Okay, in a word…NOOOOOOOOOO.

First of all…I don’t have anything personally against Faith Hill, I just don’t care for her singing.  And have I ever mentioned how I hate it when people sing, “Gaaaaaaawd blessssssssss [big breath]  HUH-Merrrica…”  Listen, sweetheart, it’s a patriotic song, not your next single.  It isn’t about you, so save the vocal gymnastics for the albums.

And speaking of vocal gymnastics…I think it is at this point I am supposed to say how much I loved Jennifer Hudson’s version of our National Anthem.  But, sorry…I just can’t.

Before everyone starts in on me, let me clarify…I like Jennifer.  I think she’s a beautiful girl with a lovely voice.  And I think it took a lot of personal courage and strength to get up there and sing tonight.  I’m sure she was thinking of her murdered mother, brother, and nephew while she was up there.  I admire her for doing what she did, and I wish her nothing but the best.

But one of my personal pet peeves is when singers butcher our National Anthem.  I just can’t stand it.  It isn’t supposed to be a bluesy, R&B-inspired song.  It isn’t a showcase for vocal stylings and runs up and down the scale.  That doesn’t show patriotism or feeling or passion, it just shows that you know your scales and can hit high notes.  It’s supposed to be a reverential moment to honor our country and those who have fought and died for our freedoms.  Again, save the vocal gymnastics for the love songs.  (But Kat DeLuna is the worst in recent memory, IMO…at least Jennifer can sing, and at least she wasn’t trying to be all sexay thang, for which she has my everlasting gratitude)

[Just my personal opinions, not anyone else's here]

After the brutal killings of her mother, brother, and nephew, Jennifer Hudson has been keeping a very low profile and hasn’t been seen out in public.  However, TMZ is reporting that she is coming out of seclusion to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl:

NFL confirms Hudson will be singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl on Feb. 1, marking her first appearance in public since the killings last fall. Then, she’ll sing at the Grammys’ MusiCares event a few days later.

Jennifer’s estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, has been indicted on three counts of murder in the killings, which occurred in October.

Jennifer’s family was always supportive of her career, and I think her mother would have wanted her to get up and sing.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Jennifer and her family as they continue to work through the grieving process.

The main, and pretty much only, suspect in the gruesome slayings of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew (pictured above) was yesterday officially charged with their murders:

Police said they had the murder weapon and physical evidence as well as testimony that would convict William Balfour, 27, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson’s elder sister, Julia.

The motive for the October 24 murders involved a dispute between the two, police said.

Found dead from gunshots were Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother, Jason Hudson, 29, in the family’s South Side home. The body of Julian King, Julia’s son, was found four days later, with the gun used in the slayings found nearby.

In addition to the slayings Balfour was charged with home invasion.

His mother, who seems to be from the Cindy Anthony School Of Denial, says that they have the wrong man:

Balfour’s mother Michele Balfour protested her son’s innocence to reporters, saying police relied on the word of one of his girlfriends who was facing a drug charge.

“They got a botched-up investigation,” she said, adding Balfour loved Hudson’s mother, Donerson, more than he loved her. “But I’m still his mother.”

Oh yeah, he’s completely innocent.  Upstanding citizen of the community, this one is.

I hope that now they can move on with this case and perhaps give the Hudson family a small sense of closure so they can start the healing process.  It’s a sad situation all around.

Very sad news out of Chicago.  Police have identified the body of little Julian King, nephew of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson, in an abandoned SUV.  The primary suspect continues to be the husband of Jennifer’s sister:

Holding on to each other, overcome by emotion, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson and six relatives viewed a closed-circuit TV screen at the morgue this afternoon and identified a small boy as Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew Julian King.

The identification came from Hudson. “She said, ‘Yes, that is him,’ according to Sean Howard, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office. “Jennifer Hudson was incredbly strong for her family, she was leader in that group and kept her composure.

“She felt like the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ was going to get her through that,” Howard added. “Those were her words.”

Julian’s mother was not there, he said.

The boy had been missing since Hudson’s mother and brother were found shot to death Friday in their Englewood home. This morning, a howling dog alerted neighbors in the 1300 block of South Kolin to a white Chevrolet Suburban, where police found Julian’s body on the floor of the back seat.

He had been shot at least once in the head, and he was wearing basketball shorts and a white T shirt, sources said. Police believe the boy was shot to death inside the Suburban.

Also killed were Jennifer’s mother and brother:

Julian was missing when the bodies of Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson were found shot to death in their home in the 7000 block of South Yale Avenue. Jennifer Hudson had identified their bodies Saturday morning.

The boy’s stepfather, William Balfour, remains the primary suspect in the murders, police sources say. He is the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, who lived in the home with her brother Jason, 29, and mother, Darnell Donerson, 57. Julia Hudson is Julian’s mother and the sister of Jennifer Hudson.

He was found after a neighbor’s dog kept barking at the vehicle:

After an intensive weekend search, police were called around 7 a.m. today after a couple’s dog kept barking near the Suburban at 1313 S. Kolin Ave.

The couple who reported the car, John and Lynette Louden said they were watching news on television this morning and Lynette wrote down the license plate of the SUV. The couple first noticed the white Suburban on Saturday morning.

John Louden was taking their chihuahua, Lil’ Man, out for a walk when the dog started barking unusually at the vehicle. “He has a very keen nose,’’ John Louden said.

He compared the license plate number to the one he had scribbed down from the news.

“When he came back in, he said, ‘It’s a match.’ I said, ‘Oh, God. I hope that child is not in there,’” Lynette Louden said.

“I came back in the house and told my wife to call 911,’’ John Louden said. Lynette Louden said police arrived in “two minutes.’’

From what I’ve seen of Jennifer, she and her family were always very close, even when she hit it big.  As sad as this case is, it is also sad that there were undoubtedly many other homicides in the city that day which didn’t make the national news.  All of these stories are heartbreaking.

This is an epidemic sweeping our nation.  We’ve got to stop the senseless killing of one human being by another.  We’ve got to stop the deaths of innocent children.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this very difficult time.

Actress and former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were found murdered in Chicago:

The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson were found shot dead Friday at a South Side home, and police were looking for a missing child who is the nephew of the singer and Oscar-winning actress.

“We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson,” Hudson’s personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said in a statement. “No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the deaths appeared to be the result of domestic abuse. The Cook County medical examiner’s office said autopsies for Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were pending. [...]

Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson said a family member entered the home around 3 p.m. Friday, found a woman shot on the living room floor and left to notify authorities. Responding officers found a man shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.

Jennifer’s nephew Julian is also listed as missing:

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for 7-year-old Julian King and were seeking a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban. The child was the grandson of the female victim, Patterson said.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted and could be accompanied by a man named William Balfour — considered armed and dangerous — who was a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, who has not been charged with a crime, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. [...]

The two could also be in a teal or green Chrysler Concorde with a temporary license plate, a left front headlight hanging out and scratches on the left side of the vehicle, police said.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jennifer and her family.

UPDATE:  It seems that there is a suspect in custody, and this whole sad story apparently stems from an ongoing domestic problem within the family:

The hunt for Jennifer Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew continues to intensify. And we’re told the operating theory among Chicago detectives is an “ongoing domestic dispute” between the suspect, William Balfour, and his estranged wife, Julia Hudson.

Chicago cops would not be more specific, other than to tells us there is an “underlying domestic aspect” to the investigation … that there was “trouble in the marriage.”

We’re told cops continue to interview people, but no one other than Balfour is in custody. As for Balfour, so far no charges have been filed.

Chicago cops are now using flyers with Julian King’s pic to find the missing boy.

The boy hasn’t been seen since the bodies of Hudson’s mother and brother were found Friday in her home in the South side of Chicago. The two had been shot to death.

The police will be handing out the flyers today all over Chicago, particularly on the South side.

 

  Jennifer 170 – hell no                  Jennifer 140 – um, no

I am not trying to harsh Jennifer Hudson’s mellow or anything, but she doesn’t weigh 140lbs.  I am guessing she weighs about 160 pounds, if she’s lucky.  According to the April 2 issue of In Touch, J-Hud claims that she’s lost 30 pounds since her time on American Idol in 2004, by working out and eating smaller portions and healthier food.  That’s awesome, but the numbers she gives:  I call total BS.  She looks like she weighed closer to 200 during her time on American Idol.  Sure the camera adds 10 pounds, but seriously, I have a scale too and I know what weight looks like what.

Obviously Jennifer’s lost a lot of weight, there is NO doubt, and she looks great, but she needs to start being honest. 

If she’s going to make statements like, “There’s something wrong when you’re just skin and bones,” then she should be forthcoming about how her figure reflects her weight.  In a world where women are obsessed with their weight and see images of celebrities and try to emulate them, how can we possibly attain any level of equilibrium within ourselves when celebrities lie about their weights.

Jennifer is 5′9″.  For her to be that tall and be that curvy still, there is NO way she weighs 140.  Look at Tyra Banks, she claims she weighs 161 and she looks a damn site better in a bikini than Jennifer Hudson would.  Again, not trying to hate on J-Hud, just trying to be real. 

Show me the scale with her on it, and I will eat my words with a double helping of whipped cream.  mmmm…whipped cream.