A source of perpetual inspiration to millions of young
hopefuls, African-American pop diva-turned-actress Jennifer
Hudson proved -- with glorious bravado -- that the most
gifted and determined young talents can bounce back
from a painful and public rejection and land squarely
at the pinnacle of success, transcending even what they
might have accomplished had the initial rejection never
occurred.
Born September 12, 1981, in Chicago, IL, Hudson was
blessed with an astounding vocal range of six octaves
and a perfect musical ear as a young girl, and rigorously
trained as a chanteuse from the age of seven, initially
in her Baptist church choir, then in dozens upon dozens
of stage musicals and talent shows during adolescence.
After high school, she briefly attended college but
dropped out not long after. In 2002, 21-year-old Hudson
landed a job as featured vocalist on the Disney Wonder
cruise ship. Circa 2004, with American audiences deep
in the throes of reality television, Hudson auditioned
in Atlanta, GA, for the third season of Fox's American
Idol series, made the cut, and quickly moved along to
the semifinalist round. Her songs as a participant in
the series included Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing,"
Elton John's "The Circle of Life," and Martha
&& the Vandellas' "(Love Is Like a)
Heat Wave." Though Ryan Seacrest later indicated
that Hudson received a higher number of votes than any
performer from a previous episode, Hudson was unceremoniously
eliminated from the running. Reigning judge Randy Jackson
-- a highly respected music producer -- brought Hudson
back in the "wildcard" round to join the finalists,
but with seven contenders remaining, Hudson was booted
off of the series -- despite the well-publicized fact
that her range and ability clearly outflanked those
of her competitors. That decision infuriated millions;
Elton John -- a previous guest judge on Idol -- accused
Simon Cowell and others of stark racism, while other
commentators, acknowledging that two of Hudson's competitors
were also African-American, suspected a deliberate decision
to split the contenders demographically. Regardless
of the reason, Hudson quickly overcame her disappointment.
In late 2005, Hudson auditioned among 783 hopefuls
for the lead role of Effi "Melody" White,
a female vocalist unfairly ousted from the ranks of
a three-member female pop group in the early '60s --
because, ironically, her "look" isn't right
-- in Chicago scribe Bill Condon's hotly anticipated
late 2006 film musical Dreamgirls, an adaptation of
the early '80s Tony award-winning Broadway hit. An ecstatic
Hudson landed the part while cutting her first album
(roundly trumping the 2004 Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino,
in the process), and had to gain almost 25 pounds to
perfect Effi's "look" onscreen. Production
commenced in January 2006. A media blitz surrounded
Hudson's triumph in the role that lifted her into the
limelight even months prior to the stateside release
of Dreamgirls in December 2006. This buzz included a
Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and widespread
comparisons to Jennifer Holliday, who originated the
Effi role on Broadway in 1981. These predictions began
to come true, starting with a win for Best Supporting
Actress at that year's Golden Globes awards. The Cinderella
story materialized in full on Oscar night when she captured
the Best Supporting Actress trophy. The press helped
Hudson land a record deal with Clive Davis' J Records,
which slated the release of her premiere album for January
2007, mere weeks after the stateside debut of Dreamgirls.
Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
.