I watched most of the Grammys – I turned it off after Adele performed “Rolling In the Deep” and I switched the channel when Chris Brown performed early in the evening. Note to Grammy producers: you’re going to put a woman-beater on your show before 9 pm? There are still kids watching at that point! Anyway, I did miss Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney, but luckily I caught up with it this morning. I think the producers did find the right tone with Whitney Houston’s – and LL Cool J as host really helped out. I wasn’t offended by LL offering a prayer to Whitney’s family and loved ones at the beginning of the show – it seemed authentic and kind, and it still felt like a celebration of music and… like, a joyful wake. LL said in part, “There’s no way around this. We’ve had a death in our family, and so at least for me – for me – the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston. Whitney, we will always love you. And we’ll remember you the best way we know how – with a song.”

Anyway, here’s J-Hud’s performance of “I Will Always Love You” which came towards the end of the show:

Beautiful, right? I think it would have been cool if Dolly Parton – who wrote “I Will Always Love You” – had come on to honor Whitney in some way, I think J-Hud’s performance was lovely and respectful. She sang it with Whitney’s arrangement style, but Jennifer avoided “mimicking” Whitney’s voice. It was powerful.

Screencaps from the CBS video.

OMG, Jennifer Hudson looks so skinny in these photos. J-Hud was at the VHI Divas show last night (I believe it airs tonight on VH1), and she wore this little mini-dress and thigh-high boots. From a distance, I hated the boots, but in the close-up, I love them. Yes, they’re kind of tacky, but still… LOVE. They’re crazy and sort of delicious. Still hate the minidress, though. THAT is tacky. About a month ago, I praised J-Hud for “gaining some weight back” because she was at an event and she looked less “deflated” than she used to. But looking at these photos… she still looks kind of deflated. I like J-Hud, I really do, and I wish that she would realize that her face needs some extra weight. Another 10-20 pounds would make her look younger and less drawn.

There were some rumors that J-Hud and her fiancé David Otunga were splitting up, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. They’re been photographed together recently, and Jennifer talked about how David “saved her life” in her recent Ebony cover story:

Jennifer Hudson may not be alive today if it wasn’t for her fiancé, David Otunga’s wrestling career.

The Dreamgirls star reveals in the December/January issue of Ebony magazine, that Otunga’s spontaneous decision to join the World Wrestling Foundation, may have saved her from being present when the tragic murder of her mother, brother and nephew took place in 2008.

“That’s one of the things that saved my life, because I could have been home with my mom then,” she explains about going to Florida to support her fiancé’s new career. “He wanted me to come out to Florida instead of going to Chicago. I flew out to see him; that’s why I’m still here.”

“I’ve never said that before, and I can’t believe I just said that now. But I didn’t know. He was just like, ‘I’m going to this wrestling thing, and it’s in Tampa. I’m going out there now, so you can come out there and see me versus going home.’”

She also opens up about why the couple, who got engaged in August 2008 and postponed their original wedding date after the family tragedy, has yet to walk down the aisle and say their I do’s.

“After that happened, I was like, ‘I don’t know what I want,’” she admits. “A lot of things have happened in my life. There are a lot of things that I need to get adjusted to before I do anything else. That’s how I feel about it.”

[From Radar]

There are also reports that Jennifer might have to testify against her former brother-in-law, William Balfour, the man who murdered her family, in Balfour’s retrial. Which just shows you that there is still a lot of bad stuff to deal with. I don’t think it’s weird at all that she and David haven’t set a date yet – she’s got other stuff on her plate.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I can’t believe it’s that time of year already. I feel like Christmas is breathing down the back of my neck with demands to clean, cook and shop. There’s a lot of stress associated with Christmas, but it’s also a pretty special time. I love experiencing it now through the eyes of my seven year-old son. He gets so excited about Christmas!

Anyway Jessica Alba and Jennifer Hudson were the paid celebrity guests at the “The Swarovski Elements Lighting Ceremony” on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills yesterday. I’m putting that in quotes, because before I saw the photos I thought it was a lighting ceremony for an actual Christmas tree, but it’s more like the lighting of a DNA helix on its side. They should have thrown a real tree in there to make it look more festive. As it is, it’s kind of sterile and not really in the holiday spirit.

Both Alba and Hudson looked the part in crisp white outfits. Alba wore this white Carolina Herrera A-line dress, which I love. I could do without the wavy black belt, which is a feature of the dress, but still it’s so cute. It’s perfect for a holiday event. The snakeskin shoes are kind of strange with it, and I don’t like her raccoon-like makeup, but overall it’s a great look for her.

Jennifer Hudson also looks good here, and I like the combination of that hot pink dress with the white coat. Her lipstick color matches her dress perfectly. The dress is a little short and those booties have got to go, but that gorgeous coat looks so elegant. That coat is killer! I want it, but I know I would get that thing dirty within an hour. Redcarpet-fashion awards points out that it’s Versace, and they linked to a shopping site where you can buy it – for about $5,000. I’m hoping Hudson had it comped, she probably did.

Also, doesn’t Hudson look a little Botoxy here? It could be due to her eye makeup, but her eyes are looking turned up to me. I really like her makeup though.

Speaking of getting stuff comped, look at how thrilled they are to get new iPads engraved with Swarovski Elements on the back. Lucky bitches. They probably got paid well over $10k just to show up too. Evil Beet has an article today that I found alternately infuriating and fascinating. It’s all about how much celebrities get paid for stuff. They can be paid $10,000 and up just to wear certain clothing labels, which are of course provided to them free of charge. Nice work if you can get it.

Alba and her husband Cash look like brother and sister, don’t they?

Photo credit: Fame Pictures

I feel like I’m going to be yelled at for what I’m about to say regarding Jennifer Hudson and her figure. Okay… prepare yourselves. I think Jennifer Hudson has gained back some weight. And I think it looks SO GOOD on her. I think she had gotten “too thin” for her frame, and she looked deflated rather than slender and lovely. I’m happy that she’s gained some weight back, because it makes her look softer and younger and prettier. Go ahead and yell.

Anyway, J-Hud was wearing this silvery/metallic Jenny Packham dress. Look at the empire waist – that’s the trick that girls use when they’ve gained some weight in their midsection. Luckily for J-Hud, when she gains weight, it mostly goes to her boobs, her face and her arms, because those are the areas where she needed to gain a little bit back. The dress itself is cute but nothing special – but it is interesting to me how the Duchess of Cambridge has now made Jenny Packham a major designer. I had never been aware of Packham before Duchess Kate started wearing her dresses all over the place. I’m guessing Kate didn’t wear this one because it’s much too short for her current style.

One last thing – look at J-Hud’s fantastic legs! I wish my calves looked that great.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I’ve always wanted to like Jennifer Hudson more than I actually end up liking her. Do you know what I mean? She’s got a great voice, she’s an Oscar-winning actress, she’s sympathetic and grounded and real. But at the end of the day, I never really put her on my list of “most beloved celebrities”. I wish her well, but beyond that, I tend not to care. However, Jennifer’s new interview in Self Magazine has caused some controversy already, for good reason, and now I’m wondering if I’ve just gotten J-Hud wrong this whole time.

First of all, J-Hud used to be a bigger girl. I’m not going to call her fat, because I hate that word and because she really wasn’t. She was what I like to think of as “thick”. Some might say “big boned”. She carried more weight than most ladies in Hollywood, but J-Hud carried it well, I thought, and she looked curvy and lovely and certainly not fat. Then she was hired by Weight Watchers and J-Hud began to rapidly shrink before our eyes. Here’s my controversial opinion: I think her face looked better before her weight loss. Yes, she’s healthier now and she’s proud of her body, but some people simply look better with some extra weight, especially in their faces. J-Hud is one of those people. She looks like her body isn’t supposed to be THIS thin. Just my opinion. Anyway, long story short, J-Hud makes some kind of crazy statements in her Self Magazine piece:

Why she decided to get healthy: “It really started when I was pregnant with David, who’s 2 now, and I thought, Hold on—why doesn’t anybody know I’m pregnant? And I wanted to set a good example for my son. Right after I had him, I began trying to change things.”

Was she unhappy with her appearance before? “No, never. I remember one of my first times on a red carpet, an interviewer asked, ‘How does it feel to be plus-sized in Hollywood?’ I looked around, like, Who is she talking to? Oh, me? I’m plus-sized? In the neighborhood I’m from in Chicago, a 16 is normal. But in Hollywood, everyone looks exactly the same, so I stood out.”

Did that realization hurt? “I find the positive in everything. I like my curves, so it didn’t bother me. My fiancé, David’s father [also named David], and I both knew we didn’t learn to eat right and be healthy as kids, so we wanted to for him.”

She’s had significant weight losses before: “I’ve had three different weight losses. Before American Idol in ’04, I lost 60 pounds. Then I lost the 20 pounds I had to gain for my role in Dreamgirls, which came out in ’06. This is the third time I’ve lost a lot.”

Is it different this time? “Oh, my God, by far. That first time, I was a workout fanatic. I’d go to the gym at 5 in the morning and run for an hour, go home, sleep and be back at the gym at 1 p.m. for another full workout. Then I’d come home and do Tae-Bo. That was my whole day. Plus, all I’d eat was skinless chicken breast, brown rice and vegetables. What are you going to do once you lose weight? Eat everything you gave up!”

How she got herself started this time: “Four days after my cesarean section, I began walking 30 minutes every day. It was my therapy, my moment to myself, and it was all I could do. I figured, me walking is better than me sitting on the couch. Even if I can’t climb a mountain or do 100,000 push-ups, these steps matter, and they’re leading somewhere. I started with walking, but before long, I built up to other things. When I didn’t want to be cooped up in the gym, I’d come up with other options. I’d ask myself, What do I love? I love being outside and feeling free, so I would jog or ride my bike. Some days, I’d play basketball and tennis.”

Do people treat you differently? “Yes! You never know you’re being discriminated against until you see what you’ve been deprived of. Everybody wants you to wear this or put you on the cover of that. Before, my career was great, but since losing weight, I haven’t stopped. I have worked every single day of this year.”

How about your fans? “Some love it and say they’re inspired, and others don’t. Some have even questioned whether I can still sing. My voice has gotten stronger! I can’t care about whether I’m too big for some or too small for others. It goes back to how you feel about yourself. I like me the way I am. For anyone who wants to lose: Dude, if I can do it, you can do it. And for those who want to stay the same, I hope I can be an example to you, too; I was proud of being a big girl.”

What was the key to your loss? “It’s like my mother said: ‘Well, honey, when there is a will, there is a way.’ You have to want it, but don’t rush yourself. When you’re ready, you’ll set goals for yourself. Once you do, it’s good to have support, but you don’t need it, because everything you need is in you. I’m prouder of my weight loss than my Oscar! I hope it has inspired people.”

[From Self]

Yes, she said she’s prouder of her weight loss than winning an Oscar. Lainey made an excellent point – J-Hud’s message can be (and will be) interpreted as: being THIN, the outward appearance (of thinness) is more important than everything else, more important than career, more important than awards, more important than substance. But, playing devil’s advocate, I kind of know what J-Hud was trying to say, and it’s something that women who struggle with their weight know all too well. J-Hud probably worked on Dreamgirls for what? Six months, tops. And she’s been working on her body for her whole life. It’s something that’s with her every day, working on her portion control, working out, day after day. So her thinness has been achieved by more actual WORK than any film, and she’s proud of herself for keeping up with it for so long. Personally, I would be more proud of the Oscar, but I’m not J-Hud.

Photos courtesy of Self.

There’s some buzz over photos of Heidi Klum looking almost emaciated in a curiously cut turquoise dress, to put it nicely. In these photos, on ICYDK, you can see Heidi’s protruding rib bones and very thin arms. In other photos, the ones we have here, Heidi looks thin but normal. She seems a bit thinner than she usually looks but it’s not alarming or anything. Remember when Heidi gave advice about aging to not be “too thin, and have a little meat on your bones“? That’s obviously relative in her business. Heidi explained in Self magazine last fall that “being gaunt in the face… makes you look older by 5 or 10 years.” Heidi has been running this summer and blogging her progress on a new lifestyle website she’s launched, so that’s possibly why she’s dropped some weight.

To me the real story is this God awful draped turquoise dress she’s wearing at the amfAR Inspiration gala in New York. She was there to help honor Project Runway judge Michael Kors, and it’s safe to assume this dress is his design. I couldn’t find this exact dress in his Fall collection, but it looks like several other low-cut draped pieces he’s designed. At least she chose this dress with a skirt and not the version with harem pants. Heidi also wore a similarly questionable Kors outfit in April, a tan belted jumpsuit with a low-cut front. She was just as thin then I see.

Also at the AMFAR gala was Ke$ha looking drunk in usual and in need of a hairbrush, shampoo and some pants. I can’t hate on a girl who makes the best workout music ever though. (RPM #47 and #48 FTW!)

Jennifer Hudson wore a tight white dress and earned that Weight Watchers money. She looks amazing.

Beth Ostrosky is just too busy in that dress. That print is best for an accent piece or a small surface area, not an entire dress. What’s going on at the crotch area? It’s got a trompe l’oeil chastity belt.

Supermodel Alek Wek with Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle. That dress is too low on her chest, not to mention the design. It looks like it’s unraveling.

Courtney Love brought the Cray-cray in a Miss Havisham number. She performed at the show.

And Olivia Palermo takes the fug cake in this puffed polka dot mullet dress with a beige jacket. I don’t know who she is, but I guess she was in The City.

Photo credit: WENN.com

I think the thing to do is feel some kind of sympathy for Sandra Bullock. Because it’s all over her face – this time last year, she was at the height of her winning streak, she gushed about her husband from the Kodak Theatre stage as she accepted her Best Actress Oscar, and she had quietly adopted a baby boy (which we wouldn’t find out about for another two months). Sandy was in a much different position this year, but I liked that she didn’t play it for sympathy. You got the feeling that she truly just wanted people to pay attention to the nominees. I’m glad that she chose a bright red gown – Sandy is not going to play “The Widow James” in black. Sandy’s red is Vera Wang – it’s not really the most flattering color on Sandy, and I think her makeup is a little underdone, but still. You’ve got to love her. Her presenting Best Actor was another one of my favorite moments – especially when she called Jeff Bridges “dude”.

Jennifer Hudson in orange-red Atelier Versace. During the red carpet show, this dress looked more red, but in photos, it looks totally orange. Whatever. Now, while I think J-Hud looks great and I’m proud of her for losing the weight and being healthy… I hate this dress on her. It’s just the top – and what it’s doing to her boobs. It’s really ugly and unflattering and trashy. And I hate saying that about J-Hud, but the boob situation in this dress is tragic.

Jennifer Lawrence was one of my best dressed of the night – I thought this Calvin Klein dress looked amazing on her. I don’t know if it was fully lined with all-body Spanx or what, but there was not one bulge or lump anywhere on her body. I also loved that she kept her hair down and her makeup simple. She’s very young, and she looked simple and sexy and appropriate.

Since the theme is “ladies in red” – Selena Gomez in a red Dolce & Gabbana dress at the Vanity Fair party, with her lover Justin Bieber. No comment.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Aretha Franklin announced a few days ago that she wanted Halle Berry to play her in a newly announced bio-pic that will be made about Aretha’s life, from her childhood to her fame and success in the 1960s, and what will probably be her continuing success from the 1970s until present day. I don’t know, though, they could just end it in the 1970s, Aretha’s pinnacle. Now… I’m not saying there is NO resemblance between Halle and Aretha. There is. But it’s awfully convenient that Aretha wants the gorgeous Oscar-winning Halle to play her, right? When, honestly, there’s another beautiful Oscar-winner who would do gangbusters in the role too – Jennifer Hudson. Right?

Aretha Franklin wants Halle Berry to show her some R-E-S-P-E-C-T and sign on to portray a younger version of the Queen of Soul in an upcoming biopic. The 68-year-old singing legend sent out a press release this week revealing her choices for Hollywood stars to play top roles in a planned film about her life and career.

Besides Berry, Franklin says she wants another Academy Award winner – Denzel Washington – to play her father, the late C.L. Franklin, a prominent Baptist minister and civil rights leader in Detroit. Her wish list also includes Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard as Motown star Smokey Robinson.

The movie, for which Franklin says she’ll be reviewing the script next week, will be based on her autobiography, “Aretha: From These Roots,” a best-seller a decade ago.

Messages seeking comment were left by The Associated Press on Friday for representatives of Berry, Washington and Howard.

In her release, Franklin says the actors in question are “enthusiastic about the project and have agreed to take on these roles, subject to further negotiation.”

The statement says Washington, for one, “was very interested in the role,” and Franklin “also had a very positive response from her in-person conversations with Terrence Howard and others.”

Franklin is one of the most honored musicians in American history, having won numerous Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award; the National Medal of Arts; the Presidential Medal of Freedom and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[From The Huffington Post]

Denzel is a fine choice, and Terrence Howard… well, I think that man is strange, unprofessional douche, but whatever. Wonderful actor, but he seems like he sucks as a person. Halle would be fine in the role, but you’ve got to think that J.Hud is being seriously considered, right? But what do I know? In my life story, they would cast Mindy Kaling. No disrespect to Mindy at all (I do love her), but in our own minds, aren’t we always played by someone like Angelina or Charlize? Why not?

Aretha Franklin PR photos from the 1960s, plus one from the 2000s. Credit: WENN.

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two years since actress/singer Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and little nephew were brutally murdered by her estranged brother-in-law. Jennifer, who has since gotten engaged, had a baby boy and lost a lot of weight, has never spoken publicly about her ordeal – until now. Jennifer is the subject of a new VH1 “Behind the Music” documentary – and for the first time, she talks about the days immediately after the shocking triple murder that left her without most of her family.

Oscar and Grammy-winner Jennifer Hudson broke her silence about the dark days following the triple-murder of her mother, brother and nephew by her brother-in-law on VH-1′s Behind the Music: Jennifer Hudson on Monday night.

“It’s all a blur, it was surreal,” the Chicago native, 28, said of the October 2008 killings. “It was like I was outside of myself — for almost two weeks straight … [I was] inside one room with just family and friends coming in and out, because of the press was everywhere and it was like, ‘Where’s Jennifer?’”

Hudson said she spent many days in seclusion trying to find herself after the tragedy, and even turned down a film role as she was struggling with her emotions in the wake of things.

“I was like, I have to get adjusted to who I am,” a teary Hudson said. “I can’t be another character if I don’t even know who I am.”

Last year, Hudson gave birth to her first child, a boy named David Daniel Otunga.

[From Radar]

It must be incredibly difficult for Jennifer to talk about this. But it also seems like Jennifer is in a really good place, both personally and professionally these days. Maybe talking about it now will help her move past it- as much as anyone can move past something so horrific. By the way, the man accused of the killings, William Balfour, is still awaiting trial and pled not guilty to all charges earlier this year.

Jennifer Hudson, 28, looks amazing after losing her baby weight and then some to emerge a healthy and thin size six. Hudson is on the cover of People Magazine this week showing over her svelte form, whittled down from a size 16 after she had her first baby, David Daniel Otunga Jr., in August. Weight Watchers couldn’t ask for a better advertisement. Hudson is their spokesperson and she’s obviously taken her position seriously. She told Good Morning America in April that she’d lost weight with the program and that “I can follow the plan no matter where I am, still enjoy my favorite foods and even use the iPhone app to track my points.”

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve lost 25 pounds with Weight Watchers and exercise so far this year. (Weight Watchers hasn’t contacted us or comped my membership or anything, but they’re welcome to.) I’m an online member and use the application on my iPod. It’s been extremely helpful. The other day I was at a Bob Evans when I ordered something like a small chicken salad with pecans and cranberries. I looked it up and a small one was 15 points! (I get 20 points total per day, plus overages. 15 points is very high in calories.) I changed my order to a small chef salad at just 6 points. Chain restaurants should at least include calories next to the salads as I almost got duped into eating one with more calories than a burger.

I have some gripes with the way that WW calculates points, because I don’t get enough calories if I don’t use all the additional points per week. Overall it’s really helped me lose weight without gimmicks or limiting the types of food I can eat. I’ve tried a lot of diets and this is the one that seems to work long term, although we’ll see.

Anyway congratulations to Hudson and I’m so glad she’s promoting Weight Watchers! It’s a business like all of the other diet programs, but it seems to be a reputable one and I know it works. Oh and People doesn’t have their cover story online yet but once it’s available we’ll update this story.

Here’s Hudson in Cannes this week. Credit: News Pictures/WENN.com. She’s also shown before, in the large picture below.

Jennifer Before: