'Idol' finalist Jennifer Hudson gets Oscar nom

Nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards were announced early this morning and as expected, ex-Idol finalist, Jennifer Hudson, received a nod for her stand-out debut performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls. Hudson will compete against Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuch (Babel), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Hudson has received much praise, and several awards for her Dreamgirls role, including the National Board of Review's Best Female Breakthrough Performance, the Broadcast Film Critics Association's Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress, and a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

To watch video of Hudson accepting her Golden Globe from George Clooney, click here. For the record, if I'm ever handed an award from Clooney, I'd better get at least a peck on the cheek or a hug (a really, really long hug) from the Hollywood hunk.