Nice! I miss your witicism (yeah, yeah, I know I can't spell).

This whole thing reminds me of last week when I was forced to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. All I could think was it was like watching a parade when a broadway show broke out. I mean enough already!

She's not IMO judging from the riffs on the trailer. And don't let that discourage you from seeing the movie.

It is still probably well worth seeing for a lot of other reasons, not the least of which are a couple of tunes she apparently sings off-stage which may capture more of her talent for subtlety and require less "screaming".

I saw Holliday perform at Woody's here in Philly years ago in her prime. The experience was ethereal. I sort of looked around at the transfixed audience in the tightly-packed upstairs room and thought "Do these people even realize what an earth-shattering performance this is?"

In an enclosed space that voice needed no amplification. And the mutual experience of rejection shared by overweight divas and gay men in general lent a shared sense of misery that was absolutely delicious to wallow in for one night. (As Nicholas Grace's Anthony Blanche would say in Brideshead Revisited.)

Nothing any singer can do with that song will ever compare to that night for me I suspect.

So judge Hudson on her merits. She will do great things with that voice and, more importantly, that attitude.

Reuters has a good story on Dreamgirls and how Jennifer Hudson steals the film.

Reuters: Stars of Dreamgirls Upstaged by Newcomer Hudson

An excerpt:

The NY Observer article. A total rave.

The soundtrack is released today in 1 and 2-CD deluxe edition.

Hey canmark. I think you repeated what I posted earlier.

Hudson says she had to gain about thirty pounds "and keep it on" to look like Effie whereas Beyonce says she had to lose at least that much to look like Diana Ross.

Sounds like some sort of reverse liposuction.

What a way to earn a living.

I saw the previews for Dreamgirls prior to Casino Royale and I can't wait until the movie opens.

Isn't there a rumor that Beyonce & her parents are giving J-Hud the cold shoulder because they feel J-Hud is stealing the spotlight from Ms. Knowles?

Yes MDG, I read that same story. It was reported in the Sun-Times.

I bought the new CD today, it's great. Love the new song added for the film too 'Listen'.

The New York premiere was last night, and it was a star-studded crowd. It was all they were talking about on The View this morning. Rosie went to the premiere and gave Jennifer Hudson about the highest praise possible. She said in her opinion there were only 2 other performances in film history that catapulted a relatively unknown person into super-stardom. She compared Jennifer's performance to that of Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl" and Oprah in "The Color Purple." Now that's some high praise.

One of the local affiliates here had a report on the premiere and said that Jamie Foxx was audibly sobbing during Jennifer's "And I'm Telling You" scene. It was the first time he'd seen a cut of the film, they said.

That Beyonce rumor has been around for awhile. I've seen Beyonce talk about it and she denies it of course. But I'm sure there has to be some jealousy there to see everyone talking about J-Hud after the film. I've heard Beyonce and the rest of the cast, especially Eddie Murphy, all give great performances, but J-Hud is so incredible that they get overshadowed.

The real-life emotions - negative or positive - between the actors/actresses is a bonus for the film in my opinion. It can lead to a very good performance from one who is not really a great actor but is willing to let a large part of their emotional baggage show on film or stage.

I have never been impressed with Murphy except in roles where he is the voice for a character. He seems much better from behind the scenes than revealing himself on stage.

Also I've seen a stage version of Dreamgirls which had an actor who could really sing the James Brown role - so well that he improvised his own moves and inflections. I don't expect that from Murphy. It is an error to think that just anyone could sing Brown's style because it is a 'lot of shouting and screaming'. The guy had incredible true talent - and an intense life story worthy of its own film.

In fact I was discussing with someone the other day how odd it is that none of James Baldwin's books have been turned directly into movies. The intensity of his characters remind me of Brown. Personally I think it would be extremely difficult to put either of them to film.

On Beyonce, I am sure she saw a lot of herself in her character. And I believe they even had to adjust the story so that her character is not quite the heavy (in terms of being the bad guy/gal to Effie's good one) and make her more symathetic. But Beyonce is a real talent - several songs she wrote are highlighted.

Effie is NOT "the good one" in the play. Why do people keep saying this? They must not have seen the original play. Effie was a very talented yet unprofessional, whiny bitch who started causing problems in the group. Deena (the Beyonce character) was not mean, she actually was written to be a nice but malleable girl who was used by the men who managed her for her looks. This is where she differs from the real Diana Ross. Diana was reportedly much more manipulative and controlling than the Deena character.

The men are the "bad ones" in the play, if anything. The women have conflicts with each other, but they are all instigated by the men around them, who have ulterior motives.

And the movie does not venture off too far from the original story at all.

Jennifer is prominently featured on the cover of the current issue of The Advocate, and the inside story/photos are great.

So, are you wondering what Jennifer Holliday has to say about the new movie?

Well ... here you go!

Wow, Jennifer Holliday's reaction is much different than I expected. She sounds very bitter. She has had praise heaped on her for 25 years for her Dreamgirls performance. I'm sure she holds a lot of affection for the Effie character and yes, she made it her own. If anything, she should feel flattered that everyone is talking up Jennifer Hudson's performance. Every time you hear people praise J-Hud, they always mention that she had unbelievable shoes to fill after Holliday's triumph. Overall, it was a weird reaction from Holliday I thought. We all know she was phenomenal in that role. Just because J-Hud is phenomenal too doesn't diminish Holliday's terrific performance.

One of many overblown controversies surrounding this movie.

The comment that most reflects her personality is probably this one:But folks will make hay out of the rest.

I'd like to see what she says after she has had a chance to actually meet and talk to Jennifer Hudson, who is still rather humble about the entire phenomenon of Dreamgirls so far.

That may change with time.

If it does then I suspect the change in attitude will be reflected in her voice and performance and we will be seeing yet another potential superstar become just another disappointing diva. For now I'll assume Holliday is reacting to the actions and comments of others and not those of Hudson. But the industry needs its crack.

All I can say is that Jennifer Hudson has probably been one of my favorite contestants ever from American Idol. I am so stoked for the rave reviews, her beating out a ton of competition for the role (even Fantasia!!) and her new album contract with Arista.

I am truly and completely excited that she is getting her dues finally!

MDG can definitely vouch my love for Ms. Hudson!

I think Jennifer Holliday is just stating facts. After Dreamgirls and "And I'm telling you.." vaulted her into Broadway history, she never had another big Broadway role (she became typecast, I suppose), hit song, or huge entertainment career. She's had some albums, made some TV guest roles (such as Ally McBeal), but she's no millionaire (although, had she got a nickel for every time a drag queen lip-synched "And I'm telling you..." she would have been rich). She's been performing at gay events for years not just because she likes the community, but because it's work. She doesn't want to be Effie, pushed into the shadows. She wants a job, she needs to work. She still has the pipes, she's a lovely person, beautiful smile. I don't blame her for saying, "I'm still here!"

YouTube: "And I'm telling you" from the 1982 Tony Awards J-Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lorettta Devine... oh my! Those are some Dreamgirls.

Jennifer Hudson has alot to be proud of and I can't wait to see the movie. I've heard wonderful things about what a natural she is at acting. I've also heard her rendition of "And I Am Telling You ..." and it sounds great. But, if forced to choose, I still prefer the Holliday original. Hudson is technically amazing with the notes she hits and puts some modern-day style riffs and passion at the end, but Jennifer Holliday sang it with just as much technical expertise and then this raw overlay of emotion that is so soul-consuming that her voice almost morphs as she nears the end of the song; it's like she becomes so filled with emotion that she loses physical control of the muscles that form the words coming out of her mouth. You can hear Hudson trying to adopt some of that in her performance, which I totally think she should do, but for me there's no question that the song will always "belong" to Jennifer Holliday.

It looks like a writer at the Dallas Voice is trying to stir up some controversy.

Ugh!

I didn't know Jennifer's sister was a lesbian until now. I remember her from being in the audience during Idol. I like Jennifer's response:

"In a recent interview, I was asked how I reconciled being a Christian with performing at events for my gay fans. I find it upsetting that some folks equate being a Christian with being intolerant of gay people. That may, unfortunately, be true for some, but it is not true for me. I have talked often of my love and support of the gay community. I have said again and again that it was the gay community that supported me long before and long after AMERICAN IDOL, and kept me working and motivated. It is the gay community that celebrated my voice and my size and my personality long before DREAMGIRLS. Yes, I was raised Baptist. Yes, I was taught that the Bible has certain views on homosexuality. It teaches on homosexuality. The Bible also teaches us not to judge. It teaches us to love one another as God loves us all. I love my sister, my two best friends and my director dearly. They happen to be gay. So what? While some search for controversy, I hope that my friends and fans who know me, know where I stand."

Also this tidbit from Jennifer's interview in The Advocate:

Jennifer's own world consists of a Chicago base of family ("They're the slap of reality") and a gang of gay male friends. "About a hundred of 'em, I think," she says, laughing. "Girls don't like me. People say, 'Oh, here comes Jennifer and a bunch of dudes.' And gay guys always recognize me when I'm out. I love that. It happens so much -- even if I have a hat and sunglasses on -- that when I see a group of gay guys and they don't, I think, 'What's wrong with them?' I even asked Bill [Condon, the director] about it. I said, 'Why are all my friends gay men?' And he said, 'Oh, I know why.' But then he still wouldn't explain it to me!"

All this press on Jennifer made me look up some of my old American Idol 3 cha cha reports. This is what I said about Jennifer: Sorry for the length of this post, but sometimes I crack myself up

The first performance:

Jennifer Hudson, whom I have already dubbed the GWBV of AI3. The Girl With Big Voice. She’s also the former Disney cruise ship performer. Oh oh. I wouldn’t say that out loud. Oh wait! She already did. This girl is emotional. Ryan says that she always cries when Marque sings. Now it’s her time. She’s dressed all in white with white boots. This is a much better look than the Abba Waterloo outfit she wore in the final preliminary round. Jennifer sings “Imagine”. She definitely has a presence about her. You cannot NOT look at her. Her voice is powerful & full. I like her. Emotional, sings with passion, sassay & she can sing. That’s all good to Cha Cha. So I give her a Cha Cha+


Then she wowed everyone in the Wild Card show wearing "the dress":

Jennifer Hudson, the final contestant. Jennifer is wearing an original coture that was designed by her friend Geroge (Jorge? G’orge? Gorge?) in Sheboygan (kidding). The dress is pink and made from some kind of fabric that could possibly be terri cloth with ruffles on the bottom. She looks like a pink piñata in the dress. Thank Gawd she took off the matching coat. J’s going to sing “I Believe In You & Me”. Thank goodness, because after seeing the design of that dress, I don’t believe in you as much as I thought I would! Jennifer is focused. Channeling her best Mickey Mouse Cruise performance skills, she belts out the song. Power. Grace. Beauty. Passion. Range. Poignancy. And all this in a butt ugly dress. Fabu-u-lous. The judges agree that Jennifer has the best performance of the night. Jennifer is cool. I love her personality and I hope she advances, but sweetie needs to send the dress back to the House of G’Orge. Cha Cha Cha and a shimmy.

And down the road, in what turned out to be her final AI performance (damn you, America), this is what I said on Barry Manilow night:

Jennifer: In her rehearsal, I couldn’t decipher what song she was singing. I thought it was something from his musical. Turns out, Jennifer is going to sing my favorite Manilow tune, “Weekend In New England” Another unusual arrangement. Hardly recognizable from Barry’s version. Definitely making it her own. Holy Crap, she is singing the shat out of the song. Wow she is hitting notes I didn’t think was humanly possible. I keep waiting to see her vocal cords pop out of her mouth. Wow. Sing it. Come on, bring it on home. That’s it. Amazing1 She’s kicking it in and it’s a-mazing. And, it looks like someone went a little crazy with the Walgreen make-up this week! Bravo. Cha Cha Cha+. Her best performance of the competition.

And finally, the darkest moment in AI history:

... So George makes his way down the stage and joins the Diva group (Fantasia, LaToya, Jennifer). Ryan asks “Uh, George, I told you to join the top group that is NOT the top group tonight”. All hell breaks loose. Everyone is in shock. Diana doesn’t know which way to turn. Jasmine is holding her face in a Home Alone moment. George is totally confused. John stand there scratching the top of his head making a funny face. WHAT THE FU*K IS GOING ON? Yes, kids, Cha Cha Cha was knocked off his Cha Cha Cha ass when it dawned on him that the 3 Divas were the bottom 3 performers. And how dare they use George the way they did. AI totally played him. They also made a fool of the 3 idolettes who were in the “safe” group because you know the producers knew who EVERYONE thought were the bottom 3 tonight. The AI producers are nothing but low down manipulative bastards. Bastards, I tell you. I was wrong in week one and I take back my previous BUTT-HEAD quote because THIS SUCKS MORE THAN ANYTHING THAT HAS EVR SUCKED BEFORE. Who’s responsible for this? Who? Who, damnit? Was it Manilow? You freakin’ Palm Springs botox bastard! Was it Simon? Damn British bastard pig. Paula? Yeah, straight up my ass you cold hearted bi…Randy? You’re just a damn bastard dawg and your mom’s a big fat…Who? Who is responsible? Canada? BLAME CANADA? No! it’s YOU AMERICA! This is YOUR fault! You did this. Let Freedom ring? Fu*k Freedom. This is American Idol, damnit. And Cha Cha WANTS THE DIVAS TO BE IN THE TOP 3. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaraaargh.Aaaaaaaaargh. Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh. Wow, Cha Cha Channeling Sam Kinnison! And after my rant, Jennifer was gone. BOOOOO!!!

But now, she's back and I cannot wait to see this movie. The whole gay thing is stupid and not even a story. Bottom line is, the girl is a talent and I am glad she is finding success. The previews of hte movie gave me goose bumps and gave me a feel good tingly feeling. I may have even let out a squeal
This is gonna be good and I am counting the days, hours....minutes.

One Night Only, One Night Only....

As much as I love Jennifer Holliday's voice and Dreamgirls performance, she's always been said to be difficult and demanding. Her career probably sputtered out because of this. For her to dampen the release of this movie - a long awaited, eagerly anticipated film version of a much loved musical about a specific African American experience made and created by a group of mostly gay men - with her own somewhat whiny complaints is unneccessary in my opinion. Sure she's the one always remembered performance wise, but this movie isn't about her or her success twenty-five years ago. It's about the story and the fact that this musical is now getting the film treatment it always deserved. Read the new Vanity Fair story - it's great.

Jennifer seems isolated by her own attitudes, regrets and actions. Perhaps she was/is more Effie than she even realizes...

I can't wait to see the movie. I look forward to Eddie Murphy's performance as much as anyone's...I think he's unbelievably talented.

Canmark, a "rave" is a review ... As you say, that piece is an article, and full of quotes mostly from people connected with the film or who have a stake in hyping it to death.

I don't have much interest in the material, and suspect that if it had been released months ago it'd already be forgotten.

One-and-a-half star review from Slant magazine

And our resident happy guy strikes again!

Jennifer Hudson just won the Best Supporting Actress Award by the Washington D.C. Society of Film Critics (as well as the winner of its Breakthrough Performance Award), and earlier won Best Supporting Actress by the New York Film Critics Circle. Today, Jennifer was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Broadcast Critics Circle. She was the runner-up in the Best Supporting Actress category in the L.A. voting (losing to little-known Romanian actress Luminita Gheroghiou) and was named Best Breakthrough Performance by a Female by the National Board of the Review.

A reminder that the Golden Globe nominations come out tomorrow morning.

Saw the movie tonight at a special screening. The movie is Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy. When they are not on the screen, I thought the movie bogged down. Hudson's voice is big & bold and when she sings the first few notes of "And I Am Telling You..." you could hear buzzing from the audience...and this was more of a straight crowd! There were some parts of the movie which I found corny, but overall, I enjoyed the movie as well did my friends (7 of us).

Beyonce does look gorgeous in the film. I can see why Hudson is getting all the raves. She just lights up the screen.

I think I will go again once it officially opens in a theater near me.

Golden Globe nominations announced... Jennifer is nominated for Supporting Actress, Eddie Murphy is nominated for Supporting Actor, and Beyonce (in a mild surprise) is nominated for Best Actress. The film is also nominated for Best Picture.

Beyonce being nominated isn't really much of a surprise only because the Globes divide the lead actor and actress category into Drama and Musical/Comedy. She was pretty mucha lock to get a nod here. now if she scores an Oscar nomination, that would be a shock.

Even with the division between comedy-musical and drama, Beyonce's nomination is a mild (notice I said 'mild') surprise. No one has been talking about her performance really. Everyone has been talking about Jennifer and Eddie, thus the "controversy" that has been largely media-created involving a J-Hud and Beyonce rift. Dreamworks was hopeful of a Beyonce nom today but it was by no means a certainty.

"Listen" was also nominated for Best Original Song, giving the film 5 total noms today.

When the original Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" opened, the New Yorker's drama critic dissed it as (if I remember correctly), "The slickest possible production of a musicial whose book, music and lyrics are almost totally lacking in character. If Michael Bennett had directed the Civil War, it would have lasted 20 minutes."

But I went to see the road show when it came to Denver, and I loved it. Will the movie live up to the hype? Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But I can tell you one thing: The songs from the original score have been in my head all week long, and I can't wait to see the movie. Who knows? It might even come to Dodge City!

A question: How much of the original score made it into the film, and how many new songs are there?

A.O. Scott begins his New York Times review with this:



And continuing his tribute to J-Hud:

A. O. Scott does an excellent review. It also highlights what I am not srurprised may be the greatest disappointment in the movie for those of us who lived through the era: the music's authenticity is questionable.

Personally I am glad that it does not try to match the original sound perfectly. The movie is, and should be, its own creation. Not a bad thing at all.

He also praises Beyonce's Listen which I am looking forward to seeing her perform. That she should reveal more of her acting talent when singing would not surprise me.

Murphy's performance gets kudos as well. I'll have to see it to believe it but I know he is capable of it. Unfortunately the James-Brownsian music will most likely not be nearly what it should be.

But that deserves its own movie and will not be possible to make until Brown is no longer with us I suspect. Witness the broad strokes with which the Berry Gordy character is portrayed for fear of a law suit.

The Onion: "A movie about soul music that has no soul."

From today's review of Dreamgirls by Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Errrr, how is getting all you showqueens' new fave Human Car Alarm to say "homosexuality is a sin" stirring anything up? Especially when she's planning on making appearances in gay clubs?

You're a week behind. Catch up.

Who's Bill W and why is she so bitter?

Bill is still upset about the winning results on America's Next Top Model.

I SO kid.

Back to Dreamgirls ...

Did anyone catch J-Hud's appearance on the Today show yesterday? She sang, "I Am Changing," from the film. Oh. My. God. Phenomenal. She was always my favorite Idol contestant ever, but her voice and the way she controls it are much better now. The performance was unbelievable.

I think it was Lisa Tucker who performed the same song during the most recent season of Idol. You wouldn't even know it was the same song if you heard the two versions. Jennifer hit it out of the park.

Also, TMZ today has the real reason behind the potential Beyonce-Jennifer rift. Apparently, both Beyonce's parents went to Bill Condon (the director) and complained that Jennifer was getting "too much" screen time and asked that the film be re-cut to add more screen time for Beyonce. Condon refused to alter the film. Beyonce's father also tried to get Jennifer to sign with him as a management client, but J-Hud balked. I say good for you, Jennifer.

Someone who doesn't have to use "she" to trumpet that I'm a fag?

Your use of "showqueen" trumpets that enough.

Finally saw the movie today. Wow. It was even better than I thought it was going to be. Two words: Jennifer Hudson. She was incredible and beyond words. I purposely never heard more than a few seconds of her soundtrack version of "And I'm Telling You" before going into the theatre. I wanted that surprise feeling. And Oh. My. God. She was absolutely compelling from the moment she steps on screen. The thing that really surprised me was how accomplished she seemed as an actress. I knew she could sing, but the acting was great too. And her 5-minute solo of "And I'm Telling You" may just be the single best scene of the year for any actor or actress. The crowd in the theatre erupted and you could hear lots of people crying. It's hard to do anything better than the original, but J-Hud's version was actually better to me than Jennifer Holiday's if that's possible. Also, I was shocked at how strong the other actors were. Eddie Murphy was great and will definitely get an Oscar nom, but I thought even Beyonce was great and she looked stunning. Danny Glover and even Jamie Foxx have hardly gotten any acclaim for the film, but I thought they were outstanding too, as was Anika Noni Rose. I have to see this one again.

FSU...
You pretty much said EXACTLY what I was going to add.

Kevin and I saw the 1st showing yesterday in Evanston. We got there about 1/2 hour early and ended up having to sit in the 4th row. It was jam packed in there. Very receptive audience.

I read how great Jennifer was supposed to be. Even after reading and hearing this, I was still blown away by her performance as Effie White. The John Lithgow scene was a pleasant surprise as well.

Saw the movie tonight and enjoyed it. But I had prepared myself for what I expected to be deficiencies and was, unfortunately, not disappointed.

I deliberately sat next to people I thought would not be talking to the screen in the call-and-response fashion so common in the few African-American gospel musicals I've seen and was able to listen to, and enjoy, the music more. I did not expect great acting and will not criticize the movie for lacking it.

But the best acting occured when the best singers were sing-acting in a modern-day version of the recitative style so common in the best operas. The exchanges just before Effie's operatic I'm not going was the best.

Eyen and Krieger's music was nice but nothing compares to the original Motown sounds which, even when affected to appeal to a larger audience, were sincere. The white group that stole one of the Dreamettes songs were cartoonish compared to the good singers who actually reinterpreted the R&B tunes of the era.

A surprise for me was Anika Noni Rose, who reminded me of every back-up singer whose body I lusted after (in another life) and voice I always wanted to hear solo - a welcome respite from the emotional roller-coaster of Hudson and the casual sultriness of Knowles. An exploration of the corruption and destruction caused by the exploitation of great voices during that era will have to await another movie. JB rest in peace.

I'm a good boy... I took my mother to see the movie yesterday as planned and enjoyed it! Jennifer Hudson -- WOW!! Everytime she opened her mouth to sing, I was moved! I own the B Day cd but was still moved when "Listen" appeared in the movie. (I thought it was one of Beyonce's best moments.) I would pay to see it again.

Since I'm back in SoCal for Christmas week, I was able to watch Good Day L.A., where they just commented on who is watching this movie: blacks, gays, and the wealthy white. I honestly hadn't heard about that angle, I just thought this was simple a good movie, period. Interesting how Hollywood sees this!

I saw it in an upper middle class New Jersey suburban theater. The crowd was predominantly white and middle age to older on the day after Christmas.

Everyone applauded twice: once after Jennifer Hudsons song (boy is Holliday gonna be pissed if that catches on, since she really owns it as far as I'm concerned) and at the end of the movie. Many even stood up.

I just cried after J-Hud's I'm Not Going.. and was a little disappointed with the predictable ending.

I learned long ago not to get my news from Jillian Baberie and those at Good Day L.A.

In reality, the buzz around Hollywood is that Dreamgirls is crossing over to a variety of audiences despite the fact the studio thought its audience would mostly be blacks and gays. Here's an example.

Dreamgirls stunned the industry "experts" with the single highest per-screen-average for any film ever released on Christmas Day, making $10,242 per screen (smashing the old record of $4,177 per screen for Ali in 2001). Dreamworks and Paramount were banking on a low figure of $4.5 million in ticket sales on Monday and their highest expectation was $6 million for that day. The film actually made nearly $8.8 million. That's huge! It is the third highest box office receipt ever for a film released on Christmas, and came despite playing in only 852 theatres. The other two Christmas releases in history that earned more were Ali in 2001 and Catch Me If You Can in 2002. Those films were released in 2,446 and 3,156 theatres, respectively. That's a monumental difference.

Entertainment Weekly's take on the film and Jennifer Hudson: "Dreamgirls is the rare movie musical with real rapture in it. The opening cowbell clank could be a metronome to set your pulse to, and moments later, as we're plunked into amateur night at a Detroit theater in the pomade-and-sequin early '60s, where a group of funky chorines with gyrating booties are singing ''I'm Lookin' for Something,'' the effect is so ecstatic it just about lifts us off the ground. As a girl-group trio called the Dreamettes takes the stage, their lead vocalist, saucy, plush-figured Effie (Jennifer Hudson), sings the way that a lion roars, blasting the roof off with her full-throated gospel vibrations. She's as churchy and volcanic as the young Aretha Franklin, and as cleansing, too. When Effie, tossed out of the trio before a nightclub show, does her big number, ''And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,'' she's singing it to the two-timing Curtis, but it's really about the Dreams, with the gospel screamer going over the top into loss and desire, bidding goodbye to the musical fusion that no longer needs her. Hudson's performance of this song is an epiphany, as grandly shattering a piece of musical acting as the movies have seen since Judy Garland wailed about ''The Man That Got Away'' in 1954's A Star Is Born."

I saw the movie last night and thought it was terrific!! Can't add much more to what's already been said here. Jennifer Hudson should be nominated for an Oscar for her performance. She could probably get a couple of nods - for best actress or supporting actress and best song. Lots of other Oscar-worthy performances as well. The film is loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes. It's really a shame the reconciliation between Deena and Effie that occurred in the movie didn't happen in real life between Ross and Florence Ballard. I loved Eddie Murphy's performance, but I just couldn't help but think of his old SNL days when he'd do those hilarious parodies of James Brown (gettin' in the hot tub!).

Here's a somewhat funny story from Christmas night.

On the local news here, they featured a piece on local audiences selling out every show of Dreamgirls at all the area theatres. They went live to a local theatre and interviewed an audience member coming out of the film. The guy they interviewed was gushing, "Dreamgirls was so great and Jennifer Hudson was fabulous! I really think she nailed the signature song even better than Jennifer Holiday did on Broadway." Then the reporter said, "Back to you in the studio," and the camera cut to the news anchor sitting at the desk. The anchor said, "Better than Jennifer Holiday? You might want to correct that guy because I'm sure he means Billie Holiday."

And then they went to commercial break.