Dreamgirls -- anyone else have this experience?

That's almost like the Heisman trophy isn't it?

 

Jennifer Hudson is nice but most will agree if they saw the play, that Jennifer Holliday's singing of the song is much better. It's kind of like Whitney Houston's rendition of the greatest love of all. It's nice, but not better than the original sung by George Benson.

 

Is everyone saying this is the first time they've ever been in a movie theater where people clapped, or yelled at the screen, or cheered?

Seriously?

 

What's unusual is that they weren't cheering the hero saving the dog from the fire, they were cheering a performance by an actor in the middle of the film -- like she was actually performing in a play.

 

Ace, no need to explain to him.
If you get the chance to see the play, do so. I don't know if Jennifer Holliday is still performing but believe me, she'll blow circles around Jennifer Hudson singing "I'm not going."

 

But Ace, I've been in plenty of theaters where people cheered particularly dramatic speeches, or a particularly funny wisecrack.

And I'm sure I'll be ripped for saying this, but isn't there sort of an elephant in the room here? Isn't there a group of people in this country whose cultural tendency to yell at and clap at movie screens has been a good-natured punch line for 20 years?

 

The Jews?

 

I saw Dreamgirls on Broadway and saw Jennifer Holliday. In most great Broadway musical shows there is always a "showstopper" moment but seeing Jennifer Holliday do "I'm Not Going" was a powerful moment.

I'd say I have never seen people applaud in the middle of a movie, but there haven't been many great movie muscials in the past 20 years so people probably aren't used to seeing powerful musical numbers.

 

It was Season 3. Hudson was great, and the judges gave her due praise.

The problem was -- it was the season of the 3 Divas -- Fantasia, LaToya London (another phenomenal singer), and Hudson.

All black women. The theory was that they split the vote. My take is that there's an entire population of people in America who won't vote for a black person. They won't do it in a presidential election, and they won't do it for American Idol. And I say that because there was NO QUESTION those 3 women were the Top 3.

But after Hudson got rooked, then London got rooked... and we ended up with freakin' Diana Degarmo vs. Fantasia, which was bullshit.

But Hudson's turn on AI was very memorable. I think she did Elton John's "Circle of Life".... and I hate that song, and she hit it out of the park for me -- chills.

 

Well played, Ace.

 

I've never been in a theater where people clapped, yelled or anything during the movie.

Shot guns at the screen? Sure.

 

One of the few times I can remember people clapping at the screen was during the opening credits of "Signs" when Directed by Night came on the screen.