The performance that started it all : Jennifer Holliday's "And I am telling you"

Take all of today's voogling as an example of why DRM or digital restrictions rights management software or licenses are bad for our culture. Without Fair Use, we wouldn't have the little miracle I am about to present : Dreamgirl's original cast's performance of "And I am telling you" at the 1982 TONY Awards.

Matt Lauer had asked Jennifer Hudson if she had seen the performance. She said that the only reference to this song came from a Will Smith lip-syncing bit in one of his movies. She had only recently seen the 1982 clip AFTER years of singing the song and after filming her version of Effie.

Well, good thing for her because she made the role her own. But awesomeness for us that now we will have both versions readily available on the net.

I love, love, love the fact I can research video clips online. My grock. When I was taking acting lessons several eons ago, the only way I could have caught a glimpse of Jennifer Holliday's stirring performance of And I am telling you, I would have had to do so through NYU's Bobst Library or the Liberary for the Performance Arts.

The thing about this performace is that I totally remember. I unfortunately never saw Dreamgirls on Broadway because I was still living in Puerto Rico at the time. Actually, I was still in high school. But I remember this performace because it was one of the first awards ceremonies we were able to get live through cable and without the dang voice over of our boricua (yet boring) newscasters.

I can't tell you what gift it is to be able to see it again.

Gots to love the video internets.

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