The "Dreamgirls" are bigger than Detroit, yo.

It all started during a talent show at the Detroit Theatre in 1962 when a used car salesman, Curtis Taylor Jr. met Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorell Robinson who called themselves the "Dreamettes". After they performed, he saw their potential and he was hooked. He appointed himself their manager and ultimately closed his Cadillac dealership down and turned it into his own record company, Rainbow Records. The Dreamettes found stardom after going on tour with Jimmy Early as backup singers. As their fame rose, Jimmy Early's faded and he ultimately struggled with alcohol and drugs to deal with his emotions.

Filled with scandal, heartbreak, and tons of music, this musical turned movie was a critically acclaimed hit. It's not completely fictional, however. Each character in the movie is loosely based off of real people who lived during the Motown Era. Curtis Taylor Jr, played by Jamie Foxx, is based upon the founder of Motown, Berry Gordy Jr. Deena Jones, played by Beyonce, is based off of Diana Ross. In the beginning of the movie, the group is called "the Dreamettes" and Deena is originally a backup singer. In the middle of the movie, she is promoted and takes Effie White's position as lead singer; they become known as " Deena Jones and the Dreams" This same thing happened with Diana Ross and the Supremes. Jimmy Early, played by Eddie Murphy, was inspired by many Motown singers of the time such as Marvin Gaye and James Brown. Throughout the entire movie, there are various other performances that allude to singers and groups of the 60s such as Tiny Joe Dixon who is inspired by B.B. King and the Campbell Connection based upon "The Jackson Five".






In addition, "the Dreamettes" songwriter C.C. white, alludes to Motown songwriter Smokey Robinson and it sparked some controversy. Late in 2007, Smokey Robinson saw "Dreamgirls" and was upset by the portrayal of Gordy Jr.; he expressed his negative opinion of the film in an interview with Access Hollywood and demanded that Paramount apologize to Gordy. Just weeks before the Oscars, Paramount and Dreamworks publicly apologized to Gordy and other Motown artists stating "Dreamgirls' is a work of fiction" and that it "is vital to the public to understand that the real Motown story has yet to be told."

In 2007, "Dream Girls", directed by Bill Condon, received 8 nominations at the Academy Awards which included Best Supporting Actor by Eddie Murphy, Best Supporting Actress by Jennifer Hudson, and three nominations for "Best Song". Jennifer Hudson won the oscar which was very uncommon because it was her debut performance in movie and she deserved it. Her performance, among others, in Dreamgirls was exceptional. If you haven't seen it, you really should.




Sources: http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/site_curtis.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamgirls_(film)
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/17303554/ns/today-entertainment/

Pictures: http://www.amazon.com/Dreamgirls-Henry-Krieger/dp/B000J103YI
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=26
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/slideshow/People-Diana-Ross-422.php
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20311937_20343562_20577403,00.html
http://concreteloop.com/2006/10/rumor-diana-ross-to-sabotoge-beyonce