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Ditching Simon Cowell for Oscar Gold?

Mon., Nov. 6, 2006 5:21 PM PST by Marc Malkin

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Jennifer Hudson has gone from American Idol wannabe to Oscar contender.

A quick summary: The powerhouse songstress was an AI contestant on season three, reaching the seventh position before finally getting ousted. Fast-forward to today, and Hudson's not only costarring opposite Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy in the upcoming Dreamgirls, but early buzz says she steals the movie. As I've said before, most insiders tell me the 25-year-old Hudson is the one to beat on Oscar night.

With such a buzz building, it's no wonder everyone wants her. I just learned she's been called in to audition for Disney's upcoming animated feature, The Frog Princess, along with an elite group of Broadway sensations like Anika Noni Rose, Lillias White, Leslie Uggams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tracy Thomas and Sutton Foster. Frog's composer is no slouch either: Randy Newman, the Oscar-winning composer of hits like Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story.

While Hudson may be planning her next move, Dreamgirls is definitely her top priority right now. She and her costars jet to Chicago tomorrow for an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, I'm told. On Dec. 10, she'll be honored at Hollywood Life's Breakthrough Awards. Somehow, I'm sure this won't be the only night Jennifer Hudson will be stepping onstage to accept an award.