Fantasia as Effie, I THINK NOT — Page 3

//Nobody who has participated on American Idol will be cast in this movie...mark my words. The reason: it cheapens the movie overall.//

Interesting take on it. But I believe that American Idol is no different than talent night at the Apollo Theatre, and look at the talent emerged from those contests.

I wonder what everyone would be saying if Fantasia WASN'T on AI and was discovered during the search for Effie as an "unknown"?

---

If Fantasia wasn't even on AI, I doubt she would've been discovered for this movie.

I know this has been said many times before, but here it is in a nutshell:

Curtis tells Effie that Deena is going to sing lead vocals now, because she has a great look and a smooth sound that will appeal to a broad audience. Effie gets upset, because "no one can see her on a record!" In a nutshell, Curtis is saying that Deena's SOUND is more "pop" and less "R&B" or "gospel." Effie chooses to focus on the look factor, but misses that Curtis has said Deena's vocal sound could "cross over" to the pop charts, while Effie's sound is more limited to just a "soul" audience. This is a sad but true statement. The larger (mostly white) audiences of the early '60s embraced girl groups but were not ready for Aretha Franklin's type of soulful singing until later in the decade. If you think about it, Diana Ross had a sweet voice, with a wide, charming appeal, but there were many "down and dirty" soul singers that could out-do her on a song. They weren't landing cross-over hits on the pop charts, though... and that is why Curtis has Deena switch to lead singer.

As far as the "getting fatter all the time" line... this is because Effie (the character) is PREGNANT with Curtis's child. She has morning sickness, has been missing rehearsals, and is growing out of her costumes. It's not that she's a big, ugly girl. She's a pregnant girl, though! The character could be pencil thin, and still get the "getting fatter all the time" comment if she's going to have a baby and no one knows it yet.

---

Updated On: 11/1/05 at 04:33 PM

Yes. Effie is kicked out of the group, goes away and has the baby on her own. It's in the 2nd Act.

---

Absolutely. I'll bet her screen test was amazing (as has been rumored).

She has a lot of personal experience to bring to this role... as well as talent.

---

Oh please. The bashing of any performer simply because they got their start on a reality show is totally futile. The reality is -- that is simply the time we live in. If Streisand, or Aretha Franklin or Janis Joplin were starting out today -- ten bucks says they would have been discovered on a reality show.

And the asumption that no one from AI would be in the film simply because a reality show credit would "cheapen" the movie is absurd. Ten years ago I'm sure nobody would have believed Jamie "In Living Color" Foxx would be an Oscar winner.

And yet another member of Team Fantasia pipes in to continue the over-the-top, distasteful hyping that will surely backfire.

dp

Updated On: 11/1/05 at 05:26 PM

Yeah it will backfire. Sort of like its backfiring on Jamie Foxx, he's only got ten movies lined up. Poor fellow! I wonder if he'll be kicked off the dreamgirls cast for endorsing fantasia?

This isn't hyping, it is reading whats on the wall and accepting it.

bye now!

I once heard Beyonce refer to Destiny's Child as a "treesome." No lie!!! So biases about articulation, judgements about struggles with reading (read her book and then we can talk) have nothing to do with her ability to perform this role.

P.S. What is so disgraceful about admitting to a problem and trying to correct it. Also, Jennifer Hudson's articulation is a matter of opinion.

Micheal ...sorry to be offensive. But according to Fantasia herself...she has stated she don't understand or have difficult with big words (whatever that means).