Recently in Musicals Category

When and if a big-screen version of "Sunset Boulevard" is made, it appears that Glenn Close, who won a Tony for her performance as Norma Desmond on Broadway, would play the lead.I just read all of this on AfterEllen.com which I do not check enough and shgould because it is filled with goodies. The site had previosuly had a poll and its readers agreed that Close was the best choice with 55 percent picking her over Meryl Streep (27 percent) and Barbra Streisand (18 percent). I'm sure Babs isn't interested but I would think Streep would also be an excellent choice.
But if I could cast the role? I'd give it to the great Patti LuPone who originated the role on the London stage but was dumped before the Broadway run (which she was contracted to do) in favor of Close who had triumphed in the Los Angeles production.
LuPone deserved better.

This was a real treat. New Line Cinema's big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Hairspray" translates well into a feature film and made me all but forget the original 1988 film about star struck teens on a local Baltimore dance show that launched it all. This movie is full of energy, wonderful music and dancing and has a strong and clear message about diversity.
While I could not wait to see "Dreamgirls" last year, I was a bit more casual about "Hairspray" even though I had enjoyed the show when it was at the Pantages in LA a few years back. My pal Jim Key joined me for a screening last night at The ArcLight and a man and a woman approached us and asked if the seats next to me were available. It was Sam Harris, who played my favorite character of Perry Pearl on CBS' now-cancelled "The Class" which I still mourn. So Sam sits down next to me and without hesitation I start doing Perry Pearl lines. I say: "When life gives you lemons..." And in unison we say: "Make Chicken Picatta!" We dissolve in laughter. Jim looks confused as does Sam's friend, the actress Bridget Moynahan - pregnant and beautiful.
I told Sam how much I miss Perry and he said: 'I miss Perry too."

Anyway, back to the movie: I loved it from the first frame to the last. I want the soundtrack, I want to see it again, it's gonna make gobs of money at the box office.
I wasn't sure how the casting of John Travolta as Edna would work out but the man who made us swoon in the 70s musicals "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease" can add a very different musical triumph to his resume. He is great fun in the role, totally gives himself over to it, and I gotta say, you kinda forget it's John Travolta after awhile. And how he dances so well in that fat suit, I'll never know. But he shines.

So does Michelle Pfeiffer as the racist, stage mother, station manager who is the real villian in the piece. My friend Jim didn't even realize it was Pfeiffer until the credits. She nails the role and does a great job as the evil one in this battle of good vs. evil.
And then there is Latifah who is a Queen. She should be a paret of all movie musicals in the near future as she follows up her Oscar-nominated performance in "Chicago" with a heckuva turn here.

We also loved the oh-so-handsome James Marsden who showed that he can sing and dance as well as be absolutely adorable. The younger crowd should also embrace this movie what with the castings of Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Britney Snow and Elijah Kelly. Look for some funny moments from Allison Janney as a Christian wacko mother of Amanda Bynes character.

But, let's face it, the film absolutely could not work if the role of the loveable, brave and spirited Tracy Turnblad isn't spot-on. In newcomer Nikki Blonsky, we have our Tracy. She is a wonder. She dances up a storm with utter self-belief and abandon and she doesn't see the world in black and white or fat and thin. She sees things in terms of right and wrong. Blacks should be able to dance on the show with whites, chubby girls should be able to win the Miss Hairspray contest if they deserve to. Her character works to shatter the social norms of the day and Blonsky makes you believe in her every step of the way.

Jerry Herman, the lyricist-composer of such legendary Broadway hits as "Hello, Dolly!" "Mame" and "La Cage Aux Folles," is being honored in LA tonight at The Actors Fund's annual Tony Awards bash and did an interview with LA's INMagazine to mark the ocassion.
The best parts are when he dishes about the widely criticized castings of Lucille Ball in "Mame" and Barbra Streisand in "Hello, Dolly!" when big-screen movies were made of the hit stage musicals.
Lucy was in her early 60s and ending her 20-plus year run in sitcoms when she took on the plum role of Mame Dennis. Says Herman: "I love Lucille Ball, but that casting was such a mistake. Can you imagine the film if Angela [Lansbury, who played the role on Broadway] had done it? It would have been a remarkable piece of work."
Herman, of course, had wanted "Dolly!" to star Carol Channing who had been the toast of Broadway in the part of Doly Levi that instead went to a red-hot Streisand who had just triumphed in "Funny Girl." Looking back though, Herman said of Streisand in the movie: 'Those songs had never been sung so beautifully...I saw it last year at the Egyptian in a special showing, with all the modern equipment, and I sat with an audience that laughed and laughed and was moved, and really appreciated that film. I think Barbra did an amazing job, knowing in her heart that she was not right for the role, but making it her own. I think time wll be kind to that film."

I don't know who is who. Maybe you can figure it out. The cast includes John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Allison Janney, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken and James Marsden and Nicole Blonsky.

Sometimes, you just can't be everywhere at once. For the past three years, this is the week that I have been in Las Vegas covering the ShoWest Convention. I was there when Brad and Angelina walked out on stage about 10 feet from each other a few years ago to try and not look like they were a couple (yeah, right). Al Gore was there last year to push "An Inconvenient Truth" which I skipped to see some creepy movie called "Hard Candy." It was at ShoWest where I watched a Thomas Jane movie ("The Stander") with Thomas Jane sitting right in front of me, blocking my view of a Thomas Jane nude scene. What was I supposed to say, "Can you please movie your head so I can see your ASS?" And at my first ShoWest, I got to ask Meryl Streep a question during a press conference, see Bette Midler real up close and see a very pregnant Gwynth Paltrow teeter on these sky-high platform shoes.
Ah, memories.

But this year, after a grueling award season, It was decided I would take a vacation instead of go to ShoWest. I was cool with that but now that I see what I missed...I'm PISSED! New Line Cinema had called last week and invited me to this "Hairspray" event and I casually begged off since I'd not be attending. Now I see that it was my chance to see James Marsden in the flesh! The my queen, Latifah, and Michele Pfeiffer...and John Travolta! And whoever the girl is playing the Ricki Lake part.

This is an account of the evening: It was a full house with the cast of Hairspray was on hand at ShoWest on Wednesday night — John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Brittany Snow, James Marsden, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney, Christopher Walken, and Nicole Blonsky as the lead.
JustJared.com reports that 20 minutes of footage from the film (out July 20) was previewed at ShoWest and the reviews are great!
By the way, my reviews were not so great last night. On the last night of my vacation in Palm Springs, I took a break from watching tennis, downed a few greyhounds (vodka and grapefruit juice) and took the stage at the Spurline on Arenas Street downtown. It was kareoke night. I bombed bigtime! Sang a painful version of Carole King's "It's Too Late" but instead of getting booed, the crowd was behind me when I confessed, mid-song, to singing like Cameron Diaz in "My Best Friend's Wedding." After that, everyone sang the choruses with me and I got a big cheer at the end and some high-fives.
Uh boy...I shoulda gone to ShoWest to hear the professionals sing...

Filming of Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd," a feature film version of the classic Broadway musical, was halted this week due to the illness of star Johnny Depp's daughter. Lily-Rose Depp has been released from the hospital after nine days of treatment for what is thought to have been a serious case of blood poisoning.
Depp’s spokesperson Robin Baum confirmed that Lily-Rose is now “doing much better” and has been taken back to the London hotel.
A representative from the Sweeney Todd production said: “We have adjusted the schedule to accommodate [Johnny’s] needs at this moment. We understand that [Lily-Rose] is improving. Obviously, everybody at the studio is certainly with them in their good spirits.”
Depp plays the main character in the film, which is a screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s macabre musical about a vengeful London barber in 19th-century London. It marks the sixth time that Depp and Burton have joined forces, with past movies including ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Ed Wood,’ ‘Edward Scissorhands’ and ‘Sleepy Hollow.’
The story of Sweeney Todd is of a wrongfully imprisoned barber in Victorian England who sets out to seek revenge on the judge who imprisoned him. He is helped by Mrs. Lovett, who bakes Sweeney's victims into "the worst pies in London."
The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen and Christopher Lee with the stars doing their own singing for the film, which is scheduled for a late 2007 release. Carter has the role of Mrs. Lovett which was originated by Angela Lansbury on Broadway in the late 1970s and won her a fourth Tony Award. The great Patti Lupone played the role in a Broadway revival of the show last season and was Tony nominated for her performance.
Carter has some mighty big shoes to fill.

My friend, PR guru Frank Groff, is the person who introduced me to the pleasures of "The Sound of Music" several years ago. So I can't help but think that Frank will be very happy about this news: The cable network ABC Family will pay $3 million for the rights to air the 1965 film "The Sound of Music" for three years, sharing it with its sister broadcast network ABC.
ABC Family's first three primetime runs of the film will be during the evenings of April 6-8 at 7 PM each night!
Beginning with those airings, ABC Family can air the show seven times each year for the next three years, any time between January to September. The ABC network can air the film once a year for the next three years, but only from October to December.
Of course, you could always buy the DVD.

I'll bet Pierce Brosnan thought playing James Bond would be the highlight of his career. Well, now he's been signed for a movie that I think is a dream role: Brosnan will star opposite Meryl Streep in "Mamma Mia!," the film adaptation of the hit musical with a score of all ABBA songs.
Brosnan, who will duet with Streep on "S.O.S.," sang a few Irish standards in the indie drama "Evelyn," and sang onstage early in his career. He will play Sam, one of three men summoned to a Greek isle by a young woman who believes one of them is her father.
"I said yes right away because it meant working with Meryl Streep," Brosnan told Daily Variety. "Secondly, I saw the show with my family in London, and found it just so wonderfully happy and joyful, and so pitched in time forever in the 1970s. What a kick in the pants, to be able to go off and spend time with Meryl on some Greek island, singing ABBA songs."
The movie begins shooting June 25 in London and Greece.

Jennifer Holliday originated the role of Effie in the first Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" 25 years ago and took home the Tony Award for it. She also won a Grammy then went on to a recording career of some success but has never returned to those early-career heights. On Sunday, for those who want to see and hear Oscar front-runner Jennifer Hudson's predecessor to the role, tune in to E! channel's Oscar pre-show (5 p.m. eastern, 2 p.m. pacific) when Holliday, from the rooftop of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, will sing "And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going)."
Prior to the film's debut, Holliday complained that she had not been invited to its premiere ("I think they thought to have success with this, they had to destroy my legacy") and also thinks it would have been nice if the filmmakers had offered her a cameo role in the film, as they did Loretta Devine, with whom Holliday starred in the original Broadway show.
"Chita Rivera was in [the feature film version] of "Chicago" and Ricki Lake is going to be in "Hairspray.'" Holliday tells USA Today. "There were plenty of little parts all of us could have played. I would have liked to have been Deena's mother."
Maybe if they had given her a small role, Holliday would have been more impressed with the film: "All I like about the movie is that it was made. Over 20 years they've been trying to make this and I think the movie lost the heart and soul of it."
She also gives something of a backhanded compliment to Hudson: "I'm proud of what Jennifer reprsents. Her Effie stands on its own. If I say her performance wasn't good, then I'm not not good because they were the same. She's going to win an Oscar and all three of us - Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Holliday and Effie - will be up there when she wins."
I'm thinking Florence Ballard, the Supreme on who Effie is so obviously based, might be up there on that stage too and Hudson has made so secret that it was Ballard who was her inspiration for the role.

There has been some grumblings about how celebrities are replacing models on the covers of various national magazines. I say, hooray! Why not feature beautiful women who can do more than walk down a runway? Two of the best examples are two of the "it" girls of the moment: Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson who are currently gracing the covers of "Sports Illustrated" and "Vogue," respectively.
Both are riding high: Beyonce knocked "Listen" out of the park when she performed at last weekend's Grammy Awards and Jennifer is still the favorite to walk away with the Academy Award next Sunday for best supporting actress.
On top of all that, their wonderful movie, "Dreamgirls," is poised to cross the $100 million mark at the domestic box office sometime over the Presidents Day weekend!

Everyone figures that "Dreamgirls" is based on the story of "The Supremes," the ultimate girl group of the 60s founded by childhood friends Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. Even though the movie is a fictionalized version of what went down with the group, stars Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson made no secret of who their inspirations were in shaping their characters.
"Absolutely Diana Ross was a huge inspiration," said Beyonce, whose character of Deena is very Ross-like. "Her music was always on, her movie posters on my wall. [Deena] is not exactly Diana Ross, it's not a movie of her life. But she was absolutely the inspiration."
Beyonce says she was nervous to meet Ross after the movie came out but said the meeting went fine. Ross has not commented on the film. But with her first new CD in many years due out next week, she no doubt will say SOMETHING about it. But, you never know. Ross has a way of saying a lot but not saying a lot and has rarely been very candid.
Hudson, winner of the best supporting actress Globe and the Oscar front-runner, said her characterization was indeed inspired by the late Ballard who, like Effie in the film, was replaced as lead singer then kicked out of the group. While Effie bounced back in the film, Ballard never did and died in poverty at the age of 32.
So, it was especially touching Monday night when Hudson ended her acceptance speech by saying: "I want to dedicate this award to a lady who never really got a fair chance. This award is for Florence Ballard. You will never be forgotten."

My guess is that there have been plenty of readers who think, "Why the hell does Greg keep going on and on about 'Dreamgirls'"? Well, you will get a chance to find out as the movie finally goes into wide release in 1,900 theaters in the U.S.
So fare, the movie has grossed $56.2 million domestically (as of Wednesday) and has earned all kinds of award show nominations. I think it's a shoo-in to reach at least $150 million. Three years ago, the musical "Chicago" went on to take in $170 million after it won the best picture Oscar. The movie is up for five Golden Globe awards on Monday and should win in some key categories and I think that could result in a nice box office boost as well.
So go see "Dreamgirls" this weekend and let me know what you think of it!

It's not even my birthday and this news comes on the front page of Daily Variety: Meryl Streep is set to star in the big-screen adaptation of the stage-smash of "Mamma Mia," a musical built around the songs of Swedith pop group ABBA.
This sounds PERFECT!!!
Anyone who saw "A Prairie home Companion" knows that Miss Streep can really sing. I'm just surprised she hasn't done it more often in film. Before "Prairie," the last time she sanf was two songs in "Postcards from the Edge." This marks Streep's first-blown musical.
The story is about a bride-to-be who never met her father and was raised by a single mother (Streep). The daughter invites three likely paternal candidates to the wedding. The movie will include 22 ABBA songs including :"Dancing Queen" "Take A Chance on Me" and "Knowing Me Knowing You."
Anyway, the film will be directed by Phillyda Lloyd, who directed the original stage production in London as well as on Broadway. Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks are among the executive producers.
I. Can't. Wait.

First of all, I don't know how I can call myself a gay man and not ever have seen a stage production of "Naked Boys Singing." So I think it's a good thing that this current off-Broadway musical hit that has also played all over the world, is being made into the full-length movie by Funny Boy Films, according to an article I just read in The Hollywood Reporter. The movie has been shooting this week at L.A.'s Hayworth Theater. A behind-the-scenes documentary of the nudity-ffilled-feature has also been filmed. The movie version of the 16-song revue is being directed by Robert Schrock, who directed the original stage production and is being produced by Kirkland Tibbles. Since opening at L.A.'s Celebration Theater in 1998 then moving to its current New York run a year later, "Naked Boys Singing" has played in more than 20 countries and tourned theaters around the U.S. But there has been controversy at times such as being shut down by the local vice squad in Milwaukee as well as in Atlanta and in Puerto Rico.
Well, now I GOTTA see it! Will keep ya posted on release dates etc.

I've never met Andy Cohen, the senior vice president of production and programming at Bravo, but I sure love his blog which is on Bravo's Outzone TV page. Andy is a huge fan of "Dreamgirls" and of the Supremes, whose story inspired the movie. He posted one of the most in-depth interviews I have yet to see with former Supreme Mary Wilson and I am not only providing the link (above) but some excerpts of what I found to be most compelling:

ANDY: BEYONCE SAYS SHE STUDIED THE SUPREMES AND SPECIFICALLY DIANA ROSS.. DID YOU SEE DIANA IN DEENA?
MARY:She didn't... I don't know if it was directorial decision or an actresses decision or what but in the original play it was that way as well. That character was not a Diana Ross character per se in total - only in the facade. It was not really the inside of the person. It didn't go there. That would've changed the script if she was playing Diana. As an actress she could've made different choices to be more knowledgeable but that would've been TOO Diana Ross. This way they have an out - it's loosely based. Diana is not that character in all respects. And I thought that was fine. Unles they were going to say outright it was about us. They have not said this is our story. The Jennifer Holiday character IS Florence [Ballard]. Most people don't know that but that is Florence. That's what happened basically along with a lot of other things, I don't think the mass public really has a clue about that part.

ANDY: THERE IS A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT WHETHER DIANA ROSS IS GOING TO EMBRACE THIS FILM IN THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE..... ANY THOUGHTS?
MARY: I've always wanted our story to be told so I embrace the play because sitting there watching the play in the 80s... people ask when I knew the Supremes had made it - and seeing the play was one of those moments. That was one of the moments when I saw that our career, when I saw those three girls from the Brewster projects had dared to dream had made them come true. That was one of those moments that I knew we had truly impressed the world. Whether they say it's our story or inspired by or what, that was the moment I embraced it because it showed me we had touched the world with our being, with our songs, with our look - I mean look they're copying our images, it's not us but it's our image! You can't say that for the Ronettes! Of course I embraced it. We made history.

ANDY: SO THEN WHY WOULDN'T DIANA EMBRACE IT?
MARY: Because she also made history as Diana Ross, so obviously for her that's what she wants to embrace. And that's her right. That's her right. For me I didn't go on to become a major star. I went on to become a major great human being, but the world doesn't want to read about that in rag magazines! (Laughs) But I am a great human being! I am what my mother wanted me to be and she was very proud of me. My intentions are good and I want to do great and do the right thing and that's the most you can want in life. I've said before that If I had to die, I would want to come back as Mary Wilson. I like me that much. I remember a friend of mine said that a big executive told him, 'that Mary Wilson thinks she's a such a star.' Well, right! I've always thought I was a star - when I was in kindergarten I was a star! I think more people should feel like that. People should feel good about yourself, it doesn't mean you're better than anyone else..

Working for the TV show "Extra," Wilson conducted s television interview with Beyance Knowles and Jennifer Hudson at the "Dreamgirls" premiere in L.A. last week. Wilson asked Hudson about Jennifer Holliday, who originated Hudson's role on Broadway and who has felt snubbed by the moviemakers and the studio:

ANDY: DID [HUDSON] GIVE [HOLLIDAY] THE CREDIT?
MARY: Yes she did. People have got to be honest and have enough integrity in themselves to speak out, and Jennifer has got to come out and talk about how wonderful it was to be a part of it. No one's gonna come out and beg you to do something if they can make money without you. I learned that. So you have got to stand up on your own and take your own credit. This young girl does not know probably how to embrace Jennifer Holiday, which would be a wonderful thing for her because she (Hudson) has the pipes to do this part and can also give credit to Holiday for creating the part... It's like having Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight meet, you know, they're both great singers and they can meet together and be friends. This spearation thing, this competion - I don't like it, I hate it. People of our race especially. We've got to embrace each other. We've all done great things and the next generation is gonna carry on and do better but no one should forget what was done before them to pave the way. We walk on their shoulders. I hope that my asking the question helped things along. I want people to know that Jennifer Hudson does respect Jennifer Holiday.

ANDY: THIS IS GOING TO OPEN UP ANOTHER ROUND OF PEOPLE WANTING YOU, DIANA, AND CINDY [BIRDSONG - FLO BALLARD'S REPLACEMENT] TO GET BACK TOGETHER. IS THERE A SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL?
MARY: If Diana decides she wants to do it, it'll happen. You need her to want it to happen and she may not want it to happen and that's her right. If she does I will be right there waiting. But only when she wants to and comes to me and says she wants to. People keep asking me and I keep saying "ask diana, stop asking me" Are you afraid to ask her? Did she scare you all that much? she's not that tough! (laughs)

ANDY: ARE YOU TWO IN TOUCH?
MARY: On occasions. Rare occasions.

For those of you with Dreamgirls fatigue, just skip this post! One of the movie critics who I respect the most, and who is not a snob about movies, is Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal whose Friday reviews are a must-read. Joe may have to see plenty of clunkers but he loves movies and it comes through in this review of "Dreamgirls" which he acknowledges has dramatic problems when it comes to the story. But he gives full credit to Hudson for making it all OK in the end. Here is some of what he wrote today:

"The human voice in full cry borders on the miraculous - an infant's throat can project tones of piercing urgency at phenomenal intensity. Then there's the phenomenon of Jennifer Hudson: her soaring, sinuous voice raises up the film version of "Dreamgirls" and finally transcends it...It's one of those show-stopping performances that makes your heart race and your ears stand on end-full of unrequited love and ferocious passion. She's the best part of the show by far."

He writes that when Hudson, as the wronged Effie launches into the show's signature anthem "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," and other songs, "all's right with the world."

Morgenstern praises writer-director Bill Condon who he says "has done the original 'Dreamgirls' proud...What's up there on the screen looks grand and sounds grander, a sumptious vehicle that glides from one number to the next - with periodic slowdowns for melodrama - like the two-toned Caddy in one of its songs."

It was even better the second time around. I'm blown away by it. After seeing "Dreamgirls" for the second time, I'm even more appreciative of this film written and directed by Bill Condon which hits theaters nationwide on Dec. 22 but begins exclusive engagements in Los Angeles and New York on Friday. I suggest buying the movie's soundtrack right away and get yourself nice and ready for this delicious movie-going experience - the best musical Hollywood has put out in many years. Better than "Chicago," better than "Moulin Rouge." It is already garnering nominations from critics' groups and I predict will get more nods than any other movie when the Golden Globe nominations are announced tomorrow morning.
I've already gone on and on about Jennifer Hudson's star-making turn as Effie White and, well, I repeat all of that with an exclamation point! All of her numbers are first-rate including "Love You I Do," "One Night Only" and "I Am Changing."

But let me say this, whatever you may hear about her nailing "And I'm Telling You, I'm Not Going," she's even better than that. The audience burst into applause when the number was over and I was, again, astonished at the absolute brilliance of it. What a moment in film history. She sings it so powerfully but she feels it too and conveys that to the audience - her heartbreak. God, she is GOOD!
I also had even more appreciation for Eddie Murphy's career-transforming performance as James "Thunder" Early. You will never think of him the same way again. My friend Donn, who I took to the screening, asked, "Is THAT him really singing?" It is. No stand-in! The guy can sing, dance, be funny, be tragic...be BRILLIANT! And Anika Noni Rose? She the third member of the Dreams and obviously modeled after the Supremes' Mary Wilson. She is sweet and lovely and can really sing a number. I overlooked her the first time as I just tried to process all the talent on the screen but this time I took her in and realize what a great performance she gives as the singer in the middle of Effie's dramas and Deena (Beyonce Knowles) rise to superstardom.
Beyonce is perfect in a role that doesn't have near the meat of Hudson's but does have its own moments, especially when the singer absolutely brings the house down with the anthem "Listen." She's singing it as a goodbye to Jamie Foxx's Curtis and Foxx deserves credit for getting all he can out of a role that is far less flashy than Murphy's. Foxx says so much with his eyes.
And now, for the hunk factor which I didn't address before. Eddie Murphy looks great but Jamie Foxx (forgive me) is a stone-cold FOX! One of the sexiest leading men to ever grace the screen.
And what about the gorgeous and oh-so-talented Keith Robinson who plays's Effie's brother (and the group's songwriter) C.C. White. How could I not have not paid ample enough attention to this stunning man during my first viewing? He sings beautifully and is as much a hearthrob as Foxx.
I promise to not review the film each time I see it because I will probably see in a bunch of times - that's how much I love it. But I want to congratulate this fine cast, Bill Condon for putting together the best movie of the year, honor composer and lyricist Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen, high-five producer Laurence Mark, give kudos to cinematographer Tobias Schliessler, choreographer Fatima Robinson, editor Virginia Katz, costume designer Sharen Davis, production designer John Myhre, and a big hand for casting director Debra Zane (what a genius) who cast the film with the help of Jay Binder.
Standing ovations all around!!!

Any one of us would hope to live to be 89, especially if until the end we could remain witty and engaged and beloved. Still, I was so saddened to learn of the death of Betty Comden in New York a few days ago. Along with professional partner Adolph Green, Comden is responsible for some of the greatest musicals including "Singin' in the Rain," "Wonderful Town," "Auntie Mame," and the great "On the Town" which features the classic song "New York, New York...(It's a Helluva Town)."
In early 2001, Comden and Green were the recipients of the Writers Guild of America's Laurel Award. I was a film writer at The Hollywood Reporter at the time and was assigned to write a story about the pair. I phoned them separately in New York. We had such nice conversations and I'll never forget it. Green died in 2002 but lived long enough for the two to make it to the DVD premiere of "Singin' in the Rain" in Beverly Hills. Sorry I missed that event!
The pair were Tony winners for "On the Twentieth Century," "Hallelujah Baby!" and "The Will Rogers Follies," among others. Their other credits include "Peter Pan," "Bells Are Ringing," and "Applause," the latter a musical version of "All About Eve" that ran for several years and won Lauren Bacall the first of two Tonys. I interviewed Bacall a few years ago and she told me that the show was absolutely "a career high for me" and allowed her to finally emerge from the professional shadow of her late husband Humphrey Bogart. They created the show with Bacall in mind as they did "Bells Are Ringing" decades earlier for Judy Holliday who also won a Tony.
Among the songs written by the Comden and Green team were "Just in Time," "The Party's Over" and "Make Someone Happy." They were twice nominated for an Academy Award for writing "Band Wagon" and "It's Always Fair Weather."
In closing, I gotta say, the passing of someone like Betty Comden really makes you think about the artistic contributions of some of the people who have walked this earth and how much joy their work gave to so many of us. The songs we hum, the movies we remember, the stage productions we will never forget. It's far more interesting and deserving of attention than what we heap on so many of these no-talent party girls with hair extensions on the cover of every magazine. Betty Comden will be remembered long after we forget about every single one of them.

It was the perfect pre-Thanksgiving treat: a special screening of the upcoming musical "Dreamgirls" in Hollywood in a theater filled with people so appreciative of the talent on screen that they applauded at least a dozen times throughout the movie.
This is the best musical Hollywood has produced in forever. I feel like a chump for thinking "Chicago" was the living end. This makes that one, good as it was, look like a high school production. This movie has real singers, real heart, and a real story. And it is just beautifully done with an absolute first-rate cast.
"Dreamgirls" follows the rise of a trio of women - Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyonce Knowles) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) - who are part of an all-girl group, The Dreamettes. Discovered by an ambitious manager named Curtis Taylor, Jr (Jamie Foxx), The Dreamettes are given the chance to enter the big league as the back-up singers for headliner James 'Thunder' Early (Eddie Murphy)
I stayed through the end credits so I could hear all the songs on the soundtrack and had to laugh when it said on screen that any similarity to real-life events was "coincidental." OK, just try and pretend that you aren't watching the story of The Supremes (pictured, left), that Beyonce Knowles isn't playing Diana Ross (at times she seemed to be channeling Miss Ross onstage), that Jamie Foxx isn't Berry Gordy, that Rose isn't Mary Wilson, and that Hudson (get your Oscar speech ready girl) isn't a triumphant version of the tragic Florence Ballard. While it's no surprise that Foxx is terrific in "Dreamgirls," I was not prepared for the absolute revelation that Murphy is in the film. His acting is not only first-rate and mature, he sings wonderfully as does Foxx, whose best song is "When I First Saw You" and who won an American Music Award on Tuesday.
Hudson's version of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" was not only spectacularly sung, but beautifully acted as well. It felt like one of those great old Hollywood musicals. It felt like a classic. Who can ever forget Jennifer Holliday's singular version of this song? Hudson almost makes it happen and she most certainly makes the song her own. Hudson also shines on "Love You I Do" and "I Am Changing" and the whole cast is wonderful on "Family." And a wonderful touch was including Loretta Devine in the movie (she starred on Broadway with Holliday back in 1981) and she even gets to do part of a song to remind us of how multi-talented she remains.

On the "Out in Hollywood" movie scale, "Dreamgirls" gets four stars (out of four)! Congratulations to the cast, to director-screenwriter Bill Condon and to Paramount Pictures who are going to not only have a big hit on their hands, but many Oscar nominations to promote!
Original Supreme Mary Wilson has said that "Dreamgirls" is most certainly the story of the Supremes and even named her best-selling 1986 memoir "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme." And in the book, Ross and Gordy come off as ambitious villians and Ballard, the original Supreme fired from the group at the height of its success and replaced by Cindy Birdsong, a self-destructive victim. I never felt the same way about Diana Ross after I read the book and neither did a lot of people: she never had another hit song after its release after a two-decade unbroken string of hit songs first with the Supremes then as a solo artist.
In the movie, Beyonce's character has more of a consience than Ross apparently ever did and made sure Hudson's Effie got her due and even invited her up on stage for the farewell performance of The Dreams. It was the kind of ending a lot of people wish Ballard (pictured, right) could have had. Instead, she never mended fences with Ross and Gordy and died at the age of 32 in poverty. Although in the movie, Effie has a child by Foxx's Taylor, in real life it was Ross who had a child with Gordy.

Even before Wilson's book was released, bad blood surface in 1984 at the Motown 25th Anniversary television special which was to be highlighted by a reunion of the Supremes: Ross, Wilson and Birdsong. As the women began singing "Someday We'll Be together," Wilson attempted to keep equal footing with Ross by not allowing her to move in front of the two other Supremes, as was her custom, and treat them like anonymous back-up singers. Although this was cut from the eventual NBC telecast, Ross got so irate that she shoved Wilson aside. Smokey Robinson was sent onstage to salvage the situation by joining the group for the song.
There was another opportunity for a reunion in the summer of 2000 when Ross decided to do a "Return to Love" tour and tried to recruit Wilson and Birdsong for a series of mostly Supremes music. One sticking point: Ross was to receive $20 million, Wilson $4 million and Birdsong even less. They declined and Ross and Wilson were interviewed by Barbara Walters (on separate nights, of course) about their feud. In the end, Ross decided that she'd go on tour anyway with two singers, Scherrie Payne and Lynda Lawrence (pictured with Ross), who she had never performed with but who had joined later incarnations of the Supremes long after Ross left the group.
I bought tickets for me and a cute guy and we were set to attend the Anaheim concert. But Ross had underestimated how badly most fans wanted to see the group reunite, not just her and two other singers. Poor ticket sales resulted in the tour being cancelled.
With all the ladies now in their early 60s and Wilson undergoing heart surgery earlier this year, time is running out. 'Dreamgirls" could either spur them to set aside their differences, or it could open old wounds. Well, at least we have the songs. We'll always have the songs.