Our Buzzmeter foresees a 'Dreamgirls' Oscars sweep
Looks like "Dreamgirls" will bag the Oscar races for best picture and supporting actor (Eddie Murphy) and supporting actress (Jennifer Hudson), according to the experts contributing to The Envelope's Buzzmeter. Our prize pundits include: Edward Douglas (Comingsoon.net), Claudia Puig (USA Today), Richard Roeper ("Ebert & Roeper" TV show, Chicago Sun-Times), Sam Rubin (KTLA), Gene Seymour (Newsday), Clay Smith ("Entertainment Tonight"/"The Insider"), Art Spiegelman (Reuters), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone), Jeffrey Wells (Hollywood-Elsewhere.net) and — ta-da! — moi.
Out front for best actor and actress: Peter O'Toole ("Venus") and Helen Mirren ("The Queen"). To see the full rundown — CLICK HERE! Make a point of clicking on the link for "Individual Panelists' Rankings" to see the chart breakdown of how we all view the individual races. Plus the link to our panelists' bios to read about their kudos credentials.
There is much disagreement between us. Roeper and Douglas think Will Smith ("Pursuit of Happyness") has the edge in the actors' race, while Well says it's Leo DiCaprio ("The Departed," not "Blood Diamond").
The vast majority of our Oscar oracles put "Dreamgirls" ahead for best pic, but stubborn Douglas picks "The Queen," Wells says "Departed" and Rubin fingers "Blood Diamond."
Photos: Hudson and Murphy get ready for their Oscar closeups — because The Envelope told them to!
(Paramount/DreamWorks)
I feel that jennifer hudson and eddie murphy did great in dreamgirls, but i am so tired of people puttin down beyonce. Beyonce may not be the best in this film, but she is still a bad girl with great talent. Stop trying to put her and jennifer in the same category, and i hope with all the praise, jennifer does not get the big head because and think that she is better than beyonce. what goes up, will come down.
Posted by: aynonomus | January 24, 2007 at 11:35 AM
Robert is right. DREAMGIRLS is, still, only a great musical. Transposed verbati-hum from the Great White Way to the Great Tinseltown Way, it does not rank as superlative cinematic art. And what's with the way Bill Condon cuts the musical numbers? They are extremely over-edited. He should go back and look at some of the great musical adaptations of the Hollywood Golden Age to get a sense of how you do not need to cut a showstopper.
Posted by: Brian | December 03, 2006 at 10:41 PM
Here's what I want to know: why is Edward Douglas, A MAN WHO RATES HIS OWN REVIEWS ON ROTTEN TOMATOES AND GIVES THEM FIVE STARS, is even being asked his opinion on anything at all? He is a nobody, a nothing, and yet people here heap attention on him like he's Gene Siskel reborn. He's nothing more than an attention hog with a website.
Posted by: malevolentmuse | December 02, 2006 at 10:56 PM
I too have heard that the script is flat. The Hollywood Reporter has already bashed the film, so what can we expect when more reviews come in? I am not so sure that Dreamgirls will do so well at the Oscars.
Posted by: Jeff | December 02, 2006 at 09:57 AM
HEY TOM,
This is what you're not telling people: the Dreamgirls script sucks. The dialogue is straight out of a soap opera and the characterizations, with the exception of Jennifer Hudson's, are paper-thin. Stop the hype. The songs are good, the costumes are fine but there is no depth anywhere in this movie. It has every cliche in the showbiz saga book: poor kids make it big, musicians become drug addicts, musicians cheat on their wives, musicians overdose, musicians are greedy, glamour trumps talent. The most human moment in the film comes when Ms. Hudson sings her big number. She shows a lot of spunk. As for Beyonce, there's nothing going on behind that pretty face. And how none of you web hypesters have mentioned that she totally breaks character to sing her big tacked-on number: She sings in a totally different voice. The Hollywood Reporter was right on this one. They needed a better script and some better actors.
Posted by: ROBERT rorke | December 02, 2006 at 06:41 AM
uh-oh, Eddie Murphy didn't get a Satalite nomination...bad news?
Posted by: sam coffey | December 01, 2006 at 08:03 PM
The Oscar race for Best Actor/Actress has taken a ridiculous turn in recent years. It seems like it's now nothing more than a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator contest. It was confirmed once again last March with Oscars to a Capote impersonator and a June Carter impersonator. If Tom Cruise can get a role as an impersonator, he might just win an Oscar… well, Reese Witherspoon just got one.
Posted by: Daniel | November 30, 2006 at 06:36 PM
I can't wait to see Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls. I feel like a kid waiting for Santa!
Posted by: Stella | November 30, 2006 at 06:10 PM
Go Dreamgirls!
Posted by: gees | November 30, 2006 at 02:20 PM
Be honest Tom. You decided after the Oscars last year that Dreamgirls was the best picture of this year before you saw any of the movies. At least qualify your opinion by owning up to the fact that you never gave any other films a fair shake.
Posted by: Mitch | November 30, 2006 at 01:51 PM
YES! Go Jennifer Hudson and a well-earned Oscar for Eddie Murphey! How amazing!
Posted by: sam coffey | November 30, 2006 at 12:37 PM