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Film

Hudson, front and center

The former American Idol hopeful takes on a legend and makes one of her own with her version of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.

By Steve Persall
Published December 21, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Dreamgirls may be about the Supremes, but the buzz is about Jennifer Hudson, and her rendition of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going. There’s talk of an Oscar nomination for the first-time actor.

Not since Barbra Streisand sang on the Staten Island ferry in Funny Girl has a musical newcomer declared greatness like Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls.

Streisand's 1968 movie debut earned an Academy Award for best actress, with the crescendo of Don't Rain on My Parade chosen as her signature clip for the Oscars television broadcast.

Hudson, 25, is on a similar course in the supporting actress category. If she makes the list, expect to see a clip of Hudson belting And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going when her name is announced on Oscar night. It is the most scintillating single scene in any movie this season, an awesome emotional outpouring that reportedly earned standing ovations from preview audiences.

Such things don't usually happen in movie theaters. Neither does such unexpected raw talent as Hudson's.

And it all started with an adolescent girl in Chicago watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Hudson had a little crush on Will Smith, as many girls did when his sitcom debuted in 1990. One episode featured him lip-synching to Jennifer Holliday's volcanic version of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going from the Broadway cast recording of Dreamgirls.

"He was just being silly on the show as usual," Hudson said during a recent telephone interview. "That was the first time I ever heard the song.

"I was just sitting there and I'm, like: 'Oh, my God, who is that singing like that? I really want to sing that song.' Well, that was Miss Holliday. I thought it was her original material. I didn't know it came from Dreamgirls, didn't know the story line or anything."

Hudson bought the Dreamgirls cast record- ing and was inspired. Talent shows and school productions were her first outlets, followed by a Chicago production of Big River.

At 21 she was hired as an entertainer on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. She sneaked time in an onboard studio to record another Dreamgirls song, I Am Changing, for fun.

Hudson wanted to perform one of the Dreamgirls songs during her 2004 stint on American Idol, but they weren't on the approved list from producers.

Singing as an actor

A year after she finished sixth on Idol, she was auditioned for the role of Effie White that Holliday originated on Broadway. Director Bill Condon threw her a curve.

"They wanted me to sing any song that wasn't from Dreamgirls, that would tell a story, that could draw people in," she said. "I chose to sing Easy to Be Hard from Hair."

Getting the role was easy. Making it her own after Holliday's triumph was hard, especially with the showstopping And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.

"I tried to create my own rendition of the song, coming in from an actor's standpoint more than a singer," Hudson said. "It's not a song; it's Effie's story. It had to be lived strictly by emotion, stripped of the things a vocalist would do.

"I couldn't do any vocal gymnastics. I couldn't add anything and didn't really want to since it's a story led by that emotion. I had to have a note for every single emotion. Anybody can sing that song. But to portray it, understanding how to match the notes to her emotion, that was hard."

Perfection in just four takes

Condon saved that scene for the final three days of shooting, so Hudson could live Effie's life before singing it. "I needed to know everything about Effie, what triggered her, what her passions were," Hudson said. "What was her journey through everything to get to that song and make it real?"

Hudson recorded the song four times before Condon was satisfied. Her performance for the cameras was live but the recorded version is heard in theaters. "Once we knew which arrangement we'd use, I got a copy to study to be able to match with the synch," she said.

The Dreamgirls set was crowded with people who wanted to watch Hudson tackle Holliday's classic. Reporters sat scribbling a few feet away. Celebrities, including Spike Lee and actor Morris Chestnut, wanted to witness her showcase scene. Hudson barely noticed them. "The crew kept me pretty secluded so I could stay focused," she said. "I do recall people saying I was setting it on fire. Even Jamie (Foxx) told me I blew him away."

Despite all the Oscar buzz, Hudson modestly avoids staking any claim to Holliday's legacy with the song.

"I guess I'll know that later," she said. "Only time will tell. If it carries on through generations as hers did through past generations, I'll guess I did."

Steve Persall can be reached at (727) 893-8365 or persall@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 10:48:25]