Happy Birthday, Jennifer Hudson! - American Idol News
Talk about an American Idol Cinderella story--the successful Jennifer Hudson of today wasn't even voted through to the final round on season three of AI, but instead came back in the Wild Card round as Randy Jackson's choice. While not as popular with viewers toward the beginning of the season, she gained momentum after the Wild Card round and ultimately finished in 7th place. Judge Simon Cowell took a while to warm up to J-Hud as well but after she sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," he told her that she "finally proved why she was among the Top 12," later referring to the performance as "sensational." While it might have taken Simon a while to see J-Hud's talent shine through, Sir Elton John, Barry Manilow, and Quentin Tarantino gave her rave reviews when they were on the show that season.
Jennifer Hudson's post-Idol career has thrived, beginning with her stellar performance of Effie White in the 2006 movie adaptation of Dreamgirls, for which she won several awards, including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and an Academy Award! The most noteworthy part of her role was her astounding performance of the Jennifer Holiday song, "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." At a mere 25 years of age, Jennifer became the eighth-youngest winner in the category of Best Supporting Actress.
Since her impressive start in the film business, Jennifer hasn't looked back. She recently played Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, in Sex and the City: The Movie. She also sang "All Dressed In Love" for the film's soundtrack. Later this year, Jennifer is scheduled to appear as Kathy Archenault in Winged Creatures, a film based on the novel by Roy Freirich, with an impressive cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Guy Pearce, Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Josh Hutcherson, and Jackie Earl Haley. She can also be seen in The Secret Life of Bees opposite Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keys, and Queen Latifah.
With this many films in production, one might think that Jennifer's music career has fallen by the wayside, but, in fact, her self-titled debut album is due out September 30th.