Aretha Franklin to Get All-Star Grammy Salute

There is only one Queen of Soul, but it takes a chorus of artists to celebrate her.

"As a "valentine" to Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award and Grammy Legend Award recipient Aretha Franklin, four-time Grammy winner Yolanda Adams, four-time Grammy winner and Latin Grammy winner Christina Aguilera, Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson, country superstar Martina McBride, and current nominee Florence Welch will join together on the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in celebration of the 18-time Grammy winner and current nominee's music and ongoing legacy," the Recording Academy said in an announcement Wednesday.

The salute, to take place at the start of the program, will feature individual and collective renditions of some of Franklin's classics – though Franklin, 68, is not expected to attend Sunday night's event, presumably due to her recent, undisclosed health problems. According to her rep, she'll be at home in Detroit watching with her friends and family.

The tribute will be among several performances set to take place at the Grammys, by such artists as Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Jaden Smith, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and, in his live Grammy performance debut, Mick Jagger.

On Tuesday, the Academy also announced that best traditional pop vocal album nominee (for her Love Is the Answer) Barbra Streisand would also perform, introduced by her long-ago A Star Is Born costar, Kris Kristofferson.

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will take place Sunday, Februart 13th at Los Angeles's Staples Center and air live on CBS starting at 8:00 pm (ET).

Jennifer Hudson: Family Murders 'All a Blur'

She's kept quiet about the brutal 2008 murders of her mother Darnell, brother Jason and nephew Julian. Now, Jennifer Hudson is finally speaking out.

"It's all a blur, it was surreal," she says on VH1's Behind the Music: Jennifer Hudson on Monday night. "It was like I was outside of myself."

As her very public nightmare unfolded, the Oscar-winning actress says she went into seclusion.

"For almost two weeks straight . . . [I was] inside one room with just family and friends coming in and out," she says. "I prayed when I'd get up in the morning and prayed before I laid down at night."

Hudson barely addressed the murders until the 2009 Grammys, where she performed a poignant, moving rendition of "You Pulled Me Through."

"I was definitely thinking of my family when I was singing that song," she says. "I could hear my brother in my head, like, 'Jennifer, you need to kill this, you need to get up and do it.' I knew he would be disappointed if I didn't do it justice."

Today, "I feel like I've lived about three or four different lives," she says, adding that her 11-month-old son David (with her fiancé David Otunga) has helped her heal.

Little David, "reminds me of my nephew," says Hudson, and he also helps her remember her mother. "In so many ways I channel her because she was such a great mom."

Her son, she adds, "makes me feel like the most special person on earth. I want him to get the same love and the same upbringing my mother gave us."

Jennifer Hudson’s Weight Loss: How She Did It

Once a size 16, Jennifer Hudson is now reveling in her new size 6 body, telling People magazine, "I’m in the best shape of my life!"

After giving birth to her son last August, Hudson, 28, had to drop her post-pregnancy pounds for her next movie role as Winnie Mandela. "Whatever it takes to morph into a character I’ll do it," says Hudson.

But the star went about her weight loss in a healthy way by working out with trainer Harley Pasternak and learning about portion control through Weight Watchers’ point system (Hudson became the official spokesperson for the weight loss plan earlier this year).

Now as the actress gets ready to fly to the South African set of her new movie, Hudson will face the challenges of figuring out how many points are in vetkoek – a South African fried treat. Just don’t think she’s going to fall off the weight-loss wagon anytime soon.

"She will need to investigate every new product on this new continent," says Liz Josefsberg, Hudson’s Weight Watchers counselor. "I am not the least bit worried about Jennifer… She is an amazing and resilient personality who will be just fine in her surroundings."

To read more about Hudson, the details of her weight loss plan, and to see the evolution of her body through the years, pick up the new issue of People on newsstands now.

Jennifer Hudson is the New Face–and Body!–of Weight Watchers

The secret behind Jennifer Hudson’s amazing body after baby? Weight Watchers! In fact, the new mom revealed she’s the new spokesperson for the company on Thursday.

“With Weight Watchers, I am enjoying the weight loss because I’m doing it the right way–I feel empowered with what I’ve learned, everything from portion control to what foods will help keep me satisfied,” says the 28-year-old. “It’s a lifestyle change, not a diet.”

The Oscar-winning actress-singer, who has a 7-month-old son, David Daniel Otunga Jr., with her fiancé David Otunga, 28–also likes how the diet fits into her busy lifestyle. “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,” she says.

Hudson is no stranger to publicly discussing her weight: After being called “the big girl” as a contestant on American Idol, the singer transformed her body for her Oscar-winning turn as Effie in Dreamgirls by packing on more than 20 lbs. with a diet of “cakes and cookies and lots of fried food,” she said. She later lost the weight for the premiere of the film.

Celebrities who have represented Weight Watchers in the past include Jenny McCarthy, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, and Lynn Redgrave.

Jennifer Hudson Sports a Milk Mustache

Jennifer Hudson is the latest celeb to sport a milk mustache as part of the “got milk?” campaign!

The 28-year-old singer and new mama to David Otunga, Jr. reminds other new mothers that milk offers substantial nutritional value for both mom and baby!

“As a new mom, I’m trying to make the best choices for my family and me, which includes making sure milk is on our table every day,” Jennifer said.

Check out WhyMilk.com for behind-the-scenes footage of Jennifer’s shoot and a chance to win a VIP trip to one of her fall concerts.

Paparazzi!: What a Spectacle

Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson , Usher and Carrie Underwood take a break from rehearsing their 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson, who will be honored during Sunday's Grammy Awards, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Grammy Performances Pushing the Envelope

Elton John and Lady Gaga kick off the show. Can they upstage the piano man's memorable Stan duet with Eminem in 2001? Beyoncé's medley is shaping up as a monster production number. Will it measure up to Beyoncé's Proud Mary duet with Tina Turner in 2008? Does this year's Taylor Swift transcend last year's Taylor Swift?

Music's most prestigious awards show is more than a podium for dispensing Grammys in highly competitive races. It's also a distinguished showcase for live performances, and that competition, while friendly, can be fierce.

Sunday's musical marathon promises back-to-back showstoppers (and a sprinkling of statues) as performers angle for a chapter in Grammy's history book.

Intensifying the pressure is TV's growing role as a critical key in promoting artists, says Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich, whose patience tends to be tested by demanding and mercurial stars.

"At one point, when I was getting frustrated with a couple acts who will remain nameless, someone reminded me that this is the biggest night of their year, or their careers in some cases. They want to beat past performances by Prince or Beyoncé or Paul McCartney. They feel as much pressure as we do to come through."

They may be hard-pressed to outshine the departed Michael Jackson, who resurfaces in a previously unreleased 3-D version of Earth Song, joined live on the Grammy stage by Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher. (Viewers can pick up free 3-D glasses at Target through Sunday.) The film was created for Jackson's scrapped This Is It tour.

"It's going to be pretty remarkable," says Ehrlich, who saw Jackson's tour rehearsals the night before his death. "When I was thinking about how to honor him, I didn't want someone doing Beat Itor Billie Jean. This is the proper homage, considering how he felt about this song and the message it sends to fans. And he always wanted to push the envelope."

So does Ehrlich, who produced his first Grammy show 30 years ago, inaugurating a tradition of magical pairings with Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's duet of You Don't Bring Me Flowers. Over the years, the show expanded from two hours to 3½, from a nightclub to a small auditorium to the 20,000-seat Staples Center.

"We've covered a lot of ground, but I don't feel tired," Ehrlich says.

Ask him again Monday morning. Sunday's partial menu:

Other performances include:
• Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli will join voices on Bridge Over Troubled Water.
• Jeff Bridges will introduce a Les Paul tribute, How High the Moon, with guitar hero Jeff Beck and rockabilly singer Imelda May.
• Maxwell and Roberta Flack reprise her Where Is the Love and his Pretty Wings.
• Eminem and Lil Wayne join Drake on his Forever, with Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums.

• The Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling will incorporate singalong videos submitted online by fans.
• Green Day does 21 Guns, sharing the stage with the cast of Broadway's upcoming American Idiot, based on the trio's album.
• Bon Jovi will play a song chosen by fans, who can vote at www.cbs.com/grammys for Always, It's My Life or Livin' on a Prayer until the band takes the stage. (Logic suggests Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, a late addition to the Grammy bill, will pop up here for duet Who Says You Can't Go Home.)
• Country pop trio Lady Antebellum performs Need You Now.
• Pink tackles Glitter in the Air.

Watch the Grammys this Sunday, January 31st at 8:00 pm (ET) on CBS.

Hope for Haiti Now: Jennifer Hudson's "Let It Be"

Jennifer Hudson performing the Beatle's "Let It Be" at the Hope for Haiti Now telethon:

Music Stars Sign Up for Haiti Telethon

Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Christina Aguilera are among the music stars set to perform at Friday’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon for earthquake relief.

The two-hour event will air on several networks at 8:00 pm (ET), hosted by George Clooney in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York and CNN's Anderson Cooper in Haiti.

Sting will be joined in New York by Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Shakira.

Timberlake and Aguilera will take the stage in Los Angeles, along with Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow.

In London, the lineup includes Rihanna, Bono, Coldplay, Jay-Z and The Edge.

Jennifer Hudson Denies Pregnancy Reports

Those recent tabloid stories about a new baby? It was all a dream about this girl.

"Contrary to what has been falsely reported, Jennifer Hudson is not pregnant," her rep Lisa Kasteler says. "Jennifer leaves in April for South Africa where she will portray Winnie Mandela in the feature film, Winnie."

"It is a commitment she is excited about and takes very seriously," the rep adds. "Jennifer is currently in the studio recording her second album and this is the only delivery she is looking forward to in 2010."

The Oscar winner is already busy with one little one at home – son David was born in August.

Jennifer Hudson is Pregnant Again!

Jennifer Hudson is pregnant with her second child just four months after giving birth to baby son David Jr. - according to U.S. tabloid reports.

The Dreamgirls Oscar winner and her fiance David Otunga discovered the happy news on 10 December, according to Star magazine.

A friend tells the tabloid, "Jennifer was in total shock when she found out she was having another baby. She had wanted some space between the kids' ages.(But) she and David love kids. It's another thing for them to celebrate during the holidays."

Meet Jennifer Hudson's Newborn Son!

Motherhood definitely seems to agree with Jennifer Hudson, who gave birth to her first child, David – named after her fiancé, David Otunga – on August 10th.

"I love being nurturing and caring because I love to see other people happy," says Hudson. "Who better to devote my time to than my own child?"

From singing lullabies ("He can be crying at the top of his lungs and just turn off like a switch") to frequent bottle-feedings ("I’ve never seen a baby eat like he does!"), the singer (who chose not to address the tragic loss of her family members last October) offers People an intimate look into her new life as a mom.

How hard was it keeping your pregnancy under wraps?
"David and I were the only people who knew for a long time. I would forget I was pregnant, it was so easy. I didn’t have any morning sickness, no cravings either. I just thought, ‘Oh, well, we’ll wait until it’ll tell on itself.’ I didn’t show until I was seven months so that made it easy right there."

Your son was delivered via C-section, what was your recovery like?
"Everybody told me how much it was going to hurt afterwards but I think I have a different tolerance for pain than others. By that night after I had the baby, I'm like, 'Look, I can’t sit in this bed anymore. I’ve got to get up!’ I’ve been up and about since he was born. To me, the pain is no different than when you work out a muscle you’ve never worked out before and it’s sore."

Has his personality emerged yet?
"He has a lot of personality, like David. He’s always been a good sleeper. His favorite time to smile now is diaper changes. Or when he spits up on you – he just cracks up like he thinks it’s the funniest thing. And his bottle is his pacifier. With a pacifier, it’s like he knows, ‘Ain’t nothing come out of here. No, I don’t want that. Where’s the real deal?’ His best friend is that bottle; that’s all he wants."

Would you be supportive if he wants to pursue a career in entertainment?
"We'll definitely encourage education. His father is an education fanatic so we definitely want him to get an education and go to school. My mom always said, 'Whatever you want to do, I'll support you as long as you’re happy.' So I will do the same."

For more photos of the family – and the rest of our exclusive interview with Hudson – pick up next week's issue of People on newsstands October 15th.

A Jennifer Hudson Christmas Special

Former "American Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson is coming home to television for the holidays with a primetime music special slated to air on ABC.

"Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas" will air in December and feature the singer-actress reliving her childhood holidays with musical performances filmed in locations specific to her youth: the Oscar winner's church, music academy and other Chicago locations.

VH1 Divas Live Concert - Jennifer Hudson &Stevie Wonder

Last night we had the pleasure of listening to a new generation of "Divas" at the resurrected VH1 Divas Live concert.

Here is Jennifer Hudson & Stevie Wonder's "All in Love is Fair" performance:

VH1 Divas Divas Video

VH1 Divas Live Concert - Jennifer Hudson

Last night we had the pleasure of listening to a new generation of "Divas" at the resurrected VH1 Divas Live concert.

Here is Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" performance:

VH1 Divas Divas Video

Jennifer Hudson Welcomes a Son

It's official: Though she remained mum over the last nine months Jennifer Hudson is, indeed, a mom.

The Oscar-winning actress and Grammy-winning singer, 27, welcomed son David Daniel Otunga Jr. on Monday.

"The baby is beautiful and perfect," says Hudson's rep Lisa Kasteler. "His parents are ecstatic."

David weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz., at birth and is the first child for Hudson and her fiancé David Otunga. The couple kept the sex of the baby a delivery surprise.

"Congratulations!" Hudson's Dreamgirls costar Jamie Foxx told ET Canada. "I wonder if he came out singing? Probably."

Throughout the duration of her pregnancy, Hudson refused to confirm or deny that she was an expectant mother, instead allowing her burgeoning bump to speak for itself. As late as last month, she took the stage in Los Angeles to perform "Will You Be There" at the public memorial for Michael Jackson.

Her relative silence didn't stop colleagues from sending their well-wishes, however. Anika Noni Rose predicted in June that her Dreamgirls costar would go on to be a phenomenal mother, telling People that David Jr. would be "much loved."

Jennifer Hudson is Pregnant

Grammy-winning singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson can add mom-to-be to her resume after a weekend baby shower in her honor was held in downtown Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Felicia Fields, a longtime friend of the Hudson, confirmed to the paper that the event happened on Saturday.

"It was a baby shower, a quiet gathering of friends and mostly family," Fields, also a singer and actress, said of a gathering in a relative's home. "They're really trying to keep it kind of quiet."

She added: "It was a nice time that we had."

When asked if Hudson received blue or pink gifts, Fields said, "They don't know [the gender]. More yellow."

Another paper, the Chicago Sun-Times, reports Hudson is seven months along.

Hudson, 27, who is engaged to Harvard-educated-lawyer-turned-wrestler David Otunga, has also kept mum about her upcoming wedding date.

Which 'American Idol' Star Is the Top Earner?

Winning American Idol isn't a guaranteed ticket to millions - just last year, former winner Fantasia Barrino nearly lost her home due to lapsed mortgage payments. But it doesn't preclude future success either: Jennifer Hudson, who finished seventh her season, went on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

So which American Idol alum banks best?

According to a study by Forbes, country-singing cutie Carrie Underwood is the top performer, with estimated earnings of $14 million last year. She has played over 300 concerts, released 2 albums, and sold 9.6 million CDs and 10.7 million downloads. Not bad.

Jennifer Hudson is the second most-successful AI alum, having earned $5 million last year. She's just returned to the stage for the first time since the tragic murders of her mother, brother, and nephew last fall.

Kelly Clarkson, the original American Idol, is still a top-earner as well, despite her most-recent album, All I Ever Wanted, failing to reach the zenith established by Breakaway (2004). She earned an estimated $4.2 million last year.

Jennifer Hudson Reveals Memories of Her Slain Mother

Barely seven months after her mother, brother and nephew were murdered in Chicago, Jennifer Hudson is opening up about her relationship with her mom, Darnell Donerson.

"I was always a mama's baby," Hudson tells Essence in the magazine's June cover story. "I'd go and sleep in her bed until I was 15 years old."

The singer's fiancé David Otunga tells the magazine that one of Hudson's biggest concerns after she decided to throw herself back into work – she's promoting her debut album and touring with Robin Thicke – was the thought of having to answer questions about the loss of her family.

"We don't talk about it," says Otunga, who received Donerson's blessing before he proposed to Hudson on her 27th birthday last September. "In this time when things seem so uncertain for her, there is certainty in our bond. She doesn't have to worry about losing me. I'm always going to be right here."

Hudson, who recently re-proposed to Otunga with a Neil Lane ring to match her own engagement sparkler, says her fiancé – a Harvard-educated-lawyer-turned-pro-wrestler – is family-oriented. "I love that. And he is such a gentlemen, like, I sit in the car waiting because I can't touch the door. I am not allowed!"

Hudson also relies heavily on her faith. "The thing that keeps me going is knowing that God is in control," she says. "It's like, if He placed me here then I must be prepared."

Jennifer Hudson Pregnant, Sources Say

Jennifer Hudson is pregnant, two sources confirm to Essence.

The 27-year-old former American Idol contestant is engaged to David Otunga, a Harvard Law graduate and former contestant on reality show I Love New York 2. Jennifer is currently touring with Robin Thicke and their next show is today (April 23rd) at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.

Jennifer’s manager and publicist have denied these pregnancy rumors but congrats to the happy couple if the rumors are true!!!