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.

Jennifer Hudson is looking great as one of the singers in Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical that Dreamworks is bringing to the big screen. The production company released some behind-the-scenes video on its website in which Jennifer is featured prominently. She plays Effie White, one in a trio of black female soul singers who cross over to the pop music charts in the early 1960s. While previous reports I cited back in November claimed that Hudson landed the lead in the movie, the behind-the-scenes video and the trailer tell a different story. I believe she is actually a supporting actor to big names like Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. Hopefully Jen makes some good connections on this flick that lead to more opportunities in Hollywood. She was a feisty gal with a lot of fans when she was on Season 3 of American Idol.

[Via Pop Candy]