Soon-to-be superstar Jennifer Hudson was a college drop-out working as a singer on a cruise ship before she got her big break to appear on "American Idol." But Fantasia was the buzz then and Jennifer was the sixth Idol to be sent home.
What must Simon Cowell be thinking now? Jennifer, who is recording her first album with legendary producer Clive Davis, landed a lead role in "Dreamgirls" and may very well become the biggest success ever to come from the "Idol" ranks.
Already one of the most talked about films of the year, the highly anticipated "Dreamgirls" opens in wide release on Christmas Day. Newsweek magazine even gushed that when moviegoers hear Jennifer sing the song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", the former Idol "is going to raise goose bumps across the land."
'Dreamgirls' chronicles the rise of The Dreamettes, a fabulous girl group consisting of Deena (played by Beyonce Knowles), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) and Effie White, played by Jennifer. The rest of the cast is Jamie Foxx who plays the ambitious manager and Eddie Murphy who plays a famous crooner who the ladies sing back up for.
During promotions for the film, Jennifer says she is thrilled and awed at the way her career has taken off: "I have to pinch myself," she said. "Am I really doing interviews? Is this really happening? Even on the movie set, I was stopping and asking myself, 'Am I dreaming?"'
Beyonce is rumored to be quite miffed at the attention Jennifer is getting, and former Idol winner Fantasia Barrino has admitted she was devastated when she auditioned for the role of Effie, but lost out to Jennifer. "I was a little hurt. I remember calling Jennifer," Fantasia said. "She picked up the phone and I said, 'Heifer, you took my part.'"
