one night only

The rainy weather may have kept some people home. Perhaps they wanted to watch the season finale of "Dancing With The Stars." Whatever the reason, the turnout was light for the VIP screening of "Dreamgirls" that my wife and I attended tonight. Meanwhile, the corporate bigwigs from Regal headquarters were having their own VIP cocktail party and screening of "Casino Royale" on the other side of the Pinnacle 18.

The small crowd meant we were able to sit in my favorite stadium seats, three rows up and dead center. Betsy Pickle sat two rows behind us in seats that had been reserved for her by the public relations company. There were some same sex couples scattered throughout the auditorium. About 20 minutes after the movie started, a group of women arrived and found seats in the row in front of us. They talked throughout the film, especially when the characters started singing to each other. My wife, the music major, told me that those parts of a musical are call recitative in the classical world.

I liked the movie a lot. My wife really loved it. She wants the soundtrack album and the DVD when it comes out. I enjoyed the cameo appearances by Bobby Slayton, Jaleel White and John Krasinski. My only complaint was that Jennifer Hudson looked the same age at the end of the movie as she did at the beginning. The other characters aged a little more convincingly. Other than that, the former "American Idol" contestant did a great job acting and singing. Eddie Murphy's performance will definitely generate some Oscar buzz.