"And I Am Telling You..." You're Goin' to DREAMGIRLS

If you were wondering where every black woman and gay man were last night (and Rox) I have the answer: watching a deluxe, wide-screen preview of "Dreamgirls." For $25 per ticket we were given a "complimentary" program book which covered the making of the film and some backstory on the Broadway musical, reserved seating in the historic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood and some pretty good people watching: Laura Graham from "Gilmore Girls" sat right in front of Rox and my partner in crime; and I also ran into my old friend rapper/actor Common as he was coming out of the men's restroom. Sidebar: Common and I have known each other for a couple of years and it was great to catch up. We saw each other right after Jennifer Hudson's knock-it-out-of-the-park performance of the musical's signature song "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," so we discussed that. Common was beaming with pride as he told Rox, "I'm going back to Chicago for Christmas and Hudson is from there so I'm feelin' the Chicago love." I think what he meant to say was "Peace, Love, GAP." Anywho, back to the movie ... although the creators of the original musical always swore up and down that it wasn't the story of The Supremes and Motown, the movie is a little less convinced that it's not actually a historic documentary of Barry Gordy, Diane (and then later "Diana") Ross and The Primettes (later to become The Supremes). Hmmm...now that I think about it...the trio of singers in "Dreamgirls: the Movie" were the Dreamettes and then they changed to the Dreams. Coincidence??? Pish posh....this movie is about Jennifer Hudson...that "loser" from American Idol who beat out Fantasia for the pivitol role of Effie White (the original lead singer of the Dreamettes until the label wanted to "crossover" and put the less talented but more photo friendly lead singer Deena Jones (perfectly cast as Beyonce for several reasons))...now that you mention it, it's not at ALL like the Primettes where the well-fed Cindy Birdsong originally sang lead until Diane was asked to step forward and change her name to Diana (later to change her name to simply "Ms. Ross.")); I can't believe people really think this is the same story... I keep getting sidetracked...the movie...ok, so Jamie Foxx plays Barry Gordy basically and is such an a** that you want someone to take off their earrings and go off on him (so, he did his job as an actor). Beyonce is gorgeous and the camera loves her but the acting chops aren't quite there -- eye-candy she is but when Hudson isn't around you hope Beyonce shakes her bootylicious or something instead of just stand there and act. Surprisingly, Anika Noni Rose who plays the third "Dream" -- and isn't getting any buzz-- holds her own beautifully as an actor, singer and looker. One of my faves (besides Danny Glover who can do no wrong with that smile) is Keith Robinson who plays Effie White's brother composer "C.C. White." Girls/gay men...he is gorgeous, the camera loves him and the boy can sing and act! Eddie Murphy is, well, James Brown. Over-the-top as usual but actually can sing (do you remember "My Girl Wants to Party All the Time"???). But make no mistake, Popettes, Jennifer Hudson is the star of this show with numerous showstopping moments. When's the last time you saw a movie that people cheered and clapped after several scenes? The place was crazy, I say! The costumes are phenomenal (Sharen Davis who dressed the cast of "Ray" was on board to create period pieces that spanned 13 years and it's a candy store for the eyes, baby!). The music also is at the heart of this (4 new songs for the movie, kids) -- important lyrics, great arrangements and fantastic performances -- wait until you see the performance of the pivitol "Family" number...movie-making at its best. Dreamgirls is from Heaven! Rox gives it a 5-pack out of a six-pack of Pop. (And get the Deluxe 2-CD edition of the soundtrack as it has dance remixes of "One Night Only" and "And I Am Telling You" as well as additional material from the movie!!) ... and as I think about it ... how on earth do people think there are similarities between this movie and real life? I mean Deena Jones in the movie breaks away from the Dreams to start acting ... she wants to do a serious piece but no one thinks she can do it (Lady Sings The Blues) but her manager wants her to do lighter fare (The Wiz). Deena even cuts some disco tracks and has drag queens at her concert (I'm Coming Out). I don't see any similarities between Deena and Ms. Ross at all. Besides, in Dreamgirls there is a group of 5 young, black brothers which has a cute little guy for its lead singer (with fro, black skin and all), and they are on the same record label (Motown) as The Supremes, I mean, Dreams. Nope, I don't see any similarities at all...