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Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress and singer. She was one of the finalists on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol. She will be starring as Effie White alongside Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx in the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Prior to American Idol, Hudson had worked as a singer and actor aboard cruise ships, but never had any formal musical training.
American Idol
Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a member of the first group of semifinalists, but was not voted through to the final round. However, she was brought back on the wildcard round and put through as a finalist by contest judge Randy Jackson.
Among Hudson's performances on the show, a standout was her rendition of Elton John's "Circle of Life" on April 7, 2004. Simon Cowell commented that she "finally proved why she was among the Top 12." On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show. The bottom three that week were all African-American females, dubbed by African-Americans as the "divas" because they believed them to be the best singers of that season (one of them, Fantasia Barrino, went on to win). Hudson's ousting sparked controversy. Previous guest judge Elton John suggested that the vote's result was racist, while others thought that the "divas" merely split the same demographic[1]. A blackout in Hudson's hometown of Chicago was also a factor possibly influencing the vote. During that elimination, it was revealed by host Ryan Seacrest that Hudson recieved the highest number of votes in a previous show.
- "Imagine" (John Lennon, 1971) (Semifinals; February 10, 2004)
- "I Believe in You and Me" (The Four Tops, 1982; Whitney Houston, 1996) (Wild card; March 9, 2004)
- "Baby I Love You" (Aretha Franklin, 1967) (Soul week; March 16, 2004) (Bottom 3)
- "No One Else on Earth" (Country; March 23, 2004)
- "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave" (Motown; March 30, 2004) (Bottom 3)
- "Circle of Life" (Elton John, 1994) (Elton John songs; April 6, 2004)
- "I Have Nothing" (The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston, 1992) (Movie songs week; April 14, 2004)
- "Weekend in New England" (Barry Manilow, 1976) (Barry Manilow songs; April 20, 2004) (Bottom 3; voted off)
Dreamgirls
In November 2005 Hudson was cast in the role of "Effie White" in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls (also starring Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx). According to her, she had to gain a total of 20 pounds in order to play the role of Effie.[1] Among others, she beat out hundreds of professional singers and actresses including major contender Fantasia Barrino, the winner of the third season of American Idol. Filming began on January 10, 2006, and the film is set to be released on December 15, 2006. Early reviews of the film have acclaimed Hudson's performance, and she has been lauded as the frontrunner for this year's Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has particularly won praise for her onscreen performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" -- the emotional show stopper in the original 1981 Broadway show, which won six Tony Awards. The New York Observer described her performance of that song as "five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson ... into the position of front-runner for the best supporting actress Oscar." Newsweek said that when moviegoers hear Hudson sing the song, she "is going to raise goose bumps across the land."
Awards and other projects
Year | Presenter | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | ShoWest | Female Star of Tomorrow | Won |
Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |
National Board of Review | Best Female Breakthrough Performance | Won (tied with Rinko Kikuchi) | |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | Runner-Up | |
New York Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
New York Film Critics Online | Best Supporting Actress | Won (tied with Catherine O'Hara) | |
Breakthrough Performer | Won | ||
Hollywood Life Awards | Breakthrough of the Year | Won | |
Washington, DC Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
Best Breakthrough Performance | Won |
She is featured on a song called "The Future Ain't What it Used to Be" on the Meat Loaf album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.
Hudson plans to re-enter the studio and release her debut album in early 2007. On October 28th, 2006, Jennifer announced on her personal blog that she had signed a record deal with one of Clive Davis' labels, J Records.