Rumors that American Idol alum, Jennifer Hudson, is pregnant and, while it is true that she hasn’t personally confirmed the news herself yet, the reports are getting a lot more convincing.

image: Bauer-Griffin

First, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Dreamgirls actress celebrated with a baby shower in downtown Chicago.  The newspaper quotes a “source” as saying that Jennifer is about seven months along.  Wow!  Of course, the rumors have been compounded by the fact that she has postponed dates on her concert tour with Robin Thicke, claiming vocal cord strain.  She has also worn a lot of loose tops and weird clothes at her recent public appearances (that outfit on the Today show even caused me to raise my eyebrows).

People.com quotes Jennifer’s longtime friend, Felicia Fields, as saying the following:  “It was a baby shower, a quiet gathering of friends and mostly family.  They’re really trying to keep it kind of quiet.  It was a nice time that we had.  They don’t know [the gender].”

Honestly, if you knew that your friend was “trying to keep it kind of quiet,” would you confirm rumors to the media?  I know that I would not.  I wouldn’t want to steal someone else’s thunder.

If she is pregnant, I wish her all the best.  She seems like an incredibly strong person and motherhood can be so amazing.  Besides, she probably sings the best lullabies in the world!

The beautiful and talented Jennifer Hudson was on the Today show yesterday where she performed several songs including “Love You I Do” and “Spotlight.” 

I absolutely love her but can I just take a moment to comment on her outfit?  I’m a fuller-figured woman so I’m not mad at her for carrying a little extra weight but you’ve got to wear clothes that flatter and accentuate your curves.  I think that top and those pants made her look frumpy (in fact, whoever designed the upper leg part of those pants should be banned from fashion forever). 

Anyway, here’s a video of Jennifer singing “Spotlight.”  She did a great job (as usual).

The fan who won the “Sing With Jennifer Hudson” contest also got to sing and they performed “And I Am Telling You” together.  Watch it here:

NBC Photo: Lisa Berg

It’s been years since Jennifer Hudson was eliminated from American Idol but she has proven that you do not have to win to succeed.  Her star continues to rise and I’m so happy for her!

Jennifer has been nominated twice for the upcoming 2009 BET Awards which will take place on June 28, 2009 at 8pm ET. 

She has been recognized in the “Best Actress” category for her work in The Secret Life of Bees and has been nominate for “Best Female R&B Artist.”

I’ll confess that I haven’t seen The Secret Life of Bees.  If you’ve seen it, was it a good movie?  Is it worth renting? 

I will definitely be tuning in to the BET Awards this summer and I hope Jennifer takes home at least one of the awards that she’s nominated for. 

image: Bauer-Griffin

Would you love to “Sing in the Spotlight” with American Idol finalist, Jennifer Hudson?  Who wouldn’t?  Sure, it would be totally intimidating but it would also be a LOT of fun!!!  The Today show is giving you the opportunity and all you need to do is tell them why you deserve the chance to perform with the star.

The “Sing in the Spotlight with Jennifer Hudson Contest” is running from
April 29, 2009 – May 11, 2009.  To be eligible you must be a legal, permanent U.S. resident who is eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the start of the contest entry period. 

To enter (and for more complete contest details) visit the Today show’s contest page and follow the online instructions.  From what I read, you will be expected to explain in 500 words or less why you should Sing in the Spotlight with Jennifer Hudson.  You will also be required to submit a video of your vocal performance of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.”

Make sure you read the contest rules and regulations well and, if you choose to enter, good luck!

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX

Rumors are flying that Jennifer Hudson could be pregnant with her first child.  I read it first in OK! magazine and then again on Essence.com.

There has been no official announcement yet so the news is coming from “sources” close to Jennifer at this point (I hope that’s not true – why would they ruin her big news!).  The father would be Jennifer’s fiancé (and former I Love New York 2 contestant), David Otunga. 

Jennifer is currently on tour until May 8, 2009 with Robin Thicke.  If she is pregnant, touring must be tough.  In those early days expectant mothers are so tired (and sometimes queasy) so I’m sure she will be looking forward to when the shows are over (if she is, in fact, pregnant). 

Hopefully, Jennifer is happy (baby or not) and this can be a year of new beginnings and closure for her.  After her family was murdered last year, she’s shown so much strength and courage.  If she is expecting a little one, I’m sure it will be bittersweet since a baby can be such a joyous addition to life but it would be sad that Jennifer’s mother never got to meet her grandchild. 

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX

After the devastating deaths of her mother, brother and son Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia says she’s ready to move forward and not let the events that happened in October keep her from living her life.

Julia was walking the runway in Chicago for a fashion show for full figured women when she spoke about the topic. She sent a message to William Balfour, the suspected murderer of her three deceased family members.

She says, “You did this to basically kill me. In so many words, to take my life, but it was not. And my mother and my brother and my son, they wouldn’t have wanted that.”

“If I was to not be able to function, if I was to not be able to get up, that would mean William and the devil won. They took enough from me. They won’t take nothing else from me. So I have to go on.”

Good for her! It’s so sad what happened. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of strength it must take for her every day to face life after losing them so unexpectedly.

Image: Newscom

Jennifer Hudson will be going on tour with R&B singer, Robin Thicke, and the singer/actress sat down with Billboard.com (during a conference call) to talk about the experience.  The shows will kick off with a performance in Albany, NY on March 31, 2009. 

"I’m excited to get out and meet the people and sing for the people," Hudson said. "I always love to perform live. The only other tour I’ve been part of is the (American) Idol tour, so this’ll be more intimate and personal."

She also explained that it made more sense to be a co-headliner than to go it alone since she doesn’t have enough material to fill out a solo tour.  "I’m in a weird place," Hudson said. "Like, ‘Wow, everybody knows Jennifer, but where do you place her? Who do you put her with? Where do I go?’ That was the hardest part of the puzzle to put together. I think we came out with a great solution." I agree and I’m glad her reasoning skills outweigh her ego because I hate when artists decide to headline a tour when they’ve only had two or three hits (ahem, I’m talking to you, Lady Gaga). 

I wish I could see them in concert!  Anyone have tickets and/or are planning to go?

image: Bauer-Griffin

American Idol finalist (and Academy Award and Grammy Award winning actress/singer), Jennifer Hudson, spoke to Jet magazine about what her life has been like since the tragic murders of her mother, brother and little nephew.  Before we go into that, I just want to say how beautiful Jennifer looks on the cover.

In the interview, she says: “I’m so grateful.  My first Grammy and my first tour, it doesn’t get any better than this.”  How does she find the strength to remain so optimistic?  “Praying every morning and thanking God for every single blessing keeps me grounded and motivated to be the very best that I can be in everything that I do,” she said.

Jennifer will be embarking on a tour with multi-platinum recording artist Robin Thicke, who wrote Hudson’s Giving Myself, on her CD.  He had some words to share with the magazine: “Jennifer is someone that I’ve always loved and admired, so when the opportunity for us to do this together came about, it was a no-brainer. She’s so immensely talented and such a beautiful person inside and out, to be associated with her is wonderful.”

For the whole interview, check out the March 23-30 issue of Jet which hits stands on March 16, 2009.

image used with permission

Did you see Jennifer Hudson on Oprah yesterday?  She looked amazing and I won’t pretend that I didn’t have tears in my eyes watching her talk about being happy to be back at work.  It’s only been a few short months since her mother, brother and nephew were murdered and I cannot believe how strong she is. 

Oprah didn’t go into any details (thank goodness) but she did ask Jennifer how she’s doing.  She told O that she’s “in a very good place” and that performing is “therapeutic.”

So far, 2009 is off to a good start for Jennifer – she has won a Grammy Award and she performed at Super Bowl XLIII.  I sincerely hope that things continue along this positive track for her this year.  She definitely deserves it.  After the short interview, Jennifer sang “If This Isn’t Love” from her debut CD.  Watch the performance here:

Jennifer Hudson did a touching performance of the song “The Impossible Dream” at the 40th Annual NAACP Awards. I thought the beginning was slightly shaky but, as always, she ended up doing a fantastic job. Could we expect any less from Jennifer?

Here Dreamgirls co-star, Beyoncé also performed, which you can see here.