The folks at Dreamworks/Paramount continued their amazingly cunning sell of “Dreamgirls” to the press last night at the Pacific Design Center, as the Los Angeles crowd was afforded the opportunity to see the four musical numbers shown at Cannes a few months back. Not only that, but they revealed the trailer for the film, which may or may not have been released beforehand, I’m not sure. Rest assured that trailer is a winner, perfectly constructed and screaming Best Picture from the first few frames.

The numbers shown really displayed the essence and feel of the story, ultimately representing the cinematography, costume design and production design as eye-popping aspects indeed. The first number stuck out to me, which should be the segment that seals the deal on an Eddie Murphy nomination (he seems like a solid gold winner at this point, to be honest). In all honesty, from what was shown, Murphy seems to be the standout of the entire film, even in his minute exposure in the trailer.

Having Jennifer Hudson belt out a couple of tunes in the lobby afterwards was salesmanship at its highest form. And she worked the room all night, full of an honest sense of disbelief that “it’s all happening.” She’s a bright and humble person to say the least and that attitude will take her far this year.

I also had the chance to bump into Bill Condon before the presentation. I was happily surprised to find that he is a fellow Oscar obsessive and an avid reader of the online awards frenzy, including In Contention. His reaction to meeting me, I have to say, was a trippy one to say the least: “Kris Tapley! So that’s what you look like! You’re so young!” It’s always great to meet readers...but OSCAR WINNING readers? What a delight. And he’s one of the nicest, most down-to-earth filmmakers I’ve met – a rarity.

Also it looks like four - count 'em - four new songs were written specifically for the film, so I'm sure we'll see some representation in the Best Original Song category.

We’ll see how the awards derby unfolds for “Dreamgirls,” but the studio has been on the ball from day one on this one, ever since that set visit back in February. Some might think it’s dangerous to put yourself out there so soon, what with the film being considered the undeniable frontrunner as early as August. But they really seem to have the goods, and they're fearless about representing the film. But I only have one thing to say: those tuna things Wolfgang Puck provided in the catering were scrumptious!