Jennifer Holiday tore down the house every night in her role as Effie Melody White in the 1982 hit Broadway show 'Dreamgirls,' and a search is on to find a singer/actress for the upcoming film adaptation. Whoever is cast has to deliver the show-stopping tune 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.' While the song is the most sung tune on 'It's Showtime at the Apollo,' it certainly won't be an amateur who fills Holiday's shoes in the big budget musical. Roger Friedman of Fox News had already reported that Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx are already attached to the project but the hunt to find Effie continues.

Queen Latifah (too old), Frenchie Davis (lost her fire) and even Fantasia (too thin) are being tossed around to play the part but several Hollywood insiders are buzzing that 'American Idol' alum Jennifer Hudson is also being considered.

BV Buzz discovered footage of the Chicago powerhouse performing 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' on her Web site and the casting would be ideal. But it's 'Dreamgirls' writer/director Bill Condon who'll have the final say.

Hook Up

Despite being one of the hardest working men in Hollywood, Samuel L. Jackson says a show like 'The Wire' would have been the perfect outlet for him when he started out. "I wish I had something like that," he shared, during a conversation with BV Buzz at the Regency Hotel in New York City.

Jackson feels the HBO crime drama is a well-rounded platform for actors to hone their craft. "All of those guys who are on 'The Wire,' they're fortunate that they have a television venue that allows them to do something that real and honest. It gives them a chance to explore stuff that will serve them well later on down the line in terms of being able to create characters in another kind of way," the actor explained.

The 'XXX: State of the Union' star was modest when asked who of the younger actors in Hollywood he sees following in his footsteps. "I have footsteps?" he asked, before offering names such as Anthony Mackie ('She Hate Me') and former 'The Wire' star Idris Elba. "But there are so many young actors out there," he added.

The Great Pretender

Someone call Martha Wash! Zelma Davis, dance music's most notorious impersonator, has apparently struck again! Most know Davis as the svelte model who was sued by Wash for lip-synching to Wash's vocals on the C+C Music Factory hit 'Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).'

Davis' culprit this time is Sylver Logan Sharp, lead vocalist for the disco group Chic. Sharp had been riding high off her solo dance single 'All This Time,' which was recently No. 1 on Billboard's dance singles chart and on the WKTU radio station in New York City. Then after returning from some dates in Gstaad, Switzerland, the singer began receiving horrible feedback from fans regarding her live shows.

"I started receiving calls and e-mails from irate fans complaining about shows I never performed," Sharp told us. "Then a local club owner saw me advertised online for a gig the very night he'd hired me to perform."

Sharp and her team started to investigate the issue and discovered one evening, only an hour before she was scheduled to perform at Club Shelter in New York City, that the other "Sylver" was booked to perform in Newark, N.J., at the XL Lounge. They went to the venue and after Davis performed to a prerecorded version of 'All This Time,' Sharp's assistant Angela Kennedy approached her.

"I introduced myself, and she identified herself as Sylver," recalled Kennedy. "I then motioned for the real Sylver to come over. I said, 'May I introduce you to Sylver Logan Sharp, the artist you're impersonating tonight?' Her jaw dropped and then came the denial, denial, denial."

Davis attempted to explain. "No, I said the group is Sylver," she lied, before being reminded that she was the only one on stage. Davis then went on to say that she was lip-synching to her own version of the song, but according to Sharp, the version heard that night was clearly Sharp's vocals.

Since confronting Davis, Sharp and her team are in the process of taking legal action. "We've discovered information online about numerous venues where she has misrepresented herself and used booking agents to make money, defraud club owners and bill herself as Sylver or Silver," explained Sharp.

If you want to make sure you're dealing with the real Sylver Logan Sharp, visit her Web site at www.sylverwear.com for images and contact information.

In other Chic news, band founder Nile Rodgers won a lawsuit he issued against three ex-members of the group. Rodgers alleged the Chic name was being used without his permission by Alfa Anderson, Norma Jean Wright and Luci Martin, vocalists for Chic from 1977 to 1982. A Manhattan federal judge awarded him $250,000 in trademark damages.

Can't Say Names...

... A certain R&B singer may soon have to fork over some money for a child he doesn't claim. The mother of a child by this singer has been calling around to the tabloids trying to get some interest in her story. Apparently the girl has the DNA results to back her claim. Said crooner better start working on that sophomore release and get back to producing other artists so he can earn some extra cash for his third child.

Buzzworthy

... Sources say that BeBe Winans is already planning to leave Hidden Beach Records. The gospel veteran had released three solo albums on two other labels -- 1997's 'BeBe Winans' (Atlantic Records), 2000's 'Love & Freedom' (Motown) and 'BeBe Live and Up Close' (Motown) -- before signing with Hidden Beach, where he had his own imprint, Still Waters. Though his holiday album 'My Christmas Prayer' did very well on the label, his most recent release, 'Dream,' has suffered from dismal record sales. Now there's buzz that Winans is now in talks with Warner Bros. Records. His manager wasn't offering any details. "BeBe is currently signed in a joint venture with Hidden Beach Records and had a release out and that's all I have to say at this time," she left on our voicemail.

... Oprah Winfrey on the tabloid reports that say she's dating Oscar winner Jamie Foxx: "Don't believe everything you read! Otherwise, I should be swinging from a chandelier with Jamie Foxx. Not that I would mind."

... 'Gospel Dream' winner Benita Washington has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from her colleagues in the gospel industry since the release of her debut disc, 'Hold On.' CeCe Winans in particular has had a significant impact on Washington and has become a mentor to the singer. "Being on the road with her -- and that was my first tour -- it has taught me how to live on the road and how to survive and how to do things. She's taken me in and is teaching me from an artist aspect about the business," said Washington. Singers Kirk Franklin, Byron Cage and Deitrick Haddon are among the other gospel notables whom Washington says have also been extremely kind. "So many people. Everyone has been very welcoming to me, very supportive and very encouraging," she added.

... Happily married R&B singer Nivea has decided on a name for her baby. Drum roll please... Navy! That's the name Nivea has selected for her bundle of joy arriving in May.