Jennifer Hudson Steals Dreamgirls From Beyonce

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MrsSpringsteen

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I have read/heard from other sources that this is the case. I like Beyonce, but that's really not fair to promote her over Jennifer and it looks like perhaps Beyonce's ego is getting a little comeuppance-if you believe stories such as this and others. Good for Jennifer, take that Simon...

I also read that Dreamgirls is having an early premiere in three or so cities at 25 dollars a ticket :ohmy:

NY Post

December 1, 2006 -- The much-buzzed about new "Dreamgirls" movie is overflowing with stars - Beyoncé! Eddie Murphy! Jamie Foxx! - but the biggest one is a name you've likely long forgotten.

Remember that one weird "American Idol" season a few years back where people started talking about issues of racism and the curvy girl with the amazing set of pipes got booted from the show early on?

Yeah, well, she just made Beyoncé look like a pretty extra.

Meet, once again won't you, Jennifer Hudson, the chills-inspiring, coast-to-coast ovation-getting new stunner who beat out 782 other hopefuls to play sidelined star Effie White, and inspired Oprah to say that listening to her sing was like "a religious experience . . . She makes the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up."

But even someone with the power to give Oprah religion can't stop Hollywood from being Hollywood. In a case of life imitating art, the breakout Hudson is being pushed aside for the fabulous Ms. Beyoncé.

Although the new Diana Ross and the Supremes-tinged movie is an ensemble cast, the Paramount/DreamWorks team behind the $70 million Christmas release has been pushing for Beyoncé in its Best Actress campaign in Variety trade ads, while the scene-stealing Hudson is relegated to Best Supporting Actress.

"It's clear from the early reviews that Jennifer Hudson is the star," says Fred Mwangaguhunga, editor of MediaTakeOut.com, an African-American gossip site. "And it's unfortunate that the producers can't go with that because she's a great story."

Jennifer Hudson is beyond a great story. She is the story. Like Effie, the character she plays in the movie who gets pushed aside for the gorgeous Deena (based, some would say, on Ross) played by Beyoncé, Hudson is the original underdog. In the movie, she is "the struggle character," notes hollywood-elsewhere.com columnist Jeffrey Wells.

"She's about being hurt and being pigeonholed and cast aside, partly because her character is a pain in the ass," he says. "But also because she's - not fat - but she's large."

In real life, Hudson could pen a lyric or two about being a "Survivor" herself. Booted from "American Idol" in 2004 amid controversy over the voting system, definitely a little bit too wide by Hollywood's standards, she is a former cruise ship entertainer, for crying out loud. And now she's on "Oprah" with Simon Cowell personally apologizing, almost begging, to boot? This kind of thing just doesn't happen.

Oh, but it gets better.

"From what we understand, Oprah personally called Jennifer Hudson on her performance, and that same call wasn't given to Beyoncé," says Mwangaguhunga. "Getting a call from Oprah is to most entertainers probably more important than getting a call from the president of the United States. It's someone letting you know that you've arrived."

It gets uglier still - as MediaTakeOut also reported that Beyoncé's father was livid about the final cut of the movie.

"Initially, the Deena part was pushed to Beyoncé because it was going to be her big acting debut," he says. "When Matthew Knowles saw the final cut he was really upset because it was as if they brought Beyoncé in just for star power. But at that point, there wasn't anything that could be done.

"If you look at it from Beyoncé's standpoint," he continues, "she's always been the star of whatever she's done. This is sort of a new situation, and she's not very comfortable with that role."

But no worries, Hollywood's not comfortable with it either. Even though critics are saying Hudson's performance makes Beyoncé look like just another pretty face - not at all bad, but just, you know, kind of eh - it is the flawless former Destiny's Child singer who is still commanding the marketing and Oscar blitz limelight.

"Beyoncé is not happening," Wells says. "Her character is barely there. She is all basically smiles. Nice singing. Beautiful. Obviously, you know, photogenic, nice stage presence, fluttering eyelashes, but there's not anything happening of an extraordinary nature. I'm not trying to snicker and say she's not good or anything. She's fine. But if we're talking superlatives, if we're talking your end-of-the-year kind of stuff, it's just OK."

Then again, like the jawdropping number in the movie when Hudson belts out "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," which has been inspiring standing ovations in early screenings, this too could end up being a moment of redemption for the former "Idol"-er. In a Best Actress category sure to be crowded by A-listers like Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren, throwing a newcomer like Hudson up in that competition would be akin to throwing her to the wolves.

"The art of campaigning for the Oscars is very, very complex," notes Martin Grove, a columnist with Hollywood Reporter Online. "You don't want to introduce to that group a complete newcomer. There's no way to control what the Academy does, but by positioning her for Best Supporting Actress it's very smart Oscar strategizing on the part of Paramount and DreamWorks. "She may have lost 'American Idol,' " Grove adds. "But she's definitely an American star."
 
Awww, Beyonce's not getting all the attention?

Boo-hoo, Knowles-y. Cry me a freaking river. And I LIKE you! Seriously. Humble up and be a bit gracious.
 
Just wanted to come back in and add that I'll definitely be going to see this - I can't wait to see Jennifer Hudson upstage Beyonce. :wink:
 
Did any of you catch the Oprah episode with the cast? Beyonce was brought out first, then later Jamie, then later Jennifer, the 3rd 'Dreamgirl' (don't recall her name) and then Eddie Murphy. They even had a part where they had Simon Cowell on tape talking about Jennifer, and that he was happy to be eating crow now, and Jennifer's performance of that one song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was great, and to watch for Oscar buzz. Cowell wanted to be thanked when Hudson won.
 
redkat said:
I saw the preview in the theater and I could swear Jennifer Hudson wasn't even listed in the few credits shown.

I don't think she was in the trailer I saw either -- just Jamie Foxx, Beyonce, and Eddie Murphy.
 
people.com

You can put those rumors of a feud on the set of Dreamgirls to rest. Beyoncé Knowles says that she and her costar Jennifer Hudson, of American Idol fame, didn't have bad blood while filming the movie.

"I knew that the character that I played wasn't the star," Knowles, 25, told reporters on Saturday about knowing full well that her Diana Ross-esque role of Deena Jones was less meaty than Hudson's part as Effie White – a part that is already getting Hudson Oscar buzz. "She wasn't the underdog. She didn't have the struggle and the pain and the dramatic scenes that Effie had, and I was fine with that."

Taking the role was about proving herself as an actress. "I'm already a star. I already have nine Grammys. Everyone knows I can sing," Knowles said. "I did this because I wanted people to know that I can act and I can play someone so different from myself."

So, what about the rumors of jealousy towards Hudson? "It's really unfortunate that everyone is saying I'm jealous of Jennifer. It hurts my heart because it's so clichéd. … They're saying that I'm mad when I knew going into this that I was playing Deena," said Knowles. "Because I'm a star they just automatically assume that I'm not humble enough to sit down and take a back seat, which I am."

But the R&B star did admit that she would have liked to have sung Effie's song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a showstopper that, in large part, helped get Jennifer Holliday a Tony Award for best actress for the original 1981 Broadway version of Dreamgirls.

"I mean," said Knowles, "I wish I could've gained 20 pounds and played Effie."

Asked if she'd really have packed on the weight for the part, Knowles said, "Yes. I absolutely would have, but Bill (Condon, the movie's writer-director) didn't even believe that I could be Deena. So imagine if I would've said, 'Bill, I want to be Effie.' "

And Knowles has high praise for Hudson's portrayal of Effie. "Jennifer Hudson had such a pressure, first of all, never being in a film and never have done an album and still having to live up to those expectations," said Knowles. "She did incredible."
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
people.com

You can put those rumors of a feud on the set of Dreamgirls to rest. Beyoncé Knowles says that she and her costar Jennifer Hudson, of American Idol fame, didn't have bad blood while filming the movie.

"I knew that the character that I played wasn't the star," Knowles, 25, told reporters on Saturday about knowing full well that her Diana Ross-esque role of Deena Jones was less meaty than Hudson's part as Effie White – a part that is already getting Hudson Oscar buzz. "She wasn't the underdog. She didn't have the struggle and the pain and the dramatic scenes that Effie had, and I was fine with that."

Taking the role was about proving herself as an actress. "I'm already a star. I already have nine Grammys. Everyone knows I can sing," Knowles said. "I did this because I wanted people to know that I can act and I can play someone so different from myself."

So, what about the rumors of jealousy towards Hudson? "It's really unfortunate that everyone is saying I'm jealous of Jennifer. It hurts my heart because it's so clichéd. … They're saying that I'm mad when I knew going into this that I was playing Deena," said Knowles. "Because I'm a star they just automatically assume that I'm not humble enough to sit down and take a back seat, which I am."

But the R&B star did admit that she would have liked to have sung Effie's song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a showstopper that, in large part, helped get Jennifer Holliday a Tony Award for best actress for the original 1981 Broadway version of Dreamgirls.

"I mean," said Knowles, "I wish I could've gained 20 pounds and played Effie."

Asked if she'd really have packed on the weight for the part, Knowles said, "Yes. I absolutely would have, but Bill (Condon, the movie's writer-director) didn't even believe that I could be Deena. So imagine if I would've said, 'Bill, I want to be Effie.' "

And Knowles has high praise for Hudson's portrayal of Effie. "Jennifer Hudson had such a pressure, first of all, never being in a film and never have done an album and still having to live up to those expectations," said Knowles. "She did incredible."


So much of that sounds so condecending on Beyonce's part.
 
I suppose one could interpret that as Beyonce saying that the main reason Jennifer got the part of Effie is that she is heavier. Maybe that's reading too much into her words, but..

People do love to create catty feuds amongst female celebrities even when they don't exist. Who knows, only they know for sure. Funny we aren't seeing stories like this about Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy.
 
If it's true that Beyonce's parents argued with the director that is unbelievable. I would think she is so embarrassed by her parents..

I saw Jennifer Hudson sing I'm Changing on the Today Show this week, it was amazing.

tmz.com

Beyonce's not creating the supposed catfight with "Dreamgirls" costar Jennifer Hudson – her daddy Matthew is.
Beyonce, Matthew Knowles, Jennifer Hudson
As E!'s Marc Malkin reports, during the filming of "Dreamgirls," the ever-overbearing Matthew tried to sign Hudson as a management client, only to rebuffed by the former "American Idol" contestant. Despite her rejection, Matthew went around telling people he'd been representing the breakout star.

What's more, after an early screening, both Matthew and B's mom (Tina) flipped over Hudson's screen time, arguing with writer/director Bill Condon that the flick needed to be recut and include more B and less J -- Condon refused.

Of course it's not the first time Matthew has gone ballistic over Beyonce. Back in June, when TMZ posted video of PETA confronting Beyonce over her fondness for fur, Matthew tried just about everything in his quiver to get it taken down. It didn't work.
 
So has anyone else seen this yet?

I saw it today and Jennifer Hudson blew me away. I told myself that her "I Am Telling You..." scene could never live up to all the hype, but man oh man, did it ever. Give that girl the Golden Globe and her Oscar nomination now.

I was even impressed with Beyonce. She's not much of an actress, but after hearing all about how she was the leak wink of the picture, I didn't think she was all that bad. The scene near the end where she's singing "Listen" was really great.

It dragged a bit towards the end, but overall very, very good. I've never been much of an Eddie Murphy fan, but he was fantastic as well.
 
fah said:
Jennifer Holliday :up:

I remember watching SNL and seeing her perform 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going' in the early 80s. I couldn't find the SNL clip but I found one from the 1982 Tony Awards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC_u_q-iND0

I have a mp3 from the broadway cast album :drool:. Love that song.

I'm going to see the movie tomorrow. My sister already saw it, said it was great, and is going to see it again with me :).
 
I liked it, the entire cast was good. It's true that Jennifer "steals" the movie from Beyonce-but part of that is inherent in the difference between their two characters. Beyonce certainly looks beautiful (however I like her better curvier and not as thin), but the movie fell noticeably flatter for me and was not as compelling when Jennifer was not on screen. She can act too.
 
I saw the movie last night and I was blown away by Jennifer Hudson. She was really amazing!(Acting and singing) Beyonce was great too but it's true what Mrs.Springsteen said, probably one of the reasons why people said that Jennifer stole the show was because of the character she played; it was emotional and you basically sympathized with that character. I was cheering her on throughout the movie. I thought the movie was awesome! The make-up and costumes were amazing!!!
 
i think part of the reason too as to why jennifer stole the movie from beyonce is jennifer's character, effie, was much more stronger than deena.
I agree. Deena was supposed to be a bit of a pushover, at least in the beginning. Effie's character was always louder and stronger. Deena grew a backbone, and I thought Beyonce did a good job with showing that.
 
I saw this the other night and my friend and I agreed it was just okay, nothing spectacular.

2 out of 5 popcorns.
 
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