Ahem...
"FANTASIA'S DREAM COME TRUE!
Fantasia Barrino burst into stardom in 2004 when she won the third season of American Idol. Her debut album, Free Yourself, released in the wake of that victory, sold more than 1.5 million copies. Now the 21-year-old single mother from High Point, N.C., is on the verge of making it big on the silver screen. Star has learned exclusively that Fantasia wowed executives at an audition for the star role of Effie in the movie adaptation of the Tony award-winning musical Dreamgirls, and appears on the verge of getting it.
"She blew everyone away," the source tells Star. "In the words of someone who saw the audition, it was like discovering Judy Garland. It was that good."
About three weeks ago, Barrino auditioned for screenwriter and director Bill Condon (who wrote the screenplay for Chicago) in Los Angeles. The source says before the audition, there was some resistance among people in the production who thought Fantasia might not be a big enough star for the part. But that changed after she sang Effie's signature song, "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."
Now Fantasia is on the verge of landing what a source calls "her big break." She only needs the approval of producer David Geffen, who was one of the producers of the original Broadway show in 1981, to land the role. And by the time you read this, Geffen may well have given his blessing! "Everybody's pushing for her," the source says.
— DAVID CAPLAN
To read the rest of this story, pick up this week's issue of Star magazine — on sale now!
https://www.starmagazine.com/exclusive/66 "
Hey theatreBOY, if for some quirky reason she doesn't get a role in Dreamgirls, you'd better believe it won't be because of any reasons you mentioned. Isimply LOVE this part...
"She blew everyone away," the source tells Star. "In the words of someone who saw the audition, it was like discovering Judy Garland. It was that good."