Effie has been cast in Bill Condon's DREAMGIRLS!


Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with an update on Bill Condon's next directorial outting, DREAMGIRLS, thanks to Playbill (Sorry, forgot... and special thanks to Franz Kafka for the heads up!). Jamie Foxx is already onboard, as is Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles and Danny Glover. There was talk of Fantasia taking the lead role of Effie in the musical loosely based on the rise of Diana Ross and The Supremes. Well, the role has been cast and Fantasia ain't in it. It's a lady named Jennifer Hudson, another American Idol contestant who the filmmakers believe was "born" for the role. KINSEY was great and GODS & MONSTERS is still as great as it was the day it was released. Condon has my full confidence and this looks like an insanely interesting cast. What do you folks think?

http://www.aintitcool.com...i?id=21849

must be an American Idol/ Reality Show kinda day:




M and Emma Frost popping up in X3? Who's playin' the White Queen?
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with some info on some possible familiar mutants you might see popping up in X3. It looks like M and Emma Frost will be in X3 in an unknown capacity, according to xmenfilms.net. They got tipped off that Ashley Hartman (The O.C.) will play Emma Frost, aka The White Queen, and Mercedes Scelba-Shorte (AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL) will be playing M. This is unconfirmed, but sounds right. When you click over to xmenfilms.net you'll see pics of these two lovely ladies and at least with Frost it seems to fit. I'm not as familiar with M, who appeared around the time I started getting disinterested in the books. What do you folks think?
http://www.aintitcool.com...i?id=21850

Jennifer Hudson was one of my favourite Idol performers of any season, she has spunk.

sosgemini said:

I'm doing my happy dance. Good news, indeed for Dreamgirls fans. Too bad nobody bothered taking a listen to her version of I'm Telling You I'm Not Going that I posted a while back!

I'm kinda pissed. Don't get me wrong I like Jennifer, but the producers of "Dreamgirls" turned down even the possiblity of giving the best American Idol performer a chance to read for a lead because she wasn't a big enough name yet they give Jennifer Hudson a major part?!? They let Trenyce audition for a smaller role as a member of a rival group. Trenyce should be given a major role along with Jennifer and Beyonce.

CynicKill said:

From the beginning, they said they were looking for a relative unknown for the part of Effie. Makes sense. Additionally, this role requires a specific body type. Jennifer fits the bil.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yeah I feel that. But my girl gets no breaks. Rumor is she's being blacklised by AI producers.

CynicKill said:

Yuo're not saying Fantasia was the best AI performer????? That would be pretty shocking.

I'm so happy Jennifer is palying Effie. If I recall her voice is much more Jennifer HOlliday like than the poor-imitation of Macy Gray.

GaryMF said:

Nah Trenyce was the overall greatest AI performer. Fantasia, Jennifer, Kelly and Tamyra can battle it out for #2.

AWESOME!!

Here's the story from USA Today that also addresses Fantasia and the rumor about Denzel lobbying for her:


Hudson: Takes a break during rehearsals in Los Angeles.
DreamWorks Pictures

'Idol' finalist Hudson lands lead in 'Dreamgirls' film
By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

It's the perfect showbiz fairy tale. A talented newcomer's rise is cruelly cut short, and an outraged public is denied the chance to watch her bloom.

But then she gets a second chance to outshine them all.

Up until now, Jennifer Hudson, 24, has been best known as the American Idol finalist with the roof-rattling six-octave range who was booted last year while less vocally adept performers remained.

But now the Chicago native's return to the spotlight may even trump being the American Idol champ. Hudson will play the much-sought-after starring role of Effie, the girl-group diva who is unfairly dumped from the lineup, in DreamWorks' movie version of the '80s Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

The gospel-trained Hudson, who joins castmates Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy, first heard the news Saturday while in Orlando putting the finishing touches on her still-untitled first album.

"It is the ultimate, the greatest role in theater history," she says. "Why me? I'm still in shock. I just got to Los Angeles Monday night and started rehearsals yesterday."

That includes dance lessons. "I accept any challenge."

The Effie search was down to the wire, with filming due to start Jan. 9 for the December 2006 release. "Effie is such a hugely complex role," says director and writer Bill Condon (Chicago). "She is at once exasperating and heartbreaking. Jennifer emerged as the person who captured both sides."

Among the 783 hopefuls who tried out was Fantasia Barrino, last year's Idol winner and one of the front-runners. But Hudson prevailed. "We talked about it," Condon says of having to disappoint Fantasia. "She has a lot of fans, including me. She is an amazing human being and has an abundance of talent. No one lost. Someone just emerged who was perfect. "

The announcement should put to rest the rumors that Fantasia had landed the role and that Denzel Washington not only shot her screen test, but also was prepared to do a cameo.

"Denzel has never been near the movie, much less directed an audition tape," says Condon, who compares the speculation to the hunt for Gone With the Wind's Scarlett O'Hara. "A lot of wacky stuff has been written. I just smile at it all."

Hudson says she's often compared to Jennifer Holliday, the original Effie onstage who became a Broadway sensation by wailing the showstopper And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. "It was my destiny," she says.

As for Fantasia, the Idol also-ran says they haven't discussed the outcome. "A lot of people auditioned, and the director made the decision," Hudson says. "I'm glad to be here."

I'm VERY excited by this, I loved Jennifer Hudson.

I think she'll do a good job. It'll b nice 2 finally hear her vocal grand-standing put 2 some good use.

npgmaverick said:

CynicKill said:

wait, who r u talking about? u talkin about frenchie? (shes the only one i can think of that would get bl'd)

I`m looking forward to this movie. Maybe this will make someone think of releasing sparkle on dvd. You never know...

Moonwalkbjrain said:

No I'm talking about Trenyce. Apparently she was too much of an independent thinker while on the show.

CynicKill said:

ohhh ok

CynicKill said:

I can barely remmeber Trenyce..... except that she changed her name from auditions to the top 12. I keep thinking of Tamyra Grey who they kept pimping post-idol.

Wht were some of Trenyc's signatrue songs from AI? I"M trying to remember her.

can we get rid of beyonce?




no....

ok..


just askin'

Rhondab said:

I thought I read months back that you had warmed up to her. She's pretty much playing herself in this role. Hopefully she's able to handle that much of a job.

GaryMF said:

Her wild card performance of "Let's Stay Together" is THE best performance on AI. Her signaure performances were "I Have Nothing" and "Proud Mary", the controversial night in which both she and Ruben Studdard were both in the bottom two yet Joshua Gracin was safe. Yes I was a big AI fan back then. (o;

Yeah from what I understand Beyonce was born to play this role. It's probably smart for them to get her to play the lead considering how popular she is now and how perfect she is for the role.

I'm just waiting for a "Mohagany" remake. No one else can do that but Beyonce. It's written SOMEWHERE!

CynicKill said:

I'm no longer an AI fan, but I was then. I didn't even watch this year. And, yes, Trenyce's performance of Let's Stay Together was great, but THE best was Hudson's performance of Weekend in New England. It was so great...the fuckers voted her off.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I stopped watching by the time of Hudson's "Weekend in New England" but it comes as no surprise that they'd vote her off on her "best" night, a probelm for AI and their "voting". My problem with Hudson was that I was knocked out by her audition when she sang the hell out of that gospel song, but to mee she never lived up to that. It was my interpretation that she possibly couldn't do pop as well as gospel. But to me Trenyce was more consistent. The problem people seemed to have with her is that they percieved her as unoriginal, sounding like the people who's records she was singing. I don't think that's totally true but it hardly matters on a show like AI. After all you are singing OTHER peoples songs.

This is great news. I like Jennifer during here time on AI and I hope she's blows up big time from this.

I love Jennifer Hudson but not enough to go see a movie with Bounce in it. Let me know how her performance was. Maybe I'll get lucky enough and they'll release her version of "And I Am..." as a video.

Hmmmm. I kinda remember Let's Stay together. I probably really liked her. I think I was confusing her with Tamyra who I thought was way overrated..... consdiering all the play she got after she lost (deservedly).

I was really into AI the first 2 seasons, but then lost interest during the fantasia years..... probably when Jennifer H and Latoya london were voted out.

It's cool that her name is Jennifer and she kinda looks simialr to Jennifer Holliday (who looks great now!).

THe thing is, for anyone whose seen Dreamgirls, the better song is actually "I Am CHanging" rather than "I'm Telling yU" which is a cliche at this point.