, Vinnie recorded a video to share his thoughts about the video and about the coronavirus.
“I know everyone sees Rita Wilson rocking out to Hip Hop Hooray. I want to shout her out, thank her, her husband Tom, and the people saying that’s where their son Chet gets it from,” he laughed, before changing tone. “…This is like crazy eerie. This is like your worst sci-fi dream come true. … Stay safe, pay attention to what’s going on out there, question everything.”
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were among the first prominent celebrities to make a formal announcement about being tested positive for the virus in Australia, where Hanks was shooting a film. Hanks shared on Instagram on March 11 that they had experienced symptoms – exhaustion, colds, body aches, chills, and fevers – and got tested “to play things right.” Since then, the couple was released from the hospital, but have remained in quarantine.
