Check out Jennifer Hudson’s ABC special, ‘Jennifer Hudson: I’ll Be Home For Christmas’, which aired yesterday. I’m watching, as I type. Enjoy!

Your thoughts?

Check out these sneak peeks of Jennifer Hudson’s forthcoming Christmas Special ‘Jennifer Hudson: I’ll Be At Home For Christmas’, which will air on ABC on December 14th at 8pm. In the clip above, Jennifer and and co deliver a rousing rendition of ‘O Come Ol Ye Faithful’.

Your thoughts?

Check out these adorable shots of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and her 3 month old son David Otunga Jr, which were shown during her appearance on Oprah’s Holiday Music Extravaganza earlier this week. Speaking of his first Christmas, Jennifer said:

“I’m going to go crazy. He’s very aware but he’s so young and it’s his first Christmas, so you have to go all-out. I kind of want to get him his own Santa Claus and just have like a toy store in the house, full of things.”

I’m so-so-so happy for Jennifer!

Your thoughts?

R&B stars Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Mary J Blige all performed on Oprah’s Holiday Music Extravaganza which aired today. Each performed alongside an artist from a different music genre, the performances of which you can watch above (Jennifer Hudson and Sugarland Hudson – Silent Night) and below. They all did a wonderful job:

Alicia Keys & Tim McGraw – War Is Over

Mary J Blige & Andre Bocelli – What Child Is This

What do you think of the performances?

This week’s edition of Best You Never Heard features little known gems by Jennifer Hudson, The-Dream, Stevie Wonder and Brandy.

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Jennifer Hudson – Invisible

As seemingly one of the few who didn’t wholesomely enjoy Jennifer Hudson‘s 2008 self-titled debut, for me ‘Invisible’ – alongside lead single ‘Spotlight’ – stood far and above the rest of the album’s material. Produced by The Underdogs, the anthem-esque mid-tempo ballad is delivered with such conviction, rawness, emotion that one can’t help but ‘feel’ what Ms. Hudson is singing – the testament IMO to a great song and a an even better singer. Awesome track.

Listen:

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The-Dream – She Needs My Love

2007 saw the emergence of songwriter The-Dream into the limelight with his smashing debut LP ‘Love/Hate’. Full to the brim with box-fresh hits, the album is best described as one of those where almost every track could have viably been a single – especially the steamy ‘She Needs My Love’. Put simply, the song is audio-fire! From the catchy hooks, to Dream’s trademark layered vocal arrangements, to the production (sparse cowbell driven verses which launch into a rousing chorus), this still goes hard today.

Listen:

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Stevie Wonder – So What The Fuss

The legendary Stevie Wonder served up more of his classic brilliance, this time with a modern twist, with 2005’s ‘So What The Fuss’ (lifted from his ‘A Time To Love’ LP). Featuring Prince on bass and EnVogue on background vocals, this raw slice of funk re-positioned Stevie as a legend whose new music can stand effortlessly beside today’s chart-topping hits, whilst preserving the high quality we’ve come to expect from him.

Listen:

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Brandy – Camouflage

R&B vocalist Brandy served up one of, if not ‘the’, best album of her career in 2008 with the release of the criminally underrated ‘Human’ record. Despite its lack of commercial success, the album will be best remembered IMO as serving up track after track of sheer brilliance – especially ‘Camouflage’. Produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins and penned by Claude Kelly, Ms. Norwood entered new territory with this markedly Pop, organic guitar-heavy cut.  Yet she manages to ride the track flawlessly, really capturing the essence of what the song is about – a celebration of human  fragility and imperfectness. Great track.

Listen:

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Hit(s) or Miss(es)?

Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson has landed the role of  Winnie Mandela, the former wife of  Nelson Mandela, in a new biopic which will focus on the life of  the one-time South African 1st lady. Check out the report via Variety below:

Hudson will play Winnie Mandela in a film that begins production May 30 in the South African locations of Johannesburg, Capt Town, Transkei and Robben Island, where the future president spent 18 of his 27 years in prison.

“Winnie” will be directed by Darrell J. Roodt, the veteran South African filmmaker whose 2006 film “Yesterday” was Africa’s Best Foreign Film nominee, and who also directed “Cry, The Beloved Country,” and “Sarafina!”

Andre Pieterse, Roodt and Paul L. Johnson wrote a script based on the Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography “Winnie Mandela:A Life.” Picture is being made with South African and Canadian money, with Pieterse producing with Michael Mosca of Canada’s Equinoxe Films.

While Nelson Mandela — who’ll be played by Morgan Freeman in the Clint Eastwood-directed “Invictus” — is a universally sympathetic figure for his struggle against apartheid, his former wife is a far more complicated figure. She has been depicted as the mother and wife who was a steadfast supporter of her activist husband and who was jailed herself for campaigning for his release and fighting against apartheid. Her image was subsequently tarnished by association with a bodyguard who murdered a 14-year old alleged informer, and she was later convicted of fraud.

The filmmakers will tell the whole story, good and bad.

“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson said. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”

Hudson, who is expected to sing the film’s theme song, won the Oscar for her screen debut in “Dreamgirls’ and followed with “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Sex in the City.”

Go Jennifer! As one of the few talents in the industry actually getting props for being one of the best, as well as being an equally great actress as she is a singer, I couldn’t more happier for Jennifer. The movie sounds like a winner too. More power to her!

Your thoughts?

Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson has granted PEOPLE magazine the first exclusive snap of her newborn baby David. She also spoke to the magazine about how she’s coping with motherhood:

Motherhood definitely seems to agree with Jennifer Hudson, who gave birth to her first child, David – named after her fiancé, David Otunga – on Aug. 10.

“I love being nurturing and caring because I love to see other people happy,” says Hudson. “Who better to devote my time to than my own child?”

From singing lullabies (“He can be crying at the top of his lungs and just turn off like a switch”) to frequent bottle-feedings (“I’ve never seen a baby eat like he does!”), the singer (who chose not to address the tragic loss of her family members last October) offers PEOPLE an intimate look into her new life as a mom.

How hard was it keeping your pregnancy under wraps?

“David and I were the only people who knew for a long time. I would forget I was pregnant, it was so easy. I didn’t have any morning sickness, no cravings either. I just thought, ‘Oh, well, we’ll wait until it’ll tell on itself.’ I didn’t show until I was seven months so that made it easy right there.”

Your son was delivered via C-section, what was your recovery like?

“Everybody told me how much it was going to hurt afterwards but I think I have a different tolerance for pain than others. By that night after I had the baby, I’m like, ‘Look, I can’t sit in this bed anymore. I’ve got to get up!’ I’ve been up and about since he was born. To me, the pain is no different than when you work out a muscle you’ve never worked out before and it’s sore.”

Has his personality emerged yet?

“He has a lot of personality, like David. He’s always been a good sleeper. His favorite time to smile now is diaper changes. Or when he spits up on you – he just cracks up like he thinks it’s the funniest thing. And his bottle is his pacifier. With a pacifier, it’s like he knows, ‘Ain’t nothing come out of here. No, I don’t want that. Where’s the real deal?’ His best friend is that bottle; that’s all he wants.”

Once again, many congratulations to Jennifer and her fiance. It’s great to see her smiling again.

Your thoughts?

Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson has given birth to a healthy 7lb 14oz son, according to U.S. reports.

The baby has been named David Daniel Otunga Jr in honour of his father, Jennifer’s fiancé David Otunga, a lawyer-turned-WWE wrestler.

Mother and baby are reported to be doing well after yesterday’s birth.

A report at showbiz411.com said: ‘Jennifer and David Sr did not know the sex of the baby in advance. They bought blue and pink clothes, just in case!’

Last month an obviously heavily pregnant Jennifer appeared on stage as part of the memorial concert for Michael Jackson, performing Will You Be There.

But the 28-year-old never confirmed or denied reports of her pregnancy.

This is thought to be due in part to the tragic deaths of her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew in October last year. {Source}

Jennifer Hudson’s fiance David Otunga has officially joined World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (random or what?). The Harvard graduate and former ‘I Love New York’ contestant made his wrestling debut at the company’s official development territory Flordia Championship Wrestling (FCW) this week.

As a big wrestling fan, once upon a time (and to a less extent today), it’s not oft you see people from other media arenas join the WWE – especially as wrestlers. Like the commentators say I’m sure all eyes will be on him from here on out. I mean, I never ever envisioned posting a wrestling match on That Grape Juice LOL.

Randomness: WWF/E was the business during the ‘Attitude’ days. HBK, Austin, The Rock, DX, Mankind, Undertaker…ahh childhood memories!

Your thoughts?