Jennifer Hudson Will Have a Christmas Special on ABC

Actress, singer and former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson,  heads back to her hometown of Chicago to share childhood memories of the music, people and places that set the stage for her phenomenal success, in the hour-long primetime music special, “Jennifer Hudson: I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” airing this December on ABC .

Hudson relives her childhood Christmases with musical performances shot on location at the small neighborhood church where she brought the congregation to its feet week after week; the music academy where she studied; and other Chicago sites. Hudson also visits with family members, childhood friends and others whose influences have been instrumental in her rise from humble beginnings to Hollywood stardom.

“I am thrilled that Jennifer chose ABC to be the home for her very first holiday special,” said Vicki Dummer, senior vice president, Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment Group. “I can’t wait to hear her take on Christmas classics as we discover what she loves about her hometown of Chicago.”

In addition to winning an Academy Award, Hudson’s breakout performance in “Dreamgirls” also brought her a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and an NAACP Image Award. She has also been honored by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review and as “Entertainer of the Year” at the Soul Train Awards. Hudson’s self-titled first album won a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Album.” The album also won three awards at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards including “Best Album.” The RIAA Gold Certified album marked the biggest first week sales for an R&B entry since 2004.

More recently, Hudson has continued to build impressive film credits and demonstrate her range in the films “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Sex and the City: The Movie.” She performed the national anthem at the 2009 Super Bowl, and she had her debut national tour, co-headlining with Robin Thicke, earlier this year.

The exact date and time of  “Jennifer Hudson: I’ll Be Home for Christmas” has yet to be announced.

David “Punk” Otunga Makes His Wrestling Debut

Jennifer Hudson’s Husband-to-Be Shows Us His Moves

A little while back David Otunga aka Punk from I Love New York 2 signed a contract with the WWE and has since been in training to become a professional wrestler. With his overall size and the success of ex-Real Worlder, Mike “The Miz” Mizan expectations for Punk are pretty high. Now going by the name Dawson Alexander (horrible name BTW) he has finally hit the ring and below you can check out his debut match.

Reality TV Scam Brought To Light?

Last night NBC 10 news in Philadelphia did a story on Hollywood North Entertainment, shedding some much needed  light on their misleading claims about playing a part in getting some of the biggest reality stars their spots on tv.

New York Clears The Air

Jennifer Hudson’s Mother and Brother Killed, 7 Year Old Nephew Missing

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The mother and brother of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death in a South Side residence Friday afternoon.

Police issued an Amber Alert for a missing 7-year-old child, a nephew of Hudson’s.

Hudson’s mother, 57-year-old Darnell Hudson Donerson, was one of two adults found fatally shot at a home at 70th Street and Yale Avenue, said Willie Davis, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church, where Jennifer Hudson has been a member.

The other victim was her brother, Jason, a relative said.

“This is a very sad day to get that kind of news,” Davis said. “This is really going to be a major, major blow to such a wonderful person … But we know through our faith in God she’ll get through it.”

Davis said Hudson’s relationship with her mother was “very close.” The singer was expected to arrive in Chicago from Florida, he said.

The victims were found around 3 p.m. The shooting is believed to be domestic.

Police were searching for a man and 7-year-old boy. The missing boy, identified as Julian King — Donerson’s grandson — may have been abducted by William Balfour, a suspect in the murder who is considered armed and dangerous, according to police.

Balfour may be driving a white Chevy Suburban SUV with Illinois license plate X584859 or a teal/green Chrysler Concord four-door sedan with a left front headlight hanging off and scratches along the left side with temporary tags 332K823.

Hudson, 27, became famous after appearing on “American Idol” in 2004. She went on to win an Oscar for her performance in the film “Dreamgirls.”

Earlier this year, she became engaged to David Otunga, a fellow Chicagoan. She recently released an album and was in the movies “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Sex in The City.”

Tiffany Pollard Raises a Glass of Haterade to Jennifer Hudson and David Otunga

It’s seems like VH1 reality’s HBIC, Tiffany Pollard of I Love New York and New York Goes to Hollywood fame, is not at all happy with the impending nuptuals of her former reality show date, David “Punk” Otunga and former American Idol contestant, turned Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson. She was recently interviewed by In Touch magazine, and she feels that the marriage won’t last, and that David Otunga is a bit of a gold-digging status seeker. She also seemed to think that something was wrong with the Harvard Law School grad because he was respectful enough not to “try anything” on her. From InTouchWeekly.com:

“He’s really loving being Mr. Jennifer Hudson. I think he’s loving the lavish things she brings to his life, he’s seeing the world due to Jennifer’s success,” Tiffany tells In Touch. “[But] can you love this person if they lose all of this tomorrow? She needs to find out. I just hope people are marrying each other for the right reasons.” New York’s not optimistic about the couple’s future. “It’s a mixed match, it won’t work,” she says. “He’ll be in her shadow like Al Reynolds was to Star Jones, likeStedman Graham is to Oprah.” There’s also a good reason David wasn’t the right match for Tiffany on I Love New York 2. “When we were in Miami together, he didn’t even try anything [on me]!” she says. “Maybe I wasn’t his type, maybe I wasn’t big enough for him.” “His heart is way big,” Tiffany says of David, who proposed to Jennifer after dating less than a year. “Two weeks ago, I ran into [Jennifer and David] and I didn’t say much,” reveals Tiffany. “I said ‘Goodbye, Punk!’ and she looked at me like ‘What!’ I know his name’s David, but I call him Punk.”

Haterade is a hell of a drink.

Congratulations on Jennifer Hudson and David “Punk” Otunga Engagement

Although the rumors were swirling this summer that American Idol contestant, and Emmy winner Jennifer Hudson was dating David “Punk” Otunga, we haven’t written about it, because we had nothing concrete. Well, its seems that the two reality show alumni are engaged to be married.

The couple, who are both from Chicago, have been dating for less than a year, but love does not have a timetable. According to Hudson’s spokesperson, the two got engaged Friday night in Los Angeles.

Read more

Catching Up With American Idol 3’s Jasmine Trias

 

Thinking about which season of American Idol produced the most prominently successful careers beyond the obligatory summer alumni tour, I would have to say that season 3 stands out among the rest. That season gave us the winner, Fantasia Barrino, who became so popular that she decided to become a one named entity. She has had recording success, starred in a biographical movie on Lifetime, won awards, and has starred in The Color Purple on Broadway.

There also was runner-up Diana DiGarmo, who we last saw recently on CMT’s reality show, Gone Country. And the prematurely eliminated Jennifer Hudson, who wowed audiences with her Oscar winning performance in Dreamgirls. She continues to stretch herself creatively by choosing challenging movie roles. Even ex-football player Matt Rogers is doing just fine as the host of the Discovery Channel’s Really Big Things and getting gigs as a correspondent on various entertainment news shows.
The other thing about the third season, where is half of the top 12 were under 20 years old, is that there were two young girls from Hawaii: hip hop styler Camile Velasco, and Jasmine Trias.

Trias, who was 17 at the time, made it all the way to the final three, due to her mature and poised performances and the fervent support of her fans in Hawaii. Since then, she has become a superstar, not so much in Hawaii as you would expect, but in her mother’s native country, The Philippines.

Jasmine, who is 21 now has had endorsement deals for toothpaste companies, and even McDonald’s where in the Philipines they marketed the “Jasmine Trio:” a strawberry float, large fries and a cd of her singing the Filipino version of the McDonald’s jingle, “I’m Lovin’ It”. Her debut album release went platinum in the country, where she is set to kick off her tour. And she has also signed on to star as the love interest in a Filipino movie.

To read more about what Jasmine Trias has been doing, and her plans for her career in the States, click here.