jenniferhudson

It seems that Extra has done the leg work and taken heed to Jennifer Hudson's suggestion that someone rewind the American Idol tapes, to see all the nasty comments that Simon Cowell had said during her tenure on the show.

So a diligent production assistant in Los Angeles, had collected some footage that seems to show the more supportive side of Simon in this TV's Top 5! moment.

(S06E14) After last week's boring first impression, the guys needed to step it up this week and show us something big. Did they succeed?

Well, overall the guys were definitely better this week, but nobody even came close to Lakisha's show-stopping performance last Wednesday. In my mind, the ladies remain ahead, and this is still their race. However, at least the guys picked better songs, and showed a little personality tonight.

So who's going home?

Lets rewind back nearly four years ago when Simon Cowell was Jennifer Hudson's maker.

She endured a plethora of disparaging comments from the Idol judge, as he had the audacity to say on live TV that she looked a girl in turkey wrapping, when not dressed to his liking. Cowell often made vocal his feelings that she was way out of her league competing on Idol.

Obviously he was less concerned with her bona fide talents and more concerned with pandering to his American Idol audience. It's a funny thing about talent, if you've really got it, you will be able to persevere over all the BS the world throws at you. Even after landing her roll in Dreamgirls, this former Idol contestant could not catch a break from Cowell, and she was not afraid to show open disdain for the Idol judge.

Until last night...

Apparently Jennifer Hudson hasn't been reading her own press. She seemed truly stunned tonight when her name was announced for Best Supporting Actress during the 79th Annual Academy Awards (even though she was the favorite!).

When the former Idol contestant took the stage, she took a moment to take it all in and that moment seemed to make her tear up a bit. She thanked her grandmother, her large family, cast and crew of DreamGirls and God got a few shout-outs. The music nearly drowned out her quick 'thank you' to Jennifer Holliday, the actress who originated the role of Effie on Broadway. She did not thank anyone from American Idol.

I think she just one-upped Kelly Clarkson!

We've already seen Survivor and Big Brother go the all-star route. And The Amazing Race is getting set to kick off their own version. Heck, it seems like every time I click by MTV there is another show filled with past Road Rules and Real World cast members. So why not American Idol?

According to TV Guide, Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe is trying to sell Fox on the concept. It's part of the planned songwriting competition. Lythgoe's idea is to narrow those entries down to ten songs and then bring in ten former Idol contestants to sing the songs on the show.

I'm not an Idol fan, but I have to say, that's a solid idea. I'm guessing they won't be able to get Kelly Clarkson, and chances are Jennifer Hudson won't be involved. But assuming that they can manage to get ten of the more popular contestants, this should make for another huge week of ratings. And an American Idol All-Stars CD... And an American Idol All-Stars Special Edition DVD... And... good grief, Idol is just a machine. At this point it's rivaled only by the power of Harry Potter.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Boston's bomb scare turned out to just be advertising for Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
  
• Is all the praise finally going to Jennifer Hudson's head? She describes her time on American Idol as "abusive."
  
• Dustin Diamond was forced to be quarantined while filming Celebrity Fit Club because of something he said to past American Idol contestant Kimberly Locke.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

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.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• The Golden Globes: a night of well-deserved recognition and some horrifyingly bad fashion choices.
  
• Jeremy Piven brings his mom as a red carpet date every time. Why? Because he's better than every one else, again.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

Ex-Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson was awarded the 2007 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture during tonight's award show. Even though I don't particularly like film adaptations of stage productions (don't even get me started on how much I hated Rent or The Producers), I did enjoy Dreamgirls and was blown away by Hudson's spectacular performance (both her singing and acting were incredible). She not only holds her own in a film full of major stars -- such as Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx -- she pretty much steals the show.

Finally! Former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson has signed a record deal with powerhouse producer Clive Davis, who also has Aretha Franklin and Barry Manilow, along with other Idol winners, on his label. Hudson was on the third season of American Idol, where she was the sixth contestant (in the top 12) voted off the show. There was a lot of outrage after Hudson was ousted-- even Elton John weighed in and called Americans racist for voting Hudson off the show. Apparently it took a role on Dreamgirls, alongside Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy--plus, some love from Oprah--to get Clive Davis' attention. I look forward to a Jennifer Hudson album. This girl has one hell of a voice, and a sassy attitude to match!