Archive for the 'dreamgirls' Category

Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Paramount, DVD Reviews

I haven’t seen Dreamgirls since its release last Christmas, but after sitting down to watch the DVD, which is arriving in stores tomorrow, I pretty much stand by my original opinion — that the film is a solid B+ as a musical, but didn’t exactly have the dramatic heft or originality to be in consideration for the Oscar. Looks like the Academy agreed with me. For those who still haven’t seen it, Dreamgirls follows a trio of 60s singers, modeled on The Supremes, as they climb to the top, then fracture over love, money and fame, and then attempt to find success on their own. There are memorable songs, including Jennifer Hudson’s signature “I Am Telling You I Am Not Going,” and Beyonce Knowles’ “Listen” towards the end of the film, and the film finds an interesting way to blend musical numbers together with the traditional style of movie musicals. If you are swept up in the story, you might not even notice the moment when that wall is broken and the actors start communicating to each other through songs instead of words.

Fans will be happy to know that the DVD is no slouch — it’s two discs, packed with a number of behind-the-scenes featurettes, a whole slate of extended and alternate scenes and some more interesting things that you rarely see. My favorite one a series of ‘pre-visualization sequences’ which means enhanced storyboards that are played in a slide-show sequence along with what I think is an early reading of the script pages. It serves as sort of an animated forerunner to the eventual scene that will be shot, and was probably extremely helpful to the director in setting up some of the musical sequences. In addition to the storyboard-style presentations — and htere are several of them — there are also dress rehearsals included, with stand-ins doing the singing and dancing. Some of these sequences even combine the rehearsal with the storyboard sequence, like the one for the “Cadillac Car” number. After watching that one, it seems like most of the hard work of this film was done before the actors even stepped on stage.

Continue reading DVD Review: Dreamgirls

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Animation, Music & Musicals, Casting, Disney

Though Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson stole the Dreamgirls spotlight from Anika Noni Rose, it is Rose who apparently beat out Hudson (as well as ladies like Alicia Keyes and Tyra Banks) for the lead role in Disney’s upcoming animated musical feature, The Frog Princess. (I’m sorry, but if Tyra Banks thought she had a chance here, then I’d love to have a little bit of what she’s been smoking.) Rose will voice Maddy, Disney’s first ever black princess — a role that garnered the interest of practically every black actress/singer in Hollywood. And who can blame them — heck, this is history in the making. Go Disney!

Set during the 1920s Jazz Age in New Orleans, The Frog Princess will be based on the classic fairytale and feature music from — who else — Randy Newman. Pic will also mark the first 2D Disney film since 2004’s Home on the Range, and hopes to tap into the spirit of the Broadway-style musicals that were so successful for the Mouse House throughout the late ’80s and ’90s. In addition, Ron Clements and John Musker (directors of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid) have been tapped to write and direct. The first images of Princess Maddy have already been released, and though it’s said to be early concept art, both pictures are in line with what you’d expect from an animated Disney Princess, in that she’s pretty and petite with not an ounce of fat on her. How do you feel about the film? Is it just me, or does it feel slightly odd that it’s 2007 and we’re actually celebrating the fact that a major studio has decided to create their first animated African-American princess? Is this something that should have been done years ago?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks are holding an AWESOME contest all this week on their "Dreamgirls - Live the Dream Sweepstakes", in which users submit videos of themselves delivering an a cappella performance of a song from the movie, as a promotion for the release of the "Dreamgirls" DVD on May 1st. Also up for grabs is a $5,000 "Dream Prize Package" and the winning videos will be viewed by Dreamgirls director Bill Condon and producer Laurence Mark.

Were I a less lazy individual, I might be tempted to bust out my holographic catsuit, tease my hair and force Wayne to don some kneepads and throw clouds of glitter around me, whilst I perform the version of "One Night Only" that I'm not supposed to like as much as I do. But don't let laziness stop you! Submit your videos! Do it now! Or Sanjaya will, and then we'll all be pissed when he somehow wins.

Filed under: Awards, Fandom, Oscar Watch, Monday Morning Poll

If I had to describe last night’s Oscar ceremony in one word, I’d have to go with ‘predictable.’ There were no real surprises, only a few minor “Oh, that was pretty cool” moments scattered amongst a slew of fairly boring, and fairly routine acceptance speeches. Judging by most of your comments, it seems the biggest snub came in the best supporting actor category when Eddie Murphy lost out to Alan Arkin. But c’mon, did you really think they were going to give one to Eddie? Heck, I was surpised Dreamgirls managed to score even two Oscars — the whole best song part was laughable. Are we sure no one put a curse on Bill Condon?

And what about Scorsese? Are we happy about that? Granted, The Departed was far from his best work, but it was nice to see him have a chance up there at the mic … even if he (and the rest of the cast) should have been up there at the end. Graham King standing by himself on stage to end the show was pretty — how shall I say — pathetic. If Little Miss Sunshine won, half the theater would have been on that stage. But, did the Oscars get anything right? Ellen played it safe, but she didn’t “Letterman” bomb. The rolling shadow-dancing was pretty cool, albeit a bit annoying early on. They let the acceptance speeches for the major awards go without bringing up the music. Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly made the night with their little song and dance routine. Leo looked good, Jack looked bald and no one mentioned Anna Nicole Smith … thank God.

So, I ask you: What were your favorite (and least favorite) highlights from last night’s Oscar ceremony?

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Awards, Paramount, Tom Cruise, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Oscar Watch

According to L.A. Weekly blogger Nikki Finke, there will be three presenters of the Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing. Those presenters? None other than Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Finke doesn’t go on to make assumptions, but I’ll go ahead and speculate that the planners of the telecast know something about who will win this award — or they’re making a hopeful gamble. Of course it will be great television to feature three of the most important “New Hollywood” directors hand a long overdue award to a fourth member of that era, Martin Scorsese. Personally, though, I think if Scorsese is a definite lock for the award, then Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Barry Levinson and Roman Polanski should be the ones presenting it.

Finke has learned of a few other “surprises” we can look forward to on Sunday night, including an appearance by Tom Cruise to present his old boss at Paramount, Sherry Lansing, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Also, the supporting acting awards will not be announced at the beginning of the ceremony, as they usually are, and none of the scheduled performers from Dreamgirls (Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose) will sing the song they sing in the movie — who will perform what is not revealed, however. As for montages, we can expect one directed by Michael Mann about the portrayal of America in movies and one directed by Nancy Meyers about the portrayal of writers.

It is being rumored that this year’s Oscar telecast will be extremely long, so hopefully the Academy and the planners have some other surprises that are more exciting than these. Of course, many of us will be glued to the set the whole way through to find out which picture will be revealed as the best, but I think the media is overestimating the public curiosity this year and I doubt that many people will really care enough to be up that late.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Music & Musicals, Dreamworks, Movie Marketing

Since its beginnings on Broadway in 1981, Dreamgirls has been widely known to be loosely based on the story of The Supremes. Of course, it isn’t actually about The Supremes, as should be obvious from the names of the characters and the difference in events between those characters and any real people who may have inspired them. Unfortunately, some people don’t think the differences are clear enough, or at least that the connections between the musical and the real world are too confusing for audiences. Therefore, Dreamworks has had to place an ad in The Hollywood Reporter apologizing for this confusion and clarifying that the movie is a work of fiction.

The ad especially points out that the character played by Jamie Foxx is not meant to be a representation of Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr. Earlier this month Smokey Robinson, who wrote many songs for The Supremes, slammed the movie for being a blatant, intended portrayal of The Supremes and Motown, saying that none of the characters are disguised enough as fictional, unconnected people. Though Foxx has defended his performance as not being based on Gordy, both Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson have publicly mentioned some channeling of Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, respectively.

Continue reading Dreamgirls Producers Put Bizarre ‘Apology’ Ad In Hollywod Reporter

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments