Sunday, January 28, 2007

and I am telling you


FINALLY saw "Dreamgirls" today and it did me right. Beyonce is a stunner, people are giving her shit, but the casting is spot on (there are times when she looks and sounds a helluva lot like Miss Diana--albeit much more beautiful and talented).

And Jennifer Hudson NAILS it. She really deserves the awards and the praise because she has the talent and she is a fucking *natural* (American Idol "reject"!?) She is sassy, magnetic and spectacular on the big screen and she brings the goods: singing the powerhouse "And I Am Telling You" she gave me chills and made me (and my papa) blubber like lil' babes. Whew. Hard shoes to fill...Jennifer Holiday's legendary performance of it (if you have 6 minutes, it's worth looking up on YouTube) is usually thought to be untouchable, but Hudson makes it her own and *delivers*. I never knew the story of "Dreamgirls" (very close to the real story of the Supremes) and seeing the Jennifer number in its context-- a crazy mix of desperation and assertion of strength and control-- really made it that much more powerful and affecting. That is some heavy, raw, emotive shit for the big screen...I am telling you.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

yay! thanks for the new post ... j-mo

Alexa said...

I couldn't stop crying during her moment.