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Beyonce Says No Jennifer Hudson Feud

PopSugar — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 11:53:13 -0800

Beyonce performed quite a show on The Today Show this morning. She's totally confident in herself as an artist on stage and in front of the camera. So even though Jennifer Hudson may be getting most of the rave reviews for her performance in Dreamgirls, Beyonce says it doesn't bother her a bit. Here's more:

"I knew that the character that I played wasn't the star," Knowles, 25, told reporters on Saturday about knowing full well that her Diana Ross-esque role of Deena Jones was less meaty than Hudson's part as Effie White – a part that is already getting Hudson Oscar buzz. "She wasn't the underdog. She didn't have the struggle and the pain and the dramatic scenes that Effie had, and I was fine with that."

Taking the role was about proving herself as an actress. "I'm already a star. I already have nine Grammys. Everyone knows I can sing," Knowles said. "I did this because I wanted people to know that I can act and I can play someone so different from myself."

So, what about the rumors of jealousy towards Hudson? "It's really unfortunate that everyone is saying I'm jealous of Jennifer. It hurts my heart because it's so clichéd. … They're saying that I'm mad when I knew going into this that I was playing Deena," said Knowles. "Because I'm a star they just automatically assume that I'm not humble enough to sit down and take a back seat, which I am."

But the R&B star did admit that she would have liked to have sung Effie's song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a showstopper that, in large part, helped get Jennifer Holliday a Tony Award for best actress for the original 1981 Broadway version of Dreamgirls.

"I mean," said Knowles, "I wish I could've gained 20 pounds and played Effie."

Ouch! I wonder what Jennifer Hudson will think of that last comment! Luckily Beyonce followed it up with some kind words for her costar. She said, ""Jennifer Hudson had such a pressure, first of all, never being in a film and never have done an album and still having to live up to those expectations," said Knowles. "She did incredible." For more pics of her Today Show performance just read more

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Dreamgirls Premieres in NY

PopSugar — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:35:54 -0800

People had a lot to talk about at the Dreamgirls Premiere last night in NY. First,
Eddie Murphy showed up with new girlfriend Tracey Edmonds despite rumors that ex Spice Girl Mel B is pregnant with his baby. And then everyone was watching for any tension between Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson. Beyonce recently denied rumors of a feud between the two, saying she has no hard feelings against Jennifer for getting the better part in the film. The two posed for pictures together and everything seemed to be fine. She left the screening, however, soon after. Here's more:

Jennifer Hudson got a standing ovation in the middle of the movie when she finished singing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."

When the film was over, there was another standing O, and the entire audience stood still and watched the main end credits.

Co-star Beyonce was long gone by then. She worked the red carpet, did her publicity and then split with boyfriend Jay-Z. She [also said] she'd rented a private plane and was ferrying him off for a birthday surprise. Insiders were split on whether they went as far as St. Bart's or only Atlantic City.

You'd think she would have made an exception for the premiere of her big movie. Of course it has got to be hard when a newcomer is getting all of the Oscar buzz. Lots more people came out to support the Dreamgirls including Rosie O'Donnell, Terrence Howard, Vanessa Minnillo, Spike Lee, and more so read more

Others at the event included: Adriana Lima, Anika Noni Rose, Beyonce, Sumner Redstone, Brad Grey, Cedric the Entertainer, Danny Glover, Eddie Murphy, Gayle King, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Les Moonves, Julie Chen, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Molly Shannon, Queen Latifah, Rosie O'Donnell, Sharon Leal, Terrence Howard, Vanessa Minnillo, Selita Ebanks, Spike Lee

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The Men in Jennifer Hudson's Life

PopSugar — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:38:04 -0800

Remember when Dreamgirls was known as that movie with Beyonce? Well the tide has definitely turned as Jennifer Hudson has risen to stardom. As the Oscars rapidly approach, the buzz surrounding her is louder than ever. In Life magazine, Jennifer talks about her challenging rise to fame and the men who helped her along the way. Here are highlights:

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’ 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. . . ."

"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.' "

"[After filming, costar] Jamie Foxx would call me every Sunday and say 'I’ve been down the same road you’re going down.' And I’d say, 'Me? No way.' And he’d say, 'Yeah, you’re gonna be there-the Golden Globes, the Oscars.' It’s so great to have somebody to lean on when things are changing so fast. He's my lifesaver."

Hmm. I must've missed that episode of Fresh Prince. We're glad that Jennifer has such great men to stand behind her and it looks like she may have a golden man standing on her mantel soon too. For more pics from Jennifer's photo shoot, just read more

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Jennifer Hudson Turns Rejection into Stardom

PopSugar — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 23:37:06 -0800

Jennifer Hudson sure has had a busy week. She stopped by Letterman, won the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs Festival over the weekend and then took home best supporting actress at the NY Critics Awards on Sunday. She's sure come a long way since losing out on Idol. However, if she hadn't been rejected by the show she might not have given such a stellar performance in Dreamgirls. Jennifer recently said she used her AI rejection to help her to relate more to her Dreamgirls character. She says:

"I don't believe in looking back, that's in the past. It's part of my history and I'm proud of it. But, hey, I took it as a lesson and I've moved on. "I have never experienced anything to the extent of what EFFIE (her character in the film) went through, but everybody has been rejected. That was my closest rejection so I used that!"

We wonder what's in store for Jennifer next week at the Golden Globes. For more pics just read more

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Dreamgirls is Coming!

PopSugar — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 09:30:53 -0800

Dreamgirls will be in theaters soon, arriving on the big screen just in time for the holidays. Besides getting excited to see Beyonce and Jamie Foxx in theaters, AI's Jennifer Hudson is the one everyone is talking about. The newcomer is already generating Oscar buzz, and now you can meet her at a very special meet and greet. Jennifer Hudson will be in San Francisco this Monday at 6 pm at the Westfield SF Centre. She's also making appearances at many other cities like Dallas and Boston - just click here to learn more, and check out more of the cast on Oprah including Simon Cowell's apology to Jennifer.

Dreamgirls Go Hollywood

PopSugar — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:36:42 -0800

The big LA premiere of Dreamgirls was last night. Beyonce looked like she was floating down the red carpet in her Tiffany blue gown. Lots of TV friends including the cast of Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher, and even Beyonce's girlfriends from her days with Destiny's Child came out to support them. Jamie Foxx and Beyonce spoke a bit about the film on the red carpet. Here's more:

"I've been hearing about this Broadway musical since I was nine years old and now here I am!" Beyoncé tells our PAT O'BRIEN. "It's amazing. It's incredible."

"It's literally going to be one of those films that you put into a time capsule and just watch over and over and over again," adds Jamie.

Once again Eddie Murphy brought his new girlfriend instead of pregnant Scary Spice. They came to to the big star studded NYC premiere as well. Dreamgirls will be in theaters Christmas day. Until then many more pics including Andie MacDowell, Eddie Murphy, Katherine Heigl, Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Isaiah Washington, Jennifer Hudson, Paula Abdul and many more, just read more

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Will the Academy Choose Jennifer Hudson?

PopSugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:07:38 -0800

Jennifer Hudson looks pretty happy as she blows lots of kisses at a Dreamgirls' Press Conference in Tokyo. We don't blame her - the girl has tons to smile about. She's racked up a slew of awards for her role as Effie. In fact, it seems as if she hasn't lost at an awards show yet. We can't wait to see if the Academy will follow suit. She's already come so far since American Idol, but winning an Oscar would really be the icing on the cake of Jennifer's Cinderella story.

Don't forget to cast your Oscar ballot to win some awesome prizes and stay tuned for more pre-Oscar fun! For more pics of Jennifer, just read more

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Jamie Foxx Mentors Jennifer Hudson

PopSugar — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:44:37 -0800

Jennifer Hudson performed for a sold out crowd on Saturday night at The Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. After the show she spoke about how her life has changed, what it's like to be the underdog and how Jamie Foxx was her biggest supporter. Here's more:

Jamie would call me every Sunday during the summer. It would never fail, and the first time he called I was like, "Oh, my God. Jamie Foxx just called me!" But he was so supportive, so sweet so helpful ... during filming. And he came to me at the end of filming and he pulled me to the side and he was like, "I didn't want to distract you while you were working, but now that we're at the end, I can say what I want to say." And he was like, "You know what? We really think you did something special. I feel like you're about ready to go down the same road that I just experienced (winning an Oscar for her performance in Ray), and if I can do anything to mentor you and help you out, I'd be happy to."

Sounds like Jamie really believed in her. We loved her on Idol and after seeing Dreamgirls we can see why he was such a fan. Lots more pics of Jennifer belting it out, so read more

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Jennifer Hudson Makes a Big Move Back to the Big Screen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:30:38 -0800

I was a bit worried about what would become of Jennifer Hudson's film career when she followed up her tour de force performance in Dreamgirls with a role in Sex and the City, but it looks like the singer/actress is ready to sink her teeth into another juicy role. Hudson is set to play Winnie Mandela, Nelson's former wife, in the upcoming drama Winnie. The film is based on the Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography Winnie Mandela: A Life and will be directed by Darrell J. Roodt.

We'll get a peek into Nelson Mandela's life in next month's release of Invictus, but I might be even more curious to learn about Winnie. After taking a hiatus to work on her music, I'm interested to see if Jennifer can carry such a big role - sounds to me like she may already have another Oscar on the brain.

Are you psyched to see Jennifer return to the big screen, or do you prefer her as a singer?

Dreamgirls Premiere in London

PopSugar — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:53:28 -0800

The Dreamgirls shined once again at their premiere in London this weekend. Beyonce went for a shimmery silver strapless Elie Saab gown despite the freezing cold winter weather. She said, "I'm not wearing it for long and it's worth the pain." Like us, Beyonce is excited for tomorrow's Oscar nominations. She said, "I can't wait to hear what's going to happen with the Oscars. I'm happy already." Who do you think will will score a nomination tomorrow?

For more pics of the Dreamgirls showing off in London just read more

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