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Former American Idol loser Jennifer Hudson has been
winning awards left and right for her brilliant essaying of the
unforgettable character of Effie White in the film version of the
Broadway hit musical Dreamgirls.
Without any intention of
dislodging her more popular co-stars from the limelight, Hudson’s
winning streak continues to rake in the publicity the movie needs
when it finally opens in the Philippines.
A musical set in the 1960s and
1970s with a predominantly African-American cast, Dreamgirls is
adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name, which
itself is based upon the history of Motown nd the evolution of
American R&B music over the years. The film follows the lives of
three women — Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson —
who, as members of an R&B singing group called “The Dreamettes”,
become famous as the backing group for soul singer James
“Thunder” Early, thanks to manipulative manager and record label
executive Curtis Taylor, Jr. Conflict arises when Curtis desires to
transform the Dreamettes into “The Dreams”, a pop-friendly act,
particularly when he has Deena replace the heavier Effie as both
lead singer of the group and as his romantic interest.
The film adaptation of Dreamgirls,
which had been in development at various times during the 1980s and
1990s, stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Eddie Murphy, also
featuring Danny Glover, Annika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon
Leal, Hinton Battle and in her film debut, Jennifer Hudson (of
American Idol fame). Produced by Laurence Mark, Dreamgirls was
written and directed for the screen by Bill Condon, screenwriter of
the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of Chicago, working from
the original Broadway book by Tom Eyen and the Broadway songs by
Eyen and Henry Krieger.
Three of its songs “Listen,”
“Patience,” and “Love You I Do,” from its original
soundtrack were nominated for Best Original Song in the recent Oscar
Awards but it’s Hudson’s jaw-dropping rendition of the song And
I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going) that is looming to be the main
event that the Filipino moviegoers are eagerly waiting for.
Dreamgirls will be shown on March 14 nationwide.
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