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Jennifer Kate
Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an Academy Award-nominated and
Golden Globe Award-winning actress and American singer. She first gained
notice as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX
reality/talent-search television series American Idol and in the role of
Effie White in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.
****
Background
information
Birth name
Jennifer Kate Hudson
Born September
12, 1981 (age 25)
Origin Chicago,
Illinois, United States
Genre(s) Pop,
R&B, Soul
Occupation(s)
Singer, Actress
Years active
2004–present
Label(s) J
Records, 19 Recording, Arista
Website
www.Jenniferhudsononline.com
****
American Idol
Jennifer Hudson
was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Dunbar Vocational Career
Academy, where she graduated in 1999. She 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.
Hudson struggled
to gain popularity in the early stages of the live shows, receiving the
second lowest number of votes in two of the first three shows. However,
after a change in song choices, Hudson soon became a favorite to win,
receiving the highest number of votes on one occasion. Among Hudson's
performances on the show was her rendition of Elton John's "Circle of
Life" on April 6, 2004. American Idol judge Simon Cowell commented that
she "finally proved why she was among the Top 12" and referred to the
performance a week later as "sensational". [1]
On April 21,
2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the
show. Her departure sparked controversy - especially since the bottom
three that week were all African-American females, including Latoya
London and Fantasia Barrino (who later went on to win). Guest judge
Elton John called them the "divas", believing them to be the best
singers of the season, and suggesting that their placement in the bottom
three was "racist".[2] Others speculated that the "divas" simply split
the same demographic[1], or that some fans assumed the three girls were
not in danger and therefore did not vote. A power outage in Hudson's
hometown of Chicago may also have cost her votes.[citation needed]
American Idol performances
"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, Martha and the Vandellas; March 30, 2004) (Bottom 3)
"Circle of Life"
(Elton John, 1994) (Elton John songs; April 6, 2004) (Highest number of
votes.)
"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 prized role of Effie White in the film adaptation
of Dreamgirls, beating out hundreds of professional singers and
actresses for the role including, ironically, Fantasia Barrino who had
beaten Hudson in American Idol. Hudson had to gain 20 pounds in order to
play the role.[3] Filming of Dreamgirls began on January 09, 2006, and
the film went into limited release on December 25, 2006 and national
release on January 12, 2007. Reviews of the film acclaimed Hudson's
performance, and, along with winning the Golden Globe Award for Best
Supporting Actress, she has been lauded as a possible front-runner for
2006's Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for which she was
nominated on January 23, 2007.
Hudson 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." New York Daily News
proclaimed, "When she sings 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' -- one
of the most heartfelt cries of pain ever written for a musical -- Hudson
inscribes her name on an Oscar." Variety wrote that Hudson's performance
"calls to mind debuts like Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl or Bette
Midler in The Rose, with a voice like the young Aretha."
As Effie White,
Hudson has garnered more than a dozen awards and nominations from film
critics as Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performer of 2006.
On January 15, 2007, Jennifer Hudson won a Golden Globe Award as Best
Actress in a Supporting Role, dedicating the award to Florence Ballard,
upon whom her Dreamgirls character was based. She became the third
African American actress to win a Golden Globe Award in the Motion
Picture Categories, behind Whoopi Goldberg and Angela Bassett. On
January 23, she earned a nomination for an Academy Award as Best
Supporting Actress. She is also nominated for a BAFTA in the Best
Supporting Actress category. Her song in the movie, Love You I Do
(written by Henry Krieger & Siedah Garret) was also nominated under the
Best Original Song category. She has also been nominated for four Black
Reel Awards: Best Supporting Actress, Best Breakthrough Performance, and
Best Song (Original or Adapted Performance) for "And I Am Telling You
I'm Not Going" and "One Night Only". In addition, she was named Best
Supporting Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and
nominated by the Screen Actors Guild. Her version of "And I Am Telling
You I'm Not Going" debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the
January 13, 2007 issue, and has since risen to number 73.
Recording career
Hudson recorded
her own version of the soul classic "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the
First to Say Goodbye)", originally by Gladys Knight & the Pips, for
American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics—the official American
Idol album for the 3rd season. 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 and performs the song "Easy To Be Hard" on a
tribute album to the musical Hair.
In September,
Hudson performed the song "Over It" live on Fox Chicago Morning News. In
the interview she stated the song would be included on her debut album.
She also stated it would be released in early-2007.[2].
In November 2006,
Hudson signed a record deal with Clive Davis' label, J Records. Davis
has guided the careers of such legendary artists as Aretha Franklin and
Whitney Houston, now Hudson's labelmates. She plans to enter the studio
in early-2007, with a tentative release date set for late-spring 2007.
Hudson, a gospel-trained singer has a five-octave range.
Discography
Singles
Year Song U.S.
Hot 100 U.S. R&B Album
2007 "And I Am
Telling You I'm Not Going" 73 26 Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion
Picture
Awards and nominations
Awards and
Nominations Year Presenter Award Result
2006 ShoWest
Female Star of Tomorrow Won
Satellite Awards
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Won
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
Southeastern Film
Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
Washington, DC
Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Won
Best Breakthrough
Performance Won
African-American
Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Won
Palm Springs
International Film Festival Breakthrough Performance Award Won
Las Vegas Film
Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Won
Florida Film
Critics Circle Awards Pauline Kael Breakout Award Won
Oklahoma Film
Critics Circle Award Breakout Performance Won
2007 The National
Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress Runner Up
St. Louis Gateway
Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
Austin Film
Critics Association Breakout Artist Won
Broadcast Film
Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
Golden Globes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Won
Academy Awards
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated
Screen Actors
Guild Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Best Ensemble
Cast Nominated
NAACP Image
Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Movie Nominated
BAFTA Actress in
a Supporting Role Nominated
Ohio Film Critics
Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
Black Reel Awards
Best Supporting Actress Nomiinated
Best Breakthrough
Performance Nominated
Trivia
Hudson received a
call from friend and American Idol season 3 alum Jasmine Trias to wish
her success before “Dreamgirls” began its release in the United States,
while American Idol judge Simon Cowell had not spoken with her since the
movie’s success. However, after he'd been given an advanced copy of the
film, he taped a congratulatory message to her, which aired on The Oprah
Winfrey Show. [3]
She said she is
sharing her Golden Globe win with friends Jasmine Trias, Fantasia
Barrino, and the rest of the American Idol season 3 finalists.[3]
Footnotes
1.
Donaldson-Evans, Catherine. "Elton John: 'American Idol' is racist", FOX
News, April 28, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
2. "Jennifer
Hudson sings 'Over It'", September 7, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
3. a b Nepales,
Ruben V. , Golden Globe winners have ties, memories of RP, Inquirer.net
(2007-01-17), Retrieved on 2007-01-22
****
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