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Jennifer抯 interview with Life:
Dream Girl, Jennifer Hudson
Take that, Simon Cowell! The former American Idol contestant now has everyone from Elton John to Oscar voters up on their feet.
By David Hochman
Photographs by Peggy Sirota
There are moments that make or break you. For Jennifer Hudson, one of those came during season three of American Idolwhen, she says, Simon Cowell remarked, "You only get one chance at it,and the people who don抰 win will never be seen again." So much forwhat Simon says. With her harrowing, heart-stopping AcademyAward杗ominated performance as diva Effie White in Dreamgirls, Hudson could be on the verge of exacting the ultimate revenge: by winning a little gold man named Oscar.
Hudson says proving Simon wrong wasn抰 what fueled her volcanic turn as Effie: "I never once thought about Simon Cowell during Dreamgirls.It wasn't about 'Aha, I want to show you!' Being eliminated showed methat God has a greater plan." The 25-year-old Chicagoan tells LIFEabout the people, places, and songs that have shaped her career andhelped her red-carpet dreams come true.
THE SONG THAT MADE HER LOVE MUSIC
SaysHudson of "Got to Be Real," Cheryl Lynn抯 1978 disco hit, 揑 was alittle kid and remember looking at the record player in my mother抯house thinking, How does music come out like that?"
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MISS JENNY HUDSON
Hudsonmade her stage debut singing the gospel power ballad "Ask in My Name"at a party for her great-great-grandmother抯 ninety-first birthday. "Iwas about 9, and everybody was laughing when they saw my name in theprogram, saying 'Oh, that抯 so cute桱enny抯 gonna sing.' By the time Ifinished, everybody was standing up, cheering. That's when peoplestarted taking me seriously."
SERVING THE BURGER KING
"Theonly nonentertainment job I took was at Burger King [as a teenager]. Myolder sister, Julia, was the super-employee. I made a mess ofeverything: Burgers would go flying out of my hand. I抎 drop thecheese. It made me realize I better find a job doing somethingcompletely different."
HUDSON LOVES THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR
It was while watching an episode of the '90s Will Smith sitcom that she first heard "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," Dreamgirls抂/i] signature song. "Will was lip-synching to it, and I was like, 'Who is that singing? I have to sing that song.' I never would have guessed. . . ."
THE PRESIDENT OF HER FAN CLUB
At five-foot-three, Walter Williams III made an odd match as a high-school prom date for the five-foot-nine Hudson, but she says he抯 "been my biggest supporter and told me about every audition, from American Idol on down." Says Williams, who recently became Hudson抯 personal chef: "I heard her sing 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child' at our sixth-grade assembly. She had lungs on her! I told her, 'You抮e gonna be somebody!'"
AHOY, MICKEY
Hudson'sfirst major professional gig was playing Calliope, a Greek muse, on aDisney cruise ship in 2002. "I had to wear a heavy goddess gown, a highwig, and four-inch heels. Then I had to stand like a statue, whichisn't so easy on a boat that抯 rocking from side to side." She jumpedship after six months, going up against more than 5,000 American Idol wannabes during the show抯 Atlanta auditions.
HER MUSIC IDOLS
"When nobody else saw my talent [on American Idol], Elton John did. He and Barry Manilow [whose songs she also sang] are like part of my family. I still hear from them with words of encouragement. To have these guys in my corner, it's like, whoa."
ONE MAN ONLY
"My boyfriend, James [Peyton, who is 27], and I have been together since 1999, so he watched me struggle to get here. There were some dark times when I'd say, 'I can't sing anymore. I'm not right for this.' He'd say, 'Jennifer, there's no way you're not singing. Keep it up, girl, keep it up.' "
THE MAKING OF A DREAMGIRL
Although Hudson didn't see an online clip of Jennifer Holliday's 1982 Tony-winning performance as Effie until after filming Dreamgirls,she was well aware of Holliday抯 legend. "[It] was extremelyintimidating but also inspiring. My challenge was to create my ownJennifer energy桰 called it 'Jennifer rising,' which meant I had tostop comparing myself to the other Jennifer."
THE BASIC TRAINER
Shegained 20 pounds to play the plus-size Effie. "I did it by eatingcookies, cakes, and pies at all hours of the night. The trouble is, wewere dancing so much, it was hard to keep the weight on. I'd lose aninch, and they'd yell 'You've gotta eat more chocolate cake!' " Then itwas up to her personal trainer, LaFonza Alston, to help her get it off.She ended up dropping 25 pounds over a few months on a diet of salads,grilled chicken, nuts, and cranberry juice. "He said every portion offood I eat should be no bigger than my hand." He also had her rise atfour every morning for track work and four sets of squats, push-ups,and sit-ups. "I thought he was crazy," says Hudson, "but I didn抰 missa day."
A RAY OF HOPE
"[Afterfilming, costar] Jamie Foxx would call me every Sunday and say 'I抳ebeen down the same road you抮e going down.' And I抎 say, 'Me? No way.'And he抎 say, 'Yeah, you抮e gonna be there梩he Golden Globes, theOscars.' It抯 so great to have somebody to lean on when things arechanging so fast. He's my lifesaver."
[ Last edited by aYuGiLeR at 17-2-2007 06:34 AM ] |
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mesti beyonce bengang gile kan..even bpun tak pernah jadik cove vogue..die pernah ke?? |
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Beyonce nak bengang? Buat aper dier nak bengang? Beyonce dah cipte byk record pon. And Bee dah jadie cover dpan bertimbun magazine now. |
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Reply #22 sayang_mulut's post
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ahaks.....xminat pun die nie... |
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apa2 pun harap Jenny Hudson still continue shine on as she is...:ah: |
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kenapa semua org nk lagakan bee n JH.....bagi aku dua2 best nyanyi dlm dreamgirls tuh... n then...oprah pon adr ckp...dua budak nie bagus....the end |
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jbb_lkh This user has been deleted
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I love love love her so much... ever since she becaome Effie White in Dreamgirls, I knew that her destiny will changed forever. She'll be the next upcoming Singer/Actress in Hollywood!!
Way to Go Girl!!! |
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Reply #27 Beta's post
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sapa plak nak lagakan depa?? kan kisahnyer bee yg memula tak puas ati ngan J hud.. isu jadi berpanjangan sampai skang... biasa la.. gossip... |
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bkn forum ini lagakan...org amerikang tuh....
bee x puas ati... |
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Tahniah J-Hud for her winning as Best Supporting Actress @ 79th Academy Award...Love u so much...:love:
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aku dah tengok dreamsgirl semalam.. oklah..
 J-Hud patutnye jadi leeading actress.. Beyonce patutnyer supporting role.. |
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semlm g tgk citer nie..x brp suka lar suara JH, besar sgt..tp bl bee nyanyi tenang je, xpening kepala... |
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Originally posted by mandibunge at 1-3-2007 11:21 AM
semlm g tgk citer nie..x brp suka lar suara JH, besar sgt..tp bl bee nyanyi tenang je, xpening kepala...
ya ya i think the same too...her voice too power and sometimes until one certain points, it is annoyying...just love beyonce she is is great ! |
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Originally posted by aYuGiLeR at 17-2-2007 06:22 AM
memang tapi she's the first black singer to ever be featured on a cover of Vogue.Halle Berry and Oprah Winfrey are the only other blackactresses ever featured on a cover. so J hud dah cipta r ...
i've read somewhere (dah luper) dat she's the third black artiste featured on vogue's cover...when oprah was about to be on the cover, she was asked to lose weight but this time they let jennifer flaunt her curvy body....love her confidence...n dis is certainly her TIME!!!  |
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Post time 17-2-2007 06:32 AM
