Jennifer Hudson might end up winning her second Oscar with her new film role — she’s playing Nelson Mandela’s wife, Winnie, in a new biopic, and a trailer has just been released. Also in today’s Roundup, Amber Holcomb is pregnant, and she’s responding to criticism from a fan. Jordin Sparks has put out a new song. And Scotty McCreery is adding more dates to his tour.
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Trailer: Jennifer Hudson is Winnie Mandela
Season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson was able to combine both her exceptional acting skills and unbelievable voice and turn that into an Oscar-winning performance in Dreamgirls. She’s since appeared in other movies like Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees and The Three Stooges, not to mention guest starring on Smash. But now she’s heading back into Oscar territory, transforming herself into Winnie Mandela, the wife of the former President of South Africa. This film is screaming to be nominated for an Academy Award, if not for the film as a whole, then at least for Jennifer in the lead role.
(Then again, when the film was first taking shape, some controversy surfaced over a few things, including the fact that Winnie herself wasn’t asked for her input — controversy ended up hurting Zero Dark Thirty‘s Oscar chances after it took heat for some inaccurate assumptions over torture.)
The first trailer has been released for Winnie Mandela, and I’ll admit, I got chills a couple times watching it. The film follows Winnie throughout her life, including her childhood, her marriage to Mr. Mandela and his incarceration. Playing the former president is Terrence Howard.
Winnie Mandela hits theaters on September 6.
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Amber Holcomb is Pregnant
The season 12 finalists are in the middle of their American Idol Live! Tour at the moment, but Amber Holcomb revealed some very big news on her personal Facebook page this week: the 19-year-old fourth-place finisher is pregnant with her first child.
After she posted a picture of the sonogram, the big question was: who’s the father? She tagged the image with the name of Lamar D. Denson, who’s reportedly her boyfriend.
While there were obvious congratulations from fans and friends, she has been taking heat as well. A fan posted a comment saying, “Am I bad … if I feel disappointed??? I guess Amber has given up on her dream??? … And yes … I know I will get flack 4 being honest on this post … But I guess life has taught me that … If you fail 2 PLAN … You plan 2 FAIL!!! … And yes I cried when Amber was sent home in 4th position … But I still didn’t think it was over … Actually thought it was just beginning!!! … So 4give me … If I’m not as optimistic on this post as you guys…”
Amber did reply to the message: “Honestly thats your opinion … But at the same time I could really care less … Im happy..That’s all that matters..in the end its gonna be me and my child and whoever else wants to be there for us. I didnt ask for this but I consider it a blessing..What anybody else (including yourself) thinks about me is none of my business..But thanks for your input?”
That is all we know at this time. I’m sure eventually she’ll let us know the sex of the baby when she finds out.
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New Jordin Sparks Song “Skipping a Beat”
It’s been four years since Jordin Sparks’ previous album came out, and two years since she released a single. It’s been a long time coming, and now she’s finally debuting a new song. It’s called “Skipping a Beat,” and it’s presumably about her boyfriend, Jason Derulo (with lyrics like, “You’re my lover, you’re my friend, you’re my gangsta”). She tweeted, “Excited for you to hear something new.”
On her two already-released albums, she found success with “Tattoo,” “No Air,” “One Step at a Time” and “Battlefield.” Do you think this new tune will follow suit? “Skipping a Beat” will be on her upcoming third album, which is expected to drop in the fall.
Scotty McCreery Adds More Tour Dates (And New Album Rumors)
Expect to hear a lot more from Scotty McCreery in the upcoming months. First off, he’s adding fall dates to his Weekend Roadtrip Tour. The additional stops will take him first to Hyannis, Massachusetts, on August 9, heading to New York, North Carolina, California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Texas all throughout August, September, October and November, then wrapping up November 22-23 in Lincoln City, Oregon. You can find out more info at his official website.
Scotty’s been teasing his sophomore album for a little while now, and all signs are pointing to an October release. Hits Daily Double is listing it for October 15, though nothing official has been announced yet. His team is about to launch a major push for his single “See You Tonight” — a music video has been filmed and should be released soon.
Here’s a new video with Scotty talking about the tour as well as the upcoming album:
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(Image courtesy of Image Entertainment)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
