Comments on: And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going...

And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going...

hermitosis — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:02:41 -0800

Jennifer Holliday's seismic performance of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the 1982 Tony Awards (YouTube link) brought Broadway to its knees. Holliday not only captured the Tony, her recording of the song became a Billboard Top 30 hit. The new Dreamgirls film, cast with a who's who of modern music stars, will open this winter. "American Idol" contestant Jennifer Hudson will attempt to fill Holliday's formidable shoes.

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:03:05 -0800

*For the short of attention-span or musical-theatre-intolerant: the intro ends at 3:10.

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:09:53 -0800

Here's hoping the movie will do well. If nothing else, I applaud their innovative marketing effort: DreamWorks will cover the licensing fees for all 2006 amateur productions of DreamGirls.

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:33:30 -0800

That's pretty cool, grabbingsand.

By: staggernation

staggernation — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:42:42 -0800

So is she going, or not?

By: likorish

likorish — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:55:04 -0800

Isn't that Hudson's voice we hear singing in the Dreamgirls trailer? 'Cause if it is, I'm thinking that Holliday's shoes were not only filled, but Hudson's running away with the performance.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:55:11 -0800

I'm so glad this made it onto YouTube. Apparently her estate won't release it onto any of the Best of the Tony's anthologies (yes, there are nerds like me who watch stuff like that!!). Absolutely mind-blowing- she used to do this 8 times a week??? How did she survive?!?

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:16:03 -0800

Billboard Top 30?

By: pinky

pinky — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:39:08 -0800

Her estate? Jennifer Holliday isn't deceased, is she?

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:42:40 -0800

My friend Chris says: "You might want to reply (since I cannot) to the poster who asked if Jennifer Hudson's voice is heard in the Dreamgirls movie trailer. Assure this poor lost soul that the movie trailer is using audio of Jennifer Holliday from the Original Broadway Cast Recording, and that Jennifer Hudson's rendition of the has not yet been released."

By: well_balanced

well_balanced — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:45:13 -0800

Thanks for this. I'd never actually seen Holliday perform but this explains what motivates every third contestant on Showtime at the Apollo to have a go at the song. Wow.

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:58:24 -0800

Mrgrimm, perhaps I should have phrased that "a Top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100".

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:02:45 -0800

Amazing. I wonder if the actor playing opposite her has recovered his full hearing yet.

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:20:52 -0800

Chills going down my spine watching that. Reminds me of the scene in Hustle and Flow, where the main character is sitting in the church watching the choir, and for all his anger and power, he's completely humbled by the voice of the woman singing gospel for the recording.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:21:31 -0800

By about 4:20 into it, when she starts making Buddy Hackett faces and lurching towards him, I'm thinking run, man, run! She's going to eat you if you don't get the hell out of there. But he's petrified. Then about 5:40 into it, he snaps out of it and he actually does break into a run, but she stops him. He waited too long. He's dead! But then she kisses him and that's all he can take: zoom! Gone! That was 1982, but I bet he's still running.

By: likorish

likorish — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:29:29 -0800

Hardly a poor lost soul, but I think it's not an illogical assumption that since there's a movie coming out that they'd use music that from a performer who is actually in said film. Musical theatre snobs are the worst.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:32:49 -0800

it was such a great show, and Jennifer Holliday was amazing--people say it started a whole trend (see Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray--"I know where i've been"-- and many many others in many many other shows--a showstopper preferably sung by a large black woman at a pivotal point in a show).

By: cavalier

cavalier — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:58:47 -0800

Really a great, great, wonderful show. Stage Managed an amateur production of this many moons ago -- found such a talented singer to attempt that song. She did really well most nights, but it was actually one day in a matinee where she absolutely nailed it. The crowd practically ripped up their seats and threw them in the air it was so electric. Good times. The purist in me is scared to see there's a movie being made, but anything to tune more people into Dreamgirls.. the better. Dreamgirls, we'll never leave you! All you have to do is dreeeaaammm....

By: Zosia Blue

Zosia Blue — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:01:25 -0800

Oh, man, I've listened to the recording of that song a million times, and knew about the '82 performance, but never saw it live before. So amazing that I'm speechless. Damn.

By: cavalier

cavalier — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:01:52 -0800

And FYI, I just watched the trailer, and that is absolutely the audio of the original cast recording -- Ms Jennifer Holliday.

By: staggernation

staggernation — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:09:57 -0800

I don't care what you say, nothing will ever equal Nell Carter in a genie costume singing "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin at the Oscars.

By: bullitt 5

bullitt 5 — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:30:01 -0800

Pretty amazing...thanks.

By: Addlepated

Addlepated — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:33:49 -0800

I'd never seen that before, but I can't imagine anyone else doing a job like THAT.

By: chronic sublime

chronic sublime — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:13:48 -0800

Thanks for that. The performance was the most marvellous way for me to start my day with my coffee and toast. The rest of the day will pale in comparison, I think.

By: Decani

Decani — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:21:14 -0800

God, I hate that song. Cranked-up, contrived, stagey histrionics masquerading as soul. The sort of thing your parents shed a tear of ersatz emotion to on their once-a-year big theater trip treat. Yuk.

By: ltracey

ltracey — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:26:39 -0800

Thank you for the link. It still gives me a chilly feeling of awe to see someone own a song like that.

By: Asparagirl

Asparagirl — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:51:38 -0800

Not to take anything away from Jennifer Holliday here, but Lillias White also did a bang-up job on the song at the September 2001 Actor's Fund Benefit Performance of "Dreamgirls". That video is not online yet, unfortunately, but her performance of "I Am Changing" from the same concert is here. In other words, don't underestimate the craft that went into those songs as being an integral part of their power. Heck, they even stand up okay when being performed by a bunch of mostly-white high school students!

By: cgc373

cgc373 — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:36:44 -0800

I'm pretty fond of that adjective "seismic" in the original post, hermitosis. Well done!

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 21:04:32 -0800

Her estate? Jennifer Holliday isn't deceased, is she? Not even a little, thankfully.

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:31:06 -0800

I thought the "mostly white high school students" link would go here. And now I'm a bit embarrassed to admit to any knowledge of that movie.

By: intermod

intermod — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 04:28:08 -0800

I generally avoid musicals (hell, theaters in general), but that was some performance. Thanks hermitosis for the post. and I'm happy to see that the usual suspects haven't shown up to crap in this thread

By: HyperBlue

HyperBlue — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 06:59:55 -0800

Did anyone else get blown away by Bianca Ryan's version on America's got talent? This girl is 11 years old Youtube Linkage

By: HyperBlue

HyperBlue — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 07:02:55 -0800

Better YouTube LInk to Bianca's performance

By: OhPuhLeez

OhPuhLeez — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 07:38:45 -0800

HyperBlue - Holy Moly - yes I was TOTALLY blown away by that girl. I can't say I'm not a little concerned about her perhaps developing nodes at some point down the line if she doesn't work on her belt a bit, but she didn't really sound like she was singing from her throat, so she may not have a problem. So, um, yeah - Bianca kicked serious ass.