Queen of Soul, not spontaneity

Aretha Franklin’s performance of the national anthem before the decisive Game 5 of the NBA Finals was prerecorded and lip-synched, one of the Queen of Soul’s producers said.

“We recorded vocals for Aretha Franklin last year at her house, in her vestibule,” producer Brian Pastoria told the Detroit Free Press for a Friday story. “One of the things we recorded was the national anthem -- the one that was played at the Palace on Tuesday night.”

A representative for Franklin did not immediately return a request for comment.