Lmao @ them cutting out Jennifer Hudson’s stomach.

The movie comes out on DVD on May 1st. Pre-order it now!.

There were a few off notes toward the end but other than that–do yo’ thang, honey!

Congratulations to Jennifer Hudson for winning her well-deserved Oscar for Dreamgirls, and pulling off a great performance during the ceremony. I was disappointed they didn’t do “It’s All Over” and “And I Am Telling You”, but the medley they did of the nominated songs was great. As expected, Jennifer and Anika made Beyonce sound like a hummingbird. Wonder how Matthew Knowles feels about his daughter losing out on an Oscar to an amateur actress/American Idol reject, and getting reduced to a common back up singer in the performance. Beyonce looked genuinely happy for Jennifer, but the look on Papa Knowles’ face when J. Hud became an Academy Award winner was priceless. Watch her speech now.

I must say though, as much as I hate on Beyawnce, she looked gorgeous last night. Her dress on the red carpet and her performance dress were some of the best of the night. She was probably the best right behind Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett, and Naomi Watts.

Here’s their performance:

I was both shocked and pissed that Eddie Murphy lost the Oscar to Alan Arkin. The Supporting Actor category was a weak one this year, and Eddie’s performance in Dreamgirls was not only the best of his career, but far above the other nominated performances. Some are speculating Norbit hurt his chances. I think it has more to do with him being a comedic actor. It’s sad really.

Either way, Eddie Murphy and his date Tracey Edmonds left the ceremony promptly after he lost.

I was glad Martin Scorcese finally got his Oscar, and that The Departed won Best Picture. I would’ve killed myself if Babel was named the best film of the year. Very happy that Helen got hers, though it would’ve been interesting to see an upset in that category, and then of course as expected, Forest Whitaker took home his Oscar gold for his haunting performance in The Last King of Scotland.

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In non-awards related news, Justin Timberlake’s new movie Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson is releasing soon, and I guess they need serious promotion so they have leaked the sex scene from the film to the internet. They would’ve been better off not leaking it at all, because at least you could’ve imagined seeing something hot and would’ve gone to see the movie out of curiousity. Instead, you’re just disappointed.

You don’t get to see anything interesting (sorry, no Justin booty), and the sex is over after like 15 seconds. Almost as boring as Beyonce performing a ballad.

Either way, if you wanna see the scene, you can view it here.

We all know J Hud’s gonna take home the Oscar tonight. She’s won every other award under the sun, and the competition is weak. So in honor of what I know will be her first Oscar at tonight’s telecast, I bring you the amazingness that is Jennifer Hudson.

Good luck tonight Jennifer and Eddie!

Apparently the cast of Dreamgirls, including Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, and Keith Robinson, are slated to perform a medley at the Oscars. I’m pretty sure there’s only two songs all of them sing together in the movie, one of which sucks, and the other is “It’s All Over”, the song that comes right before “I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”. Which means….J Hud’s going to blow your fucking WIGS off, bitches! Get that Oscar, girl!
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The gays are about to start a revolution in hip-hop, and bring homosexuality to the forefront of the rap genre. Time will tell if this community will be in any way accepting of these performers–gay rappers have been trying to make it in the business for years, unsuccessfully. I remember seeing a Logo special about some of these rappers a while back, and it was pretty interesting. With the Tim Hardaway mess sparking debate about the acceptance of homosexuality in the African-American community, this might be the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot.
***
In Desperate Housewives news, Marc Cherry confirmed what I already knew anyway based on what Eva Longoria told us a while back, that Desperate Housewives will have a 7 year maximum run, and will end in 2011. He apparently got a deal where he is being paid well over 15 million dollars for the entire series run, which is more than what Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy is getting paid for the remainder of his show’s run on F/X.

Additionally, my favorite Housewives star Marcia Cross gave birth to two healthy twin babies on Tuesday, and her reps say both her and the babies are doing perfectly fine. They named them Eden and Savannah (they were both girls). Can’t wait to see you back on Housewives next season Marcia!
***
In other ABC related news, apparently a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off is in the works that will star Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (played by the lovely and talented Kate Walsh). The two-hour pilot is likely to air in May. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Taye Diggs is slated to star opposite Walsh, as Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd is on the verge of leaving Seattle Grace.

I love Addison and I love Kate, so I think it’d be a great idea. I just don’t think I have any more room in my Tivo.

***
Katharine McPhee is hosting TRL all this week to promote her self-entitled debut album and her new song and video “Over It”, but she also managed to pencil in some time to sit on Tyra’s couch and it resulted in this crazy picture that’s turning heads.

Katharine’s appearance on the Tyra show will be airing on February 27th. Tune in if you wanna live vicariously through Tyra’s hands or Katharine’s boobies.

***

Christina Aguilera opened the North American leg of her Back to Basics tour last night in Dallas, Texas to a 95% sold out stadium, and she’s received rave reviews.

The Houston Chronicle said “If Madonna is still the mother of reinvention, Christina Aguilera is the prodigal daughter. Aguilera is no mere copycat. She takes essential pieces from other performers, other sounds, other eras and blends them into her own sexy style. A fantastic horn section and backing singers supported her every riff. While her former teen-queen counterparts have languished as tabloid fodder (bald Britney, jittery Jessica), Aguilera has emerged as the one true heir to the pop-queen throne.”

I’m hoping I can go to the Madison Square Garden show, but I must find someone to take with me first. Anybody?

It happened guys! Jennifer Hudson won herself a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Now I just need her to win that damn Oscar! And how many did Miss Overexposed double nominee Beyonce win? Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not even the one she and her daddy were EXPECTING to win, Best Original Song–which went to Prince, a no-show (at the time–he showed up later).

After all that talk of how you lost 20 pounds, worked with an acting coach for 6 months, how you’ve always dreamed of an Oscar since you were a little girl, how your first choreographer TOLD you you were meant to play Deena, and how different you and Deena are from each other, you still walked away from the Golden Globes with egg all over your face.

Maybe she actually did win and they decided to change their minds at the last minute because she showed up looking like New York from Flavor of Love. This is the Golden Globes, honey, not the VMAs. You don’t show up in a dress you bought from Drag Queens ‘R’ Us and 10 different weaves in your damn head. Class it up a little.

Here’s video of Jennifer’s emotional speech. Girl had me cryin’.

Meryl Streep took the award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy/Musical for her fantastic portrayal of Miranda Priestly (cough, Anna Wintour, cough) in huge blockbuster hit The Devil Wears Prada, and ended her hilarious speech with her signature line from the movie, “That’s all.” Helen Mirren took the lead award in the drama category for her performance in The Queen, Forest Whitaker and Sacha Baron Cohen took the Best Lead Actor awards for Drama and Comedy/Musical respectively.

Whitaker was expected, and is expected to win the Oscar as well, and Cohen’s only competition in the category was probably Ferrell or Eckhart, though both weak. This win gives Cohen better odds at nabbing an Oscar nomination, though the fact that he was snubbed at the SAG awards isn’t a good sign. We’ll see how it turns out.

Babel managed to beat out The Departed and The Queen for an undeserved win in the Best Motion Picture Drama category. For whatever reason, the Globes were way up Babel’s ass, as they also gave it a win for Best Director. Babel is honestly one of the most overrated films I’ve seen in years, and I can honestly say that every single film it was up against in that category deserved it more.

It’s no surprise, Dreamgirls edged out The Devil Wears Prada, Little Miss Sunshine, and Borat for a win in the Best Motion Picture Comedy/Musical category, cementing it as an even bigger Oscar contender than people thought before. It looks like Dreamgirls and The Departed are gonna be battling it out for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Over in the Television field, it was a good night for Ugly Betty. The new hit ABC comedy won Best Comedy Series as well as took home the Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for its star America Ferrera. I was disappointed the brilliant Marcia Cross didn’t take home the award, but she wouldn’t have been there to accept anyway, and America is great on Ugly Betty.

Grey’s Anatomy won for Best Drama Series even though Katharine Heigl (my favorite cast member) lost to the very deserving Kyra Sedgwick in the Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Closer.

You can view a full list of last night’s winners here.

The 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced this morning by previous SAG Award winners Sandra Oh and Elijah Wood. There were a few surprises that snuck in as well as some major snubs.

The Brad Pitt/Cate Blanchett film Babel garnered the most nominations out of all the motion pictures, with three nods–one being for Best Ensemble.

HBO drama The Sopranos dominated the television categories with three nominations, more than any other series–including a Best Ensemble nod, as well as nods for both lead actors, Edie Falco and James Gandolfini.

There was a tie in the Female Actor In A Comedy Series category, so there are 6 nominees there instead of the normal five.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio / BLOOD DIAMOND – Archer - Warner Bros. Pictures
Ryan Gosling / HALF NELSON – Dan Dunne - THINKFilm
Peter O’Toole / VENUS – Maurice - Miramax Films
Will Smith / THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS – Chris Gardner - Sony Pictures
Forest Whitaker / THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND – Idi Amin - Fox Searchlight Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Penelope Cruz / VOLVER – Raimunda - Sony Pictures Classics
Judi Dench / NOTES ON A SCANDAL – Barbara Covett - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Helen Mirren / THE QUEEN – The Queen - Miramax Films.
Meryl Streep / THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – Miranda Priestly - 20th Century Fox
Kate Winslet / LITTLE CHILDREN – Sarah Pierce - New Line Cinema

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin / LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE – Grandpa Fox Searchlight Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio / THE DEPARTED – Billy Warner Bros. Pictures
Jackie Earle Haley / LITTLE CHILDREN – Ronnie J. McGorvey New Line Cinema
Djimon Hounsou / BLOOD DIAMOND – Solomon Warner Bros. Pictures
Eddie Murphy / DREAMGIRLS – James “Thunder” Early Paramount Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Adriana Barraza / BABEL – Amelia - Paramount Vantage
Cate Blanchett / NOTES ON A SCANDAL – Sheba Hart - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Abigail Breslin / LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE – Olive - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Jennifer Hudson / DREAMGIRLS – Effie White - Paramount Pictures
Rinko Kikuchi / BABEL – Chieko - Paramount Vantage

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
BABEL - Paramount Vantage
Adriana Barraza - Amelia
Cate Blanchett - Susan
Gael García Bernal - Santiago
Rinko Kikuchi - Chieko
Brad Pitt - Richard
Kôji Yakusho - Yasujiro

BOBBY - The Weinstein Company
Harry Belafonte - Nelson
Joy Bryant - Patricia
Nick Cannon - Dwayne
Emilio Estevez - Tim Fallon
Laurence Fishburne - Edward Robinson
Brian Geraghty - Cooper
Heather Graham - Angela
Anthony Hopkins - John Casey
Helen Hunt - Samantha
Joshua Jackson - Wade
David Krumholtz - Phil
Ashton Kutcher - Fisher
Shia LaBoeuf - Jimmy
Lindsay Lohan - Diane
William H. Macy - Paul
Svetlana Metkina - Lenka Janacek
Demi Moore - Virginia Fallon
Freddy Rodriguez - José
Martin Sheen - Jack
Christian Slater - Timmons
Sharon Stone - Miriam
Jacob Vargas - Miguel
Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Susan Taylor
Elijah Wood - William

THE DEPARTED - Warner Bros. Pictures
Anthony Anderson - Brown
Alec Baldwin - Ellerby
Matt Damon - Colin
Leonardo DiCaprio - Billy
Vera Farmiga - Madolyn
Jack Nicholson - Costello
Martin Sheen - Queenan
Mark Wahlberg - Dignam
Ray Winstone - Mr. French

DREAMGIRLS - Paramount Pictures
Jamie Foxx - Curtis Taylor, Jr.
Danny Glover - Marty Madison
Jennifer Hudson - Effie White
Beyoncé Knowles - Deena Jones
Eddie Murphy - James “Thunder” Early
Keith Robinson - C.C. White
Anika Noni Rose - Lorrell Robinson

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Alan Arkin - Grandpa
Abigail Breslin - Olive
Steve Carell - Frank
Toni Collette - Sheryl
Paul Dano - Dwayne
Greg Kinnear - Richard

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Thomas Haden Church / BROKEN TRAIL – Tom Harte - AMC
Robert Duvall / BROKEN TRAIL – Print Ritter - AMC
Jeremy Irons / ELIZABETH I – Earl of Leicester - HBO
William H. Macy / NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES – Clyde Umney - TNT
Matthew Perry / THE RON CLARK STORY – Ron Clark - TNT

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Annette Bening / MRS. HARRIS – Jean Harris - HBO
Shirley Jones / HIDDEN PLACES – Aunt Batty - Hallmark Channel
Cloris Leachman / MRS. HARRIS – Tarnower’s Sister - HBO
Helen Mirren / ELIZABETH I – Elizabeth I - HBO
Greta Scacchi / BROKEN TRAIL – Nola Johns - AMC

O utstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini / THE SOPRANOS – Tony Soprano - HBO
Michael C. Hall / DEXTER – Dexter Morgan - Showtime
Hugh Laurie / HOUSE – Dr. Gregory House - FOX
James Spader / BOSTON LEGAL – Alan Shore - ABC
Kiefer Sutherland / 24 – Jack Bauer - FOX

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette / MEDIUM – Allison Dubois - NBC
Edie Falco / THE SOPRANOS – Carmela Soprano - HBO
Mariska Hargitay / LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT – Det. Olivia Benson - NBC
Kyra Sedgwick / THE CLOSER – Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson - TNT
Chandra Wilson / GREY’S ANATOMY – Dr. Miranda Bailey - ABC

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin / 30 ROCK – Jack Donaghy - NBC
Steve Carell / THE OFFICE – Michael Scott - NBC
Jason Lee / MY NAME IS EARL – Earl Hicke - NBC
Jeremy Piven / ENTOURAGE – Ari Gold - HBO
Tony Shalhoub / MONK – Adrian Monk - USA

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera / UGLY BETTY – Betty Suarez - ABC
Felicity Huffman / DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES – Lynette - ABC
Julia Louis-Dreyfus / THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE – Christine Campbell - CBS
Megan Mullally / WILL & GRACE – Karen Walker - NBC
Mary-Louise Parker / WEEDS – Nancy Botwin - Showtime
Jaime Pressly / MY NAME IS EARL – Joy - NBC

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
24 - FOX
Jayne Atkinson - Karen Hayes
Jude Ciccolella - Mike Novic
Roger Cross - Curtis Manning
Gregory Itzin - Charles Logan
Louis Lombardi - Edgar Stiles
James Morrison - Bill Buchanan
Glenn Morshower - Aaron Pierce
Mary Lynn Rajskub - Chloe O’Brian
Kim Raver - Audrey Raines
Jean Smart - Martha Logan
Kiefer Sutherland - Jack Bauer

BOSTON LEGAL - ABC
Rene Auberjonois - Paul Lewiston
Candice Bergen - Shirley Schmidt
Craig Bierko - Jeffrey Coho
Julie Bowen - Denise Bauer
William Shatner - Denny Crane
James Spader - Alan Shore
Mark Valley - Brad Chase

DEADWOOD - HBO
Jim Beaver - Ellsworth
Powers Boothe - Cy Tolliver
Sean Bridgers - Johnny Burns
W. Earl Brown - Dan Dority
Dayton Callie - Charlie Utter
Brian Cox - Jack Langrishe
Kim Dickens - Joanie Stubbs
Brad Dourif - Doc Cochran
Anna Gunn - Martha Bullock
John Hawkes - Sol Starr
Jeffrey Jones - A.W. Merrick
Paula Malcomson - Trixie
Gerald McRaney - George Hearst
Ian McShane - Al Swearengen
Timothy Olyphant - Seth Bullock
Molly Parker - Alma Garret
Leon Rippy - Tom Nuttall
William Sanderson - E.B. Farnum
Brent Sexton - Harry Young
Bree Seanna - WallSofia Metz
Robin Weigert - Calamity Jane
Titus Welliver - Silas Adam

GREY’S ANATOMY - ABC
Justin Chambers - Alex Karev
Eric Dane - Mark Sloan
Patrick Dempsey - Derek Shepherd
Katherine Heigl - Isobel “Izzie” Stevens
T.R. Knight - George O’Malley
Sandra Oh - Cristina Yang
James Pickens, Jr. - Richard Webber
Ellen Pompeo - Meredith Grey
Sara Ramirez - Callie Torres
Kate Walsh - Addison Montgomery Shepherd
Isaiah Washington - Preston Burke
Chandra Wilson - Miranda Bailey

THE SOPRANOS - HBO
Sharon Angela - Rosalie Aprile
Lorraine Bracco - Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Max Casella - Benny Fazio
Dominic Chianese - Corrado “Junior” Soprano
Edie Falco Carmela - Soprano
James Gandolfini - Tony Soprano
Joseph R. Gannascoli - Vito Spatafore
Dan Grimaldi - Patsy Parisi
Robert Iler - Anthony Soprano, Jr.
Michael Imperioli - Christopher Moltisanti
Steven R. Schirripa - Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri
Jamie Lynn Sigler - Meadow Soprano
Tony Sirico - Paulie “Walnuts” Gaultieri
Aida Turturro - Janice Soprano-Baccalieri
Steven Van Zandt - Silvio Dante
Frank Vincent - Phil Leotardo

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - ABC
Andrea Bowen - Julie Mayer
Mehcad Brooks - Matthew Applewhite
Ricardo Antonio Chavira - Carlos Solis
Marcia Cross - Bree Hodge
James Denton - Mike Delfino
Teri Hatcher - Susan Mayer
Josh Henderson - Austin McCann
Zane Huett - Parker Scavo
Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo
Kathryn Joosten - Mrs. McCluskey
Nashawn Kearse - Caleb Applewhite
Brent Kinsman - Preston Scavo
Shane Kinsman - Porter Scavo
Joy Lauren - Danielle Van De Kamp
Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis
Kyle MacLachlan - Orson Hodge
Laurie Metcalf - Carolyn Bigsby
Shawn Pyfrom - Andrew Van De Kamp
Doug Savant - Tom Scavo
Dougray Scott - Ian Hainsworth
Nicollette Sheridan - Edie Britt
Brenda Strong - Mary Alice Young
Kiersten Warren - Nora
Alfre Woodard - Betty Applewhite

ENTOURAGE - HBO
Kevin Connolly - Eric Murphy
Kevin Dillon - Drama
Jerry Ferrara - Turtle
Adrian Grenier - Vincent Chase
Rex Lee - Lloyd
Debi Mazar - Shauna
Jeremy Piven- Ari Gold
Perrey Reeves - Mrs. Ari

THE OFFICE - NBC
Leslie David Baker - Stanley Hudson
Brian Baumgartner - Kevin Malone
Steve Carell - Michael Scott
David Denman - Roy Anderson
Jenna Fischer - Pam Beesly
Kate Flannery - Meredith Palmer
Melora Hardin - Jan Levinson
Mindy Kaling - Kelly Kapoor
Angela Kinsey - Angela Martin
John Krasinski - Jim Malpert
Paul Lieberstein - Toby Flenderson
B.J. Novak - Ryan Howard
Oscar Nunez - Oscar Martinez
Phyllis Smith - Phyllis Lapin
Rainn Wilson - Dwight Schrute

UGLY BETTY - ABC
Alan Dale - Bradford Meade
America Ferrera - Betty Suarez
Mark Indelicato - Justin
Ashley Jensen - Christina
Eric Mabius - Daniel Meade
Becki Newton - Amanda
Ana Ortiz - Hilda
Tony Plana - Ignacio
Kevin Sussman - Walter
Michael Urie - Marc
Vanessa Williams - Wilhelmina Slater

WEEDS - SHOWTIME
Martin Donovan - Peter Scottson
Alexander Gould - Shane Botwin
Justin Kirk - Andy Botwin
Romany Malco - Conrad Shepard
Kevin Nealon - Doug Wilson
Mary-Louise Parker - Nancy Botwin
Hunter Parrish - Silas Botwin
Tonye Patano - Heylia Jones
Elizabeth Perkins- Celia Hodes

Screen Actors Guild Awards 43rd Annual Life Achievement Award
Julie Andrews

I’m extremely disappointed that yet again, Marcia Cross has been snubbed, but at the same time–the series has not really focused on her character this year, and seeing as how there was a tie in that category, it seems it was particularly competitive.

Also snubbed this year, is Golden Globe nominee Sacha Baron Cohen, who was hilarious in Borat. It may be that because the voting pool here is nothing but actors, that they simply just didn’t take him seriously enough. I mean, just look at the Male Actor In A Leading Role category. There are NO comedic performances.

I already knew this would happen anyway, as those I know who are very knowledgeable about the Oscars already told me that the rules only allowed for three statuettes, but now it’s set in stone: Beyonce Knowles will not win an Oscar.

Chances are already slimmed to none that her average performance in Dreamgirls will get her even a nomination at the Academy Awards, but a win is off the table. Going up against Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep? Honey, I think not. So getting a win for Best Original Song, for her “contribution” to Listen was the only way Matthew Knowles was going to get his clutches on a golden statue this year. Unfortunately for him, Beyonce not only can’t win, she can’t even be nominated. She’s disqualified. L.A. Times’ Gold Derby Columnis Tom O’Neil explains:

You can not only forget about Beyonce Knowles winning an Oscar for best actress this year. (If you haven’t heard, a certain ingenue keeps upstaging her throughout “Dreamgirls.” And in the race for best comedy/musical actress, she’s up against a real devil — Meryl Streep — who knows a lot about winning Globes.)

Now it looks like Beyonce won’t win as a songwriter either — for “Listen,” one of the original new tunes added to the original Broadway score. Officially, she’s listed as one of the song’s four writers, but the motion-picture academy only permits three names — max — as a credit. To see the specific language of its Rule 16 — CLICK HERE!

The Oscars’ songwriting branch has decided to qualify Henry Krieger, Anne Preven and Scott Cutler. No explanation is given for why Beyonce is excluded over the others. Is this just one of those cases of where the singer insisted upon having her name added to credits as part of her performance deal? Beyonce says “No!” In media interviews, she’s often said that she was truly involved in its songwriting. Apparently, not to the extent as her three collaborators.

Like Tom says later in the post though, she IS still eligible to win at the Golden Globes if Listen does in fact end up winning. The Globes have no such rule.

Paramount bought the rights to produce a film version of the hit Broadway musical Dreamgirls back in the 80s, but it's taken this long for the project to actually come to fruition. Maybe they were waiting for the right director, maybe they were waiting for the right talent or time, or maybe it was just difficult to convince someone a movie about three black girls pursuing their dreams would sell to the mainstream public. But even if it is many years later, fans of the original show are no less delighted that the legendary production has finally made its way to the big screen.

The movie doesn't actually come out until Christmas day nationwide, but I was lucky enough to catch one of the $25 roadshow screenings in New York city, complete with costume pieces, a program and mini-poster, the works. Being in a room full of people who obviously really wanted to see the movie enhanced the moviegoing experience, especially for a film like this which is built to be an audience pleaser. People clapped, danced, sang along if they knew the words, and cheered on the stars of the movie, who obviously were not there to hear the lavish applause.

It's often difficult going in to view a film that's been so ridiculously hyped, because it's unlikely that the movie will ever meet your expectations, and this case was no exception to the rule. The story revolves around three young black girls in Detroit with aspirations of being a famous singing girl group a la The Supremes. Many people on the record have claimed the film is not based on The Supremes, but it's been made obvious time and time again that it clearly is. Though one of the members of the group recently appeared on Access Hollywood stating the movie does not accurately portray Diana Ross–the real person was much worse. Ouch.

Nonetheless, the film is essentially centered around Effie White, who is clearly the most talented of the three girls as made clear by one of the early numbers where newcomer Jennifer Hudson (think third season of American Idol) sings her face off while the other girls stand behind her singing Oohs and Ahhs. Singing "Oohs and Ahhs" is something Effie later claims she doesn't do once approached by sly as a snake manager Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx), who offers them a chance to sing back-up for a male singer. The girls eventually convince Effie to do it, as it could lead to them hitting it big, and she reluctantly obliges once Curtis butters her up a bit.

The girls eventually end up recording a minor hit, but right before it gets big, a white artist covers their song, and it rockets up the pop charts–making it impossible for the Dreamettes' version to continue climbing. Curtis and Effie develop a relationship along the way, whilst Lorelle, played by Tony winner Anika Noni Rose falls for Eddie Murphy's character James "Thunder" Early–a James Brown-like R&B singer that refuses to water down his soulful and funky music to appeal to white audiences.

The pivotal moment in the film comes half way through, when after Effie has been bumped down from the lead singer and replaced by the prettier but less talented Deena (Beyonce Knowles), she then gets completely knocked out of the group–and also realizes Curtis is sleeping with Deena. This is when Jennifer belts out the most mind-blowing musical number I've seen on the screen since Barbra Stresand's heartbreaking "My Man" in Funny Girl. "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" is surreal.

All the musical numbers in this movie are great, but this one will have your spine tingling, your bones chilling, your hairs raised, and all the wigs flying. Aside from just the incredible vocal performance Hudson gives on the song, the emotional, powerful, and gutwrenching performance she gives on the screen is indescribable. In a theater packed full of hundreds of eager New Yorkers who all paid $25 a ticket, there were people throwing their hands up, clapping and cheering mid-song, and even jumping out of their seats to give Hudson a standing ovation at the end of the number. Throughout the entire movie, Hudson gives a surprisingly riveting performance. She nails Effie in every sense of the word–without even looking like a beginner. Her attitude oozes off the screen and right into your lap, and you love her for it. She might as well clear space on her shelf for her Oscar now.

Hudson and Murphy are clearly the standouts in this film, and should garner many awards and accollades for giving magnetic and scene-stealing performances in a film bigger than both of them. Unfortunately, the same raves cannot be given to the other actors, or the film as a whole. The good screenwriters in Hollywood must be on a strike, because along with The Pursuit of Happyness and Bobby, the biggest flaw in Dreamgirls is the script–and thus the actors are what make the movie. None of the characters are developed well enough, and the only character to have even close the appropriate amount of characterization is Lorelle, which is probably more a testament to the actress' ample abilities than to Bill Condon (Chicago) who wrote and directed the film.

Even the character who is bound to be the audience favorite, Effie White, lacks emotional depth and dimensions. We kind of understand Effie's actions based on the surrounding circumstances, but we don't get to see anything more of her than what is there at face value (the same can be said for all the characters)–and if we had, it would've made "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" that much more poignant.

Eddie Murphy is a complete riot all throughout the film, sans the grim third act which is all but funny. This is honestly the performance of his career. Through his energetic moves, hip thrusts and turns, excellent singing and red-blooded charisma, Murphy is captivating every moment he's on screen. He and Hudson are really rich icing on a cake that's missing many of its key ingredients.

Ironically, the movie's two biggest stars, Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles, are the weak links in the film. Foxx's one-note performance is reminiscent of a made-for-tv movie, and his singing is near embarassing–which is interesting because he is a singer. When Eddie Murphy is outsinging you, the professional musician, you know there's a problem. Given that this is Hudson's first film, it makes no sense that she would give a more committed, nuanced performance than Miss Knowles, who we've seen grace the screen before, and unsuccessfully.

Knowles, like many bad actors, think it's enough to just show up and say your lines. Though her character Deena is supposed to be quite dull, that doesn't excuse being stiff and lost. You look at her face while she's saying her lines and while the other actors are speaking and it's like looking into the eyes of a porcelain doll. It's really pretty, but there's nothing there. Even the one moment in the film when Deena steps up and takes charge–Beyonce cheesily takes a puff of her cigarette and spouts out something that would've been sassy, had she worked a little harder at challenging herself as an actress.

Despite being as mediocre as expected for most of the movie, there is one number newly created for the film called "Listen" in Act II that Beyonce hits out of the park. She completely caught me off guard, and nearly had me shaking with the intensity of her performance. The vocals aside, she truly felt and portrayed the emotion on the track, and for the first time in the entire film got cheers from the audience for nailing the number. If only she had been in the moment like this for the rest of the movie.

The costumes, make-up, lighting, and cinematography are all gorgeous, and some great performers make this film worth going to see the film. The surprisingly sloppy script and directing from mega-talented Condon keep it from being a one-two knockout.

Beyonce visited TRL on December 19, to of course promote Dreamgirls (which I saw a few days ago btw–review to come), and when asked about if she had prepared an acceptance speech, she replied that it wasn’t her time–and said that Meryl Streep deserves to win. Nice, and true…but honestly it seems more like something her daddy told her to say so she comes across as humble.

Here’s the interview by the way.