UK: Stars of Dreamgirls shine at London premiere.

Eager fans waiting at Leicester square in London had their dreams come true on Sunday night (January 21) as they met the stars of the musical "Dreamgirls". Beyonce Knowles, who plays lead character Deena Jones in the film, arrived in a silver Elie Saab gown. Despite her experience with chart-topping female trio Destiny's Child, Knowles said playing the role was an entirely new experience for her. "Because I have a different story and a different personal need from my character, I didn't re-enact my own life. Because it's a character and it's not about Beyonce. It's about Deena and the Dreams," she said. Oscar pundits believe Bill Condon's film adaptation of the Broadway musical is likely to be in the race for best film, along with Martin Scorsese's crime thriller "The Departed" and the comedy "Little Miss Sunshine," when Academy Award nominations are announced on Tuesday (January 23). "I can't wait to hear what's going to happen with the Oscars. I'm happy already," Beyonce added. "Dreamgirls", loosely based on the Motown music group Diana Ross and the Supremes, gained momentum in the Oscar race last week by winning three Golden Globe awards including best supporting actor and actress for Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. "I'll just have to wait until it gets here but, I mean, I have my Golden Globe now so I can celebrate it and enjoy it. It's such a treasure. It's an honour," said Hudson, who plays the role of lead singer Effie White with a soulful voice that is eventually dismissed from the group. If Hudson is surprised by the talk of an Oscar, it's because her resume was rather thin: She is a college drop-out with six months' experience singing on a cruise ship who later reached a mere seventh place on the TV audition show American Idol. "People call me the Cinderella story but, I guess, it does seem like it," Hudson admitted. Third in the group, singing back-up, is Lorell Robinson, played by Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Anika Noni Rose. "You have to make an organic moment instead of it coming out of what you were doing immediately beforehand. So in that way it's very different. But otherwise I attack it the same way that I attack stage," said Noni Rose, comparing the stage to the silver screen. The soundtrack from the Motown-inspired musical drama led the U.S. pop album charts for a second consecutive week Wednesday (January 17). "I think that a wonderful thing about the play itself is that it gives you some sort of historical, political and social context in order to understand what is happening in music," said actor Danny Glover, at the London premiere. The film has been a box office hit and has earned 78.1 million (USD) to date. "You never expect anything because that's just a mistake but you're always - you know, you hope that they'll pay us some attention," Condon said, as he looked ahead to this week's Oscar nominations. "Dreamgirls" also stars Jamie Foxx and Keith Robinson.

ITN Source | January 26, 2007

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