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October 8, 2008
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Dreamgirls Star Puts Focus on Singing
Jennifer
Hudson is used
to defying
expectations
(AP) — Two years ago, the big­
gest question surrounding Jen ­
n if e r H u d s o n 's c a r e e r w as
w hether she could act.
Everyone knew she could sing;
after all, it was her soaring, gos­
pel-inflected voice that made her
famous during her finalist run on
"American Idol" in 2004. The ques­
tion was whether her considerable
talent extended to acting when she
was cast in the drama-filled role of
Effie in the movie adaptation of
the musical "Dreamgirls."
An O scar win for best support­
ing actress answ ered that hand­
ily, and roles in the summer block­
buster "Sex and the City" and the
upcom ing "The Secret Lives of
Bees" have only reaffirm ed her
new found gift. But as H udson
puts the focus back on her sing­
ing with her self-titled debut CD,
she has to answ er m ore q u e s­
tions — like w hether w inning an
A cadem y A w ard last year has Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson has put the focus
m ade it easier or harder for her to back on her singing with a self-titled debut CD.
be seen as a singer.
"Harder!" she declares with a huge too.' So it's magnified, and
"I don’t believe in limits so I
laugh.
a lot o f attention on it and from wasn't allowing m yself to be lim ­
"The pressure is m ore on the what I hear it's extrem ely antici­ ited and 1 w anted to show other
music than on the film side, which pated — so it's like, (sighs) 'OK!'" sides o f me, and to say 'Well, if
is odd," Hudson muses. "It's like
But Hudson is hardly harried you like this side o f Jennifer, let
everything is expected to be big about the current release o f "Jen­ m e in tro d u c e you to a n o th e r
com ing from me and so it's like, nifer Hudson." She's used to d e­ side,"' says Hudson. "I used to
'OK, we know this is going to be fying expectations.
co n sid er my voice a tree with
many branches and that's what
to me this album d isplays, all
these different sides o f me."
T h o se sid es w ere o b sc u re d
her during acting ascent: W hile
she had spent most o f her adult
life singing, once her acting ca­
reer took off, she shelved her
dream o f making an album while
making movies.
"If I'm acting I’m acting, if I'm
singing I'm singing," says the
Chicago native. "There's no do­
ing both, because I don't w anna
split my focus ... so one had to
give way for the other."
W h ile
H u d so n
c o u n ts
W h itn ey H o u sto n am o n g her
chief influences, she was careful
not to make a C D full o f torch
songs to show case her powerful
voice: "I didn't want to be type­
cast as ju st a big ballad singer."
W hile "Jennifer Hudson" does
contain soaring ballads and even
h e r d e v a s ta tin g re n d itio n o f
"And I'm Telling You I'm Not G o­
ing" from "Dreamgirls," it also
f e a tu re s a ra p v e rse fro m
Ludacris, a collaboration with T-
Pain, production help from Ne-
Yo and T im baland and even a
duet with fellow "American Idol"
alum Fantasia.
"W ith her, she has such an
am azing voice, you can pretty
much pick any song, and she can
sing it," said Harvey M ason Jr.,
one of the songw riters and pro­
d u c e rs on th e C D w h o also
w o rk e d w ith H u d so n on the
"Dreamgirls" soundtrack. "It re­
ally gave us a freedom to be re­
ally creative."
K M H D 89.11 M PLEDGE DRIVE OCTOBER 10— 19
Louis Armstrong said, "Jazz is music that's
never played the same way once."
Jazz is noise
Jazz is music that's always different
Jazz is an American art form
Jazz is revolutionary
Jazz is the same as bebop, hip-hop,
and the blues
Jazz is new and old
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Urban Arts, Inc. P.0.11443 Portland, OR 97211
(503)442-5817 www.urbanart8dance.com
■■■■■■■■■■■■■I
Free O M SI Teen N ight
The Oregon Museum o f Science and
Industry will offer teenagers ages 13-18
a free night at the museum filled with
special programming and fun activities
created just for them.
OMSI's first ever Teen-Only Night will
feature cheap eats, a live DJ, Segway
rides, a Science Cafe' discussion, and
the o pportu n ity to peruse the new
brainteaser-ftlled exhibit Mindbender
M ansion.
Music for the evening will be pro­
vided by DJ DM oeFunk who in addi­
tion to providing entertainm ent will
teach guests how to spin and the tech­
nical secrets behind the art of DJ-ing.
Teen-Only Night at OMSI will beheld
Saturday, Oct. 18 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Adults are not permitted to attend, but
OMSI will provide security and adult
supervision throughout the evening.
Admission is completely free. Low
cost fixxJ and beverages will be avail­
able for purchase.
GRAND OPENING T h a i F o o d C a fé
1H( UlTIMRTt
833 North Killingsworth Street. Portland, Oregon 97217 • Tel.(503) 285-8745
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The Bungalow Roxe in conjunction
m lh The Portland O bserver w ill
sponsor a parts for I I k loca l Head
M arl children « mi O ctober I K ill from
2-4 p m Ibex I, enjos games food
and fun I reals w ill be donated b \
local mere hauls
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