Real Music People

Superstar Jennifer Hudson is celebrating after giving birth to a baby boy, according to reports.

The Oscar winner and her fiance David Otunga – a lawyer-turned-WWE wrestler – welcomed a healthy son in the early hours of Tuesday.

The tot weighed in at 7lbs 14oz and was named David Daniel Otunga, Jr. after his father.

The happy couple had apparently bought pink and blue clothing in advance of the birth, preferring not to know the sex of their baby.

Dreamgirls star Hudson, 28, who never confirmed or denied her pregnancy, continues to grieve for her mother, brother and nephew who were killed in a shocking Chicago murder spree in October last year.

William Balfour, Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law who is married to her sister Julia, has now been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

Source: Splash News

Michael Jackson’s memorial turned up some all star names. Apart from the actual attendees, some special mention can be given to those who spoke out and performed in honor of the late King of Pop. Those participants, include Ron Boyd (family friend); Kobe Bryant; Mariah Carey; Andrae Crouch Choir; Berry Gordy; Jennifer Hudson; Shaheen Jafargholi (finalist on Britain’s Got Talent); Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A. King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; Rev. Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; Pastor Lucious Smith (family friend); Usher; and Stevie Wonder. The memorial of the iconic singer was broadcasted on five major TV networks.

One day you could be a nobody. The next day you could be on American Idol. And then all of a sudden, you find yourself starring in ‘Dreamgirls’. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about Jennifer Hudson. I’m actually talking about Syesha Mercado. Sources are saying that the season seven Idol alum has been cast in the upcoming international tour of ‘Dreamgirls’ the play, landing the role of Deena Jones, which was played by Beyonce in the movie. Could ‘Dreamgirls’ prove to be the big break that another American Idol has been looking for? If it worked for Jennifer, there’s no saying that it wouldn’t work for Syesha.

The “American Idol” winner is excited about her first upcoming tour. Jennifer Hudson said this about touring for the first time: “I’m excited to get out and meet the people and sing for the people. I always love to perform live. The only other tour I’ve been part of is the ‘American Idol’ tour, so this’ll be more intimate and personal.” What does Jennifer Hudson find so intimate and personal about singing in front of thousands of people, sharing living quarters and transportation with loads of other people, getting little sleep and other some such things. Or, no, wait, that’s not how they roll up there. Jennifer Hudson will probably have her own car, her own suite, her own “assistants”. In that case it will indeed prove a most fulfilling and self-discovering experience.

The NAACP Image Awards went down last week and it was a particularly inspired night. In addition to receiving awards for best female artist and best female artist, respectively, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson both gave amazing performances with Beyonce singing ‘Halo’ and Jennifer Hudson singing ‘The Impossible Dream’. will.i.am and Seal also performed at the show which honors achievement and performances of people of color in TV, film, music and literature. Chandra Wilson, Columbus Short, Jamie Foxx, Sean ‘Diddy Combs’, Hill Harper, Tracee Ellis Ross, Taraji P. Henson, Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Wangari Maathai, Muhammad Ali, and Russell Simmons were some of the other awardees.

After the rain comes the pouring of blessings. This seems to be true for Jennifer Hudson who was faced with a personal crisis last year after her mother, brother and nephew were murdered last October. Fresh from her crowd-stirring performance during the opening of the Super Bowl, Jennifer Hudson was again seen during last Sunday’s Grammy Awards where she did not only perform but also bagged her first Grammy. The Oscar-winning actress thanked her family in heaven and those who are with her that day. The triple murders kept the 27-year old Hudson in seclusion for months.

Hudson, who accepted her award from Whitney Houston, also thanked God for bringing her through. She went on to sing the dramatic song “You Pulled Me Through”. Hudson’s moving rendition was one of the most dramatic scenes onstage. However, there was a lot more drama behind the scenes starting from Chris Brown and Rihanna’s absence. Both were scheduled to perform at the Grammy but they were replaced by an able group consisting of Keith Urban, Boyz II Men, Al Green and Justin Timberlake who sang “Let’s Stay Together”.

Jennifer Hudson is pictured getting her hair and makeup done on the set of her music video for her new single ‘If This Isn’t Love’. The video is scheduled to be released in time for Valentine’s Day. The 27-year old former American Idol also made her first public performance by singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl pregame festivities this past Sunday. She was amazing! Jennifer will then sing at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala on February 6th and at the Grammys on February 8th. It’s great to see hear back to work after everything that has happened. Welcome back!

Previous reports claimed that Jennifer Hudson might be singing the national anthem at Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20th. That would have marked her first public appearance and performance since the unfortunate deaths of her family. However, a rep has just said that there was no truth to the reports. She must stil be needing some time to move on. Now, it seems that her first public performance will be on February 6th at the MusiCares Person of the Year event in Los Angeles honoring Neil Diamond. Let’s hope that she really does make it to that one. The best way to move on is to go on about your life.

I guess it was still too early as Jennifer Hudson has pulled out of plans to film a new music video this week. The Oscar winner, who is still grieving, is not yet ready to get back to her work routine after the tragic slaying of three of her beloved family members. A source said “The video was set up before the tragedy and she felt like she should finish what she started, but she’s realized that she’s not ready to go back to work. It’s too early.” Send some positive energy and thoughts her way and hope that it helps. If justice can be served soon, then she can fully move on.