Jennifer Hudson To Perform At Super Bowl

Jennifer Hudson has been keeping a low profile since the tragic killing of her family last fall, but she is ready to face the world again making her first public appearance at the Super Bowl next month.

The NFL confirmed that Hudson is scheduled to perform the national anthem at the event in Tampa, Fla., on February 1. E! Online's Marc Malkin reported the news exclusively.

"She certainly can nail it," a source told Malkin about Hudson’s return to the stage. "She proved it at the Democratic National Convention." In August last year, Hudson sang the national anthem as then-Sen. Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party nomination. She was previously rumored to sing at the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama on January 20 but her camp downplayed the reports.

On February 6, Hudson is reported to perform at a MusiCares Neil Diamond tribute in Hollywood, the night before the Grammy Awards ceremony, but the rumors are yet to be confirmed.

The Oscar-winning singer and actress, who rose to fame as a contestant on “American Idol,” hasn’t been spotted in public since losing her mother, Darnell Donerson, older brother Michael and 7-year-old nephew Julian King, who were brutally murdered in Chicago roughly two months ago. Her estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, is currently behind bars indicted on all three counts of murder.

Via efluxmedia.com

Jennifer Hudson's Brother-in-Law Arrested for Murders

William Balfour is in custody for killing the Oscar winner's mother, brother and nephew.

The October slayings of Jennifer Hudson's family has resulted in the arrest of her brother-in-law.

William Balfour, who had been held on suspicion of a parole violation, was taken back into custody on Monday, Dec. 1 in Illinois' Cook County for the October killings of the Oscar winner's mother, brother and nephew, report news sources.

Balfour, 27, is the estranged husband of the "American Idol" finalist's sister Julia Hudson. It is believed that on Oct. 24, she had called Balfour to discuss a financial matter. While she was at work, he then allegedly went to her home where he shot and killed Hudson's mother Donell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Judson, 29.

Julia Hudson's 7-year-old son, Julian King, went missing from the home, and his body, dead of gunshot wounds, was found three days later in the backseat of an abandoned SUV.

After the bodies of the victims were first discovered, Balfour was immediately taken in as a suspect in the killings but was transferred to a state facility for a parole violation for a 1999 conviction for attempted murder. He has yet to be charged.

Hudson, who won an Oscar for her supporting role in "Dreamgirls" and currently stars in "The Secret Life of Bees," also had offered a $100,000 reward for the return of her nephew. She became engaged last month on her 27th birthday to David Otunga, better known as "Punk" from the second season of the reality dating show "I Love New York."

Via zap2it.com

Funeral held for Hudson relatives

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Chicago for a private funeral service for the slain relatives of Oscar winning actress Jennifer Hudson.

Hudson's mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew were found shot dead last month.

The Dreamgirls star paused before her relatives' caskets and gave her mother a parting kiss.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker and talk show host Oprah Winfrey were also among the mourners.

Idol performance

American Idol winner Fantasia performed at the service, which was held at Chicago's Apostolic Church of God.

Hudson's mother, 57-year-old Darnell Donerson, and brother, 29-year-old Jason Hudson were found shot dead in their Chicago home on 24 October.

Her nephew seven-year-old Julian King's body was found in a vehicle in the city three days later.

No arrests have been made.

Hudson, 27, found fame on American Idol in 2005, and won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the hit film Dreamgirls in 2006.

The actress recently starred in the Sex and the City film and her song Spotlight is at number one in the Billboard R&B charts.

Via bbc.co.uk

Body found after search for Jennifer Hudson's nephew

Police on Monday found the body of a young boy following a search for Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, who has been missing since Hudson's mother and brother were slain last week.

Police did not immediately release the boy's identity but local media reports said a vehicle in which the body was found belonged to Hudson's slain brother, Jason, 29. Police had issued an alert on Friday saying the boy may have been abducted in that vehicle.

The boy, Julian King, has been missing since Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson were found shot dead in Donerson's South Side Chicago home.

Police said the slayings appeared to be part of a domestic disturbance. Various media reports said police had taken William Balfour into custody as a suspect in the double homicide investigation.

Balfour, 27, had a relationship with Hudson's sister Julia but is not the father of the missing boy. Balfour's mother said earlier her son and Julia were estranged and that he had nothing to do with the slayings.

The Illinois Department of Corrections Web site lists Balfour as having been convicted of attempted murder, car theft and vehicular hijacking. He was released from prison in 2006.

Hudson gained fame in 2005 as a contestant on the top-rated U.S. television show "American Idol." She was one of 12 finalists in the third season but was voted off.

Her booming voice and popularity kept her touring in live shows and she earned the role of Effie White in the 2006 film version of the stage musical "Dreamgirls."

The role of soulful singer White, who is kicked out of an all-girl 1960s singing group, earned Hudson the Oscar for best supporting actress and made her an instant star in Hollywood.

Hudson has since appeared in the movie version of "Sex and the City" and is currently in "The Secret Life of Bees."

Via reuters.com

Jennifer Hudson asks public to help find nephew, 7

Jennifer Hudson appealed Sunday for the public's help in finding her 7-year-old nephew, missing since the shooting deaths of her mother and brother.

City police, who intensified search efforts in the neighborhood where the Oscar-winning actress and singer grew up, also transferred custody of a "person of interest" in the killings to state authorities.

An Amber Alert remained in effect Sunday for young Julian King, who disappeared on Friday, the day the bodies of his grandmother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and 29-year-old uncle Jason Hudson were found in the home they all shared on the city's South Side. The deaths were ruled homicides.

The Amber Alert listed William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson, as a suspect in a "double homicide investigation." Julia Hudson is the missing boy's mother.

Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said that authorities considered Balfour a "person of interest" in the case but that he had not been charged.

Authorities said the search for Julian would be citywide, but on Sunday residents and officers focused their efforts "in the immediate vicinity" of the family's home in the Englewood neighborhood, said police spokesman Dan O'Brien.

Police said they did not have a motive for the killings but called the case "domestic-related."

"There's a lot of forensic evidence. We have to work the evidence and try and solve this case," Bond said Sunday. "Most importantly, we want to find the child."

Bond said no weapon had been found at the Hudson home, a three-story house sandwiched between vacant lots littered with trash. On Sunday, investigators moved in and out of the home and examined the trash.

Police officers were instructed to place fliers with Julian King's picture and description in every business in the area.

Jennifer Hudson, a former "American Idol" contestant who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," was in Chicago with her family during the weekend, her sister said. A publicist did not disclose her whereabouts.

In a MySpace blog entry on Sunday, Hudson said she was grateful for community support and posted a picture of her sister's son.

"Thank you all for your prayers and your calls. Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely," the blog entry said. "If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately ... Once again thank you all for being there for us through this tough time."

Bond said Balfour, who had been in police custody since Friday, was transferred Sunday to the Illinois Department of Corrections "based on his active parole violation unrelated to this investigation."

Records from the Corrections Department show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour would probably remain in state custody until the Illinois Prisoner Review Board looked at his case. She would not say exactly where Balfour was being held.

It was unclear whether Balfour had an attorney Sunday, but his mother, Michele Balfour, has denied that he was involved the killings or in Julian's disappearance.

During a public plea Saturday for the boy's return, Julia Hudson described her son as a smart, sensitive and easygoing child.

"He's not your typical 7-year-old," she told a crowd at the family's Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side. She was joined by the boy's father, Greg King.

Julia Hudson said she last saw her son Thursday night when they went out to dinner to celebrate her 31st birthday. Afterward, she said, she took Julian to the home she shared with her mother and brother and handed him to his grandmother, and everyone went to sleep.

She said Saturday that she was confident her son was still alive and that she was praying for his return.

"Momma's looking for you. I'm not going to stop until you come home," she said.

Via associatedpress

Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother slain in Chicago

The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson were found shot dead Friday at a South Side home, and police were looking for a missing child who is the nephew of the singer and Oscar-winning actress.

A man suspected in the deaths was in custody Friday night, but the 7-year-old boy had not been located, according to published reports.

William Balfour was being questioned, but Julian King's whereabouts were not known, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Balfour has not been charged.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said investigators were talking to "a number of people in custody" but she declined to elaborate.

An Amber Alert issued Friday said Balfour was a suspect in the double homicide of Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, whose bodies were found Friday afternoon in a South Side home.

Jennifer Hudson's personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, confirmed the deaths.

"We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson," Kasteler said in a statement. "No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time."

The deaths appeared to be the result of domestic abuse, Bond said. The Cook County medical examiner's office said autopsies for Donerson and Jason Hudson were pending.

Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson said a family member entered the home around 3 p.m. Friday, found a woman shot on the living room floor and left to notify authorities. Responding officers found a man shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.

Police tape blocked access to the large, white house, where a crowd gathered outside. Investigators with dogs and flashlights searched foliage surrounding a church that faces the home.

Authorities issued the Amber Alert for King and sought a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban. The child was the grandson of the female victim, officials said.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted and could be accompanied by Balfour, who was considered armed and dangerous and called a suspect in the double homicide investigation.

Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. Public records show one of Balfour's addresses as the home where Donerson and Jason Hudson were shot.

The alert said the boy could also be in a teal or green Chrysler Concorde with a temporary license plate, a left front headlight hanging out and scratches on the left side of the vehicle.

The tragedy comes as Hudson, who grew up in Chicago, continues to reach new heights in her career. Her song "Spotlight" is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled debut album has been a top seller. She was featured in this year's blockbuster "Sex and the City" movie and is also starring in the hit film "The Secret Life of Bees."

She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls." In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for "American Idol," which launched her career.

The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family. In a recent AP interview she said her family, which includes older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.

"My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home," she said. "I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I'm just Jennifer, (so she says), 'You get up and you take care of your own stuff.' And I love that; I don't like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean."

Hudson recently announced her engagement to David Otunga, best known for his stint on VH1's reality show "I Love New York."

Hudson's representatives would not disclose her whereabouts Friday. She had been scheduled to appear Monday in Los Angeles to collect an ensemble cast honor at the Hollywood Awards for "The Secret Life of Bees" with co-stars including Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.

Via associatedpress

Jennifer Hudson announces engagement

Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson has announced her engagement to reality television star David Otunga.

According to People magazine, the singer's representative confirmed that she is now engaged, saying: "I can confirm that Jennifer got engaged to her boyfriend David on Friday night in LA."

'I Love New York 2' star Otunga reportedly proposed to Hudson by presenting her with a Neil Lane diamond ring on her 27th birthday.

Via rte.ie

Jennifer Hudson Keeping Her Dream Going With Singing

Jennifer Hudson is going to continue to be an 'idol' in 2008.

The "American Idol" contestant turned Oscar winner has revealed that her next goal to achieve is winning a Grammy award.

The Golden Globe and Academy Award winner has announced that she is releasing her debut album this year, 17 years in the making.

On New Years Eve, Jennifer told PEOPLE, "I get to sing this year. I love acting and I hope I don't ever have to choose between acting and singing, but singing is what I worked 17 years to do. That's what I dreamed of. And I get to do it this year."

Jennifer, who will also be starring as Carrie Bradshaw's assistant in "Sex And The City", said that her next achievement will hopefully be winning a Grammy.

She said, "I used to watch the Grammys and dream of winning one. Maybe that can be next on my list."

The past year was a big year for Jennifer, who blitzed bigger and more established stars to take home some of the most coveted awards. And the singer-actress is still appreciative. She concluded, "I still don't exactly believe everything that has happened to me. Every day, it's like 'Thank you God."

Via hiphop-elements.com