Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls — No one saw J-Hud coming. She didn’t just break out in Dreamgirls; she detonated. With a constellation of stars that included Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Emmy-award winner Anika Noni Rose, Danny Glover, Sharon Leal, Loretta Devine and John Lithgow, no one could have fathomed that an “American Idol” cast-off would not only upstage the intergalactic megastardom of Queen Bey, but that she would nearly dwarf the other performances in the film. Though Murphy garnered a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination for his rich portrayal of the tragic James “Thunder” Early, Hudson’s roof-rattling rendition of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” earned a standing ovation during the media screening of the film in Beverly Hills, the one and only time I have ever witnessed such a spectacle. And, oh yes, she also got an Oscar.
