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If Marky Mark Can Do It, Taylor Swift Has It In The Bag: The Best Singers-Turned-Actors

Posted 1/5/12 11:48 am EST by in Movies, Music, Taylor Swift


News that our favorite cardigan sweater enthusiast Taylor Swift has been offered the role of Eponine in "King's Speech" Oscar winner Tom Hooper's big screen musical adaptation of the classic Broadway show/Victor Hugo novel "Les Miserables," co-starring acting A-listers Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, has everyone in the MTV Newsroom in a tizzy.

If she chooses to take the role, will she be any good? We reached out to fans, who seem to want to give the Speak Now singer the benefit of the doubt, and personally think the country-pop superstar will do just fine in the role (can't you just hear her singing "On My Own" already?), but every time a singer puts on the acting cap the critics come out with their pitchforks to proclaim that the odds are against her and most singers make for pretty crappy actors.

Well, that's sometimes true. Madonna, who we love, hasn't had a great run on the big screen and Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera haven't has much luck in movies either. But there are plenty of examples of double-threat crossover successes. We've rounded up a few of our favorites after the jump. Read More...

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Jennifer Hudson Serenades President Obama On His 50th Birthday

Posted 8/4/11 1:00 pm EST by in Barack-Obama, jennifer-hudson


Jennifer Hudson, Barack Obama and Marilyn Monroe

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

President Barack Obama turns 50 today! And he got serenaded by a movie star songbird. Wait … that part sounds familiar.

On May 19, 1962, President John F. Kennedy celebrated his 45th birthday at NYC’s Madison Square Garden with 15,000 of his closest friends. Many celebrities were in attendance at the celebration, including Marilyn Monroe, who … um … might have known the president pretty well (according to some people).

Wearing a sheer, rhinestone-studded dress (which sold at auction in 1999 for $1.26 million), Monroe’s take on “Happy Birthday” was a sultry showstopper. After the performance, President Kennedy told the crowd, “I can now retire from politics after having had Happy Birthday sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way.”

Jennifer Hudson’s performance for Obama was markedly less scandalous. Wearing a short black dress, the Oscar-winning actress took the stage in Chicago at a fundraising event. (Wait … Obama held a fundraiser on his birthday? This guy’s all business! Someone get him a cigarette or something.) We suppose she did sex things up a little bit by standing next to fire-tempered silver fox Rahm Emanuel to lead the sing-a-long. But that’s it. Nothing crazy here. As usual, things were dignified and professional. (Boring!)

Compare Monroe’s famous serenade of Kennedy to Hudson’s group sing for Obama after the jump. Read More...

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R. Kelly 'Put Up A Shrine' To Jennifer Hudson: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 3/21/11 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"R. Kelly was writing for me at the time, and I didn't even know it, and they just sent me this song. You don't want to get your hopes up too high of being able to work with someone like R. Kelly, and when they sent the song, they told me, 'Kelly put up a shrine of pictures of you to channel you, and he created this song.'"

-Former "American Idol" finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, describing the process that lead to her recording the R. Kelly-penned track "Where You At" for her new album I Remember Me. Hudson said that when she finally tore into the song in the studio, she couldn't believe how well Kelly managed to capture her ideas and thoughts in a song.

"It was kind of creepy to me, because when I heard the song, I was like, 'Oh my god! ... He's, like, giving me me!" she explained to MTV News. "This is what I would do! This is something I would say.' And I hadn't even met him until after ... and I'm like, 'This is bizarre.'"

Kelly was one of a number of contributors to Hudson's new album, which hits the streets on Tuesday, March 22. The rest of Hudson's collaborators include Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Ryan Tedder, Rich Harrison and Salaam Remi. Hudson noted that her work with Keys was also very personal. "I must say that working with Alicia was my favorite sessions in the recording studio ever, and I think it was partly because ... it was a learning experience," she said. "She's just amazing to work with. We had such a good time together. ... It was an amazing, fun experience."

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Spotted: Jennifer Hudson Jazzes Up Nickelodeon Upfronts

Posted 3/11/11 1:30 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

In the television world, this current period of time is known as upfront season, where the various networks trot out their new shows and ideas for the forthcoming television season. The presentations used to be low-key affairs featuring little more than advertisers and industry insiders, but they have evolved into huge events that feature all sorts of surprises and live entertainment. On Thursday (March 10), Nickelodeon took over Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City for their upfront presentation, which featured the announcement of a new late night block of programming that is going to feature reruns of cult classics like "Clarissa Explains It All" and "The Adventures of Pete & Pete." There was also a live performance by former "American Idol" winner Jennifer Hudson, who took the stage with jack of all trades Rafael Saadiq for a funky, soulful blast of R&B goodness.

Hudson wasn't the only star taking the stage, as Bruno Mars thrilled a voracious crowd at Manchester Academy in Manchester, England and the stars of "The Lincoln Lawyer" hit the red carpet for that film's premiere in Los Angeles. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers and Kanye West!

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Spotted: Jennifer Hudson Supports Rahm Emanuel In Chicago

Posted 1/11/11 1:30 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The new year brought a new face to the White House in new Chief of Staff William M. Daley, the former Commerce Secretary who served as the interim Chief of Staff after Rahm Emanuel stepped down last year). But just because Emanuel bowed out doesn't meant that he's gone for good. Rather, he is deep in his campaign for the office of mayor in Chicago. On Monday night (January 10), the former Chief of Staff hosted a fundraiser at the House of Blues in Chicago that was headlined by local native (and Academy Award winner) Jennifer Hudson. The singer (who is the new face of Weight Watchers) showed off her svelte figure in a sleek black dress while she ran through her current hit "Spotlight." (It should be noted that all this was happening while husband David Otunga was performing on "WWE Raw" live in Nashville.)

Hudson wasn't the only star strutting her stuff, as rockers Cage the Elephant tore down New York City's Webster Hall while Ozzy Osbourne signed guitars on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry, Madonna, Rihanna and Kanye West!

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'Sex And The City 2' Playlist: Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Head To The Desert

Posted 5/27/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


The time has finally come to check in with your old New York City-living, cosmo-drinking, shoe-buying, boyfriend-loving friends from the hit HBO comedy series "Sex and the City." Today marks the release of "Sex and the City 2," the sequel to the 2008 smash that once again checks in with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) as they navigate their way through more relationship drama and glam maintenance in the face of natural aging. This time around, the girls leave their beloved Manhattan for a series of road trips, first to Connecticut and then to Abu Dhabi for an exploration of the desert. Which guy will Carrie choose? Can Samantha survive menopause? Only 146 minutes of time with the ladies will reveal those answers.

One of the highlights of "Sex and the City 2" is the soundtrack, which features music from Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Erykah Badu and a host of others. We've taken those artists and augmented them with a handful of other artists who make up our "Sex and the City 2" video playlist. There are some excellent thematic tracks care of Dido ("Sand in My Shoes") and Young Jeezy ("Vacation"). There are also a handful of songs about sex (Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy," Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire") and songs about cities (Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City," Scorpions' "Big City Nights"). There's even one track that pays tribute to the key fetish item for the women on the show (Paolo Nutini's "New Shoes"). But the party starts with Keys, whose "A Woman's Worth" begins the surge of girl power at the cinema.

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Spotted: Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Hudson And Mary J. Blige Walk On

Posted 5/11/10 11:00 am EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Did you properly celebrate Mother's Day over the weekend? Here's hoping you chatted with your mom, bought her some flowers or took her out to dinner. Of course, Mother's Day is also a time to reflect on the health of women, which is why Major League Baseball paid tribute to breast cancer research with the use of pink bats on Sunday (May 9). There was also an event in New York that supported the health of mothers: The "Live Your Best Walk" hosted by Oprah Winfrey. She teamed up with a number of different famous friends (including Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson) to not only celebrate the 10 year anniversary of her O magazine but also to raise money for 10 different charities. It was a chilly day in New York, but it didn't stop Winfrey, Hudson and Blige from getting out and strutting their stuff.

They weren't the only stars on the street over the weekend, as Christina Aguilera floated around Manhattan following her appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Friday afternoon and Perez Hilton and Russell Brand hung out in Los Angeles. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira, 50 Cent and Madonna!

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Jennifer Hudson And David Otunga Each Have 'One Shining Moment'

Posted 4/6/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


While MTV News' Musical March Madness continues for one more day, the actual NCAA basketball tournament wrapped up last night with a nail-biting finale between Duke and Butler, with the Blue Devils overcoming the Bulldogs by a score of 61-59 for their fourth championship. It capped off an incredible tournament, full of some incredible upsets, some remarkable Cinderella runs by the likes of Cornell and Northern Iowa and some thrilling individual games (the double-overtime tilt between Xavier and Kansas State will go down in history as an all-time great).

It was also a big night for Jennifer Hudson, who won the honor of singing "One Shining Moment" at the end of this year's tournament. The song pops up every year as the score to the montage of NCAA tournament highlights. It's usually performed by David Barrett, Teddy Pendergrass or Luther Vandross (all of whom have recorded versions of the tune), but Hudson infused the track with a bit more modern day soul and just a hint of swagger. A great tournament with a great set of highlights deserved a great version of the song, and that's exactly what it got. The track was even produced by Harvey Mason, Jr., who played with the University of Arizona in the Final Four in 1988 (they fell to Oklahoma, who lost to eventual champs Kansas in the finals). Check out the results here.

But Hudson wasn't the only member of her family to have a big night on Monday (April 5). Fiancé David Otunga had his own set of highlights as the host of "Raw," WWE's flagship show. Otunga won a battle royal on last week's edition of "WWE NXT" that won him the opportunity to run the big show. As host (a role taken on by the likes of Snoop Dogg, William Shatner, Jewel, Timbaland, Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Barker), Otunga booked himself into a tag team championship match (he and John Cena lost to the Big Show and the Miz — the later a former star of MTV's "The Real World") and decided that the main event of the next pay-per-view would be Batista against John Cena in a Last Man Standing match.

Who had the better evening on Monday: Jennifer Hudson or David Otunga? Let us know in the comments!

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Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson To Attend WrestleMania

Posted 3/28/10 10:46 pm EST by in Music


Some "American Idol" alums are in Arizona right now to take part in Vince McMahon's annual Super Bowl of professional wrestling, WrestleMania.

Jennifer Hudson will be at the event to support her fiancé, David Otunga. Otunga is an up-and-coming grappler currently mentored by superstar R-Truth. Fantasia has a heavier role in the event. She'll sing "America the Beautiful." The star of music and stage sent an e-mail to MTV News this week expressing her excitement.

"It is an honor to perform on the grandest stage of all at WrestleMania XXVI following in [the] footsteps of such incredible talent over the last 25 years," she wrote. "I look forward to continuing this tradition and being part of this global event."

WrestleMania kicks off Sunday night at 7 p.m. EST at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Some of the highlights include Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a No Holds Barred match against McMahon. WWE Champion Batista will defend his title against John Cena, and Shawn Michaels is putting his career on the line against the Undertaker and his 17-0 undefeated WrestleMania record. The other main events include Edge going against World Heavyweight Champ Chris Jericho and Otunga's boy, R-Truth, trying to win the Unified Tag Team belts. Truth and his partner John Morrison take on the Big Show and former "Real World" cast member the Miz.

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Kanye West, Lady Gaga, David Letterman, Madonna And Adam Lambert: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 10/2/09 5:52 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


The giant grandfather clock in the MTV Newsroom will sound its final bells at any moment, which means it's time to remedy that terrible short-term memory and take a look back at the week that was here on the Newsroom blog. As the calendar switched from September to October and the fall weather began to descend, Kanye West remained in the headlines, Madonna ate pizza and zombies were everywhere. Want to have an instant nostalgia trip? Just keep reading.

» The "Fame Kills" tour — starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga — got put on the back burner, but that won't stop Gaga from doing her own shows.

» Madonna and David Letterman had a civil interview and then sat down for a slice.

» Jennifer Hudson celebrated the anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz" with a stirring rendition of "Over the Rainbow" live in Central Park.

» Adam Lambert has already sold a ton of albums, even though the record in question has no title or single. But that's okay, because he's driving people to donate to public schools.

» Before she got sick and had to cancel a bunch of Paramore shows, Hayley Williams wore a tank top on "The Tonight Show" that looked awfully familiar to us.
Read More...

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