NEW YORK (Reuters) - The movie adaptation of the famed Broadway musical "Dreamgirls" stars Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, chart-topping singer Beyonce Knowles and long-time favorite Eddie Murphy.

But in true show business tradition, an overweight unknown more used to failure than success is stealing the show.

"It's the biggest honor I could possibly get. I'm so grateful," Jennifer Hudson says of the buzz that she may win an Oscar for her Cinderella turn in the role of Effie White.

"I'm so grateful. All I wanted was the part, and to hear this now? It's very exciting," the actress and singer told Reuters.

If Hudson is surprised by the talk of an Oscar, it's because her resume was rather thin: She is a college drop-out with six months' experience singing on a cruise ship who later reached a mere seventh place on the TV audition show American Idol.

Now her silver screen debut has already won her fans even before the movie opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 15 and nationwide on December 25. At media screenings, the press have greeted Hudson's performance with whooping applause.

Her biggest ovation comes during her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" -- the emotional show stopper in the original 1981 Broadway show, which won six Tony Awards.

The New York Observer described her performance of that song as "five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson ... into the position of front-runner for the best supporting actress Oscar."

Newsweek said that when moviegoers hear Hudson sing the song, she "is going to raise goose bumps across the land."

The movie tells the story of a group of black female singers and is loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and The Supremes and the Motown record company. Hudson's part is that of the hefty, difficult singer in the trio.

CHURCH CHOIR

Hudson credits her voice to her Baptist upbringing in Chicago, where she belted out songs in church from age 7.

"I used to sing in the church choir," she said. "People would say it was unusual for such a small girl to have such a big voice. They would say, 'She sounds like she's grown."'

Casting director Jay Binder, known for his work on major Broadway productions, said he is proud of choosing Hudson.

"It's not like we found her working at the telephone company, but it's the best piece of casting this office has ever done," he said in an interview.

The part was no slam dunk for Hudson. After her first audition, Binder told her he liked her but said while she could make it on Broadway, she would have to lose some weight and work on her image if she were to make it in Hollywood.

"She was not as glamorous as we needed her to be. She needed to develop her figure in a more pleasing way," Binder said. "We then went on, over the next six months, to see every African-American woman of a certain age on both coasts."

After a nationwide search, countless auditions and open-casting calls failed to turn up the perfect Effie White, Binder remembered Hudson and called her back.

"When she came back six months later she was absolutely gorgeous. She was not a girl but a woman," he said. "Without a question, it was her part. Whatever she had done, she now had sex appeal and was more comfortable in herself."

Now as Hudson promotes "Dreamgirls" and is preparing to record an album for legendary recording executive Clive Davis, who made stars of the likes of Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, she's finding all the attention a little hard to believe.

"I have to pinch myself," she said. "Am I really doing interviews? Is this really happening? Even on the movie set, I was stopping and asking myself, 'Am I dreaming?"'

Seriously, so am I

I was actually at the American Idol show when she got the ol' heave-ho. My ex boyfriend and I were shocked as we had been cheering for her all along, but we got to meet her and she was so sweet and down to earth, even if after she had gotten the boot. I seriously believe this girl will be making it big...

Good for her. I thought she got a raw deal on AI when she got the boot.

I can't stand her and this movie looks like a piece of shit.

I'm rooting for her too. I loved her on American Idol and to see that she could be the biggest contestant to come out of the show and she didn't even win it is just phenomenal. I really believe she is going to bring it hard in this film. I can't wait to see Dreamgirls!

TommyRoss said:

And exactly who is it that you think you're fooling?


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Yeah, I didn't fool anyone, did I? Thanks for posting that, Josh!

Awards season has begun. National Board of Review just gave theirs:

Film: Letters from Iwo Jima
Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Supporting Actor: Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Supporting Actress: Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration
Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Foreign Film: Volver
Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth
Animated Feature: Cars
Ensemble Cast: The Departed
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls, and Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Directorial Debut: Jason Reitman, Thank You for Smoking
Original Screenplay: Stranger Than Fiction
Adapted Screenplay: The Painted Veil
Career Achievement: Eli Wallach
Billy Wilder Award for Excellence in Directing: Jonathan Demme
Career Achievement in Producing: Irwin Winkler
William K. Everson Film History Award: Donald Krim
Bvlgari Award for NBR Freedom of Expression: Water and World Trade Center

Beyonce can't even begin to touch this chick. She deserves so much and I hope she gets it.

they need to slow their roll down a bit...Hudson (and possibly the film) might be peeking a bit too early...theres still a lot of months left before Oscars and its going to be impossible for them to keep this momentum..(Brokeback anyone?)


And Hudson really needs to work on poopoo'ing the notion that she is a Oscarbound...she should have responded with the stock "ohhh...thats wonderful and all but im just honored to be part of a wonderful film"...possibly throw in a reference to how rare it is for a black cast to get an oppurtunity to make a film of this caliber.

have i been oscarwatching for too long or what?

I'm pulling for her because the woman can flat-out sing first and the fact that she's a big girl second (since they're generally overlooked today just because of that fact).

Hopefully she can act.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Actually, the role that she plays calls for a "big girl". The character is a heavy-set girl who has to prove herself to the other girls in the group. And that's when she does her "breakthrough" performance by singing "And I am telling you"

I remember seeing the play with the original cast in S.F. and loved it then. Can't wait to see the movie!!!

4everYoung said:

I know.

What I meant to say was I was pulling for her career in general (beyond Dreamgirls)


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431[/quote]

She's HOTT -ta-Death !!!

A friend who saw a pre-release screening of Dreamgirls said Jennifer Hudson nailed Effie. I can't wait to see it.

Genesia said:

I *REALLY* gotta stay off some of these damn Porn sites
Shit makes a person read into things & visualize WRONG THANGS !

stopHATING said:

CalhounSq said:

*crawls out of this post with hands in lap*

sosgemini said:

they are right on track all movies released on or before Dec 31 the piror year are eleigible that's why most Oscar movies come out in Dec. They announce the nominees in Jan and than have the awards in March.

ehuffnsd said:

im not talking about the release of the film...more so the pr teams cordinating of the "buzz"...the appearing on Oprah a good month before the film comes out...the critic and oscar screeners three months before the Oscars...i'm sure that the p&r team is banking of the film gaining massive momentum that no other film can catch up...but, Aviator & Brokeback did the same thing just to see themselves lose at the last minute...its a risky strategy.

sosgemini said:

aside from the woman who played QE2 i haven't heard anyone else talked about as a best actress or best supporting actress so i have faith.

ehuffnsd said:

your right, but...if something else comes along that suprises everyone (ala swanks two defeats over frontrunner benning) then Dreamgirls might have shot its wad to early. who knows which film did an LA and NY premier to qualify for the Oscars that will be going wide release at the end of January that will blow everyone away...

btw: im just rambling now...please slap me and make me stop.

Who gives a fuck about this hateful bitch???

She's one of those "love the sinner, hate the sin" types, when it comes to homosexuality.

Read this: http://www.dallasvoice.co...e_4105.php

She probably posts in the P & R forum here.

I fucking hate religion. I'm religionist - I'll admit it. I don't care anymore. You're not born with a religion - it's a mental illness. You can get help.

Justin1972UK said:

AND THEN...

VoicesCarry said:

Yeah, well...

Love the religious, hate the religion. It's not really their fault. They know not what they do.

yeah...that could totally cost her the oscar. i remember when those quotes first came out during American Idol...if memory serves, she didn't come out swinging to prove those words false as she is now...big ole gay mistake.

sosgemini said:

There were never rumors like this against her. That was some chick from last season. And shut it already with the Oscar derby talk (per your instructions to slap you)!

sosgemini said:

Those quotes were not attributed to Hudson - you're confusing her with someone else.

TommyRoss said:

VoicesCarry said:

isn't she all religious? i could be confusing her with another ai dork but i could swear it was her.