Jennifer Hudson to Receive Black Perspective Award
Chicago native and Dunbar Vocational High School alumni, vocalist Jennifer Hudson will be honored during the 44th Chicago International Film Festival Black Perspective Tribute at the Chase Auditorium on October 18.
The Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning will receive the Artistic Achievement Award at the same event where Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Pop Tarts: Kellie Pickler Encourages Young Girls to Hold On to Their ‘Innocence
With her bottle-blonde hair and breast implants, one could argue that Kellie Pickler comes across as the “naughty little minx” that Simon Cowell once called her during the fifth season of “American Idol.” But the country crooner is upholding a moral ground on her upcoming album by encouraging young girls to maintain their “innocence” for as long as possible.
Bucky Covington reaches big time with role in Disney movie, song in video game
His older country music fans already appreciate him, but for the younger ones, former “American Idol” contestant Bucky Covington has really made it – he’s been selected to be in the upcoming “Hannah Montana” feature film.
“I’ve never been on a movie set, so I don’t know what to expect, ” said Covington, who is performing tonight at Sammy T’s Music Hall. “I’ve always been a fan of Billy Ray’s music and it really is an honor for him to ask me to be a part of what is sure to be the biggest movie released next year.” (Billy Ray Cyrus is father of Miley, who plays Hannah.)
David Cook Laces Up With Skechers
The 25-year-old American Idol Winner recently scored a shoe endorsement deal with Skechers. The shoe brand company will use David tousled image to sell it casual footwear line. He said of the company, …I have always viewed Skechers as a cool company, so I am excited to be a part of their campaign.
Decoding ‹American Idol Winner David Cook Song Titles
Were not going to pretend we know what goes on in …American Idol season-seven winner David Cook swirly little head. But a peep at some of the song titles on his upcoming self-titled debut, due November 18, definitely made us say, …Huh? (But first, a caveat: We have not heard the album at all.)
The first one that grabbed our attention was …Bar-ba-sol, which is either an homage to the original premium shave cream ‘ in which case we applaud his blatant Chris Brown-like product placement at a time when musicians have to get their hustle on any way they can ‘ or an homage to season-six pinup Antonella Barba, which we would also applaud.
David Cook Admits Ongoing Relationship with Kimberly Caldwell
David Cook admitted on the Johnny and Jayde radio show that he and former American Idol contestant, Kimberly Caldwell, are still dating. Cook and Caldwell began seeing each other in May. So, that puts them around the six month mark.
So who is Kimberly Caldwell and how did she hook up with the most swooned after man in America?
Jennifer Hudson Covers Ebony and Jet, Talks Hollywood and Punk
The spotlight is on Jennifer Hudson over at Ebony and Jet magazines, the Academy Award-winning star covers both this week’s Jet and November’s issue of Ebony.
“I like who I am and the way I am” says Hudson in the new issue of JET where she discusses staying true to herself despite Hollywood pressures and her fiance.
Big Gay Deal: Jennifer Hudson
Hollywood may change some people, but Oscar-winning Tinseltown ‹It girl Jennifer Hudson is not one of them. She may have an Academy Award and few other glittering statuettes to her credit nowadays, but in conversation and in demeanor, the forever real Miss Hudson is still the consummate un-diva. Dont get me wrong, she bristles with confidence and she got ‹you go girl attitude to spare, but JHud, as she has affectionately become known, is still every bit the down-home girl, with the big voice and even bigger smile that America fell in love with on American Idol.
Review: `Secret Life of Bees’ not the bees knees
Though the cast might suggest a musical, “The Secret Life of Bees” is an earnest, saccharine adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling 2002 novel, brought to the big screen by director Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love & Basketball”).
The novel, set in South Carolina in 1964, came out of nowhere to sell millions in paperback, so this adaptation arrives with much anticipation from its readers. Of course, placating such ardent fans has doomed more than a few movies of beloved books.
Queen of country meets pop princess
Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson might have dramatically different backgrounds, but they couldn’t be more compatible onstage, say organizers of the “2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour 2008, ” which comes to Mellon Arena on Friday night.
Jimmy Roach, a deejay for Froggy 98.3, compares the fusion of McEntire and Clarkson to a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: two different flavors that complement each other well.
Blake Lewis gets back to his beatboxing roots
Usually when a singer loses a major label record deal, there a lot of soul searching, self-evaluation and reinvention.
Not for Blake Lewis. Since Arista walked him to the door in June, he can be who he always wanted to be: a beatboxing, beat-mashing electro-pop performer.
Lewis, who finished second to Jordin Sparks on …American Idol Season 6, performs at 8 tonight at New Brookland Tavern.
Vanity Fair and Constantine Maroulis Engage in a Canonical Cage Match
Earlier today I was going to post a link to the VF list with a snide link along the lines of “The One Worst List Of Best Songs Ever, ” but then fate and/or Axl Rose intervened. But I was reminded of it just now while perusing the set list for Rock Of Ages, the butt-rock jukebox musical starring known chest-hair blowdrier and former American Idol hopeful Constantine Maroulis. It has “The Final Countdown” and “Oh Sherrie” and “More Than Words”; it is pretty much the exact antithesis of the VF list, blatantly honest as opposed to the cocktail-party equivocating of “good” that no doubt went on at 4 Times Square in the runup to this issue. Am I being too hard on poor old Graydon? I leave it to you, the reader, to decide.
Poison, Hair and an …American Idol: …Rock of Ages Musical Hits NYC
Rock of Ages is the story of a bartender/struggling musician looking for his one chance at love and the spotlight ‘ but gets thwarted by the seedier sides of both. Boasting 30 classic lighter-waving anthems by Poison, Journey, Ratt, Twisted Sister and much more, the 80s arena-metal musical opens its curtains in New York tomorrow. After runs in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the off-Broadway play has found a perfect lead in American Idol rocker Constantine Maroulis, whose theatre experience (he was in the touring company of Rent) and much-celebrated position as the original long-haired Idol rocker bring the overload of drama and bombast to the already dramatic and bombastic songs of the Aqua-Net age.
The Color Purple | Fabulous Fox Theater
London, who plays the character of Nettie in the show, was an early front runner on season three of American Idol alongside fellow divas Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia Barrino, ultimately coming in fourth place. This is her first Broadway show and tour.
“It’s been a great experience and something I’m proud to be a part of, ” London says.”I think the story teaches people about love and how unconditional it is and how it’s never too late to find yourself and to find your happiness and your peace within no matter what you’re going through. Everyone can relate to one of the characters in this show.”
Simon Cowell: What exactly is his outstanding contribution?
It has been rumoured that Simon Cowell is being considered for the Brit Awards Outstanding Contribution to Music. Now, Simon Cowell may have made outstanding contributions to many things – Saturday Night TV, the waist height of men’s trousers, the retirement funds of lapdancers, the cabaret careers of former shop assistants and the coffers of professional teams of songwriters and producers who work behind the scenes on his machine tooled manufactured pop acts – but I am not sure that even he would claim that music (per se) is amongst them.
Ratings: ‘The Mentalist’ beats ‘Dancing With the Stars’ on Tuesday
Freshman series The Mentalist continued to deliver good numbers for CBS last night, according to preliminary ratings data. The procedural (which just received a full-season order) averaged 14.9 million viewers (down only 3 percent from last week) and actually bested the Dancing With the Stars results show (14.4 million) in the 9 p.m. hour.
Tuesday Dancing: What You Didnt See
Cloris Leachman staved off elimination for yet another week. But the 82-year-old Academy award-winning actress professed to never panicking about a possible ouster. …I wasnt worried, Leachman said with a relaxed cackle. …Maybe Ill faint, but I wasnt concerned. One part is your brain and the other is just your body, and as you might have seen from some of my dances, mine arent connected. In fact, Leachman offered this warning to the producers: …They joked about me costing the show money (referring to the spoof Dancing campaign ads that ran during last night show), and I will cost this show money if they throw me off. Ill come back and trash the set if they send me home.
