The Showbiz Insider

Jennifer Hudson to sing at NFL football Super Bowl

Jennifer Hudson is back on spotlight since her mother, brother and nephew were killed in Chicago in October, according to reports.

The Oscar-winning “Dreamgirls” and The former “American Idol” contestant and actress will sing the U.S. national anthem on the pop culture’s grandest stage – the NFL football Super Bowl.

Hudson would sing at the game in Tampa, Florida, Feb. 1. The game is usually the most watched U.S. television broadcast of the year. 

Hudson’s Super Bowl performance will come five days before she is due to sing in Los Angeles at the 2009 the MusiCares Person of the Year gala, an event leading up to the 51st annual Grammy Awards on Feb 8.

Hudson is nominated for four awards at the Grammies.

Hudson, 27, competed in the reality talent show “American Idol” in 2004. She was eliminated midway through the competition but revived her career with a critically acclaimed performance in the 2006 musical “Dreamgirls,” which earned her an Academy Award as best supporting actress.

Last year, she co-starred in the movie “The Secret Life of Bees.”

Tags: Jennifer Hudson, jennifer hudson super bowl

American Idol Finalists Who Still Made it Big

Yes, though the first place winners of each American Idol season get all the glory, there are a select number of finalists who still managed to make it big in the music industry.

Gone were the days when only the winner takes it all, as even the finalists have found their place in the spotlight and launched singles that made it to the charts, and then some. Here are just a few examples:

Clay Aiken, the ever-familiar runner-up in AI season 2, has already garnered awards for hit singles he released in 2003.

It was in that year when Billboard awarded the now 30-year old pop rock artist the best selling single for “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

After that, in 2004 and 2005, Clay received a Billboard award for best selling Christmas and Christian album, respectively, for his cover, “Merry Christmas with Love,” which sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.

Moving on to American Idol Season 3, who could forget Jennifer Hudson? More »

Tags: Bo Bice album, Clay Aiken career, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson songs