Jennifer Hudson's Postmurder Movie: A Win-Winnie Situation
Frank Micelotta/Getty Images, Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images
Jennifer Hudson is going first lady on us. Just not our first lady.
The Oscar winner is baiting the Academy once more, this time as she signs on to star as the titular Winnie in a biopic about the wife of former South Africa prez Nelson Mandela.
According to Variety, the drama—based on the Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography Winnie Mandela: A Life—won't shy away from the less flattering and more controversial elements of the famous spouse's life.
A mom and, of course, wife, Mandela was a loyal supporter of her husband and was jailed herself. In later years, she was accused of horrendous human rights violations by an ex-bodyguard, who claimed she regularly ordered him to beat and kill people, including a 14-year-old boy. She was convicted of kidnapping and assault.
Not that Hudson's worried about taking on such a challenging role...
Who Wants a Whitney & Jennifer Hudson Duet?
Patrick Demarchelier
While Whitney Houston's voice may appear to have been hurt by years of drug use, one of her megaproducers says we shouldn't underestimate the diva.
"You know, with age things change," says Akon, who collaborated with Houston on "Like I Never Left" on her new chart-topping album, I Look To You. "She has to adjust like everyone else…Honestly, when I was working with her in the studio, it was like she was still 19."
We're happy to report that Akon had no problems with Houston when they recorded together...
Jennifer Hudson Welcomes Her Very Own American Idol
Mark Von Holden/Getty Images
Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson just met her little dream boy.
Tragedy took a backseat as the Oscar winner and fiancé David Otunga welcomed David Daniel Otunga Jr. late Monday, E! News confirms. The tot weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
"The baby is beautiful and perfect," Hudson rep Lisa Kasteler said in a statement. "His parents are ecstatic."
The 27-year-old former American Idol contestant never officially announced her pregnancy, although speculation began when she wore increasingly loose-fitting tops. In early June, her longtime friend Felicia Fields admitted to having attended Hudson's gender-neutral baby shower in their hometown of Chicago.
Hudson and Otunga decided to wait to find out the tyke's sex until his birthday.
News of the birth was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
________
Another star who's supposedly Baby Bumpin' hasn't announced her pregnancy, either. Do you know who it is?
Exclusive
Disney Princess Talks Emmys and Jennifer Hudson
Arnold Turner/Getty Images, HBO/ Keith Bernstein , Disney Enterprises Inc
Anika Noni Rose must have wished upon a star, because her dream really came true. Ms. Rose is the starring voice in Disney's upcoming animated flick The Princess and the Frog.
"It's the most thrilling thing," says Rose, the Tony Award winner who you're likely to remember from her work as Lorrell opposite Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé in Dreamgirls. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a little itty-bitty person to be a Disney voice."
It's also a history-making flick, with Disney's first African-American princess…
Jennifer Hudson: Baby Shower on Board
Lisa O'Connor/ZUMA Press
Jennifer Hudson is no longer keeping mum her impending mommyhood.
After months of rumors, the Grammy and Oscar winner's longtime pal, Felicia Fields, confirmed that Hudson is expecting her first child with fiancé David Otunga, throwing the Dreamgirl a celebratory soiree in her native Chicago Saturday.
"It was a baby shower, a quiet gathering of friends and mostly family," Fields, also a singer-actress, told the Chicago Tribune. "They're really trying to keep it kind of quiet." (Fields, on the other hand, has no problem blabbing to a major newspaper...)
The 27-year-old Hudson and Otunga, a former reality star turned aspiring pro wrestler, have yet to officially announce the pending stork delivery, which was first reported by Essence magazine's website back in April. The Chicago Sun-Times claims she's roughly seven months along.
Update
Jennifer Hudson Sidelined by Throat Condition
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Jennifer Hudson is taking a break this week from her national tour with Robin Thicke. Doctors are said to be treating her for a throat condition related to her singing.
Last night's stop in Oakland, Calif., was postponed until May 19. This week's concerts in Dallas and Houston have also been rescheduled for later dates, according to Thicke's rep.
Hudson last performed on Saturday at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre. I was there, and she proved to be a real superstar because she didn't show any signs that something may have been wrong.
So just how well did Ms. Hudson do?
Jennifer Hudson Battles It Out With Jennifer Holliday
It's the battle of the Jennifers!
Jennifer Hudson shocked the audience at her and Robin Thicke's concert last night in Atlanta with a surprise jaw-dropping sing-off against Jennifer Holliday with—what else?—"And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)."
Holliday first made the song famous—and her signature tune—when she sang it eight times a week in the original 1981 Broadway production of Dreamgirls.
And then Ms. Hudson introduced it to a new generation...
Jennifer Hudson Eyeing Several Big I's, Including Idol & I Do
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Jennifer Hudson has spent the past few months recovering from the tragic murder of her mother, brother and nephew. Now, both her personal life and her career are blossoming.
Wednesday night, the star returned to the place that first brought her into our living rooms, American Idol. Following the Motown-themed show, the season-three, seventh-place finisher—who famously went on to win a Grammy and an Oscar—taped a performance of her single "If This Isn't Love" to air on the show at a later date.
Following the performance, Hudson, whose tour alongside Robin Thicke kicks off on March 31, spilled a few beans to Ryan Seacrest. When asked about her engagement and upcoming nuptials to David Otunga, she admitted a date had been set.
Link Party: Jennifer Hudson Returns to American Idol
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
• Jennifer Hudson is going to hit up American Idol to show everyone how awesome she is—despite only getting seventh place once upon a time. She's supposed to tape her performance in secret Wednesday after the results show and it will air eventually.
• Sometimes you just have to acknowledge rumors to get them to go away. Such is the case with all this Rihanna-Wilmer Valderrama canoodling talk going around today.
• Yes, Jon Favreau! Gwyneth Paltrow should most certainly join Twitter. Best. Idea. Ever.
• Well, this is awkward.
• Weekend wedding follow-ups: David Letterman was "not at all nervous" and Winnie Cooper's "was beautiful" with sublime music.
• David Cook is so famous, he has to condemn his fans on Myspace for trying to find his hotel room and stuff.
Hey, Zac Efron, nice sweater in Big Pic.
Exclusive
Robin Thicke on J.Hud: Touring Will Be Cathartic
Lisa O'Connor.ZUMAPress.com; George Pimentel/Getty Images
Teaming up for a nationwide tour with Jennifer Hudson was a no-brainer for Robin Thicke.
They first collaborated on "Giving Myself," a beautiful track from her self-titled debut album.
"Luckily, her voice is ready to go at all times," Thicke told me earlier today. "She showed up, I had this great little song in the spirit of Whitney Houston, and she sat down next to me and I started singing it for her, and she loved it right off the bat. We got her behind the microphone and she Jennifer Hudson-ed it."
The two kick off their coheadlining six-week tour on March 31 in Albany, N.Y.
Jennifer Hudson: "I'm in a Very Good Place"
Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images
Fresh off wowing the crowds at the Super Bowl and picking up her first Grammy Award, Jennifer Hudson continued her professional comeback today with a stop on Oprah Winfrey's couch.
Although there was no specific mention of Hudson's family tragedy last fall (Winfrey attended the Chicago funeral for the Oscar winner's mother, brother and nephew), Hudson did open up about how she's feeling after several turbulent months.
"I'm good," she said. "I'm really good. I'm just glad to be back and be back to working and just doing what I love to do...I'm in a very good place."
Image Awards Reflect on Hudson, Smith, Beyoncé, Bees and Payne
Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Jennifer Hudson's ascension to stardom has been honored pretty much every step of the way.
The Oscar winner was somewhat anachronistically named Outstanding New Artist Thursday at the 40th NAACP Image Awards, which honors achievements by people of color in film, television, music and literature—and which, this year, happened to be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the election of the United States' first black president.
Let's just say, it was quite the proud kudosfest.
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