Michelle Branch Takes On Lesley Gore For American Dreams

LOS ANGELES (NBC) - Pop-rock ingenue Michelle Branch will pay a tribute of sorts to a former teen pop star when she portrays '60s songstress Lesley Gore in an upcoming episode of NBC's new drama American Dreams.

According to a spokesperson for Branch at the Firm, Inc., the singer will play Gore in a scene in which she performs the latter's 1963 hit "You Don't Own Me." American Dreams is set in 1960s Philadelphia.

Gore's most famous song, the Quincy Jones-produced "It's My Party," hit the top of the charts in 1963 and can still be heard all over nostalgic radio and in films and TV. Other hits followed in "She's a Fool," "Judy's Turn to Cry," "That's the Way Boys Are," and the aforementioned "You Don't Own Me."

Branch's acting has been limited to an appearance as herself on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2001. In addition to American Dreams, Branch can also be seen in the forthcoming Rob Schneider/Adam Sandler comedy, The Hot Chick, due next February, which also features R&B singer Angie Stone.
American Dreams debuts on NBC on Sept. 29.