Dreamgirls

[porchmonkey408]

All you've got to do is dream...

Three small-time girls from Detroit begin an amateur singing group called The Dreamettes and lose a talent competition when an ex-car salesman Curtis Taylor, Jr. sees something great in them and books them as backup singers to the great Jimmy "Thunder" Early, a soulful James Brown type.

When suddenly Jimmy Early and the Dreamettes sky-rocket, Curtis makes the move to make the beautiful Deena Jones lead singer and the overweight, better-voiced but lesser-marketable Effie White backup with Lorrell Robinson, the third Dreamette.

After Effie's anger and volatility grows, she is kicked out of the group, left alone and hurt, having to pick herself up alone. While she is down, The Dreams sky-rocket to the top on their own. But emotions and anger as well as betrayal run high backstage...is fame worth the price of your dreams?

Dreamgirls opens December 15th nation-wide.

ALREADY, it has been getting the biggest Oscar buzz...Jennifer Hudson as Effie is now a lock for Supporting Actress and the film is going to be up against the Departed for Best Film.

The Oscars this year is going to be a war.

 

[vibeke_T]

a chick from my city is an actress in this

 

[porchmonkey408]

Also.

Dreamgirls is adapted for the screen and directed by the marvelous Bill Condon (Chicago, Kinsey, Gods and Monsters) and this film is "in his DNA," according to his producer. Everyone has been astonished at his handling of the film, culling amazing performances all around.

Dreamgirls is also based on the legendary Broadway musical that changed the face of the "backstage story" musicals. If you though A Chorus Line was amazing, just wait...Speaking of A Chorus Line, the original Dreamgirls was also directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett (My own personal icon.)

And...yes, it is still a musical and only ONE song has been cut, just to have four more character-driven songs added by the original song-writer.

Ladies and gentlemen, December 15th...DREAMGIRLS.

 

[Majik1387]

I'm hoping they just don't ruin any of the songs, especially And I Am Telling You.

 

[jrpstarwars]

I'm hoping they just don't ruin any of the songs, especially And I Am Telling You.

will probably have a good soundtrack but as for the movie itself all I can say is 'no and no.'

 

[Dodger]

beyonce is showing her range by playing a singer in a film what a huge risk

im going to go see this for eddie murphy, im curious as to how his role will play out.

 

[porchmonkey408]

I got the soundtrack, they hit all the right notes.

Also, Hudson got standing O's at preview screenings for And I Am Telling You and she wasn't even there half the time.

 

[Majik1387]

^Okay, that makes me happy.

 

[Movies205]

Beyonce sucks as an actress, however, the talent and passion behind this movie really shows so I'm going look past that and go see this film. I love the set-design and the color in the preview, the shots just speak tons, and it looks like a beauty of a film. The music sounds awesome from the preview, Jamie Fox & Eddie Murphy kick ass, and hell I love an uplifting story. I'm looking forward ot this

 

[Kmack]

As a huge Beyonce fan, I'm definitely going to see this The closer we approach the release date, the more I want to see it!

 

[tzarinna]

Oprah

For the first time together on one stage, it's the star-studded cast of Dreamgirls! The film, adapted from the Tony award-winning musical, follows the rise and fall of a 1960's girl group on the quest for fame.

"I am so excited to tell you about this movie!" Oprah says. "It has kept me up for days thinking about it. The songs going in and out of my head. The acting. The music. It defines sensational. I am telling you, you will be dazzled!"

The role Jamie Foxx would have played for a quarter

In Dreamgirls, Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx plays Curtis Taylor, an ambitious manager with his eye on the prize. It was a role Jamie wanted to play so badly, he says he would have done it for a quarter.

"When this project was coming along, it was like, well, who's going to be in it? And when I heard that Beyoncé was involved, when I heard that Eddie Murphy was involved … You go to yourself, 'Look, it doesn't matter how much money you get paid. You want to be part of history.' This is what's going to be put in that time capsule. People are going to look back and see this movie, and this is going to develop their culture."

How Beyoncé almost didn't get cast

Nine-time Grammy® winner Beyoncé Knowles plays Deena Jones, a backup singer whose awe-inspiring beauty quickly thrusts her to center stage. Beyoncé was thrilled when she heard that the musical was becoming a film.

"I've been hearing about Dreamgirls, the musical, since I was 16. The second my choreographer, Frank, saw me he said, 'You're Deena.' And I was like, 'Who is Deena?' So I've been preparing for this role without even knowing for years."

Beyoncé's powerful stage presence nearly cost her the part, she says. "[The director] was concerned that I couldn't play young Deena because on the stage I'm so different. I'm so strong and really powerful," Beyoncé says. "So I did a screen test and I was the first person cast." Still, she had to keep her voice in check. "Deena had a very soft voice and she didn't have a lot of soul. So I couldn't grunt, I couldn't growl, I couldn't sing how I wanted until [the song] 'Listen,' which is that important moment."

Eddie Murphy

In Dreamgirls, Eddie Murphy plays James "Thunder" Early, a character who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all Eddie Murphy. As a fan of the musical, he was excited to be cast in the film. "I'm much older than the rest of the cast," he says. "I saw the original play on Broadway 25 years ago and I loved [it]. I was blown away when they asked me to be in it."

Like the rest of the cast, Eddie does all his own singing in the film, but even he admits that the pop albums he put out in the '80s weren't a good example of what he could do. "I don't know if 'Party All the Time' gave you any [idea] of what was coming—that this was coming 20 years later," he jokes.

Jennifer Hudson

Former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson beat out 782 other hopefuls to make her film debut as Effie White in Dreamgirls—and according to Oprah, it isn't just a breakthrough, she crashes through the wall! "I think it's a religious experience listening to her sing," Oprah says. "She makes the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up."

Jennifer says that all the attention she's receiving feels like a blessing. "It's God's favor," she says. After auditioning three times in six months, Jennifer felt the decision was in the hands of a higher power. "I ended up on the church steps across the street from my house and I said, 'Lord, here I am. If it's meant for me, it's for me. Whatever your will is, that's what's best for me, and that's what I want,'" she says. "Two weeks later, they called me saying, 'Congratulations, Jennifer Hudson, you're Effie White.'"

Jennifer is awesome and deserves any and all success.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Will see Dreamgirls when I have the chance. Jennifer Hudson's adorable in an undefinable way.

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

hudson is already getting oscar buzz. i might check this film out sometime. haven't seen murphy in a film in awhile.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Going from American Idol to a possible Oscar Nominee is not bad for Jennifer Hudson.

I'm interested to see if Eddie can do a drama.

 

[Charlie No-One]

Looking forward to this.

 

[Hypestyle]

hmm... I hope this goes over big at the box office.. To my memory, this is the first time I've heard of Eddie Murphy doing something that was not straight comedy or action-comedy... He should have been doing dramas long ago...

 

[Manic]

Dreamgirls? Do you honestly think I'm going out of my way to see this movie? I only have one thing to say...

Baby there's no way
No no no no way
I'm living without seeing this movie
I'm not missing this movie
I don't wanna wait for the DVD


A little far to go for a "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" reference? Perhaps.

 

[jrpstarwars]

I'd like to see a 'Dreamgirls' movie re-cast with the following:

Deena Jones - Jessica Alba

Lorrell Robinson - Jessica Biel

Effie Melody White - Nikki Cox

 

[jrpstarwars]

What, no comments???

 

[Manic]

Dude...
1) The stars of Dreamgirls need to be professional-level singers
2) They also need to be black

 

[Dr. Fate]

Going from American Idol to a possible Oscar Nominee is not bad for Jennifer Hudson.

Take that, Simon!

 

[Manic]

Hudson losing American Idol (to Fantasia, of all people) is a travesty. She only lost because Simon was constantly reminding the viewers at home that she was fat. Nevermind that her voice blows everyone away.



--EDIT--
Typo corrected. I said "voices" when I meant singular.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Hudson losing American Idol (to Fantasia, of all people) is a travesty. She only lost because Simon was constantly reminding the viewers at home that she was fat. Nevermind that her voices blows everyone away.

Simon is a disease that must be eradicated from the face of the Earth.

 

[jrpstarwars]

Dude...
1) The stars of Dreamgirls need to be professional-level singers
2) They also need to be black

No, I want a white version.

 

[Majik1387]

^Quit being an idiotic troll.
Seriously, if you're trying to raise your post count, make posts that aren't ridiculous for the wrong reasons.