VIA: Washington Post
Soul singer and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson will perform at the White House state dinner Tuesday night, a representative at her label, Arista Records, says.
The 28-year-old Chicago native should make a fitting addition to what promises to be a star-studded evening on Pennsylvania Avenue. Hudson first rose to fame as a contestant on “American Idol” in 2004 and made her big-screen debut in 2006’s “Dreamgirls” — a performance that earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
It won’t be the first time Hudson has flexed her gale-force pipes in front of the Obamas; she performed the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. But tragedy struck in October 2008, when the entertainer’s mother, brother and nephew were found slain in Chicago. Since then, Hudson has returned to the spotlight slowly. She was absent from Washington’s inaugural festivities in January but performed a concert at DAR Constitution Hall in April.
